Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Friday, November 7, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
#8 "Life of Pi" Summer Reading Creative Project
Below is the in-depth analysis of my project:
A glimpse at my creative project, LIFE of Pi:
Thursday, September 18, 2014
#7 "The Namesake" Summer Reading Comparison/Contrast Paper
Expanding Our Roots: Close Reading Chart
Mis-En-Scene Analysis
Settings and Props
The scene starts out with Ashoke’s green car and lots of natural greenery. On the way, they make a stop in front of some trees with pink flowers. These colors are bright, a contrast to the dullness of the flashback Ashoke talks about. In his recollection of his tragic accident, the camera shows a suitcase being carried with his own name, A. Ganguli. This is an important detail because it adds to the theme of identity. Even though his name is something is something Gogol has struggled with, it came down from his father’s name, and his father was once young – and similar to Gogol – too, as the suitcase in the flashback emphasizes. The crowded train station is a contrast to the isolation Ashoke and Ashima faced when they came to America, and to the quietness Ashoke and Gogol feel in the car as Ashoke tell his story. The flashback includes vivid details of Ashoke’s travel to Jamshedpur, Mr. Ghosh, and a tattered copy of The Overcoat. As the train crashes, many objects fall to represent the chaos, and an overhead light ends up going out, to show the literal and figurative darkness brought forth by the train wreck. Gogol’s novel ultimately ends up saving Ashoke, which is shown through the bloodstained pages of the book. Although it’s a book that Ashoke cherishes in the beginning of the flashback, the blook on it shows that it also has a painful memory attached with it.
Costume, Hair, and Make-up
In the car ride, the clothing of Ashoke and Gogol are very noticeable due to the close ups. Despite their age difference, both father and son are sporting similar attire – plaid/striped button down shirts with sweaters – a similarity that ties them together. The differences in their features, however, are also obvious because of Ashoke’s graying hair and large frame spectacles. These choices may have been used to show Ashoke’s maturity, his wisdom over Gogol’s – who spent all his life naively complaining about a name, when he didn’t even know the full story. Another interesting clothing choice is related to Mr. Ghosh, who seemed to very an undershirt-type garment. This creates an intimacy and further helps the audience why Ashoke may have taken his advice to heart – because they had become close on the train ride.
Facial Expressions and Body Language
When stopping the car to tell Gogol his story, Ashoke stops the car and takes off his seatbelt. His hands play an important role at this time because he draws attention to the fact that he has stopped at the side of the road and is becoming comfortable in his position – he has something important to say. It signifies the “you might want to sit down for his” tone people have when delivering sad/bad news. Gogol’s expression is also interesting because he has a smirk on his face, looking out the window, when he says “I know, Gogol is your favorite author.” This expression is him basically shrugging off his father’s words, just like he did when his father gave him a copy of The Overcoat for his birthday as a younger boy. As Ashoke finishes the story though, Gogol has a wide eyed look in disbelief, a contrast that emphasizes his surprise. He has a guilty look about him when he asks, “Is that what you think of?” reminding the audience of his breakaway, his vain resistance to the name Gogol and how he abandoned it to be Nikhil. His tear-eyed father replies, “No,” showing the emotional impact the accident (and the birth of his son) have had on his life.
Lighting and Color
The main difference in lighting and color is shown in the present scene and the flashback. The current scene uses brighter, more vivid colors because the high key lighting representing a happier time. The past, in turn, uses more dull hues and low key lighting. Although certain things do stand out, like the greenery outside the train and the red of the blood stains in the train wreck, the overall colors seem to be less bright, probably to distinguish the flashback. The colors when Ashoke is lying in bed are especially dull to show the low point he had in his life. Once the story is over, the scene ends with a view of the pink flowers, a cheery way to remind the audience that the days of tragedy are over, and that now “every day is a gift” for Ashoke.
