Travia's AP Blog

 Overall, Frankenstein was a good novel. The two most interesting things to me were the pre-face and how alone Walton felt and how Frankenstein's monster was secluded from everyone else. John Walton suffered from loneliness for a while in the preface as he embarks on the ship. There is no one like him to relate to or confide in. Therefore, He turns to his sister for comfort. When I feel alone. I turn to my mother or a close friend for comfort as well. In addition, Frankenstein's monster was secluded from everyone else. No one really accepted him because of how he looked. The way he was treated reminds me of how there is always that one person that was different from everyone else and was often secluded or separated due to how they were perceived. Frankenstein's monster made me realize that everyone has feelings and what a person could really be thinking or going through.

  Psalm 23 was a very calming, comforting scripture. I needed the comfort that I received from reading this scripture. I am enthused of the fact of knowing to be fearless because God will always be on my side.

  The prodigal son is a prime example of everyday life. The father gave his son an efficient amount of money and he wasted it on riotous living. The son found himself in a state of need and dependability when he no longer had anything. Sometimes it is not the parent's fault in result of the child. A parent can do all that they possibly can to rear and provide for their child(ren), but the child will always choose their own path and sometimes make costly decisions. In this case, the father still accepted his son with open arms despite of his careless decisions.

  Psalm 91 brought comfort to me as I read it. This scripture mentioned many important, yet valuable points. The most touching to me was the first two lines: "Those who live in the shelter of the most high will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty". These lines basically mean that those who live by God will dwell in heaven in due time.

  My favorite tale from the Canterbury Tales was the Miller's tale. The Miller's tale was very humorous. What made it even funnier was that he was drunk. The humor made the tale not seem boring and dreadful to read. I felt like I got through this tale the fastest because of the humor, it was easy to follow, and simply the best tale. I did not care for the other tales as much due to them not being as funny or interesting. Therefore, I dread reading them and did not have as good as an understanding as I did with the Miller's tale.

  The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is about a man who sees sophisticated women that he tries to build the courage to approach. I have no situation like is, but I too have had negative thoughts in some situations. A lot of times when my teacher asks a question, I hesitate on answering. Most of the time I know the answer, but I won't say anything. I am a person that hates to be wrong, so if I'm not sure of myself I rather not say anything at all. Often, I'll wait to hear another student's explanation first only to find out we were thinking the same correct answer. I need to get over this because it is ok to be incorrect sometimes and that is all a part of learning.

  I feel that this poem is a true experience of a 21 year old. At the age of 21, they are only living in the moment and sometimes are not making the best decisions or choices, but they will realize soon when life hits them. They will soon realize that they should have listened to all of the beneficial advice along the way instead of having to look back on mistakes that could have been prevented. Of course, the speaker is only 21 in this particular time so it's all about being young and not thinking beyond the age of 21.

  For the longest, I dreaded at the thought of writing the in class essay on King Lear. I thought I would be stressed out and struggling to think of what to write next. The essay turned out to be easier than I thought. I really noticed how important and helpful planning out your paper can be and creating a strong thesis statement. Planning prevented me from wasting limited time on plundering on what to write next or simply drifting off into space because I'm unfocused. Creating a strong thesis basically set up my paper and also prevented me from losing valuable time. I was able to finish all of my desired points in a good time frame. As I finished early, I used that time to read back over my paper for any errors whether it was grammatical or syntax. Overall, I'm improving and proud of my progress in writing essays in a limited amount of time.

 As I finished the remaining acts I really came to like the play. Looks can be very deceiving. Initially, I expected the play to be boring and hard to understand, but it turned out to be completely different. My favorite character is Lear. To me, He is much like a real life character; He goes through things that many people may relate to or encounter in their lives. He expected his two daughters to be better than Cordelia based off of the things they were saying to flaunt him, but Cordelia's actions spoke much louder. I feel like this happens all the time. People often overlook genuine people in their lives for those who do a lot of bribery and talking to only prove a point.

  In Act 2, the Duke of Cornwall and his wife, Regan will stay with Lord Gloucester. There is a war between the Duke of Cornwall and Albany as well in this particular act. This war works in Edmund’s favor. King Lear has also realized the betrayal of his daughters that he originally thought loved him the most. I honestly feel like this is karma for Lear. Sure enough, Lear realizes his daughters were not who they seemed to be.

  In King Lear, the overall impression I had was entertainment. I was very shocked by how King Lear treated his daughter Cordelia after she did not show love towards him in comparison to how her sisters did. This part of the play was very key to me because actions speak louder than words, which he later finds out, from Cordelia’s perspective. It was ironic how a father could banish and disown his daughter. I also feel he made the wrong decision on behalf of the daughter he gave the crown to.

  Act 2 opens with Banquo and his son going to Macbeth’s castle. Banquo tells Macbeth of the dreams he has had about the witches and prophecies. Macbeth is also feeling very guilty in this scene. Macbeth is feeling guilty and remorseful from the killing of Duncan, and Lady Macbeth convinces him not to feel bad about what he did. Everything comes to haunt Macbeth in this act. There is also a lot of strange things that occur as well, such as horses eating one another and an owl killing a falcon. The owl, symbolizing darkness which also symbolizes Macbeth, kills the falcon which symbolizes Duncan. This is ironic because owls do not usually come off as harmful and Macbeth does not either. People aren’t what they seem to be in this scene and looks can be deceiving.

  In the opening scene of Act 1, Macbeth is told by three witches that he could possibly be king, which is hard to believe. Macbeth is actually acknowledged as king, but he couldn’t understand why when there was already a king. Macbeth tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, the information that was relayed to him by the witches. Lady Macbeth wants to make this prophecy true. In my opinion, I strongly believe she is very influential over her husband. She uses pathos to offend Macbeth as well by offending his man-hood. Lady Macbeth plans to kill the king which makes her appear ruthless, greedy, and power hungry. This is ironic due to her name being “Lady Macbeth” but her character traits do not correspond with her title.

