10/16-10/18

The first reading my group did was Hamlet's Soliloquy.  My part was to do activities 1-4 which start on pg. 5 of the value of life unit.

**Since we are on the value of life unit, I think this video is related to this.**

VALUE OF LEARNING/VALUE OF LIFE

This week I will be reading at least 2 articles in this class. One of the articles I want to read is the life calculator one. I am also going to do the activities for Hamlet because in the AP class, I am going to have to memorize it and I feel like the more I know about it, the easier memorizing it will be.

GREEN EGGS AND HAMLET (AP English)

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?

I know that the phrase "to be or not to be" comes from a soliloquy that Hamlet says. Also that he is struggling with his feelings after his father died and his mom married his uncle (his dad's brother).

b) What do you know about Shakespeare?

I Know that he is the author of Romeo and Juliet, he wrote tragic dramas, and that his works are hard to understand.

c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?

Because Shakespeare has a bad reputation with students. When they hear his name, students connotate him with difficult to read plays that are boring. (is it just me?)

d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?

We can have disscusions to make sure we can understand the text and we can find the way to relate the play with our lifes.

LITERARY FICTION & EMPATHY (AP English)

."..after reading literary fiction, as opposed to popular fiction or serious nonfiction, people performed better on tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence — skills that come in especially handy when you are trying to read someone’s body language or gauge what they might be thinking...The researchers say the reason is that literary fiction often leaves more to the imagination, encouraging readers to make inferences about characters and be sensitive to emotional nuance and complexity."

*This part of the article made me think about what I learned in my child developmental psychology. I learned that the female brain has a better connection between the two lopes, making them better at recognizing emotions. I think that since the number of women tested is unknown, there is a possibility that the reason that people were better at identifying emotions is because they were women.

*Since the expository class I'm taking focuses on nonfiction...should the curriculum be changed?

*When I read fiction or nonfiction, I feel sympathy towards the character regardless of the genre of the book.

*In the article it says, "Maybe popular fiction is a way of dealing more with one’s own self, maybe, with one’s own wants, desires, needs.” Does this mean that people who enjoy popular nonfiction are selfish and/or egocentric?

LITERATURE ANALYSIS 2 (AP ENGLISH)

Title: LUNA Author: Julie Anne Peters

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

This book is about a transgender guy named Liam who calls him(her)self Luna. The exposition of the story
is portrayed as a series of flashbacks. The narrator of the story is Luna/Liam's sister. This book gives the reader an insight on the struggle that Liam and Regan go through in order for one another to discover who they really are.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

A theme of this novel is acceptance. This theme is present through out the whole novel because Luna wants to be accepted by society and specially his(her) father.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

A. Lucid (easily understood: "Her eyes found me and she smiled. An aura framed her, a glow."
B. wry: "Pretty. A word for girls. The way handsome described boys. Liam was right; people did use boy and language. They expected different behaviors. When kids acted out of role,' as Liam put it, they were labeled tomboys or Sissies. "

C. Didactic (inclined to teach): "This isn't a good-bye. It's hello. I think of it as a new beginning because that's what it is for me. A rebirth."

4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.) 

1. analogy: The butterfly in the cover is a metaphor between Liam and the "transition" he wants to experience.  "I want to be free. I want to transition."

2. Internal Conflict: "'no one will ever know the person I am inside. The true me. The girl, the women. All they see is this...this nothing.'....'Liam.' He let out a short laugh. 'Who's that? A caricature I've created. A puppet, a mime, a cartoon character. I'm this male macho version of a son that Dad has in his head.'"

3. External conflict: "Luna held her head high, waiting. Almost daring him to do it. seconds ticked away. Years. Then, slowly, Dad released his fist. My lungs collapsed. Luna reached for the door knob. 'Excuse me,' she said. Right in her ear, Dad said, 'If you walk out of that door, don't bother coming back.'"

