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.