Close Reading 12/16

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/opinion/the-gun-challenge-reason-for-hope.html?hp&_r=0

America has been through tragedy after tragedy. Recently, there was a shooting of an elementary school and 20 children were shot and killed. This article is based off of this event and it is making the point that America needs to change and adjust with regards to gun control laws. There needs to be some sort of adjustment made in America to overcome these tragic events because America has become so modern and the use of guns needs to be reduced. the use of detail, diction, and language assists the idea and voice being portrayed.

The detail in this piece contains examples of tragedies in America's history and how we have over come them. For example, the author said that we are a "country that recoiled in horror at the Triangle shirtwaist factory and took steps to protect the lives of factory workers". This is showing the efforts out forth to change the way America was running; it's time to change gun laws. What about discrimination? This country went to great measures to create equality for all. All of this detail describing American adds to the idea of gun control needing more regulation.

This editorial also contains superb diction. For instance, the phrase "find hope in the determination" is used to create a major effect that was brought upon an innocent elementary school. Even "Democrats with 'A' ratings" are discussing the change that is in sight due to gun violence. The phrase above is great diction because it describes the Democrats as very highly ranked, and this is used as evidence that a change is needed.It is important to include such strong words because it helps create the strong voice of the piece.

The voice would not be as strong without the use of language. When one hears the words "murders of 20 children", there is a sort of cringing, twist of the stomach emotion that is evoked. It is such an unbelievable event that the right language helps to persuade the audience of the importance of gun control. The author even criticizes Obama's failure to do anything about the gun control laws. By using the phrase "mass killing during his tenure, people are drawn away from the Obama administration's doings because nobody is pleased by the words "mass killing". Emotion is strongly evoked throughout the language of the piece.

The fact that America needs to take a stand against gun violence is constructed here, and the voice of the piece is enhanced by the use of detail, diction, and language.

Open Prompt 12/9

1970 Also. Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.

"The Great Gatsby" is a novel of great literary merit, and it has been used time and time again as a representation of America's history. Not only does the novel itself contain examples into the past of America, but it also creates symbols that are used to portray these ideas. The green light at the end of Daisy's dock showcases the many thoughts of Jay Gatsby and more importantly America.

As Jay Gatsby looks across the water from his own land, he admires the green light that comes from the end of Daisy's dock. Gatsby and Daisy have a history between them, which Gatsby cannot seem to get off of his mind. As he looks into the glow of the light he reminisces on his past, and he remains hopeful for the future. All of his hopes and dreams for the future are presented through this one, important symbol. His love for Daisy is prominent throughout the entire novel. The green light is only a symbol of his adoration.

The American Dream seems to be a major theme throughout the novel, as well. Gatsby's longing for the unattainable (Daisy), is symbolic of the way America has been. For instance, many American's look forward to the picture perfect lifestyle; a family, stable job, and money. However, for many American's this is a difficult goal to reach. Because the green light symbolizes Gatsby's goals for the future that are unlikely, it is clear that the American Dream is portrayed through the light, too.

The green light at the end of Daisy's dock is such a simple roadmap that guides us through the novel's ideas. Nevertheless, it is quite important to the understanding of the story. The green light is entirely basic, but it creates great themes and meanings throughout the play, and portrays America and a man's hopes for the future. 

Death of a Salesman Analysis 12/3

Author: Arthur Miller

• From New York City
• Studied at University of Michigan

Tone: kind, yet honest

• Takes the sensitive scenes into a kind, tender way
• Ensures that it is still honest

Symbols:

• Stockings-Linda versus Woman, main issue in the affair
• Rubber Hose-Willy is planning on committing suicide
• Diamonds-represents the materialistic view point in America

Setting: 

• 1940s with daydreams into Willy's past
• Loman Household
• Brooklyn, New York
• Trips to Boston

Plot:

Willy Loman is a salesman in New York, and he has two aspiring sons. One of his sons Biff, has been Willy's "favorite"and Willy has the greatest expectations for Biff. However, Biff doesn't always agree with his father, and therefore they argue a lot. Willy has many daydreams to his past, and the way he ideally thought life was going to go for him; he was caught in a dream. Biff discovers his father having an affair and loses trust. The book is centralized around materialism and the effects of materials on society. 

