Dear Joe,
I've heard about how Pip has been treating you since he receieved his unexpected fortune. I'm here to tell you, don't take it to heart. At the end of the day he really does love and care about you. It's just that, well .. He's still a young boy. His priorities aren't straightened out yet and he believes that all of this new found fortune has opened up many doors for him. He's been blinded and mistaken, but he will come to his senses soon enough. As a father figure to Pip, you have done all that you can possibly do. You even educated yourself for him. You are a great man so there's no need to dwell on Pip.
On other news, I've heard about your marriage to Biddy. I want to personally congratulate you on that. She's a great girl and I bet you guys are great for each other. Best wishes to you and your new bride! Well, it's time for me go go to school now. Take it easy over there :)
Your New Friend,
Sandy Nguyen
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The Eternal Struggle
Dear Diagnostic C,
You weren't as difficult to complete like I thought you would be. Compared to the others, you were the easiest. It seemt as though you were more concentrated on the tone, literary devices, etc. of the poems and passages than you were about inferring it. That didn't settle too well with me. For once, I actually understood all of the poems and proses. However, I had trouble when it came down to the vocabulary. There were certain things that I had difficulty remembering like "anaphora", "assonance", "apostrophe", etc. as well as the types of poems. Let me remind you that literature is not my forte. On the bright side, I was able to read all of the poems, proses, and questions with a tad bit of time leftover to run back through a couple of questions.
To improve our relationship, I think you should make me a list; a list of all of the common literary devices seen on the AP test. Then I could probably create some index cards. I know it sounds very elementary, but we have to start from the ground up if this is going to work out. We can also gear our sponges toward tone/literary device type questions. It's just a suggestion. Next time, I'll be ready for you.
Your Test Taker,
Sandy Nguyen
You weren't as difficult to complete like I thought you would be. Compared to the others, you were the easiest. It seemt as though you were more concentrated on the tone, literary devices, etc. of the poems and passages than you were about inferring it. That didn't settle too well with me. For once, I actually understood all of the poems and proses. However, I had trouble when it came down to the vocabulary. There were certain things that I had difficulty remembering like "anaphora", "assonance", "apostrophe", etc. as well as the types of poems. Let me remind you that literature is not my forte. On the bright side, I was able to read all of the poems, proses, and questions with a tad bit of time leftover to run back through a couple of questions.
To improve our relationship, I think you should make me a list; a list of all of the common literary devices seen on the AP test. Then I could probably create some index cards. I know it sounds very elementary, but we have to start from the ground up if this is going to work out. We can also gear our sponges toward tone/literary device type questions. It's just a suggestion. Next time, I'll be ready for you.
Your Test Taker,
Sandy Nguyen
Monday, March 12, 2012
Oh Oprah!
Sandy Nguyen
Mr. Beddingfield
AP Literature/Composition
March 12, 2012
Beloved
The 1998 movie adaptation of Beloved, directed by Jonathan Demme, wasn’t an overall good portrayal of the novel. The scenes were all very brief and it provided few details and/or moments for the characters to fully develop.
The first few chapters of the book were presented within the first five minutes of the movie-if even. It starts right at the haunting of 124 when the spirit injures their dog, Here Boy, and Sethe’s two sons, Howard and Buglar, runs away from home. There was nothing much about Baby Suggs or her colors which was one of the main motifs in the novel.
Eight years later we have the arrival of Paul D. Let me start off by saying that he was not nearly as handsome as I thought he would have been whatsoever! He was an old, hairy, and crusty man . Yuck, Beloved! The “red light” that appears as Paul D is entering 124 was also a bit harsh and unrealistic. I found that and the combination of camera angles, creepy music, and kid voices to be very odd. As for Sethe, I had no idea that Oprah was to play the role. She was a pretty good actor, but I found myself too stuck on who she was (Oprah Winfrey) to concentrate on her acting.
Denver, on the other hand, was just as I expected her to be-attention hungry. Beloved was a bit too much for me though. She had bugs crawling all over her and that face, those eyes. They were like those of a play doll. When she first opened her mouth it creeped me the hell out. I guess you can say I eventually got use to it. From the novel, I thought that Beloved eventually got herself together and behaved more human-like than she did in the movie. She looked like a zombie or a possessed being with her eerie, baby-like movements.
Despite the brevity of the movie in comparison to the novel, there were certain aspects of the movie that the book itself didn’t contain; for example, music. Because movies do not have a certain type of diction, they have music instead. The opening scene had some African singing in the background. The carnival had some content music, Sethe’s discovery that Halle was in the barn with her that one night had sad music, there was relief music when her and Amy reached the river, and so on so forth. There were also a couple scenes of trees, nature, and water.
