AP Study Progress -- Post 4

In class today, the group I was sitting with discussed our various ways of approaching studying for the AP Exam.  Although there were different good ideas, my plan is what seems to fit me best.  The rest of the time I spent looking over the vocabulary list definitions that are posted on my partner's blog.

A Reflection on Unstructured Learning

I think the passage deals with confidence, and the tone is somewhat uneasy.  In the first paragraph it talks about "three months of self-doubt and self-ridicule."  This may be completely off, but what I took this passage to mean is that we need to be confident in preparing for the AP exam.  We can't doubt ourselves in our studying or when we're actually sitting down to take the exam.  There are statistics that show that you can perform 20% better if you feel confident in your preparation and in yourself.

AP Study Progress -- Post 3

I worked on one of the multiple choice released practice AP tests.  It reminded me of how much I hate passage analyses!  Time management is definitely something I will have to work on for the test.

AP Study Progress -- Post 2

I looked over all of our vocabulary lists from last semester.  I remembered a lot of them, but those that I needed a refresher on I spent more time with.

AP Study Progress -- Post 1

First 30 AP Lit terms are officially committed to memory!  We may have had a test on these last week, but I am even more confident in the usage of these words now.

April 25th Journal

"Do every day or two something for no other reason than you would rather not do it, so that when the hour of need draws nigh, it may find you not unnerved and untrained to stand the test."
 -William James


I browsed over the different AP Exams, to first familiarize myself with the test.  For a few of the essay questions, I did not know much about the books in the list to choose from.  So, I navigated onto a few of the different course blogs and read past literature analyses that my fellow students have completed.  Now that I am familiar with the test and a list of new books I knew nothing about before, I plan on using the posted practice test to simulate a real AP Exam.

Essay Prompts Appropriate for Macbeth

1.  Open Essay Prompt:  1986  Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author s manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.


2.  Prose Essay Prompt: 1977  No prose selection (instead, had the following prompt:  A character’s attempt to recapture or reject the past is important in many plays, novels, and poems.  Choose a work in which a character views the past with such feelings as reverence, bitterness, or longing.  Show with clear evidence how the character’s view of the past is used to develop a theme in the work.)


3.  Open Essay Prompt: 1976  The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or, from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society.  In a critical essay analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society.  Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.

AP Test Study Plan

In preparation for the AP exam, I plan on taking this week to review AP Lit terms and past vocabulary terms.  I hope to be able to commit these terms to memory by the end of the week.  Next week I plan on looking over practice AP exams, and working on multiple choice problems.  The following week, with only a few days before the AP exam, I plan on practicing writing essays, and having them peer edited by my partner.  Practice makes perfect.

Macbeth Lecture Notes

Day I

Simple play

-no big themes

-very straightforward plot

     -Acts I-III all chronicle Macbeth's rise to glory & IV, V follow his fall

     -character driven play; less psychology & intricate relationships

          -Macbeth doesn't confide in the audience (like Hamlet) he doesn't show any sign of humor or              

           humanity, just painstaking character development

Macbeth as a tragic hero

-Beginning of play: indirect characterization telling us he is well thought of, noble, honorable, etc.

-end of the play: stands alone to be killed by an entire army

-Every thing that happens in the play is the function of Macbeth's own decisions

     -not influenced or compelled by any outside force

Murder of Duncan

-Why?

     -Act I, scene vii, lines 25-28…glimpse of an idea but too early to take for truth

     -Macbeth seems to be in the grips of something bigger

          -his first reaction to the witches was weariness; it seemed unjust to him at first

          -tension between immorality (consequences?!) & his ambition to be/stay king

               -he knows that he will have to violate his morals…he knows the consequences…he doesn't 

                convo (Hamlet)

          -he struggles with knowing that to act on his desires will lead to his own destruction (he then 

           decides not to kill the king(

                -swayed, however, by his imagination of the prospects

Macbeth & Lady Macbeth

-She is the agent of evil in the beginning

     -tells him to man up and keep the prospect of being king alive

-total animus (masculine personality) influence

     -lacks regard for emotions, scruples, values, nurturing, etc.

     -urges him to be more manly when he comes to her with things

-Both characters experience a surreal feeling

     -Macbeth is fearful & horrified, but he hallucinates and it's as if he is compelled to or drawn to do it

     -Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking

-With help of Lady Macbeth allowed evil to infiltrate his imagination.  He knows what's going on.

Courage & Fear

-Courage is abundant when it comes to outward enemies but can't handle the inner fears.  Becomes fearful as soon as he kills the king

     -deals with it by continued killing to allow himself to plow through and come to a solution

-Lady Macbeth can't handle the inner strains….Macbeth goes off without her.

