12.

ELAALRL1 The student demonstrates comprehension by identifying evidence (i.e., examples of diction, imagery, point of view, figurative language, symbolism, plot events and main ideas) in a variety of texts representative of different genres (i.e., poetry, prose [short story, novel, essay, editorial, biography], and drama) and using this evidence as the basis for interpretation.

I showed my ability to identify evidence in my response to The Battle With Mr. Covey:

"This vivid description shows how horrible life as a slave was. It also shows the very realistic traits that the author is using in his writing. He is not leaving anything up to your imagination. He wants you to see how horrible life as a slave really is."



ELAALRL2 The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of theme in a work of American literature and provides evidence from the work to support understanding.

"Through these intense descriptions of the atrocities that took place under slavery the reader is made aware of the social issue that Douglass wants to address; which is slavery itself. The story shows a reader who is not aware of the crime that is slavery how bad it really is. The story, in my opinion, is also a warning to slave owners in the south that the slaves can and will rise up from their appaling treatment eventually. The story effectively raises awarness of the social issue to those who are not in the know and threatens those who know what is happening, but are willingly taking part in it."

ELAALRL3 The student deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to their contemporary context or historical background, as well as to works from other time periods.

I showed my understanding of works of art with my analysis of Eastern Promises:

"My example of a piece of realistic art is the film Eastern Promises by David Cronenberg. The film depicts the brtual life of the underworld of Russia. The film has one exceedingly disturbing scene in which an undercover police officer who is trying to deeply infiltrate the mafia organization is told to rape a prostitute as his initiation. The scene bluntly shows you how terrible things really are for those who have fallen into such a life in Russia. This is an excellent example of realism because it jars you into remembering that there are horrific circumstances around the globe that we are not aware of simply because we are not there."

ELAALRL4 The student employs a variety of writing genres to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of significant ideas in selected literary works. The student composes essays, narratives, poems, or technical documents.

I displayed this skill with my short story:

"He knew not where he was, or for how long he had been there. The rope that tightly bound his hands behind the chair was digging into his already raw wrists with every tug and tussle that he made in effort to break free from his bondage.

“I know you know where the rest of the explosives are” the soldier said to him.

“You can keep playing coy with us as long as you want, but we’re going to find out where the bombs are sooner or later, one way or another.”

He knew that the soldier was more than just a grunt, his insignias told him that much. Upon deducing this piece of information he hoped that he could reason with man, but just as he went to open his mouth to plead for his freedom the shock coursed through his body again.

Khadim remembered it all. He was standing on the sidewalk waiting on the 4 o’ clock bus when the ground shook beneath him. He awoke about a minute later with intense ringing in his ears, as he raised he saw the destruction of the checkpoint about 20 yards from him. A lone rifle lay on the ground; bent wildly out of shape from the force of the blast. Chaos ensued for about 20 minutes. Khadim waited for another blast to occur, as they usually come in pairs, but one never came.

Instead, four Humvees emerged on the scene. Twelve American soldiers came out and one of them who knew Arabic announced to the crowd of the injured and confused that they were securing the area until Iraqi Security Forces and the medics arrived. One of the soldiers immediately saw me, Khadim waived the solider to come over, and he did. But instead of helping the woman who was bleeding profusely from her arm the soldier rifle butted him right in the nose and once more Khadim fell out of consciousness.

The jolt of electricity to his back had triggered the flashback. He remembered now that this was the third time he had been tased during the interrogation. As Khadim raised his head slowly, in agonizing pain, he saw that the solider that was of higher rank than the others in the room was speaking with yet a higher ranked army official. This one was Iraqi. He seemed to be yelling at the American, but Khadim couldn’t make out any of their words. Finally, the Iraqi left the room and a man from behind Khadim untied him from the chair. The officer said get him out of my sight. And with that Khadim was dumped outside of the compound a free, but badly battered innocent man."

11. Realism

He knew not where he was, or for how long he had been there. The rope that tightly bound his hands behind the chair was digging into his already raw wrists with every tug and tussle that he made in effort to break free from his bondage.

