The Last Blog I Will Ever Write For As Long As I Live

I will open this blog by saying that I am ecstatic that this is my last blog. I would also like to say that as much as I feel that writing will not be as prominent in my future engineering career, I have to say that the only saving grace for me in this AP Lit class was how much I enjoyed Mrs. Clinch's style of teaching. Had it not been for that, I would have been institutionalized for a mental condition pertaining to all the work we had to do.

In terms of the changes that I would make to this course, I feel that it is my civic duty as a high school student to say that the course load is astronomical. I know that we had an adequate amount of work in order to be prepared for the exam but I still think that this AP class required more work than all of my other AP classes combined.

Specifically, I feel that the Grendel notebook was a lot of work for minimum output. I found the great works charts to be much more helpful in reviewing for the exam as well as helping the specifics of the novel stick in my brain. While the poetry notebook was helpful, I feel that in terms of the specific national exam that we took, the information I gained from it was not really applicable to the questions we had. Other than the specific names and format of the sonnets, I really didn't apply the majority of what I learned while doing my poetry notebook.

Overall I felt that I enjoyed this class because it gave me an opportunity to read classic novels and plays that I'm sure are socially required to know. I also enjoyed the skills that I acquired in going deeper into the novel. Never before have I been able to find the symbols and allusions in books as I have been able to after this class.

Blog #23

I am proud to say that I am writing this most recent blog post on the fact that I actually enjoy a required reading assignment in AP Lit class. I can proudly say that “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde is quickly becoming one of my favorite plays thus far. The play is set during one of my favorite periods, the Victorian period, a time where it was only right and proper to do everything a certain way and to obey every single social and politically correct rule or else you were perfectly banished forever. The juxtaposition of this extremely strict and unforgiving society with the humor created in the dialogue and actions of the characters is positively hilarious. I find it so amusing that these characters in this play can pay attention to such detail as what kind of food is acceptable to serve during a visit, yet the same characters do not understand the absurdity of writing to the Scotland Yard about a missing cigarette case!

On another level to this situational irony that results in hilarity, underneath the jokes and the puns is the deeper context of what this play is actually saying about society during this time period. The insanity of blaming your servant for consuming the eight bottles of champagne that you drank and the whole concept of Bunburrying are all tiny pieces of the larger puzzle. What all of these situations are suggesting is that society’s rules and regulations and judgment are so air-tight and stuffy that it forces a person to take on another personality just to escape. Algernon feels that it is completely necessary to create this fake “ill friend” so that he may escape the drab parties that his aunt throws and that he is forced to attend. The irony in this overall situation is that this society is one to focus on the fact that everyone must do what is morally right in society and in order to ensure that everyone does so they have set in place all of these rules and societal-norms. The irony being that the sheer amount and strictness of these rules is what forces people like Algernon and Jack/Earnest to create a deceitful double life just to cope with society. In a sense this society is self-destructing by attempting to enforce order and properness through strong societal norms however the only thing is succeeds in doing is forcing members to break these norms just so that they can be sane enough to be accept4ed by the members abiding by the original norms in the first place.

The whole matter is very deep and circular if one thinks about it too hard, but that is another reason why I am coming to love this play so much. It is much like Emma in that is seems trivial on the surface but has a much deeper meaning. I enjoy the slapstick comedy and the hidden jokes within this play and cannot wait to see how the rest of it turns out. Will society win, or will Bunburying win?

Blog #22

I began reading Emma by Jane Austin with the mental set that this book was going to focus around mundane activities that were commonplace in the regency era. I thought the majority of the book would center on such trivial activities as walks in the garden and taking tea. I was accepting of this because I have always found the regency era to be fascinating, nevertheless I was not necessarily looking forward to reading 400 pages worth of information about it. On one level I was correct about what this novel contained, however on another level I completely underestimated the potential complexity of this novel. The research that we have done in class regarding the different theories about what the novel is truly about have been fascinating to me. Such examples as the entire book being about the repressed sexual feelings of the characters during this time period, or the fact that Mr. Woodhouse is the major villain in the novel, and even that the archetypal ending was not for the sake of the readers but rather to show the never-ending plastic perfection of the micro chasm of society that this book dissects.

