Making an AP Lit Poetry Essay Question

The Fallen Will Forever Stand (Cameron Moll)

Prompt: Read carefully the following poem by Cameron Moll. Then write a well developed essay in which you analyze how the poet uses various literary devices to give meaning to the poem. Pay close attention to form.

Fallen.

In silence we ponder

Momentarily.

Years fail to wash away

Memories that stain the walls of yesterday.

What are They but those we revere?

Indelible is the pain

Yet greater is the courage

Of those who gave the incalculable bequest.

What are we but guardians of the legacy now ours?

Written in our hearts the memories

In perpetuity remain.

Forever

Will the Fallen

Stand.

This poem has a certain thing about it that I wanted to experiment with. I wonder if someone can figure out what that something is, and what it is called.

The thing no1 likes but we still have to do...no its not taxes...

The Senior Project....why art thou such a demon? I do not understand the purpose of half the things that occurred. However, I do know that portions of the project did have a reason. The resume, Mr. B's version of the presentation, and that stuff I understand. I also understand requiring people to bring in proof of applying for college or jobs. This shows that students are taking action to move on in life, past high school. The bib cards were tedious, but they did ending up being helpful to me with my topic. They worked for me after I was able to group them by topic. Everything else that was in the binder that I haven't mentioned, were tedious and often very childish tasks people did for the grade. What I think could make this better is to not make it one big thing but lots of little things. Make the project ubiquitous with classwork throughout the year and have the students place it in their in class folders. This will constantly keep the students mind ready and up for the task, whether they like it or not. It would also be cool if students were given all the guidelines and criteria and things to accomplished the beginning of the year so that they have it all when they need it the most. That time is College Application season. The research and presentation portions of the project should remain the same, however, I think it would make it easier and more efficient on the students part if they practiced it more often, than for it to be one big event. It would help with the nerves and also with consistency of understanding the material. Especially for an AP class or for students that will be taking the SAT or ACT. Being able to quickly read and analyze passages that are as boring as the hair on a meerkat's back, will enable the student to be able analyze and SAT ACT passage and formulate answers to questions faster, rather than getting confused, wasting time, and then not doing so well. This is where research and reading scholarly articles really comes in handy. There are lots of things that can be done to make this a better experience for next years students. So in conclusion, I think that the work for the senior project should be provided to the students at the beginning and be made ubiquitous with the curriculum of the class, throughout the year, and that students have the opportunities to write research papers, learn how to do them, practice, and also be able to learn how to make presentations, do presentations, etc... so that they may be more efficient at doing so when the main one, the actual senior project presentation, comes.

Dear Pip

Dear Pip,
I am a student reading your story. Honestly, I admire all the trouble that you have gone through in your life. You have worked so hard to achieve. You have reaped the rewards of an honest days work, or years rather. I do have some questions though. Why did you continue to ignore Ms. Havisham's  constant babble about breaking hearts to Estella? It makes no sense to me. The actions that you have taken quite confuse me. For money you allowed yourself to be taken away from Joe and Biddy and all the other people. That was wrong. However I do understand that it would be possible at a young age. On the other hand it is also notable how you have matured into the man that you are. I am not saying that I agree with the actions that you have taken, but rather i'm saying that you have made the choice that is deemed best for your situation. In my opinion, the basis of your life, and your life goal, seems to be the beginning of something I deem very important in the history of England itself. That one thing, was the industrial revolution. Yes, I've said it. Did not expect that did you? The journey that takes a young boy from average life, to becoming a man with a bustling life, in a bustling trade, in a bustling city. That drive right there is what makes me look up to what you have accomplished. Way to go Pip, career wise. You could have done better social wise. Fo' reel, Estella.... rlly bro? Shawty must be trippin on some hammers.
Nice meeting you, sort of. Thank you for your time, and I hope you have a good day and time, with your beloved, Estella...

Sincerely,
 A student that read what seemed like your diary...


P.S. Next time, when you hear someone telling someone else to break your heart, just walk away...
P.S.S. Don't mind the slang. It shall come into existence several decades if not centuries after your time.

The Diagnostic C FAILURE!!!

The majority of the class got 16 questions wrong. This is their story why...

