Reading Notes W6: The Coming Night, PART A

Citation: “The Coming Night” -William Nauns Ricks (Link)

*I’d firstly like to note that poems are the hardest things for me to analyze. And I probably won’t get 300 words out of a four-stanza poem anyways, but here’s my attempt, as I have no alternative reading to choose instead.*

The poem is composed of four stanzas, or verses. The rhyme scheme of which is A, B, A, B, C, D, C, D. This scheme remains consistent throughout the four stanzas. Each stanza is composed of two full sentences composing of four lines each. The rhythm is also consistent between the matching meters (same syllable count in paired lines)

The author uses the rhyme scheme and rhythm to have a tranquil flow and to enhance the imagery used while also making the poem melodic and full of harmony. The literal harmony pairs with the harmony visualized by the narrator as he gazes upon nature. The repetitive sound used is also an example of consonance as the words end in similar sounds, but the entire work is full of off words that depict euphony. The narrator also uses a lot of colour imagery to create visual interest as well as to create a colorful setting which also enhances the overall mood of the scene.

Personification is used to describe multiple aspects: trees, the World, sun.

Summary: the narrator is using first-person point of view to describe the daytime transition to night on the coast of Berkeley. I think it is done in this point of view to force the reader to experience it in his shoes. It heightens the impact and experience of the reader, making it feel like we are there.

Stanza #1-2: Describes the daytime activities of animals and the beauty of the sun-lit day

Stanza #3: Describes the sunset over the horizon and how the animals prepare for day’s-end

Stanza #4: Describes the last moments of sunlight as he walks back down the hill

The author is trying to capture the beauty and peacefulness he feels of the Berkley Hills and the surrounding nature. The narrator goes out of his way to climb a hill just to watch day shift to night and returns down the hill after dark.

Theme(s): Beauty of nature, realizing how small we really are in this world and accepting its beauty

Comment Wall

Here is the link to my website:

https://sites.google.com/view/engl205withapril/home

Week 5 Analysis: Literary Analysis on "Moxon's Master"

In my literary analysis I would like to discuss the story "Moxon's Master" by Ambrose Bierce and the character of Moxon and his seemingly extreme views on life and intellect. In addition to this, I will elaborate how the situation and setting makes it so the narrator is unreliable and how the story itself, in turn, becomes unreliable too. On a brief side note, I'd also like to contrast this with Haley and the theme of conspiracy.

In "Moxon's Master", we first are introduced into a scene where two characters, Moxon and our narrator, are in an intellectual conversation about the definition of life and intellect in Moxon's machine shop. It is here we find Moxon's odd perspective of "life". He thinks that all things, to some degree have intellect. He uses personification to prove his point. "What does a plant think-in the absence of a brain?" (236) He then goes to explain how plants will bend to entice a bee for pollination, and how vines maneuver to reach stable objects to grow upon. He then continues to give other examples such as "Wild geese in flight take the form of a letter V......[and] atoms arrange themselves into shapes mathematically perfect" (237) After further irritation from our narrator we find then that Moxon also considers machines to be filled with life and intellect. This justified form of personification, I learned later, is called panpsychism.

It is because of this conversation, that the narrator's opinion of Moxon is rancorous. He thinks that he has gone mad due to insomnia, but it is because of his curiosity that he is drawn back to the machine shop, where we learn that Moxon meets his "master"- hence the title of the work. Moxon gets murdered by, as the narrator describes, a machine, or automaton, whom becomes wrathful after losing a game of chess. The narrator passes out and awakes later in a hospital with Moxon's colleague Haley, who says that he saved him/her (narrator unspecified) from the workshop fire and question's the narrators memory of the incident.

In analysis of this, we have to consider the narrators story. Not only did he/she say that the setting wasn't well lit "a single candle made all the light that was in the room"(240), but we may also have to assume that the narrator himself may not be in his right mind. During this time, it wasn't uncommon to drink among friends, especially during intellectual conversation. Being under the influence could justify how easily it was for him to get antagonized as well as justify why he had fainted. Because of this, we have to assume that the narrator is unreliable, and that his story too, as illusory as it seems, is also hard to trust or believe. The narrator even admits that "if asked today [he/she] should answer less confidently" (243).

