Tuesday, April 30, 2013

In Class Essay - Thou Blind Man's Mark

"Desiring naught but how to kill desire". The idea that one has to get rid of all desires would be a tough challenge. As Sir Philip Sydney describes the troubles that a blind man has he uses tone, diction, and shift to make his point stronger.

As one might think becoming blind is the end of the world, they would use a depressing vocabulary to describe how they feel. Sydney used phrases like "mangled mind" and "worthless ware" to show just how hard it can be to be blind. He also repeated the word "vain" in an attempt to really get the point across of how hopeless things are.

The poem starts off as a sort of rant about how miserable things are. When several reasons are given he switches the mood to be more accepting to the idea. "But yet in vain thou hast my ruin sought". In this line the author begins to fuel acceptance for the condition and begins to start a new life.

Between the rant and depressed beginning and the acceptance of a new life, the author has fulfilled in getting his point of view across. Sydney created an overall sense of what it feels like to have a desire. When one form of desire takes place, like the blind man wanting to see again, another will soon form overpowering the old, "desiring naught but how to kill desire."

Sir Philip Sydney used an overall tone about desire by his use of a shift to separate two feelings and by his use of word choice in creating a better sense of how he feels.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Party Like It's 1999

The prompts can be found here.

Question 2:
_________

When a death occurs that someone is close too it becomes a hard thing to grasp. As the character described is responding to the death of this animal it means that the wolf must have been a very important part in his life. McCarthy used several different techniques including diction, imagery, and point of view to get an emotional response from the reader. This emotional response shows just how well written the section of the story was in order to keep the reader interested.

McCarthy used specific words to create a sense of attachment to the wolf that the main character had. One of the lines that stands out about this is "He cradled the wolf in his arms". The word cradled is something you would associate with a newborn baby or some small creature that you have to care for. "He touched the cold and perfect teeth" the word perfect is describing something as being the best and he is talking not only about the teeth but the wolf in general. McCarthy used a certain diction to pinpoint the feelings that the main character has about the wolf.

A main feeling in the spectrum of human emotion is an image. One image can be described with thousands of words but there are some words that can let your imagination run wild with emotion. "Running in the starlight where the grass was wet and the sun's coming as yet had not undone the rich matrix of creatures passed in the night before her." this one sentence describes the entire feelings of the main character about the wolf. When McCarthy mentions "runnning in the starlight" he is referring to the beauty that is the wolf. Images help give the reader a greater attachment to the main character's feelings towards the wolf.

McCarthy used a third person point of view and constantly mentions the main character with the word "he". This constant mentioning of the word "he" is used to make sure the reader still thinks of the connection with the wolf between the main character and the wolf. This constant mentioning of the main character is very strong at making a connection.

McCarthy used several different ways to get the emotional response from the reader about the main character and his wolf. He used literary techniques such as imagery, point of view, and diction. The main character is was a great example of how McCarthy can create such an impressive bond between two characters.

Question 3:
_________

Macbeth is the quintessential character of conflict within their own minds. Shakespeare created a wonderful character with the dilemma of whether or not to kill the king. The entire point of Macbeth making a decision is that on one side he can either stay where he is in life as a fairly high up position and live a good life, or kill the king and become the new king but live with that decision for the rest of his life. Shakespeare used this dilemma to convey a set a choices to the reader and get them to think about their actions.

Macbeth's first choice is to become the Thane of Cawdor and live a nice life in the honor of his fighting skills on the battlefield. Shakespeare had this be one of the options that Macbeth had to choose from because it shows that even if someone could have a perfectly fine and peaceful life more often than not a person will want more. The main thing that is influencing him to choose this option is the fact that he really does not want to betray people he knows just to move up in the social ladder. This choice really shows how if you just follow the natural rule of life than things will be just fine.

Macbeth's second choice is to kill the current king in order to become the new king. Shakespeare led Macbeth down this path in order to create the story in the first place but to also show the consequences of an action that is horrible against another person. Lady Macbeth is almost seen as the little devil on Macbeth's shoulder saying "do it, do it". She convinces him to do the unthinkable and kill the king in search of more power. If you choose to do something like this Shakespeare is sure to make you think about your action with the guilty mind being a powerful tool.

