February Literature Analysis: Jane Eyre

GENERAL:
1. Jane Eyre is brought up as a child in a terrible and very disciplined school for girls. She learns quickly to hold her tongue and do just as she is told. She is raised in the school and eventually becomes a teacher there. The girls love her and her ways. She has become a delicate young women as well as strong and independent. Soon enough, she takes up a job as a governess at a very large estate. She grows very fond of the child  and also, unknowningly, for the girl's stubborn and rude father and Jane's boss, Mr. Rochester. As their love for each other blossoms, Jane can't help but feel creeped out by the house she is living in. Strange things always seem to occur around the house. When Jane asks Mr. Rochester about the noises she hears from a locked bedroom, he simply explains to her that the noise is coming from a maid of the house who is sick and there is nothing to worry about. After leaving Thornfield for a while to visit her family, Jane returns to the awaiting love of Mr. Rochester. They end up expressing their deep compassion for one another and soon enough become engaged. As the wedding come close, Jane is still feeling a sense of fright in the house. On their wedding day, just as they are about to be wed, a man comes forward and explains that Mr. Rochester is still married to the little girl's mother and she is actually not dead, but in fact living in the very house they live in. Jane is hurt and feels used and soon leaves Rochester. After a while though, she realizes she made a huge mistake leaving the only man who she ever truly loves. She returns to find the Thornfield estate burned to the ground, and learns that Rochester's wife went completely mad and set fire to the house killing herself in the process. Mr. Rochester, trying to save her, hurt his eyes and is now blind. Jane finds out where they are all staying and finally speaks to Mr. Rochester. He thinks she could never love him now the way he is. She replys saying she will never leave again no matter what. They end up living "happily ever after".
2. The theme is independence. Jane, through the whole entire book, demands to be treated as an individual, independent person, who has her own talents and needs and wants. In the beginning, though, she is punished harshly for that independence she is so proud of, but it does not cause her to submit dependence.
3. The author's tone is subtle, expressing Bronte's own feelings through the piece. When speaking to the main character, other character's come forth as sweet and subtle towards Jane. It's mostly because she is that kind of character. Aside from the crazy wife, everything in the story is surrounded by passionate love. The tone is very passionate and sweet.
4. Symbolism: the red room symbolizes extreme trauma as a child
Symbolism: gross poridge symbolizes the humility and subjections that's unnatural for anyone to attain
Allegory: "The Madwoman in the Attic"
Imagery: fire is represented to cause tension multiple times in the story
Imagery: Jane's drawings of portraits captures her true likeliness of the world and the people she is surrouned by

CHARACTERIZATION:
1. Direct: a) Jane explaining, even as young child, how other character's looks and what they said..."Eliza was headstrong and selfish..." b) "John had not much affection for his mother and sisters, and an antipathy to me."
Indirect: a) Rochester says, " . . . you are not so unsophisticated as Adele: she demands a 'cadeau,' clamorously, the moment she sees me . . . " The author uses more direct characterization to get her points across clearly and efficiently.
2. No because she's speaking through Jane, and although Jane's feelings and outlooks may be different when thinking of other characters or other things, her words and the placement of them are still sophisticated and lovely and do not change.
3. Jane is, I would say, a dinamic character. She goes into Thornfield thinking only of her job and is strong headed. Yet, as her feelings for Mr. Rochester cloud her better judgement, she becomes this confused and frightened woman who really doesn't know what is right and what is wrong.
4. At first I hated Mr. Rochester with the passion, yet, as his kinder gentler side came through, I think I fell just as in love with him as Jane did. Yes, I also felt hurt and betrayed when I found out that he'd been lying to Jane this whole time about his wife being alive and living in the house, but at the same time I had to feel for him and know that he meant it when he only loves Jane. I came away from the book feeling like I had just returned from that era.

I AM HERE

So far, my progess in this course has been gradually increasing, yet not really at the same time. There will be times when I can see myself progressing. And then there are other times where I need to tell myself to get my things together. I have increasingly been reaching my SMART goal by paying attention in my classes and doing everything I can do get good grades in both my AP classes. I have slowly but gradually working on my senior project by thinking of different songs, what I want my cover album to be, what types of things I want to sing about, etc. I can definitely say it's been tough getting back into the groove of things, but I know I will eventually get there and I will finish strong.

What's the story?

I think Charles Dickens wrote the novel Great Expectations in order to express the theme that we will all have immense expectations that may or may not become our lives some day. He expressed this theme through his novel because, well, he is a writer, and it seems that's exactly what writers tend to do. They take our morals, ideas, and wonders of the world and incorporate them into fictionous novels for not only our mere enjoyment but rather as a life lesson. Some literart techniques that Dickens uses are his extensive amounts of metaphors and symbols that led me to this conclusion. Mrs. Havisham is not only a old woman there as a friend to Pip, but rather is a symbol of what we expect our lives to become. She represesnts the nothingness we become as our expectations become shit. Dickens takes these characters, like Mrs. Havisham, and uses her as a representation to not only Pip but to the readers as well. This comes to the conclusion that Dickens wrote Great Expectations to leave us with the lesson that our expectations may blind us from reality and may eventually make us into these terrible creatures.