But maybe, the narrator wasn't unreliable after all. The only one thing that made the narrator question his own judgement was a comment from Haley. Haley somewhat mocked the narrator by asking if he really saw what he did that night of Moxon's death. What if the narrator DID see what he claimed to see? Then perhaps Haley was trying to keep Moxon's self-thinking and self-acting machine for himself. Or perhaps, maybe the author didn't see an automaton.. What if Haley was the one who had killed Moxon, after all, it was said only Haley and the machines allowed in that particular room.

I think Bierce is keeping details miniscule to not only keep it interesting for the reader by leaving a lot to imagination, but to also make the story a mystery that is near-impossible to solve. I think as well, that he also uses the unrealistic monstrous creation, and possible cover-up by Haley, to highlight the idea of corruption and conspiracy. After all, Bierce was an investigative reporter who looked into railroad corruption and disappeared mysteriously in 1914. Maybe he was eluding upon how people's self interest can cause them to act monstrously.


Works Cited:
Bierce, Ambrose. “Moxon's Master.” The Literature of California, edited by Jack Hicks, University of California Press, 2000, pp. 235-243.

Reading Notes W5: Moxon's Master, PART B

Citation: "Moxon's Master" -Ambrose Bierce p.235-243

Significance of Title: Moxon's Master would be the being that kills him. Not only does it kill him, but it drives him. From the narrator's perspective it was an automaton, and Moxon, being a skilled machine builder, was convinced and dedicated in the belief that there is intellectual capacity and life in everything, *noted below* including machines.

Panpsychism: the belief that everything has a degree of consciousness, in this case, Moxon thinks that all things are intellectual, the narrator however, at first, disagrees. He thinks that Moxon has been so caught up in work and insomnia that he has gone mad.

Literal Personification: It seems that Moxon gives the human characteristic of intellectual capabilities to all things and while it is connected to Panpsychism, its an interesting device to note.

Setting: The narrator paints the machine shop as a dark, with little light and secretive(separate room that no one is admitted). I think the author uses little description in order to focus the reader's attention on the "machine", and also to give the reigns to the reader in terms of imagination.

First-Person Point of View and an Unreliable Narrator: The story is told by a friend of Moxon, and although we as readers have to believe him, Haley's commentary at the end forces us to rethink the entire scenario. He had asked him if he knew what he really saw, this could mean that he didn't actually see a machine kill Moxon, but, maybe it was Haley himself. Afterall, it was dark, he "saved" him after the fire, AND before the narrator's abrupt leave, he witnessed Moxon return from the room with a gash on his face and mocked that the machine "should have her gloves on the next time [he] think it needful to stop her" (239) so maybe there was another person involved. By unreliable narrator, I cant help but think that at this time, intellectual conversations (and in this case argument with cruel mocking and irritation) were accompanied by alcohol. I'm then left to assume the narrator may have been under the influence of alcohol and his judgement and memory were affected, which could have been the reason he passes out after witnessing the attack.

Reading Notes W5: Ramona Ch.4, PART A

Citation: "Ramona (Chapter 4)" -Helen Hunt Jackson p.269-278

Character Analysis of Ramona: Ramona is described with immense amount of beauty and purity, but she never deemed herself as beautiful, she thought everyone was just showing "simple kindness and goodwill" (273). She is of both Indian and Mexican blood, and is highly cherished by all that she knows. She has an optimistic and helpful to all (offered to help Margarita when she destroyed the alter-cloth). She was also jealous of beauty and stared at Felipe in jealousy, which deterred him. Ramona treated all with equality, even her maid Margarita.

Setting and Time: US Government were taking control of Mexican and Indian land. The land is bountiful, with fruit trees, groves, blossoms. Father viewed it as a "beautiful picture," however he sighed as their customs and laws were changing, and "aliens" (Americans) were taking what was theirs. He grieved over the loss of their Missions and cherished lands.

Religion and Culture: A strong Catholic religion inferred from the mentions of Virgin and understanding of Mexican culture. Region was highly cherished *and feared (Senorita Margarita was terrified about the destroyed alter-cloth which Senora Moreno cherished) Elders were respected and obeyed. Senora Morena had maids that tended for the house and its people, Margarita being one of them, around the same age as Ramona. Traditions included family dinners where everyone must join, traveling  by flesh "walking" and well-dressed visits to the church.

