Thursday, October 30, 2008

Kate Choplin comparison

When people are writing stories, songs, fairy tales, or any other type of literary work, they tend to include their thoughts, beliefs, and opinions within them. Since the author’s literary piece of writing is based on their thoughts, beliefs, and opinions, they had to derive these views and ideas from a certain source. These sources are developed throughout the author’s lifetime. Any certain significant event that happens in someone’s life tends to make an enormous impact on how that person will live their life and how they will think of a large range of different situations. Since Kate Choplin is just like any other author on this earth, she used thoughts, beliefs, and opinions that she learned throughout her lifetime to help in the construction of “ The Story of An Hour.” With these factors being placed within Kate Choplin’s “ The Story of An Hour,” it affected the reasoning of why this literary work was even drafted.

“ Kate O’ Flaherty grew up surrounded by smart, independent, single women.” (Wyatt, 2) There were many strong and courageous women willing to stand up for what was right, without fear of any consequences that could possibly occur from their actions. They knew that when something was wrong and would not allow it to continue causing havoc or inequality among her society and economy’s rights. If there was something that these women sought, then they would make a determination to achieve their goal and to do whatever it takes to attain it. “ Victoria’s own mother had been the first woman in St. Louis to obtain legal separation from her husband, after which she raised her five children and ran a shipping business on the Mississippi.” (Wyatt, 2) Since Victoria was Kate Choplin’s great-great-grandmother did not simply stand around and wait for someone else to retrieve her freedom from her husband, the trait of taking a stand for what is righteous in life originated and continued from this early point in Kate Choplin’s family tree. It was only destined or classified as logically evident that, since Kate Choplin’s ancestors did not remain silent about what they thought was wrong with their world, Kate Choplin would also result in fighting for the rights and liberties of any type of certain group in need of her aid. “ For the next two years she lived at home with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, all of them widows.” (Wyatt, 2) Since the many women of her family were all widows, they did not have the assistance of men to help them care for the children, housework, money issues, and the many other conflicts that occur when a person is trying to support a family and themselves. With this statement being a true fact, these women had to be strong individuals so that they could handle the many stress-inducing conflicts that would present themselves in these women’s daily lives. Which means that Kate Choplin was always around women that were strong and independent. With these type of women being the only kind of women that she was able to view and learn from, she was bound to pick up their traits and beliefs on fighting for their rights and being able to be independent.

With these factors being placed within Kate Choplin’s “ The Story of An Hour,” it affected the reasoning of why this literary work was even drafted. Since Kate Choplin was raised in a house filled with these strong-minded women, she tended to base her writings on the thoughts, beliefs, and opinions that she derived from her family’s way of life.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Story of An Hour's Answers

Phrases:

1. "pressed down by a physical exhaustion"- I chose this quote because I liked how the author chose to use diction relating to the medical field which was an actual foreshadow of what the story's conclusion would be.

2. "as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams"- I like the way that the author chose to include how she had become as dependent for comforting as a child would be, and how it is theorized that whatever happens to be on someone's mind before they go to sleep, will most likely be what the person will dream of that night.

3. "it was too subtle and elusive to name"- I enjoy how the author claims the situation to be too broad of a subject to specifically name, and that it's also somewhat trying to hide from him because it's elusive.

4. "Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously"- It gives a foreshadow of how her heart is where the issue can be found.

5. "free, free, free!"- I like how freedom is the what brings the author joy. I'm glad that the author has been freed from their suffering.

Questions:

1. Did the women's family, friends, or associates foreshadow her heart condition?
2. Why did the author choose to use pathos in their story?
3. Why does the author consider the heart condition as "the joy that kills"?
4. Why did the author start and end the story as they did?
5. Why did the story consist of how the dying character's thoughts?

