Peer Edit AP Exam Essays

Question #1 Essay:


        As time passes and new generations are replaced by old ones, many culturistic things change, as they should or the idea of progression would never be an option. In the article by George Eliot, she confesses that from her time and generation, leisureness has changed drastically. She uses techniques like imagery to convey her viewpoint on how widely the generations have changed while pointing fingers at the now to admit we are in the wrong and we not leisure enough.
        As you read further into the article, you realize she's talking about what life was like for someone from her time. She uses the image of his everyday life to paint a picture of how easy it once was. This gives an insight into how she say her past while proving her view on leisureness. She uses words like "jolly" and "easy" to describe the time period.
        According to Eliot, there's a "new leisure", or the now, and an "old leisure", the one she knew. She expresses that everyone back then didn't rush or worry. How everyone was at ease. Never having to worry about what might have happened yesterday or what might happen today or tomorrow. She believes everyone was actually leisure. They got up in the morning, did their things they needed to do, and went to sleep at night. Everything was just easy. She talks about "old leisure" in a way to describe her time as almost beautiful. Yet she believes times have changed for the worst and there's no such thing as "leisure" any more.
        As she describes her "old leisure", Eliot points out how destructive our leisureness is now. She states we are all worrying. Life is a task for us. We aren't at rest anymore. Pretty much, leisure doesn't exist for us anymore.
        George Eliot tries to explain in her excerpt that basically times have changed since her generation. Her time used to be easy going, jolly, and leisure. Now it seems everyone is in a hurry or always worrying about where to go, how to get there, who will be there. Leisure for us is now longer an option. Her imagery, expressio  of "old leisure", and the sharp attitude towards today's population implies her view on leisureness and how  it has changed immensly since her time. And unnfortunately for us, it may never change.






Question #2 Essay:


        Many authors seem to modify their books' morals or attitudes' of characters to build the story. They do this in a way to either create conflict or rather bring people together. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the author chooses a character who completely denies the traditions of her generation and also changes attitudes of other characters to bring them together. This then stirs the story and creates that thickening plot line readers crave and authors get praised for.
        Austen chooses her main character, Elizabeth, to completely disagree witht he idea of marriage for money instead of for love because this then creates immense conflict throughout the story between many different characters. Tradition back then was very specific and to have someone deny all beliefs of them is sure to make trouble for that character and those around him/her. During the time period of Austens' works, marriage for money was very common. This particular tradition was very significant because Austens' views of the matter came out through her books. You can tell in her work she deeply wanted the idea of marriage for only money to be changed.
        Austen's change of attitudes for both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were a crucial part for the plot and the theme of the book. As they both first loathe each other, by the end of the book their attitdues towards one another change completely and they end up, ironically, getting married. This contrasts with the tradition of marriage for wealth as they didn't follow this tradition. Their mood changes were important to the book because it eventually brought them together. And still the author intended for all of this to happen.
        By using Elizabeth as a narrator in th book, we see how Austen expresses her views through Elizabeth. This then helps pursuade the reader to see, and eventually except, the changes of tradition and attitudes. Elizabeth's active mind and influencial tone helps draw the reader in. This eventually changes the audiences' views on the books' traditions and the charactes' attitudes.
        The book Pride and Prejudice can be seen to have many modifications of events as well as characters. The author, in this case Jane Austen, actually specifically makes these modifications to advocate the storyline/theme. Little do some readers know, these changes in traditions and characteristics of characters draw them in and get them to think and view these subjects as the author intends them to.