Blog Post 2: Down the Aisle, Delhi Style

Amulya Joseph

Ms. Nichole Wilson

AP Literature and Composition

2 December 2013

Food Memoir

            I can’t exactly remember the first time I tasted biryani, but I can recall the feeling—something like a blind man seeing the light of day for the first time, or getting married. I knew, as I shoveled down mouthfuls of rice laden with masala, goat so tenderly broiled that it fell apart on my fork, that there was no going back to the chapatti of my past.

            It was time for a new era, and it was one my entire family has come to embrace with wholehearted enthusiasm. Biryani is a legend of the Joseph household, a dish our Indian community speaks about in hushed whispers. “I heard she learned on the Ganges, from a man who’d been making biryani since he was 12 years old.” “No, no, it’s a family recipe. Her mother’s mother served it to Gandhi, didn’t you know?” “You’re absolutely wrong. She’ll throw out the entire batch if a single grain of rice is broken. What kind of family recipe calls for that?” And on.  

            My family is not much better. Idolized to the point of blasphemy by my siblings and me, its “symbolic meaning has little to do with the food itself” (Claxton, 1), and much more to do with the “events [I’ve come] to define through the food” (BBCNews.com). As biryani is traditionally saved for large gatherings and festivities, my mom makes it on the days that are truly special around the year: when my dad comes home from a business trip and when my siblings come back from college and birthdays and Christmas and Thanksgiving and graduations and anniversaries and whatever else you can think of.

            For every celebration in my life, every landmark I’ve ever achieved, by my side was my loving family, my closest friends, and a steaming pot of biryani. “Food is closely connected to that central power of the human soul, memory” (Resurgence.org), and I can’t recall the fondest times of my past without the spicy aroma of masala drifting just around the corner, the crunch of pappadams and cucumbers, and the familiar peculiarity of the fall-off-the-bone goat meat.

            Indeed, it was through the variety of biryani that my family began to experiment with other foods. Paella became my mother’s next attempt in the kitchen. Inspired by its success, my mother went on to serve gazpacho and Sangria and Morir Sonando and whatever other Hispanic delicacy Google could find her.

            It’s because of biryani that I can brighten when I see those dishes, and wonder at how they’re made and what the story behind them is. When I see cuisines and ideas and opinions that differ from what I know, I wonder if it’s possible to learn to love them the same way I learned to love goat meat and gazpacho. It’s because of biryani that I’ve come to realize that anything, no matter how different it may seem, has its merit, so long as I’m willing to try it.

Works Cited

Claxton, Mervyn. "Culture, Food, and Identity." Culture and Development 6 (2013): 1.      

             Norman Girvan. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.

"Eatonville Restaurant Est. 2009." Eatonville Restaurant Est. 2009. N.p., n.d. Web. 4         

             Dec. 2013. <http://www.eatonvillerestaurant.com/>.

Moore, Thomas. "Food for the Soul." Resurgence and Ecologist. The Resurgence Trust,    

              n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

Taylor, Anna-Louise. "Food symbolism: Why do we give food meaning?." BBC News.      

              BBC, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

Blog Post 1: Every Rainbow Has Its Fact-Based Explication

The Essay:         

        In The Rainbow, D.H. Lawrence uses repetition, figurative language, and selection of detail to show the contrast between farm life and city life in order to emphasize the woman's desire to leave the simplicity of her current home, and chase down the knowledge and innovation of man progressing right outside her doorstep.
        Lawrence weaves the woman's displeasure with the life she currently leads through the use of repetition. The anaphora in the first sentence, "It was enough for the men...it was enough that they helped the cow in labour, or ferreted the rats..." establishes immediately that farm tasks sufficient for the men's contentment are not so for the woman. Lawrence continues with the repetition of the motif of looking inwards or outwards; the men's faces are "always turned to the heat...unable to turn around" and face "inwards to the teeming life of creation". Never do the men search for something outside the scope of their nature-centered lives, nor do they want to.
         The woman, on the other hand, is consistently described as "faced out", "looking out", and "outwards", always craving something beyond the world she currently lives in. By repeating the theme of 'facing inwards' for the men and 'looking out' for the woman, Lawrence is able to directly contrast the desires of the woman with those of the men she lives with. Stuck with a family who is content with "staring into the sun", the woman seeks the satiation of her thirst for knowledge elsewhere.
        The woman finds the quintessential intellectual she's looking for in the town's vicar, and Lawrence uses figurative language to highlight the significant difference in how the woman views this man of knowledge and how she views her own husband. The woman notes that "as Brangwen had power over the cattle, so the vicar had power over her husband". The woman is so disillusioned with her life on the farm and so enamored with the potential to gain knowledge that she views her own husband as nothing more than an animal when compared to an educated man; in her mind "it was a question of knowledge" that "raised him [the vicar] above the common man as man is raised above the beast". So desperate is she to gain that same knowledge, to be elevated to that same level as the vicar, and yet she's trapped in the life of a farmer's wife.
       The woman in The Rainbow wanted something far beyond the simple life she was given.