“I know you know where the rest of the explosives are” the soldier said to him.

“You can keep playing coy with us as long as you want, but we’re going to find out where the bombs are sooner or later, one way or another.”

He knew that the soldier was more than just a grunt, his insignias told him that much. Upon deducing this piece of information he hoped that he could reason with man, but just as he went to open his mouth to plead for his freedom the shock coursed through his body again.

Khadim remembered it all. He was standing on the sidewalk waiting on the 4 o’ clock bus when the ground shook beneath him. He awoke about a minute later with intense ringing in his ears, as he raised he saw the destruction of the checkpoint about 20 yards from him. A lone rifle lay on the ground; bent wildly out of shape from the force of the blast. Chaos ensued for about 20 minutes. Khadim waited for another blast to occur, as they usually come in pairs, but one never came.

Instead, four Humvees emerged on the scene. Twelve American soldiers came out and one of them who knew Arabic announced to the crowd of the injured and confused that they were securing the area until Iraqi Security Forces and the medics arrived. One of the soldiers immediately saw me, Khadim waived the solider to come over, and he did. But instead of helping the woman who was bleeding profusely from her arm the soldier rifle butted him right in the nose and once more Khadim fell out of consciousness.

The jolt of electricity to his back had triggered the flashback. He remembered now that this was the third time he had been tased during the interrogation. As Khadim raised his head slowly, in agonizing pain, he saw that the solider that was of higher rank than the others in the room was speaking with yet a higher ranked army official. This one was Iraqi. He seemed to be yelling at the American, but Khadim couldn’t make out any of their words. Finally, the Iraqi left the room and a man from behind Khadim untied him from the chair. The officer said get him out of my sight. And with that Khadim was dumped outside of the compound a free, but badly battered innocent man.

I believe that my writing is an accurate representation of realism due to its highly descriptive nature:

"Khadim remembered it all. He was standing on the sidewalk waiting on the 4 o’ clock bus when the ground shook beneath him. He awoke about a minute later with intense ringing in his ears, as he raised he saw the destruction of the checkpoint about 20 yards from him. A lone rifle lay on the ground; bent wildly out of shape from the force of the blast. Chaos ensued for about 20 minutes. Khadim waited for another blast to occur, as they usually come in pairs, but one never came."
And its addressing of the problem of American forces torturing innocent Iraqis in the war on terror:

"The jolt of electricity to his back had triggered the flashback. He remembered now that this was the third time he had been tased during the interrogation. As Khadim raised his head slowly, in agonizing pain, he saw that the solider that was of higher rank than the others in the room was speaking with yet a higher ranked army official. This one was Iraqi. He seemed to be yelling at the American, but Khadim couldn’t make out any of their words. Finally, the Iraqi left the room and a man from behind Khadim untied him from the chair. The officer said get him out of my sight. And with that Khadim was dumped outside of the compound a free, but badly battered innocent man."

10.

My example of a piece of realistic art is the film Eastern Promises by David Cronenberg. The film depicts the brtual life of the underworld of Russia. The film has one exceedingly disturbing scene in which an undercover police officer who is trying to deeply infiltrate the mafia organization is told to rape a prostitute as his initiation. The scene bluntly shows you how terrible things really are for those who have fallen into such a life in Russia. This is an excellent example of realism because it jars you into remembering that there are horrific circumstances around the globe that we are not aware of simply because we are not there.

9.

The Battle with Mr. Covey is an excellent example of realism in multiple ways. It shows incredible detail describing slavery and the brutailty that kept it up and running. It also shows explicitly the feelings that Douglass has during his ordeal of a slave.

