Groupthink

today was not very proactive at all in getting anywhere, but on the bright side all this poem work has been helpful in my preparation for the AP exam.

Gridlock

"Let America Be America Again" Vendler Grid

Meaning	America has never been truly the land of equality, prosper and freedom, but one full of oppression, discrimination, and injustices.
Antecedent Scenario	Basically America's not so clean past history
Structural Parts	A very large part of the author's structure in his poem is the use of anaphora's to emphasize his opinion of our America. And also just like every other poem similes and metaphors play an immense part of the author's structure.
Climax	The climax is reached in the 12th  stanza in which the author questions who was the one to say America was the land of the free.
Other Parts	The beginning of the poem is where the narrator asks what happened to the America of before free and equal but with his conscious repeating it was never free for him. After this point the narrator addresses this conscious voice that states itself basically as all the discrimination and inequality of America. After the climax is reached he ends with that although America was never what it thought it was to be, it can and will be achieved.

Skeleton	The narrator after speaking of the good old America of past is retorted by what I believe is his own subconsciousness stating that America has never been great. His subconscious explains this with a wide group of demographics including immigrants, whites, blacks, and indians. Though in the end the his mood changes to one of confidence, in how he believes America will be great.
Content Genre- games	I would say this is a reflective poem. My reasoning for this is that the narrator takes an idea that is taken by fact or agreed on by many and then counters the statement with examples that prove it wrong. So in the poem the land of the freedom and equality, is actually one full of oppression and inequality since its founding such as slavery, taking the land of natives, discrimination of immigrant, and blue collar workers.
Tone	cynical
Agency
Roads Not Taken	I could see this poem as its inverse with the narrator stating it is corrupt, and his subconscious retorting with all the reasons why it is not, but it wouldn't be as popular to the overall public.
Speech Acts	The poem has certain lines where the narrator addresses the reader like "The free? Who said the free?  Not me?", that allow the author to connect his point of view with the reader by interacting with him directly.
Outer and Inner Structural Forms	The poem is very lengthy and uses repitition in the form of many anaphoras to form a parrallel structure. The poem also addresses the reader directly through retorical questions that the author answers quickly.
Imagination	there is not much fictional imagination in this poem, but more of facts that are used in analysis of a statement.

Seventh Reading

Let America be America Again by Langston Hughes

After the first reading of this poem I knew I had to use it, and after a few more reads my understanding of it just kept getting so much clearer. The poem basically focused around the irony of America being the land of the free when in fact their has been inequality and oppression throughout all its history.

(There's never been equality for me,

Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free)

The more I read it the more certain literary techniques would appear to me such as the many anaphora's the author uses to describe his point such as "It was never America to me" and "Let it be..."

Fahrenheit 451 Multiple choice

1.     Before meeting Clarisse Mclellan how does Montag feel about his job as a fireman?
A. Angry
B. Confused
C. Happy
D. Excited
2. How does Clarisse first describe herself as to Montag?
A. Seventeen and Crazy
B. Seventeen and obnoxious
C. Mature and Serious
D. Evil
3. How does Mildred address her attempted suicide the morning after with Montag?
A. remorseful
B. Denial
C. Happiness
D. Depression
4. Why is Montag different from the other fireman as stated by Clarisse?
A. He does not listen to her
B. He listens to her
C. He yells at her
D. He creates fires
5. "The Hound half rose in its kennel and looked at him with green-blue neon light
flickering in its suddenly activated eyebulbs. It growled again, a strange rasping
combination of electrical sizzle, a frying sound, a scraping of metal, a turning of cogs
that seemed rusty and ancient with suspicion.
"No, no, boy," said Montag, his heart pounding.
He saw the silver needle extended upon the air an inch, pull back, extend, pull back.
The growl simmered in the beast and it looked at him."  In the novel this is an example of?
A. Allegory
B. Metaphor
C. Foreshadowing
D. Tone
6. How did the firemen know which houses had books?
A. The books all had bar codes on the back covers. These could be read for up to one mile
              away by a special computerized track.
B. Neighbors, family members, and friends became informants and telephoned the authorities.
C. They conducted random searches.
D. The fire dogs could sniff them out.
7. . What did Montag do in the old lady's attic?
a. He took a book.
b. He sat and cried.
c. He destroyed all of her old family pictures.
d. He took a nap

