Analogy: a comparison made between two things to show the similarities.
Analysis: a method in which a worker or idea is separated into its parts, and those parts are given rigorous and detailed scrutiny.
Anaphora: a device or repetition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Anecdote: a short story used to illustrate a point.
Antagonist: a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative.
Antithesis: a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness.
Aphorism: a terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life.
Apologia: a defense or justification for some doctrine , piece of writing, or action; also apology.
Apostrophe: a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or nonhuman is addressed directly.
Argument(ation): the process of convincing a reader by either the truth or falsity of an idea or proposition; also, the thesis or proposition itself.
Assumption: the act of supposing, or taking for granted a thing one does.
Audience: the intended listener or listeners.
Characterization: the means by which a writer reveals a character's personality.
Chiasmus: a reversal in the order of words so that the second half or the statement balances the first half in reverse order.
Circumlocution: a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have sufficed.
Classicism: art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of ancient Greece and Rome; tradition, reason, clarity, order, and balance.
Cliche: a phrase or situation overused within society.
Climax: the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved.
Colloquialism: folksy speech, slang words, or phrases usually used in informal conversation.
Comedy: originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed to provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter.
Conflict: struggle or problem in a story causing tension.
Connotation: implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition.
Contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity.
Denotation: plain dictionary definition.
Denouement (day-new-mahn): loose ends tied up in the story after the climax, closure, conclusion.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Literature Analysis - The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
GENERAL
1. The basic idea of this book is that it's about a man, known simply as Stevens, who is a butler for another man named Mr. Farraday. However he receives a letter from a Miss Kenton and decides to take a five day trip to go see her. (She worked in the same manor as Stevens 20 years prior.) The present isn't exactly what Stevens focuses on though, he looks back at his life to see if he believes he truly lived up to the 'dignity' he thinks he needs to live a fulfilling life (basically be perfect in every aspect, hide your feelings, and obey your masters no matter what), and also the life he may have had with Miss Kenton if he had done things differently. When he finally arrived and met with her, he realized nothing with her was going to change. They both expressed the feelings they once had, which was a huge step for Stevens, but both knew they could not dwell on the past. So Stevens begins to revise his definition of the word dignity and chooses to move forward in his life.
2. The main theme that I see throughout this novel is regret. It's expressed mainly with the life that Stevens could have had with Miss Kenton. On the journey to visit her, he looked back on his life to several different occasions where he believed that if he had done something differently, if he had shown his true feelings then they could have been together and lived a happy life. Stevens then also shows regret when he looks back at how faithful he was to his previous master, Mr. Darlington. Stevens believed he was a good man and in his mind was willing to do anything for his master in hopes of gaining dignity. However Mr. Darlington was a man who dealt with Nazis during WWII. Stevens knows he could have done something, but at the time was to caught up in his vision of perfection that he couldn't swerve away from it.
3. The author's tone was extremely proper and formal. The narrator spoke in a way that would match the setting of this time. This is why it is easily understandable for the character to be so strict, in a sense. He was very focused and set on the path he was in. Also being a butler he wanted to show the people he waited on that he was a gentleman and worthy to be their server.
4.
CHARACTERIZATION
1. The author didn't use direct characterization all that much because the main character wasn't a very open person so it seems fit that the audience isn't given much to go on. There are brief descriptions of the people here and there, but that's about it. The author uses indirect characterization when he continually has Stevens walking away from Miss Kenton's door when she's inside crying. Normally people would wait outside or even burst inside to see what was wrong. Stevens was not like them though. He was straight on his path towards gaining dignity. Also we see indirect characterization when Stevens is given a handkerchief at the end of the book. He doesn't outright say that he is crying, but through this simple token we can tell he is sad by that days turn of events.
2. I believe the syntax and diction remains the same throughout the book because it solely about the character, Stevens. It's his life and his thoughts we are exploring. Stevens was proper and a gentleman so the author wrote the book in the way that would match this character.
3. The protagonist is basically static and flat throughout the entire story up until the very end. He lets go of the perfect version he envisions himself to be and is simply a man. He expresses his feelings and shows his emotions. He grows in this stage of his life and changes so as to become the man his sees with his new definition of the word dignity.
4. I believe I read a character mainly because I have never met anybody like this. I have never seen a man so focused on one path that he shuts out anything that might get in the way of that. Also butlers aren't really needed in America so I don't quite understand their lifestyle.
