Synthesis of Course Material Part 4

For the final section of the course, which will most likely be in continuation through the end of the course, is applying our various novel and poetry readings to the open and closed prompt on the AP exam. For myself, I saw a very distinct style of teaching from Ms. Holmes, where she gave us an open or closed prompt and caught us by surprise to see how well we would be able to tackle it with the skills that we already possess. Then, going over the closed prompt as a class and having a chance to gain the ideas that others had regarding their impression of the prompt further strengthened our conjunct understanding.

            The discussion session was the most beneficial for me, where I was able to see what I had missed in my analysis and improve on my own technique for understanding the piece in a limited amount of time. Later in the course, by giving us the same prompt again after we became acquainted with the basic literary terms, helped smoothly transition the application of our knowledge to the closed prompt. Personally, I was able to better understand the prompt and apply my perception accordingly so as to form a coherent argument and effectively portray it for the reader of my essay. Over time, my essay writing skills certainly improved, with practice, experience, and peer review. I now feel more confident with regards to how to most efficiently approach a closed prompt or an open prompt.

            Even though I have divided the course into four sections here, I feel that the class is analogous to net, where everything we did and will do is interconnected and comes down to using what we know, applying it to the task at hand, and improving our approach for the future. Starting with the literary terms and allusions to preparing for the AP test, I am now able to see how it all coalesces under the common roof of literary application and realization of the various perspectives in the subject that lend to nuanced perception. 

Synthesis of Course Material Part 3

In the third section of the class, we had the opportunity to read higher-level literature in the form of plays and novels to see the use of literary techniques and allusions in the context of a longer work in order to effectively convey meaning to the reading audience. Starting with The American Dream and ending with, so far, Hamlet, we have been offered a wide range of literary works that differ on various levels yet remain common in multiple other arenas. Having a chance to read each work and analyzing it through first reads, class discussion, thorough second read annotations, and another class discussion, we were able to strengthen our understanding of the works and recall on their major facets when comparing and contrasting with other works or discussing their significance in general.

            After reading the novels, comparison between the works was the most noteworthy task in the class. Weighing the motives and intended meanings of the works allowed us to see the different techniques utilized by the authors based on our different perceptions, giving us an opportunity to consider how their backgrounds and their different inclinations led to differing attitudes towards their work and consequently contrasting portrayal of the events in the novel. However, we were also able to see similarities between the works and apply those concepts to the world at large. Overall, while reading novels is characteristic of English classes, reading them in such a way was unique yet memorable, consistently reminding us of the work’s importance in our contemporary lives.

            Furthermore, by being able to read both plays as well as novels, we had the opportunity to appreciate both forms of literature and see how the layout of a work can alter the perception of the author towards his or her own work as well as our own perception towards the work. In essence, the applications of the literary terms and allusions were just a conduit for allowing us to see the deeper meaning of the work and analyzing its significance with respect to various parameters, ranging from the novel’s setting to its outlook towards the world.

Synthesis of Course Material Part 2

The second part of the AP Literature and Composition course was the application of basic literary terms and awareness of the Biblical and Greek allusions in the form of poetry. Starting by reading multiple different pieces of work in our textbooks helped us become acquainted with the various different writing styles of the poets. The broad range of works that we read truly helped me take advantage of the experience by absorbing the different tones and styles of the poets in various different scenarios set up by the poem. Starting with the title of the poem and ending at the last period, I was able to apply the literary terms and allusions utilized by the author to portray his meaning and motive to his intended audience.

            The form in which we approached the poem was very unique and appealing to me. By first having a chance to read it individually, I was able to develop my own ideas and perception about the poem without any external influences on my analysis. Then, by discussing the various aspects of the poem from diction, imagery, details, language, and syntax to the meaning that the author was trying to convey in a group of about 4 people, I was able to gain their individual ideas and debate about which idea was the best and specifically why. Finally, coming together as a whole class culminated my understanding of the poem by having an opportunity to put forth my opinion and refining it based on the arguments of others to make it stronger and justified.

            Starting with individual analyses and ending with the broad opinion-base of the whole class provided me with a chance to receive various different perspectives on the piece and respectfully consider as well as contradict ideas in order to best develop an argument for addressing the meaning of the poem. By repeating this process for every poem that we read, minutely analyzing every detail for clever references and literary techniques, helped me refine my approach towards a poem and develop a liking for poetry’s various complexities as well as simplicity, based on how you look at it.  

Synthesis of Course Material Part 1

Since the beginning of the AP Literature and Composition course, we have been acquainted with multiple different aspects of literature. In my mind’s perception, all the things we have encountered can be neatly divided into four sections: basic vocabulary and allusions, application of those terms in the form of poetry, viewing those terms in use by reading and analyzing novels of recognized literary merit, and finally applying all that we have learned in essay format, whether it be through open prompts of closed prompts.

            In this post, the topic of concern is basic vocabulary and allusions. Even before the start of the school year, by becoming aware of the importance of the Bible and the Greek Mythologies was the first step to recognizing the essence, the bare bones so to speak, of reputed novels across the board. By being able to see through the layout of words and reading deeper into the text, a reader may be able to grasp the inherent meaning of the author and connect it directly to his background and the eventual meaning of his work. The Allusions test that was taken by everyone at the beginning of the school year was unlike any other we had encountered before, where we were required to have truly understood the allusions in classic Biblical and Greek stories and also have the ability to apply them.