8. "One drop of rain. Clarisse. Another drop. Mildred. A third. The uncle. A fourth. The
fire tonight. One, Clarisse. Two, Mildred. Three, uncle. Four, fire, One, Mildred, two,
Clarisse. One, two, three, four, five, Clarisse, Mildred, uncle, fire, sleeping-tablets,
men, disposable tissue, coat-tails, blow, wad, flush, Clarisse, Mildred, uncle, fire,
tablets, tissues, blow, wad, flush. One, two, three, one, two, three! Rain. The storm." Identify the literary technique used in this quote?
A. Allusion
B. Mood
C. Motif
D. Anaphora

9. “It was a pleasure to burn.
It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.
With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.” Describe the characters mood in this excerpt.
A. Hateful
B. Jealous
C. Pleasure
D. Respectful
10. How was Clarisse killed?
A. By the hound
B. She was hit by a car
C. Ninjas
D. The fireman burnt her and her house down together
11. What is the overall theme of the story?
A. Revenge
B. What goes around comes around
C. Enlightenment
D. Happily ever after

12. Her face was slender and milk-white, and in it was a kind of gentle hunger that touched over everything with tireless curiosity. It was a look, almost, of pale surprise; the dark eyes were so fixed to the world that no move escaped them. Her dress was white and it whispered. This is an example of:
A. Indirect characterization
B. Direct characterization
C. Simile
D. Characterization

13. Who was Faber?
A. He was Montag's brother-in-law, and another sympathizer.
B. He was second in command after Beatty.
C. He was a retired English professor.
D. He was the chief physician at Emergency Hospital.

14. Why did Montag go to see Faber?
A. He needed a duplicate copy of the stolen book before he returned the original to Captain Beatty.
B. Faber had been a friend of Montag's wife's family. Montag thought Faber could give him advice about how to help his wife.
C. He wanted Faber to translate the books that were not in English.
D. He wanted to get information about others who had books. He thought that giving the information to Beatty might help his career.

15. What did Montag and the intellectual hobos believe their mission to be once the war was ended?
A. They wanted to learn from previous mistakes and always to remember.
B. They wanted to convert any survivors to their way of thinking.
C. They wanted to teach everyone how to read.
D. They wanted to pursue and kill any remaining firemen so they couldn't start burning books again.

Fahrenheit 451 Literary Techniques

Imagery- "The Hound half rose in its kennel and looked at him with green-blue neon light
flickering in its suddenly activated eyebulbs. It growled again, a strange rasping
combination of electrical sizzle, a frying sound, a scraping of metal, a turning of cogs
that seemed rusty and ancient with suspicion.
"No, no, boy," said Montag, his heart pounding.
He saw the silver needle extended upon the air an inch, pull back, extend, pull back.
The growl simmered in the beast and it looked at him."  The imagery that Bradbury uses in this novel is quiet detailed making this book a great read. The description of the hound is what really sticks with me from the novels many images.

Anaphora- "One drop of rain. Clarisse. Another drop. Mildred. A third. The uncle. A fourth. The
fire tonight. One, Clarisse. Two, Mildred. Three, uncle. Four, fire, One, Mildred, two,
Clarisse. One, two, three, four, five, Clarisse, Mildred, uncle, fire, sleeping-tablets,
men, disposable tissue, coat-tails, blow, wad, flush, Clarisse, Mildred, uncle, fire,
tablets, tissues, blow, wad, flush. One, two, three, one, two, three! Rain. The storm."    I liked this anaphora in the mainly because the author uses the repetition of one, two, three to express the tormenting thoughts that Montag replays in his head after his wife Mildred's attempted suicide that are the beginning to Montag's enlightenment.

Allegory- This whole novel can be seen as an altered version of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" in where their both stories where the protagonists find enlightenment.

Theme- The theme that I found in the novel was the journey to enlightenment, as Montag is unaware of the reality of his society until his encounter the with Clarisse. This encounter is what causes Montag to question the shadows that his society portrays as images and to push to find the truth.

Tone- The overall tone of the book is very suspenseful, and thrilling as Montag's constant internal questioning causes you to sit at the edge of your seat as it foreshadows much of what you believe to happen.

