That's what I feel like, especially when studying last minute for finals... or any tests in general.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Finals... is kicking my a**
That's what I feel like, especially when studying last minute for finals... or any tests in general.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Literary Analysis: The House on Mango Street
Since my my friend, Sara had the book, I decided to read it. Thought it would save me some time from going to the library or a book store..
1. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a mexican coming-of-age novel that is made up of vignettes, which aren't poems but also not full stories. The novel is about a girl, Esperanza Cordero who lives in society of chicanos and Puerto Ricans. She feels a strong urge of leaving her impoverish ways and going into a new world. The novel starts off during Esperanza's younger ages, where her family has just moved to a new house in the center of Chicago. The house was very big improvement from where her and her family had previously lived, but she did not like the house at all, the city was more racially segregated and Esperanza soon had hopes and dreams to get out of this city and have her own house. The novel expresses Esperanza's later years, as she matures physically and emotionally. It portrays stories of how she made friends, grows hips, about the development of her first crush, how she endured a sexual assault and how she writes to express her feelings and thoughts. Through the novel, Cisneros also describes each of the neighbors and how Esperanza crosses them in her life in the future. She matures more and more as the novel illustrates her experiences and relations with other people. She has the will to leave Mango street throughout the novel but develops an understanding that she will not fully leave the place, some of her, emotionally, will always be there and she will soon have to come back to take care of the woman she has left in the future. She then decides to stay on Mango Street but her will to leave increases and she engaged in writing her thoughts and feelings out until the day she will leave Mango Street.
2. The main themes of the novel are a quest for a better life and the loyalty and significance of her promise to someday come back for the ones she has left behind. It is important that Esperanza engages in her hopes and dreams of leaving her street and starting her own life, but throughout the novel it is very dominant that the people living on the street have effected her in some way and she will always emotionally be attached or connected to the people and the street itself.
3. The story is in Esperana's point of view. She constantly sounds young and innocent, but at the same time the way she describes things are very different, clever, and artistic. For example, in one of the first chapters called "Hairs" she describes her mother's hair:
"...like little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, is the warm smell of bread before you bake it.."
Sometimes when she talks it seems like she says things in such a factual, nonchalant way, even though what she's saying could be considered quite sad or terrible.
"Most likely I will go to hell and most likely I deserve to be there. My mother was born on an evil day and prays for me."
"I am an ugly daughter. I am the one nobody comes for."
4. Symbolism: Esperanza has dreams, hopes, and plans. These are symbolized by a house. Esperanza regards the house on Mango Street as simply a house she lives in with her family. When she was younger and constantly on the move from apartment to apartment, her parents promised her a real home with a green yard, real stairs, and running water with pipes that worked. She dislikes the house on Mango Street because its sad appearance and cramped quarters are completely contrary to the idealistic home she always wanted. Esperanza's dream becomes having a house of her own.
Like said in the section before this, Esperanza has a very artistic way of describing things. The author uses personification and different syntax and diction to make this happen. The tone of Esperanza is sweet and innocent which creates a dfferent mood from how she sees Mango Street.
1. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a mexican coming-of-age novel that is made up of vignettes, which aren't poems but also not full stories. The novel is about a girl, Esperanza Cordero who lives in society of chicanos and Puerto Ricans. She feels a strong urge of leaving her impoverish ways and going into a new world. The novel starts off during Esperanza's younger ages, where her family has just moved to a new house in the center of Chicago. The house was very big improvement from where her and her family had previously lived, but she did not like the house at all, the city was more racially segregated and Esperanza soon had hopes and dreams to get out of this city and have her own house. The novel expresses Esperanza's later years, as she matures physically and emotionally. It portrays stories of how she made friends, grows hips, about the development of her first crush, how she endured a sexual assault and how she writes to express her feelings and thoughts. Through the novel, Cisneros also describes each of the neighbors and how Esperanza crosses them in her life in the future. She matures more and more as the novel illustrates her experiences and relations with other people. She has the will to leave Mango street throughout the novel but develops an understanding that she will not fully leave the place, some of her, emotionally, will always be there and she will soon have to come back to take care of the woman she has left in the future. She then decides to stay on Mango Street but her will to leave increases and she engaged in writing her thoughts and feelings out until the day she will leave Mango Street.
