Thinking Outside The Box

In both Plato and Sartre writing there is a metaphor that helps enforce the idea of limitation in our own thinking. For example, in Plato he uses the metaphor of the Cave to show the limited resources that the people have in the cave. The people in the cave are clueless that there is life outside the cave because they aren’t very knowledgeable. They don’t understand where they are at and what a cave really is. Same idea with Sartre, the metaphor being used is hell. In the play the characters don’t really know what the room is and they don’t know what actions to take. In both writings they are stuck in the unknown because of their limitation in their thoughts.

Literary Analysis #4

Great Expectations

GENERAL

1.  Pip was an orphan living with his sister and her husband in the marshes of Kent. One day while looking at his parents tombstones an escaped convict comes up from behind a tomstone and grabs Pip and tells him to bring him food and a file. Pip is taken by his uncle Pimblechook to play at Satis House, the home of the wealthy Miss Havisham. Pip falls in love with her and dreams of becoming a wealthy gentleman so that he might be worthy of her. He even hopes that Miss Havisham intends to make him a gentlemen and marry him to Estella, but she doesnt. Miss Havishman decides to make him a common laborer instead.In London, Pip becomes friends with Herbert and he said he would help him become a gentlemen. A complicated mystery begins to fall into place when Pip discovers that Compeyson was the man who abandoned Miss Havishan at the altar and that Estella us Magwitch's daughter. Pip sees the good in Magwitch and begins to care for him deeple. Estella marries an upper class lout names Bentley. At the end Pip finds that Estella's coldness and cruelty have been replaced by a sad kindness and the the two leave the garden hand in hand, Pip believing that they will never part again.

2. Pip’s great expectations are a dramatized exploration of human growth, ambition, and the pressures that distort the potential of an ordinary individual, especially in the process of growing up. Pip is a simple blacksmith’s boy who aspires to cross social boundaries when he realizes his own upbringing is common; however, he has no means to change. Mysteriously, he is given the means, but wealth only brings with it idleness. He learns that happiness in life can be achieved only by hard work and that great expectations not grounded in reality can only lead to tragedy and heartache.


3. Dickens uses tone to better express the emotions of the characters aggression, fear, and pain.

- "...on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening." That is a great example of tone because it is setting th seen to be both cold and exciting.(pg.9)


4. 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. I didn’t really see any direct characterization because the author expresses characterization through actions. The author does this because he wants the reader to use their imagination and to give their own opinion on what they think the character is like.

2. Pip is a dynamic character because over the course of the book the character matured therefore he changed. Pip is also a round character because he plays an important role in the book.

3. After reading the book I would like to meet Pip because he is the person who is always striving to better himself and he sets high expectations for himself as well

 

Allegory of the Cave Sonnet

Unknown, unreal, unclear

Living with so much fear.

Darkness forever in the cave,

Hope is the last thing it gave.

The shadows were seen,

And many believed it was reality.

The shackles and the cave suggests that the world is imperfect,

And the prisoners thought life was not worth it.

But then came the light ,

Shinning so bright.

The fire came,

And illuminated their brains.

Now the reality is shown,

And never will it be unknown.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

1.According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?

-The allegory of the cave represents being in the darkness. The unknown if you will. It is simply lost with no worldly help.

2.What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?

  -Key elements used in this allegory include the wall, the dark, the sun burning and irritating the slave. And so forth.

  3.  What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or            education?

-The allegory suggests " the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. " about the process of enlightenment or education.

4.What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?

-imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners that they are lost. They do not know about the world because they have been trapped since childhood. Shackles on the mind. Forbidden to learn.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?

-Freed Prisoner : Able to learn...explore...breathe in new life where as a Cave Prisoner knows not. Never able to learn beyond where he lies. Not because he does not want to but because he is being forced beyond control.

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?

-According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. They are "I mean to say that objects of sense are of two kinds; some of them do not invite thought because the sense is an adequate judge of them; while in the case of other objects sense is so untrustworthy that further enquiry is imperatively demanded.

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?

-Prisoners get free "But the release of the prisoners from chains, and their translation from the shadows to the images and to the light, and the ascent from the underground den to the sun, while in his presence they are vainly trying to look on animals and plants and the light of the sun, but are able to perceive even with their weak eyes the images in the water (which are divine), and are the shadows of true existence (not shadows of images cast by a light of fire, which compared with the sun is only an image) --this power of elevating the highest principle in the soul to the contemplation of that which is best in existence, with which we may compare the raising of that faculty which is the very light of the body to the sight of that which is brightest in the material and visible world --this power is given, as I was saying, by all that study and pursuit of the arts which has been described."

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?

-The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. I agree because hamburgers on tv look a lot better than the actual hamburger.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?

 

 

Reciting Sonnet: Truth and Beauty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEI2fCDTzL8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Literary Analysis #3

The Great Gatsby

1.The Great Gatsby is focused around Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, who moves to New York in the summer of 1922. He finds himself in West Egg, an area that is populated by the rich. Nick Carraway's neighbor is Jay Gatsby, a rich, highly mysterious man, who throws lavish over the top parties every weekend. Nick gets invited to one of Gatsby's parties, and through Nick's newfound love interest, Jordan, Nick is able to learn a bit about Gatsby. He founds out Gatsby is madly in love with a woman named Daisy, who he has not spoken to in years. Daisy happens to be Nick's cousin and married to a man name Tom. Regardless of this marriage, Gatsby and Daisy start a love affair. Things turn awry when Tom confronts Gatsby. This confrontation leads to a distressed Daisy taking Gatsby's car and driving off. In the midst of all this chaos Daisy ends up hitting and killing a woman named Myrtle. Myrtle's husband thinking Gatsby was driving the car ends up shooting Gatsby and killing him. Nick throws a funeral for Gatsby where there is little attendance. Nick then ends up cutting off all relationships he has in West Egg and returns to the Midwest.