Mood- I would say the mood is dark in its descriptions of the joy of burning books and a lethal, venom injecting hound, but also hopeful with the descriptions of Clarisse, the past, and of books.

Diction- The diction the author uses is relatively simple nothing like Shakespeare's complex structure but much of it is of words to describe certain images that make you feel like you are watching the book unfold on a screen.

Allusion- The book to me was an allusion to Plato's allegory of the Cave as described before in the literary technique, allegory.

Foreshadowing-  "The Hound half rose in its kennel and looked at him with green-blue neon light
flickering in its suddenly activated eyebulbs. It growled again, a strange rasping
combination of electrical sizzle, a frying sound, a scraping of metal, a turning of cogs
that seemed rusty and ancient with suspicion.
"No, no, boy," said Montag, his heart pounding.
He saw the silver needle extended upon the air an inch, pull back, extend, pull back.
The growl simmered in the beast and it looked at him." This incident foreshadows Montag's future encounter with the hound as a fugitive on the run.

Fahrenheit 45l Prose Questions

1. Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" shares a similar sense of enlightenment in its main character as seen in Ray Bradbury's protagonist Guy Montag. Write a well-organized essay in which you discuss the similarities of the two.
2. Frequently a work of literature will revolve around a major transformation in a character.  This transformation can often be taken as literal or figurative.  Choose a novel (Fahrenheit 451) and write a well-organized essay in which you discuss the complexion of the transformation and its relationship to the character and the theme.
3. As seen in many modern works of literature, protagonists are not always heroic characters, but anti-heroes. A prime example of this is Ray Bradbury's Guy Montag of "Fahrenheit 451". In a well-written essay compare Guy Montag to another modern day anti-hero.
4. In both Fahrneheit 451 and "Brave New World"  antagonists such as Mr. Beatty and Mustapha Mond appear to express qualities that both go against and along with the protagonists goal in the novel. In a well-organized essay write the reasons to why the authors would allow such characters to exist in their novel's plot.

The adventures of Huckleberry Finn

General

After his adventures with Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn ends up living with Widow Douglas who although nice annoys Huck as she is very strict and religious.The novel begins with Huck being taken back by his abusive drunk father. Tired of his father and his drunk attacks Huck fakes his death and takes a raft down the Mississippi river. Looking for a hideout Huck stays at Jackson Island to hide out until news of his death dies out. At the island Huck finds Jim Mrs. Watson's slave. Jim and Huck decide to travel together and get Jim to the free states.On their way their Huck encounters various characters that cause him to mature and stop being the oblivious little boy that would pick on Jim. Though this is all destroyed at the end of the novel when Tom Sawyer returns and Huck regresses back to the dumb self-centered boy he was in the adventures of Tom Sawyer.

The major theme that I received was that of slavery and racism as through Huck's childhood innocence and influences of society show how Huck is made to believe certain racist ideologies are the correct ideologies. 

Mark Twain's tone in the book is very humorous and ironic.

 “...[Jim] would steal his children -- children that belonged to a man... a man that hadn’t ever done me no harm.”

"WELL, I got a good going-over in the morning from old Miss Watson on account of my clothes; but the widow she didn’t scold, but only cleaned off the grease and clay, and looked so sorry that I thought I would behave awhile if I could. Then Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it warn’t so. I tried it. Once I got a fish-line, but no hooks. It warn’t any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn’t make it work. By and by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. She never told me why,and I couldn’t make it out no way."

"At first I hated the school, but by and by I got so I could stand it."

Irony: "WELL, I got a good going-over in the morning from old Miss Watson on account of my clothes; but the widow she didn’t scold, but only cleaned off the grease and clay, and looked so sorry that I thought I would behave awhile if I could. Then Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it warn’t so. I tried it. Once I got a fish-line, but no hooks. It warn’t any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn’t make it work. By and by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. She never told me why,and I couldn’t make it out no way."

Imagery: “Miss Watson’s nigger, Jim, had a hair-ball as big as your fist, which had been took out of the fourth stomach of an ox, and he used to do magic with it.”

Satire: “...[Jim] would steal his children -- children that belonged to a man... a man that hadn’t ever done me no harm.”

