Reflection:
In this project, our group was given a Sestina to analyze. Our goal was to find how the tone shifts created the attitude of poem. Our sestina was called Sestina Altaforte and was written by Ezra Pound. With this project, we had to analyze, storyboard, create a music video based on a style model, and present. The project as a whole seemed overwhelming at first but was easier once we got started.
The most important aspect of the project to ensure success was to work out everyone's schedule. We were able to work effectively when together but once apart, we couldn't agree on the next step. For me the most significant issue was our time constraints tied in with the complexity of our poem. It was a lot to work on when all of our schedules only matched up for 30 minutes at a time. For me, the most learning arose from interpreting the poem into a visual form, such as the music video. It was much easier to pull out what was important and what needed to be highlighted in the poem when making decisions about what to put in the music video. Initially, we spent too much time on deciding on a thesis and style model but once we realized how much more important storyboarding and filming was, we effectively got down to work. Personally, editing was the hardest part for me since I was the only one who had the software. I had never used it before and had to learn in a limited time frame.
Having finished the project, I feel confident in our product. We had bumps in the way but the end result is something to be proud of. I have confidence in being able to pick out a sestina based on its form after our project. Our group did a good job finding what made the Sestina a Sestina and portraying it visually. Knowing how our schedule's work, next time we will first dive into scheduling rather than the poem. Once we smooth out when we will meet, then we can start analyzing the project. Time management is a skill that will prove helpful in our next projects and in our futures.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Friday, September 25, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Blog #4 Open Essay
William Golding, author of "The Lord of the Flies", writes a dark, compelling story of an "adventure" gone awry when a group of kids are stranded on an island. The kids, having never lived one day on their own, were to survive in the wild. Terrified, fear ran high, bringing out the true identities of the children, some bold and some cold. The stranded kids, blinded by their need for survival, turned to cruelty to get the job done. Cruelty works as a form of oppression, ranking one above another, while reflecting the true nature of the heart in both the oppressor and the suppressed.
Originally good-mannered kids, the island made the kids lose their meaning and in effect, turned the kids into "savages". In effort to be civilized, they made an object, the conch, a symbol of power. It had the ability to bring people together and put the power in whoever held it. Meant with good intentions to enact order, the conch instead desire. Desire to rule, desire to oppress.
The cruelty is brought out by fear. Fear that stemmed from the children's will to live. Fear blinded the kids to act upon their emotions rather than reason, where their emotions lead them to enact cruelty. When the Beast is introduced, and kids go hungry, Roger, a bully, takes civilization and transforms it into anarchy, using cruelty as a tool to control the others. But cruelty in one person is like a mirror, others will reflect the personality to benefit themselves or people will run and become submissive in fear, afraid of their own reflection. Situations constantly change, and people slowly shift from human to savage, losing their moral compass for the sake of survival.
Cruelty is a form of ranking. By ranking, I mean that it tells others, "I'm better than you". If we think about, the oppressor is the big man while the rest of the population will fall under his orders. It's a way of revealing people who believe that are more superior that another.
In The Lord of the Flies, Roger is the boss of the bullies in short. Piggy, slightly more abundant in adipose and skin, glasses and everything, didn't fit in with the rest of the pack. Immediately ostracized, Piggy is put down, made fun of, and deemed worthless to everyone else. By just living and being Piggy, he is placed at the bottom of the ranks. No one has a concern about him, dead or alive, Piggy was just there.
Darkness taking over Roger and his pack, they begin to not only taunt Piggy, but use actions too. Forcing Piggy into "slavery" in simple terms and using Piggy as entertainment, the "savages" go too far and their actions end up putting Piggy over a cliff, leading to his ultimate death. In just a few days, consumed by power in the form of cruelty, the "savages" have managed to kill. This shows how even in the most mannered of people, how cruelty can grow like bacteria, spreading through-out the body transforming anyone from human to "savage".
And that's what cruelty is. It can start small and then it multiplies contagiously, spreading amongst a pack till everyone is no longer recognizable.