4. Character vs self: "'Dad is my her. Doesn't he know that? I feel like I spend my whole life trying to prove it. "'

5. Foreshadowing: "'why did you dress at school?' I asked her. 'why did you have to do that?' She lowered her eyes. "You said it; I had to. I had to test myself. To see if I could go through with it. I needed to know that I had the self-confidence, the will to do it everyday."'

6. Flashback: "'Liam. Lia Marie. Please.' My eyes well with tears. Please."  His left hand reaches out and snags the football helmet beside him. He holds it up to me by the faceguard. Inside is a mound of pills. Blue, purple,orange, white. 'I can't do it," Liam says. 'I can't even do it. I can't do anything right. I'm wrong. All wrong."'

7. Point Of view: The point of view is by the sister of the main character. "You're such a freakshow.". ..'I Know,' she murmured in my ear. 'but you still love me, don't you?'. .. yeah, I loved her. I couldn't help it. She was my brother." (pg.3)

8. resolution: "I took a step back, then another. I turned around. I walked, walked faster. Ran. Toward the door. The Exit. The entrance. 'Good-bye, Liam'"

9. Dialogue: The whole book has dialogue..

10. symbolism: The butterfly in the cover symbolizes Luna's desire to be herself.

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)?

DIRECT:
1. "you are kind and generous, compassionate and caring." (Luna to Regan.)

2. "you are a strong and beutiful person."

INDIRECT:
1. " What would I do without you?" (Liam, Aly, and Elise to Regan.)

2. "I deliberately avoided taking classes taught by the teachers Liam had, since he was like their wunderkid.'

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
Yes. When the author speaks about Liam, the tone is usually nostalgic because Liam in apathetic to the things that happened around him. When the author speaks about Luna, she uses words that portray confidence. 

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
If Regan is the protagonist, she would be a dynamic and round character. Through out the book Regan understands more the struggle that Liam goes through. 

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.

After reading the book, I Feel like I know Luna as if I were here friend. I think it's because I have a friend who is a transgender and thinking of the struggles Luna went through, I can imagine what he went through. 

LITERATUE ANALYSIS 2 (Expository)

Title: THE LOST BOY Author: David Pelzer

TOPIC(S) and/or EVENT(S)
1.     As we have discussed in class, a book is said to be nonfiction if its content is based on facts or events.  What is your book about?  [a]. Try writing a paragraph first to capture your thoughts.  [b]. Then see if you can boil it down to one clear statement.  (Even if you feel like you can just skip to [b], please do both; remember that your reader doesn’t know what you know.

A. My thoughts on this book are that a mother should
ALWAYS love their kids. This book is about a a boy named David who is physically and psychologically abused by his mother.This is the second book, following"a child called it". In this book, the author talks about his struggles to find somewhere to call home.

B.
This book is mainly about a boy's journey through the foster care system.

2.     Why did your author choose to write about this topic, person or event?
I think that the author wrote this book because he wanted to rell his story.

3.     Why did you choose this book?  What about the book appealed to you the first time it came to your attention (and how did it come to your attention)?  What about the book made you want to keep reading once you began?
I choose this book because I read the first book and I wanted to read more about David's life.

4.     Did you find the book realistic?  Did you make any connections between people/events you read about and people/events in your own life?  Why or (if you didn’t) why not?
I do find this book realistic because child abuse is something that happends everyday. I am thankful that I can not relate to this book.

PEOPLE
1.     Since this book is nonfiction, the theory goes that the author didn’t create characters.  But that’s not entirely true, is it?  Doesn’t the author report his/her own interpretations based on personal observations?  If we met his/her subjects for ourselves we might see them completely differently.   What do the author’s choices say to you?  Why did s/he choose to write about this book?  What is the author’s tone, and what (if anything) does it say about the author and his/her subjects?
I think that I would feel the same way as I do about Davi's mother as I do now. The tone David uses is one of nostalgia.

2.     Describe two or three people from the book.  What do they look like?  How do they act?  How would you write them as fictional characters (would you use direct or indirect characterization?
If I were to write about Ms. Gold, Mother, and Father as fictional characters, I would use direct characterization.

3.     What about these people makes them interesting enough to write about?
Ms. Gold is interesting to write about because she was the one who let David out of his personal hell. I would write about Mother because I would like to know what was going through her head when he was hurting David. I would write about Father because I would like to know how he stayed with mother while he saw all the bad things she did to him.

 MORE ON CHARACTER/PEOPLE

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)?
When David describes his mon when he was smaller, he calls her Mother and when he remembers the "old" times, he calls her mommy.

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
When David describes his mon when he was smaller, he calls her Mother and when he remembers the "old" times, he calls her mommy.

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
The character is dynamic and round. He is dynamic because through the course of the book, he goes from 12 yrs to 18 years.

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.
I feel like I know David and that I would like to follow up with his life at the present moment.

STYLE
1.     Did the author use any tools from fiction writing (such as foreshadowing or symbolism), or did the author use a journalistic style? Example(s)?
I think he uses both tools, fiction and nonfiction like interviews at the end of the book and indirect characterisation.

2.     Does the author use lengthy descriptions of places and people,or does s/he focus more on action or dialogue?  What overall effect do these choices have on the book?


3.     What tools does the author use to demonstrate tone and create a mood?

4.     What do you think the author’s attitude was toward the subject, or the characters, or the audience (i.e., you)?  Why?

5.     What resources (newspaper articles, interviews, historical documents, e.g.) does the author offer?  Did it matter in your thinking?  Why/why not?

He uses dates and places I sort of know. I think this affects me because it makes it feel like is more realistic.

ENDURING MEMORY
Write a paragraph in which you describe the one or two ideas from this book that you expect to remember for a long time.  Explain your choices and their importance.  Share a passage or two that give your reader a taste of the same effect.

I think that once I have my house and my career, I am going to offer myself to foster kids in needs. I feel like it would be the human thing to do for the kids who are being abused.

THE COMPARISON'S TALE (AP English)

explain how at least one of the tales you learned about from other groups shared Chaucer's choices of style/theme/tone with the tale your group read. 

I wasn't in class today so I have nothing to compare my tale to.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE (Expository)

°I "translated" the soliloquy on a different piece of paper that I will be uploading later (tomorrow)

As I became familiar with the text, I realized that I understood the meaning in a different level. For example, I did not see the soliloquy as a way for Hamlet to tell everyone he wanted to kill himself until after Dr. Preston said it. The first time I read it I thought that Hamlet was undecided on nether or not to live his life the way he was. Later on, I found out that I wasn't totally wrong. For example, Hamlet had decided to kill his uncle but for some reason or another, he didn't.
The meaning I liked the most was the one that can be used as a way to go through metamorphosis in a physical and/or psychological way.

TALE OF A CANTERBURY TALE (AP English)

The Cook's Tale

Perkin Reveler was an apprentice from the same town as the cook. Perkin Reveler was a short, dark man, who sold food and loved to dance. He enjoyed the tavern more than the shop. Every time there was a procession in Cheapside, he would leave the shop immediately to go dance, and not return back to the shop. Perkin Reveler was also a thief, who often stole from his master. One day Perkin Reveler's master decided to let him go due to the fact that Perkin Reveler was a bad apprentice. However, Perkin Reveler was happy to have been let go because he was now free and was able to do as he wished. Reveler then met a companion who he had a lot in common with. His companion loved to dice, kept a wife for show, and had a shop.


1. Explain the central character of the tale by analyzing five (5) examples of indirect characterization. (Maria Luna)

1. "At every wedding he would sing and hop" This characterizes Perkin as a person who is loud and that liked to have fun.
2. "He loved the tavern better than the shop" This is saying that Reveler was lazy and he would rather party thab do his job.
3. "there was no apprentice in the town who better rattled dice and threw them down than Perkin Reveler" This shows that he was a gambler.
4. "his master easily had learnt this in the shop, for that is where he often found his box completely bare." This characterizes him as a thief.
5. "Who loved dice. to revel and disport." This characteristicwas used to describe Perkin's ally but since the cook said they were the same, on can imply  that Perkin was like this too.


