Dario's Writing

Going into AP English Literature, I had completed AP English Language and felt prepared for anything that could possibly come my way; surely the rhetorical analysis, picture analysis and argumentative essay in Literature were similar to those I had mastered in Language! However, I soon discovered that AP Literature was in fact not a continuation of AP Language. At the beginning of the year, I took for granted the idea that though I had been exposed to a tremendous amount of writing and reading skills in AP Language, that maybe AP Literature had just as many- if not more -useful skills to instill in me. For this reason, I went into the first couple of weeks of classes in the same mindset I had junior year. My early writing for the class reflects the voice I had acquired last year in my writing... In my "Fig Essay" (a parody of the Madeline Cookie story) the sentences used are short, simple and easy to understand- writing that was useful in AP Language in analyzing arguments.

Passage : “My dear Miss Eliza, why are not you dancing?- Mr. Darcy, you must allow me to present this young lady to you as a very desirable partner. You cannot refuse to dance, I am sure, when so much beauty is before you.” And taking her hand, he would have given it to Mr. Darcy, who, though extremely surprised, was not unwilling to receive it, when she instantly drew back, and said with some discomposure to Sir William, “Indeed, sir, I have not the least intention of dancing. I entreat you not to suppose that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner.” Mr. Darcy with grave propriety requested to be allowed the honour of her hand; but in vain. Elizabeth was determined; nor did Sir William at all shake her purpose by his attempt at persuasion. (21) ------------- Revised Analysis : In this passage from Pride and prejudice, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are introduced to each other for the first time and both are encouraged to dance with one another by a mutual friend. In the scene, there

Passage: “My dear Miss Eliza, why are not you dancing?- Mr. Darcy, you must allow me to present this young lady to you as a very desirable partner. You cannot refuse to dance, I am sure, when so much beauty is before you.” And taking her hand, he would have given it to Mr. Darcy, who, though extremely surprised, was not unwilling to receive it, when she instantly drew back, and said with some discomposure to Sir William, “Indeed, sir, I have not the least intention of dancing. I entreat you not to suppose that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner.” Mr. Darcy with grave propriety requested to be allowed the honour of her hand; but in vain. Elizabeth was determined; nor did Sir William at all shake her purpose by his attempt at persuasion. (21) --------- Analysis: The fact that Mr. Darcy is “extremely surprised” by Elizabeth’s hand to an extent shows his conceited and proud nature as a character. Also, the narration states not that he is willing to accept her hand, but that he

Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock The houses are haunted By white night-gowns. None are green, Or purple with green rings, Or green with yellow rings, Or yellow with blue rings. None of them are strange, With socks of lace And beaded ceintures. People are not going To dream of baboons and periwinkles. Only, here and there, an old sailor, Drunk and asleep in his boots, Catches tigers In red weather. “Disillusionment of Ten O’ Clock” By Wallace Stevens In his poem, “Disillusionment of Ten O’ Clock” poet Wallace Stevens observes and comments upon the empty and meaningless lives that many people lead. Stevens accomplishes this through the use of repetition and comparison, and more importantly metaphysical and artistic imagery. Throughout the first part- a shift occurring between lines 11 and 12 –words with negative connotations are used to build the empty and disillusioned tone that emanates through the poem and to set the context of the poem. The poem begins with Steve

“The Author to Her Book” By Anne Bradstreet In her poem “The Author to Her Book,” poet Anne Bradstreet portrays the feelings one feels as his or her work is read and criticized by others and the eventual acceptance of the faults in the writing. Bradstreet portrays this outlook on the creation process through the use of a metaphor comparing a written work- specifically a “book” in this poem –and a child. Bradstreet uses motherly language and words with a protective connotation in describing her “child” in order to reveal the speaker’s admiration and hopes for him or her. Though the speaker describes her child in the poem as “ill-formed,” suggesting that the child is defective, she comments that the child “did’st by my side remain,” indicating that she appreciates the child and does not disown it, regardless of its flaws. When describing the revealing of the child to the world, Bradstreet uses the word “snatched,” suggesting that the child was “exposed to public view” without the speake

Sonnet #1 The first of many sonnets yet to come, But where to start it still remains unknown. Look here! It would appear I have begun, One line to start, behind three more have grown. My dilemma though lies in gist not girth, These words are words not sewn with common thread, This hollow poem to which I give birth, The birth of poetry now cold and dead. Yet iambs do not walk out with cold feet, On meaning bestowed to little words, plain, By reading between where the lines do meet, One sees the merit, among beauty slain. So, good miss, put away thy microscope, And pray to God we have not lost all hope. Love, Love. Love, Love, Love, Love. And More Love. Oh, my dear, how I love you, honest, I do, From the moment I saw, I knew I lov’d thee, So, can I implore you to stay by my side and forever be true? I’ll ignore all the words I’ve heard describe you, Even the ones that end with itch but begin with a “B,” Oh, my dear, how I love you, honest, I do, I’ll shower you with roses so black and so

Symbol Notes Animal Farm is an example of an allegory. In “Barn Burning” act of burning barns is symbolic of hatred of all things not belonging to him. “Araby” “Barn Burning” “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” Symbol: • in literature, a thing that suggests more than its literal meaning. • do not typically stand for any one meaning or for anything absolutely definite • they point, they hint, they cast long shadows Allegory: • a story in which persons, places and things form a system of clearly labeled equivalents. • Symbols have an indefinite multiplicity of meanings while allegories to not. Parable: • a brief story that teaches a lesson • some but not all parables are allegories Symbolic Act: • a gesture with larger significance than usual. Why?: • compact yet fully laden • starkly concrete yet slightly mysterious • depicts point more fully and more memorably How to recognize?: • author gives symbol special emphasis • may be mentioned repeatedly • may be title • can open or close short sto

Love in Detail …here the drug dealers (would they kill you if it came to that?) and the lunatics, the stunned and baffled, the people whose luck, if they ever had any, has run out. Still, she loves the world for being rude and indestructible, and she knows that other people must love it too, poor as well as rich, though no one speaks specifically of these reasons. Why else do we struggle to go on living, no matter how compromised, no matter how harmed? Even when we’re further gone than Richard; even if we’re fleshless, blazing with lesions, shitting in the sheets; still, we want desperately to live. It has to do with all this she thinks. Wheels buzzing on concrete, the roil and shock of it; sheets of bright spray blowing from the fountain as young shirtless men toss a Frisbee and vendors (from Peru, from Guatemala) send pungent, meaty smoke up from their quilted carts; old men and women straining after the sun from their benches, speaking softly to each other… (The Hours, 14-15) I

“Damn” Etymology and Current Meaning From the Oxford English Dictionary: Damn (Daem), v. [a. OF. dampue-r, damnue-r, ad. L. damnare, dampuare, orig. to inflict damage or loss upon, to condemn, doom to punishment…] 1. To pronounce adverse judgment on, affirm to be guilty, to give judicial sentence against; = CONDEMN I damp be not quar so bou far, But go nu forth and sin na mar. Cursor M. 1300 It is no maystereye for a lord To dampen a man with oute answere. Chaucer L.G.W 1385 2. To condemn to a particular penalty or fate; to doom; = CONDEMN Pylate, do after us, And dam to death Jesus. Torvncley Myst 1460 3. To adjudge and pronounce (a thing, practice, etc.) to be bad; to adjudge or declare forfeited, unfit for use, or illegal; to denounce or annul authoritatively; to CONDEMN. For haddle God comaundid maydenhede, Then had he dampynd weddyng with the dede. Chaucer 1386 Synonyms: curse, beshrew, bedamn, anathemize, anathemise, imprecate, maledict Antonyms: bless, approve, sanctify In mode

First Third 4 We had talked about it during the long gray winters and the damp green summers, looked with an addict’s longing at photographs of village markets and vineyards, dreaming of being woken up by the sun slanting through the bedroom window. The author begins by describing his primary incentive for moving from England to Provence. He begins by contrasting the weather in the two countries. The author describes England as depressing and “gray” in the winter and “damp green” while he describes Provence as sunny. The author writes he “dreamed” about the sun in Provence, something he did not see much of in England. 12 But what did everyone else do? The earth was frozen, the vines were clipped and dormant, it was too cold to hunt… There is a season for everything in Provence, and the first two months of the year must be devoted to procreation. We have never dared ask. Ironically, the narrator was expecting to be warm and sunny year-long in Provence. He also expected to be seeing the

Mrs. Dalloway Mental Submission (This Explication Refers to Page 100 of Mrs. Dalloway.) In this passage from Mrs. Dalloway, author Virginia Woolf uses a strong sexual undertone to characterize Sir William and other such individuals in society. Woolf mainly relies on words that mold Sir William into a predator and those that make his patients appear as the prey. Woolf uses words with negative sexual connotation in order to reveal the methods behind Sir William’s treatments of others. Much like an animal on the hunt for his kill, Woolf characterizes Sir William as a doctor who “feasts on the wills of the weakly.” Sir William’s method of treatment of the people that see him is labeled “Conversion” by the narration and described as forcing ones ways on another. The fact that the word “conversion” is used reveals that Sir William destroys the free thought of others and turns their beliefs into ones that match his own. The diction Woolf uses in this passage also helps portray Sir William’s

First Layer: “Faitful to themselves alone heaven cast them out for imperfection but hells deeps would not receive them” | “no hope of death” First Circle: No screaming but instead sighing, not sinners but not baptized. Lived before Christianity and did not believe in God; not sinners but have no hope, but always with desire. [Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucan] Dante becomes sixth in company of great poets, Electra, Cesar, Aristotle, Plato, Socratese, Democratis, Euclid, etc. The fact that the five great poets accept Dante into their group suggests both that Dante believes himself as a great poet and that he might not fully believe in the correct God. Second Circle: less space, but more pain and grief, sinners of the flesh (lust). The word “pity” is repeated several times, to show Dante’s sorrow. The sinners here are blown around by a tornado like storm. Third Circle: rain, hail, filthy sleet, and murky atmosphere “soak stinking earth on which they fall”, Cerberus: blood red eyes, talons on pa

