Lit Terms 31-56

Dialect- the language of a particular district, class or groups of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others
Dialectics- formal debates usually over the nature of truth
Dichotomy- split or break between two opposing things
Diction- the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words
Didactic- having to do with the transmission of information; education
Dogmatic- rigid in beliefs and principles
Elegy- a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral
Epic- a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time
Epigram- witty aphorism
Epitaph- any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone
Epithet- a short, descriptive name or phrase that may insult someone's character, characteristics
Euphemism- the use of an indirect, mind or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt
Evocative- a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality
Exposition- beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and or characters, in a detailed explanation
Expressionism- movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic representation of an inner idea or feeling
Fable- a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth
Fallacy- from Latin word "to deceive", a false or misleading notion, belief, or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound
Falling Action- part of the narrative or drama after the climax
Farce- a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue
Figurative Language- apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech
Flashback- a narrative device that flashes back to prior events
Foil- a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent
Folk Tale- story passed on by word of mouth
Foreshadowing- in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; "planning" to make the outcome convincing though not to give it away
Free Verse- verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme
Genre- a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content

Lit Terms 6-30

Analogy- a comparison made between two things to show similarities between them
Analysis- a method in which a work or idea is separated into its parts and those parts are given rigorous and detailed scrutiny
Anaphora- a device or repetition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, phrases, clauses or sentences
Anecdote- a very short story used to illustrate a point
Antagonist- a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative
Antithesis- a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness
Aphorism- a terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life
Apologia- a defense or justification of some doctrine, piece of writing, cause, or action
Apostrophe- a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or nonhuman is addressed directly
Argument(ation)- process of convincing a reader by providing either the truth or falsity of an idea in proposition
Assumption- the art of supposing or taking for granted that a thing is true
Audience- the intended listener(s)
Characterization- the means by which a writer reveals a character's personality
Chiasmus- a reversal in the order of words so that the second half of a statement balances the first half in inverted word order
Circumlocution- a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served
Classicism- art, literature, and music reflecting the principle of ancient Greece and Rome
Cliche- a phrase or situation overused within society
Climax- the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered
Colloquialism- folksy speech, slang words, or phrases usually used in formal conversation
Comedy- originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending
Conflict- struggle or problem in a story causing tension
Connotation- implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition
Contrast- a rhetorical device by which one element is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity
Denotation- plain dictionary definition
Denouement- loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion

Lit Terms 1-5

Allegory- a tale in prose or verse in which characters, actions, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities; a story that uses symbols to make a point
Alliteration- the repetition of similar initial sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words
Allusion- a reference to a person, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expects a reader to recognize
Ambiguity- something uncertain as to interpretation
Anachronism- something that shows up in the wrong place or the wrong time

Spring Semester Plan 1

I don't know why but thinking about picking a SMART goal for myself seemed difficult at first. Now that I've thought about goals it's so obvious to me that my SMART goal for this semester is to try to get as many scholarships as possible. The stress is over from applying to colleges so now that I'm just waiting to hear from these colleges I can spend my time with scholarships. I'd like to get at least ten scholarships this semester.

AP Prep Post 1: Siddhartha

a&b.)
1. What is the relationship between the internal and exterior worlds of Siddhartha?
They both bring him pleasure in different ways, but he tends to focus on only one at a time rather than a balance.
2. How does Siddhartha progress from one approach of enlightenment to the other?
He progresses by using a kind of mathematical process.
3. How does Siddhartha negotiate his worlds?
He eventually finds a balance between the two in order to attain his Nirvana.
4. Which approaches of Siddhartha are not successful and which ones have limited effectiveness?
One of his approaches to join the Samanas was not as successful because he didn't seem to learn what he wanted from it about Nirvana.
5. Which of his approaches were successful?
He was more successful when he lived alongside Vasudeva because he learned to find things on his own. Also there he realized that Nirvana is something that cannot be taught.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/siddhartha/study.html#explanation2

c.) These questions tell me that I need to fully comprehend what I'm reading and get really in depth. I need to keep a better eye out for literary elements as well.

