What I've done and plan on doing

If I am being honest I have only read half of the first chapter

I still need to accomplish the task of actually finishing the book before the year is over

My work will benefit myself in the same way that any reading helps you improve your reading capability  and your vocabulary expansion. It will benefit others by helping them see a different way to look at and dissect a book.

The Plan

The goal is to read the book Crime and Punishment and do a literary analysis on it.

The material needed would obviously be the book

The book is planned to be finished before the school year is over, as one last hurrah.

Study Journal

Today we talked about the literary terms, and studied a little for the test on Wednesday. I feel like the literary terms is an area, in which I can improve on. We also talked about books that would be good for essay prompts questions that are on the blog. Discussing why which books would be good, due to the themes, etc.

Intro Essay

A scene that reveals the values of the characters and the society that they live in is in Macbeth, where Macbeth is at a party and he sees Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth had killed his best friend, Banquo, and was now being haunted by him. Only Macbeth could see him, and talk to him, making everybody around him think that he was going mad. This scene shows what Macbeth is, a morally corrupt human being, and what society is, dark and hopeless.

A Reflection on Unstructured Learning

The first theme of the passage can be patience is a virtue. The character that is creating the costume first has to come up with the appropriate name for it. He doesn’t want to rush into anything without first getting the name. Even though it takes him a little more than two weeks to finally settle with a name. He knows that it is the perfect one.

Another theme could be that good things come in time. Not everything is going to happen to you at once. Some things take time to happen, which you have no control over. You just have to wait for that moment until it all comes together.

Three Essay Questions

1.       Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or physiological: for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot

2.        The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or, from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society.  In a critical essay analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society.  Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.

3.       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.)

Macbeth Notes

About the rise and fall of a great man. Macbeth isn’t theatrical; he doesn’t establish a relationship with the audience. Macbeth starts with a nice wife, castle, etc. He ends by being despised and alone. Macbeth is the only one doing something because he wants to, he makes the choice. He isn’t manipulated or coerced into something that he doesn’t want to do. It’s his own entire fault, he destroyed himself. Macbeth was always changing his mind, when it came to the murder of Duncan.  On one hand he knows the immorality of his choices and the consequences, on the other he has the choice of being king. Macbeth as always tempted by the witches and took what they said for truth. While Banquo was always skeptical and resisted what the witches said.

The function of Lady Macbeth in the beginning was to keep Macbeth on the thought of becoming king, telling him to act on his desires. She did convince him to kill Duncan, however Macbeth still chose himself to do that. Lady Macbeth never threatened him. Lady Macbeth eventually feels the guilt and anguish of knowing about the murders, and goes mad. Macbeth could really care less. In the beginning he felt the guilt and dread of knowing he killed Duncan, but he eventually gets over it and becomes ruthless.                                                                            

When Macbeth becomes king he embraces it. He is also overwhelmed with fear that he couldn’t deal with himself. He becomes ruthless and plans many other murders in order to, in his mind, protect the throne.        