2. The main themes of the novel are a quest for a better life and the loyalty and significance of her promise to someday come back for the ones she has left behind. It is important that Esperanza engages in her hopes and dreams of leaving her street and starting her own life, but throughout the novel it is very dominant that the people living on the street have effected her in some way and she will always emotionally be attached or connected to the people and the street itself.
3. The story is in Esperana's point of view. She constantly sounds young and innocent, but at the same time the way she describes things are very different, clever, and artistic. For example, in one of the first chapters called "Hairs" she describes her mother's hair:
"...like little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, is the warm smell of bread before you bake it.."
Sometimes when she talks it seems like she says things in such a factual, nonchalant way, even though what she's saying could be considered quite sad or terrible.
"Most likely I will go to hell and most likely I deserve to be there. My mother was born on an evil day and prays for me."
"I am an ugly daughter. I am the one nobody comes for."
4. Symbolism: Esperanza has dreams, hopes, and plans. These are symbolized by a house. Esperanza regards the house on Mango Street as simply a house she lives in with her family. When she was younger and constantly on the move from apartment to apartment, her parents promised her a real home with a green yard, real stairs, and running water with pipes that worked. She dislikes the house on Mango Street because its sad appearance and cramped quarters are completely contrary to the idealistic home she always wanted. Esperanza's dream becomes having a house of her own.
Like said in the section before this, Esperanza has a very artistic way of describing things. The author uses personification and different syntax and diction to make this happen. The tone of Esperanza is sweet and innocent which creates a dfferent mood from how she sees Mango Street.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Doodle (:
I doodled. Simple as that, I find myself doodling on tests, homeworks, and any open area on a piece of paper. I doodled my day and the huge thing in the middle was just random and I couldn't stop until I figured it was irrelevant.
First Semester Finals: It's creeping up on me...
Just some tips I found online.... Stating the obvious but we all let common sense slip our minds when it comes to things we want to avoid.
Twice each year, at the end of each semester, high school teachers expect their students to spill out, to the best of their ability, all the knowledge they accumulated on a final exam. Knowing how to maximize the time and energy you spend on preparing for those exams can make a substantial difference in your grade for the course.
1.) Prioritize what you need to study; don't bother making flash cards and reviewing material you're already sure about. Find out whether the exam will be comprehensive, covering the entire semester or if it will just cover what was taught since the last test. According to the study center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, it's important to narrow your focus. If the teacher provides you a list of test items, make sure you stick to studying only the items on that list. If no list is given, decide what you think the teachers will ask by going through your notes and highlighting material the teacher focused on. Ask classmates what they think will be on the test and look through tests from earlier in the semester.
2.) Organize your time. The University of New South Wales "Studying for Exams Guidelines" suggest that you make a week-long calendar, cross out times when you can't study and then reserve one-hour time slots for exams. It also suggests having materials handy for short study spurts; 10 minutes can come in handy for memorizing a formula, for example. Plan a final review the night before the exam and make a date with yourself for 7 in the evening rather than waiting until 11.
Read more: How to Study for a High School Final Exam | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7367702_study-high-school-final-exam.html#ixzz2EEKWJLjM
Twice each year, at the end of each semester, high school teachers expect their students to spill out, to the best of their ability, all the knowledge they accumulated on a final exam. Knowing how to maximize the time and energy you spend on preparing for those exams can make a substantial difference in your grade for the course.
1.) Prioritize what you need to study; don't bother making flash cards and reviewing material you're already sure about. Find out whether the exam will be comprehensive, covering the entire semester or if it will just cover what was taught since the last test. According to the study center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, it's important to narrow your focus. If the teacher provides you a list of test items, make sure you stick to studying only the items on that list. If no list is given, decide what you think the teachers will ask by going through your notes and highlighting material the teacher focused on. Ask classmates what they think will be on the test and look through tests from earlier in the semester.
2.) Organize your time. The University of New South Wales "Studying for Exams Guidelines" suggest that you make a week-long calendar, cross out times when you can't study and then reserve one-hour time slots for exams. It also suggests having materials handy for short study spurts; 10 minutes can come in handy for memorizing a formula, for example. Plan a final review the night before the exam and make a date with yourself for 7 in the evening rather than waiting until 11.
