In class, we finished our Hero’s Journey unit last week, leaving many options for my blog post. Over the past weeks, while working with the hero’s journey, we compared different elements of the journey between different stories and texts we worked with. Although “Beowulf,” “Grendel,” “Canterbury Tales,” and “Inferno” were all part of the unit, most of our work dealing with the stages was based off of the first two texts. Most of our work with “Inferno” was trying to comprehend the text, so I’m going to explore Dante’s heroic journey.
Dante’s story begins in a forest, where Dante has been exiled. His life isn’t going the way he wanted it to go, and he certainly doesn’t seem to have any special circumstances with his birth or early life. In what seems to be his midlife crisis, Dante meets Virgil, who seems to be his helper throughout his journey, his guide through the circles of Hell. Virgil is helping Dante because of Beatrice, who awaits Dante in Heaven. Dante accepts his call to adventure because of his love for Beatrice, and the journey begins with Virgil guiding him.
The pair enters Hell in Vestibule, before the first circle of Hell. Virgil leads and comforts Dante through, and the two begin to move from circle to circle. Although the text is clearly organized by which circle or which part of each circle the pair travels through, Dante’s tests are not physical, but mental: understanding and handling each sin and punishment makes Dante feel mentally strained. Dante witnesses many great historical figures and people he has met or remembered, making more of a strain to understand some of the sins and why they are punishable. Some of the people Dante meets are helpers on their own, preaching to Dante or arguing why they shouldn’t be in Hell. Dante listens to everyone who speaks to him, gaining more from some than others.
It is hard to give the story a “final battle” type climax, but Dante made his way all the way down to the ninth circle of Hell and witnessed the devil with his own eyes. Dante and Virgil’s flight is very interesting and confuses Dante, where the two quickly ascend from Hell in minutes when it took them three days to explore Hell in its entirety. Returning to the normal world is not explored in detail, as the story ends, but Dante’s elixir is his knowledge gained from exploring Hell and understanding all of the possible sins he may commit. Dante emerges a new man, on Easter Sunday, ready to live the second half of his life.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Guest Blogger: Sarah S.
In the last week or so, we have now started to work on essay writing and the skills with it in preparation for our AP exams in May. So far, I have found it interesting what all goes into a well-written essay. We have now gotten the opportunity to score some essays, just look at others, start the process ourselves (without actually writing a whole essay), and now, finally try writing our own in a limited amount of time. It has definitely been a growing process so far.
What I find interesting is that all of the prompts we have looked at so far have always related to how literary devices and techniques are used by the author to get a certain point across to their audience. Therefore, we have had to learn more literary techniques. Now we know that diction is word choice, syntax is how those words are put together, tone is the feeling of the piece, and imagery uses the senses to put the reader into what the characters are going through. We have also looked at figurative language devices such as similes, metaphors, personification, apostrophes, symbols, allegory, paradox, and irony. All of these help a writer convey their thoughts and feelings to their readers in different ways. I am starting to find out how beneficial knowing what these techniques do really is. Out of curiosity, I got onto the College Board Website (they help with AP testing), and I found a list from them which includes even more techniques, some that I have never heard of before. I am not going to list all of them, but a few of them include “…rhetoric, attitude… atmosphere, voice, speaker, thesis, ideology, persuasion, paradox, allusion, ambivalence… and aphorism” (Study Skills: Writing).
Besides just what we have seen in the prompts, we are also learning how to write effectively and, in addition, in a specified amount of time. It is definitely a skill that, I am sure many of us need work on. Another fact I found out on the College Board site is that the AP English Literature test itself is comprised of 55 multiple choice questions and three essays that we have to write in two hours (Sample Questions…). By the end of this unit, we will all definitely feel very prepared for the AP exam and any other times we will get to write essays.
Works Cited
“Sample Questions and Scoring Guildlines.” College Board. 2009. 27 October 2009. < http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/samp.html?englit>
“Study Skills: Writing.” College Board. 2009. 27 October 2009. < http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/writing.html?englit>
What I find interesting is that all of the prompts we have looked at so far have always related to how literary devices and techniques are used by the author to get a certain point across to their audience. Therefore, we have had to learn more literary techniques. Now we know that diction is word choice, syntax is how those words are put together, tone is the feeling of the piece, and imagery uses the senses to put the reader into what the characters are going through. We have also looked at figurative language devices such as similes, metaphors, personification, apostrophes, symbols, allegory, paradox, and irony. All of these help a writer convey their thoughts and feelings to their readers in different ways. I am starting to find out how beneficial knowing what these techniques do really is. Out of curiosity, I got onto the College Board Website (they help with AP testing), and I found a list from them which includes even more techniques, some that I have never heard of before. I am not going to list all of them, but a few of them include “…rhetoric, attitude… atmosphere, voice, speaker, thesis, ideology, persuasion, paradox, allusion, ambivalence… and aphorism” (Study Skills: Writing).
