Friday, April 29, 2016
Monday, April 18, 2016
#14: Final Reflection
Response to Kara Lennon (Presentation)
http://karalennonapenglishfinal2015.blogspot.com
First of all, I have to applaud you for choosing to read two plays. It provided a whole new perspective on your theme of society's ignorance and attitudes and allowed us to see the effect of Williams' style of writing on multiple works written a few years apart. Additionally, the fact that you were perhaps the only one in the class that chose to read plays instead of novels also demonstrated your commitment to analyzing more than just an average composition and go beyond to evaluate the purpose of stage directions and the atypical writing style of a playwright. Your introduction was extremely powerful in opening the presentation and your theme. It was truly amazing to see how much of an effect perspective has on society today, even when many of us claim to unprejudiced, with a form as simple as light. This was also well-connected to your conclusion and it was a pleasant surprise to see that you were not just summarizing your thesis statements but contextualizing the meaning of the works as a whole. Finally, it was impressive how you related each major theme to Williams' own life and analyzed how his views of society affected his writing. Although this was one of the primary goals of this entire project, many others were not as introspective as you in digging for the specific traits of the author that influenced his mindset and his writing technique.
Response to Madison Miller (Presentation)
http://beautifulanddamnedaplit.blogspot.com
Firstly, I really admire you choosing F. Scott Fitzgerald as your author because I have been obsessed with his writing style ever since I read The Great Gatsby. The fact that The Beautiful and Damned revolves around a similar society and plot-line is definitely inclining me towards reading it in the near future. As for your presentation, your introduction with the Seven Deadly Sins could not have been more effective in revealing the theme. The novel appears to capture each sin and Fitzgerald's fascination with an immoral society through an approach that crosses all traditional bounds of writing. Thus, your allusion to the American dream reinforced our understanding because of the connection we, as an audience, already had with The Great Gatsby. Finally, the relationship you made between your poem and the novel provided an excellent transition from one part of your presentation to the next while maintaining the argument throughout.
Response to Gina Deaton (Prose Passage Essay)
http://deatonginaapenglishlitfinal.blogspot.com
The way I see it, this essay convincingly interpreted both yours and Roy's views on the Indian caste system through the connections you made with the historical time period in which the novel was set. Though I am not familiar with "love laws" specifically, this essay's response to the prompt and the passage helped me better understand your presentation's theme of human relation versus social restriction. I find it interesting how Sophie and Rahel, though both of a similar age, could have such contrasting views on love based merely on the cultures they grew up in. This reveals that no matter how globalized we may try to make the world, cultural barriers always intervene to create conflict between values. In this case, the juxtaposition of Sophie and Rahel's concept of love paralleled the striking contrast between American and Indian culture, which was reflected in the well-chosen passage. Furthermore, I am glad that you used the essay to emphasize that Rahel is not emotionally cautious in nature, but maintains a facade of his true feelings in order to avoid collision sentiment with cultural norms.
Response to Kelly Wu (Presentation)
http://upsidedownkellywu2016.blogspot.com
Firstly, I really enjoyed your introductory video and am glad that you chose a humorous monologue to plunge into a deeper interpretation of the theme of decision making. It definitely allowed us, as an audience, to relate more to the topic before analyzing it further. One of the noteworthy features I noticed in your presentation, even as I reviewed it after, was the evident complexity present in all your thesis statements. You went beyond the superficial meaning of the text and applied Edwards' own philosophies into the evaluation of the text. I learned that the choice of perspective was significant in the characterization techniques that the author uses while maintaining the theme of a "less traveled road". Furthermore, the Robert Frost poem only reinforced your argument throughout the presentation rather than complicate its purpose. While many others chose to relate the poem to the actual plot of the prose passage, I admire your decision to convey the theme and argument itself through Frost's poem.
Response to Natalie Gruenwald (Poetry Essay)
http://thenataliegruenwaldjar2016.blogspot.com
This essay is very persuasive in allowing the reader to experience Plath's inner emotions through a poem. Many poets tend to avoid making themselves the subject of their writing. However, Plath takes a bold risk in explicitly writing about her own suicide attempts, a topic still very taboo in society today. This, like you said, makes Plath one of the most recognized confessional writers of her time and "Lady Lazarus" a morbid yet revealing poem. I agree with your argument on the feminist perspective with which the poem is written through which Plath is able to contend that she is indeed an "artist" trying to survive in a patriarchal society. This approach is best supported by the figurative language present throughout the poem which keeps the reader engrossed in the true meaning of the poem and as you stated, doesn't outrightly make arguments but makes the reader understand through deeper connections. Although Plath's writing is often criticized for being very despondent, the relationships you made within her poem and her own life portrayed her as a disturbed and exposed individual.
