Literature Analysis #5

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

1. The book is separated into three stories and viewpoints. The first story is titled "The Window". The second story is titled "Time Passes". The third story is titled "The Lighthouse". In the first story, the book introduces a family who lives in their summer home off the coast of Scotland. The story goes as a regular family lives. It talks about each family member and how Mrs. Ramsay discusses with her daughters that there are potential men for them to marry. The title represents how as they gaze through the window towards the lighthouse, though the title of the book is To the Lighthouse, the family only gets to view the lighthouse from that window which then essentially creates and instills imagination of how the lighthouse might be. They are not able to visit the lighthouse do to weather conditions. The second story talks about an elderly lady named, Mrs. McNabb who reminisces and remembers the family and their experiences when they lived at the summer home. She then restores it back to the way as it was in the past. In the third story, we meet Lily Briscoe again who talks about how the death of Mrs. Ramsay makes everything different. She then realizes that Mrs. Ramsay was the one who kept that family together.
2. Not sure if this is a good theme, but the moments with your family will be the most memorable out of all of your memories.
3.

• The author's tone in the first story seems to be very disturbed due to the fact that the family deals with multiple personalities.
• "She was quite ready to take his word for it, she said...There was nobody she reverenced more. She was not good enough to tie his shoe strings, he felt." P.32
• The author's tone in the second story seems to be reminiscent because Mrs. McNabb, who lived with the family in the past, flashes back and remembers what life was like back then and the different people she lived with.
• "Poor lady! She would never want them again. She was dead, they said; years ago, in London." P.135
• The author's tone in the third story is mournful because Lily, the painter, remembers fondly about Mrs. Ramsay, the main character in the first story.She remembers how Mrs. Ramsay was the one who kept the family together.
• "'Mrs. Ramsay!' Lily cried, 'Mrs. Ramsay!' But nothing happened. The pain increased" P. 180

4.

• Setting
• "So with the lamps all put out, the moon sunk, and a thin rain drumming on the roof a down-pouring of immense darkness began." P. 125
• This creates the vibe of the 2nd story of the book. It sets the tone of the setting, especially with the descriptions that follow the passage.
• Purpose-
•  The purpose was to show the significance of the painting, the family, and the lighthouse.
• "'Mrs. Ramsay!' Lily cried, 'Mrs. Ramsay!' But nothing happened. The pain increased" P. 180
• "Quickly, as if she were recalled by something over there, she turned to her canvas. There it was - her picture. Yes, with all its greens and blues, its lines running up and across, its attempts at something. It would be hung in the attics, she thought; it would be destroyed. But what did that matter? she asked herself, taking up her brush again. She looked at the steps, they were empty; she looked at her canvas; it was blurred. With a sudden intensity, as if she saw it clear for a second, she drew a line there, in the centre. It was down; it was finished. Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision." P. 208-209
• Omniscient Point of view
• The whole story was told in an omniscient point of view.
• "'I'm so sorry,' said Mrs. Ramsay, turning to him at last. He felt rigid and barren, like a pair of boots that have been soaked and gone dry so that you can hardly force your feet into them. Yet he must force his feet into them. He must make himself talk. Unless he were very careful, she would find out this treachery of his; that he did not care a straw for her, and that would not be at all pleasant, he thought. So he bent his head courteously in her direction." P. 90
• Epitaph
• "'But i beneath a rougher sea Was whelmed in deeper gulfs than he." P.166 This was an epitaph that Mr. Ramsay said during his mourning for his wife.
• Motif
• In the story "The Window", "And smiling she looked out of the window and said (thinking to herself, Nothing on earth can equal this happiness) - 'Yes, you were right. It's going to be wet tomorrow. You won't be able to go." P. 124 This creates what the window represented in the book. It was the view of hope and imagination.
• Narrative
•  "Mr. Ramsay, stumbling along a passage one dark morning, stretched his arms out, but Mrs. Ramsay having died suddenly the night before, his arms, though stretched out, remained empty." P. 129
• This situation was a turning point for the book.
• Narrator-
•  Virginia Woolf is also the writer, but she is also the narrator of the story. She completely describes every single detail. She has an omniscient point of view. "Like all feelings felt for oneself, Mrs. Ramsay thought, it made one sad. It was so inadequate, what one could give in return; and what Rose felt was quite out of proportion to anything she actually was." P/ 81
• Flashback-
•  Mrs. McNab flashes back to her memory when she heard about Andrew Ramsay being killed instantly in WWI. "A shell exploded. Twenty or thirty young men were blown up in France, among them Andrew Ramsay, whose death, mercifully, was instantaneous." P.133
• Foil
• "'Yes, of course, if it's fine tomorrow,' said Mrs Ramsay...'There'll be no landing at the lighthouse tomorrow,' said Charles Tansley." Charles Tansley becomes the foil because he tries to put down Mrs. Ramsay's assurance to her kids that they will go to the lighthouse the next morning. P. 3 & 7
• Imagery-
•  "At that season those who had gone down to pace the beach and ask of the sea and sky what message they reported or what vision they affirmed had to consider among the usual tokens of divine bounty- the sunset on the sea, the pallor of dawn, the moon rising, fishing boats against the moon, and children making mud pies or pelting each other with handfuls of grass, something out of harmony with this jocundity and this serenity." P. 133 This passage creates images in our mind of what the scene was and looked like.

