Final project progress

So far I have collaborated with the members of my group and we have pitched a lot of ideas for the college blog. We have decided that each student participating in this will maintain there own page on a blog that is specific to the college they will be attending next year. In the next two weeks we need to talk to other students and make sure we aren't doing the same thing as another group. If this is the case, we should come together and share our ideas in order to make the best college blog possible. This work will benefit a lot of students below our class that will be considering colleges in their upcoming senior year. We can give them information that we wish we had known.

Plan

My classmates and I plan to make a blog that will inform other students on college information. There will be a home page that consists of general info. Then we will add tabs that are specific to each school. We will individually update the tab that includes our college and everyone will contribute to the homepage. The goal of this is to give important or interesting college info to students.

More AP practice

Today I went to the "member blogs" page and review other students literature analysis to educate myself on books I haven't read. This will give me an advantage for the AP test. I also reviewed the lit terms and I'm hoping to do better on this next lit terms test.

AP study progress

Today I looked over my essay on Macbeth and thought about how I should've written the essay to score higher on the AP grading rubric. I ran out of time so I will post my conclusion to my blog tomorrow. I feel pretty confident with my knowledge of Macbeth and I would feel comfortable responding to another AP essay question with this work of literature. I also looked over the AP lit terms and plan to study those a lot more since my last two scores on the tests where pretty disappointing.

Studying for AP

I chose to start my AP study process with one of the practice tests on the Exam Practice and Reference page. I started the practice exam by reading a passage then answering about 15 questions on it. Despite the questions being in depth and difficult, I did pretty well. I only chose three of the wrong answers on that section. Next I read a poem and answered about ten questions in response to the poem. I felt more confident with my knowledge of this poem than I had with the previous passage. Ironically I did worse on this section, scoring only a 5 out of the 10 questions.

Plan for AP test

I will be taking the in-class AP test equivalent, and I need to start my studying immediately. I plan to study the AP terms and do well on the terms tests we are taking. I also want to look at other students literature analysis s and familiarize myself with books I haven't read. I need to do well on the practice tests as well.

Literature Analysis

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SbC9pgxiBtCpVJYyGx_5ICp9rjgmSo8JihBSx4Z0MMk/edit?pli=1

Macbeth Soliloquy Video

Macbeth Notes

-character driven play.
-displays the rise and fall of a great man.
-Macbeth never give information exclusively to the audience.
-tragedy.
-he enjoys the possibility of being king.
-Macbeth has courage and valor.
-defends kingdom, Duncan has him in high regard.
-everything that happens to Macbeth is a result of his own actions.
-architect of his own destruction.
-Macbeth wants to become king.
-he doesn't question the witches predictions.
-has a moral sense of what's right and wrong.
-Macbeth knows that the consequences are going to be great.
-Macbeth becomes obsessed with the prediction while Banquo doesn't.
-Lady Macbeth is pure evil.
-She tempts Macbeth and tells him to act on impulse.
-She speaks to him as if he needs to be more masculine.
-Lady Macbeth is pure animus.
-Macbeth stabs Duncan quickly so he can't cry out.
-He won't compromise.
-once he became king, he is overwhelmed with fear.
-his evil has made him fear himself.
-Lady Macbeth kills herself.
-She tells Macbeth to do things she won't do herself.

Macbeth Test

1. Macbeth won the respect of King Duncan by

A. Slaying the traitor Macdonwald.

 

2. King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him

B. The Thane of Cawdor him.

 

3. In addressing Banquo, the witches called him which of these?

"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I)

"Not so happy as Macbeth, yet much happier." (II)

"A future father of kings." (III)

A. I and II only

 

4. When Macbeth said, "Two truths are told / As happy prologues" he was referring to

A. His titles of Glamis and Cawdor.

 

5. "Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it" is a reference to

A. The traitorous Thane of Cawdor.

 

6. Duncan's statement, "I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing" is an example of

B. A metaphor.

 

7. Lady Macbeth characterizes her husband as being

B. "too full of the milk of human kindness."

 

8. When Macbeth agonizes over the possible killing of the king, which of these does he say?

"He is my house guest; I should protect him." (I)

"Duncan's virtues will "plead like angels" " (II)

"I am his kinsman and his subject" (III)

B. II and III

 

9. Macbeth's statement to his wife, "Bring forth men-children only" signifies that he

C. has accepted the challenge to slay the king.

 

10. As part of the plan to kill the king, Lady Macbeth would

A. get the chamberlains drunk.

 

Part 2

1. "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight?" is a reference to the

B. dagger.

 

2. Lady Macbeth confessed that she would have killed King Duncan herself except for the fact that

B. he looked like her father 

 

3. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to

B. remind the audience of the Witches' prophecies.

 

4. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder

A. because they fear the daggers in men's smiles.

 

5. Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death by telling the hired killers that

C. he will eradicate all records of their previous crimes.

 

6. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by

A. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo

 

7. The Witches threw into the cauldron

"Eye of bat and tongue of frog"(I)

"Wool of bat and tongue of dog" (II)

"Fang of snake and eagle's glare" (III)

A. I and II 

 

8. The three apparitions which appeared to Macbeth were

An armed head. (I)

A child with a crown. (II)

A bloody child (III)

C. I, II, and III

 

9. In Act IV, Malcolm is at first lukewarm toward Macduff because he

B. suspects a trick.

 

10. Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane when

B. the camouflaged soldiers make their advance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Macbeth notes

·         Macbeth is supposed to upset people, it shows life at its most brutal and cynical.

·         Murder is glorified.

·         When Macbeth is introduced he had just cut an enemy open.

·         Lady Macbeth prays to the devil to posses her mind, and give her a man’s ability to do evil.

·         The Macbeths murder a sleeping man then slaughter the guards and frame them for the murder.

·         Everybody knows Macbeth murdered Duncan, but they make him king anyway.

·         He goes to a Witch to look into his future and his head is put on a stick.

·         Many events in this play are brutal and violent.

·         Shakespeare’s theatrical company, the King's Men, was the official royal acting company.

·         The story of this psychotic killer and his fiendlike wife was actually written as a tribute to Shakespeare's royal patron, King James I of England, who was also king of Scotland.

·         Macbeth is considered a history play, based on the events in the life of a real historical figure, but it is even more a powerful tragedy. 

·         In the case of Macbeth, he was writing about a time over 500 years in the past so the English audience was totally unfamiliar.

·         Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most intense plays & one of his most complex psychological studies.

Top 3 blogs

Jon Hoffman: jhrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com
 Patrick Sims: psrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com
 Hunter Walker: hswrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com

Literature Analysis Notes: To Kill A Mockingbird

Finch Family- Father is Atticus Finch and his children are Scout and Jem. They live with their maid named Calpurnia. The story takes place in Maycomb Alabama. The three kids, Scout, Jem, and Dill explore and sneak around the Radley property in the middle of the night. While they are sneaking around Nathan Radley shoots a gun at them, and while escaping Jem loses his pants. The next day Jem finds his pants mended and hung over the fence. The next winter, The kids find more things in the knothole of the tree on Boo Radley's property, but eventually Nathan plugs the knothole. A fire breaks out at a neighbor's house and while Scout is watching someone mysteriously puts a blanket on her shoulders. Atticus is dealing with a major conflict in Maycomb. A local black man named Tom Robinson is accused of rapping a white woman and since Atticus is a lawyer he defends Tom. Atticus provides a strong case that suggests her wounds are from her father but since the town and jury are extremely racist, Tom is convicted. Bob Ewel attacks Scout and Jem and Boo saves them and stabs Bob.

Remix the textbook

Anthem For Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen

1. Dramatic Situation- war
2. Structure- Two stanzas
3. Theme- The tragedies of war
4. Grammar- proper grammar
5. Important Words- " Holy Glimmers Of Goodbyes."
6. Tone- Sad and Grim tone
7. Literary Techniques- structure, tone, metaphor, allusions.
8. Literal vs. Figurative language- most language is literal but he uses figurative language for the allusion.
9. Prosody- Slow sad flow

The Lamb- William Blake

1. The lamb not knowing who made it.
2. Every two lines are rhyming.
3. Knowing ones origins.
4. Old English.
5. curiosity
6. peaceful.
7. personification to the lamb
8. Literal Language
9. calm and steady flow

Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

1. flaws of women
2. iambic pantameter.
3. The flaws of a woman are what make her beautiful.
4. Old English
5. "My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun"
6. Honest and sincere
7. simile and metaphor
8. mostly figurative
9. easy going flow

Lit Anal Video

LA Mind Map

Discussion notes

The internet is the perfect resource for people to connect and ask questions. Even though they may be countries apart they are able to communicate. It provides help 24/7. We have been in a school environment that has always had rules and been so directed that it hurts us. We don't know how to be creative or go out on our own and learn something on our own time. One can't always be pursuing the future and living in the future or past, becuase what happens to the present moments. That is why we have the effect of time going by fast. Students and adults need to be more like young children in the sense that they don't have egos so they are constantly asking questions. More people asking questions is what this world needs. As the video said, "Every effort to change the world starts with people asking questions."