Positions of characters/objects within frame
In the car, Ashoke and Gogol are shown in really close proximity to the camera. There isn't room in the shot for anything besides their individual faces. This type of positioning is used in order to achieve closeness with the audience, so the viewers can see for themselves the reactions of the characters. Another purposeful positioning technique is when the flashback starts and Ashoke is shown following the man carrying his luggage. This type of placement conveys the feeling that Ashoke followed his destiny to the train wreck. The frame barely show Ashoke and Gogol together, probably because the film makers wanted to focus on the characters individually, since each one had a different view of the scenario. Towards the end, however, they are both shown in the car together, emphasizing the bonding moment. Finally, the scene ends with the pink flowered trees in the middle, ending with the idea of 'full circle,' an important take away from Ashoke's story.
Comparison/Contrast Essays
Mis-En-Scene Analysis
Settings and Props
The scene starts out with Ashoke’s green car and lots of natural greenery. On the way, they make a stop in front of some trees with pink flowers. These colors are bright, a contrast to the dullness of the flashback Ashoke talks about. In his recollection of his tragic accident, the camera shows a suitcase being carried with his own name, A. Ganguli. This is an important detail because it adds to the theme of identity. Even though his name is something is something Gogol has struggled with, it came down from his father’s name, and his father was once young – and similar to Gogol – too, as the suitcase in the flashback emphasizes. The crowded train station is a contrast to the isolation Ashoke and Ashima faced when they came to America, and to the quietness Ashoke and Gogol feel in the car as Ashoke tell his story. The flashback includes vivid details of Ashoke’s travel to Jamshedpur, Mr. Ghosh, and a tattered copy of The Overcoat. As the train crashes, many objects fall to represent the chaos, and an overhead light ends up going out, to show the literal and figurative darkness brought forth by the train wreck. Gogol’s novel ultimately ends up saving Ashoke, which is shown through the bloodstained pages of the book. Although it’s a book that Ashoke cherishes in the beginning of the flashback, the blook on it shows that it also has a painful memory attached with it.
Costume, Hair, and Make-up
In the car ride, the clothing of Ashoke and Gogol are very noticeable due to the close ups. Despite their age difference, both father and son are sporting similar attire – plaid/striped button down shirts with sweaters – a similarity that ties them together. The differences in their features, however, are also obvious because of Ashoke’s graying hair and large frame spectacles. These choices may have been used to show Ashoke’s maturity, his wisdom over Gogol’s – who spent all his life naively complaining about a name, when he didn’t even know the full story. Another interesting clothing choice is related to Mr. Ghosh, who seemed to very an undershirt-type garment. This creates an intimacy and further helps the audience why Ashoke may have taken his advice to heart – because they had become close on the train ride.
Facial Expressions and Body Language
When stopping the car to tell Gogol his story, Ashoke stops the car and takes off his seatbelt. His hands play an important role at this time because he draws attention to the fact that he has stopped at the side of the road and is becoming comfortable in his position – he has something important to say. It signifies the “you might want to sit down for his” tone people have when delivering sad/bad news. Gogol’s expression is also interesting because he has a smirk on his face, looking out the window, when he says “I know, Gogol is your favorite author.” This expression is him basically shrugging off his father’s words, just like he did when his father gave him a copy of The Overcoat for his birthday as a younger boy. As Ashoke finishes the story though, Gogol has a wide eyed look in disbelief, a contrast that emphasizes his surprise. He has a guilty look about him when he asks, “Is that what you think of?” reminding the audience of his breakaway, his vain resistance to the name Gogol and how he abandoned it to be Nikhil. His tear-eyed father replies, “No,” showing the emotional impact the accident (and the birth of his son) have had on his life.
Lighting and Color
The main difference in lighting and color is shown in the present scene and the flashback. The current scene uses brighter, more vivid colors because the high key lighting representing a happier time. The past, in turn, uses more dull hues and low key lighting. Although certain things do stand out, like the greenery outside the train and the red of the blood stains in the train wreck, the overall colors seem to be less bright, probably to distinguish the flashback. The colors when Ashoke is lying in bed are especially dull to show the low point he had in his life. Once the story is over, the scene ends with a view of the pink flowers, a cheery way to remind the audience that the days of tragedy are over, and that now “every day is a gift” for Ashoke.
