Jessica Parra's AP LitComp Blog: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

AP Studying: Day 2

I focused on poetry. I reviewed the nine elements. What helped me a lot is reviewing my old Spanish Literature notebooks from last year. We did a lot of poetry analysis. This really helped me refresh my memory. I then looked up some poems in English and tried applying what I had reviewed to the poetry. I always told myself that analyzing poetry in Spanish was easier that English. My mentality on this has changed and I now feel more confident about analyzing poetry in English now.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

A Reflection on Unstructured Learning

This passage is from the point of view of a super hero. There was one major theme I picked up on: self-doubt (the word is even directly stated in the text). The speaker keeps doubting himself and does't know what to do with himself. He struggles with his confidence. In the end, everything comes together for him and finally finds the name he has been searching for. He stumbles on it when it was least expected.

As I read this passage, I was the one with the self doubt. I am the one who was doubting myself for the AP test. I need to have the confidence that I can do well on this test.

' "Nite Owl." I liked it. Now all I had to come up with was the costume.'

We as AP English students have been given all the resources that we need. Now we need to take them all in and "deliver the goods."

AP Exam Studying....

I actually did not do what I said that I was going to do. I glanced around at the essay prompts and noticed that they frequently ask for tone. I then realized that I always use the same words to describe the tone of a passage. I went online and looked for some new words that I could use to replace my mundane ones (serious, sad, etc). This is what I came up with:

Looking at these two different list really helped me and I think will strengthen my essay writing.

I also realized that I never fully understood what syntax was. I was able to find this great source.

http://schoolhousebooksweb.com/syntax.html

I also reviewed essay writing. I read the "Analyzing Prompt" document that Dr Preston posted up.

This also helped a lot. There was sample essays that helped me to set standards for myself on the test.

I also reviewed the AP terms and tried to apply each of them to a novel I had read.

This weekend I mostly focused on the essay writing. This coming week I plan on focusing on the multiple choice.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Essay Prompts: Macbeth

1979 Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of
recognized literary merit who might, on the basis of the character’s actions alone,
beconsidered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and
why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more
sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.

1977 No prose selection (instead, had the following prompt: A character’s attempt to recapture or reject the past is important in many plays, novels, and poems. Choose a work in which a character views the past with such feelings as reverence, bitterness, or longing. Show with clear evidence how the character’s view of the past is used to develop a theme in the work.)

1997 Joy Kogawa’s Obasan: Analyze how changes in perspective and style reflect the narrator’s complex attitude toward the past. Consider elements such as point of view, structure, selection of detail, and figurative language.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

AP Test Study Plan

I think that gathering a group of people outside of class would also be very beneficial.I need to work on the multiple choice, I think that I can write a passing essay. The multiple choice has always been difficult for me. I would also need to go back and review the literature we read in the beginning of the year. My biggest concern is the multiple choice and grammar. I will take practice multiple choice sections.I will do this by using the resources Dr Preston has post.ed on the blog

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Recorded by Alex Rea Thursday, April 19, 2012

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Macbeth by William Shakespeare [Notes]

Macbeth: Act 1

Macbeth proves himself a hero at Scot's battle. The king then decides to give Macbeth a promotion.
The prophecy: The witches come across Macbeth and tell him that the king has given him a promotion (thane) and that he will later become king. They tell his friend Banquo that he will not amount to much but that his children will.
Banquo seems doubtful of the witches. Macbeth ponders about it.
King Duncan=father of Malcom
Duncan shares with everyone that his son Malcom will be the heir to the throne. Macbeth wonders about this because the witches said he would be king.
Ominous weather = tragedy or disaster ahead.
Since he heard of the prophecy he yearns to become king....it may be a self-fulfilling prophecy
Lady Macbeth is ambitious and wants to have Macbeth seize the thrown my any means necessary.
The king will join Macbeth and his wife for dinner. Lady Macbeth says they should kill the king then.
Macbeth: thinks things over and "chickens out" and decides not to kill Duncan. His wife is angered and disappointed. She convinces Macbeth to kill the king
She is somewhat Macbeth's driving force....makes him appear somewhat weak. She is kind of like his "back bone"

Macbeth: Act 2

Macbeth is feeling paranoid and guilty over killing Duncan....this is unusual. One of the only Shakespeare characters to feel this way.
Macbeth finally kills the king but does not fully carry out their plan. He was frightened as he killed the king.
Lady Macbeth is again frustrated with Macbeths' cowardice and finishes off the plan herself (puts the daggers in chamberlains room so it seems like they killed the king).
Macduff and Lennox come to visit the king and discover him dead. Macbeth claims he killed the chamberlains because they killed the king.
Malcom feels he is not safe since his father was murdered.
Foreshadowing: weather, animals behaving strangely.
Macbeth is now to be crowned king. Malcom is suspect because he has fled.

Macbeth: Act 3

Macbeth still feels extremely guilty. His wife as well
Macbeth fears Banquo because he knows of the prophecy....he has hired some men to kill him.
The murderers kill Banquo but fail to kill his son Fleance. Fleance is now another threat to Macbeth...he is a potential heir to the throne. The prophecy said that Banquo's children would be king or something of that extent.
During a dinner with their court, Banquo's ghost appears to Macbeth and Macbeth talks to him and makes himself look crazy.
Hecta the goddess of mischief and witchcraft tells the witches to keep Macbeth in confusion.
Malcom has now sought help from King Edward.

Macbeth: Act 4

Macbeth goes to see the witches and they tell him that Macduff is a threat. Macbeth sends murderers to kill him and his family.
Macduff and Malcom become allies and together want to overthrow Macbeth.
Macduff now swears to take revenge on Macbeth since he has murdered his family.

Macbeth: Act 5

The English and Scottish army will now fight against each other. The English army is led by Malcom.
Lady Macbeth kills herself from guilt.
Malcom's army are carrying pieces of tree to disguise the size of the army. Malcom sees this and remembers that this type of wood will mean his death.
Macduff shows up with Macbeths head.
Malcom is crowned king.