However, the movie was still a poor portrayal of the novel. The flashback scenes were very quick and back and forth. It just wasn’t as deep as Toni Morrison’s Beloved. There weren’t even any roses when the family went to the carnival. And how would I know that Sethe’s sudden urge to urinate when she first sees Beloved has anything to do with labor? If I were to only watch the movie (having never read the book before), I would be missing out on alot of big key points, motifs, symbols, and themes. The movie is like an animated Sparknotes of the novel. You may get the jist of the plot, but you can’t unfold the hidden layers it’s meaning unless you read it. Literary devices actually do make a difference.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Who Won the Debate?
Haha! The real question is, "Are you seriously asking me that?"
I honestly believe that my group won the debate today. We brought up many valid points and presented them in a firm and precise manner. To me, the other group was very repetitive and doubtful in their presentations. Their information was unorganized and the speaker for their conclusion statement was quite confused herself. How are you going to try to persuade something to us when it doesn't even seem like you're sure of it yourself?
To keep the debate going, however, if prejudice doesn't matter then why are people being bullied or even killed for being "gay" or "lesbian"? Are you saying that that issue is no big deal? If it really didn't matter then there will be no protests, rallies, or even acts such as "Don't Ask Don't Tell." All of these exist because prejudice matters. BAM BANG BOOM!
Yeah, I just wanted to get that off of my chest. I believe we won and I believe that you, Mr. Beddingfield, know that we've won. End of my blog.
Now, about that cookie ...
I honestly believe that my group won the debate today. We brought up many valid points and presented them in a firm and precise manner. To me, the other group was very repetitive and doubtful in their presentations. Their information was unorganized and the speaker for their conclusion statement was quite confused herself. How are you going to try to persuade something to us when it doesn't even seem like you're sure of it yourself?
To keep the debate going, however, if prejudice doesn't matter then why are people being bullied or even killed for being "gay" or "lesbian"? Are you saying that that issue is no big deal? If it really didn't matter then there will be no protests, rallies, or even acts such as "Don't Ask Don't Tell." All of these exist because prejudice matters. BAM BANG BOOM!
Yeah, I just wanted to get that off of my chest. I believe we won and I believe that you, Mr. Beddingfield, know that we've won. End of my blog.
Now, about that cookie ...
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Make It RAIN!
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolism-of-water.html
Can you guys see the connection between this article and Toni Morrison's Beloved?
It's pretty obvious. That's right, H20! As mentioned by Mr. Beddingfield this novel is drowned in water; figuratively speaking, of course. There's Sethe giving birth and Beloved coming out from a stream. Then there's Paul D escaping from a prison in Georgia because the rain freed him from the underground box he was locked in. Beloved also drinks alot of water when she first appears in the novel and Sethe's mother threw all of her children overboard except for her. Water, water, and more water!
The title of the article that I chose is called, "Symbolism of Water". It basically states that water is a universal undertone of purity and fertility. Furthermore, it also symbolizes one's subconscious, reflection, renewal, blessing, and life considering that 70% of our body is made up of water. This literary archetype has more one than just one specific meaning in this novel; it, alone, has many. In essence, water can be a sort of medium in which we travel back and forth from past to present and birth to death. Circle of life sort of thing going on here.
This article provided me with a more clear and concise definition of water in the literary world thus improving my understanding of this novel. I chose this topic because it's a major aspect in Beloved and because it was the first one that popped into my mind, of course. Oh and for the record, it's raining outside or thunder storming I should say.
Oh, the irony.
Can you guys see the connection between this article and Toni Morrison's Beloved?
It's pretty obvious. That's right, H20! As mentioned by Mr. Beddingfield this novel is drowned in water; figuratively speaking, of course. There's Sethe giving birth and Beloved coming out from a stream. Then there's Paul D escaping from a prison in Georgia because the rain freed him from the underground box he was locked in. Beloved also drinks alot of water when she first appears in the novel and Sethe's mother threw all of her children overboard except for her. Water, water, and more water!
The title of the article that I chose is called, "Symbolism of Water". It basically states that water is a universal undertone of purity and fertility. Furthermore, it also symbolizes one's subconscious, reflection, renewal, blessing, and life considering that 70% of our body is made up of water. This literary archetype has more one than just one specific meaning in this novel; it, alone, has many. In essence, water can be a sort of medium in which we travel back and forth from past to present and birth to death. Circle of life sort of thing going on here.