Reflection:
Friday, August 28th, we took a diagnostic open question essay. The prompt, in simple, asked how cruelty worked in the world by using a work of literature to defend your stance.
The hardest part for me was remembering what happened in any of the books the prompt allowed for. Remembering the plot and then having to manipulate it, unsure of whether you're talking about the right book or not, was what made me uncomfortable with the essay. In comparison to the Prose and Poetic essay, I believe it was easier to answer the prompt because it allows for more room with interpretation. I still think that my thinking could be more complex. I feel as if I am scratching the surface of glass, not quite where I need to be but in a good place.
The goal is to have a better control over my writing and stronger analysis. To track my progress, I should be able to norm where my essay with the sample one's given in class. Though totally different topics, I'll be able to see where the strength of analysis and writing lie. If I really am making progress, my essays should compare better each time with the sample open essays.
Overall, I think I could manage a 4 or 5 on this essay based on lack of significant analysis.
Essay Revision:
William Golding, author of "The Lord of the Flies", writes a dark, compelling story of an "adventure" gone awry when a group of kids are stranded on an island. The kids, having never lived one day on their own, were to survive in the wild. Terrified, fear ran high, bringing out the true identities of the children, some bold and some cold. The stranded kids, blinded by their need for survival, turned to cruelty to get the job done. Aware of their survival being dependent upon the structure of teamwork, the boys naturally turned to a pyramid of order infiltrated and propelled by cruelty. Cruelty works as a form of oppression, ranking one above another, while exposing the true nature of the heart in both the oppressor and the suppressed.
Originally good-mannered kids, the island made the kids lose their meaning and in effect, turned the kids into "savages". In effort to be civilized, they made an object, the conch, a symbol of power. It had the ability to bring people together and put the power in whoever held it. Meant with good intentions to constitute order, the conch instead represented desire. Desire to rule, desire to oppress.
Cruelty is brought out by fear. Fear that stemmed from a situational change. Fear blinded the kids to act upon their emotions rather than reason, where their emotions lead them to act with cruelty. Fear will create enemies out of oneself, fighting to take over ones conscience that discerns what is moral and immoral, turning boys from structured human to cruel savage. When the Beast, representative of fear, is introduced, testing the courage of the survivors, Roger, a bully, takes civilization and transforms it into anarchy, using cruelty as a tool to control the others. But cruelty in one person is like a mirror, others will reflect the personality to benefit themselves or people will run and become submissive in fear, afraid of their own reflection. Situations constantly change, and people slowly shift from human to savage, losing their moral compass for the sake of survival.
Cruelty is a form of ranking. By ranking, I mean that it tells others, "I'm better than you". If we think about, the oppressor is the big man while the rest of the population will fall under his orders. It's a way of revealing people who believe that are more superior that another.
In The Lord of the Flies, Roger is the boss of the bullies. Piggy, slightly more abundant in adipose and skin, glasses and everything, didn't fit in with the rest of the pack. Immediately ostracized, Piggy is put down, made fun of, and deemed worthless to everyone else. By just living and being Piggy, he is placed at the bottom of the ranks. No one has a concern about him, dead or alive, Piggy was just there.
Darkness taking over Roger and his pack, they begin to not only taunt Piggy, but use actions too. Forcing Piggy into "slavery" in simple terms and using Piggy as entertainment, the "savages" go too far and their actions end up putting Piggy over a cliff, leading to his ultimate death. Piggy is a true test to the morality of the boys, which they undeniably failed. Once he is killed, the boys have become full-fledged savages overcome by the cruelty in their hearts. In just a few days, consumed by power in the form of cruelty, the "savages" have managed to kill. This shows how even in the most mannered of people, how cruelty can grow like bacteria, spreading through-out the body transforming anyone from human to "savage".
When/if the immorality of cruelty is ever recognized, it instills shame, loss of self-respect. The irony of cruelty is that once identified, it can humble the heart. The boys, once found, were immediately disgusted by their loss of reverence, ashamed and heart changed, they went home never to be the same.