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Macbeth Test

1.Macbeth won the respect of King Duncan by A. slaying the traitor Macdonwald. B. serving as a gracious host for his king. C. not pleading for advancement.
 2. King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him A. the Earl of Sinel. B. the Thane of Cawdor him. C. Bellona's bridegroom.
 3. In addressing Banquo, the witches called him which of these? "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I) "Not so happy as Macbeth, yet much happier." (II) "A future father of kings." (III) A. I and II B. I and III C. I, II, and III
 4. When Macbeth said, "Two truths are told / As happy prologues" he was referring to A. his titles of Glamis and Cawdor. B. the victories against the kerns and gallowglasses. C. the predictions made to Banquo and to himself.
 5. "Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it" is a reference to A. the traitorous Thane of Cawdor. B. Banquo's son, Fleance. C. Duncan's son, Donalbain.
 6. Duncan's statement, "I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing" is an example of A. a simile. B. a metaphor. C. personification.
 7. Lady Macbeth characterizes her husband as being A. "the glass of fashion and the mould of form." B. "too full of the milk of human kindness." C. "a cannon overcharg'd with a double crack."
 8. When Macbeth agonizes over the possible killing of the king, which of these does he say? "He is my house guest; I should protect him." (I) "Duncan's virtues will "plead like angels" " (II) "I am his kinsman and his subject" (III) A. I and III B. II and III C. I, II, and III
 9. Macbeth's statement to his wife, "Bring forth men-children only" signifies that he A. is proud of his wife's transformation. B. is concerned over the succession to the throne. C. has accepted the challenge to slay the king.
 10. As part of the plan to kill the king, Lady Macbeth would A. get the chamberlains drunk. B. smear Duncan's face with blood. C. arrange an alibi for Macbeth.
 11. Trace Macbeth's transformation from a good man to an evil man. First, give evidence to prove that Macbeth is a good man at the beginning of the play. The strongest evidence is to be found in the way other people think of him. In Act I, Scene ii his courage is highly praised. The bloody soldier obviously admires his captain, and Duncan is moved when he is told of Macbeth's exploits. Quote the references to "brave Macbeth" and "noble Macbeth."
 12. What motivates Macbeth to take the evil path he chooses? Macbeth is motivated by his ambition to be king. Show how that motivation is first revealed and how it operates throughout the play. Examine how Macbeth responds to the witches' prophecy that he will be king. Quote Banquo's references to Macbeth's being "rapt." Contrast Macbeth's reaction with Banquo's, demonstrating that Macbeth has a powerful desire to possess the crown.
13. What influence do the witches have on Macbeth? The point here is to investigate both the nature of the witches' power over Macbeth and the limits of that power. The section on the witches in the "Characters" section of this guide will help you.
14. Contrast Macbeth's response to the witches' predictions with Banquo's. What you are really contrasting is how two different people respond to temptation. There are two parts to their responses: how they respond immediately, and what they do as a consequence.
15. Describe the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Trace how it changes over the course of the play. At the beginning, they treat each other as equals. They have great concern for each other. He races to tell her the news about the witches; she immediately begins plotting how to gain her husband his heart's desire. Show how the murder of Duncan is a product of teamwork.
TEST 2
 1. "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight?" is a reference to the A. ghost of Banquo. B. dagger. C. bubbling cauldron.
 2. Lady Macbeth confessed that she would have killed King Duncan herself except for the fact that A. she couldn't gain easy access to his bedchamber B. he looked like her father C. one of Duncan's guards spied her on the to stairway
 3. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to A. allow Macduff to gain admission to the castle. B. remind the audience of the Witches' prophecies. C. provide comic relief.
 4. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder A. because they fear the daggers in men's smiles. B. in order to join Macduff in England. C. lest they be blamed for it.
 5. Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death by telling the hired killers that A. Banquo had thwarted their careers. B. if they fail, they will pay with their own lives. C. he will eradicate all records of their previous crimes.
 6. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by A. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo B. attempting to wash the blood from his hands C. saying to Lady Macbeth that, "Murder will out."
 7. The Witches threw into the cauldron "Eye of bat and tongue of frog"(I) "Wool of bat and tongue of dog" (II) "Fang of snake and eagle's glare" (III) A. I and II B. I and III C. II and III
 8. The three apparitions which appeared to Macbeth were An armed head. (I) A child with a crown. (II) A bloody child (III) A. I and II B. II and III C. I, II, and III
 9. In Act IV, Malcolm is at first lukewarm toward Macduff because he A. wasn't prepared to overthrow Macbeth. B. suspects a trick. C. wasn't worthy of becoming king, in his opinion.