This article provided me with a more clear and concise definition of water in the literary world thus improving my understanding of this novel. I chose this topic because it's a major aspect in Beloved and because it was the first one that popped into my mind, of course. Oh and for the record, it's raining outside or thunder storming I should say.
Oh, the irony.
Monday, February 27, 2012
"The Past Never Dies" CHOOSE SONG
If the past were to just die, then we wouldn't be able to gradually become the person that we are now. We are who we are today because of our past. It has, in a sense, molded us into ourselves; into our skin. Our past is us.
Although the past is, well, in the past it continues to live on in the form of our memories. That moment in our lives may have already passed by, but it's remnants will forever remain and it is nearly impossible to remove it from history.
For Sethe, her past seems to be colliding with her present. There's a lot of flashbacks that goes on in this novel made almost undistinguishable by Morrison. We, the readers, don't even realize that its a flashback until we're back in the present again. This type of syntax contributes to the idea of Sethe's selflessness. As much as she tries to repress her memories of the past, she only seems to be getting closer and closer to its confrontation; the unexpected arrival of Beloved. In my opinion she is Sethe's past. Not only is she identifiable with Sethe's first born girl (whose now dead), she also effortlessly gets her to share stories about her past that she thought she was already erased from her mind. This just proves the point that the past can not truly die since it still existed in her subconsciousness. And just for the record the past can't die because it is not a living thing in the first place. Haha, take that!
As for the Piano Lesson the past obviously still lives on in the form of ghosts. The whole book (to me) was about the past. The piano was the family's legacy and it was a battle against that versus cold, hard cash. Boy Willie resembled his father while Berniece her mother. Its almost as if they had lived on through these two. But enough about that, this "novel" is nothing compared to Morrison's Beloved.
Just because you can't go back and change it doesn't mean that its not there. Oh, its there all right.
... Forever.
Although the past is, well, in the past it continues to live on in the form of our memories. That moment in our lives may have already passed by, but it's remnants will forever remain and it is nearly impossible to remove it from history.
For Sethe, her past seems to be colliding with her present. There's a lot of flashbacks that goes on in this novel made almost undistinguishable by Morrison. We, the readers, don't even realize that its a flashback until we're back in the present again. This type of syntax contributes to the idea of Sethe's selflessness. As much as she tries to repress her memories of the past, she only seems to be getting closer and closer to its confrontation; the unexpected arrival of Beloved. In my opinion she is Sethe's past. Not only is she identifiable with Sethe's first born girl (whose now dead), she also effortlessly gets her to share stories about her past that she thought she was already erased from her mind. This just proves the point that the past can not truly die since it still existed in her subconsciousness. And just for the record the past can't die because it is not a living thing in the first place. Haha, take that!
As for the Piano Lesson the past obviously still lives on in the form of ghosts. The whole book (to me) was about the past. The piano was the family's legacy and it was a battle against that versus cold, hard cash. Boy Willie resembled his father while Berniece her mother. Its almost as if they had lived on through these two. But enough about that, this "novel" is nothing compared to Morrison's Beloved.
Just because you can't go back and change it doesn't mean that its not there. Oh, its there all right.
... Forever.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Benchmarks Are So NOT My Thing
.. So why did almost all students miss questions 4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 24, & 54?
Number 4: When I read this question during the benchmark, it really made no sense to me (partially because I was rushing). I chose answer 'E' because I saw the words art and nature; two things the passage was about. Looking back on it, however, the correct answer 'D' makes more sense because it was a roundabout way of simply saying Oxford borrowed that street's name. The question asks us to give a reason to why a character might call a line "vilely phrased". The vocabulary used tripped me up a bit and I didn't thoroughly look through all of the answer choices.
Number 7: The question itself didn't confuse me as did lines 51-53. I actually understood this question. I just didn't exactly know how to express my thought so I chose 'D' instead of 'A'. The question simply asks for the sentence's purpose. It was more tricky than it was difficult. It may have slightly been the vocabulary that messed me up as well.
Number 9: Now for this question, I actually got it right. YES! It asks us to compare Vivian's two speeches and find a similarity between the two. I found that it repeats the argument that the failures of nature inspire people to create (art & furniture). Many students may have gotten this question because instead of looking at both of the speeches, they only looked at one.
Number 13: Ahh comedy, of course! Obviously we have no sense of humor and that is why most of us got this one wrong. Seeing the answer now I can sort of see why it is what it is. I chose 'E' because it was a conversation between the two speakers, but I guess it wasn't witty. A closer reading of answer choice 'C', however, does make more sense because Vivian's viewpoints of nature is indeed paradoxical inversions of conventional viewpoints. I'll just blame the "comedy" aspect of the question for messing me up, lol.
