Journal 5/15

My earliest memory of what I wanted to be when I grew up is sitting on my mother's lap and watching her study to become a medical assistant. I told my mother I wanted to become a doctor so I could take care of my her and my father.  I remember saying I'll buy her a big house and my father a beautiful ranch with animals. For a long time, making that dream come through was what motivated me to become successful. Overtime, I changed my career goal to something I see myself doing. I tell my parents I'm either going to work in a lab for research or become a pharmacist. I still say I'm going to buy them a big house with a beautiful ranch, but now it might take a little longer because of my career choice.

Journal 5/9/13

The AP exam was as expected. I was able to finish my essays with time to spare and thats because of my practice. By looking at promts and doing multiple choice questions I learned to pace myself. I'm pleased with how I answered the questions and expect at least a 3 on the exam.

JOURNAL 5/8/13

I have to do good tomorrow so I could be exempt from taking summer courses at Cal Poly this summer. With all the practice I've had, I know I'll get at least a 3 on the AP Exam. Tonight I will look over my Lit Analysis one last time, and read over poems that previously been used.

May 7, 2013

JOURNAL TOPIC: Create your own.

Last night I looked over my Lit Analysis to prepare myself for the open prompt question.  I used other blogs as a resource and spent most of my night reading about books. It was time well spent and I remembered the tiny details I had forgotten. I suggest everyone do this within the next couple of days because it's a great way to refresh your memory.

I tried to rewrite an essay last night on the Poisonwood Bible and that's what started my night. I revisited my notes because I failed to remember simple details likes names and their backgrounds. Last night helped out and I feel a lot better going into the open prompt question that before. 

Did it work?

JOURNAL TOPIC:
You've written a lot this week; is there anything left for you to practice/improve over the weekend?  Do you need to practice more multiple choice?  Take inventory-- one last time-- and describe how you will address any areas where you feel less than 100% confident.

I had the chance to test myself this Saturday when I went to Cal Poly for my English Placement Test. It was a timed test and this allowed me to prepare for my AP Test this week. I did better on the multiple choice questions and I know it's because of the repeated practice. I wrote an essay in 45 minutes and was proud to find myself with time left to spare. This week and weekend has improved my writing and allowed me to manage my time wisely. I feel more confident going into this upcoming test than before.

I've been helping myself write better by looking at essay topics and doing a prewrite. By writing out my thoughts, I've seen the flow of my essays improve. I need to work on timing and give myself more than 5 minutes to edit my essays. This is something I'll work on within the next few days.

Another In Class Essay

Sidney uses poetic devices to convey a negative image towards desire. He changes his diction, uses imagery and restates the meanings behind his ideas. He see's desire as evil and want his reader to understand his suffering. 

As you continue to read, you notice his use of diction in every line. Repetition and diction are used together to repeat how damaging desire could be. He has a negative attitude towards this topic, and wants others to see it through his eyes. His beliefs are strong and reinstated throughout the text. By finding a connection between emotion and desire, we feel for his troubling experiences. 

One is able to image his troubled attitude towards desire as he states, "With price of mangled mind, thy worthless ware." Desire comes with a price, and a life lesson to be learned. It's meant to destroy someone and we see that as we continue to read. "But then in vain thou hast my ruin sought," this starts a list of tragic outcomes as we enter his mind and learn why he feels this way.

His negative thoughts for desire become a warning label for readers. He allows us into his mind and shows us his experiences with desire. His attitude is strong for he commits to comparing desire and destruction. He uses personal experience to convey his message and ends with, "Desiring naught but how to kill desire." 

In Class Essay

At Least 2 Essays

Essay # 1

[1994] Poems: “To Helen” (Edgar Allan Poe) and “Helen” (H.D.)

Prompt: The following two poems are about Helen of Troy. Renowned in the ancient world for her beauty, Helen was the wife of Menelaus, a Greek King. She was carried off to Troy by the Trojan prince Paris, and her abduction was the immediate cause of the Trojan War. Read the two poems carefully. Considering such elements as speaker, diction, imagery, form, and tone, write a well-organized essay in which you contrast the speakers’ views of Helen.

In both poems, Helen of Troy is described through contrasting tone, imagery and diction. One poem shows a speaker full of hate, while another a speaker full of love. They see this woman through different eyes, and that allows the poems to contrast. As the poems progress so does their passion for what they see in Helen of Troy. 

