Blog Post #4: "The Known World" by Edward P. Jones Timed Writing and Grading Reflection

Timed Writing: 

"...the eating [of dirt] tied [Moses] to the only thing in his small world that meant almost as much as his own life" (28-30). In Edward P. Jones's The Known World, the main character, Moses, is completely enraptured with the small piece of land that makes up his world. Jones unveils Moses's character as part of the land, complicating the reader's understanding of nature and rebirth through an omnipresent third person point of view, vivid details, and clear symbolism.

In the beginning of the passage, Jones's vivid detail and setting reflect Moses's calm and patient character. Moses is introduced as an impossibly hard worker. The evening "[Moses's] master died [Moses] worked well after he ended the day for the other adults" (1-2) and didn't "free himself from the ancient and brittle harness"(9) until the sun was a "five-inch-long memory of red orange" (11-12). Despite working for fifteen hours, Moses "pause[s] before leaving the fields as the evening quiet wrapped itself around him" (15-16). These small details display Moses's contemplative nature and his connection to the land. For Moses, even though he is a slave, his arduous labor is not just work-- it is a part of him and nature and he takes time to enjoy it. Moses is constantly working, but he is still fully aware of his surroundings and the events that unfold around him.

As Moses interacts with the dirt around him, the third person omnipresent point of view reveals more about his complex character, further connecting him with the land. Jones first establishes women's gender stereotypes. Women are more connected to nature and they "eat [dirt] for some incomprehensible need" (26) but the Moses is the "only man in the realm" who "ate dirt" (23-24). This shows that Moses has a stronger connection to nature than all men and even women, because he had a reason that was comprehensible for eating the dirt. Jones clearly displays the meaning of the land to Moses as he reveals Moses's beliefs through his actions and inner thoughts, using the third person omnipresent. Moses "ate the [dirt]" (28) because it helped him uncover the "strengths and weaknesses of the field" and because it "tied him to the only thing in his small world that meant almost as much as his own life" (28-30).  Moses's view on the land insinuates that his life is a part of nature.

Moses first tastes the dirt in order to control the world and nature he lives in. He knows its strengths and weaknesses and knows what seasons to plant crops, as seen in the second paragraph. However, Moses's taste of the dirt comes to symbolize more than just his practical usage of the land; it comes to symbolize the cycle of life and industrialization. For instance, the flavor of "sweetened metal" (33)  that turned into "sour moldiness" (37) in the dirt represents industrialization in the soil and the inevitable death of crops and life. Moses understanding of this unfortunate part of life creates a stronger bond between nature and Moses.

Finally, through symbols of rebirth, society, and nature, Jones completes Moses's transformation into nature. Jones creates a clear juxtaposition between society and nature as Moses travels away from "his own cabin, his woman and his boy" (54-55), away from the "sound of playing children" (62) and past the "farthest edge of the cornfields to a patch of woods" (65-66). Moses is breaking past the borders of society and delving into nature. The text even reveals that he could "hear far more clearly the last bird of the day" (63-64) when he turns away from society. This insinuates that Moses feels a much stronger connection to nature to society.

As Moses approaches the woods, he "undresse[s] down to his nakedness and lay[s] down" in the grass as it rains (81-82). When Moses becomes naked, he emulates his naked form in the womb, representing baptism and rebirth into the world as he the rain washes away "himself completely" (88). Moses is freeing himself from the restrictions of society after the death of his master and awakens to find himself "covered with dew" (90) that represents his fresh rebirth into the world. However, Moses says that as an old man, he has "rheumatism [that] chains up his body" because of "evenings such as these" (86-88), revealing the complexity of freedom in humans with nature. It is ironic that Moses's new-found freedom will later become the making of his prison.

By the end of the piece, Moses's character has been unearthed as a paradox, riddled with contradictions just as nature is. Moses is a free slave, removed yet connected to society, chained and freed by nature.

*****
Reflection:

After "norming" the example AP essays in class, I can honestly say that I feel like my essay deserved an 8. I was reluctant to give myself this score, because I didn't want to appear over-confident or conceited, but after looking over the class essays and the rubric (multiple times), I think that an 8 is the best score for my prose analysis.
Disclaimer: One of the reasons I was able to get through so much analysis was because we typed these essays and I am a much faster typist than I am a writer. I think that I would definitely have struggled with time if the essay was handwritten (because I write at a painfully slow pace due to hand cramps). 

