Literature in Film Blog #3” “To Kill a Mockingbird”

"To Kill a Mockingbird" 

While watching this film I had some of the thoughts from the film, culture, and ideology packet that was distributed recently; I quickly attempted to view the film “To Kill a Mockingbird” to observe what it revealed about society or culture. The film certainly can file under the film and society, and film and mass culture headings; in fact, the film was highly received by many. Some claim the film as “one of the best ever made” and I must agree, “Just as film works on the meaning systems of culture-to renew, reproduce, or review them-it is also produced by those meaning systems. The filmmaker, like the novelist or the storyteller, is a bricoleur -a sort of handyman who does the best s/he can with the materials at hand. The filmmaker uses the representational conventions and repertoires available within the culture in order to make something fresh but familiar, new but generic, individual but representative.” The familiar in the film is the setting of inequality between blacks and whites in the town. It is a new spin on the old topic of modern slavery. Also, the film can stand on it’s own aside from the book, but also be unified in representation.  I believe the most interesting part of the novel is the application of Atticus as a lawyer; he has the powerful belief of every man having the same rights as the one beside him. Atticus makes the decision to defend Tom. Without even knowing the magnitude of racism, Scout also defends the black man by stepping in front of the crowd before they stormed into the jailhouse where Tom was held.

Literature in Film Blog #2: "Precious"

"Precious" 

I have always been interested in the titles chosen for movies, books, and poems. Without even reading the book, poem, or watching the movie, we catch a glimpse of what something can be about. Also, we may even be able to see a possible theme within the work of art. The original title for the novel is Push. However, the film’s title is “Precious” I wonder if Sapphire had any say in what the movie could be titled, or if she had any preference.  Regardless, both titles carry a significant amount of meaning on their own. Although, I would like to read the novel eventually and see a compounded significance between the two. My best guess about the book title is that precious had two children, Mongo and Abdul. It reminds me of the movies where women are giving birth and the nurse tells them to push and give that last ounce of strength they have. Throughout the movie, Claireece has had to push through her difficulties: the abuse she receives from her mother, being raped by her father, and the feeling of non acceptance everywhere she walks.

The gravity within the title of the movie appears when we see Claireece transform from herself, to Precious. Well, that is her middle name. However, by the end of the novel she is a completely different and stronger person, with a more positive outlook on life. At the end of the movie she finds out her father dies from AIDS and she is HIV positive, but she doesn't give up there. She stands up to her mother in the welfare office and tells her that she’ll never be seen by her again. Precious strives to take care of her kids and continue her education.

Literature in Film Blog #1: “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”

Irony is the first rhetorical device/literary technique I notice in the film; furthermore, one could argue that the film’s foundation is built with bricks of irony. Starting with the irony presented in the end of the novel, we expect King Arthur and his knight to bravely retrieve the Holy Grail they have searched for the entire film. However, just before the large army storm the castle Arthur is arrested by modern police and the film ends to the investigation being started because of an old historian killed by a knight while filming. I found the historian an interesting play on time and the irony within the film.

In the beginning of the film we expect to see King Arthur riding on a powerful horse; instead, he rides along with his squire who bangs coconuts together to make the appearance of a horse riding (the introduction to the irony in the movie).The irony also adds to the comedy within the film giving the audience a few laughs. We expect the Black Knight to be brutally slain by King Arthur. Yet, after getting each limb cut off he still wants to fight King Arthur and is relentless in his obvious defeat. My favorite scene of irony includes a very cute rabbit that initially appears harmless. To my surprise, the rabbit is insanely deadly and fools the brave knights when they dare to enter the cave. I found the scene funny because of how wrong the knights were while approaching the rabbit. We expect the knights to be torn apart by the legendary beast of aarrgh, but the beast’s animator has a heart attack so they barely escape the monster.

