Blog #15 -- Final Three-Paragraph Reflection

During the first semester of AP Literature and Composition, a lot of focus was drawn to practicing how to find the complexity. First, we started the year with diagnostic essays through which we saw our starting position and set goals for what we need to improve on throughout the year. Next, we worked on the Open prompt and used our summer reading books to answer them. The next unit was the Poetry unit, during which we discussed the several different forms of poetry and poetic techniques, but more importantly, we got a better understanding of how to find the complexity in literature. In order to practice finding the complexity,we annotated, created tone shift charts, and formed thesis statements.

For me, the most significant part of this semester was learning and understanding some of the complexity in literature. In past English classes, everything seemed a lot more black and white. I like how this class has opened my eyes to different meanings and arguments a person can assert in a poetry passage or excerpt. The Open Question Unit opened my eyes to the meaning of literature in terms of books. I gained insight into how certain scenes and descriptions led themselves to the complexity of the work as a whole. I believe this was crucial in understanding the complexity because it taught us how to break up a large work into the pieces that add to its complexity. The Poetry Unit, on the other hand, taught me how to focus more on the small details of the writing. With the poetry unit, I learned how to pay close attention to diction, syntax, imagery, as well as various poetic techniques. Along with the learning a lot about literature, I have also learned a lot about working with others. The way the group dynamic works in this class is particularly interesting because not only are we creating presentations by sharing ideas, but we are also learning about different perspectives and finding different nuances to the piece. While there were some difficulties with working in groups, I believe that I have learned a lot from having open discussions and continuously bouncing ideas off of each other.

I can confidently say that I have learned a lot about analyzing literature throughout this semester. When reading Their Eyes Were Watching God I realized that I have changed the way I read literature. The same details that we looked for in poetry were now more noticeable. In the beginning of the year, I was very nervous after writing the benchmark essays because I didn't understand what the prompt meant when it asked us to find the complexity or analyze the speaker's voice. I also felt as though I didn't have the tools or knowledge to write a proper thesis statement that addressed the prompt without merely restating it. While I still need to practice more before I feel completely confident in my ability to effortlessly identify the complexity and form a coherent thesis statement, the practice we have done in class has made me more confident that I have the tools I need. For next semester, I would like to work on making the process of analyzing and understanding the literature quicker so that I can spend more time writing. I would also like to continue using and practicing the terminology for poetic techniques and rhetorical devices so that I can more accurately analyze the literature.

Blog #14 -- Paired Poetry Presentation

Blog #13 -- Paired Poem Essay

Prompt: “To Sir John Lade, on His Coming of Age” (Samuel Johnson) and “When I Was One-and-Twenty” (A. E. Housman) Prompt: Each of the two poems below is concerned with a young man at the age of twenty-one, traditionally the age of adulthood. Read the two poems carefully. Then write a well-organized essay in which you compare and contrast the poems, analyzing the poetic techniques, such as point of view and tone, that each writer uses to make his point about coming of age. 

In Samuel Johnson's "To Sir John Lade, on His Coming of Age", and  A. E. Housman's "When I Was One-and-Twenty", both authors sarcastically address the misconceptions of the transition to adulthood. Johnson addresses the perils of superfluous spending associated with coming of age whereas Housman mockingly discusses the misleading notion of maturation within a year. With different focuses on sound, variations in tone shifts, and differing structures, the poems separately highlight the immaturity of supposedly mature individuals.

The two poems use different rhyme schemes and meters to create the tone shifts. The first difference is in the rhyme scheme. Johnson used an ABAB pattern. This rhyme scheme, because of it simplicity, creates irony with the much deeper meaning of the poem. It is emphasizes the contrast between the simple surface features of maturation and the much more complex difficulties that are overlooked. The biggest difference in sound comes in the last stanza where there is a slant rhyme. The slant rhyme draws attention to the last stanza where the speaker's true meaning lies. There is also an example of enjambment in this poem which also occurs in the last stanza. With this defining feature, not only is there more attention drawn to the last stanza but it shows the unpredictable nature of the poem, paralleling the unpredictable nature of "coming of age".

On the other hand, the Housman's poem uses quatrains in an ABCB rhyme scheme. This rhyme is similar to Johnson's rhyme scheme in that it is simple but captures the underlying meaning. The use of sentences in the Housman's poem draws attention to the tone shifts. With the use of complete sentences, Housman splits each octave into the advice and the reaction of the speaker. The first sentence lasts six lines which discusses the advice. The second sentence of each octave is short and lasts one two lines. This draws attention to the contrast of the first reaction to the second reaction which is where the sarcasm of the piece lies. The meter which alnternates between 8 and 7 syllables creates an upbeat sound to the poem. While the poem is very dark and sarcastic, the beat of the poem tries to mask that. However, with the unpredictable nature of the syllables, the meter exemplifies the unpredictable nature of maturation.

