Weighing the Dog AP Essay

In this poem, speaker uses diction and careful placement of line breaks to create a tone of uncertainty and insecurity in they feel towards a past relationship.
The language of the poem is carefully selected to emphasize how speaker struggles to find understanding and solid ground. In the description of weighing the dog, they use the words balancing and shaky to emphasize the insecurity of his situation and the effort which is being used to remain standing. In the first line, they also describe weighing the dog as "awkward for me and bewildering for him" to introduce their own state of mine, which is also paralleled to the description of the past relationship at the end of the poem.
The feeling of uncertainty is enhanced by the way in which the line breaks fragment the sentences of the poem. Each sentence makes up one or more stanzas of the poem and contains many clauses and ideas that are connected in a grammatically correct manner. The use of the line breaks causes many of the clauses to sound broken and incomplete when read individually. For example the line "from our total to find out the remainder that is his" is confusing and strange the first time that the reader sees it, forcing them to think and consider it in a similar manner to the speaker as they analyze theur situation.

Sound and Sense Chapters 11-13 notes

Rhyme:
Alliteration - repetition of initial consonant sounds
Assonance - repetition of vowel sounds
Consonance - repetition of final consonant sounds
Feminine rhymes involve two or more syllables.
Masculine rhymes involve one syllable.

Accent - relative prominence of a syllable in relation to its neighbors
Stress - force of utterance
Rhetorical Stress - Use of stress on words and show meaning

In "Woman Work" by Maya Angelou, different types of rhyme are used to produce different effects. The rhymes at the end of the lines in the first half of the poem give it a lighthearted tone while the tone of the second half is made more serious by the use of patial rhymes.

Foot Types:
Iamb
Trochee
Anapest
Dactyl
Spondee

Substitution is the replacement of a foot.
Extrametrical syllables are found at the beginnings or endings of a line.
Truncation is the omission of an unaccented syllable.

Meter determines an expected rhythm but the heard rhythm does not always adhere to this.

Onomatopoeia is the most basic relationship between a sound and its meaning.
Phonetic intensives connect general ideas to sounds, such as glare, gleam, glint, glow, and glisten.

Euphony - the combination of pleasant sounds.
Cacophony - the combination of harsh sounds.

To the Lighthouse 7

In this section of the novel, the characters consider the idea of an individual's subjective interpretation. As the Ramseys sail to the Lighthouse, James compares his childhood interpretation of the lighthouse that was mysterious and exciting with the somewhat plain reality of the place. He decides that "Nothing was simply one thing" so both are equally valuable. Lily also comes to realize, through her understanding of Carmichael,  that Mrs. Ramsey was not a perfect person and that her actions had a degree of selfishness in them. In the end, the characters come to realizations that reconcile their respective views with those of others.

To the Lighthouse Character Analysis

There are a number of different perspectives that can be used to characterize Mr. Ramsey. Form the perspective of other people, Mr. Ramsey is often seen as a somewhat unpleasant character. Contemplating him, Lily Briscoe thinks he is "He is petty, selfish, vain, egotistical; he is spoilt; he is a tyrant; he wears Mrs. Ramsay to death". She sees that many of his actions are self serving and controlling, but "he knows nothing about trifles; he loves dogs and his children", showing that he does genuinely care for his family and the small things in life.
In his own mind Mr Ramsey is not an all important figure. He is in fact, very insecure about the importance of his work. This is made clear by the way in which he thinks of his intelligence. He thinks of intelligence as a continuum like the alphabet, starting at A and ending at Z. Mr. Ramsey desperately want to approach the end of the alphabet so that he will be more important. He fears that he is not going to though "In that flash of darkness he heard people saying--he was a failure--that R was beyond him". Knowing that Mr. Ramsey is insecure about himself, his actions become much more sympathetic.

Dorian Gray #5

In the final few chapters of this novel, the idea that that Dorian Gray is an inherently bad person who cannot be redeemed is tested. As we first see him, Dorian is extremely disturbed by the idea of his actions catching up with him. This fear is literally represented by the pursuit of James Vane. However, it is soon removed by James' s death. Seemingly in response to this, Dorian begins to try and reform himself. When he commits a 'good' act by ending his involvement with Hetty, he expects to see an improvement in the painting. What he sees instead is "a look of cunning and in the mouth the curved wrinkle of the hypocrite" that indicates that he has not improved at all. He is committing the same sin of pride that has always influenced him. Though he changed his behavior, his essential nature stayed the same.