 10. Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane when A. the witches rendezvous with Macbeth. B. the camouflaged soldiers make their advance. C. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to stand and fight.
 11. What is the significance of the line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (I, i, 10)? This line in the first scene tips us off that things will not be what they appear to be. Often, they will be just the opposite. This is a major motif in the play, and examples are numerous. Cite several. Point out that Macbeth's first line echoes almost exactly the witches' chant: "So foul and fair a day I have not seen." When the witches appear and tell Macbeth he will be king, Banquo asks why he seems afraid of things that "sound so fair?" We will learn that the "fair" news is actually foul. Macbeth will become king, and in doing so he will commit himself to a path of evil which will mean his death, and ironically, Banquo's. Choose several other examples and treat them the same way. You may want to focus on Lady Macbeth's instructions to her husband in Act I, Scene v, to "look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent undert" (lines 66-67). In other words, "look fair to cover your foul intentions." Show how she does exactly that when she greets Duncan and his party in the next scene. Other examples you can use are pointed out in the "Themes" section and the scene-by-scene analysis. You can also show how Macbeth's sense of good and evil is so corrupted that by the end "foul" and "fair" are indistinguishable to him.
12. How does Macbeth function as a morality play? Morality plays taught simple moral lessons. They depicted the struggle between the forces of good and evil to possess men's souls. The story of Macbeth is a warning to anybody who considers trying to get what he wants by doing something he knows is wrong. It cautions us that the most appealing temptations are often the most horrible traps. To show how the play gets that message across, chart how Macbeth is destroyed by giving in to temptation. Macbeth is hoodwinked by the witches, As you did in Question 3 of Test 1, list the things they tell him. Describe, how each prediction is like a delicious-looking apple which is actually poisoned. Read the scene-by-scene analysis for Act III, Scene v, for a discussion of how the witches give Macbeth a false sense of security. Security was a major theme of morality plays. The play also makes it clear that Macbeth is destroyed because evil is like a disease. Once you let it into your system, it will eat away at your insides until it kills you. Show how each murder necessitates another, and how none of the killings makes Macbeth feel any better.
13. How does Shakespeare use the technique of dramatic irony in Macbeth? Remember that dramatic irony is present when the audience knows something the characters, or some of the characters, do not. When Duncan and his party arrive at Macbeth's castle, they are unaware of the wicked plans that are being made. Their lighthearted, joking mood is ironic to us, because we know what they are really walking into. The scene-by-scene analysis for Act I, Scene vi, details the use of dramatic irony in this scene. Dramatic irony enriches the last act of the play. Macbeth has become a monster, but he's also become a pathetic figure. His desperation is obvious. Ten thousand troops are on their way to overthrow him; his own troops are deserting. And he places his confidence in the weird sisters-the hags whose suggestion that he would be king got him into this mess! We can see that he is doomed, but he cannot. He fights on, talking about his "charmed life." His failure (or refusal) to see what is obvious to us makes the end of the play much more powerful than it would be otherwise. Give several other examples of dramatic irony. You might use the scene after Duncan's murder, beginning with Macduff's entrance and continuing through the discovery of the crime. Find other examples.
14. How does Lady Macbeth overcome her husband's resistance to the idea of killing King Duncan? Lady Macbeth's resolution stands out in sharp contrast to Macbeth's wavering. One way she overcomes him is through sheer determination. Find several quotes from Act I, Scene vii, in which she makes him feel the strength of her determination. (Look at lines 54-59, for example.) She is not above insulting her husband to rouse him to action. Since she is his wife, her comments which question his manhood have an added kick. Finally, she neutralizes his fears with her practicality. After the murder she says, "'Tis the eye of childhood / That fears a painted devil" (Act II, Scene ii, lines 54-55). Find other ways in which she attempts to quiet his over-active imagination, or his visions.
15. Contrast Macduff's response to the news of his wife's and children's deaths with Macbeth's response to being told Lady Macbeth is dead The essential contrast is between a good, righteous man and a morally bankrupt one. Each man's response can be divided into three parts: 1. hearing the news; 2. accepting the news, and 3. what he does after. Examine the three stages for both men. Contrast how Macduff, who is virtuous, cannot believe the news at first. Once he accepts it, he feels the pain sharply. Macbeth, on the other hand, seems unsurprised and it is hard to tell if he feels any pain; life is meaningless, he says quickly, and everybody dies. Show the direction Macduff takes (a quest for righteous revenge). Compare it with the final, desperate, suicidal stand taken by Macbeth. Conclude by pointing out what we learn about the soul- destroying nature of evil by contrasting the two responses.