The story uses intense descriptions of slave life to illustrate the tale it is telling:

"He came to the spot, and, after looking at me awhile, asked me what was the matter. I told him as well as I could, for I scarce had strength to speak. He then gave me a savage kick in the side, and told me to get up. I tried to do so, but fell back in the attempt. He gave me another kick, and again told me to rise. I again tried, and succeeded in gaining my feet; but, stooping to get the tub with which I was feeding the fan, I again staggered and fell. While down in this situation, Mr. Covey took up the hickory slat with which Hughes had been striking off the half-bushel measure, and with it gave me a heavy blow upon the head, making a large wound, and the blood ran freely; and with this again told me to get up."

This vivid description shows how horrible life as a slave was. It also shows the very realistic traits that the author is using in his writing. He is not leaving anything up to your imagination. He wants you to see how horrible life as a slave really is.

Through these intense descriptions of the atrocities that took place under slavery the reader is made aware of the social issue that Douglass wants to address; which is slavery itself. The story shows a reader who is not aware of the crime that is slavery how bad it really is. The story, in my opinion, is also a warning to slave owners in the south that the slaves can and will rise up from their appaling treatment eventually. The story effectively raises awarness of the social issue to those who are not in the know and threatens those who know what is happening, but are willingly taking part in it.

8. The Story of an Hour

"She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought."

This quote shows the realistic nature of how she looks and what she is feeling at the time. Instead of leaving this information up to the reader to imagine, the author goes ahead and describes it all to you.

"There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination."

This quote shows the social issue which Chopin is addressing: womens rights. The quote shows the pure exhaltation that Mrs. Mallard feels upon hearing the news that her husband has been killed because she is no longer going to have to obey his will. This speaks to the social issues of the late 1800's concerning the rights of women such as the right to vote and equality in the workplace and at home.

7.

ELAALRL1 The student demonstrates comprehension by identifying evidence (i.e., examples of diction, imagery, point of view, figurative language, symbolism, plot events and main ideas) in a variety of texts representative of different genres (i.e., poetry, prose [short story, novel, essay, editorial, biography], and drama) and using this evidence as the basis for interpretation.


ELAALRL2 The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of theme in a work of American literature and provides evidence from the work to support understanding.

"The raven in the poem is an obvious symbol of death. The raven is a creature that is very much a part of the imagination of essentially all people from the English speaking world and throughout Europe."

ELAALRL3 The student deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to their contemporary context or historical background, as well as to works from other time periods.

"The novel exemplifies the differences between the Transcendentalists and the Dark Romantics vividly.

"This hideous murder accomplished, I set myself forthwith, and with entire deliberation, to the task of concealing the body. I knew that I could not remove it from the house, either by day or by night, without the risk of being observed by the neighbors. Many projects entered my mind. At one period I thought of cutting the corpse into minute fragments, and destroying them by fire. At another, I resolved to dig a grave for it in the floor of the cellar. Again, I deliberated about casting it in the well in the yard -- about packing it in a box, as if merchandize, with the usual arrangements, and so getting a porter to take it from the house. Finally I hit upon what I considered a far better expedient than either of these. I determined to wall it up in the cellar -- as the monks of the middle ages are recorded to have walled up their victims."

This quote shows the character cooly contemplating how best to dispose of the body of his wife, but moments after he slew her in a fit of rage. A Transcendentalist would not have described such a horrible act. But that is the great failing of their school of thought; the act described in the Poe story is a grimly realistic and cruel act of humanity. The Transcendtalists seemed to give only lip service to the fact that human beings can be truly cruel and evil things; Dark Romantics like Poe showed all perspectives of the human spirit and the human soul."

The Raven

5.

I was very surprised that I didn't particularly care for The Raven. After reading The Black Cat, I thought that I had a solid feel for Poe and his writing, but his most famous work left me mostly flat.

It had a nice, mildly unconventional tempo which was well maintained throughout the writing. I found the language to be rather pleasant to read, such as "Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he,
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door--
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door--
Perched, and sat, and nothing more."

But that's about where I stop liking it. I thought that the raven as a metaphor for death is a great idea, but I think it's overused in the story. It makes itself (to me at least) a part of the story seemingly removed from actual meaning. It seemed to go into trite flowery language about this bird instead of something really transcendent and/or beautiful.