Positions of characters/objects within frame
In the car, Ashoke and Gogol are shown in really close proximity to the camera. There isn't room in the shot for anything besides their individual faces. This type of positioning is used in order to achieve closeness with the audience, so the viewers can see for themselves the reactions of the characters. Another purposeful positioning technique is when the flashback starts and Ashoke is shown following the man carrying his luggage. This type of placement conveys the feeling that Ashoke followed his destiny to the train wreck. The frame barely show Ashoke and Gogol together, probably because the film makers wanted to focus on the characters individually, since each one had a different view of the scenario. Towards the end, however, they are both shown in the car together, emphasizing the bonding moment. Finally, the scene ends with the pink flowered trees in the middle, ending with the idea of 'full circle,' an important take away from Ashoke's story.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
#6 "Surroundidngs" Free Response Essay and Reflection
Ashima: a dependent, but strong woman. A deeply cultural,
but open-minded individual. In Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel “The Namesake,” Ashima’s
character proves Pauline Hopkins’ belief that the cultural, physical, and
geographical surroundings shape a character’s psychological or moral traits.
The goodbye Ashima says to her motherland India is
contrasted with the birth of her first child. When Ashima’s son Gogol is born, her
surroundings are a bleak hospital room, a solitude that is only emphasized with
the absence of her husband. Nurses come in and out to check on her, even
calling her the “jello lady” because of Ashima’s bland diet. When one of the
nurses asks whether Ashima would like a boy or girl, she responds that she
would just be happy with a healthy baby, as long as it has “ten finger and ten
toe.”She realizes her grammatical mistake, however, which further emphasizes the different cultural surrounding she is now in. No matter how hard she tries to assimilate herself into the new culture, those specific details in the novel show that she will always face a cultural barrier, and that traits of her Indian culture and traits of her eventual American culture will never coexist in one surrounding – or at least she thinks so at first. In the physical hospital room, she doesn’t feel the comfort and joy she thought she would have felt in India, among relatives and traditions and celebrations.
Another impactful characterization choice in “The Namesake” was the geographical location of Ashima. The millions of miles of her traveling is not only a reminder of how much she misses home, but also of her exposure of the world, as she has seen India, England, and America. This is a contradiction within her character because she is dependent upon missing her ‘home,’ yet as her journey progresses she comes to realize that her trips have made her strong and that her ‘home’ is wherever her husband is.
In fact, when Ashima’s husband Ashok went to Ohio, it was
the first time she was alone. This geographical distance between them was a conscious
choice Ashima took. She could have easily packed up their house and moved with
him for the six months he planned to be there. She stayed, however, because of the
geographical familiarity of the physical and cultural surroundings of her home, and perhaps
an inner strength, that after all these years of being dependent on someone –
her parents, her husband, and her kids – she could finally make it on her own. When
Ashok died in Ohio, she told her friend at the library that she understood why
he went there. “He was teaching me to live on my own,” Ashima said. Maybe without
the distance, she wouldn’t have been able to get over his death. That changing of setting, living without
Ashok, instilled in her the confidence to live on her own.
Reflection:
As this was my first open-ended question, I think I did a good job of addressing all aspects of the prompt. I picked a novel and character where the quote was relatable and where I was able to consider cultural, physical, and geographical surroundings in the story. As this is a prompt where I had to pick my own piece of literature, it was difficult to find a balance in providing paraphrasing of the story and analysis. In this case, a bit of paraphrasing is important because it provides context to the main idea of my thesis; however, the analysis still must overpower the summary portions, and I believe this was an area of struggle for me.
Fortunately, in this case, the prompt was one I was able to relate to The Namesake, a text I read recently and am currently analyzing in class. I'm glad I knew the text well enough to analyze and even provide a direct quote from. These details are key as they strengthen the argument and show a strong understanding of the text. Choosing a piece of literature doesn't seem to be a huge problem for me at this point.