Significant Characters:

• Willy: salesman, father, husband, caught in a dream, suicidal
• Biff: son of Willy, trying to be independent, wants to be on his own, tries to get his point across to Willy

Quotes:

"Why is he crying"-Willy Loman

• He says this while Biff breaks down and cries to him because of the life he has lived, and he is trying to help Willy to see reality. Willy takes meaning to Biff's crying and feels almost complete and important to his son's life.

"Diamond is hard and rough to the touch."-Willy Loman

• A diamond is a symbol for money and the materials yearned for in society. There is difficult to reaching a diamond, as it is to earn money.

Theme: The American Dream

• "Well-liked", "attractive" people are successful. You can't get anywhere with out good looks and personality.
• Materialism is prominent in the dream. Money is yearned for, and items are prized.
• Hard work=success
• Willy's Dream vs. His own life

Course Material 12/2

Let's see, where should I begin? Well, "Death of a Salesman" turned out to have similar meanings to "The American Dream", and that must be one of the reasons why we studied it! Making connections. That seems to be what this class is primarily about. I've seen a connection throughout all of the assignments and readings. DIDLS is always around during and outside of class. It has actually been quite useful. It was part of the terms test; it was part of the textbook readings. Annotations revolve around DIDLS, and the in class activities improve our understanding of it. Last "Course Material" blog, I was critiqued (by Matthew Hammerly) that I did not make connections in that blog. However, it made me realize that I need to think about that more and respond to it more deeply. (Thanks, Matthew:)) Anyway, you know what I don't like? Peer responses. I appreciate the feedback, but I don't really like get feedback from my peers; sometimes there seems to be a little bit of competitive edge. However, I suppose it is helpful, and it gives me the opportunity to improve.
We are just starting "Hamlet", and I just don't understand a word of it. That is all. Wish me luck!

Close Reading 11/18

http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/414/using-online-forums-in-language-learning-and-education

It has been studied that the use of Technology enhances the learning of students. This day and age, technology is being developed rapidly, and this article explains just that. Its use of diction, syntax, and detail help to define the use of technology for learning.

The author of "Using Online Forums in Language Learning and Education", Manprit Kaur, uses diction to show the importance of technology for students. "A key reason" is used to point out the idea that forums improve learning and teaching. He used the phrase "rapid development" to help readers determine the actual effect of these online uses, and it helps with the understanding of the main point. The phrase "face-to-face discussion" is used to determine the fact that online assignments help with in class activities because the ideas have already been portrayed on line.

Syntax is used in the structure of the article. For instance, the author organized the article into parts. This makes the article easier to interpret be cause he is answering four main questions in different sections. His sections consist of "What are the benefits of online forums?", "What are the characteristics of a good online forum?", "Do online forums improve students' writing skills", and "Do online forums improve students' communication skills?". He goes on to answer each of these important questions individually.

The detail within the article also falls under the different sections. When he is describing the benefits of online forums, he describes that students are "found to be in favor of the self-paced, self-regulated...discussions". He proves that the online forums are just a different form of discussion where you can get your thoughts down in words and communicate through the internet.

Prompt 11/11

1975 Also. Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and only rarely uses a narrator's voice to guide the audience's responses to character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in which you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his audience's responses to the central characters and the action. You might consider the effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of comparable and contrasting characters, and the characters' responses to each other. Support your argument with specific references to the play. Do not give a plot summary.

Edward Albee wrote the famous play, "The American Dream". He portrays a little American family that is greatly concerned with materialism, consumerism, and sexuality. The use of his characters and text creates a message and a voice that was meant to show his ideas of the real american dream. The setting, and characteristics of the characters shows the idea of Albee's writing.

The setting takes place in the home of Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma. Grandma is a kind character, and she represents the old American dream by the way she is being pushed away from the family. When the young man shows up, he is representing the new american dream. He is young, fresh, and attractive, which is exactly what Mommy and Daddy are searching for, for themselves. The way that Mommy is obsessed with materials shows the idea that America is caught up in materialism and consumerism. Mommy ensures that Daddy is listening to her story about "buying a new hat yesterday" (58). The home and the people living in the home interact with each other in a way that represents society. 

Albee is attempting to give a new perspective to the way society is changing and what people are now accepting as "The American Dream".