Both poems emphasize their tone shifts in different ways, ultimately catering to the message of the speaker. The first poem has a tone shift after every stanza which shows how maturation will consistently result in superfluous spending. The biggest shift occurs in the last stanza which highlights the message: certain precautions need to be taken when becoming an adult.

On the other hand, the second poem has uneven tone shifts. This adds to the irony of the poem which mocks the idea that maturation can occur at a certain age or over a year. With the last two sentences of each octave discussing the speaker's reaction to the wise man's advice, the Housman mocks the ability of an individual to realize their mistakes so quickly. This is also emphasized through the structure of the second poem. Because the poem is broken into two stanzas, their is attention drawn to before maturation and after maturation. This adds to the mocking and remorseful tone of the speaker.

Blog #12 -- AP Comparison/Contrast Benchmark Essay

Essay:
In 1789 and 1794, William Blake responded to the condition of chimney sweeps with two poems called "The Chimney Sweeper". The two poems show the duty of chimney sweeping as a karmic response to certain actions. With the use of rhyming schemes, dialogue, and vivid imagery, Blake is able to create two different reasons for children sweeping chimneys.

In the 1789 version of "The Chimney Sweeper", Blake uses the rhyming scheme AABB whereas in the 1794 version, he uses AABB during the first stanza and ABAB for the next two stanzas. The AABB stanza is most commonly associated with basic rhymes and children's rhymes. By included this rhyming scheme, he creates builds the speaker's voice which is that of a child. The 1794 version of the poem also starts with the same rhyming scheme. However, there is a shift created after the first stanza when the the rhyming scheme changes to an alternate rhyme. This draws focus to the last two stanzas with the maturity of the child. By using the alternate rhyming scheme the author introduces slight complexity in the form. This allows the voice of the child to still be seen through the structure of the essay but allows the depth of the poem to show as well.

Both poems use some version of dialogue. In the 1789 version, the poem uses dialogue to show communication between two different kids. The poem also shows dialogue to build the voice and tone of the speaker. "'weep, 'weep," to show how the young the children were when they were burdened with the task of sweeping chimneys. This also shows that the speakers in both of the poems are similar. However, in the 1789 poem there is also additional dialogue between characters introduced in the poem. The speaker has a conversation with Tom who is another sweeper. The dialogue leads into the narration of a story about Tom's dream in which he was approached by an angel and told that "if he'd be a good boy, he'd have a God for his father and never want joy." The dialogue is significant in introducing the main story behind the poem. The dialogue in the 1794 poem uses dialogue in two different ways. In the first stanza, the dialogue is used to show one person asking the speaker where his parents are. While this is similar to the use of dialogue in the other version of the poem, the purpose of the dialogue changes as the speaker frames the answer which parallels the rhyming scheme change in the . the dialogue in the next two stanzas shows more self-reflection as the speaker discusses that his parents had gone to "praise God & his Priest & King, who make up a heaven of our misery."

The imagery used in each poem, along with the diction, helps set the two poems apart in discussing sweeping the chimney. The imagery in the first version discusses the dream that Tom has. The imagery focuses on the "coffins of black" and its contrast to the "leaping, laughing they run". This contrasts in images ultimately leads to the reason for why Tom will be a "good boy" and sweep the chimneys. In contrast, the second version of the poem focuses on the contrast between the "happy upon the heath" and the "clothes of death". The imagery of the second poem creates the contrast that shows how the clothes of death is masked by the "happy & dance & sing" he shows.

Ultimately with the use of similar devices, Blake draws parallels between the stories of the kids who sweep the chimneys. However, because of the difference in the rhyming scheme, the usage of dialogue, and the way the imagery is portrayed, the poems have different complexities. The first poem focuses on Tom's dream and how the "Angel" in his dream told him that if he is a good boy, then good things will happen. In the second poem, Blake uses creates the idea that the "notes of woe" have caused him injury even though he acts happy. The first essay discusses the why children should sweep chimneys and the second focuses on how the chimney sweeping should not result in his parents praising God.


Reflective Writing:
We were asked to write an essay that compared/contrasted two poems called "The Chimney Sweeper" written by William Blake in 1789 and 1794. In the essay prompt, we were asked to discuss the poems using poetic devices.

For me, the most significant issue was that I was not comfortable with the finding the poetic devices of the poem quickly. It also took me a significant amount of time to find the complexity within the poems but I was very unsure of how to tie in the complexity with the poetic devices that I did use. The reason for my hesitation was probably that I wasn't comfortable with the poems or the poetic devices. It was also slightly difficult to write a comparison/contrast essay for two poems written by the same person that have the same title.