Lit Terms Remixed

1. Allegory: a tale in prose or verse in which characters, actions, or settings represesnt abstract ideas or moral qualities; a story that uses symbols to make a point

 

 

 

2. Alliteration: the repitition of similiar intial sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words


3. Allusion: a reference to a person, place, event, or a literary work that a writer expects a reader to recognize


4. Ambiguity: something uncertain as to interpretation



5. Anachronism: something that shows up in the wrong place or the wrong time



6. Analogy: a comparison made between two things to show the similarities










7. Analysis: a method in which work or an idea is seperated into its parts, and those parts given rigorous and detailed scrutiny










8. Anaphora:  a device or repitition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences.


9. Anecdote: a very short story to illustrate a point












10. Antagonist: a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative


11. Antithesis: a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness


12. Aphorism: a pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life
















13. Apologia: a defense or justification againt some doctrine, piece of writing, cause, or action; apology

14. Apostrophe: a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or nonhuman is addresses directly


15. Argument(ation): the process by convincing a reader by proving either the truth or the falsity of an idea or proposition; the thesis or proposition itself


16. Assumption: the act of supposing, or taking for granted that a thing is true


17. Audience: the intended listener(s)


18. Charcterization: the means by which a writer reveals a character's personality

19. Chiasmus: a reversal in the order off words so that the second half of a statement balances the first half in inverted word order


20. Circumlocation: a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words or used but a few would have served


21. Classicism: art, literature, and music refelcting the principles of ancient Greece and Rome: tradition, reason, clarity, order, and balance


22. Cliche: a phrase or situation overused within society


23. Climax: the decisive point in a narrative or drama


24. Colloquialism: folksy speech, slang words, or phrases usually used in informal conversation


25. Comedy: originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending


26. Conflict: struggle or problem in a story causing tension


27. Connotation: implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition


28. Contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into oppostition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity


29. Denotation: plain dictionary definition


30. Denoument: loose ends tie up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion

AP PREP POST 1: SIDDARTHA

Q1. If you were the river, would you be enlightenment or would you know enlightenment? In other words, what’s up with the river? What is it’s relation to enlightenment?(http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html)
A1. I would definitely be enlightenment. When I look at a river I see a ever-changing life. Like in Pocahantas, "...the thing about rivers is you never step in the same river twice." It shows a constant flow of movement and life. It never is the same. You should always live your life like this. Although having a schedule is good, changing things up is truly living life.

Q2. What does enlightenment look like in Siddhartha? Is it a feeling? An attitude? (http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html)
A2. In Siddhartha, enlightenment is more of an attitude. You can always feel or see enlightment, but that never means you may ever change your ways. Enlightenment is definitely a way of being. Not just feeling it but actually being it.

Q3. What purpose does self-denial serve in Siddhartha? What about self-indulgence?(http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html)
A3. It gives the reason for why we all need to find ourselves. We will always be blinded by self-denial and feeling like we will never achieve what we like. This serves as the direct purpose to achieve such enlightenment and truly become ourselves.

Q4. What is the conflict in Siddhartha?
(http://www.enotes.com/siddhartha/q-and-a/what-conflict-resolution-siddhartha-364172)
A4. Discovering the true meaning of existence in the world.

Q5. How is rebirth represented in Siddhartha?
(http://www.enotes.com/siddhartha/q-and-a/how-rebirth-represented-story-different-from-377988)
A5. Rebirth is presented as the continual state of the cyclical nature of life in this novel.

I think these questions show me that definitely will need to quickly read of this novel again. The last time I actually truly read and understood this book was almost 3 years ago so I'm definitely going to need some brushing up. There were questions I found(which I didn't post due to the fact that I obviously didn't know the anwswers) which I had no idea the answers to. This shows me that I will certainly need to read over any novels used in the AP Exam maybe once or twice more.

