Literature analysis #3

 The Hunger Games: 1. Summary-Protagonist = Katniss Everdeen. she's a teenager, a tough hunter, emotionally strong. Her father is dead and she lives with her mother and sister Prim in District 12 in the country of Panem. Every year the Capitol of Panem hosts an event called the Hunger Games where two "tributes" – a boy and a girl – are drafted from each of the twelve districts to be brought to an arena and fight to the death. Only one person can win. This is to remind the country not to rebel, as well as entertainment. This year, Katniss's little sister is selected for the Hunger Games, so Katniss volunteers to take her place. Peeta Mellark, the baker's son, who maybe has a huge crush on Katnis is also selectedAfter the reaping (that's the tribute selection process), Katniss and Peeta are whisked away to the Capitol to prepare for the Games (and primped for live TV). The support team  is comprised of Haymitch (a former Hunger Games winner and also a drunk), Effie (their wrangler), and Cinna and Portia (their stylists). During the opening ceremonies, Cinna and Portia dress Katniss and Peeta in flames and they draw much attention to themselves. During training, Katniss reveals her archery skills to the Gamemakers and scores an amazing 11 out of 12, while Peeta gets a lower score and asks to be trained seperatly. The game begins as all 24 participants fight for their lives. Katniss teams up with Rue. Rue gets killed. Katniss now looks for Peeta after the announcer announces that there can be 2 winners in this years hunger games. Katniss nurses Peeta back to health. Katniss, Peeta, and Cato are the only ones left when the get chased by genetically enhanced wild dogs. Katniss shoots Cato and he is eaten by the pack of dogs. Announcer says there can only be 1 winner. They fake like they are going to commit a double suicide with poisonous berries and the announcer changes his mind and announces them both winners. Katniss isn't really in love with Peeta eventhough he tells her he wasnt acting.

2. Theme-
 The Hunger Games is a novel about the "haves" and the "have nots" that is, the people who have money and the people who don't. While the Capitol is wealthier than all of the districts, some districts are more privileged than others, so they can train their tributes to do well in the Hunger Games a competition they see as a way to gain glory and fame. The poor districts have no advantage at all. District 12, Katniss's district, is an impoverished coal mining region that never stands a chance in the Games. They view the Games as a punishment that must be endured,something that robs them of their children. The novel asks you, then, to think about how money can change things for you and change how you see the world.

3. Tone-
 In my opinion, there are multiple tones for The Hunger Games. Katniss exhibits strength and courage but the games are dark and saddening. Some could argue that Katniss falls in love with Peeta and that love and hope could both be a tones but I disagree. I think the tone is much more serious, since the capitol is cruel and since there is little hope she will survive Katniss' desperate attempt to win the games is present.

4. Five Literary Elements/Techniques:

1. Imagery: After the death of Rue Katniss gives her a proper burial in which the author paints a sad picture. "The cold hit me from all sides as i placed the last flower delicately into the bundle that was Rue."

2. Irony: How the capital's constant idea that they can do whatever they want is thwarted in the end by Katniss and Peeta when the capital announces both of them winners.

3. Epiphany: When Rue died and Katniss suddenly understood what Peeta meant about being “more than just a piece in their Games.” This is when she truly decides to fight against the Capitol.

4. Symbolism: Katniss wearing the mockingjay pin that represents all districts is symbolizing that she is the chosen one.

5. Diction: Collins uses powerful diction throughout The Hunger Games to convey Katniss' shifting attitudes toward the Capitol and the games.