With regards to scoring, I would give this essay a 5 because I think it demonstrates an understanding of complexity (especially when I mention Ashima's 'home' and her husband's death in Ohio). The writing, however, could have been better organized and more sophisticated to meet the higher standards of the AP scale. I also used more 'summary' than I should have, so next time I'll be more focused on the actual analysis. Overall, I think I can improve on my weaknesses and improve my strengths even more by spending more time organizing my thoughts and planning out the writing process before I begin writing.
Reflection:
As this was my first open-ended question, I think I did a good job of addressing all aspects of the prompt. I picked a novel and character where the quote was relatable and where I was able to consider cultural, physical, and geographical surroundings in the story. As this is a prompt where I had to pick my own piece of literature, it was difficult to find a balance in providing paraphrasing of the story and analysis. In this case, a bit of paraphrasing is important because it provides context to the main idea of my thesis; however, the analysis still must overpower the summary portions, and I believe this was an area of struggle for me.
Fortunately, in this case, the prompt was one I was able to relate to The Namesake, a text I read recently and am currently analyzing in class. I'm glad I knew the text well enough to analyze and even provide a direct quote from. These details are key as they strengthen the argument and show a strong understanding of the text. Choosing a piece of literature doesn't seem to be a huge problem for me at this point.
With regards to scoring, I would give this essay a 5 because I think it demonstrates an understanding of complexity (especially when I mention Ashima's 'home' and her husband's death in Ohio). The writing, however, could have been better organized and more sophisticated to meet the higher standards of the AP scale. I also used more 'summary' than I should have, so next time I'll be more focused on the actual analysis. Overall, I think I can improve on my weaknesses and improve my strengths even more by spending more time organizing my thoughts and planning out the writing process before I begin writing.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
#5 "Thou Blind Man's Mark" Essay and Reflection
Killing desire with desire is a
complex, inner struggle for the speaker in Sir Philip Sidney’s poem, “Thou
Blind Man’s Mark,” which Sidney highlights using purposeful poetic devices. One
of Sidney’s devices is the connotation that his diction choices imply. In the beginning
of the poem, Sidney is quick to criticize desire, calling it a “blind man’s
mark” and a “fool’s self-chosen snare.” These word choices imply that Sidney
believes having desire is a foolish trait, something that will trick and trap
optimists and wistful thinkers. He also uses alliteration to emphasize this point.
For example, he calls desire a “cradle of causeless care” and a “web of will.”
These alliterations give rhythm to the poem and indicate a shift in tone. Even
though in earlier lines, he used words like “scum” and “evils,” implying a
definite negative attitude towards desire, the alliteration brings a
lighthearted shift. Granted, the examples of alliteration still have words that
could imply a negative connotation – a “web of will” sounds like desire will
spin one around in circles and eventually lead him/her nowhere – the overall device
provides a light contrast to Sidney’s dark view of desire.
In fact, in the next line (line 5), he takes a step back from criticizing desire and reveals a personal connection. “Desire, Desire!” he says and indulges in the fact that he also once desired something too intensely. Perhaps, his experience left such a wound on him that he could only summon and exaggerate his negative thoughts about desire. This line is important in the poem because it is the only place where he isn’t attacking desire and shows some empathy. His selection of detail emphasizes that he was once a “blind man” and “fool” too, and the exclamation point is strategically used to show that hint of hopefulness. This is a stark contrast to the last line of the poem, where he says “how to kill desire.”
It’s important to note that throughout the whole poem, Sidney only uses the actual word “desire” in two places, in line 5 and line 14. This choice could also be a result of the author’s hatred for the trait. But when Sidney does use “desire,” he uses different punctuation. The first reference uses an exclamation point, while the second one uses a period. This is a contrast because the first “desire” demonstrates experience, longing, and wistfulness. The word “desire” in the last line is grave, direct, and declaratory. Whatever inner conflict he might have had in line 5, where he acknowledged that he once desired, is diminished by the end because he is so determined for desire within him to cease in existence.
