Quarter 1 Reflection

The past quarter has been a growing experience for me. Being in an AP class is not easy and it challenges you, and I’ve learned that the more you are challenged the more you learn. The challenges during first quarter have helped me grow, mostly in my writing skills, and expect to learn more and get better.
The study of literature, to me, is very important. Knowing how to analyze great works of literature may help us analyze daily activities of our lives differently. I’ve learned that if I can analyze a great work of literature and figure out its meaning, than I can do it in my own life.
I enjoy the reading part of AP literature the most because it is something I’m good at. Reading a literary work and finding the meaning behind it is an interesting process that I love to go through. I enjoyed all the literary works that we read the past quarter, and look forward to the more challenging literary works that wait next quarter. Something that did improve my reading and analyzing skills would be the annotating process. I learned that I can retain a lot more information that way. It also helps me go back and find things that I missed before that were important.
I believe that writing is more of a challenge to me than reading and analyzing is. But I also have realized that I write better when I actually sit down and plan it out, instead of just writing off the top of my head. The process of writing the Pancake Paper helped me realize this; I just felt more organized while I was writing, and that I got all I wanted to say down. Over all I think I improved my writing and that I learned that the way I usually did my writing wasn’t the best way. I hope to improve a lot more in the following quarters and highly expect that I do well.
Overall first quarter was like a “back to school refreshing period.” It got me writing again and it also refreshed my memory of the writing process. Although I do know that my writing was not my best, I guess that that’s why there are four quarters in a year, they help retaliate your first bits of work; and I plan to do that.

Short Story Analysis Paper: Reunion (Revised)

Think for a minute on how you would like to remember your first hero, no, not superman, your dad. How would you like to remember him? I’m pretty sure that the way you want to remember your father is nothing like the last meeting Charlie had with his dad. John Cheever blended humor, pathos and the grotesque together to paint a reunion between father and son. Cheever used all three of those literary devices to gives his writing meaning. When Cheever’s short story begins, we find that Charlie is pondering on the last time he saw his father. The first line of the entire story begins, “The last time I saw my father…” With that you can see the author’s evident use of pathos. This makes you feel sorry for Charlie’s misfortune. As the story develops Cheever keeps writing on the thoughts of Charlie’s last view of his dad.
By the middle of the story you begin to see the change in the way Charlie remembers his dad. his view of his father is no longer of admiration, but just a memory he would rather delete. “We sat down, and my father hailed the waiter in a loud voice…If it isn’t too much to ask of you—if it wouldn’t be too much above and beyond the call of duty…” The quote above shows how the author begins to use sarcasm as humor to portray how grotesque Charlie’s father really is. As the story keeps developing Charlie’s dad gets worse: “Kind sir, will you be good enough to favor me with one of your God-damned, no-good, ten-cent afternoon papers?” Charlie was close to leaving when the father said the quote above. The grotesque behavior, used as humor, the father took on was a building tool that was used cleverly by the author so that the last sentence of his story portrayed what his meaning was; “’Good bye daddy,’ I said, and I went down the stair and got my train, and that was the last time I saw my father.” The last line was clearly used pathos to affect the feelings of the reader.
So throughout the short story “Reunion” we see how John Cheever use the grotesque behavior of the father as humor, and then how both the grotesque and humor were cleverly put there so that Cheever could use pathos to add sentiment to the short story. He blended all three in the story so that the meaning was shown. ‘Always be an example for your child, because you never know how they will end up remembering you,’ that to me, seems to be the theme of John Cheever’s short story.