Literary Analysis #4: The Color Purple

GENERAL:
1. Celie is abused and raped by her Pa, who takes away her children after they’re born. Eventually, Pa marries Celie off to a man who is just as abusive as Pa. Celie’s new husband looks after of his house, and work in his fields. Celie is somewhat happy to marry him because she can now remove her younger sister, Nettie, from Pa’s household. However, after Nettie lives in his household for a time without encouraging his sexual advances, he kicks Nettie out. Though Nettie promises to write to her sister, Celie doesn’t hear from her. Celie’s life gets worse and worse, as she’s now separated from the only person in the world whom she loves and who loves her back. Celie’s life changes when he brings his deathly ill mistress home for Celie to nurse back to health. His mistress, Shug, is everything that Celie isn’t: sexy, sassy, and independent. Celie quickly falls in love with Shug, and Shug falls in love back. For the first time in Celie’s life, she has a chance to enjoy sex, romance, and friendship. Together with Shug, Celie discovers the mystery of Nettie’s silence for so many decades: he has been hiding all of Nettie’s letters in his locked trunk. When Celie finds her sister’s letters, it unlocks a new world for her. Instead of being submissive and downtrodden, she realizes the full extent of the abuses she has suffered from him. This knowledge gives her the strength to leave him. Celie heads off to Memphis with Shug to start a new life. Nettie’s letters transform the way Celie sees the world. From Nettie, Celie learns that Pa isn’t actually her biological father. Celie also learns that Nettie is living with the Reverend Samuel and his family, working as a missionary in Africa. The Reverend Samuel had also adopted Celie’s two children from Pa many years back. Nettie, Samuel, and the children plan to return from Africa soon. Celie learns that Pa has died. She also finds out that the house that Pa lived in actually has belonged to Celie and Nettie since their mother passed away. So now Celie owns a home, which she prepares for Nettie’s arrival. Now an independent woman, Celie remains close friends with Shug, although Shug is not faithful or constant in their romantic relationship. Celie also gains a new friend. After she left him, he became a changed man. He’s reformed and is now a pretty decent guy. Although Celie isn’t remotely romantically interested in him, they now enjoy each other’s company. After several decades abroad in Africa, Nettie returns with Samuel, who is now her husband, and with Celie’s two children. The sisters have a blissful reunion, and although they’re now old women, we get the sense that they’ve just begun the best years of their lives.
2. The theme of the novel builds a huge significance around female relationships. Female ties take many forms: some are motherly or sisterly, some are in the form of mentor and pupil, some are sexual, and some are simply friendships. Sofia claims that her ability to fight comes from her strong relationships with her sisters. Nettie’s relationship with Celie anchors her through years of living in the unfamiliar culture of Africa. Samuel notes that the strong relationships among Olinka women are the only thing that makes polygamy bearable for them. Most important, Celie’s ties to Shug bring about Celie’s gradual redemption and her attainment of a sense of self.
3. The tone is very serious and honest. This is not a funny novel. In fact, though there may be one or two funny moments in the novel, we can’t remember them right now. This is a novel about utter hardship, sadness, tragedy – and a woman who finally figures out how to beat the odds no matter how badly they are stacked against her. Celie, the primary narrator, takes a serious look at her life through letters to God. She’s not joking around, she’s expressing the sadness of her life in the healthiest way she can. Her letters to God, and later to Nettie, are very honest. She doesn’t hide the hardship that she’s been through, her embarrassment, or shame. Essentially, the novel is intended to be like the unedited thoughts that go through a person’s mind.
4. Symbolism: The color purple represents all the good things God created in life for man.
Imagery: The pants are an image of how Celie transforms from a woman under a man's hand to her own self.
Allegory: The letters and conversations that Celie has with God is a story throughout the whole novel where she is able to maintain her sanity.
Setting: Georgia in early 20th century; small African town in early 20th century
Syntax: helps describe the time period in the early 20th century

CHARACTERIZATION:
1. Direct: The author is decribing her character's appearances; Describes the character's traits
Indirect: Celie calls Albert Mr.; Celie is explaining how she feels about Mr. The author uses more direct chracterization throughout the story because she is more of a descriptive author in the fact that she more describes the people and situations directly rather than have characters create the story by dialogue.
2. The author only uses one sort of syntax and diction because she only speaks really of Celie. The syntax is very loving and sweet when Celie is a little girl. And as she grows, so does the text.
3. Celie, the protagonist, is definitely dinamic. When she is a young child, she is scared and helpless and extremely sad. But as she grows she becomes this independent strong woman. The situations she goes through create her character and mold her into a passionate strong woman.
4. After finishing this book, I felt the deepest compassion for Celie. I felt as though I went through everything she did. I was there with her at an early age and grew up with her as she grew into this beautiful woman. She literally became a beautiful sight in my eyes. The book was no longer text, but almost like a dream. I definitely felt as though I lived through The Color Purple.

Thinking Outside the Box

Both Plato and Sartre describe the limitations of our thinking with very descriptive sort of "real life" senarios. They use descriptive stories-Plato with the prisoners in the cave unable to see around them, and Sartre with the three dead people in hell-to try and expand their reader's thinking. Plato uses the whole metaphor of the "cave" and "prisoners" to imply that our minds are covered by what we think we see and what we want to believe instead of seeing the reality of things. This really makes the reader think, may I say, "outside the box", because we don't necessarily think about this really at all. Sartre describes his hell as a typical place where three normal people meet. Yet, within the simple text, there is an extended allegory with a hidden message: we are not tortured by any specific labeled "torturers", but by the things and people around us that make us hate everything. There are things in life that just make us tick. With Sartre's story, he created a dinamic story to expand the reader's thinking into what our hell would really be. Both of there extended metaphors and allegories create a very broad range of thinking for their readers.