Blogger #11 - Kenneth Guan - Period 3 - 10/14/2021

AIM: Why is it significant that the “black” room is being positioned at the west end of the castellated abbey?

Do Now: Think/Pair/Share

For the beginning of today’s lesson, students were asked to recall or find information about the sun, as well as brainstorm and collaborating to determine what it could represent. Through group collaboration and discussion, a common symbolic meaning was discovered, with the rising sun from the east symbolizing rebirth and renewal, and the setting sun in the west symbolizing decay and decline. This activity introduces the ability to discover symbolic meanings that an object can have, which is a useful skill in understanding the literature presented within the lesson.

Literary devices

After the class discussion, the students relearned different literary devices, as well as how they differed. This helps reinforce their learning to help them better understand the different methods authors employ to convey ideas and messages throughout literature.

The students were reintroduced to:

Symbolism- The use of specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas.

Metaphors- A figure of speech where words or phrases are used in a way that is not literally possible, which can convey or exaggerate ideas.

Similes- Compares one thing to another using the words like or as, and is also used to convey ideas within literature and writing.

Allegories-A story or narrative that can reveal implicit meanings and messages. Each character, event, or object represents an idea both on the literal and symbolic levels.

Allusions- An indirect reference to an object or idea, the audience is expected to already know the reference.

Extra material to learn about the differences:

https://writingcooperative.com/symbolism-metaphor-

allegory-and-allusion-explained-7fdcdb7d4d05

Examples of differences between symbolism and allegories to improve understanding:

Within Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, there are men stuck inside a cave viewing only shadows their entire lives, with one man escaping and realizing the vastness of the world and their limited understanding. This is an example of an allegory because each idea had multiple meanings, with the men representing both the people as well as society, with the cave representing their life and culture as well as their understanding of the world. The man escaping the cave also shows this since it depicts human curiosity to explore and discover, however within the story, after he returns to share the knowledge, they did not believe him and had executed him. This story as a whole is an allegory for human curiosity to learn more, as well as human limitations as many are unwilling to accept differing ideas and beliefs. This story shows the symbolism in that each character and object represents another idea, such as the cave being their lives and culture, but the story as a whole does not show symbolism.

Extra material to learn more about Plato’s Cave:

 Plato’s Allegory of the Cave - Alex Gendler

After reviewing literary vocabulary, students were instructed to read and annotate paragraphs three and four of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death”

Example of properly annotating:

Through annotating and closely reading the text, students were able to decipher and understand the symbolic meanings of different objects within the text. They answered different questions as a group, allowing for close collaboration with their peers to further challenge their understanding. They had then shared their different interpretations and understandings to the class within a class discussion.

Class Discussion

Students, using their skills to determine the symbolic meanings of different objects, discovered different representations for the colored rooms and furnishings within the literature. Many groups pointed out how the different colorings of each room can represent either peace and prosperity as in the case with the bright first rooms, or death and sickness as in the case with the gloomy final room. Through their advanced understandings, groups also realized that the directions of each room also had a symbolic meaning, with the eastern first room possibly symbolizing the birth and prosperity of the empire, and the western black and red room displaying the inevitable decay, death, and decline within life.

Students drew the connection between the guests at the abbey and the black room, saying that the guests avoided the room since it is a reminder of their death and demise, which they tried their best to ignore. Students also deciphered the meaning of the clock located within the dark seventh room, stating that the inevitable chimes remind the people that they can not forever stay within a utopia, with death and their inevitable demise slowly ticking forward, the guests being scared of the bell’s chimes shows that they are frightened at realizing their inevitable deaths.

Reflection:

Today’s lesson reminded me of different literary terms, with which I was not too familiar. Through group discussions and sharing of different perspectives and ideas, I realized how many different ideas could be discovered between various people. Within the story, I didn’t identify the symbolic connection between the clock and the guests, with the clock symbolizing the progression of time. After the group discussion, I realized how deep the meaning and messages of the story can go, since it can apply to most things after the passage of time. I reflected on how many people within society today are like the guests at the abbey, ignoring different issues within society and living as if everything is normal and fine. I thought about how in the near future, climate change and global warming will have a significant impact on life, with how in “The Masque of the Red Death” the people ignoring issues were similar to how those today ignore these climate issues, which could eventually lead to the demise of societies. I thought about how the chiming of the clock is similar to different events and reports, warning of disasters, yet are ignored as if there is no issue.
I learned to look for multiple hidden ideas and implicit messages within a source, as well as how to question and discover each meaning. The use of this is to help us understand the different ideas and messages which could be overlooked, such as the case with the alarming clock showing an inevitable decline, and a constant reminder. Through reviewing the different literary terms and devices, I can better understand the differences and similarities and apply each one accordingly. This is helpful since some could be confusing when not explained properly, and they are important to know and understand due to their prevalence in works of literature.