My essay offers a "persuasive analysis" of how Jones reveals the character of Moses through literary elements and made a strong case for how the character of Moses was revealed. My thesis, "Jones unveils Moses's character as part of the land, complicating the reader's understanding of nature and rebirth through an omnipresent third person point of view, vivid details, and clear symbolism," effectively and immediately states my argument and reveals which literary elements I will be examining. I supported these literary elements with "apt and specific references" in every one of my paragraphs. I also think that my analysis was sophisticated and that I did find the complexity. Places that I found complexity with "apt and specific references" :
1. Moses's connection to the land and his role as a "free slave" via small details.
2. Moses's connection to nature with the dirt and gender stereotypes via omnipresent third person point of view. 
3. Moses's tasting of dirt, the cycle of life, and industrialization via symbolism.
4. Juxtapositions between society and nature, themes of rebirth, and paradoxes of freedom and enslavement via symbolism.

Although I did find much of the complexity used throughout the piece, I did have my own flaws. My essay was by no means error-free. I had slight grammatical errors, and the order that my arguments was presented in was quite predictable (same order as the thesis). My "effectively organized essay" with "perceptive analysis" was enough to warrant me an 8, but I think that a 9 essay requires a more sophisticated analysis than the one I had with a more effective control of language.

My goals for improvement are the same as my last ones (see blog post #3) 
1. I, Ruby Liu, shall manage my time successfully. Although this time, I didn't struggle as much with time-- I believe this was a typing/writing issues. I'll continue to time myself in intervals so that I can maximize my writing time (20 or more minutes of solid writing) and not spend eternity analyzing the piece and the prompt.

2. I will attempt to notice (and to include in my essays) the deeper and less noticeable meanings that lie within the piece. I did a better job of this, this time around. I noted the complexity in many places but I feel like I could go even more in depth. I will continue finding prose passages (via Google) and analyzing the complexity in them. This has shown improvement already.

3. I will stop boring the reader with my flowery language and unnecessary words and dive straight into the main points of the passage. I am still struggling with this. Eliminating unnecessary flair will save time. I plan to do this by allowing myself time to proof my essay in order to pick out verbose phrases. This again, relates to time management.

Hopefully, as time time progresses, I will be able to finish my essays (because they will be, unfortunately, handwritten) and I can elevate myself to a 9. 

Blog Post #3: "The Flowers" by Alice Walker Timed Writing and Reflection

Timed Writing:

"Today, [Myop] made her own path." It is only when the main character of Alice Walker's "The Flowers" decides to make her own path, that the the story's purpose becomes more evident. Walker takes the reader along for Myop's journey, using diction, setting, and symbolism to unveil the meaning of "The Flowers".

Walker introduces the story in an ambiance of happiness and innocence with her skillful use of diction. During the harvest season, the main character, Myop, has never seen days "as beautiful as these". Myop is enveloped in "excited little tremors", dances to the "tat-de-ta-ta-ta" of an imaginary song, and feels "light and good in the warm sun". Walker uses this simple diction to evoke a casual innocence from Myop and the setting. The words, "excited little tremors", "light", "good" and "warm" creates an atmosphere of an easy, carefree childhood.  The onomatopoeia "tat-de-ta-ta-ta" builds on this by adding an airy, blithe rhythm to Myop's childhood experiences.

In the third and fourth paragraphs, the setting and the diction begin to transform. Myop watches the "tiny white bubbles [of the spring] disrupt the thin black scale of soil". The disruption of the soil by the bubbles insinuates that Myop's easy childhood will be soon interrupted. Soon after, Myop "[makes] her own path" away from her home, into the woods. When Myop makes her own path to explore the unfamiliar woods, she is walking away from her current world.

As Myop journeys down her new path, things are different from her usual expeditions in the woods. She is wary of "snakes" and collects "an armful of strange blue flowers". The "strangeness of the land" makes her haunt "not as pleasant" and "the air was damp, the silence close and deep". Myop's isolation, paranoia, and strange new experiences coupled with the clever diction ("damp air", "deep silence") creates a claustrophobic sense of foreboding that prepares the reader for something dark and unexpected at the end of the story. A whole new setting is created as the diction transforms the scene from a beautiful "golden" carelessness into a "gloomy" and "damp", unfamiliar land.

Myop attempts to escape from this uncomfortable, new setting back into the "peacefulness of morning" that she knows. However, Myop is unable to escape from the inevitable and unpleasant truth. The reader's fears are confirmed in the sixth paragraph when Myop steps "smack into [the] eyes" of a dead body with a dismembered head that "lay beside him".