6.

The raven in the poem is an obvious symbol of death. The raven is a creature that is very much a part of the imagination of essentially all people from the English speaking world and throughout Europe. The way in which Poe describes the raven is even kind of "deathly":

"Then the ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore"

The Black Cat

I enjoyed The Black Cat upon my first reading of it due in large part to it's brilliant descriptions of madness and the dark side of human nature. The story holds no punches when describing the "perversion" as the tale calls it of the main character. It examines how hatred can easily overcome a normally good individual. Poe seemed to have an immense perception of the human mind, and not one that was clouded by silly idealism like his contemporaries the Transcendentalists.

The novel exemplifies the differences between the Transcendentalists and the Dark Romantics vividly.

"This hideous murder accomplished, I set myself forthwith, and with entire deliberation, to the task of concealing the body. I knew that I could not remove it from the house, either by day or by night, without the risk of being observed by the neighbors. Many projects entered my mind. At one period I thought of cutting the corpse into minute fragments, and destroying them by fire. At another, I resolved to dig a grave for it in the floor of the cellar. Again, I deliberated about casting it in the well in the yard -- about packing it in a box, as if merchandize, with the usual arrangements, and so getting a porter to take it from the house. Finally I hit upon what I considered a far better expedient than either of these. I determined to wall it up in the cellar -- as the monks of the middle ages are recorded to have walled up their victims."

This quote shows the character cooly contemplating how best to dispose of the body of his wife, but moments after he slew her in a fit of rage. A Transcendentalist would not have described such a horrible act. But that is the great failing of their school of thought; the act described in the Poe story is a grimly realistic and cruel act of humanity. The Transcendtalists seemed to give only lip service to the fact that human beings can be truly cruel and evil things; Dark Romantics like Poe showed all perspectives of the human spirit and the human soul.

I am more of a Dark Romantic

I am much more of a Dark Romantic than a Transcendentalist because I believe that human beings are not 100% percent good in any way shape or form. My biggest problem with the Transcendentalists was that they seemed to be somewhat removed from reality. The Dark Romantics seemed to be at least a little more in the real world. The Dark Romantics also had a way of expressing things which greatly appeals to me. The work of Edgar Allen Poe for example speaks to me a lot more than something like Emerson did. I identify with the dark imagery and the examination of all parts of the human condition and of human nature.

Unit Three

ELAALRL4 The student employs a variety of writing genres to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of significant ideas in selected literary works. The student composes essays, narratives, poems, or technical documents.

I think that this standard says that you should be able to understand major ideas and themes from literature from many different time periods. It also says that the student should be able to compose works of writing in a variety of literary styles.

7. Wilderness

The man in the video had a very transcendentalist mentality. He clearly felt that in order to be closer to himself he needed to be in complete solitude and around nature. The man in the film builds everything that he has in the wilderness by hand. He goes through about a month constructing his own cabin. He clearly takes great pride in his ability to accomplish everything that he needs to do entirely by himself. This is highly reminiscent of Emerson when he says in Self-Reliance:

"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernal of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till."

The man in the video clearly believes that imitation is suicide because of his belief that he needs to do everything by himself in order for it to be authentic. He is almost a blueprint for a true transcendentalist.

Self-Reliance

5.

I strongly agree with the thesis presented in Self-Reliance. It describes the need for every human being to be in touch with their own true self. It tells the reader of the importance of accepting who you are instead of trying to be someone else. i.e. "...Imitation is suicide..." The thought that imitation is suicide is something that resonates very strongly in the world today where most of the world strives to gain some sort of acceptance from society and their peers.

6.

Self-Reliance is a fantastic example of transcendentalism because of it's focus of becoming closer to God through knowing thyself.

"We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of represents. It may be safely trusted as proportionate and of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted, but God will not have his work made manifest by cowards."

This quote identifies that Emerson believes that God has endowed every human being with a transcendent spirit that is to be used in it's own unique way by each of us to greater glorify God.