This “desire” of his, however, is again an indication of the poem’s complexity. Sidney desires to never desire again, and this is the contradiction he must live with. Devices such as alliteration, diction choice, tone shift, and punctuation align with Sidney’s complex writing and the speaker’s complex attitude toward desire.
Reflection:
After looking at the other sample essays for this prompt in class and reviewing the score sheet, I would give this essay a 7. It offers a "reasonable analysis" and "effective composition" because I believe it showed understanding and good organization. It went further than just paraphrasing what certain lines mean and addressed the complexity in the prompt. Moreover, it made purposeful "references to the text, and although the analysis is not to par with a 8/9 essay, the writing in this essay made it one step above the 6 essay.
Despite the strengths, however, I think I have to do a better job of identifying and analyzing poetic devices. For example, I could have talked about more about personification and repetition. Although, I mentioned alliteration, I believe I missed the point a little bit since the alliteration in this poem was used to speed up the pace and hit the "insults" with emphasis and smack-talk force. I also failed to mention that this poem was a sonnet.
I am glad though that I was able to talk about the complexity in the poem, which is usually an area of struggle for me. That could be attributed to the fact that the complexity was easily identifiable in the poem and because the prompt specifically asked for it. In future prompts, it may not be as simple, so I want to be prepared for that.
Overall, I'm happy with this essay and score for a first time practice, but now that I have identified my weakness, I want to be proactive about digging deeper into poetic devices/technical poetic terms and hidden complexities.
In fact, in the next line (line 5), he takes a step back from criticizing desire and reveals a personal connection. “Desire, Desire!” he says and indulges in the fact that he also once desired something too intensely. Perhaps, his experience left such a wound on him that he could only summon and exaggerate his negative thoughts about desire. This line is important in the poem because it is the only place where he isn’t attacking desire and shows some empathy. His selection of detail emphasizes that he was once a “blind man” and “fool” too, and the exclamation point is strategically used to show that hint of hopefulness. This is a stark contrast to the last line of the poem, where he says “how to kill desire.”
It’s important to note that throughout the whole poem, Sidney only uses the actual word “desire” in two places, in line 5 and line 14. This choice could also be a result of the author’s hatred for the trait. But when Sidney does use “desire,” he uses different punctuation. The first reference uses an exclamation point, while the second one uses a period. This is a contrast because the first “desire” demonstrates experience, longing, and wistfulness. The word “desire” in the last line is grave, direct, and declaratory. Whatever inner conflict he might have had in line 5, where he acknowledged that he once desired, is diminished by the end because he is so determined for desire within him to cease in existence.
This “desire” of his, however, is again an indication of the poem’s complexity. Sidney desires to never desire again, and this is the contradiction he must live with. Devices such as alliteration, diction choice, tone shift, and punctuation align with Sidney’s complex writing and the speaker’s complex attitude toward desire.
Reflection:
After looking at the other sample essays for this prompt in class and reviewing the score sheet, I would give this essay a 7. It offers a "reasonable analysis" and "effective composition" because I believe it showed understanding and good organization. It went further than just paraphrasing what certain lines mean and addressed the complexity in the prompt. Moreover, it made purposeful "references to the text, and although the analysis is not to par with a 8/9 essay, the writing in this essay made it one step above the 6 essay.
Despite the strengths, however, I think I have to do a better job of identifying and analyzing poetic devices. For example, I could have talked about more about personification and repetition. Although, I mentioned alliteration, I believe I missed the point a little bit since the alliteration in this poem was used to speed up the pace and hit the "insults" with emphasis and smack-talk force. I also failed to mention that this poem was a sonnet.
I am glad though that I was able to talk about the complexity in the poem, which is usually an area of struggle for me. That could be attributed to the fact that the complexity was easily identifiable in the poem and because the prompt specifically asked for it. In future prompts, it may not be as simple, so I want to be prepared for that.