Literature analysis #2

1. Life of PI: So in the novel Pi is telling the story to an author who wants to document his experience and so he begins with the beginning. Piscine was born and was made fun of at school because his name sounded like “pissing” and that is why he changed his name to Pi. He grows up and he gets on a boat to travel with all the zoo animals his father owns. But something bad happens. A terrible storm sinks the boat except for Pi, a bengal tiger, an orangutang, a hyeina, and a zebra. The hyeina kills the zebra and the orangutang and the tiger eventually kills the hyena, leaving just Pi and the tiger on the boat, who Pi calls Richard Parker. Now Pi realizes in order to survive he has to tame the tiger which he for the most part successfully does and they go through many hardships. After a while at sea they eventually come across an island which has a weird feel to it. During the day it is an unlimited source of food, water and shelter but at night some chemical turns all the water into poison and makes it hard to live there so Pi and Richard Parker set sail again. They eventually make it to an island and Pi is interogatted on the events that occured during his journey. The Japanese interogators don’t believe this story and so Pi decides to tell a different one. The other one involves his mother, a cook, a sailor and himself that are trapped on the boat and only he survives. We are left wondering which is the true story and it is up to us to decide.
2. I believe the theme of this novel is somewhat odd and ill explain. I couldn’t think of a better word than belief. Our beliefs dictate who we are and there are two sides to this novel; one a believable one and one that is not so believable. So which one is the truth? The theme belief is the belief of religion and belief in what you believe to be true.
3. The tone in this book is very serious but also has something else that i can’t quite put a finger on. Its very serious in the fact that so many things go wrong and Pi has to go against his beliefs in order to survive and he has to kill and survive. But on the other hand it also has a “storytelling” tone and sometimes humorous tone to lighten the mood. 
4. The literary techniques I recongized most in this novel are symbolism, tone, figurative language, setting, theme, imagery, point of view, diction and i guess you could say personification.

Literature analysis #1

1)The Kite Runner is a novel about the journey of boy named Amir. With the story being told by Amir, the novel begins with a flashback about twenty-six years back in time, to when Amir was a little boy growing up in Kabul. This point of the story told us about Amir's life as a child, with his father, who was a businessman, and two servants to his family. One of the servants was Amir's best friend, named Hassan. When hassled by the town bully, Hassan hit him with a rock shot from his slingshot. From there, the story jumps to winter time, and a kite fighting contest takes place. There is this tradition that the kids have called 'kite running' and they try to get the losing kite that fell from the sky. When Amir is fighting in the contest, Hassan goes to look for the fallen kite, who is then followed by Amir some time after. Amir finds Hassan in an alley way with the town bully and some of his buddies, watching as they take advantage of Hassan. Drifting apart, and overcome with guilt, Hassan and Amir leave each others' lives after Amir planted items in Hassan's bed, accusing him of thievery. Time goes on, and things start to get bad with the invasion of the Soviets in Kabul. Amir and his father flee the country, and after a long period, they soon go to Fremont, California where Amir attends school, and his father working at a gas station. In time, Amir finds a lovely girl, and soon marries her. After his marriage, Amir's father dies. Further into his life, Amir receives a call from his father's friend, and it was about Hassan. Amir, still holding the guilt of what had happened when he was a kid, goes to Kabul. Hassan's child is missing, and Amir goes to look for him. Nearly getting himself killed, he manages to save the kid and redeems himself of his wrong doings done to his best friend.


2) One of the themes for The Kite Runner is the search of redemption. Best shown by Amir and his guilt that was carried thoughout his entire life ever since the incident with Hassan. This is probably the main theme that drives the novel.

3)The tone o the author is also related to the theme itself, which is being the confessional tone. Throughout the novel, it is portrayed all through Amir's actions, feelings and decisions. One example would be the pomegranates being throw at Hassan, just so he would throw them back at Amir. Amir wanted to be punished for his actions-- or lack of. Not only did he wanted to be punished, but he also pushed away his best friend. Amir built up too much guilt all to the point of framing Hassan for a thievery he didn't commit just so that he can get away. Lastly, when Amir encounters Assef again near the end of the novel, he starts laughing only because he is getting punished for it, getting beaten to near death by Assef.

