Thursday, November 29, 2012

Literature Analysis #5

A Christmas Carol:
by Charles Dickens

General:
1. A Christmas Carol is a story about the life of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old man riddled with hate for anything material and does not look to bring pleasure upon anyone else but himself with his money. We start the story by watching Scrooge's horrible attitude to even "friends". The inciting incident is when Marley, one of Scrooge's old business friends who was so consumed by material wealth that when he passed away his afterlife was to be spent prowling the world in heavy chains. Marley decides to save Scrooge from this fate by sending scrooge to three different spirits, Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. Each of the ghosts lead on to a important parts in Scrooge's life, showing him the things he's done, and the things he is doing. When Scrooge see's his future, he realizes that his life was not worth living if he just let his own riches run his life. He was sent back to his home, and accepted the morals and virtues of Christmas, sharing his wealth and spending time with those who mattered. 

2. The them of the story is to not get so caught up in your life to forget what matters the most. Sometimes we pay to much attention to school and sports that we lose track of what is really important, and that is the love of those around you, and to love those people who love you. Showing gratitude is just a simple step, though significant, to showing Scrooge's change in his life.

3. The whole story is contained by dark images and somber people. The fact that poverty has struck London and that all of the characters seem to live on the line, Scrooge's outlook on those people seem condescending throughout the entire story. This doesn't not stop until Scrooge is pitiful in the end, but the author still notes that London is still racked with poverty and that people are still getting sick and live with nothing.

4. In the story, the author uses similes to describe things that have no significance, so similes were used, but rare in the important parts of the story. The other used his speech as an aphorism, explaining his ideas on life through the ghosts in the story. He uses a kind of rhetoric speech to say that those who are wealthy, but do not share, are selfish, and those who do, are more happy and well off. The other was very good at drawing out pathos. The reader felt pity for Scrooge as the story went on, not really hatred anymore, just a realization of a lost man, in need of love and help. 

Characterization:
1. Two examples of direct characterization are when Scrooge meets the second ghost and the author describes him as "clear minded and kind". Another example is when the third ghost comes near to Scrooge and the author writes that Scrooge was "filled with dread". Two examples of indirect characterization are: Describing Scrooge, "Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, ``My dear Scrooge, how are you. When will you come to see me.'' and another example is, "His hands were busy with his garments all this time: turning them inside out, putting them on upside down, tearing them, mislaying them, making them parties to every kind of extravagance." showing the excitement and nervousness.

2. When describing Scrooge's dreams with the spirits, Dickens wrote in long descriptive sentences, with little dialogue, to give it a quiet, yet extravagant scenery. During the wake of Scrooge's real life, the syntax is with short sentences full of dialogue. The story switches in between the two for when he is witnessing the ghosts and talking to those in real life.

3. As A Christmas Story is well known, Scrooge's tale is that of an extremely dynamic character. The story is simply about how Scrooge came to notice the importance of life and caring during Christmas, and how he changed his ways to a kind-hearted and generous man.

4. I felt like it was someone that I was witnessing something with, not so much that i was meeting him or talking to him, but a fly on the wall, watching as Scrooge realizes things that pass by. Many of his surprises and heartfelt fears were very close to anything that would have scared anyone else outside of the story. We never want our flaws pointed out, and Scrooge acted, as I think, anyone else would.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Literature Analysis #4

The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne

General:
1. Hester Prynn, an unfortunate lover, was sent to America with her daughter, without the father ever meeting them in the new world. Hester's lonely travels in America led her to have an affair. The story begins explaining the meaning of the red A that Hester wears upon her chest to show that she has been marked as an adulteress. Though Hester is heckled and ridiculed, she is charitable and kind to the community, and therefore the community develops a bond with Hester and her daughter. As things seem to go smoothly, Chillingworth, the father disguised as a medicinal man, becomes close with Hester and the authorities of the village. Dimmesdale is then watched over by Chillingworth, who is secretly planning to kill the man, but first to expose him as the man that Hester had loved. Dimmesdale's distress and urgency, because he is a preacher, leads him to an unbearable discovery at the end of the story in front of the town, where he dies upon the scaffold that introduced at the very beginning.

2. The theme is to develop relationships that can not so easily be taken from you. Hester's relationship with Dimmesdale was strong, but could have led to the downfall of both of them, as it was revealed in the end. The relationships that are developed for your own personal gain or lust are most of the time those relationships that are not meant to be made.

3. Hawthorne uses a tone that is unlike any other story I've read. His ability to write in a dreamy tone is entertaining. The characters are often thinking in their own minds of possibilities to come, while the others are trying to discover the present. When Hester and Pearl are in the forest, the reader is able to discern real from unreal, but can understand the emotions of love and lust, confusion and uneasiness. These are elements that make Hawthorne a good writer.