#1. How can these concepts enhance your learning as you arrive at a moment when grades no longer matter? 

Applying these concepts is exactly what needs to be done to get anything more than a grade in this class. Knowledge, skills, experience, ect. is so much more important than a grade. I think I have been living in the future and worrying about college so much that I am hardly living in the short moments I have left in high school. The last thing I want is to regret my senior year and feel as though it was wasted. And it would be beneficial to everyone if we all asked more questions as mentioned in the notes. So I want to devote more attention and participation to my classes at this time when grades no longer matter.

#2 How can these concepts enhance your ability to master content for the AP exam and other hurdles you have yet to leap?

If I apply concepts such as asking more questions, living in the present, and choosing my own path of learning, I will be very prepared for the AP test and increase my chances of passing. If I don't understand a concept in a book I'm reading I should feel ask my peers or Dr. Preston what they think. Working with my peers will provide me with several opinions and perspectives that I probably would have never been introduced to.

#3 How can you use these concepts to collaborate with and inspire others, to improve the information exchange and overall value of your learning network? 

If the whole class applied these concepts, we would all benefit. Asking more questions and having them answered by other students would us to collaborate and inspire each other. We would also be gaining knowledge that can help us pass the AP exam. Our class has been applying the internet and incorporating that in the curriculum which is bringing the class closer and again, allowing us to further collaborate.The internet is the key tool in information exchange and everyone has each other blogs they can view and gain knowledge from.

Video/article notes

 Video
"Every effort to change the world starts with people asking questions."

Table of Free Voices held in Bebelplatz, Berlin on september 9, 2006.
Themes- reinventing economics, consious recognition, politics of evidence, a perceiving eye, understanding power, the human footprint, the new global frontier, innovation acceleration.
 -goal of this event is to magnify the voices of those who are not usually heard.
-sharing wisdom is combined with modern technology to provide new oppurtunities.
-gather many opinions of people all across the world.

Article
-lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginitive, plan can keep children from growing  into happy and well adjusted adults.
-an ex-marine and engineering student shot 46 people at the university of Texas tower.
-This was due to not playing when he was a child because he grew up in a difficult family situation.
-parents shouldn't take away "free play" and replace it with structured activities such as music lessons or sports.
-kids who played with blocks scored higher on language tests than those who didn't.
-free play is ket because it challenges developing brain more than the following pre determined rules.
-animals and children do not play when they are undernourished or in stressful situations.
-develops social skills.
-alleviates stress
-kids become less anxious after playing with toys or their peers, rather than listen to the teacher tell a story.

Poetry Remix

[structure]                                 - S
[theme]                                     - T
[important words]                     - I
[literary techniques]                  - L
[literal vs. figurative language] - L

[prosody]                                   - Putting
[tone]                                         - Them
[grammar and meaning]             - Grandmas
[dramatic situation]                    - Down

Literature Analysis

Catcher in the Rye


1. Holden Caulfield is the protagonist and the narrator in the novel. He is struggling at school and failing his classes. After flunking Holden, his teacher tries to give him advice on life and his future but Holden rudely interrupts him and leaves. Holden struggles to connect with his peers and finds his hall mate Ackley extremely annoying. He is also jealous of his roomate Stradlater, who took Holden's crush Jane out on a date. When Stradlater returns from his date, Holden questions him so much that the two of them get in a fight. Holden abandons school and goes back to New York without alerting his family. While in New York, he gets a prostitute sent to his room and is initially interested in having sex with the woman. Just as she is coming on to him, Holden decides not to go through with it and sends her away after paying her. Holden then gets in a fight with the man who sent the woman to his room.
2. The main theme in the novel is alienation. Holden constantly is alienated from society and fails to connect with his peers. There are several textual examples that display his alienation from the world around him. He doesn't like or get along with any of his peers from school. He fights his roomate and hates Ackley. He also doesn't know how to act around the prostitute and fails to carry out his initial plan of having sex with her. Also when his teacher is giving him valuable advice, Holden is uninterested and leaves.
3. The tone in the novel is casual mostly but when Holden is in a conflict or deep thought it becomes more serious. When he realizes he is about to get beat up for ditching the prostitute, he becomes frantic and the tone is serious. But in certain social situations and descriptions, a very relaxed tone is presented.
4. Symbolism is a very relevant literary technique in Cather in the Rye. Holden's red hunting hat is used as symbolism while he is reading. It represents his separation and alienation to society. Characterization is another literary element in the novel. The author describes Holden and places him in social situations that allows the reader to obtain a deep understanding of how odd and irrelevant he is to society.

