After we read eight short stories as a class, we were assigned three more. I read Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway, The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty, and The Return by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o. Of these three stories, I plan to use The Return. I picked this one just because I really liked it. It is about the return of a soldier to his own village and the villagers' reactions. I think plot structure and characterization are two important features of this story.
After reading The Return I reviewed all the literary elements. Soon, I noticed characterization related to the story's plot structure. Throughout the story, Kamau's emotions are very dynamic. First, he is hopeful when returning to his village. However, when he arrives, his hope turns into anger after realizing the villagers don't remember him. Then, his anger turns into sorrow, because he soon reunites with his family and learns his wife was given away. And lastly, he becomes relieved at the end of the story after losing his bag in the river.
In my opinion this relates to plot structure because at each turn of events his emotions change. I find this an important aspect to the story that involves both characterization and plot structure, so after reviewing this with Dr. deGravelles, I may try to make it into a thesis. I think it matters because his thoughts influence his actions which eventually affects the whole story.
8/22 - 40min., 8/23 - 40min., 8/24 - 40min., 8/25 - 40min., 8/26 - 40min.
Total - 200min., pp. 20-30 (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), science notes
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Reading times
10/15 - 30min., 10/16 - 60min., 10/17 - 60min.
Total - 150min., pp. 252-299 (Feed), 1-10 (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)
Total - 150min., pp. 252-299 (Feed), 1-10 (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Participation Evaluation
Can you believe the end of the quarter is already here? The teachers must have kept us busy so we didn't even realize it! The tedious hours of homework must have disguised the actual quarter length. But onto the English class of this quarter:
1. General Procedures: In all honesty, I think I did well in coming to class prepared, checking email, responding to emails, reading during class, not packing up early, and waiting to be dismissed. However, I do recall having to go to the bathroom once or twice during class.
2. Lecture, announcements, whole class discussions: I feel as though I've done this in the years before. Participating in class has always been an essential aspect to my learning, especially in English. But I may not have done well asking questions during the lectures.
3. Individual and Group Work: When I work by myself, I think I do better. I get more done in a shorter period of time. I find it is hard to get distracted or procrastinate. In groups, I still try to be productive. Yes, it is easier to get off-topic, but I know the more I get done in class, the less I have to do out of class. Everyone knows I DESPISE homework.
4. Growth: Hmm....Growth.... Let me start by saying that Dr. D did a fantastic job explaining the literary elements to us. I love how she broke it up, giving us a short stories to focus each element. However, I think she understood that theme was a difficult one, so in my opinion she should have given more time for us to soak it in. So I guess Dr. D can better help us learn by giving us more detail and time for difficult subjects.
All in all, this whole quarter has been very interesting for me. It is a big leap from middle school to high school, ranging from freedom to academics. I've enjoyed it all, strangely even English. It used to be full of boring work that in the end never really taught me anything. From what I've seen so far from this blogging experience, I am PUMPED for next quarter.
1. General Procedures: In all honesty, I think I did well in coming to class prepared, checking email, responding to emails, reading during class, not packing up early, and waiting to be dismissed. However, I do recall having to go to the bathroom once or twice during class.
2. Lecture, announcements, whole class discussions: I feel as though I've done this in the years before. Participating in class has always been an essential aspect to my learning, especially in English. But I may not have done well asking questions during the lectures.
3. Individual and Group Work: When I work by myself, I think I do better. I get more done in a shorter period of time. I find it is hard to get distracted or procrastinate. In groups, I still try to be productive. Yes, it is easier to get off-topic, but I know the more I get done in class, the less I have to do out of class. Everyone knows I DESPISE homework.
4. Growth: Hmm....Growth.... Let me start by saying that Dr. D did a fantastic job explaining the literary elements to us. I love how she broke it up, giving us a short stories to focus each element. However, I think she understood that theme was a difficult one, so in my opinion she should have given more time for us to soak it in. So I guess Dr. D can better help us learn by giving us more detail and time for difficult subjects.
All in all, this whole quarter has been very interesting for me. It is a big leap from middle school to high school, ranging from freedom to academics. I've enjoyed it all, strangely even English. It used to be full of boring work that in the end never really taught me anything. From what I've seen so far from this blogging experience, I am PUMPED for next quarter.
Literary Elements: Plot Structure of "To Build a Fire"
Hey all! It's been a long time since I've posted, but hopefully I'm not rusty. This blog I'll be talking about a literary element that really stood out to me when reading our short stories. The plot structure in "To Build A Fire" is a fairly obvious literary element. It is composed of four parts: rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Characterization and setting make up the rising action. The man was stubborn. We can assume this because he disregards the old man's advice to go in the cold with a friend and pays the consequence for it. However, his dog was loyal. Even after the man kicked him away, it stayed with him through the thick and thin. The climax is a short scene, which is when "the man broke through." He broke through where the snow seemed solid, but was in reality soft and wet. The falling action is when the man scrambles for his life. He first maintains a calm expression, but is soon overwhelmed by fear and panics. He striked matches against his hand (set it on fire), tried to kill his loyal dog, and made a mad dash for the camp which was miles away.
In the end, the story is resolved after he dies. There wasn't much to it. He regrets not listening to the old man, and the dog walks away in search of help. And that's the end. I personally enjoyed the story; I thought the vivid details of his character really changed the outcome of the story in a entertaining way. I may be sadistic, but I enjoyed his panic after falling. It may be because I know he wasn't a good person after kicking the dog and trying to kill it like a savage. The whole short story assignments were a pleasure to read, and I hope we will come back to them sometime.
10/08 - 50min., 10/10 - 40min. 10/11 - 30min., 10/12 - 30min (Short stories added as well)
Total - 150min., pp. 170-252 (Feed)
Characterization and setting make up the rising action. The man was stubborn. We can assume this because he disregards the old man's advice to go in the cold with a friend and pays the consequence for it. However, his dog was loyal. Even after the man kicked him away, it stayed with him through the thick and thin. The climax is a short scene, which is when "the man broke through." He broke through where the snow seemed solid, but was in reality soft and wet. The falling action is when the man scrambles for his life. He first maintains a calm expression, but is soon overwhelmed by fear and panics. He striked matches against his hand (set it on fire), tried to kill his loyal dog, and made a mad dash for the camp which was miles away.
In the end, the story is resolved after he dies. There wasn't much to it. He regrets not listening to the old man, and the dog walks away in search of help. And that's the end. I personally enjoyed the story; I thought the vivid details of his character really changed the outcome of the story in a entertaining way. I may be sadistic, but I enjoyed his panic after falling. It may be because I know he wasn't a good person after kicking the dog and trying to kill it like a savage. The whole short story assignments were a pleasure to read, and I hope we will come back to them sometime.
10/08 - 50min., 10/10 - 40min. 10/11 - 30min., 10/12 - 30min (Short stories added as well)
Total - 150min., pp. 170-252 (Feed)
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Reading Times: Feed
10/01 - 30min., 10/02 - 30min., 10/03 - 30min., 10/04 - 30min., 10/05 - 30min.
Total - 150min., pp. 90-170 (Feed)
Total - 150min., pp. 90-170 (Feed)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)