Poetry Response #8 "Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud" BY JOHN DONNE

Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud

BY JOHN DONNE

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Response: 

One could argue that death is one of, or is the most popular topic discussed or analyzed in literature and human conversation; the only thing that comes to mind as talked about more than death is love. Many of Shakespeare's tragedies include both death and love (Romeo & Juliet for example). I recognized the name of this poet after this weeks homework with the one John Donne poem that had questions; admittedly, I understand why John Donne is such a popular poet after reading the two poems. “Death, not be proud” captures the theme related to the death of death itself, an idea that sends chills down my spine. In fact, the final line of the poem proves this idea “And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.” In this poem death is not a symbol or a metaphor, but simply itself; if there is extinction of all species then death itself will die because nothing left can die. Therefore, the concept of death will no longer exist. Interestingly, the concept of death has been created, even though the process of dying is as natural as birth. Yet, death is not as celebrated as life. It is interesting how the poem shifts from the death of man to the death of death itself, “Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee do go,” my best interpretation of those lines is that the speaker is saying more life will flow within the world and there will be pleasure. However, the best of men will be taken by death eventually.

Poetry Response #7 "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" BY LANGSTON HUGHES

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

BY LANGSTON HUGHES

I’ve known rivers:

I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I’ve known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Response: 

The speaker of  poem is very nostalgic when speaking of the history negroes have towards the rivers they speak of; similarly, the tone of nostalgia allows the reader to emit a feeling of liberation. Perhaps the speaker feels liberated as well while reading. Nostalgia can be sensed in the second and third lines of the poem, “I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.” Thinking of the old times gives an old time to reflect on and the speaker has to recollect those ancient memories. There is an interesting repetition of the phrase “My soul has grown deep like the rivers”, and the speaker also says the same phrase to end the poem. Perhaps the repetition of the phrase may illuminate a possible theme within the poem: With souls as deep as a river, there is no containment of the human spirit.

Langston Hughes uses deep rivers as a symbol and metaphor for freedom, connecting it to times where Africans were deemed entirely free, “I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.” The Nile is a river and the Congo is a place in Africa; additionally, the pyramids were built in Africa. Abe Lincoln is known as the figure in history who emancipated the slaves, and New Orleans is a place where black souls can thrive.

Poetry Response #6 "Those Winter Sundays" BY ROBERT HAYDEN

Those Winter Sundays

BY ROBERT HAYDEN

Sundays too my father got up early

and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,

then with cracked hands that ached

from labor in the weekday weather made

banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he’d call,

and slowly I would rise and dress,

fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold

and polished my good shoes as well.

What did I know, what did I know

of love’s austere and lonely offices?

Response: 

Starting with a different route than usual, I think the theme of this poem could have something to do with appreciation; specifically, the appreciation for family members for all they do and all they do for us. In the first stanza, the speaker says no one ever thanked his father for all of his labor, “then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.” There is also imagery within that line because we can imagine the visual given or how the crack hands would appear as if they were in front of us, and we might also hear the sounds that cracked hands might make. Additionally, the aching hands show how much the father has worked but the final line of “No one ever thanked him” shows that he never received credit for all he did. There is an interesting shift from the first stanza to the second stanza, displaying a shift from the speaker’s father to the speaker’s environment, “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he’d call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house,” What’s with the paradoxes of heat and cold? The speaker can hear the cold but feel the warm rooms; in addition, the anger within the house can be another form of heat.

There is personification in the house being able to have a temper. I found it interesting of why the speaker decided to give the house that voice of anger. The third stanza shows the realization the speaker makes about his father, “Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well. What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?”

Poetry Response #5 "Ozymandias" BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Ozymandias

BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said- "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . .  . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Response: 

Starting with the title of this poem, Ozymandias is a name; specifically, Ozymandias is an alternative name for an egyptian Pharaoh. I gained the knowledge of the title from the annotations within the poem on the poetry foundation website. With the information presented from the annotations, I can infer that the poem is most likely about this egyptian ruler since the title is his name; indeed, before studying poetry this way I would believe that stating information that appears obvious is an obvious strategy, but I’ve learned the obvious goes a long way when studying poetry and literature through the college board lens.  The speaker of the poem mentions that he meets a traveler and then quotes what the traveler tells him, giving the poem a second person point a view since the speaker starts with “I met a traveler from an antique land”. Point of view still confuses me a bit but there is an I within that first line so a more safe approach would be to assume the first person lens instead of second person.

Imagery is the most powerful literary device used in the poem; Shelley paints a picture of the antique land and what the traveler says to him “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare. The lone and level sands stretch far away.” In order to comprehend the words we must draw from the sensory details presented; we see the “sight of the half sunk a shattered visage”, the words heard by the speakers voice, and the vision of Ozymandias being the “king of kings”. Still, the poem targets the idea that Ozymandias is not there himself, and only his remains, remain. Words such as nothing, decay, wreck, bare, and lone are used to display the nothingness. A possible theme for this poem could be that power can only be held and obtained only in the living moments; correspondingly, the birth of life could be a birth of power and death would represent the opposite effect.

