On my first day of AP English, I witnessed a preview of what I will be confronted with in this course. The diagnostics exam was challenging and I now see that I need to refine my test-taking skills. After taking this exam I noticed that I must not take so much time annotating the passage and focus more on the purpose of the text. This will help me when it comes to time management during the AP exam. In response my aspirations of taking this challenging course, I expect increase my proficiency in writing and refine my ability to dissect difficult texts, such as the one that we were exposed to today. In order to meet my goals I plan to write on my own more often and examine challenging literature. I am certain that this class will prepare me for my college courses and furthermore pave the way for a challenging career. Our discussions about rhetoric have further convinced me of my ultimate goal: journalism. As I work throughout the semester, I intend to receive constructive criticism that will only help to improve my writing. At the end of the semester I hope to have obtained a more refined style of writing and a more thoughtful way of interpreting texts. The classroom goals that are stated in the syllabus strongly coincide with my willingness to learn. On my last day of AP English, I hope to be able to take the same diagnostic test and be confident that I have achieved my central goal: improvement. (256)
Journal Entry Experimentations
The following journal entries have been written during my semester in Honors English Three. I will explain the texts or events that inspired my entries after each one.
Jounal Entry One: August 27, 2008
I suppose that I hold the more liberal perspective on immigration. I believe that we should embrace the immigration in our country. We should be a country with open arms and allow them to experience America. Of course, the issue is ridden with taxes and threats to our economy–but with a secure and organied program, this can be fixed. Those who come to America without permission from the government are illegal immigrants, not aliens! If this were the case, we’re all aliens, because no family line is truly American bred. The title, “Aliens”, is derogatory. With Americans holding this attitude, other countries look at us as snobbish and narrow-minded people. If we could end the everlasting stalemate on the issue, we could work together to find the solution.
This entry stemmed from a NPR discussion about derogatory terms toward immigrants. This was of course a controversial subject that created a great debate in the classroom. Personally, I am very interested in political situations and this stands as one of the greatest rifts in our country’s history.
Journal Entry Two: September 10, 2008
Every civilization has held the dream of becoming the “perfect city upon a hill”, the dream of becoming a utopia. In America, some believe that we are the best in the world. This may only be true in terms of materialism. Other countries have more inviting customs whereas we tend to appear as a rejecting nation. Of course, this is a generalized statement, but this is what is held in the eye of a foreigner. This perception has hurt us dearly in terms of diplomacy. Where theology and morality seems to be the candle for the 1600s Puritans, our candle is money or the materialism that was gained through the money. The candle is a greate metaphor becuse the one who holds it yeilds great honor in leading our world. I don’t believe that any one group or person could hold it.
I wrote this in response to the question of where the power and influence is held in the world. My answer is that power is dispersed, yet some hold more influence than others. The metaphor of the one that holds the candle to light our world is discussed in this entry. My opinon of America and other’s opinions as well are mentioned.
Journal Entry Three: October 2, 2008
When making decisions, I tend to rely on intuition and emotion. Of course, this seems like a childish decision but I feel that I know enough to make the right choice. But can this be a valid answer? I believe that logic affects my intuition. When I think about a decision, I immediately rule out ridiculous ideas and use my intuition to make the right choice I do seem to make rash decisions at times, but I lean towards the right path. If I were to choose between which one I favor more, it would be my intuition. Everybody has facts, but only I know what’s good for me.
This journal was in response to the following question: When making decisions do you rely on logic or emotion? I chose emotion but also questioned whether or not logic is involved as well. I concluded that both are necessary to make a decision, but emotion often overrides logic in my mentality.
Joural Entry Four: October 21, 2008
The pomegranate’s little seeds are not something of a common fruit. The flavr is stored in little catacombs and one must pick at the fruit to gain the prize. Be careful! This juice will attaack you and you will have to work hard to remove their mark. When you pry out the seed, you see small a small red and white type of grape: the fruit of your labor. As you crunch into it, the sensation is not long lasting. A tiny spurt of juice comes and goes. These little seeds pack the bitter. These chinese apples are something I enjoy, but it is an acquired taste.