In H.D.'s poem, the diction that's describing Helen of Troy is negative but understandable. She displays a negative image of Helen of Troy, as she writes about her many features. She attacks her beauty by saying, "All Greece reviles   the wan face when she smiles." H.D. uses diction to show that Helen of Troy's beauty has a dark side. As for Poe, he uses his diction to portray his love for Helen of Troy. His diction is made up of emotions and comparisons. He compares things to show how strong his love is for her. The speaker uses this method to show he fell in love with her beauty. 

As the poem progresses, H.D. makes Helen of Troy a horrible person. The speaker wanted us to picture Helen of Troy as a woman you wouldn't want to follow. She does this by saying, "All Greece reviles   the wan face when she smiles." The speaker uses imagery to portray an unwanted woman. As you continue to read, her imagine becomes clear. H.D.'s tone wanted Helen of Troy's features to become ugly. Her gloomy tone makes the reader doubt Helen of Troy's appearance.

Unlike H.D., Poe uses imagery to reveal the woman whom he's in-love with. The speaker introduces her beauty and compares it. Poe's tone is romantic, creating an inviting and informal read. He uses this technique to create Helen of Troy's image. "On desperate seas long wont to roam," The speakers tone shifts from happiness to loneliness to prove that his love for Helen of Troy is alive.

Both poems contrast Helen of Troy using similar methods. Tone, imagery and diction allow a reader to see the good or bad of knowing Helen of Troy. One speaker used these techniques to display Helen of Troy as an unwanted woman. Another speaker displayed Helen of Troy as a sweet and motivating woman. Both speakers described Helen of Troy as they saw her, but they each left a contrasting image in our minds. 

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Essay # 2

2006B Poem “To Paint a Water Lily” (Ted Hughes)

Prompt: Read the following poem carefully. Then write an essay discussing how the poet uses literary techniques to reveal the speaker’s attitudes toward nature and the artist’s task.

The poet's attitude is gentle as he tries to paint a picture of a lily. Techniques like imagery and diction help the speaker' attitude and his task. Although he gets distracted, it's done on purpose to describe his surrounding. 

Hughes opens his poem with a gentle lily when he suddenly changes subjects. The poet showed how easily distracted one could be when surrounded by nature. After every few stanzas, the topic changed and one could envision something new. You were able to see, "The flies' furious arena: study These, the two minds of this lady. " The author used imagery to draw our attention to the surrounds of the lily. Nature is what making the lily beautiful. 

Hughes diction is limited to words used in nature. He sets the mood by using detailed diction and it allows a reader to imagine themselves with the lily. "First observe the air's dragonfly That eats meat, that bullets by," he uses this technique to introduce the many creatures that lie within nature. As he changes subjects, his stanza's describe a scene. "Under the trees. There are battle-shouts And death-cries everywhere hereabouts " The poet uses this technique to keep his readers entertained and focused. 

The poet creates an active setting as he attempts to paint a lily. Imagery and diction allow a reader to see nature's beauty. By having multiple interactions with nature, the poet demonstrates his attitude towards nature. By not getting frustrated and being inviting, the reader could see his love and patience for nature. 

Journal: April 26

Select your favorite poem from the work you've done so far this week.  Briefly describe how its language (i.e., diction, syntax, imagery) and structure (rhyme, rhythm, form, shift/s) contribute to your understanding of its meaning.

My favorite poem has to be "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda. I chose this poem from the rest, because I'm able to relate to the words. The diction allows a reader to create an image and understand his message. "Well, now, if little by little you stop loving me I shall stop loving you little by little." This text is straight forward. As it shifted, I understood that he went from talking about letting go of his partner to becoming a devoted lover. 

Vendler Grid: In You The Earth

In You The Earth

by Pablo Neruda

Vendler Grid

Meaning	The love someone has for mother nature and her growth over time.
Antecedent Scenario	He was appreciating what he had in front of him.
Structural Parts	The shirt occurs after he describes a delicate flower.
Climax	"but suddenly" -It goes from talking about growth/time to features/love.
Other Parts	The beginning differs from the end because it seems likes he's admiring mother nature. He ends by describing woman features, leaving a lasting impression.

Skeleton
Content Genre- games
Tone	Gentle and admiring.
Agency	Mother Nature is the agent throughout the poem.
Roads Not Taken	He could have mentioned
Speech Acts
Outer and Inner Structural Forms
Imagination	Your able to imagine mother nature herself, but as a real woman. His references are vivid and connected to a woman's "body".