Diction: “No, sir,’ I says, ‘I don’t want to spend it. I don’t want it at all — nor the six thousand, nuther. I want you to take it; I want to give it to you — the six thousand and all.”

Syntax: “No, sir,’ I says, ‘I don’t want to spend it. I don’t want it at all — nor the six thousand, nuther. I want you to take it; I want to give it to you — the six thousand and all.”

Symbolism: "I was power glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft."

Hyperbole: "...he looked that grand and good and pious that you’d say he had walked right out of the ark, and maybe was old Leviticus himself."

Characterization

Direct Characterization:

“Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on, had just come to live with her, and took a set at me now with a spelling-book.”

“They judged it was him, anyway; said this drownded man was just his size, and was ragged, and had uncommon long hair, which was all like pap; but they couldn’t make nothing out of the face, be- cause it had been in the water so long it warn’t much like a face at all.”

Indirect Characterization:

“She put me in them new clothes again, and I couldn’t do nothing but sweat and sweat, and feel all cramped up.”

“After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn’t care no more about him, because I don’t take no stock in dead people.”

“IN this book a number of dialects are used, to wit: the Missouri negro dialect; the extremest form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect; the ordinary ‘Pike County’ dialect; and four modified varieties of this last. The shadings have not been done in a hap- hazard fashion, or by guesswork; but painstakingly, and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech.I make this explanation for the reason that without it many readers would suppose that all these characters were trying to talk alike and not succeeding”

Huck is very dynamic as through his adventures he puts away much of his racism and becomes friends with Jim, although at the end he reverts back to the boy he was with Mrs. Douglas.

I felt like I met a story book character as Huck’s adventures were a little too tall for me, but I do feel that I understood Twain’s critiques to society very well.

Literature Analysis "Of Mice and Men"

General 1. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is the story of George and Lennie, two childhood friends who travel to the Soledad, California to work at a ranch. Due to Lennie being mentally handicapped and not having a very great past (especially shown with his killing of soft things while petting them), he relies on his friend George who is in a way Lennie’s caretaker and the one who does the talking for the both of them. his friend. Once arriving at the ranch, George and Lennie begin working in return for small payment and housing. They meet several men on the farm, and are able to befriend all of them except for Curly, the farm owner’s son who later gets his hand broken by Lennie when angered by not knowing where his wife was. Candy, the farm’s oldest worker, has a dog that gives birth to a group of puppies, and is later killed to end its suffering. Candy gives Lennie one of the puppies, because he knows that Lennie likes soft things. Wanting to pet his new puppy Lennie sneaks out. Just as the mouse in the beginning of the novel, Lennie’s strong hands kill the puppy, causing him to freak out. Hearing the commotion Curly’s wife tries to calm him down by letting him pet her soft hair. Again Lennie’s strong begin to hurt Curly’s wife who screams which cause him to panic and he snaps her neck. When the men find out what’s happened they set off to find Lennie and hang him. George gets to Lennie first, and puts him out of his misery by shooting him in the back of the head as a final act of kindness/protection for Lennie. 2. The theme I got from the novel was the Importance of companianship. Throughout the novel many of the characters reveal their loneliness. Curly’s wife in the novel does not feel a great sense of companionship with her husband so she constantly seeks the attention of the other men. Candy becomes very sad and lonely when having to put down his dog and longtime companion. And Curly is constantly being overly protective of his wife due to the lack of companionship between his wife and him. The only characters that seem to get through the novel without this lack of companionship 3. I got that Steinbeck’s tone was realistic and honest as he expresses many points without being around the bush but straight forward; telling it how it is. • "You'd drink out of a gutter if you was thirsty." Chapter 1, pg. 3 • Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.” • “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads . . . every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ’em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.” 4. Imagery: "A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees - willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool." Pg. 1 Diction: Steinbeck’s diction in the novel is all colloquialisms.“Well, he’s a pretty nice fella. Gets pretty mad sometimes, but he’s pretty nice. Tell ya what—know what he done Christmas? Brang a gallon of whisky right in here and says, ‘Drink hearty, boys. Christmas comes but once a year.” CH 2 Syntax: "On one side of the little room there was a square four-paned window, and on the other, a narrow plank door leading into the barn. Crooks' bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung." pg. 66 Foreshadowing: ‘’Course you did. Well, look. Lennie—if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush.” Tone: Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.” Mood: “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads . . . every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ’em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.” Symbolism: "You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, an' I can't get no more jobs." Ch.3, pg. 60 Hyperbole: “His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.” Chapter 2 Characterization: 1. Direct Characterization: “A powerful, big stomached man came into the bunk house. His head still dripped water from the scrubbing and dousing. "Hi, Slim," he said, and then stopped and stared at George and Lennie. Direct Characterization: "Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, and wide, sloping shoulders; he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws." Indirect Characterization: "Ya know, Lennie, I'm scared I'm gonna tangle with that bastard myself. I hate his guts. Jesus Christ!" Indirect Characterization: "If you want me to, I'll put the old devil out of his misery right now and get it over with. Ain't nothing left for him." 2. The Syntax and diction only seem to change in the novel in Lennie’s dialogue, due to the author expressing his mental handicapped. The rest of the characters syntax and diction only changes slightly to represent their personality in the novel. For example Curly’s wife dialogue is very flirtatious, Curly very tempered and short. 3. The characters in the book all remain static except for maybe George who comes to the realization to put Lennie out of his misery at the end of the novel but his overall personality is the same as it was at the beginning of the novel. 4. What I came away with from the novel was that without companionship life is miserable and when you have this companionship there are those who want to pick it apart.

