Class Notes 10/25 - 10/29

Drama
Chapter 1: The Nature of Drama

• Action through...
• actors
• impact is direct and based on the actors' skills
• audience receives all info at once instead of multiple paragraphs- how character looks and moves and speaks
• stage 
• and before an audience
• Playwrights are limited
• practically limited to one point of view: the dramatic
• Soliloquy- characters are presented as speaking to themselves (think out loud)
• Aside- characters turn from people on stage they are conversing with to speak directly to audience- allows audience know what they are really thinking/feeling
• Playwright can, and must command undivided attention

Drama Terms

• Realistic- attempts, in content and presentation, to preserve the illusion of actual ordinary life. 
• Non Realistic- drama that departs, markedly, from the ordinary to outward appearances of life. 
• Tragedy- drama with events that lead to downfall and suffering of protagonist- usually a person of high moral or intellectual stature.
• Comedy- usually happy ending, emphasizing human limitation, rather than human greatness. Two types..
• Romantic Comedy
• Scornful Comedy
• Melodrama- related to tragedy, but featuring sensational incidents, emphasizing plot, relying on cruder conflicts and having happy ending.
• Farce- related to a comedy, but emphasizing improbable situations, violent conflicts, physical action, with coarse wit over characterization and plot.
• Protagonist- main character in story/ play
• Antagonist- any force in story in conflict with protagonist. May be person, aspect of physical or social environment or destructive element in protagonist's own nature.
• Foil- a character whose distinguishing moral qualities or personal traits are summed up in one or two traits
• Suspense- That quality in a story or play that makes the reader eager to discover what happens next and how it will end.
• Themes- The central idea or unifying generalization implied or stated by a literary work.
• Dramatic Exposition- the presentation of information about events that occurred before the action of a play. That occurs offstage or between the staged action.
• Didactic- poetry, fiction, or drama having as a primary purpose to teach or preach.

Chapter 2- Realistic and Non-Realistic Drama

• Drama adds another dimension of possible unreality since written to be performed
• involves certain necessary artificiality 
• audience must imagine there are four walls and actors must adapt to different stages to accommodate members from all sides of the audience.
• dramatic conventions- certain departures from reality. Such as the stage- room with less than four walls still represents one with four.)
• chorus- group of actors speaking in unison
• narrator- vehicle for dramatic truth

Class Notes Week 3

Writing
Clarity

• avoid long awkward sentences- break up
• no passive voice- often hard to follow

The Plain Style

• plain writing is more exposed, but it is okay to be plain
• a writer just wants to be understood

Concision

• do not be wordy
• “strong verbs”- more effective

Rhetoric

• Parallelism, when used right, can add grace to a passage
• Repetition can really get an idea through- rule of three. But do not be redundant
• do not change tenses
• beware of using humor- easy to look bad

Syntax
Subordinating Conjunctions- words that show the relationship of the dependent clause to the independent clause in complex sentence

• A few subordinating conjunctions (After, when, even though, although, whenever, if, as since, because, so that, until)

Coordinating Conjunction- words used with a comma to connect two independent clauses

• FAN BOYS (For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

Complex Sentence- has one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
Compound Sentence- has two or more independent clauses, joined with a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon
Simple Sentence- sentence with only one independent clause
Independent Clause- a clause that fulfills:
·        can stand alone
·        has a subject and verb
·        makes a complete statement

Sentence Variety
Effects-

•  pace
•  tone - emotional feeling
•  emphasis/attention 

Techniques-

• Construction - how sentences are put together: how they are joined, word order,  verb tenses, etc.
•  Length – shorter sentences create effect. Do not ramble or rant