2. What is Chaucer's purpose in telling this character's tale? Is he satirizing society, giving the voiceless a voice, or trying to accomplish a different goal? [Support your argument with textual evidence]
Chaucer's purpose in telling this tale is to ultimately show that people aren't always what they seem to be. I believe that Chaucer is trying to demonstrate the fact that one's character is based on their characteristics. The way one acts and presents themselves is who they really are as an individual. "He love to tavern better than the shop," indicates that Reveler did not enjoy working, but only liked to have fun.

I worked in the questions with MARISOL DUARTE

TO ACT OR NOT TO ACT (Expository)

out of both assignments, I enjoyed reading the article better than the sililoquy. A difference is that the speech tells anecdotes and the sililoquy lets the readers know that Hamlet is feeling.

DEAR STEVE (Expository)

personally, I really liked the speech. When he talked about connecting the dots, I looked at my life so far and realized that I can't connect them...yet. I don't know if not being able to connect them is a bad thing or not, but I'm sure someday I will be able to. During the second story, I was reminded of the times I have moved schools and as a result loosing some friendships. The anecdote relating to death, I feel like I should life my life like that but I don't know what I would do differently. If today were my last day, I would still go to school, but not because I LOVE school, but because I don't know what else to do. . .

CHARACTER STUDY (III) (AP English)

The first football game of the season was being held there and she was exited. When she was in school, she wasn't the type of girl who would go to the games. Before the game started, she went to the cafeteria and eat a taco that many students claimmed it was the best ones. When she was in the cafeteria, she heard some people heading there. When the unexpected guest entered, she was a bit angry to see that three guys that came in were from the opposite team. . .

THE VALUE OF CHOICE (Expository)

In this unit, I want to focus on the soliloquy because it is something that is alluded to very often. ("to be or not to be.") The way I want to learn it is not by reading it and taking a test on it but by having discussions and other interactive activities about it. By the end of the Unit, I would like to have my own opinion of the value of life in a well-structured way that can be backed up with facts and not only with "I'm entitled to my own opinion."

CHARACTER STUDY (II) (AP English)

All the way, Maria was trying to convince herself that this school had excelent teachers and that if she needed help in her first year as a teacher, her collegues were going to help her through it. The thing she was most exited to do was bond with her students. She wanted to be more than a teacher, she wanted to inspire and generate trust in her students.

CANTERBURY TALES (I) (AP English)

 In a post to your blog entitled CANTERBURY TALES (I), list any observations about the Prologue.  These may include questions, vocabulary, predictions, literary techniques, and quotes/elements that you found especially effective or memorable.  *Which character's story do you most want to read?

*

CHARACTER STUDY (I) (AP English)

As I look around my room to double check I am taking everything I need.. When I reach for my door, I felt a thightening sensation in my through and chest. I don't know if its because I'm scared or because I'm excited that the moment I have been anticipated has come. As I close the door to my apartment, I tell myself that this school year is going to be amazing because I will get to meet new students.

NETVIBES (AP English & Expos)

hmm. . .at first, creating a netvibe was a bit confusing because I did not know what to put in each collum, now I sort of feel a bit better but I still need to play around with it so I can become a bit more confortable with it. I am having trouble adding my yahoo account to it but I have my gmail, so I gues it's ok. So far, I only have my email accounts, the AP and expos blogs, the weather, and the time.