4) The literary elements of The Kite Runner all have a slot within the machine that is this book. The foreshadowing in the story raises question about the surrounding events with the Islamic fundamentalists, and even when Baba questions Amir's ability to stand up for what is right. The overall feel of the book happens to be like that of a spring. It is felt all throughout the novel, even at times where it didn't appear to be as such.

Masterpiece Academy/Open source learning

My Experience In Open Source Learning

 

            Open source learning has changed me. I went from 3 years of basic boring english which i failed each and i think every singe one, to a class that i certainly enjoy being in and most probably will pass. I had a passion for this class, but sadly that only started toward the end of the year and i wish i had realized the true benefit of this class sooner because it has helped me in many things i deal with now and may deal with in the future. I have grown from taking this course, i now truley have experienced a way of learning that works for me that i hope to use in the future. This class was the best class i have had in all of my schooling the past 4 years of my high school career, the fact that i feel so comfortable around all my classmates and they may feel the same around me means a great deal when you have to be in a class with then 50 miutes a day for about a year, and when you have a teacher as great as Dr. Preston is, with his vast knowledge, passion for teaching, great resouces and over all with kindness for wanting to help each and every one of us to progress in our futures, i cant think of another person that has put out so much in helping others succeed in their lives through teaching in a classroom, hats off to you for being an amazing individual that cares so much about others.

 

          This course has improved my reading, writing and thinking skills. now when i read things, i not only can connect all the information, but i can think and feel what the writer may have been thinking when they were writing the piece. And i now can transfer that infortation into a responce and explanation of my understanding to what was written.

 

           Given a high level of trust and choice in this course, i greatly apreciate that, not only did i use it, but i benefitted from it. I myself did not deserve it at first, because i was still in the old english class mood not caring about anything that had to be said. But at the end i do believe I deserve it because i took part in what was taking place in the course. As for others, i think if they had a passion for participating in the great oppertunity that was given to us i do believe they deserve it. I also did earn it in my belief, because i showed that i understood the meaning of the course. as for others, its up to them to decide if they earned it, because generously it is offered to all. I myself do now honor this way of learning, it has changed the way i look at learning as for i think it has for many others, so i think that all may not honor it, but most all should.

 

           What i did with this course is i conected it with my passion for water polo, i thought if we were alowed to choose what we work on in that class why not. That really helped me with actualy doing the work. I will continue learning about my passion through my future years playing in college, and also i might be making a new blog to follow other water polo players and post things that i learn to help out others.

 

           This class always made me laugh, it may not always be out loud, but i find it hilarious when you cuss, that may be a little immature, but when you have a teacher do that i find it pretty cool and funny. Also when you are aguing with someone its hilarious that the other person thinks that they can win, cause i know you could outsmart them and use words to your advantage since you have a huge vocabulary. those may not be nice things to laugh about, but thats juse something that came to mind. my big thing that makes me laugh is Johna and Alicia, they can be pretty funny at times when they're not being sarcastic to me.

 

            5 presentations that i find fit together well, if not go with all presintations were by Alex-Senioritus and how it effects your fashion. Rachel-Singing. Judith/Amparo-Compation. Austin-Stand up comedy. Alicia-People and their feelings. I believe all these fit together because you have to be passionate for them, like i wouldnt sing if i didnt like it, I wouldnt stand up in front of people and make a joke of everything i do, and for people, i dont like having to deal with people some times because it can get annoying, for compassion, you have to be a super great person in wanting to help others, and last im not that big into fashion. but with all of these, they may look different, but they all mean something to someone, like i could add water polo in there and it would fit because i am passionate for it. An example of this is like when Judith somewhere to aply to help people out for free, i couldnt just do that to random people and that shows that she really cares about what she is doing.

 

          In my opinion i am not a hero. I may be in the eyes of others, but i dont see myself as being that important in helping others. I took a long while to respod to the call of adventure, but once i did i was impressed in what you can do when you want to do something for yourself that will help you pass the class and help you in the future. My mentors have always been my coaches, and i conquered a challenge, it was for passing the class.