Course Material 11/04

We went over "The American Dream" extensively, and at first, it seemed tedious but it really helped understand the meaning (or meanings) of the play. Of course, having discussions everyday about the different elements of the play was not all that exciting; however, it began to make sense. I never would have figured out the hidden ideas that Edward Albee was trying to get through if it wasn't for our discussions. It all connects! Who knew? Along with the play, I was able to get a better grip on DIDLS because we certainly looked for each technique throughout the play, especially during our close reading. DIDLS keeps returning, and it is a reoccurring subject that I am improving on.

Now, how about that terms test? It was killer. However, I think it was a college level analysis, and it was kind of a reality check. I thought I was making good connections with the vocabulary in class activities, but it was not easy to pick out different techniques used in such..unique..pieces of literature on the test. It was just difficult for me. Extra credit? I need it!

As for our blogs, it has been interesting to create my own posts and then read a few others. I never really realized the different writing techniques that people use, and it is good to take a look at what my peers are writing. However, I don't quite like hearing my peers' comments on my blogs; I understand how it is helpful for both parties, though. It can be discouraging when a classmate points out a mistake that seems so silly, but that is also why it is helpful. Otherwise, it is probably beneficial to hear the criticism not matter how much I dislike it. No offense to whoever is responding this time!

Overall, AP Lit is giving me good experience so far, and the material is definitely what I need to be learning in order to prepare for college, even though it is not easy. We are just starting "Death of a Salesman", can't wait to see what is in store this time!

Summary and Analysis of "The American Dream"

"The American Dream" is quite a unique play set in the 1960s. The author, Edward Albee attempts to put an interesting point across in his play, and he uses the ideas of materialism, consumerism, and sexuality to define his play. There is a family consisting of Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma. Mommy acts as though she is a self-centered child, but she also, shows a need for superiority. Daddy just puts up with Mommy, and he seems to have feminine qualities rather than masculine. Then there is Grandma. Grandma is the only sincere and kind character in the play; she has a realistic view on life, unlike Mommy and Daddy. Also, there is Mrs. Barker; she plays the role of the controlling woman who is head of multiple organizations. This, in itself, is significant because stereotypically women did not have opportunities like this in the 60s. Finally, there is the Young Man. He represents the new American Dream.

In general, Albee is making fun of American ideas by reversing the stereotypical roles in society in his characters. For instance, Mommy acts as the "head of the household"and Daddy does not. Also, Albee uses Mommy to portray the materialistic side of America because she says, "I can always go shopping."  which supposedly makes everything better (62). Daddy represents the sexual part of the play because he is emasculated, and he has feminine qualities which is not ideal for the American male.

Albee uses a unique style within his writing. He uses a great amount of repetition during the play, which, I believe, helps him get his point across. One line that is significant because of its repetition is Grandma saying, "The American Dream!" about the Young Man (108). Grandma is trying to get the family to see the new, fresh, young "American Dream". Grandma, herself, represented the "old American Dream", but she knows that it is time for a new dream to take place.

Edward Albee's sarcastic tone, repetition, and symbolism is significant throughout the play. The play seems slightly absurd at the first read, but when you dig deeper into the meaning, you can see Albee's intentions come across the page.

Close Reading Oct. 21

Clearly, there is a major debate going on about who is going to be the better President for our country for the next 4 years. The editorial titled, "Twisting the Facts about Health Care, discusses Mitt Romney's and Barack Obama's plan for United States health care. This is an important issue because the health of the citizens of our country depends on the governmental plans made to assist us. It seems that this article is based upon supporting Obama and questioning Romney's ideas.

The author is definitely taking the "Obamacare" side. He states that Mr. Romney plans to replace Obama's plan, but he never specified "what he would replace it with". The context of such a statement means that the author is persuading the audience in a certain direction; this is the use of syntax. The writing makes Romney's actions seen unclear and unimportant, and therefore, they will be unsuccessful.

According to the article, "Mr. Romney never quite answered and made some egregious misstatements along the way", and the diction used in this statement is significant because it creates better meaning to the article. It is implying that Romney does not know what he is really supporting, in the author's opinion. Diction is important during debates because it provides specific ideas that the politicians are supporting.