Personification of Mustard Plant: the mustard plant is described as a beautiful plant but a weed as well. The "plant is a tyrant and a nuisance... tak[ing] possession of a whole field in a season" (271) This can be a metaphor for the white race expanding and taking over Spanish and Indian lands however, the plants golden color and beauty keep it from being exterminated ...... on a side note: later Ramona rushes through the weeds, almost like hope. She stood beautifully and the golden weed enhanced her beauty.

Weekly Review: Starting to Get the Hang of it

In my last review I was mentioning how nervous but excited I was about starting college. That was two weeks ago. As an update, it's week four, and I am now more nervous than I am excited. But I'm not going to lie there is the occasional moment here-and-there where I do get excited.

Last week was rough for me, and while I attempted to get some extra-credit done to recover from the missed Reading PART B, I didn't realize there was a cutoff time for extra credit (which by the way is strictly at midnight, no grace period) and missed the Taking Stock points by a few minutes. While I try to get everything done by the due date, my work schedule is making me occasionally hit the grace-period range. I did do better in time-management this week, but then again, I also didn't have as much going on this week as compared to last. (I had some family complications and work/life stresses that took a strain on my motivation to get things done)

While I do have some labs to catch up on for Biology, those are easy, and my paper for English Critical Inquiry and Analysis is just as easy too. I'm on track for this class and I really hope to keep it that way. As mentioned in the past, I've been utilizing my planner a lot more, but I've also got used to the rhythm on this class' due dates. I know that if needed, I have Mondays completely free, as well as Fridays and Saturdays. While I know that's not a great mindset to be in, it eases some stress to think I have a gap time to catch up in whichever class I need to catch up in, or in the case of this class, to think that I can get ahead during these times as well. My goal is to try and utilize this time rather than use it for a break *unless I really need a break from my new norms*

Week 4 Project Action Plan: Literary Element Relationships

For my analysis project I decided to explore the topic:

"Choose a reading selection. Explore the relationship between elements of the selection. For example: how does setting influence character development?"

This topic requires me to not only find literary elements in a text, but to also find its effects on other aspects of the text. Some literary elements include; plot, setting, narrative structure, characters, mood, moral, and theme.

While I initially liked the idea of describing how setting influences a characters development, I now think I would like to take it a step further for Bret Harte's "The Outcasts of Poker Flats" (216-225). I decided that it would be a great story to discuss how setting influences not only the characters, but also its effects on the mood and possibly even plot.

For this I will have to reread the section and annotate parts that I can use for my argument while also reviewing my reading notes that I had taken for that section. If I do decide to incorporate plot, I may have to look into the historical Poker Flats as well as Angel's Camp (possibly a map of the area) and use that information to describe the impending doom the exiles were in.

As an outline i will probably model it as a standard paper with:

-Introductory paragraph mentioning topic points and a thesis (thesis will highlight the prompt)

-multiple body paragraphs discussing each topic point with proof from the text (citations)

-a conclusion that relinks the topics and restates the thesis 

Example Introductory Paragraph:

Setting and plot can have an impact on the overall mood experienced by a character which, in turn, can be reflected in a characters decision making. For example, in the tragic story "The Outcasts of Poker Flats" by Bret Francis Harte, the author uses the setting and plot to set the story's mood and uses it to foreshadow the inevitable fate of the characters deaths. While doing this, Harte also utilizes these tools to change the actions of Oakhurst, who decides, in the end, to make his own fate. 

Wikipedia Trail: From "Mark Twain" to "Cyanogen"

I decided to start my Wikipedia Trail on Mark Twain, one of the authors I read about for my reading notes this week. I knew already that that name was just his pen name and that his real name was actually Samuel Langhorne Clemens. What I didn't know was that he was born right after Halley's comet and predicted that he would also "go out with it" and died after it had returned in 1910. 

Because of my curiosity I then decided to click the link for Halley's Comet. I personally didn't know much about Halley's Comet or comets in general, but I learned that it comes every 74-79 years to a point where it is visible to the naked eye. Its next predicted arrival date is July 28th of 2061 so I hope I'm around to see it.