     -guilt for lack of inner will destroy her

          -feels like Duncan looks liker her father

          -she decays into craziness (for lack of a better word) until she commits suicide

Day 2

Lady Macbeth

-A representation of pure force

-After the banquet, Macbeth & Lady Macbeth's relationship becomes strained

     -They used to have a healthy relationship/marriage but now they have their own plans

-Macbeth's throne is safe, no one suspects him, but he has a guilty conscience

-Act III, Scene iii shows Macbeth still knows the difference between right and wrong

-Now he's murdering his way to peace of mind

     -is becoming less & less human

-Loss of physical relationships --> loss of feeling

     -Makes Macbeth care less & less for what life has to offer

-Act V, scene iii explains why Macbeth accepts the news of his wife's death with a horrifying calm

     -exemplifies the empty mockery his world has become

The 3 Witches

-Macbeth's driving force

-Plant the ideas in Macbeth's mind

     -he is then unable to control himself

-a symbol of fate

     -It inevitably would have happened

-Exist to tempt & torment people

-After becoming thane of Cawdor, Macbeth believes the witches prophesy to be ture

-The 3 Witches seem to be the heroes of the entire piece

     -outcasts

Macbeth Soliloquy

Recorded by: Alexandro Rea Contreras

Macbeth Quiz

Questions

1. Macbeth won the respect of King Duncan by

A. slaying the traitor Macdonwald.

B. serving as a gracious host for his king.

C. not pleading for advancement.

2. King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him

A. the Earl of Sinel.

B. the Thane of Cawdor him.

C. Bellona's bridegroom.

3. In addressing Banquo, the witches called him which of these?

"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I)

"Not so happy as Macbeth, yet much happier." (II)

"A future father of kings." (III)

A. I and II

B. I and III

C. I, II, and III

4. When Macbeth said, "Two truths are told / As happy prologues" he was referring to

A. his titles of Glamis and Cawdor.

B. the victories against the kerns and gallowglasses.

C. the predictions made to Banquo and to himself.

5. "Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it" is a reference to

A. the traitorous Thane of Cawdor.

B. Banquo's son, Fleance.

C. Duncan's son, Donalbain.

6. Duncan's statement, "I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing" is an example of

A. a simile.

B. a metaphor.

C. personification.

7. Lady Macbeth characterizes her husband as being

A. "the glass of fashion and the mould of form."

B. "too full of the milk of human kindness."

C. "a cannon overcharg'd with a double crack."

8. When Macbeth agonizes over the possible killing of the king, which of these does he say?

"He is my house guest; I should protect him." (I)

"Duncan's virtues will "plead like angels" " (II)

"I am his kinsman and his subject" (III)

A. I and III

B. II and III

C. I, II, and III

9. Macbeth's statement to his wife, "Bring forth men-children only" signifies that he

A. is proud of his wife's transformation.

B. is concerned over the succession to the throne.

C. has accepted the challenge to slay the king.

10. As part of the plan to kill the king, Lady Macbeth would

A. get the chamberlains drunk.

B. smear Duncan's face with blood.

C. arrange an alibi for Macbeth.

11. Trace Macbeth's transformation from a good man to an evil man.

12. What motivates Macbeth to take the evil path he chooses?

13. What influence do the witches have on Macbeth?

14. Contrast Macbeth's response to the witches' predictions with Banquo's.

15. Describe the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Trace how it changes over the course of the play.

PART 2

1. "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight?" is a reference to the

A. ghost of Banquo.

B. dagger.

C. bubbling cauldron.

2. Lady Macbeth confessed that she would have killed King Duncan herself except for the fact that

A. she couldn't gain easy access to his bedchamber

B. he looked like her father

C. one of Duncan's guards spied her on the to stairway

3. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to

A. allow Macduff to gain admission to the castle.

B. remind the audience of the Witches' prophecies.

C. provide comic relief.

4. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder

A. because they fear the daggers in men's smiles.

B. in order to join Macduff in England.

C. lest they be blamed for it.

5. Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death by telling the hired killers that

A. Banquo had thwarted their careers.

B. if they fail, they will pay with their own lives.

C. he will eradicate all records of their previous crimes.

6. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by

A. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo

B. attempting to wash the blood from his hands

C. saying to Lady Macbeth that, "Murder will out."

7. The Witches threw into the cauldron

"Eye of bat and tongue of frog"(I)

"Wool of bat and tongue of dog" (II)

"Fang of snake and eagle's glare" (III)

A. I and II

B. I and III

C. II and III

8. The three apparitions which appeared to Macbeth were

An armed head. (I)

A child with a crown. (II)

A bloody child (III)

A. I and II

B. II and III

C. I, II, and III

9. In Act IV, Malcolm is at first lukewarm toward Macduff because he

A. wasn't prepared to overthrow Macbeth.

B. suspects a trick.

C. wasn't worthy of becoming king, in his opinion.

10. Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane when

A. the witches rendezvous with Macbeth.

B. the camouflaged soldiers make their advance.

C. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to stand and fight.

