Week 5

                I know it’s been awhile since my last post, but nevertheless it’s great to be back!!!  This month in my Honors English class has been very eventful and noteworthy… and I will write about it in this final blog of the semester!

Hopefully, this blog will intrigue you and not be insipid at all! I plan on ending the first semester's series of blogs with a bang.

Before I begin to discuss the adventures of my Honors English class, below is an instrumental version of one of Tupac's best songs that will augment your blog reading experience.  Enjoy!

                First, my English class finished reading our “book club” books outside of class and then wrote in-class essays on them.  The essay had to follow certain guidelines:

                Choose ONE of the following topics to write about:

1)      Identify a major theme from the novel and describe how the author develops this theme throughout the text.

2)      Describe how the author characterizes either a single character or several characters and show the development of this/these character(s) throughout the text.

3)      Identify major symbols and figurative language the author employs throughout the text.  In your analysis, explain how these symbols and figurative language add meaning to the text.

Furthermore, you must have a minimum of six pieces of evidence that support your argument.

As mentioned in a previous blog, my book club chose to read Richard Wright’s novel Black Boy—an autobiography that reflects on Wright’s childhood as a black boy growing up in the racist Deep South.  After reading the novel, my group elected to write the in-class essay on topic #1.  We concluded that the major theme of the novel was racism, and Wright develops this theme from his introduction to it at a young age to his learning of how to live with racism.

On my essay about Black Boy, I completed it within the time limit of one class period; however, I only used 3 pieces of evidence instead of 6.  This contributed to the A- that I received on the essay.  Considering I received a C+ on the To Kill a Mockingbird essay earlier this semester, this is a significant improvement!

                After completing the reading and writing process of our first outside reading book of the semester, it was time to select a new book!  My book club decided that our first choice would be the novella Animal Farm by George Orwell; however out of the 4 book clubs in my class, my group was drawn to pick last.  Fearing that one of the other book clubs would chose Animal Farm, we waited anxiously in our seats until it was our turn to select the book in which we desired to read.  When it was the third group’s turn to choose, they all grabbed Animal Farm… but put it back immediately!  They decided to select a different book instead!  Therefore we got what we wanted all along—the chance to read George Orwell’s famous novella Animal Farm.

Book cover for George Orwell's novella Animal Farm

Furthermore, my English class finished reading William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies and was assigned an essay in which had to meet these requirements:

1)      Analyze one of Golding’s characters in his novel Lord of the Flies.  Specifically, describe Golding’s process of characterization.  Answer the question: how does Golding characterize this individual throughout the story?

2)      You must have a minimum of 6 pieces of evidence that illustrate Golding’s characterization of this individual throughout the novel.

I chose to write the LOTF (Lord of the Flies) essay on Jack; it revolved around the argument that Golding characterizes Jack as a greedy yet innocent and civilized boy who regresses into savagery due to man’s essential illness.

Jack after he transforms into a savage

 Similar to the Black Boy essay, I received another A- for my LOTF essay.  This is an extraneous example of my progression to becoming a better writer.  Hopefully, I can earn a solid A for my next English essay, which will most likely be on Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar".

Before beginning to read Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar", my English class read and took notes on the context and background behind the play.  This note taking was divided into 8 sections:
 

1)      William Shakespeare

2)      Elizabethan Stage

3)      Background on the Play

4)      How to Read the Play

5)      The Uses of Superstition

6)      Rule by the Rich

7)      Life Of Caesar

8)      Aristotle’s View of Tragedy

Then, we wrote summaries individually for each section.  Here are my notes' summaries:

William Shakespeare

He was a famous author of many plays, including this one.  Although he was famous, he was born into a regular family and had a regular life.  Then, Shakespeare traveled to London to pursue an acting career, however instead he ended up writing 37 plays by the age of 48.

Elizabethan Stage

It was a time when simple props were used in plays yet the audience had to imagine the setting.  Shakespeare wrote plays during this time period; he, also, wanted his audience to use their imagination.  Furthermore, only men could participate in plays.

Background on the Play

This play is about the assassination of Julius Caesar—a Roman general and dictator.  During the time period in which the play takes place, Rome was known to be in continuous war; this caused generals to have much power.  Often, these generals—one of which was Caesar—desired more power.

How to Read the Play

  Blank verse is the rhythm of English speech, and the iambic pentameter makes each line 5 iambs—an unstressed and a stressed syllable.  However, sometimes Shakespeare had lower class citizens speak without poetic devices.  Furthermore, many words in the play have different meanings that our time period is unfamiliar with.

The Uses of Superstition

Most people believed in superstitions at the time of Julius of Julius Caesar: Romans examined everyday occurrences for forewarning of both good and evil.  For example, Romans believed that emperors were gods and “sacred” chickens could predict success in battle.  Also, the Roman government used the people’s belief in superstitions to control the populace.

Rule by the Rich

Only the rich could participate in government, because lower and middle class citizens could not afford to travel to Rome—the site of all political activity.  Furthermore, types of government include a republic, an aristocracy, a direct democracy, and a representative democracy.

Life of Caesar

Caesar’s life was full of irony; he was given several hints and omens before his death that the assassination would occur.  For instance, Caesar believed Brutus although it was evident that he was lying.  This, along with other hints, didn’t faze Caesar and led to his surprised reaction when being assassinated.

Aristotle’s View of Tragedy

Aristotle believed that the purpose of a tragedy was to place pity and fear in the audience.  He believed that the main character had to have a tragic flaw (character weakness), be highly renowned, and a member of royalty.  In a tragedy, this character creates the problem and receives the consequences for causing this problem.

After learning about the play's context, it was time to start reading Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar".  However, prior to this, my English class was given the essay prompt for "Julius Caesar", which goes as follows:

      Choose ONE:

1)      Discuss the role of persuasion in the play.  How do some characters persuade others to act?  What are the goals of this persuasion?  What are the consequences?

2)      Analyze the funeral oration of Brutus and Mark Antony.  Whose speech is better constructed, is more persuasive?  Explain.

3)      Whose side are you on—Caesar and Antony’s, or Brutus and Cassius’s?  Write a persuasive essay analyzing both perspectives, indicating why your side is the better side.  If you’re on the side of Caesar and Antony, you defend their positions and actions.  If you’re on the side of the conspirators, you defend their decisions and actions.

At this point, I’m undecided which of the 3 topics I would like to write about.

Furthermore, the play “Julius Caesar” connects to many events from today and the recent history.  For instance, Caesar’s assassination is related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination with only a few nuances.  This may seem like a strange, unusual connection; however, it makes sense in the big picture.  When you look at both Caesar and King’s lives, who loved and admired them? The people.  Yet there was those who disliked them too… For Caesar, it was those who were jealous of his power or mostly those who feared the person he would become if he were to be crowned.  For Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it was those who were adamant against the civil rights movement or simply racist.  These bigots forced the premature deaths of Caesar and King.  Also, riots occupied the streets after their assassinations.  The below YouTube video is a slide show of the chaos in Washington D.C. following Dr. King’s death: