Class Notes 3-1

Class Notes

November 29^th – December 10^th

Topic 1 Opening Scene of Hamlet

Opening scenes of the plays usually have a very important impact on the play. Hamlet’s opening scene is

Topic 2 Ophelia

Ophelia has been a symbol of beautiful, innocent but tragic woman to me for a long time. In Arthur Rimbaud’s poem “Ophelia,” the poet also depicts her as a guiltless, fragile girl whose tragic love led her to death. However,

Topic 3 Existentialism and Hamlet’s language

Existentialism

Definition: “free will, choice, and personal responsibility”

Individuals must take their own choices without help from such external standards as laws, and the freedom of choice is necessarily accompanied by responsibility. People try to escape from the responsibility by ignoring it, but then they succeed only in deceiving themselves. Existentialists insist that individuals must accept full responsibility for their behavior, no matter how difficult.

Major Themes of Existentialism

Moral Individualism – One must choose one’s own way without the aid of universal, objective standards. The individual must determine what is right and wrong in a world of moral chaos.

Subjectivity – Existentialists stress the importance of personal perspective, passionate individual action, and acting on one’s convictions in order to arrive at truth. Also they stress that every choice must be a personal one.

Choice and Commitment – Existentialists believe that one creates his or her own nature through making choices. And one must accept the risk and responsibility of making free choices.

Dread and Anxiety (Angst in German) – The responsibility for making those choices create feelings of dread and anxiety.

Meaning and Absurdity – Meaning must be constructed through courageous choice in the face of this absurd situation.

Authenticity – We need to make decisions courageously; the key is to accept our own limitations and realize we cannot achieve certainty when making decisions.

Major Proponants

Kierkegaard(1813 – 1855): Founder of modern existentialism; he reacted against the absolute idealism of the 19^th century and stressed the ambiguity and absurdity. He advocated Christian way of life.

                  Here I have a question: Christian belief and Existentialism are not very similar; the core of two ideas are almost the opposite.  -----

‘Dread is God’s way of calling each individual to making a commitment to a personally valid way of life.’

Friedrich Nietzche(1844 – 1900): He rejected the entire Judeo-Christian moral tradition in favor of pagan ideal. He espoused pessimism and individual will that opposes conforming to the morality of the majority.

                  I have read his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra and was totally confused.

Martin Heidegger(1889 - 1976): He argued that human beings can never hope to understand why they are here. Instead, each individual must choose a goal and follow it.

‘Anxiety leads to the individual’s confrontation with nothingness(death being the ultimate nothingness), and with the impossibility of finding ultimate justification for the choices he or she must take.’

Sartre(1905 - 1980): He declared that human beings require a rational basis for their lives but are unable to achieve one.

 ‘Nausea is the individual’s recognition that the universe is indifferent and the word anguish for the recognition of the total freedom of choice that confronts us at every moment.’

Existentialism and Literature

Fyodor Dostoyevski / Notes from the Underground: Human nature is self-destructive; only Christian love can save humanity from itself, but such love cannot be understood philosophically.

Franz Kafka / Metamorphosis, The Trial, The Castle: He presents isolated character confronting vast, elusive, menacing bureaucracies.

Albert Camus / The Stranger

Theater of the Absurd (TOTA)

Christianism and Existentialism

                                  

Hamlet’s language (toward different people)

Three personalities of Hamlet:

-Wilting flower Hamlet (“Tragically defeated by life” Hamlet)

-Rage Hamlet

-Cold, clinical and logical Hamlet

Topic 4 Allusions in Hamlet

1.       Old Hamlet died in an orchard and he proclaimed that a serpent stung him. This is obviously an allusion of Garden of Eden from Bible, and he is saying that Claudius is a Satan.

Topic 5 General analysis of Hamlet

We can ask ourselves a series of questions while reading Hamlet:

Is the murder of Old Hamlet only Claudius’s scheme? Why would Claudius have killed his own brother? Is it for the throne or for love? Is Gertrude totally innocent? Can Gertrude be seen as an allusion of Eve? Then who is Adam?