Besides just what we have seen in the prompts, we are also learning how to write effectively and, in addition, in a specified amount of time. It is definitely a skill that, I am sure many of us need work on. Another fact I found out on the College Board site is that the AP English Literature test itself is comprised of 55 multiple choice questions and three essays that we have to write in two hours (Sample Questions…). By the end of this unit, we will all definitely feel very prepared for the AP exam and any other times we will get to write essays.
Works Cited
“Sample Questions and Scoring Guildlines.” College Board. 2009. 27 October 2009. < http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/samp.html?englit>
“Study Skills: Writing.” College Board. 2009. 27 October 2009. < http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/writing.html?englit>
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Process Paper due Oct. 20
Process Paper – Unit One “The Hero’s Journey”
Choose one of the following options and compose a well organized essay.
1. Explore Grendel as the archetypal Anti-Hero. How does he fit into this character archetype. What aspects of his character contradict this archetype? Use examples and quotes from the text to support your answer. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2. Compare/contrast the Miller and the Wife of Bath from Canterbury Tales. How does Chaucer characterize these two pilgrims? How do their views of life differ from one another? Use examples and quotes from the text to support your answer. Do not merely summarize the plot (you must address BOTH characters).
3. Numbers often have significant meanings (lucky number 7, unlucky number 13, etc.) Explore the motif of the number 3 throughout Dante’s Inferno. Where is it used, how is it used and why is it used? What significance does that number have to the overall message of the poem? Use examples and quotes from the text or outside research sources to support your statement. Do not merely summarize the plot.
This paper is to be completed entirely outside of class. As with all process papers, you will be expected to adhere to standard MLA formatting and citations. Any source that you use (including the text) needs to be cited. The length requirement for this paper is as long as you need to make your statement and support it using examples from the text…probably around 3 pages. This paper must be submitted to Safe Assign on Blackboard and a hard copy is due in class on Monday, October 20th.
Choose one of the following options and compose a well organized essay.
1. Explore Grendel as the archetypal Anti-Hero. How does he fit into this character archetype. What aspects of his character contradict this archetype? Use examples and quotes from the text to support your answer. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2. Compare/contrast the Miller and the Wife of Bath from Canterbury Tales. How does Chaucer characterize these two pilgrims? How do their views of life differ from one another? Use examples and quotes from the text to support your answer. Do not merely summarize the plot (you must address BOTH characters).
3. Numbers often have significant meanings (lucky number 7, unlucky number 13, etc.) Explore the motif of the number 3 throughout Dante’s Inferno. Where is it used, how is it used and why is it used? What significance does that number have to the overall message of the poem? Use examples and quotes from the text or outside research sources to support your statement. Do not merely summarize the plot.
This paper is to be completed entirely outside of class. As with all process papers, you will be expected to adhere to standard MLA formatting and citations. Any source that you use (including the text) needs to be cited. The length requirement for this paper is as long as you need to make your statement and support it using examples from the text…probably around 3 pages. This paper must be submitted to Safe Assign on Blackboard and a hard copy is due in class on Monday, October 20th.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Guest Blogger: Chris B.
In AP literature, we are currently finishing the last cantos (chapters) of Dante’s Inferno, a famous piece of literature showing the sins, punishments, and overview of hell through the eyes of Dante. He is traveling with a poet spirit named Vigil, who helps him get to the top of a mountain by traveling through Hell. The Stages of Hero’s Journey are extremely difficult to find in this piece and almost completely inapplicable. The best stage I could find is the Crossing the Threshold, shown by Dante and Virgil entering Hell. “Then he moved on, and I behind him kept.” This is the last line of the first Canto, basically telling the audience that Dante and Virgil are making their way to the Gates of Hell.
Dante’s depiction of hell is very complex, making the chart in the back of the packet very beneficial. There are a total of nine circles, with many different complicated sub categories, most of which I personally find either unnecessary or prominent enough to be its own circle. For instance, the eighth circle has quite a long list of sins, ranging from flattery to theft to even sorcery! Also, I find little difference between the lustful and the seducers, let alone why they each deserve their own circle. Regardless, Dante manages to adequately cover all sins mentioned in the Ten Commandments, so I no right to judge/complain.