Poetry Response #4 "The World Is Too Much With Us''

The World Is Too Much With Us

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;

The winds that will be howling at all hours,

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;

For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

Response: 

Interestingly, the title of this poem could hold a strong variety of interpretations; in addition, I noticed this title specifically has more words than the titles of previous poems I have read and created responses for. I believe more words within the title of the poem gives a larger selection or variety of interpretations. The speaker in the poem starts the poem with the title of the poem. By now, I am familiar with that technique from reading poems where the speaker starts off the poem with the title of the poem. Perhaps the poet did that to restate his thesis/idea that is presented in within the poem. The speaker touches upon various images that bring a vibe of the spring season, or nature, and how we don't see all we can see in nature.

Personification is the first literary technique I noticed in this poem. A few examples of personification are “This sea that bares her bosom to the moon” and “The winds howling at all hours” to show nature reacting to the way it is treated by humans, giving nature the human attributes of having a bosom and howling. There is an example of personification in the poem that could also work as a simile, “And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;” flowers are alive but don't sleep in the same sense that a human might. There are two allusions in this poem, “Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;” and “Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.” both are related to the topic of nature within the world.

The speaker’s tone appears very affected by what he is seeing in the world, and it made me feel very thoughtful about the topic and how we should pay more attention to these beautiful things that happen everyday in nature. Nature has a different tone in the poem; nature is very doubtful of how it is treated which gives me a very somber feeling. Nature could also feel dull and sad. The speaker of the poem sounds sincere and honest about the topic. The sincerity gives me a feeling of hope. We are so close and connected to the world, but fail to appreciate its beauty and intimacy.

Poetry Response #3 “We real cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks

“We real cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks  

The Pool Players.
        Seven at the Golden Shovel.

            We real cool. We   

            Left school. We

            Lurk late. We

            Strike straight. We

            Sing sin. We   

            Thin gin. We

            Jazz June. We   

            Die soon.

Response: 
The title of this poem is very brief and simple; each word in the title seems to have it’s own weight and gravity. Even the way the title is worded is interesting, and that could be a valid example of syntax.  We usually means more than one person, or a group of people. Real cool is being very cool, or chill and very relaxed. Reminds me of the phrase calm, cool, and collective.

The poem is already written very simply so I didn't paraphrase it in my own words, because I couldn't change the poem without changing the meaning of the poem. While reading I noticed alliterations, an interesting use of syntax, internal rhyme, and ambiguity. The examples of alliteration I noticed are lurk late, strike straight, sing sin, and Jazz June. What’s with every stanza having an alliteration except the first one?

The speaker’s tone is very hopeful which emits a light-hearted mood. The characters around the speaker are the same because the speaker says ‘we’. The writer of the poem is more introspective and serious on the topic of the poem. The poems ends with the very dark line of “We die soon.”

There are mini shifts between lines, and then shifts between stanzas, but every sentence in the poem starts with the word we. The only other noticeable shift is possibly in the speaker's attitude towards the topic and the mood emitted from the attitude. My interpretation of the title didn't change from the initial reading to the last reading. The poem seems to capture a meaning related to life being brief but I don't want to simplify the poem to something simple; the theme of the poem could be that life is brief.

Poetry Response #2 When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer

When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer

BY WALT WHITMAN 1819–1892

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,

When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,

When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

Response: 

The title of this poem has an I within it. I’s in poems indicate the specific point of view the poem is told by; in addition, I would paraphrase the title to “When I heard the Astronomer who learned.” My best attempt to paraphrase the poem: When I heard the astronomer who learned, proofs, figures, arranged in columns in front of me, shown charts and diagrams, adding, dividing, and measurements, I heard the astronomer lecture, there was a lot of clapping in the room, I got annoyed fast, left and wandered around, from time to time, I looked up at the perfectly silent starts. A few connotations presented in the poem are imagery, irony, and some personification.