Rest of Lit Terms

101. Realism:  writing about the ordinary aspects of life in a straightfoward manner to reflect life as it actually is.

102. Refrain:  a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song; chorus.

103. Requiem:  any chant, dirge, hymn, or musical service for the dead.

104. Resolution: point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is worked out; denouement.

105. Restatement: idea repeated for emphasis.

106. Rhetoric: use of language, both written and verbal in order to persuade.

107. Rhetorical Question: question suggesting its own answer or not requiring an answer; used in argument or persuasion.

108. Rising Action: plot build up, caused by conflict and complications, advancement towards climax.

109. Romanticism:  movement in western culture beginning in the eighteenth and peaking in the nineteenth century as a revolt against Classicism; imagination was valued over reason and fact.

110. Satire:  ridicules or condemns the weakness and wrong doings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general.

111. Scansion: the analysis of verse in terms of meter.

112. Setting: the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem occur.

113. Simile:  a figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things through the use of a specific word of comparison.

114. Soliloquy: an extended speech, usually in a drama, delivered by a character alone on stage.

115. Spiritual: a folk song, usually on a religious theme.

116. Speaker: a narrator, the one speaking.

117. Stereotype: cliché; a simplified, standardized conception with a special meaning and appeal for members of a group; a formula story.

118. Stream of Consciousness: the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character’s thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images, as the character experiences them.

119. Structure: the planned framework of a literary selection; its apparent organization.

120. Style:  the manner of putting thoughts into words; a characteristic way of writing or speaking.

121. Subordination: the couching of less important ideas in less important  structures of language.

122. Surrealism: a style in literature and painting that stresses the subconscious or the nonrational aspects of man’s existence characterized by the juxtaposition of the bizarre and the banal.

123. Suspension of Disbelief: suspend not believing in order to enjoy it.

124. Symbol: something which stands for something else, yet has a meaning of its own.

125. Synesthesia: the use of one sense to convey the experience of another sense.

126. Synecdoche: another form of name changing, in which a part stands for the whole.

127. Syntax: the arrangement and grammatical relations of words in a sentence.

128. Theme:  main idea of the story; its message(s).

129. Thesis: a proposition for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved
or disproved; the main idea.

130. Tone: the devices used to create the mood and atmosphere of a literary work; the        
author’s perceived point of view.

131. Tongue in Cheek: a type of humor in which the speaker feigns seriousness; a.k.a. “dry” or “dead pan”

132. Tragedy: in literature: any composition with a somber theme carried to a disastrous conclusion; a fatal event; protagonist usually is heroic but tragically (fatally) flawed

133. Understatement: opposite of hyperbole; saying less than you mean for emphasis

134. Vernacular: everyday speech

135. Voice:  The textual features, such as diction and sentence structures, that convey a writer’s or speaker’s pesona.

136. Zeitgeist: the feeling of a particular era in history

1st Quarter Review

Wow this quarter has been hectic, with the scholarships, constant checking of acceptances, job applications and blog work. Although it was stressful at times it will be all worth it later. In the course I have tried to keep up but need a little more work finishing assignments on due dates.