Since i didn't know much about comets, I decided it was only right to try looking into that term. While gazing upon the beautiful images, I learned that they are "small Solar System bodies" that often release gasses that characterize the "tail." Interestingly enough comets also have been theorized to have brought water to Earth, which eventually gave life to some our most primitive teklites and australites. What i found also was that there is a phobia of comets also, due to Halley's Comet analysis finding potency of cyanogen which scared people into buying gas masks, and hilariously enough "anti-comet pills" and "anti-comet umbrellas."

After looking into cyanogen, it was easy to see why people were so scared of the comet. It can cause eye and respiratory irritation. Overtime it can then cause headache, nausea, dizziness, rapid pulse, loss of consciousness, convulsions, and death, depending on exposure.

With this trail I found it funny how I started with a positive note and wanted to look into Mark Twains life, but then ended up looking into cyanogen (relative to cyanide gas) and was then staring at what seemed like death. It was an interesting start that had a doom-ish feel at the end.

Week 4 Analysis: Close Reading on "The Outcasts of Poker Flats"

In this close reading I would like to discuss the ending of the ironic tragedy “The Outcasts of Poker Flats,” written by Bret Harte. More specifically, I would like to elaborate on John Oakhurst’s demise and how it played into the theme of luck as well as evaluate Oakhurst’s changes as a character and how this all connects to the ultimate irony.

In summary, the ending of the tale is that of John found dead against a pine. He had shot himself after pinning a deuce of club cards with his epitaph written upon it. To compare the character of John Oakhurst we must first point out that his death was one out of his character. John was described as a confident, almost cocky man, and throughout the story he had remained a calm composure and accepted his fate from the start. However, we find that he, in the end, instead of letting nature take his soul, takes his own. This comes as a shock to the reader as we came to expect him to be willing to let his fate take over, but he became his own means. He too pointed out in his own epitaph that “he handed in his own checks” alluding to his suicide. The narrator also stated that he “was at once the strongest and yet the weakest of the outcasts” (225). This references the dynamic character changes from a lucky, proud, and motivated man, to the only one who of the group, made his own fate and ended his reliance of luck by taking his own life..

Within this ending, readers are also reintroduced to the theme of luck that is at a constant reference throughout the story. Upon the tree is the pinned card of his epitaph, and while the card literally states a “streak of bad luck” we also can say that the card itself plays as a motif to Oakhurst change of luck in his life as compared to a game of poker. From a repute gambler with a great streak of wins, he then thinks his luck is lost, fights fate, and kills himself. This was the ultimate irony.

Works Cited:

Harte, Bret. “The Outcasts of Poker Flats.” The Literature of California, edited by Jack Hicks, University of California Press, 2000, pp. 216–225.

Reading Notes W4: The Outcasts of Poker Flats, PART B

Citation: “The Outcasts of Poker Flats” – Bret Harte, p.216-225

Themes:

Recurring theme of Harte that nature is a force that cannot be beat.

Luck: in both “The Luck of Roaring Camp” and “The Outcasts of Poker Flats”  luck is a major theme as well as hope, however in this story, the idea of luck and hope are lost when the characters leave the town and Billy takes their transportation and snow begins to fall.

Innocence and Guilt: In the story, Piney Woods and Tom Simpson are used as innocence compared to the expatriated characters of the Dutchess, Mother Shipton, Uncle Billy, and our main character, John Oakhurst.

Setting:

               Setting plays a crucial role in not only the mood of the story, but the morale of the characters. With the snow came loss of motivation and almost a melancholy feel. This shows how characters emotions were impacted by setting.

Like “The Luck of Roaring Camp”, Harte uses local color. He uses the vernacular of people of that time and area (California gold mining community) with vocabulary such as derringer, folly, draggle, and sluice.

Harte uses allusions to the Bible which plays on the theme innocence and guilt.

Snow is used as a symbol of the cleansing of sins and purifying element. As the snow falls, the sinful characters slowly pass.