The Breakdown:

Saie gave me a 7+/8- on this essay, which, as far as I can tell, is more than a little generous. While I would agree that my analysis was reasonable, used textual support, and presented ideas with clarity, it was not persuasive enough or sophisticated enough to be pushed out of the 6/7 range; in fact, if I were to score this essay myself, I would give it a 6.  The composition was often sloppily organized and lacked the elevated diction that a 7 essay of the same caliber analysis would possess. Though I think I was working towards the right ideas as far as the analysis itself, I failed to address the complexity of the woman's situation, and because I did not map out my time efficiently, I ran out of time and was not able to write about the third literary device I found. Therefore, the variety of literary devices within my essay was lacking.
The first thing I would do to improve this essay would be to solidify the complexity of my analysis, which would certainly be encapsulated within Lawrence's idea of "blood knowledge". I mentioned that the woman was craving knowledge, seeking it with the kind of desperation and tension that the men around her simply couldn't understand. With this pursuit of innovation and progression in place with the woman, I could begin to discuss Lawrence and how he proposed the idea of "blood knowledge", that primal instinct running through our veins, that gut feeling that, in Lawrence's eyes, held the most comprehensive body of knowledge at all. In terms of The Rainbow, I could've discussed how the woman was looking outwards for knowledge when the true knowledge she was seeking may have been inwards, where the men were searching, all along.
I would also improve my writing by spending my time more wisely. I took a good few minutes just to read through the prompt and the passage with no analysis; this is a step I need to combine with close reading so I can identify literary terms and the complex meaning of the passage at the same time.  I should also delegate enough time to each of the literary terms I'm analyzing because, as I mentioned above, I didn't have enough time to address selection of detail, and my paper as a whole was weaker because of that. 
On a similar note, I think I needed to include a few more literary devices that were integral to the meaning of the piece, such as parallelism and symbolism. These two devices were incredibly important when it came to deciphering the woman's attitude and how it contrasted from her situation; the symbolism of Mother Earth, blood, and the sun all as "sources of generation", that which gave life, were all rejected by the woman. The parallel structures of polysyndeton within the lines of description for the men's lives shows how the woman has grown tired of the simple, repetitive farm life, and longs to gain enlightenment and self-actualization, two things she believes she cannot find with the life she currently has.

Blog Post 7: Mirror Mirror on the Blog

1. From the beginning of the trimester, the poetry analysis Powerpoints were the cause of much moaning and grinding of teeth, as hours upon hours were spent analyzing the assigned poem, researching background information, and of course, attempting to write a workable thesis and topic sentences that were worthy of the Wilson stamp of approval. The struggle was consistently agonizing, the results equally unimpressive, and many of us felt we would never break the barrier between mediocrity and greatness. It was then that our group was assigned Marxism as our literary approach. Immediately the groans of our group grew exponentially more frustrated; how in the world were we supposed to analyze a story of The Pied Piper from the perspective of a Marxist? The challenge seemed more insurmountable than any previous obstacle, and the four of us wondered if we would even be able to pull off a B. But none of us gave up. Together, as one To Be Determined group, and with some (much) help from our friendly neighborhood Wilson, we read the story from an economic perspective. We scrupulously researched every corner of Marxism, denoting each character in the story as a class and analyzing their interactions from that point. And when we finally pulled our project together, we managed to obtain the rumored A+. 
Though the Marxist analysis of that story was not the most conventional approach, we were able to assign a deeper meaning to the text that still related to the idea of communism, albeit stretched to a certain degree. I realized that not every analysis is cookie-cutter; there is no one right answer when it comes to interpreting a text, though it is important to remember that there are multiple wrong answers as well. Analyzing "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" as a Marxist allowed me to understand that the most obvious analysis of a story or poem doesn't always have to be the right one-there could always be a stronger interpretation lying just below the surface.
Of course, those simple Powerpoints were only, in the end, homework assignments. The real challenge came when we were assigned our first paper, worth 35% of our grade.  Though at first it seemed the essay would be a Herculean task-three separate papers totally about ten pages double-spaced-in the end, neither the length not the content were unbearable. Elements of mise en scene and literary device paralleled one another quite easily, and I found myself enjoying comparing and contrasting how the two contributed to the greater meaning of The Namesake. In the future, I hope I'll be able to note differences between the actual meanings behind each of the scenes, as my paper focused solely on the differences in how that meaning was created.