Monday, October 27, 2008

Disturbia

Kale was able to viewed as an authentic character with the help of the visual and auditory details presented in the movie. In the very beginning, Kale had his hood over his head. This gave the audience the impression that he did not care about school. This simple detail foreshadowed to when Kale purposely hit the teacher in the eye. When Kale was placed on house arrest, his choice of visual entertainment was watching women in bathing suits. Since this seemed to be his choice of interest,it gave Kale a more realistic image as the average, troubled, and teenage boy. A normal teenage boy is usually portrayed as an individual who's mind is usually attracted to gorgeous girls, preferably with nothing on. Without the visual and auditory details being placed in this movie, it would have been a much harder task to try and portray Kale as an authentic character.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Aren't I a Woman Comparison

When the 50 Essays book edits Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman" to their preferences, her authenticity is taken away from her original speech. In order for any type of literary work to have a sense of authenticity, it has to receive it from the true author of the literary work. By Sojourner Truth having her speech told to the world as she said it, it allows the audience to view who she really was. In Sojourner Truth's original speech, there is her natural dialect. In Sojourner Truth's edited speech, her true dialect is taken away from the audience. When Sojourner Truth has her normal dialect implemented in her speech, she shows the audience how she really is that woman who is a free, courageous slave, who was not scared of what could happen to her if she did publicize her feelings on slavery, women's rights, and the lack of justice in the world but what would happen to her is she did nothing at all. Physical abuse is a temporary pain. Whereas, mental abuse can destroy a person by beginning at their soul and slowly and painfully killing them. Without Sojourner Truth's authentic words in her speech, the authenticity of it would be completely lost for all other audience members, not present on that day, to experience.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Aren't I a Woman Questions and Response

Questions:

1) Truth is responding to the men whom stated that women couldn't have or deserved equal rights.
2) The examples relate to how women and black people aren't treated with respect. Since she uses these examples and compares them with privileged people's lives, she gives support for how she believes women and blacks aren't treated correctly.
3)The both bring to the reader's attention how everyone deserves to be treated with respect.
4) I probably would have been surprised at the fact that she was publicizing beliefs which could have got her into a lot of turmoil. I may have thought that she would be scared. Since she used so much power with her diction and bodily movements, she was able to show her courage, strength, and determination about women and black people deserving their rights.

Response:

When a speaker has to present a speech to any type or size of audience, they have to discover a plan of action on how they will go about trying to persuade their audience into wanting to believe what they are trying to persuade. The speaker has to find out what will grab the audience's attention and make them want to listen to their speech. Sojourner Truth's method of convincing , in " Aren't I a Woman," was to use diction and physical, body movements which contained and brought power into her speech. Since she used so much power with her diction and bodily movements, she was able to show her courage, strength, and determination about how women and black people deserved their individual rights.

Sojourner Truth's diction gave off a very direct and serious call towards the audience. When Sojourner Truth was talking to her audience, she used sentences which contained exclamation points at the end of them. "I have plowed, and planted and gathered into barns, and no man could head me - and aren't I a woman?" (Truth, 423) When Sojourner Truth places this question within her speech, it begins a calling from Sojourner Truth to the audience for a mutual understanding to be formed. Since Sojourner Truth is asking the audience a question, she is interacting with her audience and shows them that she cares about each and everyone of their opinions. "Look at me! Look at my arm!" (Truth, 423) She is asking the audience to do her favor. In doing so, she is forcing the audience to now interact back with her. When someone asks anyone to do them the simple task of looking at their arm, the person being asked will usually feel obligated to at the least give the person acknowledgment for what was aked of them. Even though her diction may be a pretty powerful device, how she uses her body to interpret her message to her audience is also as strong as well.

Sojourner Truth's bodily movements help her convince the audience to believe what she believes by giving her audience a visual of how she feels on the matter. "And she bared her right arm to the shoulder, showing her tremendous muscular power." (Unknown, 423) In the simple action of flexing her arm, she was able to convey to the audience how powerful she was even though women were classified as weak individuals. She gave proof that women were not as weak as they were supposedly thought to be. Through body motions, she was able to convey her message.

