Core Concepts Journal #1: Resubmitted (11/15/10- 11/29/10)

AP Multiple Choice Questions:

Strategy #1: Know what you are supposed to do.

l       READ VERY CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY

l       Read the passage FIRST before answering the questions.

Strategy #2: Know your enemy

There are generally five structures of the multiple choice questions:

1)      Rhetorical Function: What’s author’s purpose of sentence, group of sentences, whole paragraph, or line/stanza of poetry in relation to the rest of the piece.

Ex: Between in lines 50 and 75 and between lines 34 and 35, there is a shift from…

2)      Context: It is like a vocabulary text, asking the meaning of a word used in the context of a passage. Must choose the meanings well so that it can be fit into the passage.

 Ex) In line 56, the word “fat” describes the…

3)      Antecedent: It is almost always can be seen in poetry. Asks which antecedent the quoted word is referring to. IT IS USUALLY NOT THE MOST OBVIOUS ONES CLOSED TO THE QUOTED WORD, HOWEVER.

Ex) All of the following appear to shed tears or be filled with tears EXCEPT the…

4)      Style: Global kind of question (Answer that is better, the most time consuming one). Asks the styles that author has chose to made such as shift in the one’s style.

Ex) The grandmother and the child in the poem are portrayed primarily through…

5)      Tone: (Also global questions. If one part of answer is wrong, the other part of it is wrong). Asks to identify the tone of the passage or a selection from the passage.

Ex) The mood of this poem is best described as…

Connections between this and my own experience: I have found out that the questions appeared on the AP English and Literature exams were similar to those on the ACT and SAT. They both have questions about certain vocubary words and ask for main ideas. Thus, it is wise to study ACT and SAT as well as AP English and Literature exam.

AP ESSAY

For past English classes, I have learned to write only one sentence for thesis. But now I know that I can write more than one sentences for thesis statement. In addition, I also learned that even though the prompt does not explicitly state about “hidden” so what questions, I have to mention it. 

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/ is the great site to prepare for the AP English and Literature exam. It gives the readers about what to expect and how to prepare for the test.

 

Hamlet

(I'm sorry for disorganize paragraph below; i have no idea how to fix it)

-         The original story was Norse legend, written on 1200 AD by Saxo Grammaticus.

-         Shakespeare used Norse legend  play by Thomas Kyd, which is called Ur-Halmet

-         Original ending: Hamlet takes revenge against his uncle and becomes the new king. He doesn’t die.

-         Hamlet’s original name is Amleth.

-         Seneca is the type of Roman tragedy that Shakespeare used in his play, Hamlet.

-         Characteristics of Seneca are:

1.        Son’s revenge for a father’s murder

2.        Murder is revealed by protagonists ghosts

3.        Revenge results from conscious and focused action

-         The some of the plots of Seneca includes:

-The hero’s hesitation                    

-The hero’s insanity (either real or pretended)

-The hero’s contemptation of Suicide

-Multiple levels of intrigue

-An able scheming villain

-The sensationalized of murder on state or the exhibition of dead bodies.

Managing the dynamics of revenge, audiences encounter

-         The offense, which can be maximized by the multiplication of injuries and the adding of insult.

-         The antagonist, most effectively some really formidable (But still vulnerable) person or force.

-         Clarification of strategy and marshalling of resources.

-         A series of delays, obstacles, diversions, mistakes, reservations- anything to retard the momentum.

-         Some unforeseen development that almost thwarts the scheme.

-         The showdown, with the revenge carried out in some answerable.

Connections between this and the older materials: Oedipus, which is the main character of the Oedipus Rex, is similar to Hamlet. For example, their downfalls were technically created by their parents. For example, if Oedipus's parents decided not to abandon Oedipus in the forest, Oedipus's downfall could have avoided. In addition, if Hamlet's uncle didn't kill Hamlet's father, Hamlet would not have planned to kill Hamlet's uncle. Also, it is arguable that faiths had controlled their lives. Hamlet admitted in the end that his life depended on faith. Oedipus at first tried to avoid the faith, but in the end, the faith won.

-During the class, we have discussed Hamlet. We have concluded that one of the themes in Hamlet is that he is chained to be a king and not be anyone else. Even his name is chained, since it is named after the prior kings. He is nobody. Thus, it can be seen that the Denmark is prison.

-This book seems to hold beliefs that ghosts are not holy. In the first scene, the guards wanted to throw the spear at the ghost of king and referred to him as “it”, not “him.”

Homework:
-Core concepts
-Comment on the first scene of Hamlet
-Finish Core Concepts
-Finish class notes and outside readings by November 15th.
-Finish the final draft of drama essay

Class note #7: Resubmitted (11/8/10-11/12/10)

Class Notes #7

11.08.10- 11.12.10.