Notes On Macbeth

Opens up with 3 witches                                                                                                                                                   We first hear of Macbeth killing someone  brutally                                                                                                                                            The witches are mean and cruel, one has taken a thumb off of a sailor

Macbeth meets these 3 witches and has them tell him his future; he makes the deal with the devil. His future was that he would become thane of Glamis and Cawdor. The witches also tell Banquo that his heirs will become king. Just after this the witches vanish, and Macbeth does become thane of Cawdor as the witches had said. Making him wonder if the witches’ prophecy will come true. He became thane due to the previous thane had betrayed Cawdor and was going to be executed.

Macbeth has dinner with Duncan, the former thane, at his castle, with Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan in order to become thane. Macbeth decides to do what she says and stabs him while he is asleep. The next morning when his death is discovered by his to chamberlains, Macbeth blames them and kills them as well. Macbeth then becomes thane of Cawdor.

Banquo begins to think that if the first part of the witches’ prophecy became true then surely the second part about him could come true. He takes off for the afternoon on his horse and plans on returning to Macbeth’s feast later. Macbeth begins to think that everybody is out to get him for the crown. Including his best friend Banquo, he has two murderers hired to kill him. The two murderers kill Banquo but not his son, Fleance who escapes. Macbeth hears of this and is angry, still feeling that his power of king is threatened. At the feast, Macbeth finds Banguo’s ghost sitting in his chair, Banquo is invisible to everyone, except Macbeth. Macbeth talks to him and appears crazy to everyone around him. Lady Macbeth makes excuses for him; however she eventually has the guests leave and has Macbeth go to bed. Macbeth plans on going back to the witches in order to find out how to protect him. The next day Macbeth goes to visit the witches, the witches summon spirits who tell him of more prophecies about who to fear. He sends more murderers after Macduff, in order to protect himself.

The murderers arrive at Lady Macduff’s castle and they kill her son, when he kills the murderers’ liars. Lady Macduff runs away. Malcolm talks to Macduff and gives him a loyalty test, without Macduff’s knowledge in order to see if he is really loyal. Macduff passes and Malcolm takes Macduff in as his friend. Macduff hears of the murder of his wife and children because of Macbeth and vows revenge for it.

Lady Macbeth begins her descent into madness; she is feeling guilty about what she done with the murders. The English army joins with the Scottish army to fight and kill Macbeth. Macduff joins the English army. Macbeth feels that he can’t be harmed due to the prophecy of what the witches had said. Lady Macbeth is killed. When the battle happens Macbeth fights, believing that he cannot be harmed. He kills Lord Siward’s son and then disappears. Macbeth meets with Macduff and Macduff kills Macbeth. When the battle is over, Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland

Literature Analysis

The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald.

Characters: Jay Gatsby: The main character of the story lived in poverty as a child. His one goal in life was to become rich, not only to escape poverty but mainly to try and impress Daisy Buchanan, the love of his life. He does everything to try and win her.

Nick Carraway: Nick is the narrator of the story. He is the narrator because he happens to be Daisy Buchanan’s cousin, which lets him help in the affair between Jay and Daisy and everyone seems to entrust in him their secrets.

Daisy Buchanan: She was in love with Jay, but when he left for the war, she found Tom and married him. The only things that Daisy really cares about are money, being wealthy and living in luxury. She can’t seem to really show affection for the people around here.