There is imagery because we can somehow see the proofs, figured, column, charts, diagrams, addition, subtraction, division, measurements, and hear the applause coming from the room. There is also the vivid description of the “mystical moist night-air” and the perfectly silent stars. I noticed a slight case of situation based irony where the man preferred to learn and view the stars himself rather than the astronomers mathematical representations. Interestingly, there was personification in how the stars were silent, because stars cannot speak. Therefore, a star can't be “silent”. The speaker appears very annoyed by and detached from the astronomer who is speaking at the conference. However, he/she is appreciative towards the stars in the sky. The audience i the lecture room may have an approving tone towards the astronaut since they are clapping. So their tone is shown in action rather than words. In this poem, the poet may have a very introspective tone. Perhaps he is even respectful towards the observer, and unconcerned by the astronomer.

From the point where the speaker says he hears the astronomer to the part where the speaker becomes tired and sick may be an interesting shift to take a glance at. The speaker isn't completely interested at the beginning of the poem, but we certainly know he isn't midway through the poem. Overall, the poem reflects the topic of experiencing through data versus real sight. The theme could be that beauty in the world should not be quantified; instead, beauty should simply be enjoyed.

Poetry Response #1 [in Just-] BY E. E. CUMMINGS

E. E. Cummings, “In Just—”

Poem-

in Just-

spring          when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles          far          and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far          and             wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

         the

                  goat-footed

balloonMan          whistles

far

and

wee

Response:

Before reading the poem I attempted to analyze the very brief but interesting title. The title of the story is only two words. However, the words end with a dash and are enclosed by square brackets. Square brackets clarify a situation and dashes are a kind of break in a sentence (according to the Oxford Dictionaries website). Why are these used as the title of the poem? What kind of meaning do they convey? In just could be defined as, or changed to “In reason..” but in reason to what? My first step towards analyzing the poem was to paraphrase it in my own words: The poem starts with the title of the poem. The season is spring, and the world is described as mud. There is a little lame balloonman who is “luscious”. He whistles far and close. Eddieandbill come, they are running from marbles and piracies. It is still spring. The world is “puddle-wonderful’. There is a queer, and the old balloonman whistles again. bettyandisbel come dancing. They hop-scotch and jump rope. Its still spring. The balloonman is described as goat-footed and he whistles again. There is a bit of ambiguity in the world being mud and puddle-wonder; there is one word associated with these two words. I also analyzed the diction and the choice the writer made to use the words eddieandbill and bettyandisbel instead of eddie and bill and betty and isbel, what was the purpose of this? Did the writer try to combine them in order to show that they are one unit, or character? There is repetition in the old balloonman’s whistling and the children coming. Another thing repeated is that the season is spring. The theme in this poem could be: Spring is a beacon for the youthful and innocent..

Spring Break Work Task 2

Reflection

Poem:  "Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers" Emily Dickinson

Safe in their Alabaster Chambers -

Untouched by Morning - 

and untouched by noon -

Sleep the meek members of the Resurrection, 

Rafter of Satin and Roof of Stone - 

Grand go the Years, 

In the Crescent above them -

Worlds scoop their Arcs - 

and Firmaments - row -

Diadems - drop -

And Doges surrender -

Soundless as Dots, 

On a Disk of Snow.

First Read:
The first thing I noticed in the poem was the dashes used at the end of some of the lines. I remember briefly hearing about Dickinson's use of the dashes in her poetry but hopefully doing the TP-CASTT will allow me to have a better understanding of the poem and how they're used. I also noticed the word choice is different than what I am used to in today's version of the English language.

Second Read:
Who is safe in these chambers? Alabaster is a type of material and a chamber is a place where something or someone can be  held. The people who are safe in the chambers are untouched bu morning and night, meaning they don't get to see morning or night. The meek members of the resurrection sleep. The rafter is made of of satin and the roof is made up of stone. I couldn't decipher the second stanza and the only thing I could figure out was that there are shifts in the poems because of the breaks, but I cant seem to get any further than this. 

Spring Break Work Task 1

Reflection 

Poem: "Since there's no help" 

Prompt:  Write about your experience was like reading it the first time (what was the initial experience like) and then the second time around (what changed, if anything.) 

First Read: 

Reading this poem for the first time, I first noticed it is written in a different style than I am used to with words such as Nay, thou, and brow. Interestingly, after that I noticed the topic of the poem was love and I read the poem a few more times.

