Senior Project!

http://prezi.com/bnelt3takd4y/

Congratulations!

I just wanted to say congrats to everyone who has won a scholarship, go to a four year university or GROWING up! Senior year is almost over and we aren't getting any younger.. Go after your dreams! I ,also, wanted to give a special thank you to everyone who has supported me.. My teachers, friends and most importantly my family. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for every one of you! Again, thank you and congrats to class of 2013! We're so close! An ending to form a new beginning. Let's make everybody proud!

Cleaning out my binder..

When you clean out your binder and you find all your vocabulary lists from fall semester.. only I would be one of the few to keep them all!

My Senior Project

Dani Galindo and I have a senior project that consists of Righetti's history. From a yearbook from 1963 to present. We want to know everything! The past teachers, building structures.. Everything! By understanding Righetti, we are able to understand the changes and progress we have made in the last 50 years!

5/3/13

5/2/13

5/1/13

4/30/13

4/29/13

4/27/13

I never had a chance to post these but better late than never!

1999 English Literature Q3

The dangers combination of manipulation and ambition can lead to unintended and irreversible consequences. By having a desire for power, an individual is subconsciously having a desire for disaster. The determination and perseverance of one character can influence/force another character to become a murderer for success.

Macbeth is a famous Shakespeare play which drives an honorable man to a blood thrusting killer. However, Macebeth is not driven for royalty, but for the satisfaction of pleasing his wife. Lady Macbeth is a manipulative and deceiving wife. She thrives on ambition mix with sinful thoughts in order to get what she wants. After receiving the title of Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth becomes next in line for king. However, Lady Macbeth does not feel any joy or enthusiasm for this 'promotion' but instead of a thrive for power. She intends to manipulate her husband by questioning his manhood. Yet, Macbeth who knows right from wrong is blindly coerced into a blood bath, in order to become king.

Macbeth put his whole reputation at risk only to prove to his wife that he is a true man. Showing no remorse at first for Banquo and Duncan, Lady Macbeth secretly start to show sympathy. When she begins to sleepwalk and reveal how her hands are bloody forever, she realizes she cannot live like this.. Lady Macbeth commits suicide and Macbeth is heartbroken. He risked everything for his wife just to end up with her dying.

In conclusion, characters of manipulation can influence others do their bidding. Manipulation and ambition can be a violent asset to a selfish wife. Shakespeare has many events in order to reveal his themes. While Macbeth struggles, it relates to Shakespeare themes. Since Macbeth is blindly manipulated, the audience is able to comprehend how we listen to others while we should listen to our conscious.

Gridlocks from my Team

Danig14.blogspot.com

Title: The title of the poem expresses the significance that the narrator put on his fantasies by referring to his dreams as a state of apotheosis

Paraphrase parts of the poem: "joy departed"- Meaning no longer joyous or containing joy. “But a waking dream of life and light hath left me broken-hearted”- The narrator articulates his fears of when his fantasy world will come to an end. Connotation: "broken-hearted"- His heart isn't literally broken, but he is devastated or sad. "What is not a dream by day"- This doesn't literally mean that dreams during the day, but what one dreams at all. Attitude: In my opinion, the attitude of the poem is one that is introverted, or even emotionally inept, as if "his" message is not to be shared with society. This seems like a sensitive subject for the narrator, as he shares his deepest thoughts and feelings.

Shift: I feel that there is a shift between "In visions of the dark night", and "But a waking dream of life and light", the first quotes creates a dark, depressing state for me, while the second quote creates one that is more joyful.

Title Revised: I feel that "A Dream" has significance as the narrator discusses his very own dream. His dream ,I feel, is to live in his own fantasy wold, undisturbed.

Theme: The theme of this poem is how the narrator wants to live in his own dreams, maybe because of traumatic life experiences. He finds more comfort in his fantasy world than he does reality and fears the day that his fantasy world will cease.

Vgonzalezrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com

Title: A Summer’s Dream by Elizabeth Bishop sound like it will be happy and uplifting.

Paraphrase: In this poem, I feel as if Bishop is observing these 4 characters in one room and making a poem about them. The owl seems a bit random. The poem, although it is titled A Summer's Dream which makes you think of sunny, fun and happy things, seems like a contradiction to the actual poem which has nothing to do with summer and who's tone has dark feelings at times.

Connotation:

Diction: wharf, geraniums, linoleums, somn ambulist

Attitude: The attitude of the author is a mix between dreamy and gloomy. She doesn't stick to one subject and jumps from one thing to another. This moment seems like a real moment but pictured in a dreamy way where her attention shifts from one thing to another.

Tone: I hate repetition but her tone seems dreamy, smooth and gloomy at times.