Class Rank

Rosa Alvarez- no posts since December 

Amanda Arnold- good job seems up to date

Will Boerger- looks good just missing sum assignments for this sem

Rheanna crawley- looks like you got almost everything assigned for the sem good job

Michelle Crosby- I think your only missing maybe one or two assignments so great job

Vince Cruz- keep the good work up

Jose de leon- your new so can’t say too much other than good luck

Lizbeth Estrada- missing a good chunk of lit terms

Kaitlyn furst- no February posts

Illiana Guitierrez- great just need rest of lit terms

Mckenzie Greeley- highest 2013 posts in our class I think, keep it up

Tailor giego- need to catch up

John Han- seems like your keeping up to date

Elizabeth Hotchkiss- good job

Pablo nicassio- missing posts

Elisabeth pereyra- up to date 

Me- missing a few assignments

Torri Reddeck- no posts for Feb

Alex Ramirez- awesome job

Christa west – keep it up

Lit Terms 81-100

82. Omniscient Point of View:  knowing all things, usually the third person.


83. Onomatopoeia: use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its
meaning.

84. Oxymoron: a figure of speech in which two contradicting words or phrases are combined to produce a rhetorical effect by means of a concise paradox.

85. Pacing:  rate of movement; tempo.

86. Parable:  a story designed to convey some religious principle, moral lesson, or general truth.

87. Paradox:  a statement apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really containing a possible truth; an opinion contrary to generally accepted ideas.

88. Parallelism: the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form.

89. Parody:  an imitation of mimicking of a composition or of the style of a well-known artist.

90. Pathos:  the ability in literature to call forth feelings of pity, compassion, and/or sadness.

91. Pedantry: a display of learning for its own sake.

92. Personification: a figure of speech attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or  abstract ideas.

93. Plot: a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose.

94. Poignant:  eliciting sorrow or sentiment.

95. Point of View: the attitude unifying any oral or written argumentation; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing.

96. Postmodernism: literature characterized by experimentation, irony, nontraditional forms, multiple meanings, playfulness and a blurred boundary between real and imaginary.

97. Prose:  the ordinary form of spoken and written language; language that does not have a regular rhyme pattern.

98. Protagonist: the central character in a work of fiction; opposes antagonist.

99. Pun:  play on words; the humorous use of a word emphasizing different meanings or applications.

100. Purpose: the intended result wished by an author.

Lit terms 56-81

57. Genre: a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content.

58. Gothic Tale: a style in literature characterized by gloomy settings, violent or grotesque action, and a mood of decay, degeneration, and decadence.
 
59. Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement often used as a figure of speech or to prove a point.

60. Imagery: figures of speech or vivid description, conveying images through any of the senses.

61. Implication: a meaning or understanding that is to be arrive at by the reader but that is not fully and explicitly stated by the author.

62. Incongruity: the deliberate joining of opposites or of elements that are not appropriate to each other.

63. Inference: a judgement or conclusion based on evidence presented; the forming of an opinion which possesses some degree of probability according to facts already available.

64. Irony: a contrast or incongruity between what is said and what is meant, or what is expected to happen and what actually happens, or what is thought to be happening and what is actually happening.

65. Interior Monologue: a form of writing which represents the inner thoughts of a character; the recording of the internal, emotional experience(s) of an individual; generally the reader is given the impression of overhearing the interior monologue.

66. Inversion: words out of order for emphasis.

67. Juxtaposition: the intentional placement of a word, phrase, sentences of paragraph to contrast with another nearby.

68. Lyric: a poem having musical form and quality; a short outburst of the author’s innermost thoughts and feelings.

69. Magic(al) Realism:  a genre developed in Latin America which juxtaposes the everyday  with the marvelous or magical.

70. Metaphor(extended, controlling, and mixed): an analogy that compare two different
things imaginatively.
Extended: a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer
wants to take it.
Controlling: a metaphor that runs throughout the piece of work.
Mixed: a metaphor that ineffectively blends two or more analogies.