Looking back on major passages in the novel I have come to discover evidence here and there supporting each of these “theories” regarding the underlying theme and overall meaning of this novel. For example, in the first volume when Mrs. Bates and Miss Smith were over for dinner Mr. Woodhouse goes on a rant regarding the what his guests should eat and how much. The way in which this scene is worded is very subtly sexual. The description of a “very soft” egg and how Mrs. Bates should “not be afraid” of them. Granted, I came to this conclusion after hearing of this particular lens that the novel may be written in however I do agree that during this time period especially it is a strong possibility.

Another theory that I found particularly interesting and certainly unexpected was that Mr. Woodhouse is the main “blocking” or villainous figure and Mr. Nightly is more the father-figure to Emma. This theory agreed with me the most out of all of them. I found that it was easier to be supported by the novel and by looking back through the novel and the most important scenes a second time I was able to identify with this. It is evident that throughout the novel Mr. Woodhouse is continuously causing trouble and inconvenience to everyone around him. It is as if if Mr. Woodhouse cannot have it then no one can. Since Mr. Woodhouse does not have a wife anymore, he does not support marriage and believe only bad can come from it. Since Mr. Woodhouse cannot enjoy such delicacies as cake, no one else should be able to enjoy it. This pattern reoccurs throughout the novel and what is truly fascinating about it is the fact that Jane Austin gives the reader a glimpse of this side of Mr. Woodhouse in very small and very diluted sections. It is all very subtle which again reflects how, during this time, everything major was shown through some sort of subtle action.  

Blog #21

After recently finishing Volume II of Emma by Jane Austin, I decided to dedicate this blog to my thoughts of the novel thus far. The first volume of the novel was interesting mostly because of the fact that it was set in the regency era, a time period that I find personally intriguing. However, once the initial excitement about the setting of the book and the lavish descriptions of the settings and parties involved within I began to grow bored of the slow moving pace that the book followed.

I guess I should not have been so surprised that a novel written during such a leisurely time period was to include a pace that reflected the every-day activities of the people within the book; however I was pleasantly surprised with volume two. Volume two still followed the same leisurely pace as that of volume one but I came to understand that with each detailed description of an engagement or a dance I came to understand that the description contained an underlying meaning that added to the overall feeling or even in some case humor to each situation. For example, the description of the initial meeting and relationship between Emma and Frank Churchill, the encounter between the two is surrounded by the extensive description of elements within their environment that at first glance may be interpreted as superfluous and not necessary of such vast description.

However, at a closer examination these descriptions can be beneficial in determine the longevity of the relationship between the two and perhaps even the specific views of such particular characters as Emma and her true feelings behind the relationship between her and Frank Churchill. A particular example, would be when Frank and Emma meet. Their initial relationship is fueled by the idea that Mr. and Mrs. Weston have decided that a match between the two would be extremely beneficial for both parties. This blatant observation is beneficial to this interpretation of the relationship, but much subtler actions such as when Frank Churchill leaves for London just to get a haircut.

 When I first read this I was astonished at the superficiality of such an action, who would travel hundreds of miles, especially at a time when a horse drawn carriage was the primary mode of transportation. However, the tools I have learned from this fabulous AP Literature class in which I have learned to look deeper into the meaning of the text allowed me to draw a different conclusion. Within this situation, Frank Churchill had met with Jane through subsequent callings on her; the result of these callings is that Emma has been won-over by the charm of Frank.

His abrupt departure could be viewed as a smaller version of the departure of other important elements in Emma’s life such as the death of her mother and the departure of her childhood governess. The return of Frank can be representative of the future of Emma’s personal relationships in which she is rewarded with the longevity of a relationship rather than the abruptness of one.