2. In assessing my participation within the actual classroom setting, I don't think I contributed nearly as much to discussions as I could have. The reminder that every student in the room was focused on the thoughts and ideas of the person speaking was a little intimidating, especially since I don't have much confidence when it comes to interpreting works of literature. I still tried, however, to input answers to more standard questions, such as referencing the lines of the poem in which a certain idea was emphasized or offering official definitions to certain words. Because from this class I've learned that, though the meaning behind a piece is constant, there is more than one correct analysis of a text, I hope that next trimester I'll be able to contribute more ideas when it comes to the actual interpretation of pieces we are discussing in class.
Outside of class, on the other hand, and in a small-group setting, I believe I participated fully. I wrote the topic sentences for our group projects, spent multiple hours discussing the analysis of the poem, and researched the background and Foster chapters for each section. When we had our American drama project and Man Booker Prize project, I completed my even share of the work and reviewed my other group members. I always completed the assigned homework and did my best to spend enough time on it to make the product quality. Other classmates would ask me to edit their papers and review their thesis and, with the hope that I don't sound too self-serving, I gladly obliged. I hope that the participation I've displayed outside the classroom will integrate itself inside the classroom as well.

3. My goals for this trimester have not been successful. Plain and simple. I'd like to think that the 2% increase from the first practice AP test we took to this one 12 weeks later was the result of hours of labor and planning but honestly speaking, the significance of that grade increase is nonexistent.
I believe the problem may have been not just with my own inactivity but with the goals themselves. My goal to talk the talk ended up being the most useful, though I still don't have as firm of a grasp on each term as I would like. Instead of sitting down and going through 10 vocabulary words a month like I had hoped to do, I leeched off of our everyday class use of these words, learning through involuntary repetition. This was not the result of my effort; it was the result of the classroom's. My goals to use testing time wisely and physically SOAPStone the text are two that I would actually like to replace because these seem too obvious; of course I need to use all the time I'm given, of course I need to analyze the poem or prose before I attempt answering questions about it. I'll replace these vague, obvious goals with learning to analyze prose and finding patterns within the questions.
The second goal will be the easier of the two. Often if one answer to a question denotes a specific author purpose, every other question will somehow relate to that author's purpose. That simple idea is one I missed multiple times throughout the last AP test, such as in the Lord Chesterfield letter. Though I knew the tone was sarcastic, I still missed that the closing lines were facetious. Those are two pieces that go hand in hand, and yet it was a key step that I entirely missed.
The first goal will certainly require a great deal more work than simply studying the exam carefully once it is in my hands. On the last AP test we took, the prose passages were my two weakest by far; I had completely missed the point of the first and forgotten to string theme throughout my answers in the section. Therefore, over the next trimester, I will read a famous prose section every two weeks and attempt to analyze it before comparing my interpretation with a credible online interpretation to see what it is I'm missing and where I'm going wrong. Though I know we're not supposed to look up analyses of works, I'll make sure the pieces I choose are ones we won't discuss in class. I believe that by practicing the analysis aspect of the prose section, it will become that much easier on the AP test.