71. Metonymy:  literally “name changing” a device of figurative language in which the name of an attribute or associated thing is substituted for the usual name of a thing.

72. Mode of Discourse:  argument (persuasion), narration, description, and exposition.

73. Modernism:  literary movement characterized by stylistic experimentation, rejection of tradition, interest in symbolism and psychology

74. Monologue:  an extended speech by a character in a play, short story, novel, or narrative poem.

75. Mood:  the predominating atmosphere evoked by a literary piece.

76. Motif:  a recurring feature (name, image, or phrase) in a piece of literature.

77. Myth:  a story, often about immortals, and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that attempts to give meaning to the mysteries of the world.

78. Narrative:  a story or description of events.

79. Narrator:  one who narrates, or tells, a story.

80. Naturalism: extreme form of realism.

81. Novelette/Novella: short story; short prose narrative, often satirical.

The Time of My Life

Today we mostly spoke of our Smart Goals and what we would do to achieve them. We also talked about how far we have gotten so far to achieve our goal which was mostly very little mainly, because it we had just come up with them. And we also spoke of the AP exam, Scholarships, and college deadlines.

Literary Analysis "The Grapes of Wrath"

General: 1. The book begins with Tom Joad hitching a ride from a trucker after being released from Prison. Tom was put into prison after getting into a fight at a bar and hitting someone with a shovel. Once arriving to his town he begins walking home where he sees his neighbor who tells Tom of how a drought led to many former residents to not be able to pay banks and have their land taken. After learning of this news Tom quickly heads home to find that they were already preparing to leave. His family reveals that they weren’t able to pay the bank either and headed to California after receiving pamphlets stating work and a better life there. The Joad family finishes packing and leave to California with their old pastor tagging along. On their trek to California the family goes through many hardships like the death of their grandparents. They also realize that the abundant work and easy life the fliers promised is the complete opposite with hostel people, no work, no food, and nowhere to live. The novel ends with the family huddled under a barn escaping the rain with nothing else but each other to keep from collapsing. 2. The theme of “The Grapes of Wrath” was interdependence of family as the Joad family relied on each other to get through their extremely difficult journey. And in the end it was basically what kept them alive when California wasn’t what they expected. 3. The tone of the book was very dark and gloomy as the family goes through a bombardment of obstacles and unfortunate events throughout the plot. • “And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed.” • To California or any place, everyone a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness. And some day, the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they'll all walk together, and there'll be a dead terror from it. pg. 91-92 • If you're in trouble or hurt or need—go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help—the only ones. pg.394 4. Setting-The book takes place during the infamous Dust Bowl and Great Depression. First starting out in Oklahoma and through the states to California. “Highway 66 is the main migrant road. 66 – the long concrete path across the country, waving gently up and down on the map, from the Mississippi to Bakersfield –over the red lands and the gray lands, twisting up into the mountains, crossing the Divide and down in to the bright and terrible desert, and across the desert to the mountains again, and into the rich California valleys.” CH.12 Allegory: The turtle at the beginning of the novel is a metaphor of the Joad’s family difficult trek to California. ”For a long moment the lay still, and then the neck crept out and the old humorous frowning eyes looked about and the legs and tail came out.” CH 3 Tone: The tone of the book was very dark and gloomy as the family goes through a bombardment of obstacles and unfortunate events throughout the plot. “And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed Mood: The mood like the tone is very dark and gloomy also. To California or any place, everyone a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness. And some day, the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they'll all walk together, and there'll be a dead terror from it Imagery: The imagery of the novel further helps express the gravity of the family’s situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Diction: The author’s diction is full of colloquialisms that portray the characters how they truly would have spoken at that time. "Okie use' ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you're a dirty son-of-a-bitch. Okie means you're scum. Don't mean nothing itself, it's the way they say it." CH 18 Syntax: "Houses were shut tight, and cloth wedged around doors and windows, but the dust came in so thinly that it could not be seen in the air, and it settled like pollen on the chairs and tables, on the dishes." Symbolism: In Steinback’s writing many symbols are used to represent the Joad’s family situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Metaphor: The author does many comparisons of other things or objects with the Joad family situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Characterization: 1. Direct Characterization-“He was not over thirty. His eyes were very dark brown and there was a hint of brown pigment in his eyeballs. His cheek bones were high and wide, and strong deep lines cut down his cheeks, in curves beside his mouth. His upper lip was long, and since his teeth protruded, the lips stretched to cover them, for this man kept his lips closed. His hands were hard, with broad fingers and nails as thick and ridged as little clam shells. The space between thumb and forefinger and the hams of his hands were shiny with callus.” Direct Characterization- He wore a pair of new tan shoes of the kind called "army last," hob-nailed and with half-circles like horseshoes to protect the edges of the heels from wear. Indirect Characterization- The driver, getting slowly into the truck, considered the parts of this answer. If he refused now, not only was he not a good guy, but he was forced to carry a sticker, was not allowed to have company. Indirect Characterization- "New shoes," said the driver. His voice had the same quality of secrecy and insinuation his eyes had. "You oughtn' to take no walk in new shoes—hot weather." The hiker looked down at the dusty yellow shoes. "Didn't have no other shoes," he said. "Guy got to wear 'em if he got no others." 2. The authors diction does not change in the novel as the main dialogue comes from the Joad family who have a Oklahoma farmer type accent. 3. Most of the characters in the novel are static except for maybe one which would be Rose who changes from foolish optimism to serious realistic. 4. From the book I came with that in our society there is always the people we make our slaves but always hate and in the years to come someone writes a book about it and we say things like “Oh how sad how could we have been so ignorant.” When ironically we repeat the same actions over and over again. For example Egyptians and Slaves, Americans with slaves, Americans with Dust Bowl migrants, and again Americans with Hispanic Immigrant workers.