Personal Reflection
Although this project was oftentimes stressful, it provided me with valuable preparation for the AP exam. I chose to analyze J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and its portrayal of adolescence in various aspects. I enjoyed the book immensely because of its ability to attract any type of audience through its relatable portrayal of society, especially in the late 1940s and early 1950s. When preparing my materials, I mostly followed the order given in the guidelines. Although I tried my best to meet all due dates, I was sometimes not able to succeed, resulting in hectic attempts to catch up. Once my materials were completely prepared, I felt confident in both my writing and presentation. I was not nervous prior to presenting because I was secure in my knowledge of the novel, author, and theme and was certain that this would easily guide me. Indeed, my expectation proved me correct and I performed exceptionally well.
As mentioned previously, I may have been better able to apply my knowledge of literature into the research paper and the two essays had I been more efficient in managing my time. Additionally, I believe I did not analyze the two poems as well as I intended. Even when presenting to the class, I merely summarized the poems and avoided any analysis until relating them to my novel. While my introductory statistic was powerful, I believe I did not deliver it with enough authority to accentuate its meaning to the audience, as they seemed relatively unaffected by the morbid fact. A few other students used comic means to engage the audience and thus elicited a more positive response. There is not much I would alter if given the chance to re-do this project. I was proud of my work and grade that I received and believed that it accurately reflected my commitment towards this project. To prepare for the AP exam, I find the multiple choice questions on others’ blogs helpful to practice both surface-level and deep analysis of prose and poetry. My extensive knowledge of The Catcher in the Rye now allows me to be fully educated on one particular theme and novel should I choose to use this for my open question essay. Before the exam, however, I will take a practice multiple choice test and review the frequent terms and concepts that may help me on the essay sections.
http://karalennonapenglishfinal2015.blogspot.com
First of all, I have to applaud you for choosing to read two plays. It provided a whole new perspective on your theme of society's ignorance and attitudes and allowed us to see the effect of Williams' style of writing on multiple works written a few years apart. Additionally, the fact that you were perhaps the only one in the class that chose to read plays instead of novels also demonstrated your commitment to analyzing more than just an average composition and go beyond to evaluate the purpose of stage directions and the atypical writing style of a playwright. Your introduction was extremely powerful in opening the presentation and your theme. It was truly amazing to see how much of an effect perspective has on society today, even when many of us claim to unprejudiced, with a form as simple as light. This was also well-connected to your conclusion and it was a pleasant surprise to see that you were not just summarizing your thesis statements but contextualizing the meaning of the works as a whole. Finally, it was impressive how you related each major theme to Williams' own life and analyzed how his views of society affected his writing. Although this was one of the primary goals of this entire project, many others were not as introspective as you in digging for the specific traits of the author that influenced his mindset and his writing technique.
Response to Madison Miller (Presentation)
http://beautifulanddamnedaplit.blogspot.com
Firstly, I really admire you choosing F. Scott Fitzgerald as your author because I have been obsessed with his writing style ever since I read The Great Gatsby. The fact that The Beautiful and Damned revolves around a similar society and plot-line is definitely inclining me towards reading it in the near future. As for your presentation, your introduction with the Seven Deadly Sins could not have been more effective in revealing the theme. The novel appears to capture each sin and Fitzgerald's fascination with an immoral society through an approach that crosses all traditional bounds of writing. Thus, your allusion to the American dream reinforced our understanding because of the connection we, as an audience, already had with The Great Gatsby. Finally, the relationship you made between your poem and the novel provided an excellent transition from one part of your presentation to the next while maintaining the argument throughout.