Summary: Nick Carraway moves to New York in the West Egg district in Long Island. His neighbor is Jay Gatsby, who has huge parties every week. Nick goes to a dinner party, with his cousin, Daisy and her husband Tom. They introduce Nick to Jordan, who he has a relationship with. Jordan tells Nick that Tom is having an affair, with Myrtle. Nick goes to one of Gatsby’s parties and he meets Gatsby, with Jordan. Through Jordan Nick finds out more about Gatsby and his lifestyle. Gatsby then wants want Nick to create a meeting between him and Daisy. Nick does this and Gatsby and Daisy begin an affair. After a while Tom begins to suspect of his wife’s affair. When he figures out that it is with Gatsby he approaches Gatsby and says that Daisy and he have a history and he can’t ever comprehend it, she then tells his wife that Gatsby is a criminal and he obtained his fortune from bootlegging. Daisy then stays faithful to Tom and leaves Gatsby. When Nick Jordan and Tom are driving through the valley of ashes, where Myrtle lives. They find that Gatsby’s car has hit and killed Myrtle. When they go back to Long Island, Nick finds out from Gatsby that Daisy was driving, when she hit Myrtle, but Gatsby is going to take responsibility. Tom tells Myrtle’s husband George, that Gatsby killed Myrtle. George then assumes that Gatsby was Myrtle’s affair. George then finds Gatsby and kills him then shoots himself. Nick holds a funeral for Gatsby calls it off with Jordan and moves back to the Midwest.

Theme: A theme from The Great Gatsby is the shallowness of the upper class. Daisy cares about no one except herself and being rich. She only really cares about material items and possessions.

Notes On Macbeth

Shakespeare got Macbeth from Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles. Shakespeare changed the story for three main reasons.  The dramatic purpose of creating a more exciting story, the thematic purpose of creating a more complex characterization of Macbeth and the political purpose of sticking with the beliefs of the monarch, King James the First. Shakespeare changes many things in order to flatter King James and his political agenda. Shakespeare takes the Chronicles, and uses bits and pieces of it to make a good story. Macbeth became king when he killed the previous king, Duncan. This was actually not a big deal. It was common for a Scottish king to be killed, as to let the new king take his place. Shakespeare changes Macbeth’s actions to create a heightened dramatic situation.

Top 3 Blogs

 tjhrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com

 kerhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com
nmrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com

Mindmap

https://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show/150169901

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

Setting: The setting is in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression.

Theme: The main theme in the story is the coexistence of good and evil. The children see the world through innocence, while the adults see it through evil. The children start as seeing the world as innocent, but end as seeing the corruption.

Tone: The tone starts out as innocent, being through the eyes of the child. As the story progresses it gets darker, as the children begin to see the evils of the world.  

Summary: The story is told through Scout Finch, a young child who has a brother Jem. Their Father, Atticus, is a lawyer. Scout and Jem become good friends with a boy called Dill. They eventually venture onto their neighbors land, called the Radley Place. They sneak onto the property during the night and they get shot at by Nathan Radley. During the escape Jem loses his pants, when he goes back for them he sees that they are fixed and placed on the fence. Presumably by Boo, Nathan Radley’s brother. Atticus one day decides to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, in court accused of raping a white woman. His decision brings a lot of heat to his children who still live in a racist community. As the trial takes place Atticus provides sufficient evidence to prove that Tom is innocent and accused wrongly. However the jury still decides that he is guilty of raping and is convicted of the crime. Tom tries to run away and is shot and killed. This really is the transgression of innocence to evil through the children. The final transgression of good to evil was the accused woman’s father Bob Ewell decides he needs revenge on Atticus and his family. One night he attacks Jem and Scout, but Boo comes in and protects the children, and in the process kills Bob. Boo is protected by the sheriff, and the children see the world in a whole new light.

Discussion Notes

Notes:

It’s important for a child to play in the early years of their life, allowing them to develop socially.

This class is customized to you. Allowing you to do what you want and get the results that you want. It’s up to you on how much effort you put into the assignment. While in class you shouldn’t be afraid to ask a question, somebody most likely has the same questions.