I would give myself a 4 or 5 on this essay because I think my analysis was not as in depth as I would have liked it to be and I don't think I found the complexity as much as I would have liked. Having written this essay, I feel like I know the general direction in which to look when writing a comparison/contrast essay. I have learned that when writing this essay, it is very important to have a clear understanding of how exactly the devices used in the poems relate to complexity of the poem itself. I believe that I still need to expand my knowledge of the poetic devices and their possible contributions to the complexity of the poem. This understanding would be crucial to me being able to write an essay that discusses the complexity of the poem in under forty minutes. As the next step, I will need to study the poetic devices, how they can add to the complexity of the poem, and how they might be used differently in two poems.


Revised Essay:
In 1789 and 1794, William Blake responded to the condition of chimney sweeps with two poems called "The Chimney Sweeper". The two poems discuss the cruel system that forces children to suffer by sweeping chimneys. With the use of rhyming, diction, and point of view, Blake is able to create two different reasons for children sweeping chimneys.

In the 1789 version of "The Chimney Sweeper", Blake uses the rhyming scheme AABB whereas in the 1794 version, he uses AABB during the first stanza and ABAB for the next two stanzas. The AABB stanza is most commonly associated with basic rhymes and children's rhymes. By included this rhyming scheme, he builds the speaker's voice which is that of a child. The 1794 version of the poem also starts with the same rhyming scheme. However, there is a shift created after the first stanza when the the rhyming scheme changes to an alternate rhyme. This draws focus to the last two stanzas with the maturity of the child as well as make the distinction between the adult's observations in the first stanza to the response of the child in the last two stanzas. By using the AABB rhyming scheme in the first stanza, Blake equates the adults view of chimney sweepers as innocent just as the child in the first poem was. By using the alternate rhyming scheme in the last stanzas, the author introduces slight complexity in the form. This allows the voice of the child to still be seen through the structure of the essay but allows the depth of the poem to show as well.

Both poems utilize diction to show the age of the child as well as to show the complexity within poem. Both the 1789 and the 1794 poems have the line, "'weep, 'weep," to show how the young the children were when they were burdened with the task of sweeping chimneys. By using colloquial diction, Blake shows how young and uneducated the children were, which is also mentioned in the footnotes.  In the 1789 version of the poem, the diction creates a very optimistic tone. First, the boys in the first poem are referred to by name. This allows them to be seen as people with emotions. The emotions of the speaker in the poem can be seen by the diction as it morphs when discussing one idea. For example, when discussing Tom's "white hair", which would normally be seen as very negative, the speaker is optimistic as sends "never mind it" because the soot will no longer spoil his hair when he shaves it. This is also seen when discussing the "coffins of black" which were merely skimmed over by the speaker in order to discuss the "Angel" with the "bright key". The 1794 poem also has similar diction but with the use of the diction creates a cynical, critical tone. First, instead of referring to the children by their names, the speaker refers to the child as "A little black thing among the snow". This sets the stage for little emotional connection as the speaker does not see the child as a child. The next three lines of the first stanza are similar to the 1789 poem in that it discusses the praise of God because the parents have "gone up to the church to pray." However, in this next two stanzas the diction and syntax creates a cynical tone of the social system. While in the first poem the negatives were turned into positives, in the second poem, what seems to be positive is only filled with negative. The child describes how he "smil'd among the winter's snow" but then describes being "clothed in the clothes of death". He discusses how he may seem "happy" but then relays how he ha faces "injury". The last line relays this the most where he ends by comparing this so called "heaven" to "misery". Ultimately, the diction in the two poems are used differently so that the first poem has an optimistic tone while the second a rather cynical one.

The point of view of the speaker in each poem sets the stage for the different opinions of chimney sweeping. In the first poem, the speaker is an innocent child who is very optimistic of the world around him. He tries to see the positives in everything. For example, as described above, he comforts his friend who is sad because he had to shave his head by saying that the soot will no longer build up in it. He sees the opportunity Angel gave as a blessing even though the life on earth is so miserable. The innocence of the child is also seen by how little importance is give to the "coffins of black" of all the other kids he knew. In a way, the child's ignorance is his bliss. In contrast, the speaker of the second poem is an adult who sees a kid sweeping. The adult asks the child where his parents are and is given a response which takes up the rest of the stanzas. The child's response serves to educate the adult on his unfortunate situation. The child seems more mature than the speaker himself which shows how the harms of the society they are living in. In a normal society, the child is the innocent one and the adult should be the mature, weathered one. However, because of the chimney sweeping, the child is seen as mature and aged by life's struggles. This point of view contrasts the innocent, optimistic view of the first poem with a critical, cynical view of the world.

Ultimately with the use of similar devices, Blake draws parallels between the stories of the kids who sweep the chimneys. However, because of the difference in the rhyming scheme, use of diction to build tone, and the point of view, the poems have different complexities.  The first poem shows the sad life of the children by showing a child so ignorant of his terrible condition that he is optimistic for the life ahead of him. The second poem shows the effect chimney sweeping has on the child because it has given him more hardship than the adult speaker or his parents can handle. Ultimately, similar points are coming across about the negative effects of children sweeping chimneys.

