Asel Kul.
There are three different types of beliefs when it comes to the question "where does evil come from?"; epicurus, manichean, and monotheist. epicurus is the belief that god is benevolent and omnipitent and all is for the best. Humans cannot critisise god or god's plan nor can they fully understand his greater work. Alexander Pope wrote "An Essay On Man" with this belief, writting about how humans have their place in the world and that every missfortune happens for a reason, for the greater good. The second belief is manechean, also known as dualism, which is focused on the idea that good and evil are fighting an eternal battle with no ending. The idea of the yin-yang harmony, that there's a little bit of good in evil and a little bit of evil in good. The third reasoning is monothist a belief that there is a powerfull God but humans have free will and are able to make their own decisions. We haven't come across manichean yet, but we have read epicurus and monotheist works.
Right now we are reading Candide by Voltaire, a story about a young man's adventures through a missfortune filled life. Voltaire satarises Pope's Essay on Man by compressing every possible horrible phenominom into Candide's life and by including the character Pangloss who is an epicurus pholosopher. Pangloss believes that all missfortunes happen for a better world "all is for the best. For if there's a volcano at lisbon, it couldn't be anywhere else. For it's impossible for things not to be where they are. For all is well" (pg 30). At the beginning of the story, Candide innocently believes Pangloss and the idea that everything is for the greater good, but throughout the book the monothist belief is introdused through other characters and their own personal stories. After Cunegonde told Candide of her missfortunes since the attack of the Bulgars, she said that she no longer believed in Pangloss' theory that everything is for the better world. This put even more doubt into the philosopher's theory because when voyaging to the new world, Candide says "We're going to another world, it must be the one in which all is well" (pg 41). Candide no longer accepts the world given to him in Europe and believes that he can find a better one in the Americas, therefore using free will and transitioning from epicurus to monotheist.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Guest Blogger: Kristine Brown
This week in AP Lit we started the semester by learning about satire. There is so much more to satire than simply being funny. Satire by definition is a literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. Unlike literature, which aims to instruct and please, satire aims to improve humanity and/or society. There are five parts to satire: target, type, approach, technique, and aim.
The targets of satire can be a place, person, type of person, or society and/or institutions. There are two main types of satire: horation and juvenalian. Horation is gentle, funny, and makes the audience realize how silly the problem being presented is. On the other hand, juvenalian is angry and arouses moral indignation through bitter attacks.
The types of satire are direct, the satirist speaks out directly against the target, or indirect, narratives which the characters make themselves look silly.
There are several techniques used in satire. High burlesque is when a trivial subject is treated in a very serious matter and low burlesque is when a serious subject is treated in a comic manner. Parody is a close imitation of a specific style and/or approach. Parody is not always satire. Caricature is the exaggeration of prominent features in a flat character and a lampoon is round character which ridicules itself. Other techniques include irony, litotes, hyperbole, song, poem, etc…
Finally, the aim of satire is to bring about change and improve the world. When analyzing a piece of satire, one must find the specific aim of the piece.
Now, apply the five parts of satire.
The Diet That Works
Range Rover Rachel is preparing to pray
She checks her mascara, her hair seems okay
She assembles her prayer-stool, it's upholstered with wool
Her brown shiny knees won't become at all dull
Places prayer stool on carpet, it was made in Iran
Many coloured but subtle, won't compete with her tan
You can buy them mail-order, or online from Habitat
She prays for her midriff - three ounces of puppyfat
''Kensington, Atkins, high protein or none?
I've tried every diet but the lard hasn't gone
I've bought special devices, focus workout on tummies
I've tried to stop eating by sucking at dummies.''
Didn't expect an answer, but a vision she's seeing
Thank God for body-hugging, guaranteed panty-line free, super-absorbent undies, Rachel fears she is peeing
''YOU WONDER,'' says God, ''WHICH SCHEME MAKES YOU THINNER?
THE HUNGRY AND HOMELESS - INVITE THEM TO DINNER.''
Copyright Peter Fairbrother
Next, identify the five parts.
Target: people obsessed with their appearance
Type: Juvenalian- author’s tone and God’s remark is bitter
Approach: Indirect- the target is never stated
Techniques: Irony- Rachel worries about three pounds while there are homeless, starving people. Caricature- Rachel’s obsession on her appearance is exaggerated
Aim: to show people they should stop worrying about their appearance and focus on serious problems such as world hunger .