Topic 6 Hamlet in Film

We have different personas in different situations. And as I mentioned before, Hamlet also has very different personas and that made Hamlet one of the most difficult characters to act. There are several Hamlet movies,

1948

1990

1996

http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/TheHamletSite/films.htm

Class Notes 2-5

*Clarification(?): I have missed 2 days of school – Nov 22^nd and 23^rd, so I looked at other people’s notes for those two days’ notes; and also this is why I upload my note so late.*

Class Notes

AP Multiple Choice Questions

Types of Questions:

1.      Rhetorical Function

• Need you to explain purpose of a sentence/ stanza/ paragraph

• Try to ask yourself what the selected part of the passage or poem does

2.      Context

• This type of question asks meaning of a word in the context of a passage

• Need to identify the meanings of the words correctly (in the way the author uses it)

3.      Antecedent

• This type of question asks you to identify the meaning of a word used in the context of a passage

• “EXCEPT” questions!

4.      Style

• This type of question asks you to consider style choices the author has made

• If the answer combines two answers in one, make sure both of them are correct

5.      Tone

• This type of question asks you to identify the tone of the passage

• If there are two parts in one answer, make sure both of them are correct

Things to Remember:

1.      Read the questions slowly

2.      Read the whole passage first and then work on the questions

HAMLET

Background:

• Based on a Norse legend by Saxo Grammaticus in Latin around 1200 AD

• Amleth is Hamlet’s original name

• In Saxo’s Hamlet, “Claudius” murders “Old Hamlet” to marry “Gertrude,” but later “Hamlet(Amleth)” revenges and becomes a rightful new king

Seneca:

Aristotle Tragedy -> Tragic error

Seneca -> Tragic flaw(more free will)

             ->Revenge

The plot of the Senecan tragedies can include:

• hero’s hesitation

• hero’s insanity

• hero’s contemplation of suicide

• multiple levels of intrigue

• able scheming villain

• abundance of philosophic soliloquies

• sensational murder on stage/ exhibition of bodies

Audience encounter

• the offense; can be maximized by injuries

• antagonist

• clarification of strategy and marshaling of resources

• series of delay; anything to retard momentum

• some unforeseen development that almost thwarts the scene

• the showdown- revenge carried out

• intensified form is called “tragedy of blood”

Class Notes 2-4

Class Notes
Nov 8^th – 12^th

♥ Writing a Thesis:
T hesis
A nswers
P rompt

♥ Every prompt includes this question: “How does the author use technique to create meaning?” Remember to answer this question!

When writing a thesis, remember:♥ Make it clear!

♥ Include meaning, the hidden SO WHAT question.

Outside Reading 2-3

Date: Nov. 4^th
Title: The Day My Father Learns He’s Losing His Mind
Author: Deborah Jiang Stein
Type of reading: Reflective Essay
You can find the actual article I read from the website below:
http://www.pifmagazine.com/2010/11/the-day-my-father-learns-he%e2%80%99s-losing-his-mind/

Reflective essays—what tone have the author adopted? How does the author create this tone, and how does this affect your response to the content of the piece? Would this tone work for an AP essay? Why or why not?

             The writer’s father used to be a language scholar and a very elegant person. According to the writer, her father “savored aged cheeses and knew the exact vineyard of every bottle in his cellar collection gathered from regions where our family wandered in succulent vineyards in France,” and he used to study at Harvard, Yale, and received Guggenheim Fellowships. However, as the father getting old, everything about him changed.

             In the essay, the writer describes how her father is getting old and how he is losing his mind by making vivid contrasts of her father’s early years and what he is like now. For example, the image of a wine connoisseur and the image of a glass of milk at the side of her father’s TV, Paradise Lost and Winnie the Pooh, Harvard and a book that is held upside down are the pairs of contrast that show what kind of change is occurred to the writer’s father. Despite the vivid contrast, however, the language is strictly restrained. Like she said “I sat at his side in the neurologist’s waiting room, took his hand, the size of a large paw which once terrified me, and leaned into his
six-foot plus frame,” she only says that her father’s big hand “once terrified” her, but no more. We can see that she doesn’t get terrified any more is because she knows that her father is now old and weak, and through this line she is showing the restrained internal sorrow and regret toward the aging of her father.

Even though it would be very hard to watch her father changing as a daughter, the author doesn’t seem to reveal much sadness she may feel. Rather, the tone of the writing is very serene; I think it would is because of that she has accepted that her father is now old and he has Alzheimer. When people accept a fact they usually not tend to be frustrated by the same fact very much; it is just hard for them to face the things at first. There is still a hint of regret in her tone though, but she seems to be facing it bravely. Moreover, author’s personalized narrative seems to touch the readers’ hearts even more, and the “fading” kind of mood also contributes to making the article more gripping.