Blog #11 -- Myth Presentations

Blog #10 -- Fairy Tale Presentation

Blog #9 -- Poetry Presentation

Reflection:
The project asked us to use a music video to depict the form of a poem. The form that our group was assigned was the sestina and the specific poem was "Sestina: Altaforte" by Ezra Pound. We had to analyze the form of the poem, where the tone shifts occurred, what style model would best fit this poem, and execute a music video that encompassed the natural tone shifts of the form.


I learned the most when analyzing the poem itself and how the author used the different tone shifts to relay a certain message. The most significant and difficult part of the task was trying to put literary devices used in the poem into a visual music video. Initially, I group was mesmerized by the poem and got sidetracked into the poem itself rather than the form as a whole. In the beginning, I underestimated the complexity of the poem and did not realize how significant the sestina form was to portraying the the theme of the poem.

Having done this project, I am more aware of how the structure affects literature. I have also learned that the rules of the poem form should not be seen as limiting but rather as another way to add nuances to the meaning of the poem.I believe that my skills in analyzing the effect of the form on a poem has increased because I am more aware of the subtleties. Personally, the most difficult part of this task was being able to work in the group with a variety of schedules and a variety of opinions. I believe the knowledge of the poem form will be useful in analyzing any text because, while it may not have the same form, every piece of literature has purposeful choices in the structure that affect the complexity and the meaning of the work as a whole. I think working in this group taught me a lot about how to work in a group project and how to split up the work and ask for help when help is needed. In the future, I hope to use this experience to help me with how I approach any piece of literature as well as how I approach any given task. I would like to change the way our group approaches the task so that we follow the timeline more strictly and divide the project into individual tasks.

Blog #8 -- Group Identity Presentation

Blog #7 -- Creative Project

Blog #6 -- Compare and Contrast Essay

Blog #5 -- Pan's Labyrinth Chart

Blog #4 -- Open Question

Essay:

In A Tale for the time Being, Ruth Ozeki uses the concept of cruelty to grow her character (Nao) and allow her to relate to her suicidal dad and her kamikaze pilot great-uncle. The book uses introspection to heal what the cruelty caused.

Nao is a sixteen year-old teenager who moved to Japan from California. Because she was new and was not in shape, she was constantly bullied (hijime) by her classmates who would pole her with scissors, pinch her, and kick her on the ground. She became suicidal, much like her dad-- except she hid it. She did not tell anyone until she met her 104 year-old great-grandmother who was a nun in the mountains. The book was supposed to be about her accomplished grandmother until it morphed into the uniting of three stories all with the hijime in common.

Haruki #1 was a kamikaze pilot, He was bullied by his superiors because he was a literature enthusiast, not a suicidal fighter. By reading his letters, Nao finds a new appreciation for bravery. Her resentment and hatred to the classmates who bullied her died down and soon she became indifferent to their cruel comments. This currently experienced by her great-uncle made her control her emotions and ignore the tormenting.

But even with her experience in the mountains with Jijo and the new coping methods she got from Haruki 31, she was never able to understand or forgive her suicidal dad, Haruki #2. She thought of him as a cowardly pathetic man who forced her to move from her paradise. She was being cruel through judgement without realizing the cruel politics he faced. The military refused to use his kill-prevention weapons that would not kill innocent civilians. He was bullied out of his high-paying job in California ans was forced to move to Japan with no job and no money. From this experience, Nao realizes what it takes to be a good honest, and responsible person.

The cruelty in this book was the basis for the lessons Nao learns. As a suicidal teenager, she wrote in her diary with the sole intention of giving her grandmother the recognition she deserved. However, in this book she learns how to be brace, honorable, and ultimately, a good human being. She used the cruel experiences he family members have survived and applied it to her own life. Each generation gave her something new to learn: Jijo gave her the meditation and introspection needed to acknowledge the cruelty, Haruki #1 gave her the courage to keep her head high when confronted with cruelty, and Haruki #2 taught her how to stay a morally just human being even when faced by cruel people. Thus, cruelty, the basis of the book reveals Nao's growth to where she is no longer suicidal and uses the cruelty she faced to propel her into a better future.

Reflection:

Looking back at my essay, I would give myself a 3. My essay was definitely in the lower range of essays because the majority of it was plot summary. Rather than analyzing the cruelty and what it revealed about the perpetrator/victim, I talked about how the cruelty took place in the book. The only part of the essay that actually had a minimal amount of analysis was the conclusion paragraph but it was also very superficial.I think my essay could not be considered a 4 because there is not even an adequate amount of analysis. While writing the essay, I was a little wary about choosing the book I did because it is not a classic. Because of this, I felt like I had to give more background (which ended up becoming the entire essay). To improve, I would get more familiar with the classics that we have worked with over the years so that I can focus more on the analysis than worry about whether or not the reader will understand what I am talking about. I would also like to plan my essay a little better in the future so that I don't run into the same problem again.

