In class essay #2

I feel that I struggle the most with the intro to paragraphs. Once I have them down, the rest is easy by just using textual examples and literary elements to prove my point.

Analyze how the poetic devices help to convey the speaker's complex attitude toward desire.

Thou blind man's mark, thou fool's self-chosen snare,
Fond fancy's scum, and dregs of scattered thought ; 
Band of all evils, cradle of causeless care ; 
Thou web of will, whose end is never wrought ; 
Desire, desire !  I have too dearly bought,
With price of mangled mind, thy worthless ware ; 
Too long, too long, asleep thou hast me brought,
Who shouldst my mind to higher things prepare.
But yet in vain thou hast my ruin sought ; 
In vain thou madest me to vain things aspire ; 
In vain thou kindlest all thy smoky fire ; 
For virtue hath this better lesson taught,—
Within myself to seek my only hire,
Desiring nought but how to kill desire.   

Rhyme, diction, and imagery and alliteration, and metaphors. repetition of desire. 

In the Poem Thou Blind Man's Mark by Sir Philip Sydney, he uses many literary devices to show his complex attitude toward desire. The author incorporated rhyme, diction, imagery, alliteration, repetition, and metaphors in this poem all to show his feelings toward desire. The author is stating that desire drives people mad and it is related to foolishness through the phrases that mention a blind man's mark and fool's self-chosen snare. We cannot get caught up in lust and desire, but instead focus our time on things that are more important. 

In class essay #1

I feel that I struggle the most with the intro to paragraphs. Once I have them down, the rest is easy by just using textual examples and literary elements to prove my point.
I have also been really busy this week and honestly just need to catch up on my essays because I missed a lot of days of school this past week.

Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.

Pride and Prejudice -

Many authors define the characters in their stories by the culture around them. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, she uses syntax, imagery, and diction to portray the thoughts and ideas of characters throughout the novel. Through the descriptive language and word phrasing, we are able to see how society thinks and how it effects the characters. Mr. Darcy is born and raised from wealth. He has a lot of money and is spoiled. Because of this, he is very materialistic and requires a wife that is "suitable" for him. This means that she must be wealthy just like himself. Society has been telling him this his whole life; so he has trouble breaking the psychological foolishness when he meets Elizabeth. The author did a great job using surroundings in the novel to make the reader connect and make the story line seem believable.

2004B Poem “Crossing the Swamp” (Mary Oliver)

Prompt: Read the following poem carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the techniques the poet uses to develop the relationship between the speaker and the swamp.

I feel like I only struggle with the intro paragraph in AP tests. So I feel like I just need to practice the intro on each essay prompt to be confident in my essay writing skills for the AP test.

Here is the endless
wet thick
cosmos, the center
of everything—the nugget
of dense sap, branching
vines, the dark burred
faintly belching
bogs. Here
is swamp, here
is struggle,
closure—
pathless, seamless,
peerless mud. My bones
knock together at the pale
joints, trying
for foothold, fingerhold,
mindhold over
such slick crossings, deep
hipholes, hummocks
that sink silently
into the black, slack
earthsoup. I feel
not wet so much as
painted and glittered
with the fat grassy
mires, the rich
and succulent marrows
of earth— a poor
dry stick given
one more chance by the whims
of swamp water— a bough
that still, after all these years,
could take root,
sprout, branch out, bud—
make of its life a breathing
palace of leaves.

In the poem "Crossing the Swamp" by Mary Oliver, the author is telling his story of crossing a swamp, which also relates to his life struggles. Through the use of Imagery in almost every line, figurative language, and his sophisticated diction which uses many strong adjectives, the author shows that he is really dealing with some harsh times in his own life which he compares to the swamp. The author uses the swamp as a symbol of hardship. He needs to cross this endless swamp, and get through this hard time in life. He is stating that he needs to give it everything he has to make this endless crossing attainable. The swamp and his life both need dedication to achieve. The end states the progress made after the hardship and his success. 

[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.

I feel like I only struggle with the intro paragraph in AP tests. So I feel like I just need to practice the intro on each essay prompt to be confident in my essay writing skills for the AP test.

    Edgar Allan Poe and H.D. are two completely different people writing a poem about Helen. Because of their differences, they have two completely different techniques while writing. Through the use of Poe's diction, imagery, and symbolism, he portrays his views of the gorgeous Helen as an idol and he praises her beauty. H.D also acknowledges Helen's beauty, but in a different way. She uses figurative language, diction, and similes to show that Helen's beauty caused the conflict in Greece and it is a curse. Through the use of these different techniques, the authors are able to clearly show the reader their views on Helen.

Life of Pi group post - Essay prompt and Questions

1. How does the idea of survival play out in this text?

2. What does Pi try to communicate through his choice of the animals, other than the tiger, with whom he shares the lifeboat?

3. What are important characteristics of Pi and Richard Parker? 

4. Which of the stories seems more believable? Explain

5. How does religion play a role in Pi's journey?

Essay Prompt
Religion plays a key role in Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi. The main character Pi, unusually follows three religions, yet Pi feels following just one is not the important part, the power to believe in them is what is important. How does the author show this theme and what techniques does the use to demonstrate this?

We feel like we know Pi through the entire story then fine out at the end that his story may not be true. Why does Pi make up the second story and how can you tie in his belief I'm religion with it?

Many authors use parallel events and characters to demonstrate their themes in the novel. Chose a work of literature (Life of Pi) where the author use the literary techniques of parallel events and characters to demonstrate their theme. 

Some Macbeth Background info

• "Macbeth" was written by William Shakespeare between 1603 and 1607
• James IV of Scotland, Shakespeare's patron, became James I of England in 1603

• May have been inspired by the real King Macbeth of Scotland, however the real Macbeth was an admired king while the play version was somewhat a tyrant.

• Side note: some people in the world of theatre believe the play is cursed and will not call it by name. They called it "The Scottish Play"
• Shakespeare heavily draws upon the , which give a detailed account of the real King Macbeth