Shift(s): I think these two verses are where the poem shifts from normal, content to serious and gloomy. Extraordinary geraniums crowded the front windows, the floors glittered with assorted linoleums.

Every night we listened for a horned owl. In the horned lamp flame, the wallpaper glistened.

Title revisited: The title is referring to a memory and the poem is the description of part of the memory that she allows us to see into. She gives us details that make us question the title but in all the title is what she got out of the memory although we can extract other feelings from the poem.

Theme: Im struggling on this one...

Groupthink

All in all each person in our group has chosen a different poems in different categories therefore we get a better understanding of different types of poems. Since we each have chosen a poem and have presented many presentations to each other we have learned different types of writing themes, diction and tones. Each author has a unique style and structure to there poem.

Gridlock

Title: At first glance, the title 'Our Deepest Fear' makes me think of monsters and gloomy type of scene. I assumed the author would be a little boy or little girl.

Paraphrase: 'Our Deepest Fear' by Marianne Williamson is a truly amazing poem. The poem how people in the community is scared of reaching their full potential. 'Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.' The line reveals how we are not scared we are not enough, we are scared that we are more intelligent, stronger then we know. The poet reveals how each individual has their own potential. Mrs. Williamson states how to each individual much rise to their full potential in order to better the world itself.

Connotation: The author uses special diction and syntax in order to betray her message. By using such powerful words you become one with the poem. The whole poem has words like 'inadequate' instead of a basic word like unintelligent. By switching just these two words makes a poem much more powerful and much more motivating.

Attitude: The authors tone is just really self motivating each individual. The poem reminds me of the coach telling his players to do the impossible. The poem is so inspirational and has the attitude where you just want to get up and go get to get that education or do whatever you want to do in life in order to succeed. By keeping that powerful tone the audience is able to feel what the author is trying to convey.

Shift: ' Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure'. There is a shift in the middle of the poem when the author is explaining How each individual has the potential to be anything they want not just to better themselves but also the world itself.

Title Revisited: After reading the poem several times I have came to the conclusion that our deepest fear is not about monsters or any physical challenge. The title means we must mentally overcome our obstacles and self-doubt.

Theme: the author's theme is pretty self explanatory. Each individual has ability to do whatever they want in their life. However, we are so scared of rejection we reject ourselves. We have the opportunity to get education and not only better ourselves the better those around us. The author mentioned how playing a small role in the world does not help anybody. Be who you want to be a but make sure its a person you can be. Everyone is beautiful and everyone is powerful. Do not let self doubt control your life. You are the controller of your own game so play well and win everything.

Poetry group

My group consists of myself, Dani Galindo, Haleigh Jones & Valerie Gonzalez. We each have one poem on our blog we personally have chosen. At the end of the week, we will collaborate with one another and reveal our analysis of each poem we have done.

UPDATE: Sebastian Guillen has been included in our group!

Reflection on Macbeth Test

The test went by so fast. Since we only have 15 seconds per question I had to read quick. However, I didn't feel extremely pressured because I felt like I knew MacBeth and what a Shakespeare was talking about. On the other hand I can be completely wrong and not get anything right. But I still feel like I did a decent job on analyzing the quotes Shakespeare used. All in all I felt the exam was a good choice to have. It helps me realize that I need to be confident on what I'm reading in order to do my best.

The Seventh Reading

I chose a poem that is not on the poetry list because I feel this poem is a poem that can motivate a person to do better.
It's strcuture and style appeals to many variety of people. We can emotionally FEEL in tune with this poem. It's one of my all time favorites.

The famous 'Our Deepest Fear' by Marianne Williamson.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light,not our darkness That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves Who am I to be brilliant,gorgeous,talented, fabulous? Actually,who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small Does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, As children do. We were born to make manifest The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, Our presence automatically liberates others.

Lit circles

To do my lack of supreme excellence with introduction paragraphs I decided to do all the intros of each novel. However I fail to do the essays of Life of Pi because I felt the other novels will help me with the AP exam.

Lit Circles

Only the multiple choice so far. Essays coming up soon!

Prose Essay Prompts The Life of Pi

"Life on a lifeboat isn't much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn't be more simple, nor the stakes higher."

Pi strips down to the essentials is necessary for communication with God. He says "A full, varied life with many distractions can cloud faith or even make it unnecessary." Why does Pi believe he doesn't need anything for a relationship with God? Why is living on a boat not a life for Pi?

"My greatest wish -- other than salvation -- was to have a book. A long book with a never-ending story. One I could read again and again, with new eyes and a fresh understanding each time." Explain Pi's point of view on learning and understanding.

"The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar."