Number 21: Oh look, grammar! I remember going back to this question and just guessing on it, but I knew it had something to do with the word lift so 1 point for me. This question asks us for the function of a word. It's difficult because we have to repeatedly go back and forth from the line to the answer choices to see what makes the most sense. After spending so much time on it, you just give it an educated guess and move on.
Number 24: Idio-what? I didn't have much clue to what this question was asking, but I guess 'A' wasn't much of an educated guess. Considering that it was a poem, I should have just chosen "meter" as my answer. I know for a fact that almost everyone got this one wrong because of that word: idiosyncratic.
Number 54: I have no good reason for getting this one wrong besides the fact that I panicked at having 15 seonds left and just randomly marked something that looked right. I dislike the way those questions are phrased anyways: What BESTS describes Joe's speech? With that being said, there's always two choices that seems to be right.
My goals for the rest of the semester are as follows:
For the Benchmark, I plan to go through and review the last two ones that we've taken so far one by one. I'm also going to try to look for some online tools to help me and attend tutorial if my schedule permits. Maybe I'll even read a passage and try to answer the questions 3-5 times a week. Build up some stamina for these things!
For the essays, I plan on reviewing notes that you have previously given us on how to score a '9'. I'm going to look over the tone sheet, literary devices, etc. I also want to try to be able to look at random prompts and be able to spot specific ideas in it, but also tie it to one big one as well. I'll read some of my other classmate's essays and compare them with mine.
Azian student must get uh duh A plus plus in class or no rice uh fo u!
Number 4: When I read this question during the benchmark, it really made no sense to me (partially because I was rushing). I chose answer 'E' because I saw the words art and nature; two things the passage was about. Looking back on it, however, the correct answer 'D' makes more sense because it was a roundabout way of simply saying Oxford borrowed that street's name. The question asks us to give a reason to why a character might call a line "vilely phrased". The vocabulary used tripped me up a bit and I didn't thoroughly look through all of the answer choices.
Number 7: The question itself didn't confuse me as did lines 51-53. I actually understood this question. I just didn't exactly know how to express my thought so I chose 'D' instead of 'A'. The question simply asks for the sentence's purpose. It was more tricky than it was difficult. It may have slightly been the vocabulary that messed me up as well.
Number 9: Now for this question, I actually got it right. YES! It asks us to compare Vivian's two speeches and find a similarity between the two. I found that it repeats the argument that the failures of nature inspire people to create (art & furniture). Many students may have gotten this question because instead of looking at both of the speeches, they only looked at one.
Number 13: Ahh comedy, of course! Obviously we have no sense of humor and that is why most of us got this one wrong. Seeing the answer now I can sort of see why it is what it is. I chose 'E' because it was a conversation between the two speakers, but I guess it wasn't witty. A closer reading of answer choice 'C', however, does make more sense because Vivian's viewpoints of nature is indeed paradoxical inversions of conventional viewpoints. I'll just blame the "comedy" aspect of the question for messing me up, lol.
Number 21: Oh look, grammar! I remember going back to this question and just guessing on it, but I knew it had something to do with the word lift so 1 point for me. This question asks us for the function of a word. It's difficult because we have to repeatedly go back and forth from the line to the answer choices to see what makes the most sense. After spending so much time on it, you just give it an educated guess and move on.
Number 24: Idio-what? I didn't have much clue to what this question was asking, but I guess 'A' wasn't much of an educated guess. Considering that it was a poem, I should have just chosen "meter" as my answer. I know for a fact that almost everyone got this one wrong because of that word: idiosyncratic.
Number 54: I have no good reason for getting this one wrong besides the fact that I panicked at having 15 seonds left and just randomly marked something that looked right. I dislike the way those questions are phrased anyways: What BESTS describes Joe's speech? With that being said, there's always two choices that seems to be right.
My goals for the rest of the semester are as follows:
For the Benchmark, I plan to go through and review the last two ones that we've taken so far one by one. I'm also going to try to look for some online tools to help me and attend tutorial if my schedule permits. Maybe I'll even read a passage and try to answer the questions 3-5 times a week. Build up some stamina for these things!
For the essays, I plan on reviewing notes that you have previously given us on how to score a '9'. I'm going to look over the tone sheet, literary devices, etc. I also want to try to be able to look at random prompts and be able to spot specific ideas in it, but also tie it to one big one as well. I'll read some of my other classmate's essays and compare them with mine.
Azian student must get uh duh A plus plus in class or no rice uh fo u!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)