1   How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  2   How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?  3   Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,  4   and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.   5   But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  6   I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me. _______________________________________________________ Line 1:  In this line this person wants to see the Lord and seems very anxious and impatient. This person also feels forgotten by the Lord due to he or she not seeing him. Line 2: This person seems to be in a distraught state. Based on lines one and two, maybe they’re going through triumph in their lives and need the Lord for healing or have called upon the lord but

King Lear No Fear authorized by Shakespeare was honestly a unique, interesting play to read. I enjoyed the characters of many different personalities and the humor through out the play. Initially, I thought the book would be boring and full of diction that I wouldn't be able to understand, but I was wrong. On each page there is a translated version that is much easier to follow. I do believe  that the play should be read for only those that are mature due to the vulgar scenes and language but overall, the book is very good and I would recommend it to any AP student. The book helps to teach students that analyzing the text as they're  reading is crucial which is a good strategy for AP students.

Alison's Tale Prologue: Alison was the most beautiful flower one could ever lay upon. She was young and wore wore the finest pieces, and all of the town men wanted her. The Miller was one of those many men, but she was married of course. Her husband was always working and she was always alone.  Alison was outside on this particular day watering plants in the most appealing clothing to a man's eye, and oh boy were they looking! The Miller was always close by when Alison's husband, David, was not home. And suddenly, he shucked around the corner to get a better look. "Ah!" He whispered to himself as he focused on her. The Miller was not the brightest, cleanest fellow. He was on drugs and he was obviously out of his mind for even wanting Alison, but he had planned and planned on this day to get her anyway. He moved closer and closer to Alison as she continued to water the plants outside of her mansion and sing beautiful light tunes as her golden hair caught dri

 The Middle Ages was a period of European history from around the fifth century through the fifteenth century. In this period of time, women came second to men in all circumstances. The role of  a woman usually ranged from being a wife, mother, peasant, artisan, and nun. A woman usually married young and the marriage was arranged by her family. Women in the Middle Ages had no direction of life or freedom and her life was often lead by biblical text. For example, writings of Apostle Paul emphasized the ruling of men over women and how women were forbidden from speaking and teaching. The small amount of women who did choose to exercise any form of power only did so in church due to the fact that abbesses had seniority over monks in some instances, or if they were queens. Overall, Medieval England was not a comfortable place for majority of women; Women often did not control the direction in which their lives took, society was dominated by men, and women had no choice but to accept their

  Geoffrey Chaucer, poet and writer, has been known as the father of literature as well as the prime shaper of the English language. He has also been recognized for his achievement of being the greatest poet of medieval England, although, his work is not always understood. Chaucer's poetry also reflects many sources such as: Latin, French, and Italian, and also folk tales, sermons, rhetorical textbooks, and ribald jokes. His poems are narrated by naive persona and often left unfinished which allows the reader to become creative. His use of narrators is also key in his works; Chaucer's attitude can never be depicted because he stands behind his narrators which makes his narrators very effective.

Dear advice column,  My name is Grant. I've been asked to teach a young man by the name of Jefferson to be a man. I know this sounds ironic, but this isn't just a small lesson to be taught. Jefferson was falsely accused for a crime and was called a hog in court. Jefferson is no hog and his nannan wants him to know that before he dies. I really don't know what to say or how approach him but I'd hate to let his nannan down. He really believes that he is a hog which makes it more difficult for me, they've brainwashed him! How can I help Jefferson? What should I do? What should I say? And how should I say it? Please reply!

Chapter 5 1. The church is the meeting place for what? The church is the meeting place for Grant to teach his students. They have school at the church. 2. Why does the school only meet for five and a half months? Grant is supposed to have school for six months out of the year but due to the children having to work in the field he can only teach from late October to mid April which is five and a half months. 3. Why does Grant go in such detail about the process by which Jefferson would be killed? Grant was already in a rotten mood and when he entered the class from the back door he noticed one of his first grade students was off task and fooling around. He went on to tell them in detail about the situation with Jefferson and how his nannan wants him to make Jefferson a man. The point he was trying to make was that he was also trying to make them out of young men and young ladies and they basically have no time for nonsense and fooling around. 4. What news does Mr.Farrel bring

Chapter 3 Questions: 1. Henry Pichot's insistence that Jefferson did it redirected the plot narrative by changing the tone. Insisting in such a way, caused Henri's true opinion of the family to surface. He thought that African Americans were beneath him. 2. By Miss Emma saying to Grant that he doesn't have to go visit Jefferson in prison she really wants him to be there but she doesn't tell him that directly. It is as if she is in a trance. It also seems she is in a trance due to the following quote "She was looking at me but not seeing me, and not meaning what she was saying,either." Miss Emma is looking but she's in a different place within her mind. 3. The back door of Henri Pichot's plantation symbolizes the past of Grant and his aunt's life. As servants, there was no other way to enter the plantation besides the back door. Grant thought they would never enter through those back doors again but there they were awaiting for a favor. 4. M

Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream" speech on August 28,1963. In that speech, Dr.King used many rhetorical devices to express his point of view. For example, "Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood." Dr.King used a metaphor in that particular quote. That metaphor stressed the inequality and how the people of the United States needed to rise above inequality and come as a whole instead of being separated. In the speech King also used repitition; "I have a dream" and "Let freedom ring" were constantly repeated throughout the speech. By chanting and constantly repeating those sayings, it is clear that King is serious about wanting equality and also serious about doing whatever it takes to get our nation to that point.