10. This was a theme question. The word choice of the question asked for the BEST of the choices provided, which adds a bias to the question. This increased the difficulty in answering the question.

22. This was a question on vocabulary. The reason that most people got this question wrong was NOT because if misinterpreted literary vocabulary, by misunderstanding of the meanings of certain synonyms that were provided as answer choices.

29. This was a question that pertained to literary terms. It has been a long long time since we used or went over all the literary devices ans vocabulary that we spent so much time learning last semester, that we forgot what certain things were.

30. This was a theme question. Most people answered a choice that was general for the prose, but theme is universal, so we misunderstood and ignored the broad and most general of answer choices, which just happened to be the answer.

33. This was a question about main idea. The question asked to find the theme of each paragraph and then pick the best two paragraphs this fit under what the question was asking. Under a limited time environment this is difficult.

35. This was a question on tone that asked for the best of all answer choices. The answer choices were synonymous with each other and confusing to differentiate from. Also, it has been a long time since we visited tone, so we may need to be remind ourselves the many tones that there could be.

38. This was a question that pertained to literary terms. It has been a long long time since we used or went over all the literary devices ans vocabulary that we spent so much time learning last semester, that we forgot what certain things were.

39. This was a question on tone that asked for the best of all answer choices. The answer choices were synonymous with each other and confusing to differentiate from. Also, it has been a long time since we visited tone, so we may need to be remind ourselves the many tones that there could be.

40. This was a question asking to infer on what the narrator of the passage was attempting to communicate, and then summarizing it. This was also a difficult passage.

42. This question asks for the best choice. First one has to figure what paragraph the narrator expressed feelings about mankind, and then pick the best of those. This questions asserts slight bias.

47. In this question the reader is asked to infer about the narrator after going through the entire passage. The answers provided are also twisted forms of what is provided in the poem. So there could also be an issue in translating/interpreting.

48. This is a question about the diction of the narrator. The reason that people got this question is because it is an inference question about the narrator and not the poem.

50. This is a diction question. Most people probably got it wrong because of the diction used in the passage could have referenced different answer choices. One has to go back quite a bit to find the correct answer, as it is not presented right next to where the question directs our attention.

51. This is a question about attitude of the narrator. The reason that people got this question wrong because the answer choices were very synonymous with each other.

52. This a question about the effects of the stanzas on the poem in its entirety. One has to notice how it starts and how it ends, and the subject matter of the entire thing to figure out the correct answer.

53. This is a question about literary devices. The question is worded deviously. The question asks for at least two examples of the literary devices in the last stanza. There could be only one example of the devices and that would be the distraction. This was a very deviously written question.

So basically....the test sucks and it is a bad representation of what we know because it is biased and is worded really really deviously for a timed test. 

Diagnostic C

Well I guess the diognostic went well today. It was pretty chill. I think it was easier than the past diognostics, but I do also think that the words caught me like cuffs. The only issues I had were with the passage about the man that was about to get his freedom and a little difficulty with the seasons one. These took me a while to complete. I regret to say that I did not completely finish the prose about the man getting his freedom. However, I had also kept that one for last. The resin I had difficulty with that one was because the questions involved picking, out of the unidentifiable paragraphs, which paragraph or which two paragraphs best accomplished something. This was time consuming. I think we should learn new tactics for approaching questions like these. Also, I think a review of the words we used last semester and tone words is in need. This is what I think about the diognostics and how I did on it.

Beloved: creepy book vs. confusing creepy movie

Dhruval Darji

03/12/12

Mr.Beddingfield

AP Literature & Composition

Beloved: Book vs. Movie

            The book Beloved, by Toni Morrison, and the movie adaptation of it have their own way of expressing the thoughts and ideas that Toni Morrison wished to convey to her readers. The book is written with constant transitions from past and the present. Also it transitions from the point of views of varying characters. The movie also attempts to do this.  However, the movie does this through flashbacks. There are some things that cannot be included in flashbacks or in the order they are intended, because of the way the book is written.