3.) Categorize your material into various study modes. For example, for material you simply need to memorize (dates and names, for example), create some color-coded flash cards fro various categories of materials. For items that need to be learned in sequence, write them out on a large piece of poster board, so you can see the whole sequence at once. Cover up various parts with adhesive notes while you memorize.
4.) Study with a partner or small group only if you feel your study partners are prepared; otherwise, you might find yourself tutoring rather than studying. Use time with peers to get their ideas on what will be included on the test and verify answers you're not sure about. Talk about concepts that may appear as essay questions.
5.) Give yourself a test. Turn facts into questions and drill yourself. Study hints from the University of Buffalo include writing sample essays. To study for essay tests, first write possible essay topics on slips of paper. Draw one and "talk" the essay. Say out loud what you would write. Later you can actually practice writing one within a time limit.
Read more: How to Study for a High School Final Exam | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7367702_study-high-school-final-exam.html#ixzz2EEKWJLjM
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The Tale of Two Cities: Charles Dickens
Haha I thought this was funny and if people didn't pick it you would get the gist of what went on... (:
Literary Analysis: Christmas Carol
1. Christmas Carol is a novella by Charles Dickens which was first published December 19, 1843. The story revolves around the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge who is stingy and sour all around. It portrays his ideological, ethical and emotional transformation resulting from unusual occurances and visits from Jacob Marley who is his former business partner and the Ghosts of Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The story begins exactly seven years after the death of Jacob Marley, where he is warned that he needed to change his attitude and out take on everything or else he will live a bad afterlife as well. He is then visited by the three ghost prompt to the appearances of Jacob Marley. He first meets The Ghost of Christmas Past, where he is shown the day where he was more innocent and happy.v Memories and feelings start to swirl around his mind and body which shows his tender side. Then he meets The Ghost of Christmas Present, and he his shown a scene of people buying food and getting ready for the holidays. Most of this part cirlces around Scrooge's clerk, Bob Cratchit's family. The spirit shows him Cratchit's youngest son, Tiny Tim, who is severely ill but cannot attain treatment due to Scrooge not paying his father enough. The third ghost, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge visions his future, of him not taking action, nor changing his ways even after he has witnessed all of the things the spirits have shown him, including the death of Tiny Tim. It shows what happens after Scrooge has pasted away, where his employees take some of his belongings and his grave is left unattened, with no one to visit him. He realized what is happening around him and what may come and states he will change his ways. He then wakes up the next morning, which is Christmas, feeling, different, full of happiness and love. He spends the day with his nephews and send the Cratchits a turkey. Overnight, he has changed entirely and has realized the greatness of what may come.
2. The theme of Christmas Carol is that it is important to be able to help others and not be selfish in a way that you prioritized wealth and your own social status. Scrooge is at first unwilling to be nice, not willing to pay more than the minimum, not willing to help. He then transforms into a warm hearted, caring human being who realized the sadness and darkness of being alone forever.
3. There were imagery, personification, similes and different diction used throughout the story, which made characters and the story flow.
Imagery:
- "...Candles were flaring in the windows of the neighboring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air."
- "Foggier yet, and colder. Piercing, searching, biting cold!."
Similes:
- "Old Marley was as dead as a doornail."
- "Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire."
Personification:
- "To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale."
Diction:
- "Bah. Humbug."
4. Characterization:
- "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!"
- "a poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!"
- "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his his cheek, softened his gait, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice."
2. The theme of Christmas Carol is that it is important to be able to help others and not be selfish in a way that you prioritized wealth and your own social status. Scrooge is at first unwilling to be nice, not willing to pay more than the minimum, not willing to help. He then transforms into a warm hearted, caring human being who realized the sadness and darkness of being alone forever.
3. There were imagery, personification, similes and different diction used throughout the story, which made characters and the story flow.
Imagery:
- "...Candles were flaring in the windows of the neighboring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air."
- "Foggier yet, and colder. Piercing, searching, biting cold!."
Similes:
- "Old Marley was as dead as a doornail."
- "Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire."
Personification:
- "To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale."
Diction:
- "Bah. Humbug."
4. Characterization:
- "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!"
- "a poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!"
- "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his his cheek, softened his gait, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice."
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