Second Read: 

The TP-CASTT helped me attain a better understanding of the poem because I analyzed the title and noticed it begins with the word since, indicating a period where there is cause and effect. Then, I could paraphrase the poem and translate it into my own words. Understanding the connotations of the poem became essential because then I could understand the use of personification and Point of view of the poem. I still don't understand how attitude works but I am trying to get a better grasp of the concept. I also never knew about shifts in a poem and how they could be used in terms of meaning. 

With an initial reading there are many components of the poem I miss. The first way I tackled any of the poems was by reading the poem in my head, out-loud, and then once more in my head (I try to do this without letting my pen touching the page to annotate it but that is fairly challenging. After the reading I begin annotating and trying to notice the things that jump out at me by reading at different paces to capture what the poem is trying to say, or what the speaker in the poem is trying to say. I've noticed that the poems become easier as I read them more. Working with the TP-CASTT allows me to wrap up the poem and capture the key parts all on a single sheet of paper. The TP-CASTT exercises become easier the more they are done because I have practice with the exercise even if the poem is new to me. 

"Spring and Fall" by Gerard M. Hopkins

Notes From Spring and Fall Poem

• The First thing I noticed was the title of the poem. The poem must have something to do with the seasons of spring and fall. 

Line 1:  Golden grove is unleaving, and Margaret is asked if she is grieving because of it? 

Vocabulary & Diction: The first words noticed are Golden Grove and unleaving. Is golden grove a person, or a place given the physical properties of a person? Does unleaving relate to the leaves in the fall? 

Line 2: You is Margaret. Can she care for the leaves, similar to the things of man.

Vocabulary & Diction: The words in these lines relate to the unleaving in the previous line. There is a connection between the leaves, leaves falling, and the nature of man.

Line 3: As we grow older, we will see things worse than the falling of leaves. Winter comes after the leaves fall.

First impressions: Speaker starts with the word "Ah." showing they had a thought, or an idea of some sort. 

Line 4: What is leafmeal? Something about singing words of wanword? Is Wanword another location?

Discerning patterns: There is a different pace in this line. "By and by", "nor spare a sigh."

Line 5: Margaret will know why she cries.

Discerning patterns: The idea of crying relates to grieving; both usually go together. 

Line 6: Sorrow is the same, no matter what name is pinned on it.

Symbolism, schemes, tropes: Spring's sorrow could be a metaphor for the sadness Margaret feels. 

Line 7: The mind cannot express what the heart feels, or the mouth. 

Discerning Patterns: What the heart desires to express is left out. 

Line 8: Man was born for death, and someone mourns for Margaret.

  Point of View: In line 2, we assume You is Margaret, but you cannot mourn for Margaret if you is Margaret.

How To Analyze Literature

Three Important Things I Learned

• The AP Exam challenges the writer to search for the "meaning of the work as a whole." We arrive to that truth by breaking apart and synthesizing the tools used by the narrator including: fictional characters, settings, plots, and language. Analyzing the work as a whole is essential towards doing well on the AP exam. The elements of what is being studied is divided into two categories: the parts of the work and the tools used by the author to transmit meaning. 
• Annotation is a huge chunk of reading analytically; in addition, the text provides a mantra for the analysis, "no what without why." It is important to understand what happens and then think about why the author made that specific choice. I am very used to assuming the narrator is the author and I never could break them apart from one another. This reading allowed me to understand there is some distance between both the author of the text and the narrator of the text. 
• I was intrigued by the author's approach to plot. I was so comfortable with pairing the plot with the word story, but the plot is actually the arrangement of the story. Analyzing the plot includes the questions of what, when, and why. If the story does not take place in exact chronological order, then we can study why that is. In addition to plot, setting also contributes to plot and it includes the whole context of a story. I was amazed by how setting could contribute to the mood and atmosphere of the text. Also, the setting may explore why the character acts the way they do. 

Questions or Skills that still need to be learned

1. How can the reader study symbols in a text without assuming everything in the text is symbolic?
2. What is an efficient way to study Tone and Mood without confusing the two closely connected concepts?
3. Is there a helpful analogy or different way to view Tone and Mood in connection to one another?

A Skill That I know Very Well

I think my best skill is annotating both short stories and novels. I haven't had much practice with poetry but I'm sure they are very similar in nature. Reading as a writer and reader, I cant read a text without annotating something in it so this is a skill I have been practicing since I started reading. Now, I can apply some of the techniques addressed in this text and my annotations can allow me to express my ideas in a more articulate way. 

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