Living on a boat gave Pi a new routine, why is this strange for Pi? Around this time Pi turns to God. At his lowest point, he turns to his faith and imagination. How does these resources help Pi?

Brave New World Ch 7

Chapter 7 reveals the truth! The Director name ends up being named Tomakin. Huxley infers that he is an Indian boys father created from natural conception. (This is considered scandalous) As the chapter progresses, we are able to understand the characters more. Using direct characterization, Lenina is DIRECTLY said to a be a stuck up b**** due to the comments on the appearance of the Indian boy's mother, Linda. >>Community, Identity, Stability.<<

Huxley makes parallelism obvious and eye opening in this chapter.

Brave New World 6

Repetition- "Odd, odd, odd, was Lenina's verdict on Bernard Marx. So odd, indeed, that in the course of the succeeding weeks she had wondered more than once whether she shouldn't change her mind about the New Mexico holiday." p.87

Imagery- "She was appalled by the rushing emptiness of the night, by the black foam-flecked water heaving beneath them, by the pale face of the moon, so haggard and distracted among the hastening clouds." p.90

Syntax- "He began to talk a lot of incomprehensible and dangerous nonsense. Lenina did her best to stop the ears of her mind; but every now and then a phrase would insist on becoming audible. "....to try the effect of arresting my impulses, " she heard him say. The words seemed to touch a spring in her mind." p.93

Also another thanks to Bgonzalezrhsenglitcomp1.blogspot.com

I,also, want to add Huxley uses the same lit terms throughout the chapters. He also uses indirect and direct characterization.

Brave New World 4 & 5

Repetition-"Go down," it said, "go down. Floor Eighteen. Go down, go down. Floor Eighteen. Go down, go...." p.59

Simile- "The summer afternoon was drowsy with the hum of passing helicopters; and the deeper drone of the rocket-planes hastening, invisible, through the bright sky five or six miles overhead was like a caress on the soft air." p.59

Characterization- "The chubby red face of Benito Hoover was beaming down at him-beaming with manifest cordiality. Benito was notoriously good-natured." p.60

Analogy- "Like the vague torsos of fabulous athletes, huge fleshy clouds lolled on the blue air above their heads." p.61

Setting- "An incessant buzzing of helicopters filled the twilight. Every two and a half minutes a bell and the screech of whistles announced the departure of one of the light monorail trains which carried the lower caste golfers back from their separate course to the metropolis." p.72

Unfortunately I do not have a hard copy of the book & was having trouble labeling lit terms. Therefore, I checked out my classmate blog. It was excellent! Check it out! Bgonzalezrhsenglitcomp1@blogspot.com

Literature Analysis

Great Expectations
1.  Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.
Growing up with no parents, and living with his sister and her husband was a man named Pip, who lived the marshes of Kent. Pip was visiting his parents at their tombstones, where he is jumped from behind by an escaped convict, and forces Pip to bring him food and a file. Then, Pip is taken by his Uncle to play at the Satis House, this was the home of a rich woman named Miss Havisham. Hopelessly, Pip falls deeply in love with Estrella, and dreams of nothing but being by her side. He wants to a wealthy gentleman just so he can be worthy of being with the irresistable Estrella. He continues to hope that Miss Havisham will make him a gentleman in order to marry Estrella. However, this dream is not met, because Miss Havisham will not make Pip a gentleman or a husband. Miss Havishman decides to make him a common laborer instead. Pip meets a new guy name Herbert in London, and they become friends. Herbert told Pip he would him become a gentlemen. As the novel progresses, a complicated mystery begins to unfold. Compeyson is the man who abandoned Miss Havishman at the altar, and discovers Magwitch is Estrella's father. Being the kinda, and giving soul Pip is, he begins to see the real Magwitch, the good. He begans to care for him. Estrella ends up marrying some upper class lout name Bentley. However, at the end of the novel, Pip finds out how kind and gentle Estrella can be. The cruelty he saw was just a mask she had put on. They are left in the garden, holding hands, promising they will never be apart again.  

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid  cliches.
The theme of the novel is self-improvement and ambition. We are constantly trying to reach success. Society, itself, creates pressures to succeed. We are judging ourself by others success or failures. In the novel, Pip is so influential on his peer's careers, that instead of finding out what's right for Pip, he is how do I become like him? Great Expectations reveal how great expectations can help society, or drag it to the wrong direction.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include 3 excerpts that illustrate your point.Dicken's tone expresses the emotion in the text. The love Pip had for Estrella, and the realization that he could prosper.

"The broken heart. You think you will die, but you just keep living, day after day after terrible day.

"I looked at the stars, and considered how awful it would be for a man to turn his face up to them as he froze to death, and see no help or pity in all the glittering multitude."