Tips for writing AP Essay:

-Read prompt CAREFULLY before writing about it. Some students have written the essays before reading prompt carefully, thus losing the credit. That’s why College Board has decided to give us 5 minutes to read the prompt.

-Identify and underline (or highlight) the goals that are stated in the prompt

l       Make it routine to figure out the prompt and stick to it.

l        T (Thesis)

l        A (Answers)

l        P (Prompt)

-Do not restate the prompt. For example, if a given prompt was “How the author uses diction to create happy tone in his work?” do not write “Author seems create happy tone in his work by using diction.

-When the literature elements are given, it is best for students to include those elements in their essays.

-Meanings= theme; functions= techniques.

- Even when the prompt does not explicitly state about the “hidden so what question”, make sure that you answer it. It is an essential piece to the essay.

-You may want to discuss techniques to support your argument.

For example, here is the prompt.

The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes se of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning.

Good Thesis: In ____’s ____, the premonitory biblical allusion to Noah’s Ark gives the ____ theme a deeper meaning and familiar meanings to general Christian thus trying to illustrate that “God is all thing” ß states the hidden so what question

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml is a great website that shows how to write good thesis.

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/ is the great site to learn how the ap exams work and give tips to be successful at AP exams.

Connections between this material and my own experience: I have been writing thesis statements sincce 6th grade and have learned great amounts of knowledge. One of the things that i have learend during the englass classes i had was to write my thoughts and opinions on the paper and then combine those ideas into thesis statement. Also, i learned that it is important to put the theme in thesis statements, which is similar to "hidden so what question?"

We have also discussed Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex.

-One of the topics that were intensely debated on was free will vs. faith. We argued about whether the Oedipus had free will to determine not to kill father or did he not have that at all since he had been destined to kill his father anyway.

-We have also talked about Freud, who created the “Oedipus Complex”, which states the unconscious of son/daughters desiring their parents (like a lover). This theory developed when he saw Oedipus marrying his mom and having children. He stated that the sons/daughters whom had physical and emotional comforts by their parents ended up loving their parents. Son would love his mom and daughter would love her dad. However, it is wrong to assume that this theory is correct since Oedipus's real mom made him stay in the mountain.The one who provided these to Oedipus was fake mom and shand she was the only who provided emotinal and physical comfort to Oedipus, thus counter exampling Freud’s argument.

Homework

- Outside Readings and Class notes due on November 15th.

-Hamlet annotaitons due on November 22nd

Works Cited

-http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.html: website to show how to write good thesis

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/ is the great site to learn how the ap exams work and give tips to be successful at AP exams.

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Outside Reading #2: Reflective Essay 11.14.10

Outside Reading #2: Reflective Essay

A veteran’s story by Robert Friendland

http://www.pifmagazine.com/1998/04/a-veterans-story/

Written on 4.1.98

A veteran’s story by Robert Friendland is about a son who discusses the war in which his dad had participated. He explains that his dad did not talk about the war often. At the end of the essay, he discusses how he should have received war medals for doing a good deed.

One of the strengths that I see in this piece is syntax. He often uses active voice instead of passive voice, which is essential piece to any essays. He also uses various beginning sentences instead of using “the” or “I”, which makes his essay more professional.

One weakness that I have found in this piece is lack of diction. He rarely uses well-diction, making his essay less professional.

I saw various writing techniques that I have learned in AP English Literature class so far. One of the examples of this is syntax; Friendland uses active voice instead of passive voice. Also, imagery can be seen throughout this essay. For example, he describes a looter Philippine boy’s running as stride, rather than using the word “running” or “jumping fast”, thus creating this vivid imagery of the boy running.

Friendland seems to adopt mixed tone in this piece. At first, he seems to be apathy about father’s experience in the war.  He creates this tone by describing his father’s experience in the war. He describes how his dad was working under the Signal Corp and that he ended up being a master sergeant, without offering much excitement or kindness. However, towards the end of this essay, Friendland states that when he was young, he did not think his dad of a hero when the dad did not shoot a Philippines looter boy. Later on, he learned that his dad’s act was very humane. To conclude his sentence, he says that there should be a medal for not killing a poor Philippines boy who tried to support himself, showing his feelings toward the act. This clearly shows the feeling of sympatric for Friendland’s father.  

His variations of tones have affected my response to the content of the piece. I can see clearly that his thinking and feelings toward his dad’s experience at war have changed throughout his life. I laud him for using this tone, showing that he has matured from his boyhood thinking.

I think that this piece’s tone is not appropriate for AP essay tone because it is mixed between apathy and sympathy. It is encouraged that a writer should stick to one tone that he or she has chosen.

Outside Reading #2: Book Review 11.07.10

Outside Reading #2: Book Review

Isn’t it Rich by Paul Simon

Published on 10.27.10

The book: Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/books/review/Simon-t.html?ref=books

Paul Simon starts his review by explaining what the book’s title means. He explains that the title came from the song, “Sunday in the park with George”, and then it gives details about the book itself and how he comes to enjoy the book.