CHARACTERIZATION

1. 
   

• Direct characterization would be

• "It was his fate, his peculiarity, whether he wished it or not, to come out thus on a spit of land which the sea is slowly eating away, and there to stand, like a desolate sea-bird, alone." P. 44 This describes Mr. Ramsay who frequently talks about how he is not as smart as he thought he was.
• "Mrs McNab groaned; Mrs. Bast creaked. They were old; they were stiff; their legs ached." P. 139 This directly characterizes Mrs. McNab and Mrs. Bast.
• Indirect characterization would  be:
• "'And even if it isn't fine tomorrow...it will be another day. nd now...and now, standup' P. 26 We see Mrs. Ramsay assuring that there is always another day.
• "She must escape somewhere, be alone somewhere." P. 147 Here we can sense Lily feeling discomfort and awkwardness
• The author uses both ways to create a variety of descriptions for each experience with each character. The author uses dialogue and descriptions of the scene to convey his feeling and his message.
1. The author's syntax and diction does not change when she focuses on character because everything just flows together to create a good and an easy piece of literature to read and understand.
2. There are a bunch of characters that enter and exit the story from time to time. But I feel the protagonist is Lily Briscoe. Some may say Mrs. Ramsay, but I am saying Lily Briscoe because she is the one who pretty much is the passive one. She seems to be more reserved as she faces all of the issues that the family faces. I feel she is a dynamic character and a round character because she faces challenges and judgment throughout the story. But, what she also realizes is that she becomes observant of her surroundings and comes to realize that Mrs. Ramsay was the glue that kept that family intact.
3. After reading this book, I came away like I've met a person. An example would be:
1. "And this, Lily thought, taking the green paint on her brush, this making up scenes about them, is what we call 'knowing' people, 'thinking' of them, 'being fond' of them! Not a word of it was true; she had made it up; but it was what she knew them by all the same. She went on tunneling her way into her picture, in to the past." P .173

SUPER 5

I'm going local for my Super 5.

1. Rev. Dr. Mark Richardson
2. Rev. Dr. Brian T. Parcel
3. Mrs. Deanna Byrne
4. Jenny Greenelsh
5. Dr. David Preston

This is my rough draft.

My Team

Today, I met with Serena, Jenna, and Miranda to discuss about the positivity masterpiece. I introduced to them my idea and asked for their ideas. I'm still looking for people to be apart of this collaboration. I will be asking my club to be apart of the video too as we continue with our compassion projects. I cannot divulge any ideas that will be apart of the video. Sorry for the inconvenience.

LAUNCH

That was my rough draft of my launch/masterpiece.

Now, here is the real deal.