This entry was in response to actually eating pomegranate seeds and describing the experience. This was an exploration imagery. This experiment helped me to explore my abilities in the field of imagery. Describing it with all of my senses helped to to become a better writer.
Journal Entry Five: December 10, 2008
Love
is screaming at the world,
“What happened?”
It finds faith in very few lovers
“Where did honesty go?
Out the door with chivalry
upon the creation of loveless lust?”
Love searches for its true believers
but doesn’t find many.
It wanders along waiting for the ones
that believe in its power,
and hold strong to the commitment
that love requires.
But Love asks
“Are there such people anymore?
Or has Temptation stolen my thunder?”
This journal entry was assigned to be a personification of an inanimate object or idea. I chose love. I personified this idea by capitalizing it, like a name. I also gave it dialogue, ideas, and actions. This experimentation of personification helped me later on in creating extended metaphors.
The Speculation of Faith Through Poetry
The Speculation of Faith Through Poetry
While growing up, every human deals with the question of religion. Through each stage of life, we are faced with asking what we believe in and how the world came to be. Certain influences mold our beliefs and we eventually develop a personal faith. In “Who were ‘The Father and the Son’,” Emily Dickinson implements a central allusion, diction, and significant punctuation to illustrate the development of personal faith as life progresses.
Dickinson cleverly uses an allusion as the subject of speculation in her poem. The “Father and the Son” is the religion that the speaker seems to be questioning as she grows up. In religion, the “Father and the Son” figure is considered as God and stands as the very image of Christianity. Dickinson questions whether or not she truly believes in this celestial being. She directly asks him who he is and frustrated by his abstract existence, she demands from him an explanation. For example, Dickenson states that if the “‘Father and the Son’” would tell her about himself, then “[They] better Friends had been, perhaps / Than time ensue to be.” Her anger at “The Father and the Son” stands as the central dilemma in the poem. This anger and confusion is displayed by her diction.
The use of diction in Dickinson’s poem is very effective in the fact that most of her words bear strong connotations. She uses words such as “appalling” which shine light on Dickinson’s opinions at the time of her childhood. The word “portentous”, meaning momentous, helps the reader understand how much the event of understanding religion meant to her. Such connotations as these help her to display her emotions without directly stating them. As the speaker ages, her opinions develop and the reader is able to witness this through her diction and connotations. Her use of the word “demand” shows her eagerness to learn about the “Father and the Son.” In another example of strong connotations, Emily Dickinson describes heaven as an “event ineffable.” This means that she is not capable of expressing such an idea as going to heaven. Finally, her use of the past tense to describe the “Father and the Son” in the beginning of the poem was very thought-provoking. Dickenson asks the question: “Who were the “Father and the Son” in the first line. The use of the word “were” leads the reader to believe that this figure might not have a present existence in her life. This hints to her final conclusion in the question of faith: that it was an idea that existed in her childhood. Her choice of diction truly helps the reader to sort through the emotions that are embedded in this poem. Another factor that guides the reader is punctuation.
The use of punctuation reveals certain elements of the poem that readers would not usually discover on their own. The most important use of punctuation in this work is quotation marks. Dickinson uses quotations every time the “Father and the Son” are mentioned in the text. This punctuation tells the reader that Dickinson is questioning the reality of the “Father and the Son.” When set off by the quotation marks it is as if Dickinson is creating a sarcastic tone. Throughout her life, the “Father and the Son” is the central question of faith and by using quotation marks, she displays that ponderous tone. Dickinson’s clever use of punctuation in order to reveal meaning only further proves the historical complexity of her poetry.
Dickinson is successful in conveying the continuous question of faith in life and providing a perfect example of human nature in “Who were the ‘Father and the Son’.” Her effective use of a strong allusion, diverse diction, and clever punctuation guides the reader in understanding this complex poem of self-discovery. In conclusion, Emily Dickinson achieved her goal of communicating her theme without directly stating it and gave the reader the opportunity to delve deep into her personal understanding of faith.