Blog #20

Blog #20

I would like to begin this blog with the statement that while I do enjoy the book, Emma, I feel that it is composed if a lot of unnecessary fluff. This feeling is supported by the fact that the topic written about in this book is based off of the life of a Victorian-aged community in the country side. The most exciting things going on during this time were such things as "bridge tables" and "dinner parties", granted when one's life revolves around such mundane activities it is reasonable to say that a book written about them wouldn't be very interesting on the surface.

That being said, I have begun to realize that the fundamental form of communication and social construct within this novel is based off if this idea of "visits". It seems as if the entirety of the society is embedded in either the act of "visiting" or talking about who visited who and when and where. I readily accept the claim that this idea seems so novel to me because I unfortunately live in the age when text messages replace love letters and spotify playlists replace midnight serenades by the man of your dreams. Perhaps this is why i am having such a hard time grasping the consequence or severity of some of the issues presented within this novel. It behooves me to think that one person should be forbidden to marry another person because someone does not approve, or that one must have scheduled and chaperoned visits coordinated by an appropriate mutual friend before any sort of marriage proposal can be drawn up. Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to live in the Victorian age. Corsets, dresses, tea, and dashing young men in coattails have been a part of every little girl's dreams since she heard her first fairy-tale.

I have called to attention all of these things for my own personal purpose of discovering if there perhaps is a deeper meaning behind this book. Did Jane Austin write this book with the underlying notion of commentating on the state of the current political party? Are there gender or racial digs hidden underneath the description of Emma's dress? I do not seem to think so based on my reading of the first volume of the book, but in a way i am hoping that there is something more. I would rather this not be a "gossip girl" of the 18th century.

Blog #19

     Upon reading the first few pages of Emma, I realized that this novel is not going to be the “old fashioned gossip girl” novel that I was hoping it was going to be. The sentence structure and word usage are so rich that it takes a long while to be able to read a paragraph once and fully understand it. In addition to the atypical structure of this novel, I also have come to realize that the setting of this novel will also take some getting-used-to. Now, I must admit that I have read my fair share of historical fiction novels, some of my favorites being Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. In fact, historical fiction in the Victorian time period has become one of my favorite genres to read. Something about corsets and huge dresses and fabulous balls makes reading about this time period so interesting. Of course in the AP Lit spirit, I decided to do a little background on Emma to help with the reading of the beginning of the novel.

     Emma was published in 1816 and is set in the early Victorian time period. During this time, a woman’s breeding was what defined her. It was as much a part of her identification as were her physical characteristics. The vast importance of this aspect of life resulted in an extremely exaggerated focus on marriage. The basis of a “good” marriage prospect is based majorly on good breeding and less so on affection and compatibility. These main points of society in this time period are what make the book, so interesting. Emma decides that she is inherently gifted with the ability to play “cupid” and be a professional matchmaker. However, my prognosis is that her talents will be ill-received in regards to the fact that in that time period, marriage was not only a ceremony to join two people together and make them happy, but it was also a business deal and more often than not it was not just two human’s being joined together for the rest of their life but rather two families or two enterprises or two empires being joined together for the rest of their lives.

     In reflecting on this aspect, this is where I believe the majority of the conflict between characters will come from. From my preliminary reading as well as Mrs. Clinch’s lectures, I have gathered that Emma is a very controlling and a very demanding person. She is someone who always wants to have it her way. Also, the fact that she is dealing with something as important (during this time) as marriage, she is going to definitely come across problems within the society. 

Blog #18

               This week I would like to discuss the reason behind Hamlet’s oh-so-obvious clinical depression. The theme of suicide and questioning the meaning of life has been present throughout the play beginning with Hamlet’s very first soliloquy. The theme is so reoccurring that it is not a question of if Hamlet is depressed, but why.   

               The theory that I came up with essentially revolves around Hamlet’s “mommy issues” Hamlet has had this image of what true love is his entire life through the many observations that he has had of his father and mother together. Hamlet remembers these times of love fondly saying that his mother “would hang on him as if increase of appetite had grown” (1.2.143-144) but then this image of perfection in marriage is completely shattered. His father is murdered by his uncle and then Hamlet’s mother goes on to marry her own brother-in-law not two months after she is widowed! The allusion of true love that Hamlet clung to was completely destroyed in a matter of weeks and now he is left with nothing.