Literary Analysis #5: The Stranger

General: 

1. The novel begins with Meursalt's mother dying and this starts the plot of the book. The main plot though is when Meursalt kills another man and is sent to prison. I felt like this was really unfair for Meursalt because it was for his friend Raymond. Raymond's ex-girlfriend cheated on him which caused him to assault her. When he did this he didn't think about what her brother would do to him when he found out. Later in the book Raymond runs into the brother and they get in a fight. Because Meursalt was with Raymond the brother attacked him which caused Meursalt to shoot him because the brother had a knife and it led Meursalt to go to jail.
2. I think the theme of the novel is that life is in a way pointless if we all die in the end. He realizes this when he is in prison about to die and remembers his mom died so that there was no purpose in life.
3. The author's tone was kind of emotionless. The main character seems as if he has no feelings or emotions at all. He wasn't emotional about his mother's death and he wouldn't ever say that he loved his girlfriend. When his girlfriend asked if he wanted to marry her he told her that it didn't matter to him, but that they could if she wanted. Finally he had no emotion about killing a man when he should've at least felt sorry.
4. The actions of Meursalt  were done in a way that he knew what he did, but didn't exactly feel bad. For example when he killed the brother he thought it out again after it happened and was more concerned that he ruined his day instead of him taking someone's life. He also uses flashback when he rethinks of his mother's death and funeral. This only happens a couple times in the book when he explains why he put her in an old people home. Also the dialogue because this is how you feel Meursalt's sense that he doesn't care about anything by the way he talks to other people. I noticed this a lot when people told him sorry about his mother and he would reply like it was nothing to him. Another element is that the story is told through first person. Albert Camus tells his story through Meursalt and the whole story is focused on him as the main character. With him being the main character all of the point of views are through him. You can hear into his thoughts and what he thinks. For instance you can read his thoughts of why he doesn't want to go in Celeste's because he doesn't want to hear them ask about how he is dealing with his mother's death.

Characterization:

1. The author uses mainly indirect characterization in this story. I didn't really notice any direct characterization. He uses indirect characterization though in showing that Meursalt has no emotions. It is shown in him not caring about his mom's death and not caring if he married the girl he really liked. It's never stated that he doesn't care just shown. There's also indirect characterization when Meursalt realizes life is pointless. He thinks of how people just die in the end so whatever he did wouldn't even matter.
2. I didn't really notice a change in syntax or diction because the main character is so plain to me so the diction is just normal the whole time.
3. The main character seemed to be static because he never forms emotions for life. He just realizes his life is pointless, but he pretty much seemed to know that fact all along.
4. I felt like I'd met a person after this book because I truly felt for the guy. He seemed like he didn't fully enjoy life and it made me think from his point of view which caused me to also think what's the purpose of life. Hearing his thoughts is what brought me to think this because I felt as if he was trying to explain it directly to me.

Literary Analysis #4: The Fall

General:

1. The Fall is about a man named Jean-Baptiste Clamence, who tells about his past life to another man. He confesses what man he used to be and who he is now. When talking to the other man he sounds very confident in himself and in a way seems like he thinks he's better than everyone else. I think the plot is just that he wanted someone to  speak to about himself to hear it out loud. In the end he seems more pleased with himself.
2. I'm not too sure what the theme is, but I'm thinking maybe it's that speaking to others about yourself can help you more understand yourself. Sometimes hearing opinions from other people can change you or not. In this case it doesn't change Clamence because he doesn't believe he should deserve to be judged.
3. The tone seemed to me to be overly confident and careless. For example when Clamence speaks he seems like he believes in men like himself to be the best of the best. He doesn't regret anything either when in some cases I think he should've. Also he shows he's careless because he admits to having not many friends only acquaintances. This obviously shows he doesn't care to please anyone else, but himself.
4. The first element that helped me better understand the book was the setting. This helped because the setting took place in Amsterdam and men there seem to me to think that they're more superior like Clamence thinks. Also the dialogue because the whole book is a one sided conversation. You never get to hear what the other man says. I thought this was odd at first until I caught on. Another element is the syntax because sometimes he's talking about his past and other times about what is presently occurring. This brings me to flashbacks because the whole book is mainly about his past. Flashbacks occur very often throughout the story. Finally his actions because he seems to always want to be telling the other man his story. He tells the man to meet him each day at the bar before he has to leave Amsterdam, and has him walk with him home.

Characterization: 

1. The author uses direct characterization in showing that Clamence is opposed to judgement because he states that he doesn't need to be judged. He seems not to care if he judges other people though. By this it shows indirect characterization in him being careless. It's not stated, but by the way he speaks about not having friends and not caring what other people think of him. Another example of indirect characterization is that Clamence is a little snobby. This is shown when he talks about how he lost his friends as if they weren't perfect enough or that they had to make all the effort to be his friend.
2. The diction is normal, but sometimes he speaks in french when referring to a person.
3. I felt that the character was more static because he wasn't really trying to change just tell his story of his life.
4. I felt like I was the other person listening to his story so yes I  did feel like I had met a person. In ways I felt myself responding in my head when he would ask the man a question.