Finally, use this information to create a GENIUS statement like:
This juvenalian piece of satire uses irony, poetry, and caricature to indirectly target people obsessed with their appearances to show people they should stop worrying about their appearance and focus on serious problems such as world hunger.
Using the five aspects of satire, you can analyze a piece of satire and understand its full meaning.
The targets of satire can be a place, person, type of person, or society and/or institutions. There are two main types of satire: horation and juvenalian. Horation is gentle, funny, and makes the audience realize how silly the problem being presented is. On the other hand, juvenalian is angry and arouses moral indignation through bitter attacks.
The types of satire are direct, the satirist speaks out directly against the target, or indirect, narratives which the characters make themselves look silly.
There are several techniques used in satire. High burlesque is when a trivial subject is treated in a very serious matter and low burlesque is when a serious subject is treated in a comic manner. Parody is a close imitation of a specific style and/or approach. Parody is not always satire. Caricature is the exaggeration of prominent features in a flat character and a lampoon is round character which ridicules itself. Other techniques include irony, litotes, hyperbole, song, poem, etc…
Finally, the aim of satire is to bring about change and improve the world. When analyzing a piece of satire, one must find the specific aim of the piece.
Now, apply the five parts of satire.
The Diet That Works
Range Rover Rachel is preparing to pray
She checks her mascara, her hair seems okay
She assembles her prayer-stool, it's upholstered with wool
Her brown shiny knees won't become at all dull
Places prayer stool on carpet, it was made in Iran
Many coloured but subtle, won't compete with her tan
You can buy them mail-order, or online from Habitat
She prays for her midriff - three ounces of puppyfat
''Kensington, Atkins, high protein or none?
I've tried every diet but the lard hasn't gone
I've bought special devices, focus workout on tummies
I've tried to stop eating by sucking at dummies.''
Didn't expect an answer, but a vision she's seeing
Thank God for body-hugging, guaranteed panty-line free, super-absorbent undies, Rachel fears she is peeing
''YOU WONDER,'' says God, ''WHICH SCHEME MAKES YOU THINNER?
THE HUNGRY AND HOMELESS - INVITE THEM TO DINNER.''
Copyright Peter Fairbrother
Next, identify the five parts.
Target: people obsessed with their appearance
Type: Juvenalian- author’s tone and God’s remark is bitter
Approach: Indirect- the target is never stated
Techniques: Irony- Rachel worries about three pounds while there are homeless, starving people. Caricature- Rachel’s obsession on her appearance is exaggerated
Aim: to show people they should stop worrying about their appearance and focus on serious problems such as world hunger .
Finally, use this information to create a GENIUS statement like:
This juvenalian piece of satire uses irony, poetry, and caricature to indirectly target people obsessed with their appearances to show people they should stop worrying about their appearance and focus on serious problems such as world hunger.
Using the five aspects of satire, you can analyze a piece of satire and understand its full meaning.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Guest Blogger: Senia Lee
For week 2 of 3rd quarter, satire is a literary art of ridicule we have been working on. We have talked about the different targets such as a place, person, type of person, society and/or its institutions. For example, the United States, Obama, picky eaters, and school. Also there are the types of Satire which include Horatian (Amused satirist that tries to bring a smile to the audience while helping them realize how silly they are), Juvenalian (Angry satirist who tires to arouse a moral indignation through bitter attacks), and Menippean (a chaotic, broad satire); which we have not worked on as much. We also talked about the approach whether the satire is direct or indirect. To help strengthen the satire, techniques such as Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic), Burlesque (either high or low), Parody, Caricature, and more, are displayed. In some cases, the aim of a satire is something I actually have a hard time figuring out from the other five components; probably because of confusing it with theme; in which it gives the idea about life that is revealed in a work of literature rather than how it is to bring about change to improve the world. We defined literature to instruct and please while a satire aims to improve humanity/human society.