As an informal essay, I’d say the tone is interesting and appropriate but in AP essays I don’t think the tone should be encouraged. First of all, in the AP test, we need to show that we are very sure about what we are writing. But the tone used in this essay is not assertive enough. Also, in the test, we need to appear to be more objective, but the narrator is too personalized in this essay.

Outside Reading 2-2

Date: Nov. 3^rd
Title: Where Do Democrats Go Next?
Author: Evan Bayh
Type of reading: Newspaper piece
You can find the actual article I read from the website below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/opinion/03bayh.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Editorial columns, features, and other magazine and newspaper pieces with clear points of view and strong voices—how does the author craft a narrative persona and a “voice” here, and how do these elements impact your response to the content of the piece? If this piece were AP essay, would the speaker be appropriate? Why or why not?

             After the midterm election, many articles that are about the election result came out. What I read is one of the articles about the election and the defeat of the democrats, and it was particularly written by a democratic senator who will be retiring on January. It is about what democrats should learn from the failure and how should they revive in the next election, and the writing is not at all depressing but clear and didactic.

             As a student writer and a reader, I think the article is well-written. There are not many rhetorical techniques used, but as it should be as a newspaper article, the writing is clear and the language is easy to understand. The vocabularies that are used are not very advanced, but still sound intellectual and formal. The piece as an overall is well organized and the point is well directed out. Bayh used dashes for a couple of times to clarify some of the terms, and that is one way of making the writing more clear. Moreover, he uses multiple transition words between two paragraphs to make the language can flow better as a whole.

             The persona of the author in the article is like a teacher. He does not scold his “students” but points out what things can be improved. The tone of voice is clear and sure. From the structure of writing point of view, the author starts the article with a line like this: “Democrats can recover from the disappointments of this election and set the stage for success in 2012. But to do so we must learn from Tuesday’s results. ” And he lists out things he wants to mention one by one with composure. The organization like this is similar to how teachers talk to their students. From the language point of view, he is using plain words like a teacher who is explaining things to students.

             In AP tests, we don’t have to sound like a teacher and we don’t have to write something with poise. We can appear to be more passionate or aggressive. But I think we should learn how the author of this article brings the readers step by step to his conclusion. Also, another important thing we can learn from this article is that how the author appears to be so sure about what he’s saying. When writing AP essays, we need to show our understandings of the literature and literary techniques are complete and sophisticated enough.

Class Notes 2-3

Class Notes
Oct 25^th – 29^th

DRAMA

♥ Drama is performed

1. through actors:

impact is direct, immediate, and heightened by the actors’ skills

2. on a stage:

forcefully command the spectator’s attention

3. before an audience:

impact is intensified because it presents its action before an audience

♥ Types of Dramas:

             Tragedy, Comedy, Melodrama, Tragi-Comedy, Problem Play, Farce, Comedy of Manners, Domestic/ Bourgeois Drama, Theater of the Absurd

♥ Drama terms!

Antagonist: a character opposed to the protagonist

Aside: character talks to the audience to reveal real feelings, other characters “cannot hear” it even though they are on the same stage

Chorus: a group of characters that have lines but no other roles

Comedy: dramas that have happy ending!

Comedy of Manners: a type of drama that portrays fashionable life often in negative ways

Didactic: intended for insturction

Domestic/Bourgeois Drama: a type of drama that is rather serious and deals with people’s everyday lives

Dramatic Exposition: a way of presenting; presents through dialogues

Farce: a type of comic drama that focuses on more physical actions and conflicts

Melodrama: a type of drama which exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions

Non-Realistic Convention: drama that focuses on outward appearance of life

Problem Play: a play that focuses on criticizing social problems

Realistic Convention: drama that attempts to preserve aspects of the actual, everyday life

Soliloquy: a device used to reveal true feelings to the audience without addressing other characters

Suspense: a quality in a play that makes the audience curious about what will be happening later

Theme: central idea of the play

Tragedy: a form of drama based on human suffering

Tragi-Comedy: a drama that combines tragedy and comedy

Portfolio 1

1. What I’ve Learned So Far

I have learned to read English poetry. I have learned many poetic techniques that we can keep in mind while reading poetries. Some things like syntax, rhetorical techniques were not only about poetry, so I think my overall English level went up by taking this class. Also I learned a lot about interacting with other students through discussion and evaluation, and that was very helpful.