Since she used so much power with her diction and bodily movements, she was able to show her courage, strength, and determination about women and black people deserving their rights. She found her way of conveying her message successfully.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Harriet Jacobs's Response

Diaries were created so that a person would be able to let their thoughts and ideas be known. It is a form of ventilation from the outside world. Harriet Jacobs wrote "Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl" to announce and publicize her story to anyone willing to listen to it. She wanted to open society's eyes to what was really happening to Africans in the world. Jacobs main audience was filled with people who either wanted to hear her story or did not mind listening to it.

Jacobs sought to let her story be known to the few that would want to hear it. In Chapters one, seven, and ten, Jacobs made clear announcements directed towards the audience of her story. "The reader knows that no promise or writing given to a slave is legally binding; for, according to Southern laws, a slave, being property, can hold no property." (Jacobs, 814) In Chapter one, Jacobs made this comment to try and form a relationship between the audience and her, just like a diary. "Reader, did you ever hate?" (Jacobs, 818) Since Jacobs is writing this story for someone who cares about her issues, she includes this sentence to allow the reader to see what feelings Jacobs had to endure during her lifetime slavery. "And now, reader...I have promised to tell you the truth, and I will do it honestly." (Jacobs, 820) Jacobs did not wish to create a story of lies so that society would come to sympathize her. She wrote her story to declare to the world what truthfully was happening to African slaves of her time. Even though she would have loved for the whole world to want to know what truths she had to tell, everyone did not care about her issues or refused to change them.

Jacobs main audience was filled with people who either wanted to hear her story or did not mind listening to it. She wrote this story as if it were her diary. She needed to express her story to someone or something. So, anyone that wished to learn of her story would be warmly welcomed to do so.

Poet's Corner

This is my remake from Oh, Happy Day. I don't really think it changes the meaning of the song because I made sure to simply paraphrase each verse. I changed the effect of the song by making each verse longer. Since the verses were longer, they took away the effect of being able to say each verse quicker and with more meaning.

He led me through it all (yeah, He lead me through it all)
Through the cleansing (through the cleansing, through the cleansing)
Arguing and talking to God (arguing and talking to God)
Arguing and talking to God

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Self-Reliance Response

Today’s society consists of many things that cause people to find the opinions of others as an important factor in their social lives. Females of this century seek ambitions of being perfectly fit, wearing the newest design clothing, and much more. Males of this era want to be muscular, athletic, and popular with the ladies. In order to attain all of these goals and wishes, people may have to behave like someone they really are not. The author of the Essay two Self-Reliance believed that everyone should stay true to themselves and think they were perfect. In order to convey this message to the audience, the author used logos, pathos, and imagery. Without these writing techniques, the author would not have been able to convey their message, as successfully as they did, to their audience.

With the use of logos the author was able to provide the audience with credibility for the main idea. “Familiar as the voice of the mind is to each, the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought.” (Self-Reliance, 1) When the author gives names of specific people, they are implementing a credible source within the essay. The author is also using these people to describe how these people came to succeed in life through their own thoughts and ideas. “The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.” (Self-Reliance, 2) The author is using this statement to try and explain to the audience how the only person or thing that can discover their feelings is themselves. “A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best.” (Self-Reliance, 2) With this statement, the author provides the audience with a real-life situation. If someone puts all their effort into something, then they would be proud of their finished work. Even though logos provides the essay with credibility, it cannot appeal to the audience’s emotions.

When the author puts pathos into the essay, they are able to attract the audience’s emotions to lean towards the main
idea. “The sentiment they instill is of more value than any thought they may contain.” (Self-Reliance, 1) Since the author of “Self-Reliance” is clearly expressing to the audience how the poem is filled with “sentiment”, the author of the essay is showing how the poem was trying to appeal to the audience’s emotions. In the Essay two Self-Reliance, the author states “envy is ignorance.” (Self-Reliance, 2) If a person envies someone else, then they are being ignorant to what wonderful things that are currently in their lives. “Do you think the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me?” (Self-Reliance, 2) Since the author places emphasis on how even the young children of today still have a voice, they are trying to express to the audience of how everyone has a voice and opinion and should execute them on a daily basis. Appealing to the audience’s emotions is a valuable form of getting the audience to agree with the author’s main idea but being able to supply the audience with images of what the author’s main idea is discussing is also an effective way of persuading the audience to believe the author’s main idea.