Peer Edits:
http://jewettmorganapenglish2016.blogspot.com/
Hey Morgan!
Overall, I don't think your essay was too bad. I definitely relate with you on not being able to remember much about the literature that we have read in the past. I also had the same problem in spending too much time summarizing the plot for the reader. I think for your essay the specifics, as you mentioned, were a little iffy because you didn't have the author and a couple of the characters' names. But, I did find a couple points you made fairly interesting. I specifically found the way you tied cruelty to mistrust very interesting. I think that could have been a very complex and powerful point if you expanded and analyzed the idea a little bit more. I would give you a score within the 3 or 4 range because I think you definitely had some interesting ideas but the analysis was superficial. I am sure we will have a better grasp of the past literature as we start practicing a little more :) Good job!

Essay Revision:
Act I: Nao suffers hijime (bullying). ---Ordinary World
Act II: Ancestors enlighten Nao. ---Ordeal
Act III: Nao transcends bullying. ---Return with the Elixir

In A Tale for the time Being, Ruth Ozeki uses the concept of cruelty to discuss the meaning of life and death through the experiences of a 16 year-old, her dad, and her great uncle. By drawing parallels to various family members, Ozeki explores the timelessness of cruelty and the contemplation of life.

Nao is a sixteen year-old teenager who moved to Japan from California and was constantly bullied (hijime) by her classmates who would poke her with scissors, pinch her, and kick her on the ground. Much like her dad (Haruki #2), Nao became suicidal and was called to a different world by her great-grandmother-- a world in which she will learn how death can make life feel more real.

Haruki #1 was a kamikaze pilot who was bullied by his superiors because he did not want to be a suicidal fighter. By reading his letters, Nao learns about the noble suicide that is present in her culture. Suicide changes from a pathetic escape to an honorable task. By reading through the experiences of Haruki #1, Nao discovers the bravery that comes with introspection. Using this, Ozeki creates a complex thought in which suicide is cowardly because it is an escape from intolerable pain and cruelty but also requires a great amount of strength. The call to action to create this complexity is the cruelty that every character faces. The cruelty pushes each character to introspection and the immensely complex contemplation of the meaning of life.

While she was much more respectful of the cruelty her ancestors faced, Nao has difficulty accepting that her dad, someone so close to her, is not a pathetic loser who was laid off but rather faced his own cruelty. Haruki #2 was a noble man who lost his job because he did not want to design weapons that kill innocent people. His story brings a new meaning to the noble death within the Japanese culture. He decides to fight each urge to commit suicide for the sake of his daughter. By including this story, Ozeki creates a conflict between the bravery in dying a noble person and the bravery in fighting each day to stay a noble person.

 As a suicidal teenager, Nao wrote in her diary with the sole intention of giving her great-grandmother some recognition for her wisdom. However, she learns that in the Japanese culture, suicide can be noble but staying alive and making the difficult but correct choices is more brave. She used the cruel experiences her family members have survived and applied it to her own life. Each generation added a different level of complexity to her viewpoint on the reason for living. After experiencing her own cruelty, she is filled with anger and is depressed. She meets Jiko and learns about the importance of introspection and learns to take the cruelty and analyze what it means. She then learns about noble death from her great uncle who even when dying nobly still made the right but difficult decision. Lastly, she realizes the immense strength her dad has to brave everyday for a noble reason. Ultimately, the cruelty sparks a flame in Nao that allows her to transcend the bullying and teaches her to not feel life most when committing suicide but rather to embrace life by fighting for it everyday.

Reflection:
I think the archetypal hero's journey helped me look at my book a little deeper than I had before. When rewriting many parts of my essay I tried to focus it more on what was happening to Nao and her thought process rather than what was happening in the book itself. I still had some difficulty in formulating my thoughts properly and hitting the complexity properly. I also had so much that I wanted to say about the complexity but not all of it fit with the idea of cruelty. I think I need to practice using the 3*3 because that was a nice way to try to capture the complexity with simplicity. Overall, I think the Hero's journey did help because it gave me a new way to phrase and articulate what I am trying to say. In a way it is a little difficult because the book I chose did not fit perfectly with the Hero's journey which made it a little confusing at first. Looking back at my old essay to my newer essay, I think there was improvement in addressing the complexity but I need to figure out a way to articulate my thoughts better because there is more complexity than I was able to discuss in this essay.

Blog #3 -- Prose Essay

Essay:
Fight or flight? A question that only results in an answer when put to the test. In an excerpt from The Beet Queen, Louise Erdrich uses a variety of subtle images to illustrate the effect North Dakota had on two children.

Although close in age, Karl (14 years old) and Mary (11 years old) have very different outward appearances which ultimately show their inner thought processes. Karl is "hunched" over. This shows his lack of a strong, sturdy back bone. He is described as "sweet" and "girlish" indicating, by common perceptions of the time, that he was not set in his decisions and easily scared Mary on the other hand is a "square and practical" child. This characterization shows her as one to think logically and put her emotions aside. Thus, coming from the same place, to the same place, the both still have different reactions.