Both of these options that Macbeth had are used a lesson by Shakespeare. In one you can either betray friends and gain power at the cost of a your conscience or you can live a life where you don't have to worry about anything but what you are going to eat and where you will work. Having Shakespeare pick the option for Macbeth to start killing everyone should be seen as a lesson to anyone who may think about doing something in a manner that will make you regret it for the rest of your life.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

At Least Two Essays

POETRY ESSAY PROMPT #2

Promp: 1983 Poem: “Clocks and Lovers” (W. H. Auden)

Prompt: Write a well-organized essay in which you contrast the attitude of the clocks with that of the lover. Through careful analysis of the language and imagery, show how this contrast is important to the meaning of the poem.

Poem I am used: Eldorado

"In sunshine and in shadow," the power that this one line has throughout this poem is very strong. It is the beginning of a search for a place called Eldorado. Poe uses imagery and language against one another to create a better sense of emotion in the reader. Eldorado is just the dream of something better than reality that cannot be attained even after a lifetime of searching. 

The first stanza starts out with an image of an energetic young knight who can't wait to start on their adventure for a place called Eldorado. As the story progresses Poe uses phrases like "and o'er his heart like a shadow," and "as his strength failed him at length" to convey a sense of hopelessness in the knights search of a better place. This shift of the poem is very important to create an emotion bond with the reader and the journey that the knight is on.


Poe uses repetition to make his point clear about the changing of the knight. The word shadow is used in all four of the stanzas, but they all have different meanings in each one. In the first stanza the meaning is that the knight is going to search knight and day for this place, while in the second one he has given up hope as a shadow covers his heart. In the third stanza shadow is used to represent a person or spiritual being giving the knight information. Finally in the last stanza "Valley of Shadows" means after death. With all these different meanings of one word Poe is able to create a vibrant emotional connection between the reader and the knight.


Poe used imagery and language throughout this poem to tell a tale of a knight through his search of a place better than reality. Eldorado is the essence of a dream place where this knight is trying to reach which after a lifetime of searching for finds the answer after death.



POETRY ESSAY PROMPT #1

[1994] Poems: “To Helen” (Edgar Allan Poe) and “Helen” (H.D.)
Prompt: The following two poems are about Helen of Troy. Renowned in the ancient world for her beauty, Helen was the wife of Menelaus, a Greek King. She was carried off to Troy by the Trojan prince Paris, and her abduction was the immediate cause of the Trojan War. Read the two poems carefully. Considering such elements as speaker, diction, imagery, form, and tone, write a well-organized essay in which you contrast the speakers’ views of Helen.


With all great works of art there are multiply ways to interpret them. As we see in the two poems "To Helen" and "Helen" there are two very different viewpoints. These viewpoints are both very well said and can be right either way. Edgar Allan Poe and Hilda Doolittle both share their opinions on Helen by their use of diction, tone, and imagery.

Poe talked about Helen as a part of something beautiful and elegant. He imagined it like a wondrous place and referred to it as the “Holy Land”. On the other side Doolittle talked about how after what had happened Greece was now a thinking of evil that had happened to them.

The way Poe embraces his words as a lovely array of symbols and warmth is very different compared to the harsh and cold way Doolittle sees it. With the first line in both poems you can tell which way their viewpoints are. “Helen, thy beauty is to me” Poe just embraces every part that is good in Helen. “All Greece hates the still eyes in the white face” Doolittle immediately shows how much she hates what has happened. Both of these poems tones are drastically different.

The images that are produced through the powerful words of Poe and Doolittle can be seen throughout their text. Poe’s words describe and immediate sense of serenity with the world that is Helen. Meanwhile Doolittle’s words create a sense of coldness and depression. Both of these images are very strong within the work.

Both Poe and Doolittle have very strong opinions about Helen and are shown through the powerful images and diction which create a powerful tone. These two authors both shared great opinions on Helen through their work.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Practice Poetry MC Questions

These are my answers to the questions here.