4. The author uses implication very often when  Hester reacts with other characters. Her scarlet A is seen and the characters reactions to that imply that Hester is a sinful person. Foreshadowing is used many times in the story. It is used to reveal her lover, used to reveal her husband, and used to eventually reveal the babies true father. Hyperbole is used when describing Pearl as a nymph, little devil, or an angel, her actions and looks are all exaggerated by the author. Hawthorne also uses surrealism, which can be seen in the forest scenes and when viewing Pearl.

Characterization:
1. Direct characterization would most likely be connected with Hester. Other's in the story describe Hester as a sinner. But I think that this is put in the story to show the indirect characterizations of the person so that the reader can see the obvious discernment between the people and Hester.

2. When describing the important characters in the story, I notice that you can divide them from the normal cast by noticing the change in syntax. The descriptions of the characters also seem to change in diction, for the characters become more animated by the writing and the sentences are long and descriptive so that you may judge the character, similar to how the people in the story judge her. Simply by face value.

3. Hester could be described as static, or dynamic, it all depends on the point of view. Hester doesn't change the way her actions show to people, in order to deceive them, and keep the writing of the story more engaging. On the inside, Hester becomes more in love with the man she had an affair with as she tries to first avoid him. The contact with him is the point where she decides to be more assertive with her ideals.

4. I could feel for the characters in the story. We have all experienced secrecy, but may not to these extremes. Hester's feelings of sorrow and regret fuel the reader with feelings that are of empathy, because the reader understands mistakes. Though Hester has done a terrible thing, the audience feels that she is just acting out of emotion and that her side is pure in intent. It is hard to break  your ideas away from a character that you are exposed to for the entire story.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Allegory of the Cave Sonnet

In the cave for the prisoners 'twas dark,
but not altogether alone were their thoughts.
Lost without an intellectual mark,
left to hang in fear of confused hearts.
They were missing from the world,
families and friends unknown,
Until a prisoner had twisted and curled
to discover an unbelievable zone.
For him it was scary but new,
a moment that none believed true.
His mind would expand in the love of life,
for his heart would be discovering of strife.
Experiences like this are uncomfortable,
but not for the opportunity to be knowledgeable.


Plato Study Questions

Questions:
1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?


2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?




Answers:
- The allegory represents the development and differences between showing the ambiguity and dull sense of knowledge through staying in the norm and the enlightening light of the outside knowledge. This representation shows the value of knowledge and faults of ignorance.

- The shadows that are seen reflecting off the torch are images that depict the fake reality of the prisoners in the cave. The prisoners had only ever known the images of darkness and the comfortable feel of the cold stone, that is why the light poses to be a ping of irritation for the prisoner's and the idea of uncomfortable realization.

- That in order to advance yourself in all aspects, first you must learn to discover the uncomfortable, and find things that are new and creative. Learning and enlightenment are two of the same process. That is why it is important for the prisoners to delve into things they don't know, instead of things they do.

- The shackles represent the bond of the prisoners to the cave. The mind set that they will not get free from the place they are. The cave encompasses the prisoners, leaving everything outside it unknown to them, and the potential of their knowledge of anything else remaining confined to the cave.

- As talking about earlier in this class, the media can shackle your mind and make you think one sided on any topic if you do not pay enough attention to the other sources. I've been told that there is little truth in each article, but if you look enough you will be able to pick out your own version of the truth.

- The freed prisoner understands what is to earned, while the cave prisoners know nothing about what is outside of the cave, they don't think it is an opportunity for enlightenment.

- You can be given the chance to experience the light and shy away or you can never be exposed at all.

- The prisoners are freed by themselves, and there must be realization of the prisoners to spark curiosity. Intellectual freedom should be sought out by the individual, and if the individual desires for intellectual freedom are not sprung, then that person would find no need to be different or an intelligent individual from all of the people surrounding him/her.

I partly agree. Appearances can be decieving, but they aren't always so. Sometimes appearances give a perfect portrayal of the truth and there is no distinction. Other times, with more complex matters, reality is much deeper than its outward appearance and one much dig deeper to find true meaning.