               Put yourself in Hamlet’s shoes. Your father had just been murdered by your uncle and then your mother proceeds to marry said uncle. If that is not bad enough, the woman that you love (made love to) suddenly cuts you out of your life and you have no earthly idea why. These things all occurring in such quick succession would make anyone suicidal!

               What I found interesting about all of these issues and obstacles that Hamlet is running into is that they all involve women. From an outsider perspective Hamlet’s life has been made increasingly difficult by the presence of women. This is evident throughout the play, “frailty, thy name is woman” (1.2.146), “most pernicious woman!” (1.5.105), “if thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry” (3.1.134-135). These are merely a few of the rude and underhanded comments made by hamlet in regards to women. The woman in Hamlet’s life who he was most close to ended up betraying his father in the worst way, I can’t help but to think that Claudius could have killed King Hamlet not only for his throne but also for the purpose of being with Queen Gertrude.

               This idea could have also crossed through Hamlet’s mind, giving him an even stronger motive for murder. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Avenge the murder of his father as well as the disgrace of his mother through the slaughter of a single man. 

Blog #17

             This weekend I wrote my wonderful AP Lit power lines. While I can’t say that analyzing Hamlet in the car at 5:30 in the morning is necessarily one of my favorite things to do, it was not completely unbearable. I mention this because as I was writing my power lines I began to notice patterns within Shakespeare’s writing that were not only pertinent to the content of the scene, but also to the underlying meaning or subjective meaning of the play itself. I began to analyze the rough index that was already present in my book (thanks to an older sibling who also took AP Lit) and I even began to notice patterns within the patterns!

               For example, the most popular words that I have noticed so far have been: nature, pregnant, dust, ghost, death, money, and fate. I took notice of these words because they were all present in a noticeably large amount of situations and sometimes meaning completely different things in each scene. Shakespeare was a very intelligent man; his estimated vocabulary was perceived to be many times that of an average person. Couple that particular skill with the talent of making altogether new words, and one comes to notice that if Shakespeare repeats something numerous times, it must be of importance. While this in itself is not an entire breakthrough in this particular subject, I thought that the means of which Shakespeare repeats himself is particularly interesting.

               If I were to summarize Act I in a very brief list, it would go as such: ghost, family, grief, ghost, fate. If I were to summarize Act II in an even briefer list, it would be: spying, lying, money, pregnant, prison, lying. As I was making a mental an unconscious mental index and reading along with Act I and Act II I began to notice that the majority of Shakespeare’s repetitions coincide with what could possibly be perceived as the overall meaning of the scene. For example, Claudius is addressing the court in regards to his recent victory over young Fortinbras when he says, “through your dominions for this enterprise/ on such regards of safety and allowance” (2.2.79-80) This is one of the many lines in this short speech that has underlying references to money and business. It is in the scene soon before this that Claudius bribes Hamlet’s best friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on Hamlet in order to receive “such thanks/ As fit a king’s remembrance” (2.2.25-26)

               The most appropriate analogy that I could come up with for the pattern for which I am trying to describe is that of the (currently illegal) practice of below-threshold advertising. We recently learned about this practice in psychology, basically it occurs when marketers expose consumers to some sort of stimulation that is below their stimulus threshold, thus influencing their subconscious. So for example is a company were to flash their company logo for less than a second within a TV program, there’s a possibility the brain could respond to this subconscious signal and you would be more compelled to buy their product. In regards to Shakespeare, my current theory is that the words he uses create that “below stimuli” that allows our subconscious to gain the true meaning or theory behind some of these scenes. 

Blog #16

               Our class has been reading Hamlet for a few weeks now and even though we are only just starting the second Act I have found the number of repeated themes amazing. With each soliloquy and scene there are allusions to popular themes such as nature, money, and even fish! As I have been reading along in class I have been circling and drawing connections between all of these patterns. I have found a remarkable number of references to money. While reading I have come up with a theory as to why Shakespeare constantly alludes to money throughout the play (so far).