VOCAB #6 (AP English)

accolade: an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgement of merit


acerbity: sharp and forthright style of speaking


attrition: action or process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of something through sustain attack or pressure.


bromide: a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to placate


chauvinist: a person displaying excessive or prejudiced loyalty or support for a particular cause, group , or gender.


chronic: persisting for a long time or constantly recurring.


expound: present and explain an idea or theory in detail


factionalism: relating or belonging to a faction (a small organized group within a larger one)


immaculate: a person who is perfectly clean, neat, and tidy. Perfect.


imprecation: a spoken curse


ineluctable:unable to be resisted or avoided


mercurial: person who is subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.


palliate: allay or moderate; disguise the seriousness  or gravity of an offense.


protocol: an official procedure or system of rules


resplendent: attractive and impressive though being richly colorful or sumptuous


stigmatize: described or t
Regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval


sub rosa: happening or done in secret


vainglory: inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity.


vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists


volition: the faculty or power of using one's will.

Obsequious: (adj) obedient; dutiful; fawning


2) Beatitude: (n) exalted happiness


3) Bete Noire: (n) a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads


4) Bode: (v) to be an omen of


5) Dank: (adj) unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly


6) Ecumenical: (adj) general; universal: promoting Christian unity throughout the world


7) Fervid: (adj) heated in spirit, enthusiasm; intensely hot, burning


8) Fetid: (adj) having an offensive odor; stinking


9) Gargantuan: (adj) gigantic, enormous

10) Heyday: (n) the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime


11) Incubus: (n) a nightmare


12) Infrastructure: (n) the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organisation

13) Inveigle:(v) to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk; to acquire by beguiling talk or methods


14) Kudos: (n) honor, glory, acclaim


15) Lagniappe: (n) tip, bonus, gratuity


16) Prolix: (adj) extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy


17) Protege: (n) a person under the care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare.


18) Prototype: (n) the original or model on which something is based on for formed; someone who serves to illustrate the typical qualities of something.

19) Sycophant: (n) a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite



20) Tautology: (n) needless repetition of an idea


21) Truckle: (v) to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely

VOCAB #6 (EXPOS)

accede: assent or agree to a demand, request, or treaty


 brandish: wave or flourish something as a threat or in anger or excitement


 comprise: an agreement or settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions


 deft: neatly skillful and quickly in one's movements


 destitute:without the basic necessities of life


 explicit: stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt


 extirpate: root out or destroy completely


 inopportune: occurring at an inconvenient moment or inappropriate time


 ironic: happening in the opposite way to what is expected and typically causing wry amusement because of this


 musty: having a stale, or damp smell


 officious: Assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way


 ominous: giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen


 pinnacle: the most successful point; the culmination


 premeditated: think out or plan beforehand


 rampant: flourishing or spreading unchecked



 solace: comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness


 stately: having a dignified, unhurried, and grand manner


 supple: bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible


 suppress: forcibly put an end to it


 venal: showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery


Adroit: expert or noble in use of hands or body

Amicable: characterized by goodwill.

Averse: strong feeling of opposition.

Belligerent: warlike.

Benevolent: kindly feelings

Cursory: rapidly over something

Duplicity: deceitfulness in speech or conduct

Extol: to praise highly

Feasible: capable of being done

Grimace: facial expressions

Holocaust: complete devastation or destruction

Impervious: not permitting penetration

Impetus: a moving force

Jeopardy: hazard or risk to exposure to loss

Meticulous: showing extreme care about minute details

Nostalgia: wistful desire to return in thought

Quintessence: pure concentrated essence

Retrogress: go backward to earlier/worse conditions

Scrutinize: examine in detail

Tepid: moderately warm

WHAT A CHARACTER (AP English)

describe a fictional character that made an impression on you.  What was it about this character that made him/her memorable?  Can you distinguish/identify literary techniques that contributed to the overall effect?

A character that is memorable is Katniss Everdeen.  She is memorable to me because she is brave and has a strong bond with her sister, like the one ,my sister and I shared when I was younger. Direct characterization, indirect characterization and dialogue contribute to the overall effect.