            Beyond the allusions, the introduction to the basic literary terms regularly used by authors provided us with yet another group of tools to more discretely dissect the true motive behind a particular author’s work and see it in a nuanced light. Furthermore, seeing this terms in two different forms was novel in our experience. By first getting to know them in a purely memorization format helped us engrave those words in our memories and applying them on the final exam truly strengthened their hold in our minds. In other words, we were now prepared to view them in their “natural setting” in novels and dissect their role specific to each novel. 

Open Prompt (Oct. 2, 2011) Revised

2010, Form B. “You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.” —Sonsyrea Tate

Sonsyrea Tate’s statement suggests that “home” may be conceived of as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind. It may have positive or negative associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves home yet finds that home remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of “home” to this character and the reasons for its continuing influence. Explain how the character’s idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

          "Home sweet home". Ah, the cherished memories of childhood that stay with us for a lifetime. The Eragon series, written by Christopher Paolini, is one of many novels where a character is distanced from his “home”, a place that serves as a base to drive his future into unseen territory. For Eragon, the protagonist in the novels, the image of home arouses feelings of revenge and debt to be paid, pointing towards its continuing influence as a symbol of future solace from hardships and his continued persistence towards fulfilling his responsibilities.

          As the Razac, foul creatures in servitude of the antagonistic king, have killed Garrow, Eragon's uncle, Eragon's home serves to remind him of the pain that was inflicted upon him and the revenge that he must seek for his uncle's death. Paolini conveys this in the first novel through the image of Eragon's burning home to imprint the ashes of his past into his mind as constant reminders of compensation through blood lust. Rather than the usual positive connotation of a cherished home, Eragon is reminded of his past life in a house where he obtained a burning passion to “get even” with the Razac for ruining his family and leaving him with no other option but to flee with shame in his eyes.

          Apart from revenge, Eragon's old home harbors his debt to his cousin, Roran, who resents Eragon for bringing misery upon his own relatives solely for protecting Saphira, Eragon's dragon. When Roran sees Eragon for the first time since Garrow's death and says "We need to talk", Eragon is left in fear of facing his fate and informing Roran of his reasons for abandoning Garrow. This whole scene refers to the debt Eragon owes to Roran and Garrow for bringing sorrow and separation to their small, close-knit family. He holds himself responsible for causing the demolition of their "home sweet home" and breaking his cousin down emotionally with no one to look up to.

          Paolini portrays these two instances in the novel to culminate Eragon's feelings when he thinks of "home" into a longing for personal fulfillment through offering solace to Roran and asking for his forgiveness. The power of the evil king that destroyed his family serves as a consistent reminder to Eragon to assume his new powers and responsibilities in order to free this land of a madman's whims and let prosperity resume so that young men like him no longer have to leave their homes and look back in the past to remember nothing but pain and suffering. Eragon's past gives rise to his optimistic dreams and drives his passion towards continuing his arduous journey and achieving success for the betterment of society. Through this fantastical representation, where a farm boy’s fate influences the balance of the whole world, Paolini showcases a how the intricacies of destiny can alter a person’s perception of his home and his life further along the path of time.

Open Prompt (Dec. 3, 2011) Revised

2001. One definition of madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it." But Emily Dickinson wrote

    Much madness is divinest Sense-

    To a discerning Eye-

Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a "discerning Eye." Select a novel or play in which a character's apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the "madness" to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

          Madness is but an oddity, an art in its own art, with abnormal, yet justified, motives hidden deep within the being of the portrayer. In the Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, the central character Willy Loman displays a wild eccentricity that penetrates his persona and illuminates his inner soul. Looking beyond the superficial madness of Willy, at a deeper level, his insaneness is a testament to his dependence on the past in order to find hope for the future, a place which he has transformed into his reality.

         The word "Willy" itself indicates his “will” to live life and reap its fruits. Several times during the play, Willy states that it is very important to be "well-liked", reflecting on his struggle through life that has left him squandering for recognition of his inherent talents and skills. This piece of diction also sheds light on Willy's brother, Ben, who is a star character on his way to greater and better success, overriding Willy's efforts and constantly reminding him of the hopeful future that Willy could have pursued for himself. Transitioning from the past to the present several times during the play, Willy finds himself to be in a trance-like state where, in the past, he is confident for the future and in the present, he is reminiscent of his place in the world and his eventual demise to the atrocities of the modern world.

          The setting of the play itself illuminates the eccentricity of Willy. Living in a quaint, American style, cozy and compact house, Willy is constantly reminded of the past, when he dreamt of being the richest among them all, relishing the wealth he would gain. In one instance, when Willy is recalling the past, he is in a scene with Linda, recounting the bills to be paid and expressing anger at the non-functioning refrigerator, furthering Miller's point to demonstrate how Willy's eccentricity is worsened by his frequent trips to the past in his own mind, reminding him of what could have been and shedding light on what is. While Willy may appear to be nothing but a disturbed and demolished man, by closer inspection, one can see how he is merely lost in time and trying to find his place in society where he can be recognized and accepted by society's standards.