The critical perspective in this work seems to be Formalism for Simon only discusses the details of the book such as quotes and plot rather than explaining the background of the author or history.

I see dictions that illustrate Simon’s feelings toward the book. For instance, he describes the book as “fascinating”, which is a positive word. He could have used the negative word such as “terrible” or “awful to denounce the book. Also, I see syntax in this piece. For example, there is a variety of sentences such as conjugating and complex. He also starts his beginning sentences with variety. For instance, he uses the word “after” to start the sentence other than “the”. 

One of the strengths that I see in this piece is numerous evidences to support his position. He praises the book then often cites the exempts from it to support it. He also relates his own experiences from the musical, “West Side Story” to praise the book, thus telling his own experience rather than adding reluctant examples. In addition, he adds his own thoughts to the details of the book such as humming a song.

A weakness that I have found in this piece is switching point of view. Paul Simon switches from the third point of view to first point of view. For example, he starts the sentence with “I”. He should have chosen one point of view and stick to that.

I see a connection between this piece and the materials that I learned in US America History four years ago. In that class, I learned about roaring twenties, the time period where people started to play jazz, sing songs, and great musicals, filling the lives of people with excitement. This piece is similar to this for the book also covers about musical and songs. It also talks about how they were fascinating and filled people with entertainment.

Overall, I laud Simon for staying on topic and supporting his position with his own experience and numerous examples.  He includes great diction and syntax. Even though he made mistakes with switching the point of views sometimes, this book review is a great piece that everyone should look at.

Class note #6: Resubmitted (10.25.10-10.29.10)

Terms

Drama:  It is a visual and auditory medium. Movement, dialogue and monologue can be the tools with  which drama creates character, theme, plot, etc.

Drama is often performed to create “Verisimilitude”, which is the feeling that what you see happening on state is really happening.

There are several ways to look at dramatcatic structure such as five-part plot and episodic plot. Drama is constructed to get the attention of the audience immediately and hold it until the play ends.

In well written play, the question provokes a new question in the audience’s mind so that the overall dramatic tension of the production has no weak spots.

Connections between this material and my own experience: I was fortune enough to attend the musical called "Phantom of th Opera", performed by the Broadway musical. As i was watching this masterpiece, i began to think about whether this drama shows any social problems. The Phantom, one of the leading characters of this play, was humiliated and hated by the people in his town when he was young because of his face. That was the reason why he wore the mask,to cover up his face. In addition, it is arguable that one of the reasons why he hid in the threater was to escape from taunts and to punish those who made fun of him. This drama is clearly tragedy since Phantom is rejected by his love, Christine. Thus, this drama should be categorizd as Tragdy.

Types of drama:

Tragedy: It involves the ruin of the leading characters.

Ex: Romeo and Juliet.

Comedy: Lighter drama in which the leading characters overcome the difficulties which temporarily beset, usually humorous.

Ex: A midnight night’s dream

Melodrama: A blend of the serious action of tragedy with the happy ending of comedy. It is often structured as a series of escapes by the protagonist from various threatening circumstances. Clearly shows defined “good” overcoming “Evil”

Tragi-Comedy: Serious action with a happy ending but is complex and with more carefully drawn characters and more thoughtful treatment of serious subject matter such as love, friendship, courage, death, etc. It is more likely to have humor than melodrama.

Problem Play: Drama of social criticism that discusses social, economic, or political problems.
Ex) Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller  

Farce: When comedy involves ridiculous or hilarious complications without regard for human values, it becomes farce.

Comedy of Manners: Comedy which wittily portrays fashionable life.

Domestic/Bourgeois Drama: A serious play that deals with “ordinary” people, from everyday life. The domestic drama has in the last 150 years replaced both classical tragedy and “heroic” drama as the predominant form of serious drama.

We have also gone over the plagiarism. We learend that colleges treat plagiarising intentionally or without knowing equally by immediately failing who have done that.

Theater of the Absurd: Not learned yet.

Connections between this material and the older material: The basic idea of tragedy is about leading charaters downfalling. Oedipus Rex, which we have discussed explictly in our clas, fulfills this description. The play is about a guy who killed his father without knowingly and became the king of Thebes and married his mother. He was trying to avoid th faith, which stated that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Fearing this, he escaped from the town that he had lived after his real paents abandoned him on the mountain. However, in the end, he could not avoid his faith. He ended up killing his dad and marrying his mothr. Once he realizd this, he was led to downfalls since his wife, or his wife, killed herself and that he blinded himself.

Assignment:

-Read and annotate Oedipus Rex by November 2^nd.

-Finish first marking period portfolio by October 29^th.

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/drama_glossary.html is a great website to learn the terms of drama.