2. The theme of the novel The Great Gatsby the destruction of the American Dream. These characters were after wealth rather than happiness. Being so consumed by money and social status eventually led to the corruption of the true American Dream. This corruption not only destroyed the American Dream, but also destroyed relationships, like that of Gatsby and Daisy.

3. The author's tone in The Great Gatsby is cynical.

-"This was untrue. I am not even faintly like a rose."

-"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..."

-"I shook hands with him; it seemed silly not to, for I felt suddenly as though I were talking to a child."

4. The author used similes, imagery, symbolism, allusion, and foreshadowing in order to convey the theme and tone.

Simile: Similes occur regularly throughout this novel

-"In his blue garden men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars."

Imagery: The author is very detailed when describing the world that Nick has entered.

An example of imagery is the constant use of the color green throughout the novel

Symbolism: The green light at Daisy's house represented the unattainable for Gatsby

-"A single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock..."

Allusion: There are numerous references throughout the entire work to literature, such as the John L Stoddard Lectures, and Hopalong Cassidy.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the entire novel the author foreshadows the demise of Gatsby

-"He snatched the book from me and placed it hastily on its shelf muttering that if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse.”

Characterization:

1.     The author changes his diction and syntax depending on the maturity of the character.

2.     Jay Gatsby is dynamic because how he is perceived changes throughout the book as new information comes to light.  He is also a  round character because he is fully developed so the reader has a good picture of their looks and personality.

3.     I would like to meet Gatsby because he is rich and he has amazing parties.

Sonnet Analysis Part I

 The sonnet I chose is a poem of fourteen lines ,using formal rhyme schemes and typically having ten syllables per line.

Big Question

How much water does the body need per day ?

Vocabulary List #11

Affinity- relationship by marriage

-My parents affinity didn't last very long because they got a divorce.
Bilious- of or indicative of a peevish ill nature disposition

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Cognate- of the same nature

-Our personalities are so similar therefore we are cognate.
Corollary- A proposition inferred Immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof

-The courts corollation was unclear.
Cul-de-sac - a pouch

-Not sure how to use cul-de-sac in a sentence.
Derring-do- a daring action

-The boy derring-do  his friend to drive with his eyes close.
Divination- The art or practice that seeks to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge due to the interpretation of omens
Elixir- A substance capable of prolonging life indefinitely
Folderol- a useless accessory
Gamut- an entire range or series
Hoi polloi- the General populace
Ineffable- incapable of being expressed in words
Lucubration- to study by night
Mnemonic- intended to assist memory
Obloquy- abusive language
Parameter- an independent variable used to express the coordinates of variable point and functions of them
Pundit- a learned man
Risible- provoking laughter
Symptomatic- having the characteristics of a certain disease but arising of a different cause
Volte-face- a reversal in policy

SONNET

Truth and Beauty

Strange Truth and Beauty are enemies,

Treading forever on each other's toes!

Strange rhymes are always made of that which is

Too false or silly to be said in prose!

Now here's a sonnet by our village poet

"Inscribed to Kate," in most romantic style,

Whereas,--and one with half an eye might know it,--

He means Sophronia Tompkins, all the while.

He sings of "golden curls." If fiery tresses

Had heat to match their hue, her hair would burn;--

He mentions "airy grace,"--while she possesses

A form as shapeless as an old-time churn,

Heavens! after this I never shall inquire

Why people always call the poet's song a LYRE!

by :Elizabeth Akers Allen (1832-1911) (pseudonym Florence Percy)

 

GROWING MY PLN

I tried commenting on some blogs, but so far I have no reply from any. I'm still waiting so if anyone comments back I will update this post with our conversation.

HAMLET PLN

http://gallagherseniorhonors.blogspot.com/2008/02/hamlet-study-guide-for-act-11-31.html

-I can connect to this website because this AP class is doing similar things to us and it is good to compare.

 http://vickivestenglishclass.weebly.com/ap-english.html

-In this website explains quotes on Hamlet which is very helpful because the diction is hard. It also gives good summaries on the acts.

http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/ap0701/hamlet.htm
-This another version of Hamlet because it’s written by someone else. It is very informative.

http://aplove.blogspot.com/2007/11/ap-lit-hamlet-actscene-notes.html

-I like this website because it has summaries for each scene from each act. The summaries are very concise and so very helpful for a quick glance to refresh the memory.

http://shslboyd.pbworks.com/w/page/8889829/AP%20English%20Literature%20and%20Composition

-This website is very entertaining because it shows many images and provides worksheets for it.

VOCABULARY LIST #10

aficionado- a serious devotee of some particular music genre or musical performer
browbeat- to discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate
commensurate- able to be measured by a common standard
diaphanous- Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent
emolument- Payment for an office or employment
foray- A sudden raid or military advance
genre- a category
homily- An inspirational saying or platitude
immure- To confine within or as if within walls; imprison
insouciant- carefree or unconcerned; light-hearted
matrix- a substance, situation, or environment in which something has its origin, takes form, or is enclosed
obsequies- A funeral rite or ceremony
panache- A bunch of feathers or a plume, especially on a helmet.
persona- The role that one assumes or displays in public or society; one's public image or personality, as distinguished from the inner self
philippic- a bitter or impassioned speech of denunciation; invective
prurient- unusually or morbidly interested in sexual thoughts or practices
sacrosanct- Regarded as sacred and inviolable
Systemic- Of or relating to systems or a system
tendentious- Marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan
vicissitude- A change or variation