11. What is the significance of the line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (I, i, 10)?

12. How does Macbeth function as a morality play?

13. How does Shakespeare use the technique of dramatic irony in Macbeth?

14. How does Lady Macbeth overcome her husband's resistance to the idea of killing King Duncan?

15. Contrast Macduff's response to the news of his wife's and children's deaths with Macbeth's response to being told Lady Macbeth is dead

Answers

Part I

1. A (Act I, Scene II)

2. B (Act I, Scene II)

3. C (Act I, Scene III)

4. A (Act I, Scene III)

5. A (Act I, Scene IV)

6. B (Act I, Scene IV)

7. B (Act I, Scene V)

8. C (Act I, Scene VII)

9. C (Act I, Scene VII)

10. A (Act II, Scene II)

11.  In the beginning, Macbeth frets over his plans to kill the King.  After his wife persuades him to go on with the plan, he becomes a power-hungry murderer.

12. Macbeth is motivated by his ambition to be king.  He stops at nothing to protect his crown.

13. Macbeth begins to plan his acts according to the prophecies of the witches.

14. Banquo is at first skeptical at the witches' prophecy that his children will become kings.  He then cannot get these things out of his mind.  Macbeth seems to brush off what the witches told him, but in reality he begins to act based on what was prophesied. 

15. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth at first act as equals, planning to steal the crown as one.  Once King Duncan dies, Macbeth becomes power hungry and is then the dominant figure in the relationship.

Part II

1. B (Act II, Scene I)
2. B (Act II, Scene II)
3. C (Act II, Scene III)
4. A (Act II, Scene III)
5. A (Act III, Scene I)
6. A (Act III, Scene III)
7. A (Act IV, Scene I)
8. C (Act IV, Scene I)
9. B (Act IV, Scene III)
10. B (Act V, Scene III)
11. This line in the first scene tips us off that things will not be what they appear to be.  Macbeth will become king, and in doing so he will commit himself to a path of evil which will mean his death, and ironically, Banquo's.
12. The differences between good and evil are greatly portrayed in the play.  This struggle is shown in Macbeth's character, as he goes from being an honest hero to a power-hungry tyrant.
13. When Duncan and his party arrive at Macbeth's castle, they are unaware of the wicked plans that are being made. Their lighthearted, joking mood is ironic to us, because we know what they are really walking into.  It is also depicted in the last act of the play.
14. Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth's manhood and even devises her own plan on how he should kill King Duncan.  She is finally able to persuade him to go through with the act.
15. Macduff is deeply grieved by the loss of his wife and children.  Macbeth on the other hand is too focused on protecting his crown to care or really show emotion about the death of his wife.

Notes on Macbeth

Act I

• The play begins with thunder & lightning.
• The three witches plan to confront Macbeth.
• The Scots battle Irish invaders.
• Macbeth & Banquo fought with great courage
• Macbeth slew Macdonwald
• The thane of Cawdor is put to death & Macbeth is given his title
• Macbeth & Banquo are frightened by the witches on their way home
• The witches prophecy to Macbeth that he will be thane of Cawdor
• This soon comes true
• King Duncan announces his son Malcolm will be heir to the throne
• Macbeth realizes Malcolm stands between him & the throne
• Lady Macbeth resolves to do whatever it takes to get her husband to take the crown
• King Duncan & his Scottish lords arrive at Macbeth's castle
• Macbeth contemplates assassinating Duncan 
• He tells his wife he no longer plans to do it, causing her to question his manhood
• She unveils her plan & re-convinces Macbeth

Act II

• Fleance is Banquo's son
• Macbeth heads out to Duncan's chamber to kill him
• Macbeth stabs Duncan & is extremely frightened
• Lady Macbeth is forced to frame the chamber maids for him
• Macduff & Lennox come to the castle the next morning looking for the king
• Macbeth takes them to the king's chamber & pretends to be shocked at the murder
• The chamber maids were found with bloody daggers
• Macbeth has been made king by the other lords

Act III

• Malcolm & Donalbain have fled from Schotland, & Macbeth worries they may be plotting against his crown.
• Macbeth plans the murder of Banquo, as well as Banquo's son Fleance
• Lady Macbeth & Macbeth feel unrest, fearing there are others after the throne
• The hired murderers kill Banquo, but his son Fleance escapes
• Macbeth & Lady Macbeth enter a feast, & Macbeth finds the ghost of Banquo in his seat
• He gins to talk to it, horrified
• The guests leave the feast
• Macbeth plans to visit the witches to learn of his future
• The witches meet the goddess of witchcraft, Hecate
• She commands them to summon visions & spirits for Macbeth's arrival
• Banquo's muder was blamed on Fleance
• Lennox & another Lord blame Macbeth