"It is not possible to know how far the influence of any amiable, honest-hearted duty-doing man flies out into the world, but it is very possible to know how it has touched one's self in going by."

4. Describe 5 literary techniques/elements you observed that strengthened your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone. Include 3 excerpts that will help your reader understand each one."Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape."

"Love her, love her, love her! If she favours you, love her. If she wounds you, love her. If she tears your heart to pieces – and as it gets older and stronger, it will tear deeper – love her, love her, love her!"

"In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong."

"Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day."

"We changed again, and yet again, and it was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me."
Symbolism: mist of the marshes, darkness, and statues

Anaphora – the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills.” (Winston Churchill)

Apostrophe – a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present and the inanimate as if animate. These are all addressed directly: “Milton, thou shoulds’t be living at this hour.”

Bildungsroman – a novel of education or spiritual growth of the main character as he/she undergoes a moral crisis

Chiasmus – a verbal pattern in which the second half of the expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed, as in the saying, “You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.”

Diction – word choice used to convey a certain effect

Euphemism -The substitution of a mild or less negative word or phrase for a harsh or blunt one, as in the use of "pass away" instead of "die." The basic psychology of euphemistic language is the desire to put something bad or embarrassing in a positive (or at least neutral light).

Hyperbole –a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration ex: “The shot heard ‘round the world.” It may be used for serious or comic effect.

Polysyndeton– the repetition of conjunctions in close succession for a rhetorical effect, as in the phrase “here and there and everywhere.”

Synecdoche – aa figure of speech in which a part is used for a whole (as a hand for a sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for a police officer), or the material of a thing for the thing made from it (steel for sword).


CHARACTERIZATION


1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?"Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle."

"In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong."
The author uses indirect characterization, along with direct characterization in many ways. Charles Dickens lets you into the character's thoughts, along with messages the characters reveal.

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?The author changes his syntax and diction when focusing on one character, because each character is another lesson to reveal the theme.

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
Pip is the main character, therefore he is dynamic and round. In the beginning, Pip is so influential of everyone around him, and constantly wants success. At the end of the book, you can see how Pip has matured, and realizes that he cannot want his peers life, because he has a life of his own to succeed in.

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
"Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule"

I believe Pip would be an amazing character to meet because the ambition he has is truly inspirational.

Brave New Worlds II & III

I've learned several pieces of information. I've been introduced to new characters and new observations. For example, family and sexuality is quite different from today. There are no mother and father figures. Kids are seen as annoying, yet useful and neccessary. As far as sexuality, it is encouraged for the kids to promote their sexuality and is smiled upon. The kids aren't allowed books because they are not supposed to be getting other ideas on how to live their life. They are punished when trying to open books. Also, nature is a distraction and waste of time because it interferes with jobs. Society wants people to work in factories, not outdoors, therefore, they taught the people to hate nature. Overall, Brave New Worlds is very interesting and causes some new point of views on looking into life.

WRITINGAS5PECTATORSPORT REVIEWS

First of all, I believe this is definitely a speedy way on doing essays! So I understand if the students lack "over the top" pre-writes, etc.

1.Megan Hardisty (http://mhardistyrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2013/02/writing-as-spectator-sport-essay.html?m=0).

2. Ashlie Pfeiferr (http://cwestrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2013/02/writingas5pectatorsport-ashlie.html)

3. Feli Ruiz (http://fruizrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2013/02/spectator-writing-spinx.html)

4. Matthew Patel (http://mpatelrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2013/02/5phynxing.html)
5. Alex Lane (http://cwestrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2013/02/writingas5pectator-sport-alex.html)

I believe each person had a different style. However, I believe each one has done a great job with their essays! Obviously the pre-write isn't up to perfection, but practice makes perfect. Keep up the good work guys :)

Brave New World

Honestly, Brave New World makes my mind think. The character is asking rhetorical questions. Also, how the character changes after World War I is scary. I could never imagine being alive during a time like that. The foreward confused me and forced my mind to analyze the passages.  There was a lot of indirect characterization. You are in the character's thoughts. I thought the strangest part of the chapter was rhe character stating how "mother" scared people. Overall, the book is by far confusing yet interesting.

First Quarter Review

My performance in the beginning of this semester started off great, then got really crazy. I was constantly busy. I had to meet deadlines for scholarships that interfered in my school work. There was a couple weeks where I was falling behind on my blogs. (WORST THING EVER) after realizing I was falling so far behind, I started to use my time more wisely. I know now how to balance school with scholarships and such. (Kind of.) However, even though I have been busy, I have expanded my Senior Project. I'm not mentioning details quite yet but it shall be posted soon! As of working with my peers, I have been able to have a guide by checking my classmates blogs. They show me how good of a performance one can do for a post.