As a child a transition from no structure to structure or vice versa should be done gradually. Having a transition can be a shock and they might not be sure as what to do.

1a. These concepts can enhance my learning by motivating me to do what it is I want to do/learn about. Making sure that I ask questions about something that I don’t understand or want to know more about, not only in this class but any class.

1b. These concepts can enhance my ability to master content for the AP exam by allowing me to focus on what it is that I feel is my weakest point, or what it is that I would need more help on. I can use my partner for any help that I need.

1c. I can use these concepts to collaborate with others by working with others who are interested in learning about a topic or are in need of the same help that I am. Getting with other people who are having similar troubles or problems that I have, and working together to find out what it is that went wrong.

Literature Analysis

1.       The plot of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding is about a group of young boys stranded on an island, during a time of war. All of the boys meet on the beach and elect Ralph as the leader of them. Ralph allows Jack to be the leader of the hunter group. They hunt for food. Ralph creates another group to create a signal fire, in case of a passing ship. They use Piggy’s glasses to start the fire, however they lose control of the fire and it kills a “littleun.” One day a passing ship goes by, and the signal fire was unlit. Ralph went to scold Jack about this, but when he found him, Jack had just got his first kill and was going crazy over it. Ralph calls together a meeting and a littleun plants the idea that there is a monster on the island. That night an airplane battle starts over the island. A dead pilot parachutes down and gets stuck in a tree. Jack and Ralph both hear about this and go to see what it is. When they get back, a meeting is held and Jack claims that Ralph is a coward and he should be removed from the leader position. The boys refuse to, and Jack in anger leaves and creates a new tribe that he is the leader of. A little boy, Simon, gets a vision of the beast on the island, he goes to return the group, and he is pounced on and mauled to death. The only ones feeling any remorse are Piggy and Ralph. Jack’s group starts a raid to steal Piggy’s glasses. When they are stolen Piggy and Ralph go to take them back. Ralph is taking hostage and Piggy is killed. Ralph escapes and runs away, being chased by Jack. He eventually makes it to the end of the island where he finds a navy officer. Being saved, he breaks down in tears.

2.       A theme of the book is a loss of innocence. All the boys start off as young, sweet and carefree. At the end of the book, the majority of them have turned into savage killers, doing whatever they want.

3.       The author’s tone is pessimistic. He never seems to think that the boys were going to make it off the island, and they were all going to live.

4.       Five literary elements that helped me understand the story were symbolism, imagery, simile, metaphor and theme. The theme’s really brought out the essence of the story. That no man is safe from himself, and that every man has a beast inside of him.

9 Elements

1.       The speaker of the poem is a single person, talking about what no one has thought or cared to talk about.

2.       The structure of the poem is lines 1 – 3, 4 – 7, and 8 – 11.

3.       The theme of the poem is to expect the unexpected. The poem starts off by saying what you are expecting, and gives you something completely different.

4.       There is no usage of commas or semicolons to indicate a pause in thought. Possibly to keep with the poem’s tone.

5.       Three important images are “ A chameleon who blends in.” “A golden dove in a sea of white doves.” “ A red tulip among the white tulips.” These three images show something that stands  out from the rest of the crowd, which is what the poem itself is trying to do.

6.       The important words in this poem are “ No one cares to write about,” it’s showing the thoughts that nobody has cared to write about.

7.       The tone of the poem is unenthusiastic, the speaker seems like he/she could care less about what they are writing about.

8.        A literary device that helps convey the meaning of the poem is imagery. The speaker creates a couple different images that help show what the poem is trying to do, which is stand out from everybody else, do what no one has done before.

9.       The structure and flow of the text help convey the author’s meaning by being written in a simple language and having it easy to understand. There is no complexity within the poem.

A Tale of Two Cities 10 - 15

Dickens is setting up the place and time the book is set in. Taking place in England and France in 1775.  In England people there is utter chaos. People are stealing from everywhere, it is very unsafe. There is no real protection, from the police. In France they are having extreme and excessive violence issues.

