For week four in A.P. Literature, a lot of discussion occurred over the types of imagery used in literature, and in all works of art. This is extremely beneficial to me because it allows me to write about more than just visual imagery, and think more about other types of imagery, like auditory, that has an even deeper effect on the reader. This week, I realized that imagery is everywhere in literature, just varying in types.
In addition, this week, we took an in depth look at why literature parallels art. Through the Ted Talk that we viewed as a class, we learned to be selective about what we choose to write about in literature. It is smarter to take an in - depth view of a work of art in a museum, from a portrait that captures your attention, rather than scan through every piece. Being selective helps the author get down to business directly on to a couple key topics, which is more efficient and timely than touching on a wide variety of topics. Lastly, our poem of the week, I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, by Emily Dickinson, was a difficult poem to analyze, mainly due to the saddening mood of the poem, making it difficult to connect to our own lives. The poem was effective, although, leaving something behind for the reader to explore in their own mind. A really depressing poem, but I am thankful to have spent the time learning all the pieces and parts Dickinson created.
1 Comment
For week three in A.P. Literature, the bulk of our discussions were wrapped around the idea that it does not take an inordinate amount of thinking and/or time to come up with a piece of writing that 'works' or is complete. During or time writings, in fact, we really cannot afford to dig deep and analyze completely, so it is important to understand and get in the habit to veer from that type of writing, and move into something that is more efficient and timely. Growing up, writing papers in school always took a huge amount of time, mostly because I felt the need to edit every word/phrase as I typed along, rather than creating a bulky rough draft and making edits from there.
In addition, this week the class spent lots of time touching up our summer reading essays. It was a difficult task, creating an essay touching on both assigned books and connecting both back to Thomas Foster's How To Read Literature Like a Professor. The resulting piece of writing is satisfying, as a finished product usually is. A finished product such as a difficult paper is a lot like taking a new pair of shoes out of the box for the first time. Sometimes handing the paper in can be a lot like getting the shoes dirty, or perhaps receiving a compliment, all depending on the quality of the writing. This week in A.P. Literature, the focus was about what the author in writing is able to do, able to create, to influence the reader. One important piece of information that I retained was that the "hidden meaning" in works of writing and literature, is overrated. The reader needs to be discovering how the author uses literary devices and such to convey meaning. In other words, how does the writer go about convincing the reader there even is a deeper meaning? Reading just to dig up the "meaning" of the story is the wrong idea, one can still be somewhat satisfied at the end, but understanding the author's tricks and tools to influence the reader is so much more important, and so much more gratifying. One other big idea from the week was simply: take the risk. Take the risk in reading and writing and really in life. For so long "being safe" in writing seemed like the normal thing to do, how words are supposed to be written. I enjoy this blog for the fact that we do not write as such anymore. My thoughts do not feel constrained when writing like they have for so many years. Also, this week we wrapped up the poem, The Eagle, which is a very meaningful and moving poem. I was grateful to digest it with my peers, taking on a broad spectrum of perspectives and points of view from the poem.
The first time stepping into A.P. Literature and Composition on the sixth of September, I was amazed and intrigued by the number of higher level thinkers were smushed into one of two classes. This immediately made me excited to take on the trimesters ahead. Also, I am delighted that Mr. Schoenborn has a huge amount of experience in writing and is a professional. I already feel this will be productive and life- changing course. This past week, I was pushed to think outside of my comfort level of thinking. In doing so made me enjoy waking up and walking into class. Thinking globally and recording emotional experiences is not something most teachers will encourage, but was enjoyable to take part in. One big idea that I took home with me from the week in class was that, no matter the age, background, reputation or status, there is always room for improvement, in all areas. This idea became embedded in my brain after seeing the clip about writing at the collegiate level, and despite the writer you thought you were in high school, college is a whole new game. A question that I hope to learn over time throughout this class and beyond is, what are characteristics that makes up a good writer? I would like to know what I am missing and what I can change to become better at writing. My goal for this class is to be consistent, hardworking, and open- minded to learn each and everyday.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2017
Categories |