Literature Analysis Reading Notes

·         Narrator-Holden Caulfield

·         “bored by all that David Coperfield crap.

·         Failed all subjects except for English

·         He seems smart but just refused to apply himself

·         His teacher tells him that he flunked Holden, and tries to give him advice to think about his future but Holden interrupts him and leaves.

·         Holden appears to lack social skills.

·         He reads a book while bright red hunting cap.

·         Describes an annoying student who lives next to him.

·         This is more evidence of Holden not social connecting with his peers.

·         His roommate Stradlater, is attractive and sexually experienced.

·         He tells Holden that he is taking out a girl named Jane who Holden has feelings for.

·         Holden tries to convince him not to go out with her but when they leave, Holden sits in his room tormented at the thought of them together.

·         Holden wants to say hello to her when she comes to meet Stradlater but decides not to once she is there.

·         When Stradlater returns, Holden questions him and they end up getting in a fight.

·         This chapter seems to support the idea that Holden has problems connecting with his peers.

·         Holden describes the death of his brother Allie.

·         The night he died, Holden punched out all the windows in his garage.

·         Maybe this could be the reason Holden is socially odd, and struggles to participate in society.

·         Holden decides to go back to New York and doesn’t tell his family about it.

·         This is something that most people wouldn’t do.

·         Why wouldn’t he want to let his family know he was coming home?

·         When he arrives in New York he goes to a phone booth and considers calling some people who once meant a lot to him but then decides not to and walks away.

·         Another odd act by Holden.

·         I don’t understand why he would back out of this. What does he have to lose?

·         Holden calls a woman he has never met.

·         He got her number from a friend and he knows that she used to be a stripper and he hopes to have sex with her.

·         The two are talking on the phone and before they set up a meeting, Holden hangs up.

·         This is yet another odd social act he commits. He appears to not know what he wants.

·         Holden flirts with three women and feels as though he is “half in love with one of them”.

·         This scene made me think of Holden a little differently.

·         He surprisingly is acting smooth and like he is not a social outcast.

·         Holden recalls him and Jane’s first meeting while on vacation one summer in Maine.

·         The elevator guy sends a prostitute to Holden’s room for him

·         Holden agrees at first then when she is naked, ready to have sex, he lies and says that he recently had spinal injury.

·         And then the guy who gave him the prostitute comes in the room and beats him up.

·         Holden again acts very odd and predictably awkward.

·         Holden tells his sister that he is leaving home for good.

·         She is very sad and asks to go with him and he angrily refuses.

·         He takes her to the zoo and watches her and seeing how happy she is makes Holden happy as well.

Poem analysis: "O Captain! My Captain!"

Dramatic situation can be distinguished after gaining some background information. In the poem, Whitman, the author, is memorializing Abraham Lincoln after his death. The narrator is one of the sailors on a ship which the captain lead. There is extended metaphors within the poem. The captain is Abraham Lincoln, the ship is the union, the fearful trip is the civil war.The poem has a structure that that amplifies the mood and tone. The first two stanzas present a happy tone and the following lines reveal the sadness and disappointment with the captains death. Whitman uses phrases that reveal his respect for Abraham Lincoln as a leader. Phrases like "grim and daring" and "fearful trip". The central tone of the piece is proud/respectful. The repetition of the word heart reveals the narrator's grief over the death of his captain.

AP essays

The practice AP essay prompts were difficult, but about what I expected to see on the AP test. I didn't struggle too much with deciding on a what to write about, the hardest part was only having fifteen minutes per essay. When I finished all three, I went back to proofread and I noticed very poor structure and mechanics due to short time period. But I can definitely see how this will prepare me for success on the actual AP test.

A Tale of Two Cities lecture notes

• ·        First conceived the idea for this novel while acting in the drama The Frozen Deep, which he helped write.

• ·         “I have so far verified what is done and suffered in these pages as that as I have certainly done and suffered it all myself.”

• ·         Personal intensity in his work.

• ·         Dickens played the role of Richard.

• ·         The play had a plotline of “self-sacrifice” which he returned in A Tale of Two Cities.

• ·         Dickens met a theatrical family and fell in love with Ellen.

• ·         Resulted in him separating from his wife.

• ·         Ellen played as lucy in the play.

• ·         Dickens creates Lucie in A Tale of Two Cities, giving her some of Ellen’s appearance and that final “e”.

• ·         Originally he thought of the names Richard or Dick, rather than Sydney.

• ·         The name Richard represents a connection to The Frozen Deep.

• ·         London had double the population of Paris.

• ·         Dickens visited Paris at least fifteen times.

• ·         The novel was published a few chapters at a time.

• ·         This helped him restrict his focus.