Literature Analysis

1.      The plot of “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger is of Holden Caulfield telling his story that took place between the end of the fall semester and Christmas. It starts off with Holden being in the Pencey prep school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. This is his fourth school that he has had to transfer to for failing. Holden gets into a fight with his roommate Stradlater, over a girl that he likes. After their fight Holden decides to leave Pency and return to Manhattan. Holden takes a cab and checks himself into the Edmont Hotel. In his hotel room he calls someone who he thought used to be a stripper, hoping to get some. However he is denied. He then proceeds to go into the Lavender Room, where he meets 3 women in their thirties. He dances with one of them and starts to like her; however the 3 women leave him. Holden eventually ends up going back to his hotel room. While taking the elevator to his room he meets Maurice, who offers him a prostitute. Holden accepts, and when “Sunny” shows up he has second thoughts and decides to not do what he was planning on doing. He pays “Sunny” so she will leave, and goes to bed. The next day he calls Sally Hayes, a girl he dated in the past. They arrange to meet up, and when they do they go to a Broadway play. Afterwards they go ice skating, and after both being horrible at that they get a table. Holden tries to talk her into running away with him but she says no. Sally leaves and Holden calls Carl Luce, his former student advisor. They meet for a few drinks, but Holden eventually ticks Carl off, who leaves. Holden who is drunk now, sneaks into his apartment building to wake his sister, Phoebe, up. He tells her everything, which makes her mad at him. Holden leaves and calls his former English teacher, Mr. Antolini; he meets at his house, where he spends the night. The next morning he leaves and goes to Phoebe’s school with a note saying he is leaving. Phoebe wants him to take her, and they go to the zoo.

2.      A theme of the book could be isolation. Holden constantly gets annoyed with himself or others and can never seem to get close to anyone. He always distances himself.

3.      The author’s tone is sarcastic. Holden constantly makes sarcastic comments about people or towards them. Almost every chance he can make a sarcastic statement, he does.

4.      Five literary elements that helped me understand the story were symbolism, imagery, irony, tone and theme. The tone helped set the mood of the entire book, being sarcastic and arrogant.

BQ

Edmondson 1

Mitchell Edmondson

Dr. Preston

AP English

29 January, 2012

How Do Dreams Relate To The Real World?

            To start off what is a dream? A dream has many different meanings. The first being that it is a form of thinking that occurs when there is a certain level of brain activity. The second is that a dream is something we experience because the thinking of the dream feels very real and actually incorporates our senses. The third is a dream is what we remember when we wake up, so it is "a memory" of the dreaming experience. The final meaning is a dream can also mean the story of the dream that you tell others about.  As this is the only way anyone else can ever know about somebody else’s dreams.    

Throughout history, civilizations have wondered what dreams are, that they mean or how dreams work.  For example the Greeks and the Egyptians thought that dreams contained important messages, foreshadowing a good or bad fortune. The Romans thought that the dreams would happen based upon who you were as a person. Believing it was your job, social status and your overall well-being that affected your dream.

Every night when you go to sleep you enter two basic forms of sleep, and throughout the night you cycle through these forms. The first is called Slow Wave Sleep

Edmondson 2

(SWS). The second is known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM). The SWS stage has three parts to it. The three parts are called Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM). The first stage of this called N1 is when you are “drifting off to sleep” it only lasts for a few minutes. In N2 you lose consciousness, as you enter a deep sleep. The final stage, N3, you enter the deepest sleep. Typically this is when sleepwalking will occur, as this is the hardest sleep to wake out of. After SWS you enter REM.  Most scientists who work on dreams and dream theories tend to agree that your dreams occur when you enter this stage of sleep. In REM, your body paralyses your skeletal muscles. This way you don’t act out what you are dreaming. However this is also how sleep paralysis can occur, as you consciously become awake, however your muscles are still paralyzed. People will have sleep paralysis and actually dream that something is nearby ready to harm them, and it causes a scary experience, as you feel awake but you cannot move.