Irony:

The use of irony is also heavily used in this tragedy. Some of which include the Oakhurst’s luck, which got him banished from Poker Flats, and his death, in which he kills himself and uses a poker card (motif) to mark his grave. An example too of dramatic irony is how John knows that Billy stealing their mode of transportation will ruin the survival of the group, but to protect their hope and keep motivations up, he doesn’t say anything.

“I’m proud to live in the service of the lord….bound to die in His army.” ?? May be foreshadowing the deaths of the characters and their loss of luck. Plays into the irony of Oakhurst again as well.

Personification is used to add eerie feel to the forest as well as a melancholy feel of the deaths and the snowfall.

Reading Notes W4: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, PART A

Citation: "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" -Mark Twain pg.206-211

Themes:

Cleverness combined with lying and trickery: the narrators fried sent him on a mission just to trick him into staying to listen to an old westerner’s tall tale of Jim Smiley. Jim smiley is also clever, speaking in gravity to keep the narrator listening to his tale. Jim Smiley himself is clever, using trickery to win bets.

East vs. West: the east is the literate and educated, and the west is the uneducated but street-smart.

Literary Devices:

Local Color: Twain uses slang and diction to compare and contrast Easterners and Westerners of the time.

Tall Tale: The story of Smiley is a tall tale. It exaggerates the animals traits and skills. The title too is typical of tall tales. It is an exaggeration of the best jumping frog in all of the county, which isn’t necessarily true.

Satire: The whole story itself is satirical. It has a lot of irony. The narrator puts himself into a situation that could have been avoided. He chose to trust and listen to his friend and find Wheeler, and Smiley was trusted by many people despite his gambling background.

Diction: (East vs. West) The Easterner *narrator* is educated and you can tell by how he speaks, while the westerner *Wheeler* speaks in uneducated vernacular. (this plays into the theme of cleverness as the undereducated had more street smarts and managed to take up the narrator’s time)

Allusion: Wheeler says that Smiley’s dog had the name “Andrew Jackson” and a frog named “Daniel Webster” the first is a historical Us President, and the latter a New England Senator. Both historical Political figures. Why? Well…

-Andrew Jackson: Besides being a President, he was also a fierce war general, and so was the bull-pup.

-Daniel Webster: He was considered a brilliant man. Jim Smiley said that his frog was a “genius”

The allusions link also to anthropomorphism. The animals are given somewhat human characteristics. Smiley wanted to ‘learn the frog’ assuming it was a genius and can be educated. By giving his animals historical names, he gives them human-like characteristics.

Taking Stock ECW3

This week was a hectic week. I did mostly everything last minute. I've had a lot of family issues this week and couldn't take up the Reading B. Now I have to do extra credit to make up for it because i initially thought Reading B was optional. This scares me. College is starting off as a nightmare. I have a busy week planned for this next one as well and I don't know how well I can get through it, but I will try to get things done in time. Now, I can finish up this EC post and work on a bio lab i have due today. P.S. its midnight and I need sleep.

And now I know I've been sending the emails to the wrong email. #hecticweek

Feedback Strategies and My Two Articles

I looked at the two articles: The Difference Between Praise and Feedback, and How to Craft Constructive Feedback.

The first that I looked at was the latter. As a basic visual, it will help me formulate a way to form feedback in a way that is helpful to my peers. While being a mirror may be more helpful in terms of improvement, sometimes a witness can be just as good, ESPECIALLY if the feedback you wanted to mention was already pointed out in another's comment. Overall, I think being a mirror, is more helpful to me and that's what I hope to get as comments from my readers.

In the next article, I noticed that

person praise<process praise<feedback

The difference between them is the level of detail. Person praise emphasizes the character, process praise emphasizes the work, and feedback can emphasize aspects of a work good or bad but also gives reason as to why that was noticed. Process and person praise is given from a "witness" while feedback is more of a response from a "mirror."


After reading these two articles, I feel more confident in my feedback strategies. I will try to give my peers the guidance they need with my comments and hope I get a decent amount of feedback myself.

Topic Research on Literary Element Effects

Topic:

-Choose a reading selection. Explore the relationship between elements of the selection. For example: how does setting influence character development?

Thoughts, Ideas, & Questions:

-I chose this topic because I had experience in finding how setting influenced characters in previous novels I have read, however, I hope my capabilities still stand.