Dorian Gray #4

Despite the painting that bears the physical burden of Dorian's lifestyle and his choice to live only for himself, Dorian's sins continue to plague him. Despite the lack of concern that Dorian displayed when Basil accused him of so many cruel and terrible acts against his peers, his acts are catching up with him. While trying to get over Basil's murder "he remarked that every face that he drew seemed to have a fantastic likeness to Basil Hallward" indicating that he is unable to get the crime out of his mind. ! Ore physical representations of his sin manifest his black mail of Campbell and the numerous victims he meets in the opium den.

The Lamb and The Tiger

In William Blake's poems The Lamb and The Tiger, the speaker's two different relationships the speaker and his creator are shown through contrasting tone and word choice.
The Lamb is written as if the speaker is addressing someone who does not understand their creator, saying things like "Little Lamb, who made thee?/ Dost thou know made thee?". The speaker shows that he knows the answer to this question and that he is confident in it by acting as a teacher. In The Tiger, however, speaker is the one who needs answers, asking such questions as "What immortal hand or eye,/ Could frame thy fearful symmetry?". In both poems the speaker is addressing someone about the nature of God, but his two contrasting behaviors show.
The difference in the speaker's attitude is demonstrated in the overall tone of each poem. In The Lamb he uses positive language,  describing god as "making all vales rejoice" and "he is meek and mild". In contrast in The Tiger,  the language is much more frightening and intimidating. He describes the creator as possessing "dread grasp" and "dread hand" in the making of the tiger.

Dorian Gray #3

After many years of his unchecked and selfish behavior, the Basil once again finds himself trying to convince Dorian to live his life morally. Both characters have somewhat intensified their positions. From Basil's accounts, Dorian has become extraordinarily cruel and thoughtless in his desire for sensual pleasure and "There was the madness of pride in every word he uttered" making his corruption obvious. Basil, on the other hand, has ceased to simply believe in the inherent goodness that he once believed he saw in people like Lord Henry, his actions now have a much more significant religious influence. He wishes to be able to see Dorian's soul like God, and when given the opportunity, he wished to invoke religion to try and absolve Dorian's sin.

Dorian Gray #2

In this section of the novel, Dorian Gray's relationship with art and beauty play a large role in his character. He tells Basil "A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions", as he explains his feelings about the death of Sibyl Vane. He claims that this allows him to ignore view her death as simply another beautiful thing. However, Dorian shows himself to be very susceptible to the influence of art and beautiful things. He is so consumed by the book that Lord Henry sent him that he imagines himself living the life of the main character.  Throughout his pursuit of so many different types of art and beauty, he projects much of what he finds onto himself. He says, in relation to figures he has read about,  "It seemed to him that in some mysterious way their lives had been his own." Though he says that he will not be influenced by emotions, his suggestible and self absorbed personality is just as easily influenced by art.

Dorian Grey #1

    Dorian Grey is a character defined primarily by the way other characters influence him. From his picture alone,  Lord Henry determines him to be "some brainless beautiful creature" and he is not entirely wrong. In his first appearance,  Dorian Grey seems quite simplistic and thoughtless when viewed along side the complex philosophy and scope of Lord Henry and Basil. Once he begins to interact with Lord Henry, he under goes a very rapid transformation. As Dorian Grey is introduced to Lord Henry's concept of "new Hedonism" it immediately alters the way he thinks. He becomes gravely concerned with the impermanence of his own youth and beauty, when only moments before he seemed unaware. His devotion to this new way of thinking is show with his abandonment of the more moderate Basil for the company of Lord Henry.
    Dorian is also quick to imitate Lord Henry's fascination with "the new manner of art" in which human beings themselves can be art, but does not fully understand it. In his infatuation with Sibyl Vane, he says things like "The Jew wanted to tell me her history, but I said it did not interest me", showing that he has little interest in her as a person. After Dorian himself realizes that, he quickly rejects her. He does not acknowledge his own cruelty until he sees it reflected in his painting. This is able to inspire him to make his decision,  independent from Lord Henry's influence, to make amends with Sibyl Vane. Realizing that he needs to change, he decides that "The picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscience". This personal growth is unfortunately brought to a halt when he learns of Sibyl's death and once again falls under Lord Henry's influence. By choosing to recognize her death as something beautiful rather than a tragedy,  he completely adopts Lord Henry's immoral philosophy.

