A thesis statement (TS) is necessary.
A TS is an interpretation based on literary elements ( like plot, characterization, setting, symbolism, imagery, narration, etc.).
A TS is not a fact. It never uses '' I think ''. It needs proof based on quotes.
1.Biographical info :
In A. Bierce's ''Occurence at Owl Creek, '' he takes the view point of his enemy, a confederate, - even though he was a federal soldier - to show the horros of war.
2. Quotation :
'' I'm not mad. No, I'm not. Madmen know nothing.'' Why did the narrator say this? Was he really sane? E.A. Poe's ''Tell Tale Heart'' explores the fine line between madness and sanity.
3. Definition :
According to the dictionnary, the word ''lottery'' means a random draw with money as the prize. In S. Jackson's ''The Lottery, '' the prize is very macabre indeed : death by stoning.
4. A Literary Element :
Imagery is a powerful way to express feelings and emotion. In John Keats' '' Ode to Psyche,'' there is stunning visual imagery to depict the environment surrounding Psyche.
5. Life experience of the author :
Ernest Hemingway had major problems dealing with women. This is reflected in ''Hills like White Elephants'' where Jig and the american girl never really communicate.
6. Plot :
At the beginning of Oscar Wilde's ''Nightingale and the Rose,'' the nightingale is heart-broken, because the student is in emotional pain. At the end of the story, the bird's heart is literally broken by a thorn of a rose tree.
7. Philosophical or sociological concept :
Racism has always existed and will always exist particularly towards black people.
In ''Strange Fruit'' by A. Meeropol, the savagery of racism is clearly exposed.
8. Historical Background :
Romanticism and gothicism were in vogue in the early 19th century. In E.A. Poe's ''The Tell Tale Heart,'' there are many gothic elements, such as the dark side of human nature.
9. Claim to fame (notoriety) :
J.D Salinger's ''Catcher in the Rye, '' is still read in classrooms across North America, because of its relevance to young people.
10. Using imagery (not referring to it from the story) :
''A painting for the painter is what the novel is for the writer. The authors of all genrs face endless possibilites when shaping the canvas of their work. ''
11. Allusion :
Many classic works are based on trials : Harper Lee's ''To Kill a Mockingbird.'' Lee and Lawrence's ''Inherit the Wind, '' uses the context of a trial to pit freedom of thought.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Learning Express Library (3 & 4)
Vocabulary & Spelling Course 2 : Roots, Prefixes and Suffixes
Interest level : The first lesson to this course was all about roots. No, it was not about tree roots (haha!), it was about the origin of certain words. I found the information very captivating because most roots are used in more than one language. For example, ''phobia'' which is an intense fear also exists in french. Of course, in french, it's ''une phobie.'' Knowing what ''phobia'' means and being able to identify it in other words is so useful because it makes complicated words, like ''agoraphobia, '' claustrophobia'' and ''hemophobia'' so much easier to understand.
Difficulty: One could consider this course as being difficult because most of the words in the exercises were uncommon and rarely used verbally, but by reading all the information given, the explanations and the roots', suffixes' and prefixes' definitions, it became less confusing and properly answering the practice tasks was much easier. Furthermore, after each exercise, the correct answers were given with explanations to why your answer was right or wrong.
What I learned: I learned that ''belligerent'' means warlike because of ''bell'' and that ''pathos'' is a word in the english language. Pathos comes from ''path'' which means ''sentiment.'' I also learned that there is a synonym to sociable. Gregarious is the equivalent of sociable because ''greg'' means ''crowd'' or ''herd.'' I believe my vocabulary has grown thanks to this course.
My grade : This course does not give you a grade at the end. You get feedback after each exercise instead.
Course rating: I found most of the practice methods quite relevant and varied. After reading a list of relatively common roots and a quick explanation to what each one means, you come to a page with words containing those roots along with a list of definitions. The task is to associate the words with their respectful definitions. There were also phrases where you had to fill in the spaces with the appropriate word and a few ''true or false questions''. The only negative part of the course, is that at the start of each lesson (there are four), you are asked to identify the words you recognize out of a list. When you submit your answers, you get no feedback at all and the exercises do not change depending on which words you already know. I did not understand the point.
I would give this course 7.5/10
Reading Comprehension Course 3 : Language and Style
Course rating : Aside from the very low difficulty level of this course, there is one thing I did appreciate. After the four lessons about style, diction, tone and point of view, there was a fifth lesson to sum it all up. The fifth lesson was actually three full pages of questions and tasks with everything learnt earlier in the course all mixed together. This is the first course that actually had a conclusion and a revision of the past notions.
That being said, I still give this course 6/10.
Interest level : The first lesson to this course was all about roots. No, it was not about tree roots (haha!), it was about the origin of certain words. I found the information very captivating because most roots are used in more than one language. For example, ''phobia'' which is an intense fear also exists in french. Of course, in french, it's ''une phobie.'' Knowing what ''phobia'' means and being able to identify it in other words is so useful because it makes complicated words, like ''agoraphobia, '' claustrophobia'' and ''hemophobia'' so much easier to understand.
Difficulty: One could consider this course as being difficult because most of the words in the exercises were uncommon and rarely used verbally, but by reading all the information given, the explanations and the roots', suffixes' and prefixes' definitions, it became less confusing and properly answering the practice tasks was much easier. Furthermore, after each exercise, the correct answers were given with explanations to why your answer was right or wrong.