The message of the story isn’t entirely clear, but I believe that it has something to do with scaring people into behaving properly. I also think that the tale of Santa Claus has an analogous relationship with Dante’s Inferno, in that they both have the same message, but deliver it in a very different way. While Santa Claus rewards good behavior, Dante’s Inferno condemns bad behavior. Dante’s text is littered with poetic justices; for example, the flatterers are submerged in poop, because in life everything they said was bull crap. Although in the end, both Dante and the creator of Santa Claus are mainly trying to encourage admirable actions. AP Lit is a class that I like for its difficult work, as well as the amount of help received for it. I hope this class continues in this manner.
Dante’s depiction of hell is very complex, making the chart in the back of the packet very beneficial. There are a total of nine circles, with many different complicated sub categories, most of which I personally find either unnecessary or prominent enough to be its own circle. For instance, the eighth circle has quite a long list of sins, ranging from flattery to theft to even sorcery! Also, I find little difference between the lustful and the seducers, let alone why they each deserve their own circle. Regardless, Dante manages to adequately cover all sins mentioned in the Ten Commandments, so I no right to judge/complain.
The message of the story isn’t entirely clear, but I believe that it has something to do with scaring people into behaving properly. I also think that the tale of Santa Claus has an analogous relationship with Dante’s Inferno, in that they both have the same message, but deliver it in a very different way. While Santa Claus rewards good behavior, Dante’s Inferno condemns bad behavior. Dante’s text is littered with poetic justices; for example, the flatterers are submerged in poop, because in life everything they said was bull crap. Although in the end, both Dante and the creator of Santa Claus are mainly trying to encourage admirable actions. AP Lit is a class that I like for its difficult work, as well as the amount of help received for it. I hope this class continues in this manner.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Guest Blogger: Senia L.
For the past week, we’ve been reading the adventures through hell. I’m not positive on what Dante’s message about his passages, but it is organized in a nicely fashioned way. He splits hell into 9 circles, some containing rings and bolgias. Every structure is basically the setting, sin committed, and their punishments for their actions. Although sometimes hard to understand, this story isn’t all too bad. The chart in the back of the packet makes things really easy to fallow. Dante uses many literacy devices like diction. On Canto XII 4th stanza down, “The infamy of Crete was stretched along…” instead of saying it was far. Also I would like to put my opinion towards the two main characters, Dante and Vergil. It never really mentions the sin Dante committed. So what are some possible things he could have done? He displays a variety of emotions ranging from pleasure, to pity, to sympathy, to horror and revulsion when going to circle to circle. For example, when the wrathful person, whether it is a demon or spirit, strikes at him, Dante has no pity and would strike back. Something that I still have a hard time figuring out is how Dante seems to know so many people in hell. Apparently there are a lot of famous people from Italy and other parts of the world. Why has Dante included some of characters from Greek mythology, the bible, etc? I am still uncertain on his Dante’s opinion of hell and the structure of hell. Virgil on the other hand displays virtues that appear to a Roman. I think he is the Dante’s perfect guide considering that he has wisdom and reason. He explains things to Dante easily. Sometimes he wants Dante for his sympathy towards the sinners, but at the same time telling him that their soul is there to be punished for their bad deeds. I wonder what Virgil’s opinion on hell and the structure of hell.
When reading each canto, turning after turning each page, I realized this rising action and feel that the climax is coming close. Maybe the climax has already passed. In any case, I think that the climax is going to be near the last circle. With a suitable story structure, comes the structure of the whole plot. In a surprising way, hell seems very organized from Dante’s point of view. It probably gives the reader the option to see what would happen if they were to create a sinful event. When Dante and Virgil travel through the circles, you see the repetition of setting, sin, punishment, and others. It points out that the reader knows what is to be expected in the next canto but in a different manner. Although the reading is hard to understand, the structure makes it easier to follow.
Now that we have talked about Dante’s message or motif about the inferno, I have my thoughts on that subject. I would agree with Sarah S. and Quinn J. about how it’s sort of a warning to the reader, especially at that period of time, not to commit sins or they would have to pay a price. This was probably very effective back then and a help for churches. Also it gives the reader a chance to see what they can change or prevent themselves from being in a situation like the sinners in the Inferno. I’m looking forward to see what happens next!
When reading each canto, turning after turning each page, I realized this rising action and feel that the climax is coming close. Maybe the climax has already passed. In any case, I think that the climax is going to be near the last circle. With a suitable story structure, comes the structure of the whole plot. In a surprising way, hell seems very organized from Dante’s point of view. It probably gives the reader the option to see what would happen if they were to create a sinful event. When Dante and Virgil travel through the circles, you see the repetition of setting, sin, punishment, and others. It points out that the reader knows what is to be expected in the next canto but in a different manner. Although the reading is hard to understand, the structure makes it easier to follow.