My plan for my masterpiece is to essentially capture different view points of helping others. I plan on capturing those moments featuring different people in my club/collaborative working group (Project Humanity) that was created by Danny Luu and myself and others that may be interested. (This opportunity is open to all who would like to show how powerful spreading good is. The very talented Miranda Nillo will be by my side with this video, so I am extremely excited to help put forth a great product!) My goal is to video record these moments. My organization is not all about community service, but it is more of helping those in need. Sometimes, we don't have to classify it as community service. We can classify it as compassion or our passion to help others. Others like me make it a habit to help others. It is apart of our daily routine and our personality. As I have discussed with my fellow peers/colleagues, I have found out that so many people have the passion for compassion. They simply want to spread good. And, I thought, it would be a good way to end our senior year with a visual memory of spreading good, through small things and big things. To anyone of my fellow colleagues at Ernest Righetti High School, I hope we can all collaborate to make a product that would last in our memories and make a big impact in those who are interested!

I, Jury

"Great job on emphasizing your points on Soma and the assembly line. These are two powerful symbols that have much purpose in the story. Great job."   http://dannytbuuluu.blogspot.com/

"Awesome thoughts Mia! Your main points were clear and connectable with the book and today's society. Also, your contextual evidence and real world examples help emphasize your points! Great job!" http://mlevyrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2014/02/brave-new-world-essay.html?showComment=1393308377279#c3331789740092621746

"Great job on using Lenina as a great example. Your main points and thoughts helped describe why Lenina was a great example and how characterization can be molded and can be defined by the setting/surroundings. Great job Becky!"  http://rebeccaaldrich.blogspot.com/2014/02/brave-new-essay.html?showComment=1393308793982#c5984826127135444462

"Awesome job Amara! I like the fact that you emphasized on the surroundings, but also on the cultural and psychological surroundings that can mold a person because that's what they face in their inner self. Great job!" http://amarasharpaplit.blogspot.com/2014/02/brave-new-essay.html

"Great job Sarah! You using contextual evidence made your main points even stronger! It was great choice that you described the society of the World State via Bernard and through the way people see Bernard!" http://snstevensenglitcomp13.blogspot.com/2014/02/brave-new-world-essay.html


Now the summary:

What I found was that each essay that I've read illustrated strong points, whether it was about the symbolism and the characterization. All authors that I've read wrote very strong essays that 1. Answered the prompt to the best of their ability and 2. Illustrated their insight with contextual evidence and strong view points.

What I need to include in my essays is probably more insight and more view points. I need to shape/mold my essay with better insight from the book and from connections to reality. What I should avoid is maybe summarizing.

BRAVE NEW ESSAY

Though I've read this book before, I am still analyzing the book as I read it for the second time. Therefore, my essay will be weak due to only being five chapters into the book. I will edit or post a better version in the future. I audited other blogs by looking through and choosing which blogs had the best topic for how far we are at in the book. I chose from my top 3 which were from Sam Wellard's blog, Amara Sharp's blog, and Danny Luu's blog. I thought Sam Wellard's topic was enough to write about, especially at this point of the book.

"Write an essay in which you convincingly argue that Brave New World describes what actually could happen, has happened, or is happening. Remember to link happenings in the modern world with specific events and ideas in the novel. Idea to consider: Is any of the fantasy in the novel now reality?"

http://swellardrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/

  The life, the technology, the attitudes, the personalities, the thinking process, etc all change in today's world and has always changed. In Brave New World, the story is like a prediction of what the world will be heading to, just like in other utopian novels. Life as we know it could be heading towards a mass production of people or also known as cloning. 

  Thinkers have been trying to clone creatures of this earth. People are not exactly sure of why cloning is a big thing. Maybe it is because of the saying that one wishes to have more of them in many different places. Maybe the fact that multi-tasking is not for everyone so having more of one person to do different tasks is deemed acceptable? Maybe also that having more of one personality is a socially acceptable thing? It is a quite confusing topic that occurs in real life and in the book. The book talks about people who are born/produced in within the different social classes. 