We are starting to read Candide by Voltaire. Candide is being taught by a philosopher, Pangloss, who represents a early philosopher, Gottfried Leibniz. He preached about the importance of “optimism” that everything is for the best and that they are in the best of all possible worlds. It's is as though Voltaire has made an indirect attack in his satire against Leibniz's philosophy. We talked about how his simplicity leads him to some misfortune. “The next day, as they were leaving the table after dinner, Cunegonde and Candide found themselves behind a screen. She dropped her handkerchief, he picked it up; she innocently took his hand, and he innocently kissed hers with extraordinary animation, ardor and grace; their lips met, their eyes flashed, their knees trembled, their hands wandered. Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh happed to pass by the scree; seeing this cause and effect , he drove Candide from the castle with vigorous kicks in the backside” (Voltaire 19). From this, Candids act of simply love struck or act of foolishness in the Baron's matter, lead him to be kicked out of the castle. This part/paragraph of Candide's actions seems to be told in a more slower narrator pace rather than what happened after he got kicked out; it is perceived that his walk from the castle to his next location is shorter than is “simple actions” that lead to a misfortune. Other misfortunes such as beatings and syphilis are taking place while he still believes in his mind of belonging to the “best of all possible worlds”. So is he still saying that everything is for the best, even though he stumbles across trouble?
We are starting to read Candide by Voltaire. Candide is being taught by a philosopher, Pangloss, who represents a early philosopher, Gottfried Leibniz. He preached about the importance of “optimism” that everything is for the best and that they are in the best of all possible worlds. It's is as though Voltaire has made an indirect attack in his satire against Leibniz's philosophy. We talked about how his simplicity leads him to some misfortune. “The next day, as they were leaving the table after dinner, Cunegonde and Candide found themselves behind a screen. She dropped her handkerchief, he picked it up; she innocently took his hand, and he innocently kissed hers with extraordinary animation, ardor and grace; their lips met, their eyes flashed, their knees trembled, their hands wandered. Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh happed to pass by the scree; seeing this cause and effect , he drove Candide from the castle with vigorous kicks in the backside” (Voltaire 19). From this, Candids act of simply love struck or act of foolishness in the Baron's matter, lead him to be kicked out of the castle. This part/paragraph of Candide's actions seems to be told in a more slower narrator pace rather than what happened after he got kicked out; it is perceived that his walk from the castle to his next location is shorter than is “simple actions” that lead to a misfortune. Other misfortunes such as beatings and syphilis are taking place while he still believes in his mind of belonging to the “best of all possible worlds”. So is he still saying that everything is for the best, even though he stumbles across trouble?
Friday, February 5, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Finals update
powerpoints for Lit terms review and scenic elements is on this site. A gentle reminder to also post five responses total to guest blogs.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
AP lit essay
In 250 - 300 words (feel free to type!) describe how the oral elements support Achebe's purpose in Things Fall Apart.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Guest Blogger: Megan S.
Over this winter break the class has been reading Things Fall Apart. This engaging novel is written by Chinua Achebe. This novel is about a young man, named Okonkwo, who succedded in most of his life without the help of his father. Okonkwo shows great power and leadership in this novel, but he is so afraid of showing weaknesses that he acts rash which causes him problems internally. From the beginning of the novel the reader sees why Okonkwo does not want to show emotion. He believed that emotion was for the weak. His father liked to show emotion. So Okonkwo had to be the opposite of his father.. When Nwoye, Okonwo’s eldest son, started to show signs of weakness Okonkwo could not rationally handle it.
It is ironic that Nwoye shows characteristics of his grandfather. It seems as if it is almost a test for Okonkwo. Can he deal with his son if he reminds him of his father. I think that the author purposly shows that the characterics just skipped a generation. It makes me wonder about Unoka’s father’s personality. If he was a strong leader and a hero in war, much like Okonkwo, then the skip in generations would make sense. When the father is not succesful, reflecting Unoka, their son will be succesful because of the drive he has to be opposite from his father. However, in Okonkwo’s case this drive for success and a better life has its consequences. These consequences are obvious at the end of the novel was caused by the change in the village and an unfullfilled life. The consequence was sadly Okonkwo’s life. But all things aside, it is no doubt that Chinua Achebe wanted us to see the similar traits of Nwoye and Unoka. These two characters changed the character of Okonkwo. If they were not lazy and unsuccessful ,then Okonkwo would never have motivation and he would not have been driven into rage.These two supporting characters helped develop the novel.
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