Response to Course Materials

These past couple of weeks have been interesting enough as far as school goes. AP Lit is still my favorite class, and is really the only class that I consistently enjoy. Exams are only two weeks away, and it is an understatement to say that I am worried. I don't have any experience with taking AP exams so it really will be a hit or a miss for me. I got my AP exam study guide, so I suppose I'll be alright.

One thing that we did toward the beginning of this unit was Critical lenses. There are so many different lenses to consider when reading a work. I'm still moderately confused on this one because it seems like lenses are more of a personal template for criticism rather than "different ways we can interpret". I mean, yeah I can understand how a feminist critic would interpret a work, but should I be applying it to my criticisms? Personally, I often find myself contemplating the psychological aspects of the literature we read in class. That's just how I think.

We also did another set of Open prompts. They are getting A LOT easier to do now. I do have a confession to make on the subject. I wrote my last open prompt part 2 using Fifth Business. This was probably a bad move on my part because we had not discussed it in class at the time. So, who ever reads this post, I hope you know this before you read my open prompt post because there is a 100% chance it is terrible. I think it will be interesting to look back and compare my thoughts on the book from when i wrote the essay and when we finish our in-class discussions.

We also finished Frankenstein. I don't really have much to say on this, and I think I talked about it a bit in my last RCM. Cool concepts, exceptional book, interesting intentions and effects.

Fifth business. Oh my, Fifth Business. Anyone in 6th hour probably has an idea of how much I love this book. It is my favorite work that we've read in class, BY FAR. There is just so much to think about from this book, every single event and detail serves a purpose, and I can not wait to unravel the mystery with my class. I also am anticipating some future conflicts in out class discussions because I feel that this book can be interpreted on a lot of different platforms.

30 seconds of mythology. I did it, it took like an hour, and it was interesting.

The End.

Open Prompt Part Two: 2005

2005 Prompt: In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess “That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.

Open Prompt Part One: 2005 Student Responses

2005 Prompt: In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess “That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.

A: This essay is exceptional because its theme statement effectively assesses the prompt and formats the student's argument. The student clearly understands the format needed for a organized AP essay (ending each body paragraph with synthesis to the overall meaning of the work), and has a writing style which is clear and enticing. Great essay, it could use a bit more organization and transition between ideas, but succeeds at providing an in depth analysis of the work.

B: This essay is accomplished with a strong thesis and analysis of Nora's inward struggle and outward conformity. However, the writer does not effectively answer the prompt in the conclusion. He states that the author is commenting on the sexism of a specific society, however, the meaning of a work should be able to translate to any era and society throughout time. This essay does not look into the play with depth and lacks the caliber of writing that would be expected.

C: Right off from the start this essay has technical errors; NEVER restate the prompts and ALWAYS include the author's full name with the first mention of the work's title. This essay does not have a clear thesis in the introductory paragraph. The questioning of identity of the protagonist is completely different than the inward struggle vs. outward conformity mentioned in the prompt. The writer does not discuss the meaning of the work at all and fails to answer the prompt entirely.

Response to Course Materials

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are finished! We finally finished reading and analyzing the play... kind of. I don't think our class actually came up with a theme statement for the play, which supports our title as the least-productive class! Overall, I really liked the play. I missed a lot of class over the past couple of weeks, so I think I may have missed quite a bit of class discussion and analysis. This is a real bummer because out of all of the works that we have gone over in class, this one may be the one that we could use the most during the AP exam essay. Like what I said in the previous RCM post, when we were in the middle of our discussion process, R&G really tripped me up. Now I am contemplating the meaning of life during basically every past-time, from long car rides to the boring parts of physics class. Who am I kidding? I contemplate the meaning of life in every part of Physics class. That shit is boring.

The next thing we did on blogger was our peer reviews. I got some interesting comments from some interesting people, which is always fun. I also got some great feedback that I am definitely going to use during my editing session. Last time we got comments, I completely forgot to do my blog revisions on time and it totally came back to bite me! Not happening again, and this time I'll do even better. Just as Jimmy Carter once said, "You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can."

Frankenstein was also started during this past couple of weeks. I have yet to form an opinion on the book. I also would like to point out that this is the first work that we have read that was not created primarily to be performed on stage!

We also found out through the Kahoots how terrible we actually are at learning on our own. The
whole Critical lenses and literary eras was difficult, but I think I got the jest of it.

Open prompts are getting a LOT easier. The second time around, I kind of had a feel for what I was supposed to be doing. I also think that my essay that I wrote turned out 100x better. I went to Schuler's on a Sunday afternoon (it was surprisingly not busy) and sat in the corner and got to work. I may have gotten too deep on the open prompt, but hey you only live once, right?

Open Prompt Part Two: 2004

2004 Prompt: Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes’ observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

Open Prompt Part One: 2004 Student Responses

2004 Prompt: Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes’ observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

N: This essay on the novel, Candide, is very persuasive on the topic of how the main character manages to raise  question, answer it, and not answer it at the same time. Much like the philosopher who wrote the novel in the first place, the author of this essay leaves the answer to the question open to interpretation. I mostly think that this is a good thing. Additionally, I got the feeling that the essay-writer had a list of words that they were going to use on their AP exam. Overall the author lacks originality and is generally repetitive.

J: While the writer makes understanding the novel easy for the reader, he may have dwelled on the plot more than needed, ultimately creating a defect in analysis. Well, to be quite honest, this essay is just like every other one. Too general (due to the lack of time), too vague (due to lack of physical materials during the thought processing), and poorly articulated (due to the fact that it was written by a high schooler). Needs work.

UU: too general not enough plot points. This author is incredibly vague with everything that he brings to the essay. The plot is hardly discussed, which disrupts the reader due to the fact that we are not expected to be familiar with any work that is being brought up in the essays. The theme statement is also vague, in that I have no idea what it actually is. Finally, the relation to answering the prompt is also incredible inadequate because it leaves the question too open. No novel goes without a purpose, and while contemplation is required upon finishing, the resolutions that the reader reaches should be alike in some ways. This essay was also way too short and failed to expand on idea properly.

Open Prompt Part Two: 2003

2003 Prompt: According to critic Northrop Frye, “Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.

Open Prompt Part One: 2003 Student Responses

2003 Prompt:
According to critic Northrop Frye, “Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.