My goals and expectations for this class are sweet and simple:
PASS THE AP EXAM!!!!!!
Also, achieve better essay skills, along with providing examples/evidence using lit terms. I believe my goals are attainable. I also believe I need the help from my peers, teacher, and myself to accomplish my goals. Now I won't fall behind and use my time appropriately!

Lit Terms 108-end

Rising Action: plot build up, caused by conflict and complications, advancement towards climax.

Romanticism: movement in western culture beginning in the eighteenth and peaking in the nineteenth century as a revolt against Classicism; imagination was valued over reason and fact.

Satire: ridicules or condemns the weakness and wrong doings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general.

Scansion: the analysis of verse in terms of meter.

Setting: the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem occur.

Simile: a figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things through the use of a specific word of comparison.

Soliloquy: an extended speech, usually in a drama, delivered by a character alone on stage.

Spiritual: a folk song, usually on a religious theme.

Speaker: a narrator, the one speaking.

Stereotype: cliché; a simplified, standardized conception with a special meaning and appeal for members of a group; a formula story.

Stream of Consciousness: the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character’s thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images, as the character experiences them.

Structure: the planned framework of a literary selection; its apparent organization.

Style: the manner of putting thoughts into words; a characteristic way of writing or speaking.

Subordination: the couching of less important ideas in less important structures of language.

Surrealism: a style in literature and painting that stresses the subconscious or the nonrational aspects of man’s existence characterized by the juxtaposition of the bizarre and the banal.

Suspension of Disbelief: suspend not believing in order to enjoy it.

Symbol: something which stands for something else, yet has a meaning of its own.

Synesthesia: the use of one sense to convey the experience of another sense.

Synecdoche: another form of name changing, in which a part stands for the whole.

Syntax: the arrangement and grammatical relations of words in a sentence.

Theme: main idea of the story; its message(s).

Thesis: a proposition for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or disproved; the main idea.

Tone: the devices used to create the mood and atmosphere of a literary work; the author’s perceived point of view.

Tongue in Cheek: a type of humor in which the speaker feigns seriousness; a.k.a. “dry” or “dead pan”

Tragedy: in literature: any composition with a somber theme carried to a disastrous conclusion; a fatal event; protagonist usually is heroic but tragically (fatally) flawed

Understatement: opposite of hyperbole; saying less than you mean for emphasis

Vernacular: everyday speech

Voice: The textual features, such as diction and sentence structures, that convey a writer’s or speaker’s persona.

Zeitgeist: the feeling of a particular era in history

Lit Term Remix 83-108

83. Omniscent Point of View: know all things, usually third person.

84. Onomatopoeia: a word whose sound suggests its meaning.

85. Oxymoron: a figure of speech which two contradicting words are combined to produce a rhetorical effect by means of a concise paradox.

86. Pacing: rate of movement, tempo.

87. Parable: a story designed to convey some religious principle, moral lesson, or general truth.

88. Paradox: a statement apparently self-contradictory absurd but actually containing some actual truth; an opinion that contradicts generally accepted ideas.

89. Parallelism: the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form.

90. Parody: an imitation or mimick of the style of a well known artist.

91. Pathos: the ability in literature to call forth feelings of sadness and or compassion.

92. Pedantry: a display of learning for its own sake.

93.. Personification: a figure of speech that gives human-like qualities to animals or inanimate objects.

94. Plot: a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose.

95. Poignant: eliciting sorrow or sentiment.

96. Point of View: the attitude unifying any oral or written argument; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing.

97. Postmodernism: literture characterized by experimentation, irony, nontraditional forms, multiple meanings, playfulness and a blurred boundary between the real and imaginary.

98. Prose: the ordinary form of spoken or written language; language that doesn't have a regular rhyme pattern.

99. Protagonist: the central character in a work of fiction.

100. Pun: play on words, the humorous use of a word emphasizing different meanings or applications.

101. Purpose: the intended result wished by an author.

102. Realism: writing about the ordinary aspects of life in a straightforward manner to reflect ife as it actually is.

103. Refrain: a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song; chorus.

104. Requiem: any chant, dirge, hymn, or musical service for the dead.

105. Resolution: point in literary work ay which the chief dramatic complication is worked out.

106. Restatement: idea repeated for emphasis.

107. Rhetoric: use of language, both written and verbal in order to persuade.

108. Rhetorical Question: question suggesting its own answer or not requiring an answer; used in argument or persuasion. Rising Action: plot build up, caused by conflict or complication, advancement twards climax.