Overall, I'm happy with this essay and score for a first time practice, but now that I have identified my weakness, I want to be proactive about digging deeper into poetic devices/technical poetic terms and hidden complexities.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
#4 "The Known World" Essay and Reflection
The imagery of Moses closing his eyes, bending down, and
pinching the soil to eat it as “if it were a spot of cornbread” brings up an
interesting visual scenario. It portrays a situation of poverty – as a slave, perhaps
Moses cannot afford the basic necessity of food. Poor or not, however, the text
goes on to include details about Moses purpose: The dirt helps him know the “strengths
and weakness of the field” and ties him to the only thing that means “as much
as his own life.” Moses has an attachment to the Earth and an appreciation for
all it has to offer, a concept again displayed when he compares the taste of
“July dirt” and “the dirt of June or May.”
With more selection of detail, Jones shows that Moses is
hard working. Jones purposefully chooses to include how Moses continued to work
even after he “sent [the other adults] back with hunger and tiredness.” Jones
does not include anything about Moses’ own hunger or tiredness, which reveals a
selfless character, a diligent man. Even Moses’ mule wanted “home and rest,”
and despite the fact that he had been out on the fields for fifteen hours, he
does not once complain in text.
In fact, this lack of personal discourse might
come from the text’s third person point of view. Using third person limited,
Jones did not want the reader to get too deeply engaged in Moses’ inner
dialogue. He wanted the audience to only see Moses in a distant, admirable
light, which reinforces Moses’ `positive characterization.
Reflection:
Compared to my first prose passage essay, I had a lot more to say in this essay because I was able to address more topics. This prompt made it easier, compared to the first one, because it gave suggestions of things to analyze such as point of view and selection of detail. I was able to take advantage of that and do a better job of answering “how?’ Regarding complexity, however, I felt I was consistent with my previous essay. I was at the surface level, for example when I talked about Moses being a hard worker and “deeply attached to the world around him.” I did not, however, delve deeper into the complexity of him finding freedom in nature, even while being a slave. This lack of complexity would lend itself to a lower score, so I hope to improve in this area.
I believe starting with a quote, even though it’s not always
suggested, brings something unique to the essay. Along with that hook, I also
had various other examples to support my claims. Despite the fact that I didn’t
recognize the complexity and didn’t finish due to time, I did a good job of
making this essay well-organized and well-written.
For these reasons, I would give myself a score in the 4-5
range. In terms of writing, I think I have a strong place, but regarding the
text, I think I have more to work on in understanding and recognizing
complexity in the text.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
#3 "The Flowers" Essay and Reflection
"An armful of strange blue flowers." A unique way
to mourn a stranger. Alice Walker tells a tale of Myop and those blue flowers
in her short story, "The Flowers." Using imagery and symbolism,
Walker emphasizes a contrasting strategy in the story to convey the meaning of
"the flowers" and unveil an ending with a twist.
With purposefully developed imagery, Walker is able to show
by the flowers play a significant role in the story. By contrasting the
"strange" flowers to the "various common" things Myop finds
in her outings, Walker establishes early on that he flowers are our of the
ordinary: After finding the deteriorating corpse of a tall man, "gloomy"
compared to the "golden surprise" and excitement her days usually
bring, Myop "laid down the flowers."
Reflection:
“I’m a little rusty.”
My feelings after taking a practice essay for the AP Lit exam. Although we practiced analysis quite frequently in AP Language and Composition last year, coming back to essay writing was not smooth sailing. My experience last year, has given me knack of approaching a prompt the correct way, ‘working the prompt,’ if you will. I consider this a strength because knowing what the question is asking is the first step in tackling the essay. Another strength of mine, I believe is in the introduction of the essay. In this case, I started out with a direct quote to begin my analysis: “’An armful of strange blue flowers.’ A unique way to mourn a stranger.” After the quotation, I wrote a short sentence to sum up my response to the prompt, saying “unique” showed that I understood that the flowers were significant and “mourn” showed that I understood their purpose in the story. Although it’s not a very deep or complex thought, I think that introduction was a quick way to hook the reader in and get my point across. Later in the essay, of course, I go more in depth with my analysis.