The North Dakota scenery was developed to show what Karl and Mary saw as they "stumbled" off the train from 1932 Kansas. The images described in this scene describes their mindset when looking forward and their difficulties from the past. The "bare horizon" of North Dakota is their blank canvas, their future that doesn't end in a castle but luckily doesn't end in a castle bu luckily doesn't end in a cliff either. More hope is shown by the "topsoil..newly tilled that it hand't all blown off yet." The topsoil represents their opportunities which could grow here rather than blown away by the Kansas wind.

Because of the different characters developed in the beginning, different reactions are noted throughout the exploration of North Dakota. After little success in finding the butcher shop, the environment has set up a test: how long will they last? Karl,the girly, lofty character sees hope at the first sight of something pleasant. He is enamored by the "film of blossoms" and cannot help but bury "his face in the white petals". The white of the petals is used to symbolize the home he has. The tone of this paragraph is hopeful and joyous. Because of the harsh experience and lack of hope upon arrival, Karl views the first sign as the most precious and valuable sign.

For Mary however, the adversity that Karl saw in the "weather gray" houses and :dogs tied to their porch[es]" had little effect on her. Hence, when she saw the little hope of the "white blossoms", they were insignificant compared to her goal: finding the butcher shop which would soon be her home.

With two varying viewpoints that got off the freight train from Kansas, it only makes sense that the same environment would have two effects: fight and flight. After grasping the little hope from the blossoms, Karl was betrayed by the environment-- by the dog who ran after him, by the tree that would no longer grow, and by the petals that fluttered to the ground after facing the dog. This environment crushed his hope so when told to run, backwards was the only option. Mary, on the other hand, was not made vulnerable by the slightest hope. She saw her future in the home of their Aunt Fritzie. Thus, when told to run, the only practical answer was to run to the awaiting (hopefully) hope. She chose to fight through in hope of a better future whereas he flew away from the cruel and vicious experience.


Reflection:
After reading this prompt, I was a little overwhelmed by the passage. I didn't know exactly how to get the information I needed to talk about how the environment has impacted the two children. Looking back at my essay, I think my analysis was not as superficial as my poetry essay but I still think it is not good enough to be considered "sophisticated analysis". My thesis statement is basically a restatement of the prompt and does not expand on the idea very much. I don't think I referred directly to the literary devices as much as I should have. Looking back, I think I should have discussed the tone shift a lot more directly and used quotes when referring to the white blossoms. In this essay I paraphrased more than I used short quotes. For these reasons, I would give myself a 4 out of 9. For the future, I would like to more directly refer to the literary devices as well as you better quotes more consistently throughout the essay.

Peer Edits:
http://zhangselinaapenglish2016.blogspot.com/
Hey Selina!
I want to start off by saying that I really liked some of the words that you chose to use. It definitely helped build the sophisticated writing aspect. One small thing that I wanted to point out was that you had some abrupt paragraphing that I think could have been condensed together a little bit more to help with the flow of the essay. Overall, I think your analysis was headed in the right direction but would agree with you in that it was superficial. I could see you getting a higher score if you expanded on your analysis with a couple sentences that uses the passage given. I would score you in the 4 or 5 range because the analysis was superficial but there was still some interesting thoughts in your essay. That was a very good essay for a prompt that was rather difficult to understand!

Blog #2 -- Poetry Essay

Essay:
In the poem For that He Looked Not upon Her, George Gascoigne depicts the reasoning behind a man turning down his head for the "blazing eyes" of a woman. He uses a complex attitude, developed by descriptive diction and purposeful form, in order to accurately portray his reasoning.

Gascoigne uses descriptive words that allow the reader to visualize the action. He "holds [his] louring head so low" depicts the way his head hung. By choosing the word "louring" Gascoigne was creating an attitude for the narrator that also reflected on his setting: sixteenth-century England. When he describes the mouse as feeding in "doubt and deep deceit" the word choice is very strong and is emphasized by the fact that it is in alliteration. By including this device he draws attention to that phrase that carries a lot of weight and emphasis on the fact that the mouse is terrorized by the food that betrayed it. By using certain diction and purposeful devices, Gascoigne draws more attention to the examples that he chose.