-For this topic, I need to re-familiarize myself with literary elements and possibly use that as a focus point in future reading notes. From now on I will try to point out literary elements in my notes and their effects on each other. I will probably use blogger’s highlight tool to color code aspects I can use in my projects or maybe a personal label, so I can categorize possible topics of choice.

-I’m a bit worried about this self-guided project. What if I don’t like where my work is heading? What if I realize I didn’t like the chosen topic in the end run? I hope I can find a section that I feel comfortable writing about. Does it have to be a section in a reading we have done already, or can it be from anywhere in our reading list this semester? I hope I can time myself appropriately for the project. Also, can I create my own labels in reading notes for my own reference?

Research:

-I will use a list of common literary elements from literarydevices.net as a tool to help me find areas of focus.

Week 3 Analysis: Literary Analysis on "The Luck of Roaring Camp"

In my Literary Analysis, I would like to discuss Luck and his “influences” on the townspeople of Roaring Camp. I’d also like to discuss the irony of his name and the hope he had brought, while also expressing how the hope and luck was just as miraculously taken from them. As a final analysis, I would like to point out some of the things that highlighted the historical aspects of the time.

In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to an unfortunate settlement of gambling and fighting men, and one just-as-unfortunate woman, Cherokee Sal. The woman played no major role in the town and was most likely a prostitute since she was the only female. Her death in childbirth to the only child ever born in the area was the supposed change of ill-nature to the town. The men changed drastically; from being reckless and poor-mannered to becoming noble gentlemen. The bringing-forth of the child inspired the betterment of the men in aims to become role-models to the newborn.

The town noticed the improvement that started since his birth, so they decided to name him Tommy Luck. He was after all, to the people of the town, a true symbol of Luck. Francis Bret Harte, the author, used this to give the story an ironic twist. While playing into the theme of hope, Harte had used Luck as an inspiration for the townsmen. And just as easily and random the miracle of his birth, was the random act of his death. The flood that brought upon Luck’s death plays into the theme of nature being harsh and unforgiving, a belief that the people in the mid-1800s had at the time.

Harte had used a plethora of literary devices to add to the believability of his tall tale. By telling the story in first-person, he had made his audience feel as though he was actually there, despite him not being born until about 30 years after the beginning of his story. He uses diction and local colour to represent how as it was during that time. People used words such as derringers or doubloons and spoke in unfinished sentences with horrid manners. In terms of historical significance, the choice of location was a big giveaway factor. It takes place in what became an important site in the California gold rush and he plays on that historical significance by story-lining it’s history in his work.

Works Cited:

“The Luck of Roaring Camp.” The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction, by Francis Bret Harte, 1917.

Reading Notes W3: The Luck of Roaring Camp, PART A

Citation: "The Luck of Roaring Camp" -Francis Bret Harte

Summary: Story opens with Cherokee Sal (the only woman in the area) in labor. She dies in childbirth and the men of the town decide to adopt the newborn orphan. The once gambling and fighting-filled town turned clean. The men dressed nicely, stopped cussing, the neighboring areas were cleaned, and everyone nurtured the child. They named the boy “Luck” or “Tommy Luck.” The miners found gold and associated it with Luck, and ironically, shortly after, floods hit the area and young Luck died.

Research:            -Roaring Camp: Gold Rush mining settlement

-Time/Era: California Gold Rush (mid-1800’s)

Style:                    -The type of writing is a tall tale *it over exaggerates hero; in this case, baby Luck”

-It is a local colour. It highlights the region, and the way people act (i.e. dialect, mannerisms slang)

Themes:              -Hope: a town filled with maddened miners had the miracle of having a child born in the town, this altered the way they lived, and they found hope with baby Luck. With hope they began to improve themselves as well as the area to provide for the child.

                              -Nature is a strong force: During this time people believed that nature was harsh and unforgiving. The use of the theme in the story represents it’s time. When baby Luck was born, the town hit its high, but it was short-lived and unfortunately nature showed its fury.

Literary Terms:  -Symbolism: the child born is a symbol of hope, and for the town he is luck to them and that’s why they name him that.

                              -The author employs irony in a literal way. The child is named Luck, but in the end the luck of the town is quite literally lost and killed in a flood.