Do Not Gentle Into That Good Night
1.B
2.A
3.C
4.C
5.A

Departmental
1.C
2.D
3.D
4.C
5.C
6.B
7.B
8.A
9.A
10.E

Groupthink

In class today I talked with my group about the three poems we did and it really helped me understand the meanings of the poems. For the poem Eldorado we talked among each other and came to an understanding that the shadow's meaning changes throughout the poem which creates a deeper sense of emotion. For the poem Enigma we found out that what Poe meant to do was reference influential writers in every other line. This was the whole point of the poem to appreciate the work the authors had done. Finally the last poem we did was Epigram for Wall street and I found out that the point was to make fun of the people who think there is an easy way out of doing things when in reality you are going to always have to work for what you get.

The ironic part about groupthink is that we actually used everyones minds to make a solid understanding for each of us about the poems. Rather than there only being one opinion we had several that we used to make one comprehension.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Inspirational Video

I have realized that I have been way to irresponsible with the amount of work I have put into this semester. Grades came and a realization hit me of what I was doing wrong. I remembered back to when I saw this video that inspired me about starting new things and decided to watch it again. As I was watching it he says that there are two mistakes that people make: Not Starting, and Not FINISHING. This last part really caught my attention this time because I realized that I had become just another person who did not finish. There is still time left in this school year that I will do everything in my power to finish as best I can and not feel like I could have done better.

Gridlock

Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe

Meaning - Eldorado is a place that represents the idea of a dream that a person has. It shows how a young person might grow old searching for their dream; and to never give up on it.

Antecedent Scenario - Before the poem there was a child who heard of all these stories about a wonderful place like Eldorado and wants to look for it. Once he becomes a knight he realizes he can search for it and sets off on his quest.

A Division into Structural Parts - The first stanza shows a charismatic knight looking onward to a wonderful place. As we move into the next stanza the knight has become old and his dream covered by the ash of memories. In the third stanza, he meets what seems to be a ghost and it reignites his passion and desire to find Eldorado. In the final stanza, you find out that the ghost knows where Eldorado is but that it may be unattainable in the living world and that it actually lies past the "Valley of Shadow" which seems to be death.

The Climax - The knight is an old man who has given up hope and begins to talk to a shadow who brings back hope into the knight's eyes.

The Other Parts - Throughout the poem, Poe continues to use the word shadow in the middle of each stanza and with each use it seems to have a different meaning which really highlights the changes in the Knight's life. In the first stanza, shadow is used to mean a literal shadow where the sun is blocked out meaning that he travels by day and night. In the second stanza, shadow is used to represent the doubt and despair the knight feels for spending his whole life chasing a place he hasn't found. In the third stanza, shadow is used to represent a ghost or a ghostly figure when the knight meets the pilgrim shadow. In the last stanza, shadow is used in the phrase "the Valley of Shadow" which signifies that Eldorado may only be attainable after death.

The Skeleton - The curve of emotion in the poem seems to go from brightness and excitement in the beginning to depression and despair in the middle, and finally in the last two stanzas, the knight seems to be content and accepting of his life.

Games the Poet Plays with the Content Genre - The genres that this poem seems to apply to seem to be: Travel, Nature, Solitude, and possibly Love.

Tone - The tone in this poem is very similar to what the curve of emotion is in the skeleton. It starts out with joy and apprehension and transfers into gloom and ends with acceptance and mystery.

Agency - The main agent of the poem is the knight from the beginning of the story and he undergoes extreme changes in almost every stanza.

Roads Not Taken - I think that the author could have easily written several more stanzas either before or after the start of the poem, but I also believe that if he did so it would remove a great amount of the mystery and interpretation required by the reader which would leave it sounding bland and boring. I also believe that each stanza he did write was extremely crucial to the body of the poem.

Speech Act - The speech act of the poem seems to be an explanation of the events that took place throughout the Knight's life.

Outer and Structural Forms - Inner structural forms of tense seems to be from the future looking back on the life of the Knight. As for sentences, it seems that the author used the word shadow in the middle of each stanza on purpose to signify a change in the Knight's attitude or outlook on his quest. The outer structure shows that the rhyming scheme for the first three stanzas is aabccb and for the last one it is xxabba. The rhyming couplets are written in iambic duometer seemingly mimicking the clattering of horses hooves in search of Eldorado.

Imagination - The imagination used by the author regarding the Knight's impossible quest for Eldorado and the changes he undergoes seems adventurous and thought provoking.

I worked on this with August Blundell and we are looking forward to see what the rest of our group did with the other poems.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Seventh Reading

After a long day of tennis getting back and doing a lot of work reading these poems were not on the top or my priority list. But i was able to get it done and am interested in talking with a group about how they interpreted them also. These are the three poems I chose to read.