GENERAL
1. The basic idea of this book is that it's about a man, known simply as Stevens, who is a butler for another man named Mr. Farraday. However he receives a letter from a Miss Kenton and decides to take a five day trip to go see her. (She worked in the same manor as Stevens 20 years prior.) The present isn't exactly what Stevens focuses on though, he looks back at his life to see if he believes he truly lived up to the 'dignity' he thinks he needs to live a fulfilling life (basically be perfect in every aspect, hide your feelings, and obey your masters no matter what), and also the life he may have had with Miss Kenton if he had done things differently. When he finally arrived and met with her, he realized nothing with her was going to change. They both expressed the feelings they once had, which was a huge step for Stevens, but both knew they could not dwell on the past. So Stevens begins to revise his definition of the word dignity and chooses to move forward in his life.
2. The main theme that I see throughout this novel is regret. It's expressed mainly with the life that Stevens could have had with Miss Kenton. On the journey to visit her, he looked back on his life to several different occasions where he believed that if he had done something differently, if he had shown his true feelings then they could have been together and lived a happy life. Stevens then also shows regret when he looks back at how faithful he was to his previous master, Mr. Darlington. Stevens believed he was a good man and in his mind was willing to do anything for his master in hopes of gaining dignity. However Mr. Darlington was a man who dealt with Nazis during WWII. Stevens knows he could have done something, but at the time was to caught up in his vision of perfection that he couldn't swerve away from it.
3. The author's tone was extremely proper and formal. The narrator spoke in a way that would match the setting of this time. This is why it is easily understandable for the character to be so strict, in a sense. He was very focused and set on the path he was in. Also being a butler he wanted to show the people he waited on that he was a gentleman and worthy to be their server.
4.
- analysis: explored when looking back on his life
- dialect: the author wrote in the way Stevens would think is best
- dogmatic: Stevens had a set definition for the word dignity and did what he did to gain it
- flashback: different situations Stevens thought about
- foil: Mr. Darlington next to Mr. Farraday
- imagery: author used great details to explain each situation
- interior monologue: all of Stevens memories
- motif: Stevens often spoke of learning how to banter
- pathos: audience feels when it's learned that Stevens cries about his life
- poignant: how Miss Kenton feels when learning of her aunt's death
CHARACTERIZATION
1. The author didn't use direct characterization all that much because the main character wasn't a very open person so it seems fit that the audience isn't given much to go on. There are brief descriptions of the people here and there, but that's about it. The author uses indirect characterization when he continually has Stevens walking away from Miss Kenton's door when she's inside crying. Normally people would wait outside or even burst inside to see what was wrong. Stevens was not like them though. He was straight on his path towards gaining dignity. Also we see indirect characterization when Stevens is given a handkerchief at the end of the book. He doesn't outright say that he is crying, but through this simple token we can tell he is sad by that days turn of events.
2. I believe the syntax and diction remains the same throughout the book because it solely about the character, Stevens. It's his life and his thoughts we are exploring. Stevens was proper and a gentleman so the author wrote the book in the way that would match this character.
3. The protagonist is basically static and flat throughout the entire story up until the very end. He lets go of the perfect version he envisions himself to be and is simply a man. He expresses his feelings and shows his emotions. He grows in this stage of his life and changes so as to become the man his sees with his new definition of the word dignity.
4. I believe I read a character mainly because I have never met anybody like this. I have never seen a man so focused on one path that he shuts out anything that might get in the way of that. Also butlers aren't really needed in America so I don't quite understand their lifestyle.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Poetry Analysis
The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
---I really enjoyed this poem because it's all about the choices we have in life. There's one path you should take and one you want to take. So when you choose the latter, it makes the stuggle all worth it.
Trust - Alisha Ricks
Trust is earned
But once violated
It’s difficult to regain
When do you trust?
Who do you trust?
You trust with your mind
You trust with your heart
You trust with honor
You trust with pride
You trust with expectations
But is putting trust in someone worth it?
Tell me, is it?
I’ve tried to trust
But ended up with betrayal
And cannot allow it to occur again
I opened my mind
Opened my heart
But only received
A shattered heart
Now I know not to trust so easily
---This poem is clearly about having issues with letting yourself be open with someone. I find this poem to be very true and also relatable to many people in this world.
Touched by An Angel - Maya Angelou
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.
---I enjoy this poem because it speaks of the immensity of love and how easily it can change us. It may scare us, but it's something we should strive for.
I Am Not Yours - Sara Teasdale
I am not yours, not lost in you,
Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.