Blog Post 6: Madness in Hamlet

Blog Post 4: I Know Why the Crazed Bird Sings

I worried tremendously over Ophelia; now I know I had good reason. Those horrible, nonsensical little tunes she continually spouted may have had far more meaning than what I thought. Peter J. Seng, the resident palace psychiatrist, voiced his concern that the ballads Ophelia sang were keys to opening her thoughts, thoughts which certainly are not as unintelligible as we may have first presumed. 
When she first called out to me, wondering "Where is the beauteous majesty of Denmark?" (4.5.21), she was not simply asking for my location; she was asking where the once graceful and beautiful Queen of Denmark was, as such a woman was "certainly not in the wretched and haggard Queen confronting the mad girl." (Seng 217) I'm aware that I have not had much time to keep up my appearances, but I fear my outer self has slowly started to reflect my inner morality. 
Hamlet had already vehemently criticized me for my actions, and indeed I was already deeply apologetic. But Ophelia couldn't help but throw another jibe at me, as she sang "How should I your true love know from another one?" (4.5.24) According to Seng, Ophelia was referring to my "inadequate mourning for King Hamlet" (Seng 218), that which had already placed such guilt in my heart. When Hamlet first made me aware of the unconscious atrocities I had committed against him and his father, I begged him to "speak no more" (3.6.89); his words "like daggers" (3.6.96) were almost too much for me to bear. To know that a grief-stricken Ophelia, turned mad from the murder of her father, is even capable of identifying my sins, I know I must truly repent.
I truly had "hop'd [she] shouldst have been Hamlet's wife" (5.1.191), and can only find sadness in her tragic end. That we buried her so quickly, without the proper Christian rites, reminds me of the "hasty wedding between Claudius" and myself (Seng 227), and the grave of my once-husband that was so quickly forgotten. Though Ophelia may have bowed down to madness, I will remember her, for as long as I shall live.

Blog Post 3: To Be or Not To Be?

1. Hamlet references the uncertainty of death when he states "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come" and "But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will".
Hamlet also calls to mind the negative experiences of life when he says "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes". 
The main appeals Hamlet uses are logos and pathos, the first when Hamlet discusses the exhaustiveness of daily life, the second when Hamlet discusses the pains of daily life. Ethos is not used as prevalently because this is a speech about living or dying, and no man can know which would be better because no man has experienced death. However, because Hamlet does acknowledge this fact, and how it would affect his decision "to be, or not to be", he does become more credible.
Paradox is seen through Hamlet's discussion of death as a tool for "relief", for ending all of life's struggles, when death itself is usually the thing to be avoided at all costs. Syntactical parallelism was used when listing the negative experiences of life, and served to emphasize the repetitiveness of each of these. The infinitive in "to die, to sleep" contributes to paradox because as a verb placed next to the idea of simply falling asleep, death seems like temporary actions; however, after recognizing them for the nouns they could be, death takes on a far more permanent meaning. The synecdoche in "The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to" allows the reader to link heartache and shocks-things that occur to people as a whole, not just to the flesh-to something akin to an illness, a disease that ravages the flesh and causes just as much pain. The tone used throughout the soliloquy is serious and contemplative, as Hamlet tries to decipher the decision in front of him and what path of action he should take. The diction is casual because Hamlet is talking to himself, literally debating in his own head what course he should choose. The two main metaphors used are the comparison of death to sleep and the comparison of life to a battle.
Life on earth is compared to a battle, "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles". The afterlife is compared to a faraway land, "The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveler returns, puzzles the will". Death is compared to "sleep". Humans are referenced to as lifeless bodies, as Hamlet says "That flesh is heir to.

Hamlet makes the three following points about life vs. death: death would be a relief to the struggles of life, what comes after death may very well be worse than life, and death is what turns all men to cowards. Hamlet ponders what comes after death and what the purpose of humans on Earth is. Hamlet begins to understand that it is death that makes humans fearful and slow to action, that death must not be so great if humans struggle so long through life to avoid it, and that death is like a deep sleep that could bring pleasant dreams or horrific nightmares even worse than those one lived through.

2. There is no non-diegetic sound, and the only diegetic sound is Hamlet's voice as he speaks to himself in a large empty room, staring at a mirror. The lighting is natural. The camera is over the shoulder so that we can't see Hamlet's actual face, just his reflection in the mirror. Hamlet is wearing all black and holds up a sword by the end of the soliloquy, even though he's most seriously contemplating death at the beginning of his thoughts. The use of the mirror allows the viewer to compare both sides of Hamlet's thinking, comparing life and death through the use of "both Hamlets", and Hamlet is staring directly at himself as though he's trying to persuade his own thoughts to one way.