  Another example would be that the idea of society affecting how one becomes is real. It is evident in the book and in real life. In the book, the characters are from different social classes and were bred from different groups/social classes. Their society dictates how they act, talk, listen, think, etc. It is the same as the real world. Many people are influenced by today's society that they aim to become the ideal person based on today's society. This specific fantasy from the novel is now reality.

  Though the topics of cloning and society affecting personality have been mentioned, there may be more topics to discuss about as the book is read more and analyzed more.

Brave New Essay Topic

"It seems undeniable that most World State members are happy, but at what cost? Some, like John, Bernard, and Helmholtz criticize the quality of life in the World State.  Consider the results of stability being privileged over freedom, and decide what, if anything, is wrong with the World State’s society."

http://hs.auburn.cnyric.org/teachers/Michael_Sullivan/AP/Brave%20New%20World

I think we could take a deeper look at their meaning of happiness, and base our answer from there. What the audience sees is a controlled life, but in the book, that's how life really is. We could also take a look at how structured their life is, and how free will does not exist in the World State. We could also connect the World State's society with real life and how our society has some influence on how we live our life.

BOB I

Written on paper due to confidentiality.

I AM HERE

I feel my progress in this course during the first grading period has improved. It seems that I am less stressed as I was back in the fall semester. Now that I have a whole semester under my belt, I am able to take this last semester of high school with more confidence and motivation. I have begun working on my senior project. I spoke with Dr. Preston about my organization/collaborative working group with Danny Luu and many other fellow students, and he has told me to document this experience and connect this experience with this course as apart of my masterpiece. At the moment, the organization is hosting more fundraisers to raise our goal for our Relay for Life fund. Towards the end of April, we will be participating in a community-wide event to assist those in need with home projects such as painting, building, repairing, cleaning, gardening, etc. Everything is going as planned as of right now.

Welcome to the Interdisciplinarity

So, I'm extremely passionate about helping others. It may seem vague, so please bear with me. I think the reason why I am passionate about helping others is because I was exposed to community service when I was a young sixth grader heading to junior high. My passion influenced me to collaborate with my friends to create a club/organization, here at Righetti, that would allow a student body to help those in the community. This organization is called Project Humanity. But, Project Humanity isn't my only way of assisting the community. I am apart of a church who also influenced me to be someone who wants to help the community. My table discussion revealed that there are already careers that do do these type of activities. It could be in the medical field as a nurse, doctor, psychologist, etc. It could also be in the education field since I like working with kids. I would need to be patient, collaborate with others more, be open-minded, and just overall always have a good attitude about everything. Classes that would help me improve this passion would be psychology and humanitarian classes. But I have to think more about that one.

Lit Terms #6

simile-a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared

soliloquy-an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present (often used as a device in drama to disclose a character's innermost thoughts)

spiritual-of, pertaining to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal

speaker-a person who speaks formally before an audience; lecturer; orator.

stereotype-a set form; convention

stream of consciousness-thought regarded as a succession of ideas and images constantly moving forward in time

structure-the relationship or organization of the component parts of a work of art or literature

style-a particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode of action or manner of acting

subordination-the act of placing in a lower rank or position

surrealism-a style of art and literature developed principally in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc.

suspension of disbelief-a willingness to suspend one's critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment

symbol-a letter, figure, or other character or mark or a combination of letters or the like used to designate something

synesthesia-a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.

synecdoche-a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special

syntax-the study of the rules for the formation of grammatical sentences in a language

theme-a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art

thesis-a proposition stated or put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections

tone-a particular quality, way of sounding, modulation, or intonation of the voice as expressive of some meaning, feeling, spirit, etc

tongue in cheek-to talk, especially idly or foolishly; chatter; prate

tragedy-a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction.

understatement-the act or an instance of understating, or representing in a weak or restrained way that is not borne out by the facts

vernacular-expressed or written in the native language of a place, as literary work

voice-the faculty or power of uttering sounds through the mouth by the controlled expulsion of air; speech

zeitgeist-the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time

Definitions provided by dictionary.com

My Detailed Resource for my Launch/Masterpiece

Honestly, this is an extremely detailed way of saying how helping others not only makes other lives better, but it also makes our lives better as well!

http://www.helpguide.org/life/volunteer_opportunities_benefits_volunteering.htm

My 6 Questions

Sorry, I posted this so late. This is a rough draft.