Now that we have talked about Dante’s message or motif about the inferno, I have my thoughts on that subject. I would agree with Sarah S. and Quinn J. about how it’s sort of a warning to the reader, especially at that period of time, not to commit sins or they would have to pay a price. This was probably very effective back then and a help for churches. Also it gives the reader a chance to see what they can change or prevent themselves from being in a situation like the sinners in the Inferno. I’m looking forward to see what happens next!
Poetic Justice
As a comment (you may do so anonymously, but include your name somewhere so I can give you credit), describe a specific sin with a suggested, detailed punishment that ought to be included in Dante's Inferno but isn't. Perhaps you might include a sin more evident in our modern world than the ones Dante knew 700 years ago!
Due Monday, October 12, 8am.
ps - I encourage you to read a student blog and comment!
Due Monday, October 12, 8am.
ps - I encourage you to read a student blog and comment!
Go to Hell (as Dante in his Inferno)
Coming out February 10, 2009,you can be Dante diving through the depths of Hell to rescue Beatrice while battling sins, punishments, and yourself.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Guest Blogger: Conner M.
After reading a few of the Canterbury Tales, I came to realize that the text of the translation of its text was much more similar than that of Beowulf (which, in its case, was Old English). And after discussion of the importance of the story itself, as well as note-taking techniques, we had only taken a short amount of time to discuss the language itself, which, depending on your view, can be (mostly) interesting. I, however, did not want to discuss that. Instead, I wanted to talk more about Latin and French, which was more common for story-writing before Chaucer’s time.
As we have learned, because of the large control that Catholics had on society, Latin was mostly the language for writing stories (which I’m assuming was for its classical and traditional significance in older tales), as well as French. This brings about a great question. Why would anyone continue to use a language that was not spoken significantly for the publishing of massive works of literature if few spoke it (let alone teach entire classes in the language)? Even today, there is debate between Catholics whether church masses should be entirely in Latin (Pope Benedict the 16th, anyone? Read the news someday), and more and more traditions between cultures continue to be pressured to conform to standards which may seem more popular (for example, many countries are trading in their cultural clothing for the more widely recognizable casual clothes accredited to the western Hemisphere. Many South Koreans now have their weddings in U.S. style tuxedoes and white dresses as opposed to more ethnic ceremonial attire). Though, there should be a fine line between tradition and plain ridiculousness, right? I mean, Latin has been the tradition of it’s time for years! But few even speak it… does that mean that the current language of English is much inferior to an older language which has proven its worth? Who likes change? Apparently Chaucer, who obviously knocked everyone into a new sensibility for the modern age when he wrote his Canterbury Tales -in the language of the people. This was, of course, much easier to read for the common person, and had the potential for a wider variety of readers. Why didn’t I think of it? Haha.
What if it had become completely acceptable, no, unwritten law, to formulate major and popular web pages (I.e. Google, Wikipedia, Facebook) in an obsolete language that no one would recognize? Say-I don’t know- Sanskrit. It would, needless to say, be a very niche market the developers would be aiming for. Because the language is obsolete to the common person, who are the majority of web surfers, this would just not be acceptable today, in a time when ideas travel as fast as you can hit the “submit” button (who has the time to learn that crap, anyway?). Isn’t it fair to say that the British were holding back in the same way? Granted, the languages were, and are still, considered very fine, and have continued to be passed down from the original respective countries where they completely permeated the entire culture. But because transport to other countries wasn‘t widely available in the time of more ancient languages, was it even relevant at the time for them to worry about whether others other cultures consider themselves “fine“? Well, aside from the war, and the slaves, and the… okay, but you get the point. But whether it was or the 1300s or the current day, cultural differences will always continue to be a much debated topic, and their mystique may continue to be a reason others try to hold on and “borrow” separate aspects.
As I would hope you may understand, language structure has a huge influence on our society, and especially in our media. Of course, it makes it very hard to exchange thoughts if no one can understand the basis of your words, so conformism is important in some aspects. Though, why can’t we all just learn Latin and have a better understanding of older literature. Heck, why don’t we all learn Spanish? Why should others have to go through the trouble of learning our language, and not vice versa? What would be the difference, anyway? Does tradition vs. sensibility even seem like a worthy fight? Find out next time… or not.