- That someone could say one thing and do another, or that you can do one thing and say another.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Literature Analysis #3

1)The Kite Runner is a novel about the journey of boy named Amir. With the story being told by Amir, the novel begins with a flashback about twenty-six years back in time, to when Amir was a little boy growing up in Kabul. This point of the story told us about Amir's life as a child, with his father, who was a businessman, and two servants to his family. One of the servants was Amir's best friend, named Hassan. When hassled by the town bully, Hassan hit him with a rock shot from his slingshot. From there, the story jumps to winter time, and a kite fighting contest takes place. There is this tradition that the kids have called 'kite running' and they try to get the losing kite that fell from the sky. When Amir is fighting in the contest, Hassan goes to look for the fallen kite, who is then followed by Amir some time after. Amir finds Hassan in an alley way with the town bully and some of his buddies, watching as they take advantage of Hassan. Drifting apart, and overcome with guilt, Hassan and Amir leave each others' lives after Amir planted items in Hassan's bed, accusing him of thievery. Time goes on, and things start to get bad with the invasion of the Soviets in Kabul. Amir and his father flee the country, and after a long period, they soon go to Fremont, California where Amir attends school, and his father working at a gas station. In time, Amir finds a lovely girl, and soon marries her. After his marriage, Amir's father dies. Further into his life, Amir receives a call from his father's friend, and it was about Hassan. Amir, still holding the guilt of what had happened when he was a kid, goes to Kabul. Hassan's child is missing, and Amir goes to look for him. Nearly getting himself killed, he manages to save the kid and redeems himself of his wrong doings done to his best friend.


2) One of the themes for The Kite Runner is the search of redemption. Best shown by Amir and his guilt that was carried thoughout his entire life ever since the incident with Hassan. This is probably the main theme that drives the novel.

3)The tone o the author is also related to the theme itself, which is being the confessional tone. Throughout the novel, it is portrayed all through Amir's actions, feelings and decisions. One example would be the pomegranates being throw at Hassan, just so he would throw them back at Amir. Amir wanted to be punished for his actions-- or lack of. Not only did he wanted to be punished, but he also pushed away his best friend. Amir built up too much guilt all to the point of framing Hassan for a thievery he didn't commit just so that he can get away. Lastly, when Amir encounters Assef again near the end of the novel, he starts laughing only because he is getting punished for it, getting beaten to near death by Assef.

4) The literary elements of The Kite Runner all have a slot within the machine that is this book. The foreshadowing in the story raises question about the surrounding events with the Islamic fundamentalists, and even when Baba questions Amir's ability to stand up for what is right. The overall feel of the book happens to be like that of a spring. It is felt all throughout the novel, even at times where it didn't appear to be as such.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Big Question

If the information that is gathered could be measured in something other than words, what would it be measured in, or how would it be measured?

Monday, November 5, 2012

Sonnet


"Hope is the thing with feathers  
That perches in the soul,  
And sings the tune--without the words, 
 And never stops at all, 
And sore must be the storm  
That could abash the little bird  
That kept so many warm. 
And on the strangest sea;  
Yet, never, in extremity, 
 It asked a crumb of me."  

~Emily Dickinson  

Definition of a Sonnet:

Sonnet- A poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in 
English typically having ten syllables per line

Fall List #11

1. Affinity- relationship by marriage
2. Bilious- of or indicative of a peevish ill nature disposition3. Cognate- of the same nature4. Corollary- A proposition inferred Immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof 5. Cul-de-sac - a pouch6. Derring-do- a daring action7. Divination- The art or practice that seeks to foretell future events or discover hidden 
knowledge due to the interpretation of omens 8. Elixir- A substance capable of prolonging life indefinitely 9. Folderol- a useless accessory 10. Gamut- an entire range or series11. Hoi polloi- the General populace12. Ineffable- incapable of being expressed in words 13. Lucubration- to study by night 14. Mnemonic- intended to assist memory15. Obloquy- abusive language16. Parameter- an independent variable used to express the coordinates of variable point and functions of them17. Pundit- a learned man 18. Risible- provoking laughter19. Symptomatic- having the characteristics of a certain disease but arising of a different cause 20. Volte-face- a reversal in policy

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Vocab. List

aficionado- a serious devotee of some particular music genre or musical performer
browbeat- to discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate
commensurate- able to be measured by a common standard
diaphanous- Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent
emolument- Payment for an office or employment
foray- A sudden raid or military advance
genre- A realistic style of painting that depicts scenes from everyday life
homily- An inspirational saying or platitude
immure- To confine within or as if within walls; imprison
insouciant- carefree or unconcerned; light-hearted
matrix- a substance, situation, or environment in which something has its origin, takes form, or is enclosed
obsequies- A funeral rite or ceremony
panache- A bunch of feathers or a plume, especially on a helmet.
persona- The role that one assumes or displays in public or society; one's public image or personality, as distinguished from the inner self
philippic- a bitter or impassioned speech of denunciation; invective
prurient- unusually or morbidly interested in sexual thoughts or practices
sacrosanct- Regarded as sacred and inviolable
systemic- Of or relating to systems or a system
tendentious- Marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan
vicissitude- A change or variation