"Epigram For Wall Street"

"Eldorado"

"Enigma"

Micro AP Test Feedback

As I was taking the test I focused on what I remembered from the book and how I could correlate it with what I believed the prompt was asking. I do not think I did terribly but I also do not think it was the best paper I could have written. I know that there is a still a lot of progress I need to make in order to enhance my ability to write well organized and rounded essays.

Lit Circles Response: MC Questions

Picture of Dorian Gray:
1. D
2.C
3.A
4.B
5.D
6.C

The Five People You Meet In Heaven:
1.D
2.A
3.C
4.A
5.D
6.C
7.B
8.A
9.C
10.A
11.C
12.B
13.D
14.A
15.C

Crime and Punishment:

1.D
2.D
3.D
4.E
5.A
6.D
7.E
8.C
9.C
10.D
11.A
12.A
13.C
14.B
15.B
16.C
17.E
18.A
19.C

Life of Pi:

1.A
2.C
3.D
4.E
5.B
6.A
7.A
8.C
9.C
10.D
11.A
12.A
13.C
14.B
15.B
16.A
17.E
18.A
19.C
20.B
21.A
22.A
23.A
24.C
25.A
26.B
27.C
28.B
29.B
30.B
31.C
32.A
33.A
34.B
35.A
36.A
37.A
38.C
39.A
40.B
41.C
42.C
43.B
44.C
45.C
46.B
47.B
48.B
49.C
50.B

Macbeth Act 5 Notes

Lady Macbeth is being assessed for a sleepwalking behavior.
She reveals that she my feel guilty after all about the murders that have taken place.
Macbeth is furious when the doctor says that she cannot be cured except by some divination.
Macbeth is not afraid to die and does not want to live life into old age after all the things he has done.
Macbeth will not give up and wants to fight to the death.
He is able to kill the English generals son.
Macduff challenges Macbeth in a fight and is victorious.
Macduff walks out with Macbeth's head.
Macduff is crowned the new king of Scotland.

Macbeth Act 4 Notes

The witches show Macbeth three apparitions. The first warns him against Macduff, the second tells him to fear no man born of woman, and the third prophesizes that he will fall only when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane castle.
Macduff's whole family gets killed and he is going to use his anger to his advantage in the war against Macbeth.

Macbeth Act 3 Notes

Macbeth remembers of the prophecy and hires murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance.
Banquo is killed by the three murderers but Fleance manages to escape.
As Macbeth is eating at a banquit Banquo's ghost appears sending him into a panic of terror.
Lady Macbeth tries to get everything settled but the dinner ends early.
Macbeth visits the three witches again to see what they have to say.
Macduff joins the union of King Edward and prepare to go to war against Macbeth.

Macbeth Act 2 Notes

Macbeth sees a vision of a bloody dagger which foreshadows the event that is soon to come.
Duncan is killed by Macbeth.
Macbeth is filled with regret as soon as Lady Macbeth plants the dagger on the bodyguard.
The guards are killed by Macbeth because he was feeling nervous.
Lennox and Macduff flee because they are scared from what happened to Duncan.
People see the fleeing as a suspicious sign.

Macbeth Act 1 Notes


The play begins with an introduction to Macbeth being seen as a brave and valient warrier.
Duncan says he will give the title of Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth
 “By each at once her choppy finger laying upon her skinny lips. You should be women, and yet that your beards forbid me to interpret....” Description of the witches.
The witches fortell that Macbeth will become the king.
Banquo insists of Macbeth knowing his future.
Macbeth sees Duncan as a threat to the thrown and his wife poisons his ear into doing what she wants in order to get more power.
Lady Macbeth wants to be a man mentally and physically. “unsex me”
When Macbeth came back, the first thing Lady Macbeth says to him is let's kill the King tonight. 
Macbeth is scared and hesitates to follow Lady Macbeth's plan to kill the King
People honors Macbeth of his success; he doesn’t want to give it away right away.
Macbeth asks “If we should fail?” and Lady Macbeth responses by if you want to do, you will not fail.
Their plan is to make Duncan and his guards drunk; make his guards felt guilty of Duncan’s death.