The music is the only non-diegetic sound and it is frantic, desperate, as though the film is running out of time, which is matched by the camera moving around and around the curving staircase. Finally, the camera pans to the back of Hamlet's head and moves into his head, so that we are literally inside his thoughts as he stares down the cliff contemplating whether life or death is the option he should choose. The lighting is incredibly dark, possibly contributed to with the black and white nature of the film. Hamlet also pulls out a knife in this soliloquy, but he does so earlier in his thoughts, when he's most seriously contemplating the idea of death. The music fades in and out depending on how seriously Hamlet seems to be considering the idea, and as Hamlet begins to understand that death may not be the best solution, the music drops out.

There is no non-diegetic sound, only Hamlet's voice echoing across the mausoleum. The setting of the mausoleum emphasizes the urgent nature of Hamlet's question as he views the possible future he's considering for himself in the bodies around him. The lighting inside is very dark and the only light is coming through a window far outside, as though Hamlet is distant from the life and light that lies above him and is instead focused solely on the idea of death. The camera follows Hamlet around as he paces, sits and stands all across the mausoleum as though he can't make up his mind, emphasized through his jittery actions and his inability to stay still. The camera focuses in on his face when he says something especially important to the message Shakespeare was trying to send about life and death.

The diegetic sound of the music in the background is very haunting and foreboding, as though Hamlet may take action to harm himself, just as the action movie signs surrounding him are almost bidding him to take action as well. The lighting is natural but Hamlet himself is wearing all black, as though he's separated from the lit-up world around him and surrounded by his own dark thoughts. He's pacing all across the video store alone, contemplating what he should do and whether it is life or death he should choose. The camera is focused on Hamlet's face as he speaks to himself,  so we feel as though he's speaking to us even as he distantly stares around the video store.

I believe the best interpretation of this script was Kenneth Branagh's. Placing the camera over the shoulder as he spoke to himself in the mirror put us in his thoughts in a way none of the other sequences did, and as he drew his sword by the end of the soliloquy, it almost seemed as though he'd made his choice to not choose death, which emphasizes the paradox of the relief of death like a sleep. The only thing I would change in regard to mise en scene was something that was portrayed well in a couple of the other scenes, in which Hamlet was cast in a dark light and the rest of the room around him was lit up. This would ostracize Hamlet from the world of life around him and isolate him within his own thoughts. 

Blog Post 2: King Claudius Must Die?

Don't get mad. Get even.
Doesn't that single line give you shivers? I always appreciate a good chick flick, but "John Tucker Must Die" takes the cake! The titular character is the epitome of the ideal high school specimen: good-looking, athletically talented, and well-liked by all. Boys want to be him. Girls want to be with him. A classic story, thus far. John was, however, dating three girls in the same high school, and as soon as the three found out they were being three-timed, they devised a plan to break John Tucker's heart the same way he broke theirs. Oh my, here come the shivers again!
Though I would've liked to have used this quality film as a chance to escape the worries gnawing at the back of my mind, unfortunately, I couldn't help but see some resemblances between the three girlfriends plotting for revenge and my own dear Hamlet. Of course, I'm sure my son would never conceive such a horrible notion as that, but it was hard to miss the parallels in behavior: both the girls and my son lapsed into a state of depression that they refused to discuss with anyone else. If you remember, I even said to him, "Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark" (1.2.69) When Hamlet was alone after the wedding was over, I heard him talking to himself, just as the girls in the movie planned amongst themselves the downfall of John Tucker. Hamlet muttered to himself "My father's brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules" (1.2.154) Both the girls and my son seemed to hide their true intentions from the people around them; the girls, from John Tucker's brother, and Hamlet, from me and his lover, Ophelia. Again, I caught Hamlet speaking to himself in an empty room saying "But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue" (1.2.161). Who must he hold his tongue from? And why?
 I fear that there is something dreadfully wrong with Hamlet, some great weight on his shoulders that has not yet been relieved, and I can't help the feeling that this burden will continue to build and build until my dear son can take it no more, and he crumbles under the pressure. He, speaking again, I might add, to himself, declared "What an ass am I!" (2.2.573) If there is a reason in particular for the way he views himself, with such hatred and shame, just as the girls were disappointed in themselves for being duped by John Tucker, then I feel I must find the reason for it.
Why is he putting on a front for the people around him, acting one way in public and another way in private just as the girls did when, to the outside world, they pretended they were still infatuated by John Tucker when, in reality, they couldn't be anything further? Hamlet said he would act out with an "antic disposition" (1.5.192), but for what reason would he do such a thing? Why would he throw a facade out to the scrutinizing eye of Denmark if he had nothing to hide?
Of course, I must be overreacting. Silly me, thinking so hard of possibilities and potentialities with no base in realism. I think I'll go back to my rom-coms, for a few more hours. Clearly I could use a break!

