Literature Analysis #1

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey

1. The story is told in first person, by a man called Chief. He is a patient in a mental hospital and a wallflower to the mundane happenings there, because he acts deaf and mute. Nurse Ratched is the ward's head nurse, and the main reason for the ward's cold, uncomfortable atmosphere. All of this changes when a new patient, loud, crazy McMurphy is admitted to the ward. The patients immediately notice something different about him. He is lively and friendly, and most of all challenges the nurse's authority, to her disapproval. The longer McMurphy is there, the more he rallies patients together to stand up against Nurse Ratched and fight for their rights. With a new energy in the ward, patients begin to voice complaints and not bend at the nurse's will. The climax of the story is when McMurphy sneaks a prostitute into the ward for Billy. In the chaotic situation Billy goes crazy and kills himself, while McMurphy attacks Nurse Ratched. In response to the attack, she sends McMurphy to get the surgery room, where he gets parts of his brain removed. McMurphy returns to the ward, but is no longer his old self, he is dull and mindless.  Chief knows McMurphy wouldn't have wanted to live on this way so he suffocates him. Although Nurse Ratched beat McMurphy, the energy he left behind was still strong and since she had ended him in such a horrid way, the patients were even more inclined to fight. Most of the patients got the nerve to check out of the ward or be transferred.
2. The theme of this novel is to not conform to society's will. Just because things have been one way for a long time does not mean that is the right way. McMurphy proves that there is another way to live, a better way, that patients should fight for.
3. The tone of this story is serious and critical, because Chief is the narrator the audience can hear his opinions of the hospital staff and patients. He is usually a bystander in many parts of the story, so he is more a storyteller, than actor. 
4. Ten Literary Techniques:

• Irony: It is ironic that many of the Nurse’s helpers look down and make fun of the patients at the ward because they are also under the Nurses’s complete control. They are just as afraid and frightened of Nurse Ratched. 
• Metaphor: McMurphy used a variety of metaphors in his often bombastic language and in perhaps the most memorable example he compares the patients of the ward to chickens at a pecking party. "Bunch of chickens at a peckin' party." 
• Symbolism: Symbolism is strewn throughout the novel through things even as common as laughter. Chief recognizes that nobody in the ward laughs the way McMurphy does and accredits it too his determination to be unbreakable. Laughter symbolized strength.
• Foreshadow: The multiple encounters with McMurphy and the Nurse caused the tension between them to rise and rise. The reader could see that this battle would not be finished until something drastic eventually happened which it did during the eventful climax of the story.
• Flashback: Many times throughout the novel, Chief flashes back to memories of his life before the hospital. He remembers when he used to live on the Indian reservation with his father as a child.
• Descriptive Language: Descriptive language is used often in the novel especially during Cheifs hallicinations. The vivid descriptions help the reader feel like they can actually see what is going on.
• Juxtaposition: The author juxtaposes McMurphy’s personality and Nurse Ratched’s personalities so they are so directly opposite of each other that it creates a plot within itself. He makes the characters so extreme in opposite directions that they play off each other perfectly.

Literary Terms #4

interior monologue: a passage of writing presenting a character’s inner thoughts and emotions in a direct, sometimes 

fragmented manner

inversion: switching the usual order of words or clauses

juxtaposition: the placement of two things close together for contrasting effect

lyric: expressing the writer’s emotions, usually brief and in stanzas

magic(al) realism: a genre where magic parts are a natural part of an otherwise realistic environment

metaphor: a figure of speech 

metonymy: the substitution of the name of an attribute for that of the thing meant

modernism: literature movement influenced by industrialization and westernization 

monologue: a long speech by one character

mood: inducing or suggestive of a particular feeling or state of mind

motif: any reoccurring element in a story that has symbolic significance or the reason behind actions

myth: a traditional story, esp. one concerning early history of people, natural phenomenons, or supernatural beings

narrative: a story

narrator: a character who recounts the events of a novel

naturalism: a style and theory of representation based on the accurate depiction of detail

novelette/novella: a short novel or long short story

omniscient pov: a character or third person who is all knowing

onomatopoeia: the formation of a word from a sound

oxymoron: a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction 

pacing: the movement of a literary piece from one point to another

parable: a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson

paradox: a statement that leads to a conclusion that seems self contradictory 

Literary Terms #3

exposition: the beginning of a narrative

expressionism: a style in which the author seeks to express emotional experience

fable: a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral

fallacy: a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument

falling action: part of a story after climax, action starts to slow down

farce: a comic dramatic work typically including crude characterization and improbable situations

figurative language: words, or group of words, that exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of component words

flashback: an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point

foil: a subsidiary character that emphasizes the traits of the main character

folk tale: a story originating in popular culture

foreshadowing: literary device where the authors hints at what may come later in the story

free verse: poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter

genre: a category of literature characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject manner

gothic tale: ?

