Response to course material 1

So far AP literature has been an interesting class, not only the people but the subject is too. I think some important things we have learned so far is DIDLS. DIDLS stands for Diction, Imagery, Details, Language and Syntax. Now I already knew about imagery and details coulee be used to analyze works. I also knew from reading Huckleberry Finn about the importance of language. But the two newest to me were Diction and Syntax.



I never really thought of connotations and their importance in novels, I always thought if you want to tell someone something, be obvious. But diction allows you to add little details to the big picture, giving it glitter and sparkle. Diction reminds me of modern political speech, where words have secondary meaning, so you want to get public approval by being picky with your vocabulary.



The other new one was Syntax. Syntax is about sentence structuring. I have always been familiar with syntax through poetry. Whenever I wrote a poem, I had structure my sentences so they flowed well or followed a specific rhythm. This is similar to how a writer uses syntax. They structure their sentence to further address their issue. It can be repetition of a phrase, or using a rhetorical question to put emphasis.



Another thing we talk about in class is prompts. I think it is interesting because I have taken about 9 AP tests at this point so I have seen my fair share of formulas. But I think the prompt is more fluid than all the other essays. This prompt doesn't ask you to spit out information, it asks you to understand and dissect the topic more; breaking it down into three sentences give or take.



I think it is starting to click in my head, hopefully I'll understand future topics as well as this one.

Open Prompt 1

1970 Also. Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.

Characters are not the only ones that dictate the plot in a novel; inanimate objects can greatly influence the storyline. In The Lord of the Flies, the conch maintains order and democracy, allowing a civilized clan of children to exist. But as the plot progresses, the conch shows how its two purposes are intertwined as they progressively decline at the same time.

One purpose the conch serves is to maintain a democracy. In the novel, the conch allows people to voice their opinion. Who ever holds onto the counch is allowed to talk, no one else is allowed to interrupt. It allows someone like Piggy to voice his opinion which is heavily influenced by his aunt. It allows Ralph to voice his discontent with the group and their inability in getting the task at hand done. But when the conch's condition deteiorates, so does democracy itself. Jack breaks off the main group and starts his own tribe where he is chief. In his tribe, Jack rules with absolute power, punishing whoever he pleases without any reason. As the conch reaches it's breaking point, more people join Jack's tribe until it is a few people left following Ralph. When the conch finally breaks, Ralph is by himself carrying the remnants of democracy.

The other purpose the conch serves is to maintain order. The conch is used by Ralph as a trumpet in order to get childrens attention in the beginning with the purpose to figuring out a plan. From that point forward, Ralph uses the conch to call for an assembly to keep everyone on task. But as the conch loses coloring, the hunters start to ignore Ralph. Ralph can no longer maintain order as Jack and the hunters go rampant. Furthering the chaos, the children accidentally kill Simon during their frenzied dance. At the end when the conch breaks, chaos reaches its max as the hunters try to burn the island in order to kill Ralph. Their irrational and hazardous actions represent how far they have turned away from an orderly society.

The two purposes intertwine because democracy is a form of organization. When democracy was at its strongest, order was most prevalent. Ralph could get a signal fire started and organize the children into groups to accomplish tasks. Also everyone was nice and polite to each other and willing to work together. But when people started ignoring others opinions, the democracy fell apart, leading to a chaotic society led by Jack to be formed.

I think that most object's purposes often overlap each other because they all represent one general concept. An object representing two different things would confuse the reader as the object's purpose would be hard to understand. But if the object is like the conch, then we can see how its two purposes, democracy and order, are related to each other.

Close Reading 1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/why-primary-policy-fights-are-critical/2011/03/29/gIQAl3u1HK_blog.html#pagebreak
Recently, there was a Republican presidential debate in the Reagan Library. Tensions in this year's Republican nomination have been high, partly because of the polarizing politics in DC. Both Republican and Democrats hate each. As a result, it is imperative for the Republican Party to nominate a strong candidate to beat Barack Obama.

But there has been criticism on the point of the debate. Newt Gingrich argued that this only creating drama and dividing the GOP, when they should be focusing on their foe. Jennifer Rubin disagrees with this notion.

Rubin writes that debate helps find the best candidate, one who is a focused leader. She uses syntax well to help explain her argument. In her post, shorter sentences highlight her point. When she talks about reasons why people dislike primary debates, one of her sentences "But there is something else going on here as well." is relatively short. But it highlights that the fact there are multiple reasons why people don't want any more debates. Another one is "Indeed, Perry needs Romney and vice versa." which highlights the need for debate as it strengthens their public perception.

Words like "coddle" are used by Rubin to portray Perry supporters as overprotective parents. This uses of diction supporters her arguments because overprotective parents are regarded as obstacles. Another word, one of her own creation, is "punditocracy". She uses this word to portray political pundits as tyrants or too powerful, giving them a negative connotation.

Rubin also uses good command of language in this post. She uses repetition of a sentence format, " when a liberal does this, a republican does this". Also she uses repetition of the sentence format of "it and then a verb". She has "It tests...." followed by "It separates...." and then "It shows...." and finished with "And it keeps....". Rubin also uses an idiom "a broken clock is right twice a day" to illustrate the logic her conservative colleagues are using to defend their preferred candidate.

I too support debates. And now after this article I support it more than ever. I enjoyed the Republican candidates verbally sparring each other. The ones that can handle the attacks and still stand strong deserve to be in contention for President.