As we have learned, because of the large control that Catholics had on society, Latin was mostly the language for writing stories (which I’m assuming was for its classical and traditional significance in older tales), as well as French. This brings about a great question. Why would anyone continue to use a language that was not spoken significantly for the publishing of massive works of literature if few spoke it (let alone teach entire classes in the language)? Even today, there is debate between Catholics whether church masses should be entirely in Latin (Pope Benedict the 16th, anyone? Read the news someday), and more and more traditions between cultures continue to be pressured to conform to standards which may seem more popular (for example, many countries are trading in their cultural clothing for the more widely recognizable casual clothes accredited to the western Hemisphere. Many South Koreans now have their weddings in U.S. style tuxedoes and white dresses as opposed to more ethnic ceremonial attire). Though, there should be a fine line between tradition and plain ridiculousness, right? I mean, Latin has been the tradition of it’s time for years! But few even speak it… does that mean that the current language of English is much inferior to an older language which has proven its worth? Who likes change? Apparently Chaucer, who obviously knocked everyone into a new sensibility for the modern age when he wrote his Canterbury Tales -in the language of the people. This was, of course, much easier to read for the common person, and had the potential for a wider variety of readers. Why didn’t I think of it? Haha.
What if it had become completely acceptable, no, unwritten law, to formulate major and popular web pages (I.e. Google, Wikipedia, Facebook) in an obsolete language that no one would recognize? Say-I don’t know- Sanskrit. It would, needless to say, be a very niche market the developers would be aiming for. Because the language is obsolete to the common person, who are the majority of web surfers, this would just not be acceptable today, in a time when ideas travel as fast as you can hit the “submit” button (who has the time to learn that crap, anyway?). Isn’t it fair to say that the British were holding back in the same way? Granted, the languages were, and are still, considered very fine, and have continued to be passed down from the original respective countries where they completely permeated the entire culture. But because transport to other countries wasn‘t widely available in the time of more ancient languages, was it even relevant at the time for them to worry about whether others other cultures consider themselves “fine“? Well, aside from the war, and the slaves, and the… okay, but you get the point. But whether it was or the 1300s or the current day, cultural differences will always continue to be a much debated topic, and their mystique may continue to be a reason others try to hold on and “borrow” separate aspects.
As I would hope you may understand, language structure has a huge influence on our society, and especially in our media. Of course, it makes it very hard to exchange thoughts if no one can understand the basis of your words, so conformism is important in some aspects. Though, why can’t we all just learn Latin and have a better understanding of older literature. Heck, why don’t we all learn Spanish? Why should others have to go through the trouble of learning our language, and not vice versa? What would be the difference, anyway? Does tradition vs. sensibility even seem like a worthy fight? Find out next time… or not.
Guest Blogger: Christian C.
| As I was copying the description of my perfectly imperfect grandmother from my Literary Techniques packet to my Writer’s Notebook after school today, the importance of diction really hit me. Diction may be defined simply as word choice. However, this element of an author’s style is responsible for quite a bit. It is diction’s duty to convince the reader; to change one’s perspective. Although extra baggage is not generally viewed as an attractive feature, Garrison Keillor describes sagging stomachs in such a way that makes one prideful of his or her weight in Home. “Most men wear their belts low here, there being so many outstanding bellies, some big enough to have names of their own, and be formally introduced. Those men don’t suck them in or hide them in loose shirts; they, let them hang free, pat them, they stroke them as they stand around and talk.” Likewise, the abilities of my Grandma’s wart to smile and her slow, limp-like hobble to be friendly and welcoming are due to diction. The word choice creates characters and molds the reader’s opinions of those characters. Another example which is hopefully familiar to our AP Lit Class is the portrayal of characters in Grendel versus those in Beowulf; the most obvious being Grendel. In both works he is a human-hunting beast. However, in Grendel, the reader feels sorry for the misunderstood monster, and even if he or she doesn’t agree with Grendel’s nihilist outlook on life, may like his character.. Unferth shows another sample of differing diction. In Beowulf, he is merely a mouthy jerk, and in Grendel, he is an under-appreciated yet still disliked by at least Grendel) persevering, loyal hero. The diction in Dante’s Divine Comedy, The Inferno, however, varies greatly with that in the works mentioned above. There are no fun twists included to glorify the circles of Hell.. Instead, the word choice is used to reveal how horrible every detail of each circle really is. For instance, Cerberus is described as more than a dog-like, flesh-feeding, beast: “Red eyes he has, and unctuous beard and black,/ And belly large, and armed with claws his hands;/ He rends the spirits, flays, and quarters them.” These lines also show the complexities Longfellow decided to use in the syntax of his translation. The unusual structure makes for a reading experience in which one can only hope to refrain from pulling one’s hair from his or her head.
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