Response to Gina Deaton (Prose Passage Essay)
http://deatonginaapenglishlitfinal.blogspot.com
The way I see it, this essay convincingly interpreted both yours and Roy's views on the Indian caste system through the connections you made with the historical time period in which the novel was set. Though I am not familiar with "love laws" specifically, this essay's response to the prompt and the passage helped me better understand your presentation's theme of human relation versus social restriction. I find it interesting how Sophie and Rahel, though both of a similar age, could have such contrasting views on love based merely on the cultures they grew up in. This reveals that no matter how globalized we may try to make the world, cultural barriers always intervene to create conflict between values. In this case, the juxtaposition of Sophie and Rahel's concept of love paralleled the striking contrast between American and Indian culture, which was reflected in the well-chosen passage. Furthermore, I am glad that you used the essay to emphasize that Rahel is not emotionally cautious in nature, but maintains a facade of his true feelings in order to avoid collision sentiment with cultural norms.
Response to Kelly Wu (Presentation)
http://upsidedownkellywu2016.blogspot.com
Firstly, I really enjoyed your introductory video and am glad that you chose a humorous monologue to plunge into a deeper interpretation of the theme of decision making. It definitely allowed us, as an audience, to relate more to the topic before analyzing it further. One of the noteworthy features I noticed in your presentation, even as I reviewed it after, was the evident complexity present in all your thesis statements. You went beyond the superficial meaning of the text and applied Edwards' own philosophies into the evaluation of the text. I learned that the choice of perspective was significant in the characterization techniques that the author uses while maintaining the theme of a "less traveled road". Furthermore, the Robert Frost poem only reinforced your argument throughout the presentation rather than complicate its purpose. While many others chose to relate the poem to the actual plot of the prose passage, I admire your decision to convey the theme and argument itself through Frost's poem.
Response to Natalie Gruenwald (Poetry Essay)
http://thenataliegruenwaldjar2016.blogspot.com
This essay is very persuasive in allowing the reader to experience Plath's inner emotions through a poem. Many poets tend to avoid making themselves the subject of their writing. However, Plath takes a bold risk in explicitly writing about her own suicide attempts, a topic still very taboo in society today. This, like you said, makes Plath one of the most recognized confessional writers of her time and "Lady Lazarus" a morbid yet revealing poem. I agree with your argument on the feminist perspective with which the poem is written through which Plath is able to contend that she is indeed an "artist" trying to survive in a patriarchal society. This approach is best supported by the figurative language present throughout the poem which keeps the reader engrossed in the true meaning of the poem and as you stated, doesn't outrightly make arguments but makes the reader understand through deeper connections. Although Plath's writing is often criticized for being very despondent, the relationships you made within her poem and her own life portrayed her as a disturbed and exposed individual.
Personal Reflection
Although this project was oftentimes stressful, it provided me with valuable preparation for the AP exam. I chose to analyze J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and its portrayal of adolescence in various aspects. I enjoyed the book immensely because of its ability to attract any type of audience through its relatable portrayal of society, especially in the late 1940s and early 1950s. When preparing my materials, I mostly followed the order given in the guidelines. Although I tried my best to meet all due dates, I was sometimes not able to succeed, resulting in hectic attempts to catch up. Once my materials were completely prepared, I felt confident in both my writing and presentation. I was not nervous prior to presenting because I was secure in my knowledge of the novel, author, and theme and was certain that this would easily guide me. Indeed, my expectation proved me correct and I performed exceptionally well.
As mentioned previously, I may have been better able to apply my knowledge of literature into the research paper and the two essays had I been more efficient in managing my time. Additionally, I believe I did not analyze the two poems as well as I intended. Even when presenting to the class, I merely summarized the poems and avoided any analysis until relating them to my novel. While my introductory statistic was powerful, I believe I did not deliver it with enough authority to accentuate its meaning to the audience, as they seemed relatively unaffected by the morbid fact. A few other students used comic means to engage the audience and thus elicited a more positive response. There is not much I would alter if given the chance to re-do this project. I was proud of my work and grade that I received and believed that it accurately reflected my commitment towards this project. To prepare for the AP exam, I find the multiple choice questions on others’ blogs helpful to practice both surface-level and deep analysis of prose and poetry. My extensive knowledge of The Catcher in the Rye now allows me to be fully educated on one particular theme and novel should I choose to use this for my open question essay. Before the exam, however, I will take a practice multiple choice test and review the frequent terms and concepts that may help me on the essay sections.
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