You love me, and I find you still
A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.
Oh plunge me deep in love -- put out
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.
---This poem speaks as though someone if so deeply in love, but doesn't want to admit it. This person doesn't want to lose their self nor belong to another.
Love, Laughter, And You - Harry J. Couchon Jr
Three things that make my life complete
Are love, laughter, and you, my sweet
The laughter has lasted since day one
Loving you darling, has been so much fun
Whether it's giggles at the kitchen table
Or all out laughter wherever we're able
Each and every laugh, a symbol of our love
You're my everything, all I ever dreamt of
Our love, now that's a bit more serious
Shining through when our laughter is delirious
Starting the day with love's tenderness
Saying goodnight with a sweet caress
Love, laughter, and of course you.
You bring into my life the other two
From the day we met, and for every single day
Love and laughter in our lives will stay
---This poem is very sweet, easygoing, and from what I can tell is genuine. The rhyming is somewhat strange here and there but all in all I liked it.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
---I really enjoyed this poem because it's all about the choices we have in life. There's one path you should take and one you want to take. So when you choose the latter, it makes the stuggle all worth it.
Trust - Alisha Ricks
Trust is earned
But once violated
It’s difficult to regain
When do you trust?
Who do you trust?
You trust with your mind
You trust with your heart
You trust with honor
You trust with pride
You trust with expectations
But is putting trust in someone worth it?
Tell me, is it?
I’ve tried to trust
But ended up with betrayal
And cannot allow it to occur again
I opened my mind
Opened my heart
But only received
A shattered heart
Now I know not to trust so easily
---This poem is clearly about having issues with letting yourself be open with someone. I find this poem to be very true and also relatable to many people in this world.
Touched by An Angel - Maya Angelou
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.
---I enjoy this poem because it speaks of the immensity of love and how easily it can change us. It may scare us, but it's something we should strive for.
I Am Not Yours - Sara Teasdale
I am not yours, not lost in you,
Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.
You love me, and I find you still
A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.
Oh plunge me deep in love -- put out
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.
---This poem speaks as though someone if so deeply in love, but doesn't want to admit it. This person doesn't want to lose their self nor belong to another.
Love, Laughter, And You - Harry J. Couchon Jr
Three things that make my life complete
Are love, laughter, and you, my sweet
The laughter has lasted since day one
Loving you darling, has been so much fun
Whether it's giggles at the kitchen table
Or all out laughter wherever we're able
Each and every laugh, a symbol of our love
You're my everything, all I ever dreamt of
Our love, now that's a bit more serious
Shining through when our laughter is delirious
Starting the day with love's tenderness
Saying goodnight with a sweet caress
Love, laughter, and of course you.
You bring into my life the other two
From the day we met, and for every single day
Love and laughter in our lives will stay
---This poem is very sweet, easygoing, and from what I can tell is genuine. The rhyming is somewhat strange here and there but all in all I liked it.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Literary Terms 1-5
1) Alliteration: the repetition of similar initial sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words.
- Ex: Sally sold seashells by the seashore.
2) Analogy: a similarity between two things, on which a comparison may be based
- Ex: You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.
3) Cliché: anything that has become commonplace through overuse
- Ex: All for one, and one for all.
4) Inversion: words out of order for emphasis
- Ex: United there is little we cannot do.
5) Oxymoron: a figure of speech by which a locution produces a seemingly self-contradictory effect
- Ex: True lies.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Spring Semester Plan 1
Now is the time when people want a serious answer when it comes to the goals we want to achieve, the people we want to be, and the lives we want to have and live in our future, but what if we have absolutely no idea?!....As of right now I'm focusing on my dancing and the education that I receive at my school. My peers and friends all seem to have a basic ideas of what they want to be doing in their future, so is it bad that I don't? Dr. Preston seems to always say that an open mind is a good thing so that's how I am going to stay for now. As I live, learn, and explore new things I will hopefully find something I truly love and then finally strive to achieve it.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
What's In This For Me
Honestly, English has never really been 'my' subject. I have always been the person that is considered strange because math actually makes sense to me! Anyways, I find reading enjoyable, but writing as basically the bane of my existence. I never seem to be able to get my ideas onto paper in an interesting way or even make sense really. So this semester I could say that I want to improve my writing, but I know that this isn't a practical notion when applied to myself. Therefore I would rather use the technology around me and find that spark to hopefully keep me fully focused and excited about the assignments we do. I want to enjoy this class and learn new things to help me in the future....and maybe help me pass the AP test!
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