In the short poem, Gascoigne chose two examples to depict the reason he refrained from looking at a woman. By choosing a mouse who is wary of eating for fear of being trapped again, he draws parallels to his situation by saying that he has been trapped before and is wary of being trapped again. He also equates his wariness of looking into the eyes of the woman as the same as the mouse's wariness of eating-- indicating that he almost sees looking into the woman's eyes as a need. This develops the complex attitude of the narrator by showing multiple aspects to a situation: the desire to get something as well as the wariness of receiving it for fear of getting hurt,

Gascoigne aslo refer to a fly that has been scorched by the flame. By using this example Gasoigne once again draw parallels from fly's situation to his situation by comparing them. Flies travel toward light as a natural instinct as he depicts in the phrase "Which follows fancy dazzled by desire". By including the fly in his poem, Gascoigne believes that he is unable to help his desire to look into the woman's eyes because it is simply a natural instinct. This concept builds on the attitude by emphasizing that he would like to keep his head up but does not want to get hurt again.

The form used in the poem helps to create emphasis on certain points. In the first 12 lines of the poem, Gascoigne creates 3 sets of 4 lines by rhyming alternating lines in the set. This helps create a boundary between 1) his situation, 2) the mouse's situation, and 3) the fly's situation. However, the poem has 14 total lines. The last two lines are indented and rhyme (versus the alternating rhyme seen before). This draws emphasis on the last two lines. Gascoigne uses the last two lines to wrap up the poem by stating his reasoning behind his "louring head". The last two line develop the complex attitude by boldly stating his reasoning of looking down as "your blazing eyes my bale have bred" which both addresses the woman directly as well as directly states that it is because he was in misery. This ultimately adds to the attitude developed by having a bold exit to the poem.

Reflection:
We were tasked with typing a persuasive analysis essay on a poem written by George Gascoigne called "For That He Looked Not upon Her". This was a rather difficult task because other than the prompt, I had no direction of what I should have been writing and what the readers are looking for. For me, the poem was not as difficult to understand but it was harder to write about how the diction and form develops the complex attitude. I do not think my writing was an adequate essay because the analysis was fairly superficial. I did not look look as in depth in the form or diction as I should have. I think my analysis of how the complex attitude was developed by the techniques mentioned. After re-reading my essay, I noticed many errors in grammar, spelling, etc. Because of this, I would mot likely give myself a 4 out of 9 on this essay. In order to improve my writing I would like to learn more about the difference forms and techniques used in poetry so that I can more specifically analyze the form of writing. I also need to practice paying more attention to the detail of the poetry so that I can use that information to help me answer the prompt rather than writing a more superficial analysis. I also need to put more effort into making my analysis persuasive so that the reader can more clearly understand my thought process.

Peer Edits:
http://zhangselinaapenglish2016.blogspot.com/
Hey Selina!
I find your interpretation of the poem to be very interesting! I like the angle that you took in showing him as shamed based on the diction from the poem. I think your analysis was slightly superficial. I would wan't to know some other factors that led you to think that he was shamed and how that concept ties more directly into the two examples he has given. I really enjoyed the way you integrated your quotes into your analysis. That said, I think a couple of your quotes could have been shortened and still addressed the point that you were trying to make. 
Overall I think I would score your essay as either a 6 because you addressed the complex attitude and analyzed it in a way that made sense. Your analysis was a little superficial but the use of quotes helped make it a little more concrete. To improve, I would agree with your plan on more concise writing as well as add that you may want to go a little more in depth with your analysis. 
Good job!

http://jewettmorganapenglish2016.blogspot.com/
Hey Morgan!
You did a good job for the first essay of AP Lit! I really liked a couple things about your essay that I may try to include in mine. I enjoyed the way you talked about the context of the poem and how the speaker was catering to the audience. I think you did a great job of relating his diction to that entire idea. One way to improve that part of your essay would be to try and connect it more to the author's complex attitude. I also liked the way you analyzed specific lines (for imagery) rather than addressing everything as a whole. One way you can improve that part would be to address the fly and the mouse that were part of the poem. 
Overall I think I would give your essay a 5 or 6 because you did address the complex attitude with specific examples and did refer to the text during your analysis. To improve, I would work on making your thesis less formulaic and work on making your analysis more in depth.
Good Job!

Revised Draft:

In "For That He Looked Not upon Her", George Gascoigne reflects on the misery of love. Gascoigne's depiction of a narrator's misery when looking into the "blazing eyes" of a woman battles the inescapable love he feels for her. The imagery the speaker used when comparing the his situation to that of a mouse and fly as well as the way the form is taken advantage of to separate different thoughts displays Gascoigne complex attitude as he struggles between the beauty and misery of love.

Gascoigne separates the essay with various types of shifts in the tone and focus to add nuances to the complex attitude. In the first few lines, the speaker introduces the situation of man who holds his "louring head so low" which exemplifies his diction and imagery. His tone in this beginning section is dejected. He is slightly assertive when choosing the words "You must not wonder, though you think it strange". This makes the way he addresses his focus more direct. However, the dejected tone is more evident when he chooses the word "louring". He also shows this when he says that he does take delight in looking at the "gleams" on her face but must still be hung low. Essentially, in this first section Gascoigne introduces the dilemma of the speaker: he takes desire in looking at her face but also tells her that it should not be strange that he hangs his head low. This introduces the complex attitude in which the speaker has varying opinions to the same person.