When you are sleeping your brain is still very active, it never rests. While you sleep your brain is does different things. One of them is recovering forgotten skills. As you sleep your brain helps restore and remember skills that you have learned during the day.  Research at the University of Chicago showed that people, who learn a difficult task at the beginning of the day, can’t remember it very well 12 hours later. However after a nights rest they were able to accomplish the same task. Another task researched at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston College is your brain decides what memories to keep and enhance so that you won’t forget them and what memories to let

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fade away. Your brain decides based upon how emotional you felt that the experience was. The more emotional the event, the stronger your brain makes that memory.

Bibliography

"Dreams: FAQ." UC Santa Cruz - Information Technology Services - ITS Template. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://www2.ucsc.edu/dreams/FAQ/index.html>.

Common Questions About Dreams - International Association for the Study of Dreams." The International Association for the Study of Dreams. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://www.asdreams.org/subidxeduq_and_a.htm>.

Dominationtnn, PopUp. "What Is Your Brain Doing While You Are Sleeping?" Advanced Life Skills — Strategies for Positive Change. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/what-is-your-brain-doing-while-you-are-sleeping/>.

"Dream Moods: Dream Research: The Sleep Cycle." An Online Guide To Dream Interpretation. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamresearch.htm>.

"Dreaming and Dreams FAQ Frequently Asked Questions." Memory Brain Mind Research Technology Induced Altered States Using Binaural Beat Brainwave Syncronization Tapes Brain Wave Entrainment Technology for Altered States Meditation Relaxation Lucid Dreaming Stress Management Sleep Aid Enhancedlearning Depression Anxiety Self Help Zen. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://web-us.com/dream/dreamfaq.htm>.

Grohol, John M. "While You Sleep, Your Brain Keeps Working | World of Psychology." Psych Central - Trusted Mental Health, Depression, Bipolar, ADHD and Psychology Information . Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/08/03/while-you-sleep-your-brain-keeps-working/>.

"Why Can’t You Remember Your Dreams? – Sports Science Zone." Sports Science Zone. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://sportsj11.imascientist.org.uk/2011/06/why-cant-you-remember-your-dreams>.

"Your Brain Refuels While You Sleep." Wellformative. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://pressman.wellformative.com/your-brain-refuels-while-you-sleep>.

"Why Do We Dream - Theories of Why We Dream." Psychology - Complete Guide to Psychology for Students, Educators & Enthusiasts. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/p/dream-theories.htm>.

Why Do We Dream? | Psychology Today." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness Find a Therapist. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-literary-mind/200911/why-do-we-dream>.

A Tale of Two Cities Explained

I think that Charles Dickens named his book “A Tale of Two Cities” because it is set in two different cities. Both of which are having problems. The French city of Paris is showing the peasants who are being under minded by the aristocracy. In the English city of London the British barrister is being depleted.

Poem

An Unaverage Poem by Karlee Arnold

I bet you expect me to write about something every one writes about
Something that rhymes and is silly
Or something that is serious and focused
But I am here to do neither
I am here to write about my unaverage poem
I write about the things no one cares to write about
The things no one cares to look upon
I am not a chameleon who blends in
I am a golden dove in a sea of white doves
A red tulip among only white tulips
I write just wrote the poem no one cares to write about

My reason for choosing this poem is that it is a poem that no one has thought of. The poem is unexpected because there is no real reason for writing this poem. It doesn’t have a real point to it other than, there is no point.

Big Question Abstract

Many different cultures all interpret dreams to their own degree. The Egyptians and Greeks both thought that dreams contained important messages, foreshadowing a good or bad fortune. The Romans thought that the dreams were based upon the person. Believing that it was the person’s job, social status and their overall well-being that affected the dream. The point of finding out is to really understand what goes on in the brain, when it is trying to connect things in the dream world to the real world. What is happening in there? To find information about this I plan on learning more about the brain, through book and the internet, mainly online articles.