Myop's unpleasant surprise at encountering death is soon transformed into irreproachable curiosity as she "gaze[s] around the spot with interest". She soon discovers a "wild pink rose", a symbol of beauty and innocence. This creates a large juxtaposition to the dead body she found, a symbol of death. Myop then spots the "rotted remains of a noose". Upon seeing the noose, Myop's character transforms. Myop's innocence is "hung" when she lays down the rose and her flowers next to the decaying body. By giving up the beautiful rose and her flowers, Myop is also giving up her innocence. She places the flowers next to the body as if she is at a funeral-- for both the dead man and her innocence. For Myop, the warm, sun-lit "summer" of her youth, described at the beginning of Walker's story, is "over".

******

Reflection:

There are a lot of things you can do in 40 minutes: make tea, paint a picture, read a magazine..... write a prose essay. On Thursday, we were asked to write a prose essay after reading Alice Walker's "The Flowers" (see blog post #3 for this essay). While I didn't fail miserably in my attempts at this, I still have lots of room for improvement.

I, surprisingly, had some good aspects in my prose essay. First, I started off the essay with a quote much like the "high-scoring" example prose essay did. This is good because I wasn't simply restating the prompt. I also successfully recognized Walker's usage of imagery, diction and symbolism to foreshadow the ending of the story. I picked out the large "Bildungsroman" and loss of innocence themes. My transitions were adequate and I was able to finish my essay (although I scrambled crazily at the end).

This isn't to say that I didn't make an abundance of errors. In my introduction paragraph, I stated that Walker made the purpose/meaning of the piece more clear as Myop traveled down the path. However, I didn't actually explicitly state this meaning or purpose. Even though I revealed the meaning of "The Flowers" later on, I failed to divulge Walker's complexity immediately.  Also, my essay was rather predictable. I didn't state the little nuances and details of the piece, even if I noticed them. For example, although I stated the setting changes, I failed to note the season and time changes (summer to fall and morning to noon) and analyze their meaning. I also tend to be too verbose and fail to get to the point, while missing key analysis points (shame on me).

In order to improve, I shall, once again, practice achieving three goals I set for myself.

1. I, Ruby Liu, shall manage my time successfully. Even though I finished my essay, I scrambled crazily at the end. I spent too long analyzing the piece and then, in a mad panic, I carelessly plopped my words on the paper when I started to write. In 5STA5, it gives a very nice time-management plan that I shall use from now on when writing my essays (less than 10 minutes to read, plan and analyze, 20-25 minutes to write, and 2-3 minutes to proof read). Next time I write an essay, I'll be that kid patiently timing herself in the corner instead of frantically cranking messy words out (the legibility of my handwriting would make any English teacher weep).

2. I will attempt to notice (and to include in my essays) the deeper and less noticeable meanings that lie within the piece. As I mentioned in my weaknesses, although I scraped the surface of many of the ideas, I didn't dive into them. This goal can be combined with my multiple choice question goals when I read short prose essays or poems (delivered via Google). I will read over them multiple times and attempt to write out the complexity and subtle (but important) details of a piece. By the end of the year, I will hopefully not still be looking at things in a rudimentary manner.

3. I will stop boring the reader with my flowery language and unnecessary words and dive straight into the main points of the passage. This will not only save time, but it will make my writing more concise. I plan to do this by allowing myself time to proof my essay. This way, I can pick out my painfully verbose sentences and send them to their deathbeds. By the time I've completed AP Lit, I'll be able to get straight to the point.

I have to admit, I actually enjoyed doing this time writing (NERD). Although, it was not my best work, I was still able to gauge a lot from this experience. Hopefully, in my next reflection essay, I can happily state that I had no problem areas (oh writing gods, let this day come eventually).

Blog Post #2: AP Practice Test

After completing my first practice AP English Literature Test, I can proudly say that I did equally horribly on all passages. I missed a depressing 10 out of 51 multiple choice questions and it would be an understatement to say that I have room for improvement.

Although my incorrect to correct question ratio was quite bleak for Charles Dickens's Bleak House, I was able to discern certain strengths that I had throughout the passage. These strengths were consistent in Richard Wilbur's The Writer, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and George Herbert's The Pulley. In all of the passages, I could easily pick out symbols, themes and tones. Thus, I was able to "get the gist" of each passage. However, I cannot grasp the passage completely. Most of my issues lie in my inability to identify inferences, organizational structures, and allusions. Also, I missed nearly all of the questions that required any vocabulary of literary devices because I simply lack the knowledge of what trochaic trimeters, iambic trimeters, dactylic trimeters are (I actually got that question right, but we all know that it was a fluke). In order to improve, I plan to practice, practice, practice!

To practice successfully (because practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent), I have assigned myself three goals to help guide me to success.