Blog Post 1: Mother in Turmoil

I simply know not what to do, how to feel. Oh, where to begin? Perhaps with the wedding. No, no, maybe it's best to start with the funeral.
I'll start with the wedding. My wedding to the dear King Claudius, my late husband's brother, and a man so strong, humble, and caring you will not find anywhere else, was beautiful, exactly what I wanted; why, the entire Royal Court of Denmark was present to celebrate the joyous occasion with us. 
Also in attendance was, of course, my son, my dear Hamlet, whom I do treasure more than words can describe. He has been acting strange, of late. Even on the day of my wedding I had to tell him "Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off" (1.2.69), for his "vailed lids" (1.2.71) were obvious to me even in my post-marital bliss. Now perhaps there was a time I would have chalked up his brooding nature to the inevitable storm that is the new-found independence of the young male, but "I doubt it is no other but the main; His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage" (2.2.59). I certainly didn't mean any disrespect to my late husband, may he rest in peace, with my betrothal to his brother; the heart simply wants what it wants. Is it such a crime to love?

Blog Post 11: Ignorance is Bliss

The character of Gertrude is portrayed as a typical, oblivious, air-head female, the kind of person who, for one reason or another, fascinates the public eye, most notably through the ease in which she can be mocked or criticized. It will be interesting to write and to read posts from her perspective simply because she is so clueless. Her thoughts will, for the vast majority of the play, maintain a cheerful, shallow demeanor that will make people's blood boil as they read. We're all guilty of enjoying an occasional blood-boil, as far as I can tell. Also, though Gertrude may be a character very difficult to like because of her hasty disrespect of her past husband's death, she's also very difficult to dislike; how can you blame someone for their ignorance, their lack of awareness? It will be this conflict in emotions that will drive people to continue reading Gertrude's blog, as they struggle to reconcile this carefree, innocent woman with the consequences of her actions.

Blog Post 10: Six Degrees of Separation Storyboards

Blog Post 9: Six Degrees of Separation

Blog Post 8: Compare/Contrast Namesake

Blog Post 7: The Sense of a Forrest

Blog Post 6: The Beanstalk

Blog Post 5: Mrs. Tiresias

Blog Post 5: Marxism

Blog Post 4: TBD on Porphyria's Lover

Blog Post 3: Grimm, Grim, Grip, Gripe, Grope, Groupe, Group

Originality has never been a trait of mine. Though I'm an avid disciple of the arts-everything from musical showmanship to casual writing-what I excel at is not creating ideas from thin air but in decomposing someone else's idea for its best pieces and omitting the rest. Like Joji's prowess for drawing cats in "The Boy who Drew Cats", my talent may seem useless at first; what good could picking apart another's work have? But just as Joji was able to unintentionally save the town from a terrible beast, I believe my ability to see the successes and failures in a person's suggestion is the perfect way to efficiently organize what our group should and should not be doing. For me, even if someone has a plan that seems as silly as felines on rice paper, I can see that, if pulled in the right direction, that weak idea can become a strength, one that can benefit the group in ways that otherwise may have been lost.

On the rare occasion that I do come up with an idea, I usually believe that idea is one that can be of use to the group. I am, however, not afraid to yield. The "Master Man" Shadusa believed his abilities to be the greatest in the world, but he soon encountered men that were capable of strength he couldn't even imagine. Shadusa was overconfident in his strength; I am the opposite. I mentioned that I can easily see the flaws in others' plans, but I can easily see the flaws in my own plans, too. In this way, my role as the conciliator fits me well; I can accept criticisms without taking offense, and unlike Shadusa, I already know that there will always be someone out there with a better, stronger idea than my own, and I'm happily willing to listen.