What I learned: I learned that ''belligerent'' means warlike because of ''bell'' and that ''pathos'' is a word in the english language. Pathos comes from ''path'' which means ''sentiment.'' I also learned that there is a synonym to sociable. Gregarious is the equivalent of sociable because ''greg'' means ''crowd'' or ''herd.'' I believe my vocabulary has grown thanks to this course.
My grade : This course does not give you a grade at the end. You get feedback after each exercise instead.
Course rating: I found most of the practice methods quite relevant and varied. After reading a list of relatively common roots and a quick explanation to what each one means, you come to a page with words containing those roots along with a list of definitions. The task is to associate the words with their respectful definitions. There were also phrases where you had to fill in the spaces with the appropriate word and a few ''true or false questions''. The only negative part of the course, is that at the start of each lesson (there are four), you are asked to identify the words you recognize out of a list. When you submit your answers, you get no feedback at all and the exercises do not change depending on which words you already know. I did not understand the point.
I would give this course 7.5/10
Reading Comprehension Course 3 : Language and Style
Interest level : This course was divided into 5 lessons. I found it well structured and I was impressed because I find the most important parts of reading comprehension were summed up pretty well in only one course. The first lesson was about the point of view (first, second or third person narration). It was pretty basic but still pertinent. The following lessons were about diction, tone, and style. The information given was useful, clear and I find it would be good to read before an exam.
Difficulty : Although the information was adressed to College students, I found the exercices were written for 10 year olds. For example, I was asked to answer which was more formal between ''why don't ya come over tomorrow'' and ''We kindly request your presence tomorrow, January third 2009, for a light supper.'' However, I was even more disappointed when I was asked which was more specific between ''meet me at the corner'' and ''meet me at the corner of Broadway and Hutchinson and 4:30.'' So, basically, this course was not the least bit difficult.
What I learned : If I learned anything thanks to this course, I do not remember it, but I highly doubt that this course taught me something that I didn't already know.
My grade: Once again, I seem to have chosen a course that does not give you a grade at the end.
It does give you feedback but I found it quite useless, considering that the questions were so easy that almost all of my answers were correct.
It does give you feedback but I found it quite useless, considering that the questions were so easy that almost all of my answers were correct.
Course rating : Aside from the very low difficulty level of this course, there is one thing I did appreciate. After the four lessons about style, diction, tone and point of view, there was a fifth lesson to sum it all up. The fifth lesson was actually three full pages of questions and tasks with everything learnt earlier in the course all mixed together. This is the first course that actually had a conclusion and a revision of the past notions.
That being said, I still give this course 6/10.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Book Report
This is a book report on my understanding of Vladimir Nabokov's book called Lolita.
I just wanted to let you now, Mr.B, that I decided to mix a couple of your task suggestions and added my own to be able to write a proper report.
When it was published in Paris in 1955, some light hearted readers and upset critics called it ''obscene'' and ''pornographic trash.'' Lolita was banned from bookstores and could no longer be found, for the time being. Thankfully, Vladimir Nabokov's talent was finally recognized when such bans were lifted, permitting myself and three other classmates of mine to read this book.
Now, the reasons for which Lolita was banned are quite obvious right from the first page, however, I believe that it's the controversial subject he chose that makes Nabokov's work so interesting. Don't get me wrong; I do not like stories about rape, incest or pedophiles. Nonetheless, I appreciated Nabokov's outstanding story about a middle-aged man having an obsession for ''nymphets''. Nymphets are what the main character, the middle-aged Humbert Humbert, calls young girls between the age of nine and fourteen who have certain physical traits such as a certain ''demonic nature'' and ''fey grace, the elusive, shifty, soul-shattering insidious charm.''
Of course, Lolita is, more precisely, the story of a middle-aged man's obsession for a certain young girl he calls Lolita, thus the title. This part is clear, right from the first sentence of the book : "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul." I found this quote significant because it's not only a quick explanation for the choice of the title but also a pretty good look ahead. When the narrator, also the main character, Humbert Humbert says that Lolita is his sin and his soul, he creates quite a foreshadowing effect. Throughout the train of events in the book, we learn how important Lolita is to Humbert, important enough for him to call her ''my soul". We also see the evolution of his fantasies over a girl it is illegal for him to have a relationship with, therefore, she is his sin. Of course, what's peculiar is the huge gap between the purity of a soul and the horrid thoughts or actions of one's sin, yet Humbert sticks them one beside the other in the same sentence. In Humbert's case, his sin is the fruit of both his horrid thoughts and actions towards such young girls. Unfortunately, after reading a whole book about a man lingering for a child, I did not manage to understand how it is possible. In my opinion, for a minimum of attraction to exist between two people, those two people have to be developped, mentally and physically. Puberty is what seperates the children from the teenagers and the adults. Before hitting puberty, sexual attraction does not even exist. Girls the age of Humbert's ''nymphets'' mostly still hope their prince charming in shining armor will come wake them in their sleep with a light kiss. Furthermore, adult men and women, usually plan on having a career, a nice house and a beautiful family. So, even if we discard the fact that Lolita and Humbert should not be at the same mental level in their lives, they should still not be physically attracted one to another.
So, why do pedophiles like Humbert actually exist? I do not know, and it is a very sad reality. Now, why would someone actually write about such a sad and delicate truth? That is the real question we should be asking ourselves. I believe it was to shock and impress his readers that Vladimir Nabokov chose to write about such a controversial subject. No matter how strange and deranging that subject was, I must admit, he handles it with such class and uses such rich and thougtful vocabulary that to the reader, Lolita might as well be a romantic love story.
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