Outside Reading: Editorial

The Tax-Cut Racket, a New York Time editorial, by Paul Krugman is a warning, almost a cry of outrage, at a political and economic issue that requires no elaborate writing style or any other tone than accusation and reassurance.
Accusation towards the Republicans in Congress holding the middle class hostage as they force the Democrats to keep taxes for the rich low. And reassurance towards the Democrats, including Obama, to hold firm to the promise to raise taxes on richest 2% of America.
The article is well organized dividing the issue into the political actions and implications and the economic actions and implications. Krugman opens with a personal attack against Mitch McConnell, the man leading the fight for tax cuts; immediately making one aware of his opinion. He then educates the reader on the topic at hand. Though he is providing background he continues to add remarks denouncing policies and policy-makers he does not fancy. On December 31st, 2010 the Bush-era tax cuts will expire. The republicans wish to extend the "tax breaks for their wealthy friends".
When Krugman delves into what the Republicans are willing (and actually are) doing to keep the cuts the article really takes a turn toward scathing criticism. McConnell is "trying to get what he wants by pointing a gun at the heads of middle-class families, threatening to force a jump in their taxes unless he gets paid off with hugely expensive tax breaks for the wealthy." Krugman points out, as an economist, that "everyone agrees that raising taxes on the middle class in the middle of an economic slump is a bad idea, unless the effects are offset by other job-creation programs — and Republicans are blocking those, too".
However, there is an issue bigger than the political or economic sides of the debate. And that is the question of what constitutes as acceptable political behavior in modern America. This is Krugman's best point and his strongest argument against the republicans. At this point one can ignore his bias because he turns away from party policies and addresses party tactics. Using that accusatory tone he  highlights how absurd and scary the republicans' tactics are. Krugman engages the reader because he, too, is outraged and scared; stating "there’s a difference between playing hardball and engaging in outright extortion, which is what Mr. McConnell is now doing." Krugman instills the fear by adding "And if he succeeds, it will set a disastrous precedent."
It is not fear that drives the article though, but rather a call to action, he makes the reader want to prevent said precedent being made. Krugman reminds us that the "majority of Americans are opposed to maintaining tax breaks for the rich" and inspires this majority "to take a stand, and say no to G.O.P. blackmail."
So the question he poses, "should Democrats give in?" is answered economically and politically, but the resounding 'no' he stresses using the word repeatedly and backing up evidence with public opinions, comes mainly due to the idea that politicians have the power to harm "innocent bystanders" in order to harm rivals.
Krugman is heavily opinionated, it is an opinion column, but he does back up claims with facts and a voice for the public. His voice makes it easy to understand the politics he is address. His tone seems urgent and, only if you are among his target, accusatory.
This piece lacks evidence and has too opinionated and bias of a voice to be a good AP essay.

Class Notes 9/20 - 9/24

Figurative Language
Figure of Speech: Phrase that does not mean its literal implication. "It's raining cats and dogs."
Figurative Speech: language that goes beyond the literal meaning of words, commonly using similes, metaphors, and personification
Simile: compares two subjects using as, like, or than. "As big as a bus."
Metaphor: comparison that implies meaning, a figurative and literal side.
Personification: Giving human attributes to non-human subjects. "The sun smiled upon the earth."
Apostrophe: Addressing something non-human as if it were human.
Synecdoche: Using a part to mean or describe a whole.
Metonymy: Uses something similar to represent something
Symbol: Something that represents something else
Allegory: A work of literature used concretely to describe another issue or meaning. ex. Pilgrim's Progress
Paradox:  apparent contradiction that actually makes sense. Often works due to double meaning or figurative meaning of one word or a phrase.
Hyperbole: a gross exaggeration
Sarcasm- Harsh, sharp form of wit.
Satire- Mocking or ridiculing literature intended to cause change
verbal irony- Stating the opposite of what one really means
Dramatic irony- The difference between what the is said and what a piece actually means.
situational irony: the difference between what a reader expects and what actually occurs.
Help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYq2d7iKKhk

The Rhetorical Situation
Rhetoric: The art of communication
Rhetorical Situation: The context for an act of communication
Elements of the Rhetorical Situation:
Subject- What is the topic?
Audience- Who is receiving the communication?
Purpose- What is the point of the communication?
Speaker- How is the communicator presenting and acting?