3x3
Boys constitute structure: Increased awareness:
Fear exposes identities: Test, Allies, Enemies
Recognition of irreverence: Return home
Final Reflection:
I definitely think that the 3x3 has helped me revise my essay. I didn't have very much plot summary to begin with but the 3x3 paralleled with the "hero's journey" allowed for deeper analysis. My analysis was originally very shallow but by using the 3x3, I was able to make my analysis hold more ground. By "hold more ground" I mean that my analysis was rooted deeper and showed more complex thinking. Though Lord of the Flies is not a fairytale, by comparing it to the hero's journey, I was able to pull out comparisons between the two and add it to my writing. The 3x3 has also helped me realize how much more psychological, rather than physical, the "journey" was for the boys on the island.
Originally good-mannered kids, the island made the kids lose their meaning and in effect, turned the kids into "savages". In effort to be civilized, they made an object, the conch, a symbol of power. It had the ability to bring people together and put the power in whoever held it. Meant with good intentions to enact order, the conch instead desire. Desire to rule, desire to oppress.
The cruelty is brought out by fear. Fear that stemmed from the children's will to live. Fear blinded the kids to act upon their emotions rather than reason, where their emotions lead them to enact cruelty. When the Beast is introduced, and kids go hungry, Roger, a bully, takes civilization and transforms it into anarchy, using cruelty as a tool to control the others. But cruelty in one person is like a mirror, others will reflect the personality to benefit themselves or people will run and become submissive in fear, afraid of their own reflection. Situations constantly change, and people slowly shift from human to savage, losing their moral compass for the sake of survival.
Cruelty is a form of ranking. By ranking, I mean that it tells others, "I'm better than you". If we think about, the oppressor is the big man while the rest of the population will fall under his orders. It's a way of revealing people who believe that are more superior that another.
In The Lord of the Flies, Roger is the boss of the bullies in short. Piggy, slightly more abundant in adipose and skin, glasses and everything, didn't fit in with the rest of the pack. Immediately ostracized, Piggy is put down, made fun of, and deemed worthless to everyone else. By just living and being Piggy, he is placed at the bottom of the ranks. No one has a concern about him, dead or alive, Piggy was just there.
Darkness taking over Roger and his pack, they begin to not only taunt Piggy, but use actions too. Forcing Piggy into "slavery" in simple terms and using Piggy as entertainment, the "savages" go too far and their actions end up putting Piggy over a cliff, leading to his ultimate death. In just a few days, consumed by power in the form of cruelty, the "savages" have managed to kill. This shows how even in the most mannered of people, how cruelty can grow like bacteria, spreading through-out the body transforming anyone from human to "savage".
And that's what cruelty is. It can start small and then it multiplies contagiously, spreading amongst a pack till everyone is no longer recognizable.
Reflection:
Friday, August 28th, we took a diagnostic open question essay. The prompt, in simple, asked how cruelty worked in the world by using a work of literature to defend your stance.
The hardest part for me was remembering what happened in any of the books the prompt allowed for. Remembering the plot and then having to manipulate it, unsure of whether you're talking about the right book or not, was what made me uncomfortable with the essay. In comparison to the Prose and Poetic essay, I believe it was easier to answer the prompt because it allows for more room with interpretation. I still think that my thinking could be more complex. I feel as if I am scratching the surface of glass, not quite where I need to be but in a good place.
The goal is to have a better control over my writing and stronger analysis. To track my progress, I should be able to norm where my essay with the sample one's given in class. Though totally different topics, I'll be able to see where the strength of analysis and writing lie. If I really am making progress, my essays should compare better each time with the sample open essays.
Overall, I think I could manage a 4 or 5 on this essay based on lack of significant analysis.