1. 우리가 지금까지 배운 것들

             지금까지는 영미시를 읽는 법을 배웠다. 많은 시적 테크닉들을 함께 배워서 이제는 같은 시를 읽어도 예전보다 더 많은 것들을 분석 해 낼 수 있게 되었다. 그리고 구문법이나 수사법에 관한 내용은 시에만 국한 되는 것이 아니라 문학이라는 영역에서 전반적으로 사용되는 지식이므로, 이 수업을 들으면서 나의 전반적인 영어실력이 늘었다고 생각해도 될 것 같다. 마지막으로 나는 다른 학생들과의 교류와 서로평가를 통해 무언가를 배워 가는 것에 대해 배웠다.

2. My Areas of Strength As an AP Lit Student

             I don’t think I have any strength as an AP lit student honestly. However, I think my analyzing skill is okay if I’m not analyzing in English. And I actually really enjoy the class even though I’m not at all good at English; I thought that could be a strength of mine maybe.

2. AP문학 학생으로서의 나의 강점

             사실 나는 나에겐 이 수업을 들을 때 필요한 어떠한 강점도 없다고 생각한다. 하지만 나의 작품분석 능력은, 만약 내가 영어로 분석해야 하는 게 아니라면 그다지 나쁘지 않다고 생각한다. 그리고 나는 이 수업을 잘하지는 못해도 무척이나 즐기면서 듣고 있는데, 그것도 언젠가는 강점으로 작용하리라고 생각한다.

3. My Areas of Weakness As an AP Lit Student

             ENGLISH is my weakness and most of other weaknesses come from this one fundamental weakness. However, logical thinking, discussion, reading rate (only English), and writing (only English) are the specific weaknesses that I am suffering from the most for right now. My essays are lack of organization for the most of the times, and the thesis is usually ambiguous. In class discussions, I am hardly involved in because it’s really hard to me to just follow the discussion. I read and write only at a half a speed of most of the other AP lit students.

3. AP문학 학생으로서의 나의 약점

             영어가 나의 가장 큰 약점이고 거의 모든 다른 약점들은 모두 이 한가지 큰 약점으로부터 비롯된다. 좀 더 자세하게 나열하자면, 논리적인 사고, 토론능력, 읽기속도, 쓰기가 모두 나의 약점들이다. 나의 글들은 요점이 불분명하고 구조가 뚜렷하지 못하다. 토론에서는 참여를 못하기 일쑤고 토론을 따라가는 것 만으로도 버거워한다. 읽기와 쓰기 속도는 다른 학생들의 반정도 밖에 되지 않는다.

4. What I’m Thinking About Reading and Writing in College

I’m really really really nervous about reading and writing college. Most colleges require strong emphasis on writing in your high school curriculum and that means that writing is going to be one of the most essential skills people need in colleges. However, I still struggle a lot to write things in English, and really I’m worried. However, I’m also excited for new opportunities; I believe I would be able to improve even more rapidly in college.

4. 대학 진학후의 읽기와 쓰기에 대한 내 생각

             나는 사실 매우 매우 매우 걱정이 된다. 많은 대학교들이 고등학교 때에 글쓰기에 많은 시간을 투자하길 바란다. 그건 다른 말로는 대학에서 글쓰기가 매우 중요한 능력이 될 거라는 것이다. 하지만 나는 여전히 영어로 글을 쓰는 데에 어려움이 많고, 정말 걱정이 많이 된다. 하지만 나는 새로운 기회에 대한 기대감도 역시 떨쳐버릴 수 없다. 그리고 대학에 가면 또 다른 발전을 할 수 있을 거라고 생각한다.

5. My Goals for the Upcoming Marking Period

First of all, I want to be more comfortable with peer evaluation and discussion. To achieve that, I believe I would need more confidence in myself, and in order to have confidence I know that I have to study harder and be satisfied with myself. And then I want to be comfortable with close reading, and I would practice more to achieve that. The next thing is that I want to write an essay that is well organized more quickly, and I think that requires a lot of practice also. Lastly, I would memorize more vocabulary and literary terms during next marking period.

5. 학기말까지 나의 목표

             우선은 나는 토론와 서로평가에 더욱 익숙해 지고 싶다. 그렇게 되려면 우선 자신감이 좀 더 있어야 할 것 같은데, 자신감을 북돋기 위해서는 더 열심히 해서 내 자신에게 만족할 수 있어야 할 것 같다. 그 다음엔 작품 분석을 더욱 익숙하게 하고 싶은데, 더 많은 연습이 필요할 것 같다. 그 다음에는 정돈된 에세이를 더욱 짧은 시간 안에 써내는 연습이 필요할 것 같아. 마지막으로, 더욱 많은 단어와 문학용어들을 외워야 할 것 같다.