Addison's Edumacation Blog

While nothing I learned in this unit was necessarily new, it did help to reflect back on the techniques that exist already and understand how they can work together. Definitely examining how the character’s function together will help my analysis. The setting and how the character’s interact with it is also very good to examine.

While I’m positive my analysis has improved there still is 1 thing I need to work on. Discussing the grey area. There are no black and white issues in the world of literature, so discussing in-depth the counter argument and the other possible perceptions. I also need to get better at linking back to the prompt, something I’m embarrassed to say I’m bad at.

The APA paper was fun and I learned much about the possible careers that I may go into. While paper unfortunately required me to use the dreaded “APA”, the amount I learned about writing and science careers was insightful. Though an interesting fact was the incredibly low job satisfaction among lab scientists.

The Senior Shadow was not so enjoyable. Looking at Williston, there is not many long term careers outside the oil field. An attempt to contact the Williston Herald failed and I was left with a not so desirable oil field job shadow. While it was insightful, the actual event was incredibly boring and left no memorable impact.

Hamlet was an incredibly fun unit. The story was compelling and fun to analyze. Overall I very much enjoyed the Hamlet unit, even though ole’ Hammy boy has very poor decision making skills.

Even though the story was very morbid, it was also a very interesting look into the human psyche. Many of my classmates expressed their displeasure at how long Hamlet too to kill King Claudius. This started my thinking about why it is that Hamlet took so long to kill him. People are naturally disposed to violence, this is just basic human instinct. “Grung see Lobeb, Grung KILL”. The suspense built by Shakespeare in this play is meant to play on our instinct, to make us beg for his death. This is a rather cunning action on Shakespeare’s part is ingenious to say the least.

“To die to sleep, to sleep perchance to dream” – Hamlet. This quote struck a chord with me the moment I read it. Hamlet contemplating suicide in this moment is a very important scene. It begs the question, “Why don’t we just give up?”. The meaning of this work as a whole is only enhanced by the quote. A comment of the human psyche.

Whew boy where do I even begin. Frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe to torture APA entails. In All honesty, it is needlessly complicated. While the Abstract is a good idea, the specifics of the citations is ridiculously convoluted. MLA Functions perfectly for what it is worth, but adding so many different bibbins and bobbins is just clunky. My hatred for APA is only matched by hatred for the pure trash fire that is modern country music.

Despite my misgivings, learning about APA was immensely helpful. I am positive that the experience will aid me in my future college essays and research papers. My outward reaction was likely due to how new all of it was, but once I got into the groove of things, that made it much easier.

I received the title of “Mediator” for the test. Mediators are very in tune with their surroundings and have a good grasp on the feelings and emotions of people around them. They often find themselves as writers, advisors, salespeople, and many others.

I both agree and disagree with this result. While I very much enjoy the prospect of being a writer, many of my interests lie the field of science. Perhaps I could Become a prolific science fiction writer or an author/researcher. I very much enjoy the possible careers, despite my disagreements with the results.

I personally think the whole world should get over itself. There is this air of self importance that is frankly disturbing. Half the time it seems as if everyone thinks they are the most important person on the planet. It’s frustrating.

I think that in order to change for the better then we have to learn how to get along without fighting like children. Instead of hating eachother for our differences, appreciate what is unique and don’t cast aside what is new. The “me vs. you” idea is a recipe for disaster.

Kite Runner is easily my favorite as it has the most complex and compelling story. It also has a better flow than the stop start narratives of the rest of the books and pieces. It is also written in a dialect that I understand and can read easier than the rest.

I connect with Kite runner best. This is only because the time period it is written in is closer than the rest. As I am not a crazed murderer, a prideful warrior, a cheating husband, incestuous king, or a witness to a horrible crime, its hard to connect with most these characters.

My least favorite is easily Things Fall Apart. While appreciate the point, I felt like I was barely conscious during the entire book. It felt more surreal than reality when reading and I did not appreciate that

Nothing is really new to me. Most of these strategies I have learned from middle school English teachers. However the refresher was nice.

Most of the strategies we covered are common sense. Starring the lines that have questions that relate to them is by far the most helpful. I am a fan of the word Nuanced.

An example of an into could be: “Fences by August Wilson (1986) is an illuminating yet vilifying look into the metaphorical and literal fences which divide us; the barriers that define and shape our society. The title of the play refers to the fence that the protagonist Troy Maxon is building throughout the duration. However the word fence has two meanings in this case. While one refers to the literal fence being constructed, the other refers to the figurative “Fence” that is built between the characters within the play.”

Upon reflection the two plays have very little in common. Oedipus has to do with a man who seeks justice for the killer of the king only to find out that he did it and married his mom. Fences is about a man who cheats on his wife and can’t get his mind out of the old ways of doing things.

The complexity in Oedipus is that he marries his mom and kills his father. In Fences, his dad is mean and treats Troy like trash. The complexity is minimal but it sets a solid foundation for the characters themselves. I didn’t personally grow as a reader and can’t see how one could grow.

Thematically one could call the two books both having something to do with the main characters getting what they deserved, but Oedipus didn’t know any better, Troy did. While justice is at play in both pieces, it is far more dramatized is Oedipus. Fences is much more subtle about it

Not sure what I’m doing here but here this is.