I Am Here

The first six weeks have been so hectic. I have fallen behind tremendously. However, catching up wasn't as hard as last semester. Last semester was such a rush, and new. This year I am more understanding how things are supposed to be done. My SMART goal is so far away, yet close to starting. Just by accomplishing good grades last semester, I am becoming one step closer to my SMART goal! My senior project has not started because a few of my classmates, along with myself keep adding my ideas. All in all, this six weeks have been crazy, but manageable.

Dicken's Map

1. I will read the novel in my first period, where I T.A. Also, I plan to read for an additional 15 minutes at home.

2. What does the term "files and wittles refer to? Why does the man threaten Pip?

Miss Havisham is heart broken and left in a disarray on her wedding day when her fiance leaves her at the alter.  Confidently this "fiance" is none other than Compeyson.  In her rage at this situation Miss Havisham adopts Estella to use her to get back at men.  Do you think that this justifies how Estella acts or is her manner just naturally how she is? Do you believe that Miss Havisham has the right to corrupt someone else's life and use them for her own selfish purposes?

What happens to Mis Joe that changes her?

When Dickens sought advice from his playwright friend about how to end the novel, his friend told him that the masses would expect and want Pip to find happiness. George Bernard Shaw, a famous Irish playwright who died in 1950, felt that the revised ending was "psychologically wrong" but "beautifully touching and exactly right." Which ending do you prefer and why do you prefer it?

If you could be any character, who would you be and why?


3. The best way to test my knowledge on the book, is filling out a literature analysis, and by answering multiple choice questions about the allusions, and motifs the novel has.

Sources:
www.google.com
http://jpdrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2012/02/great-expectations-study-questions.html
http://bgonzalezrhsenglitcomp1.blogspot.com/
http://www.shmoop.com/great-expectations/questions.html

What's the story?

The Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a must read novel that was written before the 1900's. However, the novel still has relevance into today's society. Pip is uneducated individual that has nothing but the need for self-improvement as his motivation. He is very influenced by others, and has more ambition that the typical person. The theme of Great Expectations is how being ambitious and having the need for self-improvement can result in becoming a better person. In order to better one self, one need's motivation to do better.

The Time of My Life

My English Teacher, Dr. Preston, gave each of his class periods "free time." We chose what to do, whether it was to slack off or be productive. In the beginning, I began catching up with missing journals, by answering the prompt correctly or providing more information. I also talked to Dani Galindo, where we talked about how time is being wasted. Dani wakes up with a daily routine, where as I take the day hour by hour. In the end, we've both realized how stressed out we were with scholarships and how I let it affected my perfomance in English. I began to post on my blog less and less. I ended up becoming two weeks behind! AH! A horrible nightmare. However, I've learned that in college, your assignments are to help you, not stress you out. Now I intend to keep up with my blog and have everything in order.

The Tale of Two Cities Lecture Notes

Since I was unable to be present during the lecture, my classmate, Dani Galindo (danig14.blogspot.com) has been generous enough to share her notes!

-The woman opening the lecture has an acent.
- She wanted to venture into Europe during the time of the revolution
- There is a tird city involved, Manchester.
- First conceived the main idea of this novel with family and friends while acting "The Frozen Deep".
- This gives the novel personal significance to Dickens.
- This novel involves the history of the French Revolution and London.
- Dickens, "Suffered the pages."
- This lecture involves multiple aspects as Dickens wrote this novel.
- In 1857 the production was supposed to be in Manchester.
- Dickens met a theatrical family and fell in love., and falls in love with Ellen who is referred to in different ways in the novel.
- Dickes wanted to name Carton Richard like in "The Frozen Deep."
- Acharacter in thenovel is given his initials.
- In 1857, little dorrit was publishe din monthly parts.
-In 1858 he began the series of public readings.
- "Muskets will be distributed."
- Every pulse and heart were on a high fever.
- Every living creature lived life with no account.
-All of this took place around a wine shop.
- Orders were issued to all.
- The living sea rose and overflowed the entire city.
- "The attack began."
-Seven prisoners were released.

Lit Terms 57-81

57. Genre: a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content.

 

58. Gothic Tale: a style in literature characterized by gloomy settings, violent or grotesque action, and a mood of decay, degeneration, and decadence.
 

59. Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement often used as a figure of speech or to prove a point.

 

60. Imagery: figures of speech or vivid description, conveying images through any of the senses.

 

61. Implication: a meaning or understanding that is to be arrive at by the reader but that is not fully and explicitly stated by the author.

 

62. Incongruity: the deliberate joining of opposites or of elements that are not appropriate to each other.

 

63. Inference: a judgement or conclusion based on evidence presented; the forming of an opinion which possesses some degree of probability according to facts already available.

