Literature Analysis #6

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Two men by the name of George (small and has sharp features) and Lennie (big and tall and mentally ill) are migrant workers who are on the road to find work.  Their main dream is to one day own a ranch of their own.  They were previously booted from their last job because Lennie was accued of rape.  The two men find work and report to the ranch. George decides to do all the talking with the boss because the fear that the boss will not accept Lennie for his mental problems.  They get the job.  They meet a couple of other workers.  Candy, who is very old and has a very old dog as well, Curley, the bosses angry son, and Curley's wife who starts to flirt with the two men.  At first the two men fit in, but are awaken with a serious problem.  Lennie, who loves to pet soft things, was accidently pulling Curley's wife's hair to hard and killed her.  The men were forced to flee the ranch once again.

One of the main themes of "Of Mice and Men" is The predatory Nature of Human Existence.  Almost all of the characters experienced profound sense of loneliness and isolation.

The tone of "Of Mice and Men" is Sentimental and tragic.  Their dream was to one day own their own and ranch, but the dream was broken after they were forced to leave another job because of Lennie's actions.

Of Mice and Men contains symbolism, imagery and allegory.  The setting is an example of symbolism.  The story begins with the two men by the river, it ends with them by the river.  This basically means that they have gotten nowhere with their lives. Also rabbits are a symbol of peace and life for Lennie, while mice symbolize death.  All of the characters at different times of the story represent broader populations.

What's the Story

I think Dickens wrote the novel to portray the acceptance of life and show how to meet up with your expectations. Dickens had separated from his wife and was needing to accept things for what they were just as Pip had to learn to accept things. For example Pip had to come to terms of his father's imprisonment and his childhood which he wasn't too happy about. Also Dickens showed his opinions through the story such as the social class that the poor were more satisfied than that of the wealthy, upper class. It shows how his young character used his horrible, past memories to build him into the more mature, older Pip.

Dickens Map

To finish reading I’m planning on taking the total number of pages and dividing that by the number of days I have to complete this assignment, minus one day. I have subtracted a day so that just in case I need a day off or if I have too much on my plate then I can skip a day of reading without it hurting me or messing up my schedule.

1. It is widely said that it is far better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

2. What role do laws play in Great Expectations?

3. Dickens likes social commentary. He likes to comment on society. He comments socially. What impression do you get of London society after reading Great Expectations?

4. Why do you think this novel divided into three parts?

5. How is "class" defined in the world of this novel, and how are we as readers introduced to the idea of class?

Lit Terms 31-56

Dialect- the language of a particular district, class or groups of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others
Dialectics- formal debates usually over the nature of truth
Dichotomy- split or break between two opposing things
Diction- the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words
Didactic- having to do with the transmission of information; education
Dogmatic- rigid in beliefs and principles
Elegy- a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral
Epic- a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time
Epigram- witty aphorism
Epitaph- any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone
Epithet- a short, descriptive name or phrase that may insult someone's character, characteristics
Euphemism- the use of an indirect, mind or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt
Evocative- a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality
Exposition- beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and or characters, in a detailed explanation
Expressionism- movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic representation of an inner idea or feeling
Fable- a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth
Fallacy- from Latin word "to deceive", a false or misleading notion, belief, or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound
Falling Action- part of the narrative or drama after the climax
Farce- a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue
Figurative Language- apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech
Flashback- a narrative device that flashes back to prior events
Foil- a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent
Folk Tale- story passed on by word of mouth
Foreshadowing- in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; "planning" to make the outcome convincing though not to give it away
Free Verse- verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme
Genre- a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content

SMART GOAL

My SMART GOAL is to successfully launch a clothing line first of men's shirts. With the help of Sebastian Guillen, we plan to design a logo, create a brand name, use all social networks available to help launch our brand, as well as create a blog for the brand. We plan to make it an athletic wear orientated brand. Also, we  have to factor in how much it costs to make the shirts. Hopefully we can be successful and maybe even make some money out of this.

Lit Terms 6-30

Analogy- a comparison made between two things to show similarities between them
Analysis- a method in which a work or idea is separated into its parts and those parts are given rigorous and detailed scrutiny
Anaphora- a device or repetition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, phrases, clauses or sentences
Anecdote- a very short story used to illustrate a point
Antagonist- a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative
Antithesis- a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness
Aphorism- a terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life
Apologia- a defense or justification of some doctrine, piece of writing, cause, or action
Apostrophe- a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or nonhuman is addressed directly
Argument(ation)- process of convincing a reader by providing either the truth or falsity of an idea in proposition
Assumption- the art of supposing or taking for granted that a thing is true
Audience- the intended listener(s)
Characterization- the means by which a writer reveals a character's personality
Chiasmus- a reversal in the order of words so that the second half of a statement balances the first half in inverted word order
Circumlocution- a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served
Classicism- art, literature, and music reflecting the principle of ancient Greece and Rome
Cliche- a phrase or situation overused within society
Climax- the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered
Colloquialism- folksy speech, slang words, or phrases usually used in formal conversation
Comedy- originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending
Conflict- struggle or problem in a story causing tension
Connotation- implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition
Contrast- a rhetorical device by which one element is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity
Denotation- plain dictionary definition
Denouement- loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion

Poetry Analysis

"Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

- a poem about the death of a beautiful young women. The narrator and Annabel fell in love when they were both very young, and even though they were young their love was so strong that even the angels were envious of them. Even after her death the narrator still loves her.

Lit Terms 1-5

Allegory- a tale in prose or verse in which characters, actions, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities; a story that uses symbols to make a point
Alliteration- the repetition of similar initial sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words
Allusion- a reference to a person, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expects a reader to recognize
Ambiguity- something uncertain as to interpretation
Anachronism- something that shows up in the wrong place or the wrong time

Spring Semester Plan 1

This semester I plan to do a lot more work into preparing for the ap exam because I plan on passing it. Also, I plan to get an A in this class no matter how hard that will be for a guy who doesn't like to sit down at his computer for more than 5 mins, and doesnt have a smartphone. That will be very challenging for me but I plan to try my best

AP Prep Post 1: Siddartha

1. The reader discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.

2. Writers highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions or moral values.

3. Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures -- national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a character’s sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collison. Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character’s response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole.

4. 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.

5. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.                                          got this from here!

What's In This For Me?

We all plan to attend college. I believe students should do more to prepare themselves for something that costs so much. To me, it doesn't matter if I go to college or not as long as i find one way or another to become successful. But in short, college is a big thing. And I want to go in as prepared as possible, just to play it safe.

Fall Semester Reflection

1. No. I don't read their work so I wouldn't know gives you an outline of how to do something if confused.
2. If confused, you can check it out again anytime. Even past assignments. It wouold be harder to remember exactly what you wanted us to do.
3. Yes. I double check my assignments before posting. I would be indifferent
4. No not at all. All day everyday.
5. I would think that the word "pioneer" is a bit strong for a man of my stature. However, if I had to describe myself as that way, I would probably compare myself to Lewis and Clark. Exploring an unknown area with a guide who knows everything there is to know.
6. I would describe it as interesting. I am resistant to technology as it is, so its difficult for me.
7. I usually choose not to reply