In using imagery in the essay, the author was able to give the audience the opportunity to view what the author is discussing through mental images. “Else, to-morrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another.” (Self-Reliance, 2) Since this sentence provided the audience with many details, the author gave the audience everything they needed to form a mental picture of what the stranger looked like. “A boy is in the parlour what the pit is in the playhouse.” (Self-Reliance, 3) Since the author is providing the audience with a realistic situation, they are giving the audience the ability to try to understand the author’s reasoning for believing that everyone should rely on their selves for success. “But the man is, as it were, clapped into jail by his consciousness.” (Self-Reliance, 3) With this statement, the author brings the audience into the world and logic behind one’s soul and inner thoughts. The author wants to show audience of how the mind is a powerful tool that controls the body and must be listened to. Imagery aided in helping to express to the audience the author’s main idea.

Without these writing techniques, the author would not have been able to convey the main idea, as successfully as they did, to their audience. In using logos, pathos, and imagery, the author was able to use many different techniques to try and convince the audience to believe the author’s main idea. Since the author used all of these writing techniques, the essay appealed to the audience’s need for credibility, emotions, and visual representation.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Slave's Dream Response

In order to improve any type of literary work, certain writing techniques are used. Pathos is used to appeal to the
audience’s emotions. Since diction is considered as word choice, it causes the author to consider what type of context would
be the correct one to use for their audience. With the use of pathos, diction, and imagery, Longfellow was able to provide the
audience with visuals of what the slave felt and dreamt of. If Longfellow did not implement these writing techniques within his
poem, then he would not have conveyed these things to the audience as effectively as he did.

Longfellow uses pathos to try to convince to the audience how the slave is filled with sorrow but soon finds happiness.
“They clasped his neck, they kissed his cheek, they held him by the hand!” (Longfellow, 15-16) When Longfellow states the
slave’s reminiscing of these actions of affection, he show the audience how much the slave misses his family. “A tear burst
from the sleeper’s lids and fell into the sand.” (Longfellow, 17-18) Since a tear had not only appeared but “burst” from the
slave’s eyes, it was clearly insinuated that the slave was desperately longing for his family to be reunited with him once more.
“That he started in his sleep and smiled.” (Longfellow, 41) Since Longfellow said that he smiled, he was making it clearly
evident to the audience that the slave had finally attained happiness. Even though pathos helped to convince the audience of
the author’s main ideas, it only appealed to the audience’s emotional side.

Diction was used in “The Slave’s Dream” to help in successfully describing to the audience the author’s reasoning for
creating their main ideas. “He saw his Native Land. Wide through the landscape of his dreams.” (Longfellow, 6-7) In order to
not confuse the audience, the author kept his descriptions of the dreams closely related to each other. When Longfellow was
describing how the slave was dreaming of his “Native Land”, he stated that the slave viewed them through a “landscape of
dreams”. “And then at furious speed he rode.” (Longfellow, 19) Longfellow showed to the audience how the slave was angry
by using the term “furious” to describe the speed at which he was riding. “Through the triumph of his dream.” (Longfellow, 36)
By using the word “triumph”, he shows the audience how the slave had succeeded in accomplishing his dream. Diction may
have done a wonderful job at making the poem more understandable for the audience, but it could not provide what imagery
did.

Imagery supplied “The Slave’s Dream” audience with realistic and interesting views which are not present in all literary
works. “Beside the ungathered rice he lay.” (Longfellow, 1) This quote provides the audience with enough description to allow
the reader to visualize what is occurring in the poem as if they were actually with the character at the time. “His breast was
bare, his matted hair.” (Longfellow, 3) When Longfellow gives a detailed outer description of the slave’s appearance, he allows
the audience to be able to imagine how the character may appear to the audience if they were real. “And the Blast of the
Desert cried aloud.” (Longfellow, 39) This quote may cause the audience to take a moment and ponder what this statement
could possibly mean. It makes the reader wonder how the “Blast of the Desert” would sound like when it cried. Imagery
provided Longfellow with the powerful tool of forming many different images in the audience’s head. It also caused them to
actually think of what a quote could have meant or of how it was at all significant to the quality of the author’s poem. Imagery
aided in conveying the author’s main ideas to the audience.