1. I solemnly swear that I shall look for the complexity in a passage. I often read the passage (sometimes, skim), and get the general idea, but I don't look for the "in-depth" details or care to analyze them. Because of my lazy reading habits, I miss questions that ask for inferences and analysis. I shall now start actively marking my passages to point out possible hidden meanings or inferences. Each week, I'll pick a short excerpt of literature from my AP Literature textbook or from online and attempt to take a more scholarly, in-depth view of it. From now on, every time I read something, be it an AP Lit assignment or a fashion editorial, I shall look for the complexity!

2. Every two days, Google supplies short articles or poems. From here on out, I shall try to look for ones that are more difficult to understand (mirroring the writing style of Shakespeare or Charles Dickens), in order to challenge myself. One thing that I struggled with while taking the practice test was time management. I often found myself continuously rereading sections because I lacked basic comprehension (Dickens's Bleak House). I will time myself reading these articles/poems and then try to find the purpose, symbols, and rhetoric devices used. This way, I can train myself to read passages effectively.

3. I want to rigorously pay attention in class (take detailed notes), review class material, and to "fully" complete my homework. Although these items may sound like rudimentary and obvious things that every good student should already be doing, this is an actual goal that I would like to maintain. I am taking a lot (probably too many) AP classes and extracurricular activities this year, and as things become chaotic, I tend to skimp on the quality of my learning in classes. This year, I have created an "understanding checklist" for myself (nerdy, I know).

• What is the subject?
• Do you understand the subject?
• Can you teach the subject to someone else effectively?
• If this was for a huge project grade, would you receive 100%?

I will apply this checklist to all of the things that I learn and my homework assignments, to ensure that I complete tasks at the quality this class deserves (which is Chanel-level high-quality, of course).

This was only my first AP style English test, and hopefully it will be the worst one. In the future, I hope to proudly say that I did equally well on all passages.

Blog Post # 1: Interior Design Choices

Today, blogs are the online internet-homes for a writer's thoughts. Accordingly, Written in Rubies was built to comfortably house my ideas about literature. Welcome to my humble abode.

First and foremost, a home is meant to create an environment of comfort and familiarity. The font must act as the pillows and cushions of the house, figuratively making both the writer and the reader feel instantly more snug. How? The font applied to this blog, GFS Neohellenic, is designed to look somewhat like my handwriting, something that grows more familiar every time I write on a piece of paper. GFS Neohellenic is light and informal, creating a mood of ease. If different fonts were to be used, the blog-environment would immediately lose its comfort factor. For example, if I were to employ Times New Roman or Showcard Gothic, my home would feel more like a formal workplace or a dramatic stage (Cousins, "Establish a Mood with Typography"). Although GFS Neohellenic is designed to look slightly like handwriting, it is easily legible, simple and has average width strokes and lines, something important for the functionality of a body text. In this way, the font of the text doesn't distract from the actual content being discussed (Cousins, "Establish a Mood with Typography"). In contrast to the body text, the title of the blog acts as the giant welcome mat to the house. Employing the large font, Rocksalt, my title manages to dramatically welcome in the reader as a guest. At the same time, Rocksalt doesn't lose the integrity of the blog by still offering a familiar, homey feel through its handwriting appearance. Under the title is a comical quote written by Jane Yolen. It states, "Literature is a textually transmitted disease, normally contracted in childhood" (Yolen). This quote becomes a humorous painting in the house, reminding the reader and the writer that literature is something always passionately carried but not necessarily always taken seriously. Thus, the quote functions with as both decor and a symbol.

In order to be comfortable, a home should also be calm. If the blog used a color like red, a color commonly associated with stimuli, the house would immediately become chaotic and tense. For this reason, I chose to use muted shades of dark blues, grays and indigos in the background cloud scene, colors known to alleviate and soothe (Cherry, "Color Psychology"). On top of the picture background, the background panel of the text is a continuous and transparent white, creating an open and well-lit house. The body text is a chic black that blends into the serene, dark colors of the picture background, yet are still easily legible against the white background panel. Hints of sky blue text also position themselves throughout the blog, adding on to the relaxing effect of the blog. The colors of the text act as furniture, serving their own functionality yet still matching the house as a whole. The combined effect of the typography and color creates a perfect home, a place where my thoughts about literature can openly and comfortably express themselves.

Sources:

Cousins, Carrie. "Establish a Mood with Typography." Tympanus. N.p., 19 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Aug. 2014. <http://tympanus.net/codrops/2012/02/19/establish-a-mood-with-typography/>.

Cherry, Kendra. "Color Psychology." Psychology- Complete Guide to Psychology for Students, Educators & Enthusiasts. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2014 <http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm>.