Essay Revision:
William Golding, author of "The Lord of the Flies", writes a dark, compelling story of an "adventure" gone awry when a group of kids are stranded on an island. The kids, having never lived one day on their own, were to survive in the wild. Terrified, fear ran high, bringing out the true identities of the children, some bold and some cold. The stranded kids, blinded by their need for survival, turned to cruelty to get the job done. Aware of their survival being dependent upon the structure of teamwork, the boys naturally turned to a pyramid of order infiltrated and propelled by cruelty. Cruelty works as a form of oppression, ranking one above another, while exposing the true nature of the heart in both the oppressor and the suppressed.
Originally good-mannered kids, the island made the kids lose their meaning and in effect, turned the kids into "savages". In effort to be civilized, they made an object, the conch, a symbol of power. It had the ability to bring people together and put the power in whoever held it. Meant with good intentions to constitute order, the conch instead represented desire. Desire to rule, desire to oppress.
Cruelty is brought out by fear. Fear that stemmed from a situational change. Fear blinded the kids to act upon their emotions rather than reason, where their emotions lead them to act with cruelty. Fear will create enemies out of oneself, fighting to take over ones conscience that discerns what is moral and immoral, turning boys from structured human to cruel savage. When the Beast, representative of fear, is introduced, testing the courage of the survivors, Roger, a bully, takes civilization and transforms it into anarchy, using cruelty as a tool to control the others. But cruelty in one person is like a mirror, others will reflect the personality to benefit themselves or people will run and become submissive in fear, afraid of their own reflection. Situations constantly change, and people slowly shift from human to savage, losing their moral compass for the sake of survival.
Cruelty is a form of ranking. By ranking, I mean that it tells others, "I'm better than you". If we think about, the oppressor is the big man while the rest of the population will fall under his orders. It's a way of revealing people who believe that are more superior that another.
In The Lord of the Flies, Roger is the boss of the bullies. Piggy, slightly more abundant in adipose and skin, glasses and everything, didn't fit in with the rest of the pack. Immediately ostracized, Piggy is put down, made fun of, and deemed worthless to everyone else. By just living and being Piggy, he is placed at the bottom of the ranks. No one has a concern about him, dead or alive, Piggy was just there.
Darkness taking over Roger and his pack, they begin to not only taunt Piggy, but use actions too. Forcing Piggy into "slavery" in simple terms and using Piggy as entertainment, the "savages" go too far and their actions end up putting Piggy over a cliff, leading to his ultimate death. Piggy is a true test to the morality of the boys, which they undeniably failed. Once he is killed, the boys have become full-fledged savages overcome by the cruelty in their hearts. In just a few days, consumed by power in the form of cruelty, the "savages" have managed to kill. This shows how even in the most mannered of people, how cruelty can grow like bacteria, spreading through-out the body transforming anyone from human to "savage".
When/if the immorality of cruelty is ever recognized, it instills shame, loss of self-respect. The irony of cruelty is that once identified, it can humble the heart. The boys, once found, were immediately disgusted by their loss of reverence, ashamed and heart changed, they went home never to be the same.
3x3
Boys constitute structure: Increased awareness:
Fear exposes identities: Test, Allies, Enemies
Recognition of irreverence: Return home
Final Reflection:
I definitely think that the 3x3 has helped me revise my essay. I didn't have very much plot summary to begin with but the 3x3 paralleled with the "hero's journey" allowed for deeper analysis. My analysis was originally very shallow but by using the 3x3, I was able to make my analysis hold more ground. By "hold more ground" I mean that my analysis was rooted deeper and showed more complex thinking. Though Lord of the Flies is not a fairytale, by comparing it to the hero's journey, I was able to pull out comparisons between the two and add it to my writing. The 3x3 has also helped me realize how much more psychological, rather than physical, the "journey" was for the boys on the island.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Blog #3 Prose Essay
The Branch, an excerpt from The Beat
Queen, America was still settling down in West. It follows two children,
and how the environment affects each differently in contrasting ways. Erdrich
diptychs their story and reactions to the environment through his sensational
imagery created by his selection of detail, tone, and the contrasting shifts in
point of view.