The poem then shifts to the mouse and its situation in line 5. Gascoigne uses analogy to draw parallels between the mouse's situation and the speaker's situation ultimately saying that he cannot trust something that he has escaped from just like the mouse cannot trust the bait after it escaped the trap. Gascoigne uses very specific examples and diction to accurately create the image of the mouse and its "trustless bait". The words "trap" and "bait" provide physical descriptions to what he feels in his situation with the women. There is a slight shift of focus in the next two lines from the physical description of the difficulties the mouse faces to his wary and doubtful reaction. The alliteration draw emphasis to certain key phrases such as "doubt of deep deceit" to draw parallels between how the mouse felt after he was betrayed by the food it needs and desires and how the man felt betrayed by the woman he loves and desires. This concept adds to the complex attitude in which the speaker acknowledges that he is naturally attracted to a woman, just as a mouse is attracted to food, but feels betrayed by the need of it, just as the mouse could no longer eat without "doubt of deep deceit."

Gascoigne shifts the focus once more, this tie to the analogy of a fly scorched by the fire. By drawing parallels, the reader sees that the speaker associates himself with the fly and the woman he loves to the fire. This comparison, similar to that of the mouse, also adds to the complex attitude. A fly, by nature, is attracted to light; however, the scorched fly will become be less willing to give in to that natural reaction. Additionally, with the use of parallelism the speaker adds one more nuance to the complex attitude. He associates himself with the "scorched fly", an animal seen as a pest that feeds only on rotten food. Whereas the woman he loves is the flame that the fly yearns to play with, the more lively and beautiful of the two. By adding this nuance, the speaker is adding a lack of self esteem to the speaker's attitude in which he believes that he is beneath the woman he loves and desires. 

In the last major shift, Gascoigne refocuses the essay back onto the speaker. In lines 11-12, the tone shifts to a more assertive, cynical voice. This is built by the use of alliteration with harder sounds such as the "grievous... game" he describes which "follows fancy" and is "dazzled by desire". The cynical aspect is developed through the choice of words. By using generic and abstract concepts, Gascoigne displays the speaker as one who dismisses the entire concept of love as "grievous" and superficial. This develops the complex attitude because the speaker who felt the desire for a woman is now dismissing the entire notion of inevitable desire altogether.

The poem then resolves in the couplet of the sonnet. This resolution is most effective because the diction matches the choices and focus of the first four lines, giving the poem a neat wrap. Unlike the preceding two lines, lines 13-14 are submissive to the inevitable solution to his problem: he must "hold down his head" to the "blazing eyes [his] bale have bred." The blazing eyes once again refer to the parallels of the flame and the woman he loves as a superior being. Gascoigne also takes advantage of the alliteration to soften the consanants. This resulted in a tone that is more willing to accept his fate rather than fight it. This shift in tone from lines 11-12 to 13-14 adds another nuance to the attitude of the speaker. While he is assertive and against the "grievous game" he is also very submissive in lines 13-14. This shows that he feels anger toward the subject, a raw and instinctive emotion, but also feels that he only has one option, a more calculated solution to his dilemma. 

The complex attitude is developed through several nuances throughout the poem but boils down to the conflict between natural emotion and more calculated responses. Whether it is love and misery, hunger and wariness, attraction and caution, or anger and submission, the speaker struggles to decide but in the end chooses the calculated response to fall back on, which is why [she] must not "think it strange" that "[he holds his] louring head so low."

Reflection:
It was very interesting rewriting this essay. After talking through things with my group and working through the Tone Shift Chart, I would say that my understanding of the complex attitude was much better. I like the way the chart was set up because it not only focused on the bigger picture (which is what I was more concerned with when writing my original essay) but also incorporated the techniques and devices very well. I also enjoyed the new way of writing the thesis paragraph because I didn't have to waste time thinking about a clever way to start it. It was very straightforward and made sense. Overall, I think the process definitely helped me focus my attention on certain things when analyzing a poem. I am probably still nervous about actually writing the essay. Because it is an analysis essay I am more inclined to type as I speak which is in shorter more basic sentences without any creative aspects. I believe that this reflects in my writing which seems very dry and choppy because the writing is more bits of information strung together. To work on that, I would need to read more examples of how a high-scoring essay transitions from one idea to another.

Blog #1 -- Multiple Choice Reflection

We completed a portion of a practice multiple choice exam. Before the exam, I predicted that my weaknesses would be in the terminology and various forms of poetry as well as the same crunch for time that I experienced during the AP Language and Composition exam. While taking the test, I realized that I did not know most of the terminology but in many cases it was possible to narrow down to two answers and make an educated guess from there. After looking back at the questions that I missed, I noticed that I missed the questions from the poetry excerpt. I would like to study some of the terminology, especially in poetry, so that I am more confident going into the next practice multiple choice exam.