This article uses imagery by using a lack of imagery. Because the author is so against Romney, he has provided little detail about Romney's plans; therefore, making it impossible to imagine what Romney is trying to do for our country. The author claims that Romney laid out "a lengthy description" of his plan, but apparently, it is just a bunch of irrelevant detail that avoids answering the most important question, "who will be paying?" The lack of imagery physically displays the author's opinion of Romney's ideas because no one can actually put a picture to the plan.

The use of syntax, diction, and imagery (or lack thereof) is important while creating an article that has a strong voice. The author is highly opinionated and he needed to provide these techniques to make a successful article.

www.nytimes.com/2012/10/21/opinion/sunday/the-republican-ticket-twists-the-facts-about-health-care.html?src=me&ref=general

Prompt #2 1971.

1971. The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to discover. However, in other works (for example, Measure for Measure) the full significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Choose two works and show how the significance of their respective titles is developed through the authors' use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view.

It is true that some titles portray the inner context in a quite obvious manner. What is "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" about? Oh, some boy named Huckleberry Finn goes on some adventures; it is clear. However, titles such as "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" or "Brave New World" do not explain the anything about the plot when one looks at the cover of the book.

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is actually about patients within a mental ward, and they are not treated with respect a lot of the time. The protagonist, Randle McMurphy, is entered into the ward because he was diagnosed as a psychopath after he was sentenced to serve time in prison. McMurphy is the "one" who flies over the cuckoo's nest. This is not apparent in the title, and the "cuckoo's nest" is the ward, itself. A reader needs to piece these elements together in order to understand the title of the book. Throughout the novel, things change throughout the ward the moment McMurphy enters. He helps and hurts those around him, but he is a major impact over all. Basically, the novel develops themes of independence and confidence. There are many, many symbols that create the image of the title, and McMurphy's impact is a major one.

"A Brave New World" uses personification in its title, and that makes it an engaging and creative title; however, it is not simple to guess what goes on during the text of the novel. The idea of a "Brave New World" is created in the novel by a society that is fully dependent on the work of the government. The government controls every aspect of the society, and they place people in different classes based on the development that is forced upon them at birth. This is a perfect example of a dystopian society in which everything seems to run smoothly and VERY controlled, but at the same time, there are many flaws in the system. The idea of "brave" that is portrayed, has to do with the fact that the society was able to survive amongst the all-powerful government. It is a world that one would not here of today; it is a new world, a brave one. 

Both of these titles take some thinking and studying to truly see the themes that they are portraying, but the hidden message inside of the titles are quite prominent. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Brave New World" are classic pieces of literature with very different ideas but the same idea in the structure of their titles.

Course Material #2 DIDLS

Now that the year has slightly progressed, I find myself having difficulty pinpointing topics to write about. Honestly, it may be because I have connected much of the material and it seems to all flow together. Ideas that are seen in close readings are the ideas of DIDLS, which we have gone deep in to. A majority of class time has been spent on expanding our recognition of diction, imagery, details, language, and syntax. Out of all the course material we have so far, DIDLS is used and important.

Before we dove into reading "The American Dream" by Edward Albee, we read numerous articles and examined them analytically. I sense that this was to prepare us to read this novel with a higher level of expertise than we would have without this practice. In groups and individually, I was able to annotate and point out important words, phrases, and structure in many different articles. These articles had topics from comedy to "The American Dream" itself. All of this work with DIDLS reminds me a lot of the work we did with "The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing" and Foster's "How to Read Literature like a Professor". This is because both novels were able to expand my capability of examining and understanding literature. Granted, I am far from a professional, but I can feel myself improving.

So far, I have been struggling with grasping the vocabulary that has been thrown at us, and a lot of times it is over my head. The vocabulary test we had at the beginning of the year really threw me off; however, with all of the close reading, responding, and annotating that we have practiced with the words are becoming more and more familiar to me. I still need a lot of practice with all of them, but by doing multiple activities to improve i am sure I will get better.

I am attempting to bring every lesson we are learning into one major lesson. I am trying to do this because it will help me connect the dots and comprehend the ideas that are being thrown out there.

Close Reading 1

Many times we come across articles that attempt to persuade us one way or another, and the way that these articles are written greatly effects the outcome of the persuasion. For instance, Seth Mullins wrote "An Argument Against Television for Children"which proves the idea of how effective a piece can be. The diction, imagery, and syntax helps Mullins persuade the reader about the effects of television.