                              -The Point of View is 1^st person POV. I think the author does this to add believability to this tall tale; as if he was actually there to experience the miracle of Luck.

                              -The author’s diction is representative of the time; the word choice used (Ex. derringer-pocket pistol and doubloon-gold coin) and the character’s dialect.

Weekly Review: My First Official Week of College

After taking a look at my accomplishments and set-backs this week, I'm starting to notice that I need to plan ahead a lot more. My planner has been a huge help in that aspect, but not nearly as much as I thought it would. As I said in my intro, procrastination is my setback, and it is a habit I must break. Next week I need to take use of my planner more. I need to check it daily and add my time constraints; i.e. appointments. I feel also that I need to give myself a significant amount of time to complete things and take into consideration my free time.
In terms of my classes, I'm noticing that I'm doing great so far in terms of content of work and quality of work. In my biology class, I think that I'm ahead in terms of knowledge by a large amount but I shouldn't let that make me try any less. My lab work is looking great, i do more than just answer the question. I fill in the page with supplementary info to look back on in future study. This is the same for all of my on-campus classes. In my English class as well as my online class I should really read ahead, however, as I seem to be cramming them to get tasks done. I was lucky enough that in my Engl220 class my instructor didn't give any quizzes, despite what he had emailed us, and that I had the chance to catch up. I feel that my bio class is significantly impacting getting my tasks done for this class. This is because my biology class runs from 5:30-10pm and a lot of times I have to rush home to finish a module that is due at midnight. This just goes to show me that I now need to focus on this class more before heading to my on-campus lectures, even if that means doing things a few days in advance.

Take Stock ECW2

This is the first time I've taken stock of my week. What I've noticed after completing this is that I need to check announcements more often. I've double checked everything so far, but there have been instances where I've had to edit a post before signing a declaration because I had missed a part. I've also noticed that after backing everything up that this class is seeming to be a task-load so I need to continue to be on my game and do things on-time.

Topic Brainstorm

As I read through the Project information for this semester I chose four topics that I currently think I could do well in. Each one I'm interested in due to knowing my strengths, weaknesses, and past readings.

Choose one short story or novel excerpt. Write a piece in which you explore the following:

1. In what ways could this story be considered an artifact of history? 
2. What does this story teach us about history? 
3. How does a story teach us about a time or place differently than a history book? 

I chose this topic because I felt that I have strength in analysis. I feel that I can pick out purpose in a text but also that I can do well in comparing it to it's time. I think also, that by going through the text and researching the era/movement/geographic location that it takes place in, I could learn new things about the history of California. In terms of previous knowledge, I was born and raised here in this state so I may possibly know a few historical facts already that I could use for my benefit.

Choose a reading. 

In your project, consider the following: 
What does this work reflect about its historical, social, political and/or economic context? You may focus on race, class, power, cultural values and beliefs, historical events, the author’s biography, gender, psychology, etc. In terms of this submission, I chose it because like being able to chose my own reading. This is because I can choose something I've had experience in; i.e. previous readings or discussions. By choosing this topic I hope to learn more about the author and their relations to their time period, such as their occupation or their socio-economic class, to see why they portray the events the way they do. I also hope to learn how events or time-periods can effect the writings of that particular time. 


Choose a reading selection. Explore the relationship between elements of the selection. For example: how does setting influence character development?
I think that this already is a pretty easy topic for me. I feel as though I currently already have strengths in analyzing imagery and characterization. This gives me a boost because now that I can analyze both, I just need to connect the two together. In fact, I had already done this. In "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, I had noticed that the protagonist, Rodia, was driven into delirium because of where he was living and the conditions it was in. He had gone mad due to his poverty and the eerie feel of his area. By being able to notice this in readings of my past, I believe I'd be great in doing this in the future, while also improving my character analysis skills.

Think about a theme you see running through your life (failure is the best lesson, love is eternal, etc). Choose a reading that you think also discusses this theme (even if it reaches different conclusions about it). Explore connections between how the theme plays out in your life, and how the theme gets played out in the reading. 