If Longfellow did not implement these writing techniques within his poem, then he would not have conveyed these things
to the audience as effectively as he did. Every literary work consists of at least one writing technique. Without these
techniques, the writing would be plain, boring, and not even worth reading. In successfully using pathos, diction, and imagery
within his poem, Longfellow was able to get his main ideas across to the audience and give his paper an appearance of high
quality.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Scarlet Letter Questions by: Kat, Kimber, Randa, Khadija, Amy, Temitope, and Faith

1) Hester, the main character of the novel, committed the sin of adultery. She slept with Arthur Dimmesdale, a minister, while she was married to “Roger Chillingworth.” As a result of her betrayal Chillingworth refuses to recognize Hester as his wife. When Hester asks, “ why not announce thyself openly, and cast me off at once?” (Hawthorne 71) He replies, “ It may be, because I will not encounter the dishonor that besmirches the husband of a faithless woman.” (Hawthorne 71) Another important character, Arthur Dimmesdale, committed the sin of fornication with someone else’s wife, Hester Prynne. The result of this fornication was clearly visible to their society because of Prynne suddenly conceiving a child, Pearl. Chillingworth a sin was to act on his wrath towards Dimmesdale and Hester because of their betrayal. With the committing of sins comes the many consequences.

They had all received consequences for their sins. Hester’s consequence was that she had to stand on the marketplace’s scaffold for three hours on public display and had to wear a scarlet letter “A”, to symbolize how she had committed adultery, for the remainder of her life.

2) Hawthorne shows complex writing style. His writing style sounded archaic and was often difficult to understand. The dialogues were not like natural speech but written as in prose just as everything else, very unlike the normal way people speak. For example, in this statement, "we have as yet hardly spoken of the infant; that little creature, whose innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion. How strange it seemed to the sad woman, as she watched the growth, and the beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the intelligence that threw its quivering sunshine over the tiny features of this child! The statement is very archaic in every sense because readers would read and sense that he was writing for his own benefit and no natural speech is expressed. For instance, he uses person to person.

Hawthorne also uses a great use of large, complex vocabulary. This book could be read by many age groups. The vocabulary used seemed very professional and difficult. Many readers would seem illiterate while reading this novel. In this quote stated,” What little bird of scarlet plumage may this be? Methinks I have seen just such figures when the sun has been shining through a richly painted window, and tracing out the golden and crimson images across the floor. But that was in the old land. Prithee, young one, who art thou, and what has ailed thy mother to bedizen thee in this strange fashion? Art thou a Christian child — ha? Dost know thy catechism? Or art thou one of those naughty elves or fairies whom we thought to have left behind us, with other relics of Papistry, in merry old England?" He also has a great use of figurative language. The one he is most prominent for is metaphors and similes. He uses it in almost every sentence. This makes his writing even more difficult. The consequences of Hester Prynne’s sin were to stand on a scaffold and be mocked and to wear a scarlet “A” on her bosom at all times. This way everyone would know that she committed adultery. The purpose of these punishments was to embarrass Prynne and make her repentant for the sin that she committed. Everyone in town knows that she must wear it as a punishment. The people must ignore he because she defied the Puritan society rule, and this leaves her lonely.

3)The definition of a feminist is the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of the men. Also it means an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women. In the book Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne is portrayed as an early feminist. In one scene, as she emerged from the prison to stand on the scaffold, from the prison, Hester did not cover her “A”. She wore and showed it proudly. Also the way that she transformed the “A” with the embroidery was another symbol as to how she was an early feminist. She wore the “A” on her bosom as a badge of honor.