Pancake Paper: Oedipus Rex

“…’What new sorrow do you mean?’...’The queen is dead’…’By whose hand?’...’Her own’…” This is the ending that Queen Jocasta chose for herself in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Sophocles uses their views on the gods, dramatic Irony, and a Metaphor to show the difference between Jocasta and Oedipus; Where Oedipus is the tragic hero, Jocasta is the coward.
As we’re reading the play, we as the readers begin to realize what a big role the gods play in the lives of Jocasta and Oedipus. Throughout the play Jocasta is seen to defy and think she has out-smarted the gods. She believes that by killing her son, the one who was to kill his father and marry his mother, she would prevent the prophecy from happening. The following quote shows Jocasta’s confidence in her and her husband’s “brilliant” plan, “Thus, Apollo never caused that child to kill his father…This is what prophets and prophecies are worth! (Scene 2, Lines 196-199).” What Jocasta doesn’t know is that the god’s prophecies actually came true and she is in the midst of it.
Oedipus’ view of the gods is similar but different to Jocasta’s view on the gods. Oedipus who flees from the country he was raised in because he feared the prophecy that the gods placed on him shows that he believes that the gods are powerful, and mandate what happens in his life. But when Oedipus’ supposed father, the king of Corinth, dies from natural causes, Oedipus begins to change his view on the gods. He now believes that he was able to out-smart the gods because he wasn’t the cause of his supposed father’s death, but he still feared that the gods might fulfill the second part of the prophecy, where he would lay with his mother. “They prophesized that I should kill Polybos, kill my own father; he is dead and buried and I am here…And yet—must I fear my mother’s bed? (Scene 3 Lines 54-63).” The quote above clearly shows Oedipus’ thought that he out-smarted half of the god’s prophecy, but he still feared the fulfillment of the second half.
Even before Jocasta enters into the play we know more about her than she knows about herself. Sophocles uses dramatic irony to intensify the outcome of what the characters do. When Jocasta comes into the play we already know that her idea of out-smarting the gods has failed, and that the prophecy given to her and her husband about their son has come true. Still, we would like to see how her search to find the truth leads to the choice she makes in the end. But as the play progresses we find that Jocasta seems to want to avoid figuring out the truth, not yet because she knows the truth, but because she is afraid of what she will find out. In contrast, Oedipus is one who goes in search of his truth no matter what it’ll cost him. Near the end Jocasta finds out that her worst fears have come true, and that in fact the prophecy came true, but she wants to stop everyone else from discovering. Oedipus, on the other hand keeps pushing and pulling information out of everyone until he hears what will satisfy his thirst for the truth.
One of the biggest metaphors used in this play was that of having perfect eyesight, but still being blind. Teiresias, a blind prophet (another use of irony), is called by Oedipus so that the person who killed Laios is revealed. When Teiresias accuses Oedipus of the crime, Oedipus of course denies it, for he doesn’t know his own fate yet. Teiresias then blames Oedipus of being blind to the truth and what is right in front of him. “But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind: You cannot see the wretchedness of your life… (Scene 1, Lines 196-197).” Oedipus may be called blind by the prophet, but his search for the truth will cure him of this malignity little by little. As for Jocasta, she knows that she is blind to a secret truth, but is too worried of what she might find out to actually try and cure herself.
Above you may recall I mentioned how Oedipus is the tragic hero, and Jocasta is the coward. Well, Oedipus was brave and went in look for what his truth was no matter what the consequences involved. Once Oedipus found out of his terrible fate, he took it upon himself to punish himself for what he had done, in other words he takes on the consequences like a man, and this is why he is the tragic hero; because even though he was arrogant and suffered the terrible fate, he didn’t shy away from his consequences.
Jocasta on the other hand didn’t go looking for her truth, she was afraid of what she would find out. On top of that, she tried to prevent everyone else from figuring out the truth once she knew what was going on. When everything was out in the open, she chooses to commit suicide, which is an easy way out. She didn’t live to take responsibility for her attempt to out-smart the gods; she ended her life, which diminished the consequences for her actions. This is why Oedipus was the tragic hero of Oedipus Rex, and Jocasta the coward.

Thesis Classwork
Trumbo Thesis:
Trumbo uses selection of detail to characterize the relationship between father and son as caring and understanding.
Pancake Paper Thesis:
Sophocles uses their views on the gods, dramatic Irony, and a Metaphor to show the difference between Jocasta and Oedipus; Where Oedipus is the tragic hero, Jocasta is the coward.

Prewriting Classwork
Trumbo Pre-write
-Selection of Detail
+Rod
*The only valuable thing that his father owned
*Sent it out to be cleaned
*Entrusted it (rod) in his son—trust
Paper Pre-write
Jocasta:
-Believes fate overrated
-Believes you can cheat fate
+because she thought her baby (Oedipus) dead
-Suicide was her choice
+considered cowardly
*can’t face her fate
-Coward!!!
COMPARISON
Oedipus:
-Iffy about fate/not sure of it
-Afraid of it
-He takes his fate on and punishes himself
-Tragic Hero!!!
Openers for Paper
You just found out you slept with your son, what do you do?
“…What new sorrow do you mean?...The Queen is dead.”
How we handle things is what shows who you are as a person.
Should Jocasta be considered a tragic hero? No!