Argument
A method of persuasion writing
Thesis: Central argument the piece is trying to persuade the reader of
Claim:  Supports thesis
Warrant: Ties the evidence to the claim
Evidence: Hard facts and examples that support the claim and therefore the thesis
help on this topic: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/
Sources
Perrine

Class Notes 9/13 - 9/17

Monday, September 13th
Close Reading- Specific analysis of an excerpt of reading.  Affective techniques include highlighting, making notes in margins, drawing arrows, and brackets. Paying close attention to imagery, syntax, words, and diction when reading.  Close reading is useful not only in analyzing literature but also in taking information out of dense texts, such as historical documents.
Tuesday, September 14th
What is Poetry?
Poetry is language condensed to artistic affect.
Poetry is distinct from other literature in that it takes more to explain the writing then it does to read it. Hence, language condensed. Poetry must also be artistic, to prevent any slogan as being classified as poetry.
Wednesday, September 15th
We discussed Hidden Meanings as a class.
After scratching the surface we found the blatant sexually inferences taken from innocent fairy tales. But even deeper were the suggestions about gender, about men being suppressed by women.
Thursday, September 16th
Connotation and Denotation:
Authors chose certain words for a reason, as do all people, subconscious or not.
Concreteness v. Abstraction:

Clothes     Pants     Jeans  Levis <------------------------------------------------->

Abstract                                          Concrete

 

Precision:
Is a passage or word exact or vague?
Authors use precision to create different tones and affects
ex. Cool, Nice, Sweet = Vague
Elevation v. Colloquialism:

<--------------------------------------------->

Slang                                             Epic Diction

Slang is used by outside groups as a way to define and separate themselves, such as the youth from the maturer/old. Epic diction is used in acceptance speeches.

 

Dialect: specific word replacement
Jargon: technical language
Regionalism: regional-specific expression and pronunciations. regionalism is heavily used in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Friday, September 17th
Worked on Diction and Imagery worksheets.
Diction definition: Choice and use of words in writing and speech
Imagery definition: The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas.
Works Cited
Help with definitions
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/575/01/

Class Notes Week 4

The AP Test
Multiple Choice

• 45% of grade
• No penalty for guessing
• 60 minutes to answer 55 questions on 4 passages
• You don't need 100% to receive a 5
• There are 5 levels of questions
  • 1-2 range contains questions like what is the main idea of the passage?
  • 3-4 range contains question like what is the tone and they test you on your understanding of structure
  • 5 level questions are interpretive
  • most of the test is comprised of 3-4 level questions
• Decide which passage will be easiest to read and respond to and start with that passage
• If any part of the answer is wrong then the whole answer is wrong
• Look for questions that provide other answers
• Preparation: review/learn terms and vocabulary and practice answering multiple choice questions

Free Response

• 3 essays, 40 mins each.
• 55% of AP test grade
• 2 are closed readings- use compare and contrast, and they will be about poems, plays, or short stories
• the 3rd is a free response - choose a known piece, prepare a limited number of works thoroughly
• Do not forget the hidden "So What?" question- meaning of the work

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/samp.html?englit
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/exam.html?englit
From experience in previous classes, learning all the terminology definitely helps.
Allusion
a reference to something in previous literature and/or history.

• word or symbol that suggest more than it says
• reinforces and ties the ideas of the work with ideas of another, often more prevalent, work
• humorous, witty, and emotional

Meaning and Idea
·        Meaning- the experience expressed by the work
·        Prose Meaning- the prose paraphrase, often in the form of a story, description, human character, or emotion.
*Critical Approaches Wiki helps

Class Notes 10/11 - 10/22

• Tone is..
  • The author’s attitude toward the subject
  • Described in terms of emotion
  • What to look at to identify tone
    • Connotation,metaphors, and imagery
    • Irony and understatement
    • Rhythm, sentence construction, and pattern
• Style is..
  
  • The author’s personality
  • What type of persona the author wants to sound like
  • May change over time
• Voice is..
  
  • The narrator’s personality
  • Changes when the narrator changes
  • Described in terms of  the character's traits
  
  
  
• Evaluating Poetry
  • Perrine states that a reason to read poetry is to judge its worth
  • Questions for judging a poems worth
    • What is the poem’s central purpose?
    • Has it accomplished this purpose?
    • How worthwhile is the purpose?
  • Good poetry is original
  • If changing a poem makes it worse, it’s a good poem