Act IV

• Macbeth visits the witches
• They tell him to beware of Macduff and that he is safe until Birnam wood moves to Dunsinane Hill
• Macbeth decides to send murderers to capture Macduff's caste & to kill Macduff's wife and children
• The murderers flee to the Macduff castle, killing Macduff's wife and son
• Ross tells Macduff that Macbeth murdered his wife and children
• He decides to inflict revenge

Act V

• People believe Lady Macbeth to have gone mad because of her sleepwalking
• The English army, led by Malcolm, plans to battle the Scottish army
• The Queen dies
• The trees of Birnam wood are advancing toward Dunsinane & Macbeth realized he will die
• Macbeth & Macduff battle eachother
• Macduff emerges with Macbeth's head
• Malcolm is then crowned king

The Grapes of Wrath

• Takes place during the time of the Great Depression.
• Follows the journey of Tom Joad as he makes his way back to his family's farm in Oklahoma.
• recently released from prison
• When he reaches his family, they prepare to head off to California.
• hope for a better life there
• As everyone dreams of California as "the land of promise," there are few jobs left open with so many people there.
• They seek board in a government camp, eventually finding low-pay work there.
• At the end of the novel, a flood hits the camps, forcing everyone to seek refuge.  The Joads find a barn not far off and take shelter there.  Inside, they see a boy holding his dying father.

• The tone of the novel is greatl depressing.  The family goes through many trials and have to live such lowly lives in the attempt to seek the "American Dream."
• I think the theme of the novel documents the struggles of life.  It brilliantly shows that life is never as easy as it seems, and to gain what you want, you have to work hard.

Notes on Macbeth

Site 1

• Both the literal & symbolic tone of the play is sinister and its central characters are evil
• When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, James I had been King of England for 3 years
• Symbolized the union of the Scottish & England crowns
• Fascinated by witchcraft
• The real Macbeth reigned in Scotland from 1040 to 1057.
• Ruled for 17 years
• The north & south of Scotland were united for the first time during his reign

Site 2

• Macbeth shows life at its most brutal & cynical, in order to ask life's toughest question.
• When we first hear of Macbeth, he has just cut an enemy open from belly button to throat.
• Lady Macbeth convinces him to commit murder.
• The Macbeth's murder a sleeping man, their benefactor & guest, in cold blood.
• Everybody knows Macbeth murdered Duncan, but they make him king anyway.
• Macbeth goes to a with to see his future, and his head ends up on a stick.

Site 3

• Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most intense plays & one of his most complex psychological studies.
• The story of this psychotic killer & his fiendlike wife was actually written as a tribute to Shakespeare's royal patron, King James I of England.
• Shakespeare changed history to simplify complexities & to kiss up to King James.
• The historical Macbeth had become king in the year 1040 when he killed the previous king, Duncan, in battle.
• This violent record was largely the result of how Scottish kings came to power.
• For most audiences the witches are the most spectacular element of the play.
• Over the years a very powerful superstition arose about Macbeth in the theater: strange things happened whenever you performed the play, so that in the English theater in particular you were forbidden to use the name of the play in the theater.

Site 4

• One of Shakespeare's favorite sources was Holinshed's Chronicles of the History of England & Scotland.  He drew on this document for information to use in the writing of his histories, but also used party of the document as a source of some tragedies for Macbeth.

Site 5

• Minor sources that contributed to Macbeth include  Reginald Scot's "Discovery of Witchcraft" and King James' "Daemonolgie."
• Changes to these serve 3 main purposed:
• The dramatic purpose of producing a more exciting story than is found in the sources.
• The thematic purpose of creating a more complex characterization of Macbeth.
• The political purpose of catering to the beliefs of the reigning monarch, King James I.
• In Holinshed's "Chronicles," Macbeth is introduced as a valiant gentleman, and as in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth is sent by King Duncan to crush the rebellion led by Mackdonwald.
• Our first impression of Macbeth is one of grandeur.
• Shakespeare deviates from Buchanan's depiction of Macbeth as a cruel, barbarous man, a notion also put forth by Holinshed.
• His inclusion of Macbeth's guilty conscience was a way in which he could both intrigue & compliment King James.

My Top 3

I really like how Kayla not only summarized the novel, but also included real life images in her video to make the novel come alive.
http://kmrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/

The background music in Chelsey's video created an atmosphere that was perfect for the time period of The Great Gatsby.
http://csrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/

Mari is a very gifted artist.  The drawings posted in her video gave meaning and feeling to the novel, leading to a better understanding of the themes and tone.
http://mjkrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2012/03/ice-man-lit-analysis-video-project_29.html