I like being able to compare readings to my personal life. It tends to give me more of a drive to continue reading. While I'm not sure I have any strengths on the matter, I do feel as though it would be interesting to consciously think about likenesses between black-and-white text and the realness of my life. Hopefully, with attempting this assignment I'll also see themes in my life that I've never noticed before and possibly learn more about myself. It will be awkward for me to go into details about my life, but it may just become a great way for me to open up as a person, knowing that a character went through a similar situation.

Feedback Thoughts

I think feedback can be a very good way for a person/writer to see what they excel in and where they need to improve. While negative feedback can feel somewhat upsetting, it is the supplemental information provided with it that can help to improve a work. Constructive criticism can, at times, be a better drive towards improvement than positive feedback in some cases.

I remember a time where I had to print two copies of a paper to hand to two differnt people for peer reviews. Interestingly enough, the same phrase I had used was commented upon by the two on both of the copies. While one just circled the phrase and said "This doesnt look right," the other provided me with why and some examples for restructuring. I was hurt by the first, but influenced by the latter into fixing my error.

It is because of this example that complells me to use my comments this semester as honestly and as helpful as I can to help my peers. I can only hope to get a similar response from them also.

Week 2 Analysis: Close Reading on "About-the-House Girl"

Close Reading: “About-the-House Girl” -Karok p.40-50

For my Close Reading I would like to discuss the introductory paragraph of “The About-the-House Girl” and how it plays a role in creating a scene, but also as a means of characterization. Karok, the author of the story, uses multiple literary devices to not only create a place and time and to introduce a character, but to paint a character that we can later compare to his final form as well as to Ifapi. Overall, this passage effectively sets a starting point or, problem, that we can then watch morph into a solution.

In the opening paragraph, the author uses a multitude of literary devices to describe a scene. Imagery is made by combining parallelism, circumlocution, and euphony to portray a natural, flowing, and harmonious environment. He starts off by describing how Patapir’s music rolls through the village of Rekwoi.The flute sounds are described by Karok as it “drifted upstream, sometimes shrill and sharp with the thrills and runs of songbirds, sometimes bright with the ripples of running water, sometimes low and sad with the sighing of the wind through the trees” (40).  The repetitive use of “sometimes with” along with the clean-sounding adjectives, i.e; shrill, sharp, low, and sad, help us imagine a natural setting flowing with life. The length of the sentence, an example of circumlocution, can also emphasize the size and length of the area and how his flute’s tones travelled across it.

Karok then goes to explain Patipir’s character. He uses the same parallelism that he uses to describe the sounds to then describe the protagonist, this time using cacophony. “He hunted and fished…cut down trees …and split the wood…he sweated himself and prayed” (40). The harsh-sounding adjectives this time accentuates Patipir’s masculinity, but by describing the fluidness and gentle flute sounds before addressing his physical appearance, it puts readers into a state of shock. It wouldn’t be as impactful as the other way around. Here, we picture an innocent and gentle man to find a strongly-built and hard-working one.

Both the characterization of Patipir and the description of the flute sounds are a preset as to what comes. The flute’s long trailing sounds as it passes through the village is directly related to Patipir’s longing for love and the gentle side of his nature. This is where we are presented with the problem. The protagonist is desiring companionship, but not with just anyone, but someone who is as different as he, the village Flute Player. This is then where we embark into the story of Ifapi, who we later find out fakes illness to avoid getting married to possible suitors as she waits for the right one. She too is the village odd-one and also longs for companionship. Instead of the physical “ill” appearance, her hidden side is actually a well-to-do maiden, similar to Patapir’s gentle nature juxtaposing his harsh appearance.

Within this short passage of the text, we are presented with a lot more information than it seems to be. Not only are we getting literal depictions, but we are using those depictions to represent a character and find his inner turmoil. His longing is represented by the songs he plays, and regardless of his outward appearance, the author gives him a hidden side; one of compassion and gentleness. This side of him makes him perfect for our second character, Ifapi, who too has an outward appearance unlike her true self. It is because of his ability to play his flute, to let his feelings show, that Ifapi does the same towards him and agrees to fulfill his longing for love and companionship.

Works Cited:

Karok. “About-the-House Girl.” The Literature of California. Native American Beginnings to 1945, Zuniversity of California Press, 2000, pp. 40–50.