hyperbole: exaggerated statements

imagery: visually descriptive language

implication: the conclusion that can be drawn from something, although it is not explicitly stated

incongruity: the state of being out of place

inference: a conclusion reach on the basis of reasoning and evidence

irony: expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite

Literary Terms #2

circumlocution: the use of many words where fewer words would do

classicism: the Greek/Roman style generally associated with harmony, restraint, and adherence to recognized standards of form and craftsmanship

cliche: a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought

climax: the most intense, exciting, or important point of something

colloquialism: a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation

comedy: style of entertainment intended to make an audience laugh

conflict: a serious disagreement or argument

connotation: an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning

contrast: the state of being strikingly different from something else

denotation: the literal or primary meaning of a word

denouement: the final part of a story in which matters are explained or resolved

dialect: a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group

dialectics: the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions

dichotomy: a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or different

diction: the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing

didactic: intended to teach

dogmatic: inclined to lay down principles as indisputably true, opinionated

elegy: a poem or serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead

epic: a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition

epigram: a concise saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way

epitaph: a phrase or statement written in memory of a person who has died

epithet: an adjective expressing a quality characteristic of a person or thing mentioned

euphemism: a mild or indirect word substituted for one too harsh when referring to something embarrassing

evocative: bringing strong images, memories, or feeling to mind

Literary Terms #1

allegory: a story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral one

alliteration: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of close words

allusion: an indirect reference

ambiguity: uncertainty of meaning in language

anachronism: a thing belonging to or appropriate to a period other than in which it exists

analogy: a comparison between two things

analysis: detailed examination of the elements or structure of something

anaphora: the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a successive clause

anecdote: a short and amusing story about a real incident or person

antagonist: a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something

antithesis: a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

aphorism: a concise observation that contains a general truth

apologia: a formal written defense of one’s opinions or conduct

apostrophe: an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to a person or thing that is absent

argument: a reason or set of reason given with the aim of persuading others that an idea is wrong or right

assumption: a thing that is accepted as true or certain

audience: the people who are reading, watching, and/or listening

characterization: description of the distinctive nature or features of a character

chiasmus: a figure where words or concepts are repeated in reverse order

Hacking My Education

I want to know what it takes to succeed in college. I want to know what to expect and how to handle it. Right now I feel very unprepared for taking on the world and dealing with all of the independence and responsibility that I am going to get soon.
I want my blog to become more of a site for me to get feedback and communicate with others, rather than me just post my things and merely get credit for doing it. I want it to be similar to interaction on social media sites, so when people see it will be proof that teens can use the internet in intelligent ways.
I feel like I have so much left to experience before I graduate and leave for college. Most are nonacademic, like go on more hikes, explore more, take more road trips, be more adventurous and enjoy my youth. However, I still would like more academic experiences as well. I want to pass my AP tests for this year. I also want to become more well-read.

AP PREP POST 1: Siddhartha

1. 
2. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary. (Essay prompt from 1994 AP Exam) 
3. How does enlightenment relate to or have to do with knowledge?
4. Herman Hesse’s novels before Siddhartha focused on alienated young men who rejected the cultures of their upbringings. However, these other novels did not feature the spiritual elements of Siddhartha. How do the spiritual elements of Siddhartha make it different from any other story of an alienated youth?
5.  Consider Siddhartha’s relationship with Govinda. How are they similar, and how are they different? What are the narrative functions of Govinda’s reappearance throughout the novel? How does their relationship impact the novel’s ending?
   These questions tell me that the test is in depth and covers a wide range of topics and concepts.

I had a difficult time finding questions on Siddhartha that were official AP questions. But a few of these I think are worth looking at. I can only answer some of these questions vaguely, because I have not recently read the novel.

1. In this passage, Siddhartha describes what it feels like to be in that pivotal moment from ignorance to enlightenment. This is a key point in the novel because of its Buddhist theme and he reaches the goal that all of the followers of the Buddha spend their life trying to obtain.
2. "The Illustrious One" is what Siddhartha calls the Buddha. This wise man is only encountered for a short period through the book, however has the most profound effect on Siddhartha's life. Through him Siddhartha reaches enlightenment. 

 3, 4, 5. I do not remember enough of the book to answer these questions. You would need to know           the major themes of the story and have examples to properly answer these.

These questions reveal that you need to know specific examples and characters from the test to properly answer the question. The tone and major themes of a story are easy to remember and those are good for composing a thesis. However, to support that thesis you need specifics.