From the beginning, the train drops off two
children, an addition and a subtraction. It is clear that the new place the
children have stepped into, is a relatively new and blossoming place. In
reality, the place is bleak and gray. At the beginning, Erdrich describes the
soil as, "so newly tilled...the way it had in Kansas" shows us, not
only the original impression of the youthfulness of the town, but also a deeper
understanding of the settings and characters background.
Looking for the aunt, the reality of the new place
starts to sink in. The "string of houses, weathered gray or peeling gray
paint" describes the bleakness of the new town. The choice to describe the
color of the houses proves how run down and depressed the town is. But still,
the two kids trudge on.
We start to see more interest in the children from
Erdrich after their original introductions. Karl, bright, tall and skinny, is
in contrast with plain and extra-ordinary Mary with her square personality. In
contrast with the gray town, the introduction of a tree is a whole other story.
The tree is described as having a dark beauty, weakly blossoming in a blooming
but struggling town. While Mary continues to keep walking, Karl stops,
entranced by the blossoming tree.
Erdrich's decision to include the detail of the
tree magnifies how the town was a budding "industry". Weak and
beautiful, the town, like the tree, stand for a beauty that is trying to break
through.
Karl snaps out of the trance. Scared, Karl runs
back to his comfort zone, the train, while Mary runs toward her aunt. This is
due to the contrasting personality between the two and the effects of the new
town. Mary tells this part from her point of view, reinforcing the idea that
Karl is no longer part of the picture, he is the subtraction.
Through the "gray" imagery and specific
selection of detail, Erdrich shines light on the lives of two children,
one addition to the town, the other, a subtraction, both to lead separate paths
after their experience in their new environment.
Reflection:
We wrote the prose essay Tuesday, August 28th. We
were given 40 minutes to read and write an analysis describing how the
environment affected two children through Erdrich's writing.
Being a diagnostic essay, I feel like I was given a task that seemed too
much to handle at first. After I started reading it and breaking the writing
down I began to feel better about myself. The passage itself was a bit harder
to understand in my opinion and I think that was clear through my, rather
superficial, analysis. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to improve on choosing
better quotes and provide deep analysis that relates back to it.
To set a measureable goal, I need to observe how many quotes I use and
observe how much analysis I can provide from the evidence. To improve my
control of writing, I want to be able to see my diction match the type of
diction appropriate for the essay (elevated, colloquial, etc.). To see how well
I do this, I need to count how many times I use passive diction when it could
be active diction. I’ll know I’m improving when I “count” less and less passive
diction.
Overall, I give myself a 4 for lack of better analysis and weak control
of language.
Peer Edit
Divya,
First off, great job tackling your prose essay. To be honest, I saw more complexity and better analysis that I did with the Poetry Essay. I see you settling into the atmosphere of AP Literature and Composition.
I think you do a great job with comparing and contrasting Mary and Karl, not only against each other but with the environment too. I think you missed the point of the "addition and subtraction" but you definitely made up for it with your complex analysis. I'd like to see this analysis throughout the entire essay. You start off strong and then you slowly die off a little, which is fine, but I'd like to see you endure through the pain of essay writing.
I wish I had your confidence (not). I don't believe you deserve a four, but instead a 5 or maybe even a 6! Great job. Keep up the good work!
Selina
Peer Edit
Divya,
First off, great job tackling your prose essay. To be honest, I saw more complexity and better analysis that I did with the Poetry Essay. I see you settling into the atmosphere of AP Literature and Composition.
I think you do a great job with comparing and contrasting Mary and Karl, not only against each other but with the environment too. I think you missed the point of the "addition and subtraction" but you definitely made up for it with your complex analysis. I'd like to see this analysis throughout the entire essay. You start off strong and then you slowly die off a little, which is fine, but I'd like to see you endure through the pain of essay writing.
I wish I had your confidence (not). I don't believe you deserve a four, but instead a 5 or maybe even a 6! Great job. Keep up the good work!
Selina
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