OCEC Practice Paragraph
“…’What new sorrow do you mean?’...’The queen is dead’…’By whose hand?’...’Her own’…” This is the ending that Queen Jocasta chose for herself in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Sophocles uses their views on the gods, dramatic Irony, and a Metaphor to show the difference between Jocasta and Oedipus; Where Oedipus is the tragic hero, Jocasta is the coward.

Conclusion
Jocasta and Oedipus took their truths differently. Jocasta committed suicide and refused to take on responsibility for what she did. Oedipus on the other hand took on his fate and the consequences that came with it. That’s what makes Oedipus a tragic hero, he wasn’t afraid to take on responsibility. And that’s what makes Jocasta a coward, instead of facing her responsibility she avoided it with suicide.

Summer Raading Blog: Impulse

Impulse By Ellen HopkinsThe book contains the stories of three characters who each suffer from a different problem: Conner, suicidal, pressure to be the best; Vanessa, suicidal, and a cutter; and Tony, who believes to be gay and suffers with drug and alcohol addiction. They were all sent to a medical institution where they were to stay until they recovered from what they did or do. Although there were three main characters I chose my favorite, Conner.Conner suffered from both conflicts of Man v. Man, and Man v. Himself. He got into the institution by attempting suicide, which failed. Later in the book we find out the many problems he had. Man v. Man came into place when he had to deal with his parents setting him up on a pedestal that he didn’t want to climb and sit on. His parents also compared him too much to his sister, who apparently was their favorite.“Don’t dare drop the ball. Don’t dare finish second. We on ly want what’s best for you, so spare me your whining. Why can’t you be like Cara? She never loses. Care is smarter. Cuter. More talented. I will forever ride in her backseat.”The quote above demonstrates the way Conner would be treated by his parents. They always pushed him to do what was best for them instead of him, and even when he did do well; it was never as good as his twin sister Cara.Conner also suffered Man v. Himself because if he thought of himself in a positive way, the things that his parents would say or do to him wouldn’t matter. Conner suffered with himself because he thought of himself little. He needed to know that no one could make him feel inferior without his consent*. If he thought of himself in high esteem he wouldn’t let what his parents said to him affect him. Whether he got through the time he needed to spend in the institution and got over his problem, I think you should read the book to find out. =]*Quote given by Eleanor Roosevelt.

This blog entry was one of my favorites becasue of what we had to do to in the blog. The blog helped me analyze the book in new way that gave new meaning to the story and characters. I hope we do more blogs like this because i believe that they would help me analyze novels in a deeper way than i usually do.

Short Story Analysis Paper: Reunion

Think for a minute on how you would like to remember your first hero, no, not superman, your dad. How would you like to remember him? I’m pretty sure that the way you want to remember your father is nothing like the lastThink for a minute on how you would like to remember your first hero, no, not superman, your dad. How would you like to remember him? I’m pretty sure that the way you want to remember your father is nothing like the last meeting Charlie had with his dad. John Cheerer blended humor, pathos and grotesque together to paint a reunion between father and son. Cheerer used all three of those literary devices to give his short story “Reunion” meaning.
When Cheerer’s short story begins, we find that Charlie is pondering on the last time he saw his father. The first line of the entire story begins, “The last time I saw my father…” With that you can see the author’s evident use of pathos. This makes you feel sorry for Charlie’s misfortune. As the story develops Cheerer keeps writing on the thoughts of Charlie’s last view of his dad.
By the middle of the story you begin to see the change in the way Charlie remembers his dad. His view of his father is no longer of admiration, but just a memory he would rather delete. “We sat down, and my father hailed the waiter in a loud voice…If it isn’t too much to ask of you—if it wouldn’t be too much above and beyond the call of duty…” The quote above shows how the author begins to use sarcasm as humor to portray how grotesque Charlie’s father really is. As the story keeps developing Charlie’s dad gets worse: “Kind sir, will you be good enough to favor me with one of your God-damned, no-good, ten-cent afternoon papers?” Charlie was close to leaving when the father said the quote above. The grotesque behavior, used as humor, the father took on was a building tool that was used cleverly by the author so that the last sentence of his story portrayed what his meaning was; “’Good bye daddy,’ I said, and I went down the stair and got my train, and that was the last time I saw my father.” The last line was clearly used pathos to affect the feelings of the reader.
So throughout the short story “Reunion” we saw how John Cheerer use the grotesque behavior of the father as humor, and then how both the grotesque and humor were cleverly put there so that Cheerer could use pathos to add sentiment to the short story. He blended all three in the story so that the meaning was shown. ‘Always be an example for your child, because you never know how they will end up remembering you,’ that to me, seems to be the theme of John Cheerer’s short story. meeting Charlie had with his dad. John Cheerer blended humor, pathos and grotesque together to paint a reunion between father and son. Cheerer used all three of those literary devices to give his short story “Reunion” meaning.
When Cheerer’s short story begins, we find that Charlie is pondering on the last time he saw his father. The first line of the entire story begins, “The last time I saw my father…” With that you can see the author’s evident use of pathos. This makes you feel sorry for Charlie’s misfortune. As the story develops Cheerer keeps writing on the thoughts of Charlie’s last view of his dad.
By the middle of the story you begin to see the change in the way Charlie remembers his dad. His view of his father is no longer of admiration, but just a memory he would rather delete. “We sat down, and my father hailed the waiter in a loud voice…If it isn’t too much to ask of you—if it wouldn’t be too much above and beyond the call of duty…” The quote above shows how the author begins to use sarcasm as humor to portray how grotesque Charlie’s father really is. As the story keeps developing Charlie’s dad gets worse: “Kind sir, will you be good enough to favor me with one of your God-damned, no-good, ten-cent afternoon papers?” Charlie was close to leaving when the father said the quote above. The grotesque behavior, used as humor, the father took on was a building tool that was used cleverly by the author so that the last sentence of his story portrayed what his meaning was; “’Good bye daddy,’ I said, and I went down the stair and got my train, and that was the last time I saw my father.” The last line was clearly used pathos to affect the feelings of the reader.
So throughout the short story “Reunion” we saw how John Cheerer use the grotesque behavior of the father as humor, and then how both the grotesque and humor were cleverly put there so that Cheerer could use pathos to add sentiment to the short story. He blended all three in the story so that the meaning was shown. ‘Always be an example for your child, because you never know how they will end up remembering you,’ that to me, seems to be the theme of John Cheerer’s short story.