            One thing that I have noticed that is different about the book and the movie adaptation is how the book puts emphasis on the archetype of water. The movie cannot emphasize water as well as Toni Morrison did in her book. The hardest thing for a movie is to represent the thoughts of a character. It is almost impossible to do so, unless the director makes the actor say the character’s thoughts. Like how Sethe thinks of memories or remembering as the word “rememory.” Just like that there are things that the movie can do that can’t be emphasized as well by the book. Like facial expression, emotions, imagery, etc. An example of this is the scene when Sethe saw Beloved’s scar.

            Sometimes movie adaptations sometimes have to cut parts out so that the movie may fit in a time frame. One thing that I noticed was the great big feast that occurred right before the four men came to 124 to retrieve Sethe and her children. In fact, entire portions of Stamp Paid’s and Baby Sugg’s stories aren’t even included in the movie. The movie is centered on Sethe, Beloved, and occasionally Paul D and Denver. Another thing that is ignored in the movie is the stories of the Sweet Home men. The movie also chooses to ignore all the imagery and specific details that Toni Morrison chose to include. Like all that the back ground story and imagery that Bodwin’s added to the story. Like their little “piggy bank” statue.

            The movie did however enable me to understand several things about the story. Watching the movie, I understand Paul D’s role in the story. Also more importantly I understand Denver’s and Baby Sugg’s roles in the story. This is mainly because I get the questions that I got wrong on all of my quizzes. The movie allows me to see the development of Denver’s character and how she goes from being a wuss to taking initiative and growing up. It is kind of like a bildungs roman.

            At the end of the movie Mr. Bodwin’s excerpt is also ignored. However the movie does go and show how Sethe went on to attack Mr. Bodwin, though she did not get close to doing so, without the crazy confusing flash forwards and flash backs. During this scene, we, the audience and readers, can see how the director chose to play Beloved as a ghost, by having her literally disappear.

            If someone saw this movie without reading the book, then they would hate it, because they would not understand the depth of the movie. They wouldn’t understand the themes or the purpose of the story and all that Toni Morrison put into it. I just barely understood it, and I did read the book. I still think that the book creeps me out. However, the movie creeps me out even more, with its stance on the main points of horror and the love a mother has for her children. It is my belief that if the movie had provided more focus in the areas of how things came to be, slavery, and the past of the characters, further than their pain, then people would be able to understand the movie much, much, better. This is what I think of Beloved, the book and its movie adaptation. 

Why debate about prejudice? Everyone noes the answer...

The question for this debate was, " Is prejudice a problem in today's society?"
I believe that my group, "Prejudice is not a problem in today's society," won the debate. I have several reasons for this. Our opponents failed to understand that we were not arguing the nonexistence of prejudice, we were arguing that it does NOT affect society and the everyday life of people. Our opponents also failed to realize one of our essential points and forced us to have to repeat it several times, because they kept constantly bringing it up as if they had nothing else to talk about, which they in fact did. They had a plethora of ideas which made lots of logical sense too. However, their choice to consistently go back to our point about "Obama, and such people," shows how they lacked a proper rebuttal to the many many facts that we had laid out towards them to show that prejudice may exist but it is not a problem. Most of their rebuttals consisted of questioning us, or rather, interrogating us about our claims. That scared me...no seriously, it did.
Our society and government is a democratic republic. So the people in power are chosen by the voters. Thus the highly known individuals are but representatives of a mass majority. If they show prejudice of some sorts then it is only because the voters showed that same prejudice and voted or supported them to power. This shows how people have a choice and can choose to avoid negative prejudices which also shows how though prejudice exists in society, it is not really a problem.
One main concrete example that I would like to provide is how everyone parent raises their child on some sort of prejudice against certain people. This could be positive prejudice. For example, parents tell their children to stay away from strangers that say they will give them some candy. This builds prejudice against strangers and pedophiles, in this case, by the hand of parents. The parents do so for the protection of their children. This shows how prejudice is present, but effectively used to protect children.
These were the points that we attempted to get across to our opponents. I agree that they had good facts and stands, and effective rebuttals. This includes stone faces and scary glares. :P
Alhough, for some of these points stated there just wasn't enough time, I still believe that my group won the debate for sticking to our argument for what we were arguing for with facts and adherence to the topic.