Notes: Page Text Response Epigraph That much he knew. He had fallen into darkness. And at the instant he knew, he ceased to know. -Jack London This interesting quotation begins the novel, I’m Not Scared. Ammaniti choses this quotation because it matches the book both literally and figuratively. Literally, there is a boy that “has fallen into darkness” literally as he is in a hole. However, the “fallen” boy can matches the subtle religious undertones of the novel. The fallen boy can represent the fallen people of Michele’s town and Michele, being the “guardian angel” of the boy is thus the guardian angel and savior of the people. 3 Maybe because once he had stuck a skull on his arm, one of those transfers you bought at the tobacconist’s and fixed on with water. This passage is interesting because it shows that the novel was not translated into “American English” but into “British English.” This is apparent through the use of the word “transfer” which, without context clues, to most Amer

Shattered glass, bullet holes and uprising: words associated with some of the music a teenager listens to. Baseball cards, Pokémon handhelds and Beanie Babies: childhood playthings forever linked with the memories sitting idly by in the back of most teenagers' minds. The kids I saw growing up on the English-speaking TV stations had baseball cards to play with, ones of their favorite players, rookie cards and first-editions, and listened to angst filled and rebellious music when they reached their teenage years. By my fifth birthday, my older brother and I had accumulated two sizable bags full of bullet casings. There existed no rookie bullets, but Rebel bullets instead. No first-editions, but the last additions to a pedestrian's chest. Just like the American kids on TV collected baseball cards and Beanie Babies, Albanian ones at that time collected bullets, shrapnel, grenade pins, parts of landmines, and other pieces of used up ammunition. It is these lasting images that I hav

The Light of Darkness In his poem “Root Cellar,” writer Theodore Roethke depicts the resilience of life and its tendency to be found in even the gloomiest of places. Roethke expresses these themes through the details of the grim surroundings and showing that even under these circumstances life flourishes. Roethke illustrates the cellar that the poem takes place in as a gloomy and harsh atmosphere to create for the reader the harshest environment imaginable. Throughout the poem Roethke uses alliteration of the letter “d” to create the “dank” and “dark” setting that the reader imagines in her mind. Words beginning with the letter “d” appear often in and their frequency makes the darkness and gloominess of the surroundings the main focus of the poem. Along with the use of alliteration to achieve this effect, Roethke also uses many comparisons in the forms of metaphors and similes to compare the cellar to some other dark or “rank” object and enhance the dismal sense of the place. The cell

Dear Frightened AP English Student, So, you signed up for AP English Language and Composition… and after that summer work, I bet you’re starting to question that decision, aren’t you? Wondering if you can really handle the course load that you’ve heard horror stories about… the packets of work… the rhetorical analyses… the long essays you’ll have to write… the all nighters spent filling out Reading Sheets watching the hour hand inch closer and closer to 6AM… and Oh God, the Research Binder! The terrible, godforsaken and unholy Research Binder; a fate no man should knowingly choose for himself… RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN! Why are you reading? RUN! Sorry... Let’s try that again shall we: Feeling overwhelmed about the amount of work you are going to receive this year? Well don’t worry because I know you can do it! OK, maybe not “know,” but… I mean, it’s not that much work if you consider… that... Well, I’m sure that if you just… OK fine, I have no words of wisdom for you except: Embrace for

Society’s Pest Control In the novella “The Metamorphosis,” writer Franz Kafka critiques the materialistic values of a society that prizes a man’s productivity over his being. Kafka delivers this disapproving assessment through the use of a series of ironic situations and points of view that negatively portray to the reader the kind of world in which the main character, Gregor, lives. Kafka is able to expand the claims he makes about Gregor and his family to society as a whole through creating Gregor’s family into a symbol for society in general. Though irony permeates through the entirety of “The Metamorphosis,” Kafka makes the opening sentence of the novella the most ironic to remove the technical and practical issues the reader might have with the story’s plot at the beginning. The first sentence of the novella describes Gregor waking up one day and finding “himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.” By beginning the plot of the story in this unexpected manner, Kafka brin

Ironic Christ Figure In his short story “The Gospel According to Mark,” Jorge Luis Borges comments on the effects of preaching foreign beliefs to a group of people. Borges, however, makes his statement on the matter using an ironic situation that helps the reader understand the consequences of preaching what one does not practice more memorably. By using irony, Borges both injects the story with interest for the reader and suggests that there exists some greater power in the universe that punishes those that do preach what they do not believe. Borges begins developing the ironic conclusion of the story in the first paragraphs of the story when he describes the protagonist as a Christ figure and later contrasts the idea. Espinosa, the readers are told, is “thirty-three” with “an almost unlimited kindness and a capacity for public speaking,” (183) making him comparable to Christ at the age of His Crucifixion, who had gained followers with his kindness and charisma. Also, Espinosa, who