Dickens Map

I will continue reading every other day for about half an hour to hour

1. In this novel, things are often not what they seem. Discuss how the theme of "expectations" is illustrated by and through the major characters in this book. How are Pip's expectations different from and similar to those of Joe Gargery, Miss Havisham, Estella and Magwitch?

2.Why do you think it is one of Magwitch's principal conditions that Pip "always bear the name of Pip" (which is actually his childhood nickname) in order to receive his financial support?

3. If Pip had not received his "great expectations" and never left Joe's forge, how do you think his life would have been different? Are the lessons he learns during his physical and emotional journey necessary for him to arrive at the wisdom he displays as the middle-aged narrator of this tale? In what ways?

4. Why do you think Miss Havisham manipulates and misleads Pip into thinking she is his secret benefactor? What, if anything, does she derive from this action?

5. Given Dickens' portrayal of Estella, what do you think attracts Pip to her in the first place, and what, when he learns of her cold-blooded manipulation of men, keeps Pip devoted to her until the end, loving her, as he says, "against reason, against promise, against peace"? (page 594)

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Great-Expectations-by-Charles-Dickens-Reading-Questions

• I think we should be tested on the material such as an AP exam with us showing our knowledge of the literary devices used in the book to better describe the overall theme.

1. 
   

Lit Terms 31-56

31. Dialect: the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others.

32. Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth.

33. Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things.

34. Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words.

35. Didactic: having to do with the transmission of information; education.

36. Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principles.

37. Elegy: a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting.

38. Epic: a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time (definition bordering on circumlocution).

39. Epigram: witty aphorism.

40. Epitaph: any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone.

41. Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that  may insult someone’s character, characteristics
 -Beaner ( Im hispanic)
42. Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt.

43. Evocative (evocation): a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality.

44. Exposition: beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and/or characters, in a detailed explanation.

45. Expressionism: movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic   representation of an inner idea or feeling(s).

46. Fable: a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth.

47. Fallacy: from Latin word “to deceive”, a false or misleading notion, belief, or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound.
-red herring
48. Falling Action: part of the narrative or drama after the climax.

49. Farce: a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue.

50. Figurative Language: apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech (such as metaphor and simile).

51. Flashback: a narrative device that flashes back to prior events.

52. Foil: a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent.

53. Folk Tale: story passed on by word of mouth.

54. Foreshadowing: in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; “planning” to make the outcome convincing, though not to give it away.

55. Free Verse: verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme.

56. Genre: a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content.