 

64. Irony: a contrast or incongruity between what is said and what is meant, or what is expected to happen and what actually happens, or what is thought to be happening and what is actually happening.

 

65. Interior Monologue: a form of writing which represents the inner thoughts of a character; the recording of the internal, emotional experience(s) of an individual; generally the reader is given the impression of overhearing the interior monologue.

 

66. Inversion: words out of order for emphasis.

 

67. Juxtaposition: the intentional placement of a word, phrase, sentences of paragraph to contrast with another nearby.

 

68. Lyric: a poem having musical form and quality; a short outburst of the author’s innermost thoughts and feelings.

 

69. Magic(al) Realism:  a genre developed in Latin America which juxtaposes the everyday  with the marvelous or magical.

 

70. Metaphor(extended, controlling, and mixed): an analogy that compare two different

things imaginatively.

Extended: a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer

wants to take it.

Controlling: a metaphor that runs throughout the piece of work.

Mixed: a metaphor that ineffectively blends two or more analogies.

 

71. Metonymy:  literally “name changing” a device of figurative language in which the name of an attribute or associated thing is substituted for the usual name of a thing.

 

72. Mode of Discourse:  argument (persuasion), narration, description, and exposition.

 

73. Modernism:  literary movement characterized by stylistic experimentation, rejection of tradition, interest in symbolism and psychology

 

74. Monologue:  an extended speech by a character in a play, short story, novel, or narrative poem.

 

75. Mood:  the predominating atmosphere evoked by a literary piece.

 

76. Motif:  a recurring feature (name, image, or phrase) in a piece of literature.

 

77. Myth:  a story, often about immortals, and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that attempts to give meaning to the mysteries of the world.

 

78. Narrative:  a story or description of events.

 

79. Narrator:  one who narrates, or tells, a story.

 

80. Naturalism: extreme form of realism.

 

81. Novelette/Novella: short story; short prose narrative, often satirical

Lit Terms 31-56

31. Dialect: the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others

32. Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth

33. Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things

34. Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words

35. Didactic: having to do with the transmission of information; education

36. Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principles

37. Elegy: a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting

38. Epic: a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time (definition bordering on circumlocution)

39. Epigram: witty aphorism

40. Epitaph: any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone

41. Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that may insult someone’s character, characteristics

42. Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt

43. Evocative (evocation): a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality

44. Exposition: beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and/or characters, in a detailed explanation

45. Expressionism: movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic representation of an inner idea or feeling(s).

46. Fable: a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth

47. Fallacy: from Latin word “to deceive”, a false or misleading notion, belief, or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound

48. Falling Action: part of the narrative or drama after the climax

49. Farce: a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue

50. Figurative Language: apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech (such as metaphor and simile)

51. Flashback: a narrative device that flashes back to prior events

52. Foil: a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent

53. Folk Tale: story passed on by word of mouth

54. Foreshadowing: in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; “planning” to make the outcome convincing, though not to give it away

55. Free Verse: verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme

56. Genre: a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content

Lit Terms 6-30

6. Analogy: a comparison made between two things to show the similarities between them

7. Analysis: a method in which a work or idea is separated into its parts, and those parts given rigorous and detailed scrutiny

8. Anaphora: a device or repetition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences

9. Anecdote: a very short story used to illustrate a point

10. Antagonist: a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative

11. Antithesis: a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness

12. Aphorism: a terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life

13. Apologia: a defense or justification for some doctrine, piece of writing, cause, or action; also apology

14. Apostrophe: a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or nonhuman is addressed directly

15. Argument(ation): the process of convincing a reader by proving either the truth or the falsity of an idea or proposition; also, the thesis or proposition itself

16. Assumption: the act of supposing, or taking for granted that a thing is true

17. Audience: the intended listener or listeners

18. Characterization: the means by which a writer reveals a character’s personality

19. Chiasmus: a reversal in the order off words so that the second half of a statement balances the first half in inverted word order

20. Circumlocution: a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served

21. Classicism: art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of ancient Greece and Rome: tradition, reason, clarity, order, and balance

22. Cliché: a phrase or situation overused within society

23. Climax: the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the pint of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved

24. Colloquialism: folksy speech, slang words or phrases usually used in informal conversation

25. Comedy: originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter

26. Conflict: struggle or problem in a story causing tension

27. Connotation: implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition

28.Contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity

29. Denotation: plain dictionary definition

30. Denouement (pronounced day-new-mahn): loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion

Poetry Analysis

1. "Last Words" By Sylvia Plath

I do not want a plain box, I want a sarcophagus
With tigery stripes, and a face on it
Round as the moon, to stare up.
I want to be looking at them when they come
Picking among the dumb minerals, the roots.
I see them already — the pale, star-distance faces.
Now they are nothing, they are not even babies.
I imagine them without fathers or mothers, like the first gods.
They will wonder if I was important.
I should sugar and preserve my days like fruit!
My mirror is clouding over —
A few more breaths, and it will reflect nothing at all.
The flowers and the faces whiten to a sheet.