Blog Post 2: Willpower

I can't honestly say that I'm proud of getting a 66% on this pre-test, but I also wouldn't say I'm entirely disappointed. Eight weeks through AP Language and Composition and my practice multiple choice scores were still around a 68%, so it's clear that I've retained some of my knowledge from the past year: literary devices, rhetorical terms, context, audience, all are familiar ideas I can spot with near-ease in most pieces. Though the works of poetry were unfamiliar, I was still able to identify the symbolism of the setting sun, the metaphor for the speaker's relationship with his beloved, and what certain pronouns and metaphors were referring to. 

Unfortunately, I still have quite a ways to go. Yes, I did manage to remember the test-taking strategies from AP Comp for the multiple choice section, but I did not decide to actually use them. Regardless of whether this can be chalked up to AP test-nerves or my own unwavering laziness, I know that most of the techniques I learned-such as physically writing the SOAPStone of the text on the paper, annotating the pieces for general ideas, and finding textual support for every answer I choose-must be applied for me to find success. Missing questions like "The setting of the passage is" and "According to the speaker, the one trait which saves Europeans from savagery is" are not acceptable for me to miss at this point. If I had taken the time to carefully study the text, I would've found the answers to these questions staring me right in the face. 

It wasn't just the small details that escaped my attention; I often found myself completely missing the big picture behind the passage, missing questions that required me to identify tone or draw conclusions about who and where the speaker is. I'm sure if I wrote down the information I found in the text as I read through it and made  note of what I found to be important, I'd not only take the test more successfully, but more efficiently as well.

The material itself poses as much of a problem as does the way in which I take my tests. Answer choices like caesura, sestina, and lyric had me staring at the paper in front of me wondering what exactly I'd signed up for. When it comes to these question types, I know that as the year goes on, I'll be able to grasp the semantics behind the words, and questions that ask me to choose between Spenserian, Petrarchan, and Shakespearean sonnets will become "gimme" points.

In order to achieve this level of comfort, however, I need to work. One of the simplest goals I can think of is to annotate and SOAPStone every passage before I answer the questions. This is a skill I already possess. All that's left now is for me to employ it. More difficult will be using my testing time wisely. I finished this test with twenty minutes left to spare, and instead of using that time to check and re-check my work, ensuring that every answer I'd chosen made sense, I decided to grade my test against the answer key. In the real AP testing room, there won't be an answer key for me to compare with; it will be me, the multiple choice book, and one hour to get as many questions right as possible. If I utilize all the time given to me, silly mistakes like identifying the setting-which can be found word for word within the text-can be prevented. My final goal is the one that will require the most constant effort, and it is to talk the talk. To be successful in this goal, I'll do my best to have a deep understanding of ten new vocabulary words a month, whether they're specific to AP Literature or words I can use on a daily basis. 

These three goals are difficult. They're not impossible. If I put in the effort, I truly believe a high multiple-choice score is within my reach. 

Blog Post 1: Choosing in Style

"'My grandfather always says that's what books are for...to travel without moving an inch." ~Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake

As The Namesake was required reading for AP Literature, and AP Literature is, shockingly enough, a course about books, I thought it apt to shape the theme of my blog around the idea that one can travel wherever they'd like through reading. The backdrop of the inside of a foreign building, the wordplay between "word" and "world", the font I'm writing in-Georgia for a sense of clear, non-spontaneous purpose, and orange, for excitement and enthusiasm (according to Kendra Cherry)-all unite under the cohesive theme of travel. 

If not for words written on a page years before I was born, my world would consist of nothing but Mason, Ohio. It's a rare occasion that my family and I go further than 15 miles from home. As it is, I can skip the bag-packing, the hotel-booking, the plane trips for hours on end, and pick up a book instead.

So though this blog may only be for English class, though its purpose is purely academic, though these posts are graded assignments that I'm required to do, my hope is that when a viewer scrolls through the page, as they're taking in the background and color scheme and style, a sudden, unexplainable sense of excitement will reach them, and with it, the urge to keep on reading.