The Stranger#3

Meursault, as a result of his crime, becomes forced into a situation where society's most obscure and complex constructions strips him of his ability to express some of the most fundamental beliefs of existentialism. First he is restrained physically, losing the freedom to choose what he does, and when he does it, but he does not truely lose his freedom until he is put on trial. In court, surrounded by processes and procedures, he loses the ability to express himself at all. With the main points of the trial being established by others, the facts being decided by witnesses, and his defense being provided by lawyers, he as almost no role in the case. Meursault even says "In a way, they seemed to be arguing the case as if it had nothing to do with me" (Camus 98). With this inability to influence the events around him, he is forced to realize the final concept of his philosophy. He recognizes the "benign indifference" of the universe.

The Stranger #2

In this section The Stranger, one of the pervasive themes is the conflict between the basic concepts of existentialism and modern society. By exerting his individual will, Meursault lived a life that could be  called a self absorbed existence at best, and in doing so he found himself a criminal. He is exactly the sort of person that society does not want to exercise free will or choice. He is confronted by the many layers of society's expectations as his existence as a prisoner begins. His refusal admit to express the level of remorse that society has deemed appropriate in response to his mother's death casts him as a heartless monster. The magistrate attempts to convince him to believe in the absolute truth of religion. "He said it was impossible; all men believed in God, even those who turn their backs on him" (Camus 69). The average man cannot accept a world without a higher power guiding his actions. Rejecting such basic societal conventions completely removes an person's ability to empathize with and to understand him.

The Stranger #1

In Albert Camus's novel, The Stranger, the world, as it is described by the narrator,  seems to be a very unhappy place. All of the elements of everyday life are disturbingly impermanent and the cruelties of the characters is portrayed in a nonchalant and casual way. The opening scene of the novel deals with one of the quintessential temporary and cruel situations,  the life someone in a home for the elderly. The workers and people there are well aware of how unpredictable and their life there can be and how they are disregarded by everyone else. This is exemplified by the way Perez was treated during the the funeral. The way he began to lag behind, as everyone else ignored him is an example of frequent cruelty and the small shortcuts he took to catch up with the group again are an example of the many temporary successes of life.

Sound and Sense #7

Prompt: Write an essay analyzing the language and poetic devices that Shelley uses to convey the message of his poem.

Thesis: Through the use of situational irony and an extended metaphor, Shelley portrays the temporary nature of human power and pride.

Topic 1: The comparison of the rule of Ozymandias to the condition of the statue is used to show the fragile nature of power.

Quote 1: " Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,/ And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command" (Shelley 4-5).

Analysis 1: From the description of the statue's "wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command" the reader is shown how Ozymandias portrayed himself with an outward appearance of power and pride.  The fact that this face is a "shattered visage" makes is clear that this former representation has been destroyed,  and no longer has significance.

Topic 2: The boastful inscription on the base of the statue ironically represents the temporary nature of power.

Quote 2: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:/ Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" (Shelley 10-11).

Analysis 2: The intended interpretation of the phrase makes it seem like a warning to the those who would compare themselves to him. Instead it reads as a warning to that the power that they hold is temporary.

Hamlet #7

Upon hearing about Fortinbras and the army that he is leading into Norway,  Hamlet recieves the revelation that convinces him to finally act upon his desire for revenge. As Fortinbras is willing sacrifice so much in the struggle for so little, Hamlet has not yet acted upon his desire for revenge. He asserts that god "gave us not/That capability and god-like reason/To fust in us unused" and that by extension, he who has cause for action has not done so is like a simple beast. Reflecting back on his strange plots and odd behavior that he used to try and oust and humiliate Claudius,  he says it is "to my shame" that he had not acted earlier, when Fortinbras is carried out much greater action with much less cause. He may finally be thinking clearly about his revenge instead of descending into madness.

Hamlet #5

In this section of the play, Hamlet recites one of the most famous of Shakespeare's soliloquies, in which he discusses the concept of death and what it really means to people. The very first line, "to be or not be - that is the question" (III.i.64), presents life and suicide as two equally considerable options. He describes life as a courageous struggle to endure suffering and suicide is a proactive opposition of those abuses. he asks though, if death is an escape from the pain of life, then why don't people choose to die. his only explanation is that "in that sleep of death what dreams may come, /[...]/ Must give us pause" (III.i.74-76). This confuses him however given that no one has ever come and told them that what comes after death is worse than life. This debate is interesting, because in Shakespeare's time most people subscribed to some form of Christianity which would certainly answer their questions about what came after death. Perhaps in writing this passage Shakespeare wanted to question this general lack of trust in religion, or possibly he wanted to show that Hamlet has completely divorced himself from faith and religion.