Mullins uses precise diction that is appropriate for his audience, which, in this case, are parents of young children. He describes the television as "a world they cannot enter, and where their action and initiative make no difference", which suggests to parents that television is not good for children's growth. The use of the words "action" and "initiative", or the lack there of, may be concerning to parents and keep then engaged in the article. Also, Mullins makes the television into  a new "world"for the kids, and this effect makes parents wonder what world their children are in, which can also create worry. The word choice in just this one sentence helps the work seem even more engaging.

The use of imagery in this argument is, also, prominent. Mullins is attempting to get parents to think about what it is their children are thinking and imagining. He claims that the television "exacts a dear cost to their budding imaginations and sense of initiative." The phrase "budding imagination" creates that image of the child's growth and development. A parent may hear that and automatically picture the child's well-being. Parents need to make sure that they give their children the best environment for growth, and Mullins pulls in the imagery to help parents connect the dots.

The syntax in this piece is helpful in describing the situation at hand, and making the facts as specific as possible. Syntax simply refers to the sentence structures and format of the article. For instance, Mullins uses a variety of sentence structures. This keeps the piece interesting and helps make the material have better clarity. He states, "There are, no doubt, many television programs available-especially if one has cable-that are educational in nature." This one sentence uses the phrase "no doubt" to make his argument more factual, which also makes it more believable. He, also, uses a dash to represent an interruption of thought, creating more description. The syntax of a piece of writing adds clarity to the text and allows the reader to better understand what is being said.

Diction, imagery, and syntax are quite useful while writing a piece, but detail and language are also important. All together, these structures are helpful to engage readers into the text, and in the case of this article, to persuade.

http://articles.familylobby.com/287-an-argument-against-television-for-children.htm

Open Prompt 1

1984. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.

In this day and age, there are many novels that reflect the ideas and such of pop culture. One of these novels is simply, "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer. The novel is a classic love story between and guy and a girl in high school; however, Edward is a vampire, but Bella falls in love anyway. The idea of unexpected romance is prominent within the text, and one particular scene proves this the best. During the scene where Bella and Edward are in the meadow there is not much dialogue, but there is plenty of imagery that describes the scene and makes it so memorable. 

During the couple's time spent in the meadow, Bella discovers what Edward's skin looks like in the sun. She describes it as "white despite the faint flush from yesterday's hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface" (260). This was a climactic moment for there relationship because it shows how they are growing closer and are becoming more deeply involved. The novel as a whole is based around the development of their relationship, and this scene is the perfect example of this development. Bella seems to study edward and even compares him to a statue by saying, "A perfect statue, carved in some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal (260)." The way in which Edward is described in this scene brings forth vivid images and ideas that are important to the story.

Stephanie Meyer must have had a good reason to place this scene where it is and the way that it is. For instance, it seems as though she was making the connection between the two characters more prominent, but it, also, seems to make a direct connection with the audience. Personally, the passage made me more engaged in the novel and made me think about the ideas and controversies that could be thought of while reading. For example, Bella's descriptions are almost fantasy-like, and the fact that Edward is a vampire makes that a reasonable point. It is almost a scene in which the love is too good to be true, but because of this controversy, it makes the story more engaging because readers, like myself, put themselves into the scene and fantasize about the situation as if it were them. 

The ideas in this one scene are effective in making the audience think about and fantasize about this even after they put the book down. I find that "Twilight" creates a new romance and a new idea for readers to enjoy, and the meadow scene brings this to life. 

Response to Course Material (Sept. 9)

The year has barely begun and surprisingly, I have learned a lot, and our class has covered quite a bit of material. I have never really looked at homework assignments as having any meaning or connection to my life, but honestly, the summer work made me look deeper into literature than I have ever before. My thought process while reading Thomas C. Foster's "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" was, "Why are we reading a piece of literature about how to read literature..?" It seemed redundant because clearly, I know how to read literature if I was reading it right then. However, of course, the reading surprised me and showed me the different meanings of various elements found in literature and how to make sense of them. I admit that in the past I have disregarded symbols and ideas in books because I was not sure how to decipher them. In doing the Power Point, I was forced to connect the ideas to pop culture that I am connected with every day. My favorite part was talking about my favorite movies like "The Notebook", "Twilight", and "The Hunger Games" because instead of "Awh! Noah and Allie are kissing in the rain, how cute!" it became "Oh, the rain created a whole new idea and effect in the scene making it more intense." I feel like I became more analytical of movies and songs that I just watched or listened to for fun.