               The first major discussion involving the allusion to money is the conversation between Polonius and Ophelia regarding Ophelia’s current relationship standing with Hamlet. Essentially Polonius is accusing Ophelia of being a whore and “opening her chaste treasure” to Hamlet. He also crushes Ophelia’s dreams of ever having a serious relationship with Hamlet. He does this by assuring Ophelia that Hamlet is only using her for sex and he will eventually have to fulfill his royal duty by marrying a woman who will benefit the nation. While this conversation would be effective on any young teenager in plain text, Shakespeare puts a monetary undertone to it. Throughout this speech Polonius uses countless references to money: “free”, “tenders”, “green”, “pay”, “sterling”, “rich”, “rate”, “parley”, “brokers”, “investments”. And there are more! Obviously a man like Shakespeare who has the mental access to thousands of words would not throw this combination of words together on accident. And so this is when I got to thinking…

               The context of which these words are used in conversation may be the key to breaking the code of these countless insinuations. In this scene, Polonius is lecturing Ophelia on her relationship with Hamlet, but why is this relationship of such importance? Polonius is connected to the current king of Denmark because he is Claudius’s right-hand man. However, if Ophelia and Hamlet were to have a full-fledged relationship then it is certain to have the possibility of ending badly. If that relationship did end unfavorably for Hamlet then that could jeopardize Polonius’s position in the court. It is much like how in modern day, having a relationship with your boss or your son/daughter having a relationship with your boss is looked down upon.

               This being said, where do all these money references come in? I have developed a few theories regarding this matter. If Polonius is lecturing his daughter because he does want to risk his solid position in court, he is obviously fond of his current job, a job that no doubt gives him access to a very comfortable profit. Shakespeare could be using such money references in order to chastise those who are monetarily based. That is, in this case, someone who puts their own money and lifestyle before the happiness of their children. Another theory could be that Polonius does not want to risk Ophelia’s “honor” if she were to get to serious with Hamlet. If Ophelia did in fact “open her chaste treasure” to Hamlet and some sort of scandal ensued, then Polonius’s good name would certainly be ruined. This single-minded thinking also goes along with the materialistic language that Shakespeare has inflicted throughout this scene. 

Blog #15

Today we finished our class discussion of Hamlet’s first soliloquy. The points that we touched on were very interesting however because this is of course the revered “AP Lit” class these points inevitability lead me to more questions than answers. Of course I thought of no better place to discuss these questions than on my very own blog!

            At the end of class on Friday we were asked to state what we, as readers, thought Hamlet’s state of mind was as he’s giving his first soliloquy. I viewed this question from a purely observational standpoint. I considered the situation that Hamlet was in and based my interpretation on how I would feel in that sort of situation. If my father had just very recently passed away and my mother had just married my uncle, I would be very bitter and angry at the world. So naturally that is exactly what I put on my response to the question of Hamlet’s state of mind.

            However, upon closer reading of this text and of course Mrs. Clinch’s words of wisdom, I came to formulate a decision on Hamlet’s state of mind based solely on his soliloquy and not my personal feelings toward the situation. (I feel this similar process will also help me to “go deeper” within my essays!)

            My real solid conclusion that I came to based on the text alone was that Hamlet viewed himself as weak and helpless. Near the end of the soliloquy he compares himself to Hercules in the same way that he compares his father to his uncle. The parallel that he draws is that his uncle is “no more like my father/ Than I to Hercules”. While this statement is certainly a testament to the reverence that Hamlet places on his father, it is sort of an indirect degradation to Hamlet’s own abilities.

            By saying that his father and uncle are complete opposites, he is also stating that he and Hercules are complete opposites. Hercules is a Greek hero known for his courage and strength. This innate statement expresses to me Hamlet’s extremely low self-worth. Essentially Hamlet expresses in this soliloquy that he feel the complete opposite of courageous and strong. Hamlet feels weak, helpless; he has had no say in the matter of the marriage of his mother and uncle. He has no influence over the death of his father, he is essentially unable to control any of the recent tragedies of his life. This leaves him feeling weak and unable to fulfill his own expectations. 