I do not trust the spirit. It escapes like steam
In dreams, through mouth-hole or eye-hole. I can't stop it.
One day it won't come back. Things aren't like that.
They stay, their little particular lusters
Warmed by much handling. They almost purr.
When the soles of my feet grow cold,
The blue eye of my turquoise will comfort me.
Let me have my copper cooking pots, let my rouge pots
Bloom about me like night flowers, with a good smell.
They will roll me up in bandages, they will store my heart
Under my feet in a neat parcel.
I shall hardly know myself. It will be dark,
And the shine of these small things sweeter than the face of Ishtar.

2. "To his Coy Mitress" by Andrew Marvell.
Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, Lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk and pass our long love's day.
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find: I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the Flood,
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow;
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast;
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart;
For, Lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.
   But at my back I always hear
Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song: then worms shall try
That long preserved virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust:
The grave's a fine and private place,
But none, I think, do there embrace.
   Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may,
And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour
Than languish in his slow-chapt power.
Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball,
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Thorough the iron gates of life:
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run

3. A Song on the Enf of the World by Czeslaw Milosz On the day the world ends A bee circles a clover, A fisherman mends a glimmering net. Happy porpoises jump in the sea, By the rainspout young sparrows are playing And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be. On the day the world ends Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas, A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn, Vegetable peddlers shout in the street And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island, The voice of a violin lasts in the air And leads into a starry night. And those who expected lightning and thunder Are disappointed. And those who expected signs and archangels' trumps Do not believe it is happening now. As long as the sun and the moon are above, As long as the bumblebee visits a rose, As long as rosy infants are born No one believes it is happening now. Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet Yet is not a prophet, for he's much too busy, Repeats while he binds his tomatoes: No other end of the world will there be, No other end of the world will there be.

4. "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire, 
Some say in ice. 
From what I've tasted of desire 
I hold with those who favor fire. 
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate 
To know that for destruction ice 
Is also great 
And would suffice.

5. "The Truth after the Present" by John Lane

when rivers are intoxicated
with dioxide you gather lotus shoots
to pick their pockets is
the clock of the age

when the last songbird
shivers with undue cold like wires overhead
to handle harsh metals is
the clock of the age

when your keyboard dissolves
in the pit of nations
to write in echoes is
the clock of the age

when you forge transparencies
in the foundries upstream
the bridges are blocked by karaoke
their digital sand is
the clock of the age

the cell phone's face is always
time-dependent on fingers somewhere
today opens to the nearby delta 
and tomorrow 
is the clock of the age

The Never Ending Poem

After hours and hours of trying to memorize, I have reached my goal. I have fully memorized this poem. I knew this poem in the beginning of class, but my nerves and anxiety made me shy and not so confident in reciting it. However, when I am alone, I am more confident. A few mistakes, and stumbles. But I tried my best, and put many hours of effort! Also, I am terribly sorry that I did not have access to a webcam, therefore, I had to use my phone. You work with what you have! Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtxNt0SU7Zs

Lit Terms Remix

Rrrrreeeemmmmiiiiixxxx

Analogy: a comparison made between two things to show the similarities between them



Audience: the intended listener or listeners



Cliche: a phrase or situations overused in society



Incongruity: the deliberate joining of opposites of elements that are not appropriate to each other



Parody: an imitation of mimicking of a composition or of the style of a well-known artist

Spring Semester Plan 1

My SMART goal is a long term goal. I intend to become a Psychiatrist. In order to do so, I must attend a major in Psychology. I plan to go to a 4-year university and obtain a double major is Psychology and Sociology: Work and Society. By obtaining these majors, I will perform my intended career. I want to become a Psychiatrist because I want to help people. The challenges I might face in reaching my goal, is coming across people who have had an unbearable life. Also, examining the brain and how people think. A Psychiatrist is a lot of work, and requires a person to have amazing social skills, along with intelligence. All in all, I intend to achieve my goal before the age of 30.

AP Prep Post 1: Siddhartha

1. In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.

2. Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions or moral values.

3. Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures -- national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a character’s sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collison. Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character’s response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole.

4. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.

5. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Credit belongs to:
http://mseffie.com/AP/APOpenQuestions.html