Despite these strengths, my weaknesses lie in addressing complexity. I was almost caught off guard by the time restraint, and realized at the end that I hadn’t written very much (my large, sloppy handwriting is also actually pretty misleading). Even though I talked about the contrasts in the story and explained the loss of innocence in the story, I didn’t go as much in depth as I could have. This lack of development encourages generalizations and discourages sophistication in thought and language. Sophistication in language, I think, is another weakness I have when it comes to timed writing, when I have even less time and even more pressure to make the right diction or syntax choice.
After thoughtful reflection, I have come up with three goals to accomplish before the AP test.
Firstly, I want to identify and analyze complexity better. Becoming a more complex thinker is a general goal I have for this class, and I think that ties in well when it comes to analyzing prose for the AP exam.
Next, even though I’m able to identify similes and imagery, I’m not sure I explain ‘how’ they convey the meaning. I want to recognize the purpose of certain rhetorical strategies and devices employed by authors.
Lastly, I want to include a lot more detail in my writing, which I think will improve as I practice taking more of these tests. As I get used to the pacing, I’ll get accustomed to thinking faster and conveying my analysis with sophistication.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
#2 AP Multiple Choice Test Reflection
Reading literature can be tough enough for some people. But reading literature in a timed, test-taking environment can exacerbate that challenge.
Yesterday, I took my first AP Literature multiple choice exam for practice, and below I share my results.
I found that my strengths in literary analysis include reading with the right pacing, although I struggle with close reading and comprehending right away. Also, the practice exam we took, poetry seemed to be more comfortable for me. I’m also good at making educated guesses.
Yesterday, I took my first AP Literature multiple choice exam for practice, and below I share my results.
I found that my strengths in literary analysis include reading with the right pacing, although I struggle with close reading and comprehending right away. Also, the practice exam we took, poetry seemed to be more comfortable for me. I’m also good at making educated guesses.
One of my weaknesses was answering a question towards the end that contradicted an earlier question. I need to do a better job to “maintain an open mind” and “consider both answers.” (5STA5) I’m also not very good at using logical strategies like process of elimination and fill in the blank.
My plan to improve is to read more challenging texts throughout the course and work on comprehension and analysis. I am used to responding to text emotionally, however, I need to advance that and analyze the text to gain even understanding. I also hope to go beyond my comfort zone of contemporary work and read older texts, like Jane Eyre and Shakespeare, to help me for the type of passages on the exam.
I plan on taking multiple practices tests to become familiar with the pacing of the exam and the types of AP questions.
Some of my goals for this year:
Before the AP exam, I want to be a more interactive, close reader.
Referring back to the text of course is necessary sometimes in the exam, however, I want to have better comprehension the first time I read -- that way I avoid wasting time to go back and understand the basic meaning.
I want to be familiar with all the technical literature terms that could be on the exam.
Monday, August 18, 2014
#1 ‘Literature Connoisseur” Design Justification
One of the biggest lessons in online communication is that how you say something is just as important as what you’re saying. With that in mind, I made some strategic choices for this blog.
Firstly, I chose to name this blog Literature Connoisseur, not because I am overconfident about my English abilities, but because my name Rashika actually means connoisseur. It only felt fitting to keep this definition and see how this AP Literature course will help me truly reach that status of ‘Literature Connoisseur”
I chose a dark purple shade for the background of my blog because it has a more formal look and simultaneously adds a pop of color, without looking too ‘stiff.’ I wanted to convey a youthful, modern look while also appearing sophisticated, which is why I avoided bright, neon colors. For the typography I chose the Walter Turncoat font for the post title to deliver a cooler, more exciting message on the page. While keeping those modern touches, I chose IM FELL DW PICA SC for the blog title because I wanted the capital letters to be a bit dramatic, and I felt like the typography’s ‘classic’ look fit with the topic of discussion – literature.
For the layout, I chose to embed the blog posts in between two side bars to keep the information more sectioned and conveniently accessible. I also adjusted the width of the entire blog to fit the entire screen so that it can literally consume the viewer’s space and emphasize the content. The slight map background in the layout demonstrates global awareness to a certain extent, which speaks for the author's worldliness and this literature class, where “we examine the people of the world.”
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