Blog #14

This poetry segment that we have been doing in class has really opened my eyes to the inner workings of a poem. I never before have been exposed to the inner gears and springs that make a poem effective or even popular. Prior to this class and this poetry segment, I regarded poems as merely a bunch of words thrown on a page, while I still find this true for some poems, I realize now that there is truly a “rhyme and reason” to the poems.

 One of the elements of poetry that fascinates me the most is how the simple structure of a poem can affect the entire meaning of it. What I thought to be a random combination of spaces, line breaks, or even capital letters is actually a delicate combination that results in the frame of the poem. What I mean by frame is that when you are deciding what kind of frame to put a piece of art work in, you are essentially deciding the subtle accent or message you want to give the observer. I feel that it is the same way for a poet.

 When John Hollander decided to use concrete poetry and make a physical image of a swan and its reflection when writing the poem “Swan and Shadow” he used his artistic license to make a decision regarding the way in which he wanted his words to be perceived. He did so by conveying the literal concept with his words through the figurative concept of the picture his words made.

 Not all poems are as blatant in the “picture” their words make. As we were researching poems that we were to use in our upcoming poetry project, I came across another type of poem structure that I found particularly interesting. These poems are called acrostics, where the first word of each line, or the capitalized word of each line comes together to spell out a hidden message or an underlying theme to the poem. While these kinds of poems may not seem as “professional” as some others we have looked at, I find them particularly intriguing.

While I still come across some poems and think to myself “How can these possibly be famous?” I do have a new found appreciation for the secret world of poetry. I still would pick a science fiction novel over a poem any day, but from what I have learned recently about the techniques behind the poetry and how to dig deeper into them, I can honestly say that I do not hate poetry. It is just not one of my favorite things. 

Blog #13

After our class discussion of the poem “in Just” by e. e. cummings, I still had more questions than answers. Due to the fact that there is no right answer when analyzing a poem, I should get used to the fact that I will never completely know whether I am right or wrong therefore I am always left with answers.For example in class we discussed the possibility of the balloonMan in the e. e. cummings poem as being representative of Pan or the devil. We came to this conclusion based on the fact that this man is described as “queer” and “goat-footed” within the poem. These words are usually correlated with an image that shouldn’t be combined with an image of children as it is in the poem. However, I feel that the balloonman could possibly be correlated with something, if not completely positive, neutral. E.e. cummings also describes the balloonman as someone who is “little” and “old”. When these words are put into focus, a neutral if not positive correlation is perceived. A little old man who sells balloons for the enjoyment of children is a perfectly acceptable character, so why is it that we focus on the negative aspects describing this man?An additional question I formulated both from my own reading of the poem as well as our class discussion is in regards to the children described in the poem. E. e. cummings doesn’t use any sort of spacing or punctuation when he mentions the two children that respond to the call of the balloonman. These two children are called “eddieandbill” and “bettyandisbel”. Why did he squeeze these two names together? Was he trying to make the reader rush them together when reciting the poem? If so, what purpose does this formatting have in the entirety of the poem? While I of course do not have the correct answer to this question, if there is one, I have been able to reflect upon it after our class discussion when I was pondering what to blog about this week. The complete lack of spacing between the names could perhaps be for the purpose of attempting to blend the nouns together. This would force the reader to say them quicker when reading due to the lack of spacing. This coupled with the lack of capitalization suggests an informal tone. But what does that say about the overall meaning, or “so what?” If one considers the lack of spacing and punctuation as an attempt to generalize the names of the children, it could suggest a widespread effect. As if e.e. cummings wanted to communicate to the reader that it’s not just “betty and isbel” who are attracted to the siren call of the balloonman, but rather that all children respond to the call. When this is joined with the idea that the poem communicates the effect of sexual transformation, it makes sense that e.e. cummings is trying to convey the fact of a generalization of children because all children go through that transformation.