Another main reason why Hester Prynne is an early feminist is because she took a lot from other people. There were people who looked down on her and didn’t even consider her a woman anymore. They gave her a lot of problems but she didn’t do anything to get them back. In this sense she is so powerful because she didn’t need to do anything. At the same time this set an example for other women. That even though they were looked down upon because they were women they didn’t need to act upon it and treat others badly. She helped people instead. That is why girls would look for her seeking her advice. Hester was very powerful and a leader and she didn’t even know it.


4) This scene serves as the climax of the novel because it showed Dimmesdale remorse towards Hester. Dimmesdale felt sorry because he thought he was suppose to be in Hester’s position seven years ago. He wanted to make up for the time he was supposes to spend on the scaffold. The scaffold was an important symbol of the unity of a family.

Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl are starting to come together and unite as a family. “ The moment that he did so, there came what seemed a tumultuous rush of new life, other than his own…”(pg. 140) This was the beginning of a new chapter in their life together. The scaffold scene was the turning point in the novel where they could all be together even though there was no one around to see.

5.) Names of people are usually symbolic. In the novel, same of the main characters had unique names, yet they had meaning. Pearl was Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale daughter. She was the result of their sinful action. Arthur Dimmesdale was the minister of the community and a role model of sanctity to the people. Roger Chillingworth was Hester Prynne husband and a supposed physician.

Pearls are precious, one of a kind, beautiful and extravagant. Through Hester Prynne eyes, her daughter was this and more. She considered her daughter, her one and only treasure, the one closest to her heart. Therefore she named her Pearl. Arthur Dimmesdale fives a life full of remorse after he realizes that hiding the truth would only make matters worse. Under the physician’s watchful eye, Dimmesdale became weak and depressed. He lives a very dim and black life even though he was viewed as a purified individual. When you think of Dimmesdale, you would think of “dimness”. Roger Chillingworth went through a metamorphosis. During the novel, he went from being a quiet, smart, bookworm to someone filled with hate and determination for revenge. He felt betrayed and humiliates at the fact that his wife slept with someone else while he was absent. His attitude brings forth a flood of chills upon anyone who knows his true intentions.

6.) Hester’s attitude has changed from when she emerges from jail to the last scene in the sense that she is a more optimistic individual. When she got out of the jailhouse, she was insecure and hang her head low. She didn’t have any confidence and she felt neglected. All she had in this world was her daughter and nothing more. Her daughter was her only reason for lying.

One, event that helped with her transformation was when she no longer had to stand on the scaffold for three hours and get a place for her and pearl in the woods. This event helped shape her, because she no longer had to ensure people’s eyes staring at her. She can focus on herself and her daughter. One way that she does that is through her sewing. She lets that be her escape route, and she makes money out of it. She starts to gain her confidence and sense of womanhood back by helping other people.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Gettysburg Address

1) Lincoln should have mentioned some ways of how the people should honor those who fought for everyone's freedom. He did not clearly specify who was fighting who. He did not state where or when these people were fighting.

2) Lincoln states how he believes that being the citizens of the nation, which people fought for, the society should give respect towards the deceased by continuing to fight for colonial freedom as they did. Since Lincoln's main point was to convince his society to continue to fight for freedom for all, this sentence used pathos to grab the audience's hearts and strongly express to them how important it was to not allow the deceased to have died for nothing. This sentence allows Lincoln to try to convince the audience through their emotions. The function that it performs is implementing pathos in his address to the audience. I think it reached the audience's appeal to sorrow for those who died for freedom. My sentence would go like this: Why shall we allow our deceased- those who died for our freedom, justice, and overall equality- to have given up their lives for nothing.

3) Both were written to convince the colonials to fight for freedom, from the British government and both described how their ideas were best for the people. The address was created to describe to the colonials how they should continue fighting for their freedom, so those who died did not for nothing. The Declaration of Independence was made to attack the King's quality of ruling and to list all the injustices the king committed. The Declaration of Independence had a harsher tone which was used to attack the king. The address had a more persuasive tone which was used to try to persuade colonials to continue fighting for freedom.

4) During my speech class, I heard many persuasive speeches and informational speeches. The address, Declaration of Independence, and other speeches I have heard all use techniques of persuasion and facts to support their beliefs and main ideas.

Friday, October 10, 2008