HAFTA/WANNA

One thing that is similar between life during high school and life after high school is our person. But, the one difference between life during high school and life after high school is the person who we are, the person who we evolve to become. The significant difference is that we may be the same person, physically, but internally, we are uniquely different. Our experiences during and after high school change and shape who we are. People will take their current habits of mind/word/deed into their next set of daily activities because that is the one way they know how to accomplish their daily activities, that's the one way that they can function well. You can balance the things you want to do and the things you have to do by knowing which is more important, and by knowing the incentive or the consequence of the activity that you take care of first. My expectations of myself is to always make sure to help people and to help myself. I want to make sure that what I'm doing is morally right for myself and for others. I just expect the world around me to be considerate that I cannot do everything for everybody, but I can do the best I can. I am just a human, and I will not be able to do everything all at once.

The Nose by Gogol

1. What does Ivan Yakovlevich do for a living?

2. What does Ivan find in a loaf of bread?

3. How does his wife respond to Ivan's discovery?

4. What does Ivan set out to accomplish?

5. When Ivan tosses the "package" in the river, for a brief moment he is happy; then he is arrested. What does this scene suggest about the role of happiness in Ivan's life/community/society?

6. Where does the title object belong, and how does it finally get there?



1. Ivan Yakovlevich is a barber.

2. Ivan finds a nose in his loaf of bread.

3. His wife doesn't find out because Yakovlevich tries to get rid of it as soon as he can.

4. Ivan sets out to throw away the nose of his regular customer in the river.

5. This scene suggests that the period of happiness is short lived.

6. The title object belongs on its owner's face ( Major Kovalyov). It finally gets there when he asks for a "curse" to be removed from him, and when Kovalyov wakes up sometime later, his noce is back on his face.

Literary Terms List 5

parallelism-agreement in direction, tendency, or character; the state or condition of being parallel

parody-a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing

pathos-the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion.

pedantry-the character, qualities, practices, etc., of a pedant, especially undue display of learning.

personification-the attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.

plot-the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story

poignant-affecting or moving the emotions

point of view- specified or stated manner of consideration or appraisal; standpoint

postmodernism-any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism, especially a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity.

prose-the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse

protagonist-the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work

pun-the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words.

purpose-the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc

realism-interest in or concern for the actual or real, as distinguished from the abstract, speculative, etc

refrain-to abstain from an impulse to say or do something

requiem-any musical service, hymn, or dirge for the repose of the dead

resolution-a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group

restatement-to state again or in a new way

rhetoric-the art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse, including the figures of speech.

rhetorical question-a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to elicit a reply

rising action-a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest.

romanticism-the Romantic style or movement in literature and art, or adherence to its principles

satire-the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc

scansion-the metrical analysis of verse. The usual marks for scansion are ˘ for a short or unaccented syllable, ¯ or · for a long or accented syllable, ^ for a rest, | for a foot division, and ‖ for a caesura or pause.

setting-the locale or period in which the action of a novel, play, film, etc., takes place

Definitions provided by dictionary.com. Thank  you!

THE TIME OF MY LIFE

I apologize for posting this so late, but here it is.

I was in a group of five people. ( Mia, Miranda, Eli, Danny, and myself)

On Friday, we discussed and shared notes from our books and the lectures. We also discussed about note taking strategies and any questions/misunderstandings we may have such as definitions of literary techniques that may apply to the plot/style and any connections that connect with modern age literature. We also discussed questions about doubleness of character, Charles Dickens' conflict with social class, and anything else that came up in our conversations. We also discussed of different books that we could read for our upcoming literature analyses and different books, in general, to read for fun. Overall, it was a quite successful day as we were able to have good, successful conversations to clarify anything that we needed and also have fun during the time in class to collaborate with others for either more information or for clarification of different techniques.