As I went on and read "The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing", I discovered that there are many solid fundamentals that need to be learned and practiced to succeed in writing. This book went into depth about punctuation and clarity and the flow in writing, and I could not help but realize the many mistakes I have made in my own writing in the past. I have always thought of myself as a decent writer, but I know now that I still need a lot of practice.

Now, both pieces of literature that we read had deeper meanings that the title displayed. Both texts took broke apart literature piece by piece and showed how it is not sufficient to just read or write words on the page; you have to know the fundamentals and set them into action. Given, that one book talked about reading and the other talked about writing, but the point of reading both was to bring the two concepts together to make my understanding of English Literature better and more effective.

From the tiniest punctuation to the nice flow of sentences, Harvey’s book “The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing” pinpoints the main fundamentals and ideas of this type of writing. David Sedaris wrote “Me Talk Pretty One Day”, which is a novel that has a structure that very well follows the structure and ideas of Harvey. Sedaris’s narrative includes a gracefulness, flow, and clarity recognizable from Harvey’s novel.

The gracefulness of Sedaris’s piece is almost unexpected due to the title, “Me Talk Pretty One Day”. It may be expected to have many errors or even a strange dialect. However, the narrative is read simply and with ease. For example, he uses the sentence, “The teacher marched in, deeply tanned from a recent vacation, and proceeded to rattle off a series of administrative announcements,” with a strong purpose and meaning, but it still contains that simplistic ease (Sedaris). As Harvey says, “Words matter,” and that is easily displayed by this one sentence and all throughout the work of Sedaris (Harvey 5). 

It is, also, clear that there is a motion to the way the narrative is written. The flow of an essay helps moves the piece “from point A to point B”, and this is important when writing a solid essay like the one Sedaris has provided (Harvey 3). Sedaris is telling his story in a way that is quite intriguing to read because the sentences flow. He describes his teacher and his learning, and in doing so makes it flow together to create his piece. For example, “The teacher, through word and action, conveyed the message that if this was my idea of an identity, she wanted nothing to do with it,” and then he continues on to say, “My fear and discomfort crept beyond the borders of the classroom and accompanied me out onto the wide boulevards” (Sedaris). The two sentences flow and make sense together, easily.

Harvey uses the words “competent, disciplined plainness” to describe his idea of clarity. Clarity can be described as the ease at which the audience reads the work. Again, Sedaris uses a clear tone for the audience that decides to read his narrative. In fact, his whole narrative has a little bit to do with clarity because in his classroom there was little instruction that he understood. He describes what this means while saying, “Understanding doesn’t mean that you can suddenly speak the language. Far from it. It’s a small step, nothing more, yet its rewards are intoxication and deceptive” (Sedaris). This sentence itself helps defines clarity, and the words and structure remain clear as well. 

Many of the ideas that Sedaris does quite well involve simplicity and ease, which are, also, what Harvey includes in his novel. Gracefulness, flow, and clarity all fall under the category of reading with ease, and the two writers work hand-in-hand to display this.

Poetry of Peterson

My goals for poetry:

• Understand the figurative language better
• Make connections to my life based on the literature
• Read poems from different points of view to get different understandings
• Decipher the use of symbolism
• Discover the importance of themes

I was reading the passage titled, "The First Snowfall", and it had beautiful language within its text. Although, I had many questions whether or not the poem had a deeper meaning than what was on the surface. It is greatly possible that the snowfall could stand for life itself, however it was difficult to really decipher that meaning. I actually enjoy poetry a lot, and I like looking deeper into the meanings but it's occasionally a challenge. I wish that the rest of the year when I am studying poetry that I will be able to assert my goals and have a chance to fulfill them.

Peterson's Diagnostic Test

On the Peterson Diagnostic test, I unfortunately only scored a 35/50. The test seemed to have a similar format to the ACT, which is a format that can sometimes be tricky. It was difficult to comprehend the meanings of the questions and answers during the multiple choice. Some of the answers seemed to have such a close meaning that it really took effort to decipher the difference. Although, I wish I had done better, and I know I have the potential to get a better score. The literature itself was surprisingly interesting and I found myself somewhat engaged in the passages.