Sonnet 18: Poetry Analysis Paper

What better way can a man in love show his affection than by reciting William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 to his beloved? I don’t believe there is any better way. Shakespeare was a genius when it came to writing romantic poems, and to this day his poems are used to portray affection. Shakespeare, in Sonnet 18, uses his tone, literary elements like alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, personification, and metaphor, to the overall theme of the poem, to turn his poem into a masterpiece of literature.
In the first two lines of the poem Shakespeare begins with comparing his romantic interest to a summer’s day: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” Shakespeare begins his metaphor, but then realizes that he was understating how beautiful his romantic interest was. He later follows with: “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer’s lease is all too short a date.” The quote enhances Shakespeare’s admiration toward his romantic interest by saying that summer is more likely to change, and that it doesn’t last very long, unlike his romantic interest’s beauty. In these four lines of the sonnet we begin to see the rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme adds beautiful rhythm to the sonnet while you’re reading it, and it helps set the mood and tone of the poem and author.
“Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often is his gold complexion dimm’d.” The quote above shows Shakespeare’s use of personification to convey a personal relationship between him and the sun. Shakespeare believes that it is easier to write about the sun when it has more humanly features. He then continues the sonnet by stating that beautiful things in nature sometimes disappear because of the changing course nature takes. “And every fair from fair sometime declines by chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d.” In the above lines you see that Shakespeare uses alliteration to emphasize how beautiful things, (“fair from fair…”) disappear because of change, (“by chance or nature’s changing course…”).
Shakespeare’s tone in the poem is clearly seen as romantic and passionate. This tone is achieved the way he details his romantic interest’s beauty, each line in his sonnet either tells of how much better her beauty is, or how her beauty will never end, unlike his chosen subject of summer. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade, nor lose possession of that fair thou owest.” Shakespeare doesn’t just say, “Yeah, you’ll always be beautiful.” He enriches that common saying by choosing words like “eternal” and “fair” to add more depth, more passion to the poem. He ends the poem with the following: “Nor shall Death brag…When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee.” First, you see how Shakespeare emphasizes “Death” by capitalizing the first letter. This action helps assert that not even death can do away with his romantic interest. He states that by writing the sonnet, he is making her immortal, because she shall always live as long as the sonnet is read.
Sonnet 18 was cleverly created to portray a man’s affection toward his romantic interest. Shakespeare understood that in order to make his sonnet remarkable, he was to put together different literary elements to set up the correct tone and mood. If Shakespeare would have written the sonnet with informal diction, the poem’s tone would’ve been dry. No one would’ve known that it was a passionate romantic poem. Therefore I believe that Sonnet 18 will always be a masterpiece.