Blogger #9 - Elizabeth Fleyshmakher - Period 9 - 10/14/21

Blogger #9
Elizabeth Fleyshmakher
Period 9
10/14/21


Lesson: 3 Stud Copy Symbol & the Seven Rooms Lesson
Aim: Why is it significant that the “black” room is being positioned at the west end of the castellated abbey?


Do Now: Today’s powerpoint started off with a slide featuring four questions assigned to the class as a think/pair/share activity. Based upon this, the students were given a select amount of time to formulate responses and discuss them amongst our groups before engaging in a full class discussion. The first of these asked for the direction from which the sun arises. It was agreed that this solar body always rises in the east, more precisely either north or south of “due east” on every day except the spring and fall equinoxes. The second of these questions follows up directly to the first as it asks for the direction the sun sets in. We concluded that this must be west, or/and north or south “due west” seeing as this had to be positioned opposite of the sun rise. Following this, the third question asks for the symbolism of the east in literature. Various students contributed a multitude of facts explaining this representation. Overall, it was said that east holds the significance of beginnings seeing as that’s where the new day begins. Metaphorically, it is a sort of awakening, vision, ascension. A source I found (Aleteia) explains the following,”East is the direction of the sunrise and was naturally associated with various Christian imagery. East was first seen as a symbol of Christ, the “light of the world,” and the direction of his Second Coming. The sunrise was also associated with the Resurrection as it is written in the Gospels that Christ rose from the dead at dawn. East is also connected to Paradise and Heaven, as God “planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Genesis 2:8). Christians for many centuries prayed facing east (ad orientem), both for the Eucharistic liturgy and at daily prayers. Cemeteries were even oriented in such a way that those buried were facing east, ready to meet Christ when he came again.” The conversation leads straight into the fourth and final question this time asking for the symbolism of the west in literature. The word for West likely comes from another word meaning ‘to go down’ which might allude to why we often choose to associate it with evil and death. According to the same source (Aleteia),”The sun sets in the west and ushers in the night, a time when sin frequently occurs. Adam and Eve were expelled west of the Garden of Eden after they sinned. West was also viewed as the direction of the sea and death. The edge of the world was always believed to be located in the West. The west door of medieval churches, through which worshipers would exit after Mass, often featured a large fresco or stained glass window of the Last Judgment over the doors, as a reminder of eternity.”

Our do now is followed by a slide about symbolism. A peer is selected to spirit read the given definition which is as follows:


Symbolism: sym\bol\ism– (N) The use of specific objects or images to represent abstract (non concrete or intangible) ideas. This term is commonly misused, describing any and all representational relationships, which in fact are more often metaphorical than symbolic.


We transition onto the third slide which lists symbol criteria and details what determines these.

• A symbol must be something tangible (touchable) or visible, while the idea it symbolizes must be something abstract (non concrete or intangible) or universal.
• In other words, a symbol must be something you can hold in your hand or draw a picture of, while the idea it symbolizes must be something you can’t hold in your hand or draw a picture of.
• Basically, A symbol is capable of being physically touched while the symbolization of it cannot be. One such example is courage/bravery. Although it is virtually impossible to ever touch bravery, objects can be used to describe it.

Further analysis is conducted on these points with the viewing of a video about this same topic. It is titled “Symbolism vs Allegory” and is linked down below. The video briefs over the denotation of symbols once more and proceeds to list a couple more examples featuring love(heart) and peace(dove). Other topics of discussion include allegories and what entails them. Any genre that could be written in narrative form is applicable here. Allegories act as extended metaphors and feature double meanings having both a simple literal overview and a much more intricate figurative one that is carried on throughout the entirety of the plotline. Some famous examples one might know that are actually allegories are Lewis Carroll’s, “Alice in Wonderland” and A.A. Milne’s, “Winnie the Pooh”. These tales might seem childlike in nature but once you look underneath the underneath there is a lot there to uncover. Additionally, the differences between symbols and allegories are noted

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVZTcUj1yJg


Moving onto the fourth slide, “The Masque of the Red Death” Sections 3 & 4, we took a class poll to decide whether we would prefer Ms. Peterson read the paragraphs to us or if we wanted to spirit read them ourselves. Majority picked the former so we annotated the text while listening along.
The article can be located down below:
-https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OnAs_D6gUwcV3lrptLyN8sPOymSJg-Gx/edit


The fifth and sixth slides list eight questions about the portion of the passage we looked over. This was assigned as teamwork meaning every group was given about twenty minutes to brainstorm amongst ourselves to come up with the best possible responses. When this time frame was over, the class as a whole came together to contribute our learnings in hopes of earning points for our teams.


We discussed how each room had its own colors and decorations, such as blue windows, purple ornaments and tapestries and panes, green throughout, orange furnished and lighted, white, violet, and black velvet tapestries, but scarlet panes, during our class discussion. What they all have in common is that they don't have candles or lamps, instead relying on a massive tripod to light the chambers. As stated in the Do Now, east denotes the beginning and west denotes the end. As a result, the chambers represented the seven stages of life, from conception to death. While the tripod's light created a fantastic effect in the first six rooms, it made the seventh room particularly menacing and terrifying. We also saw that the clock is at the far western end, which we knew represented death and the end. The clock chimes every hour, and the guests appear surprised and frightened when it does, but when it stops, they resume their laughter. With that in mind, we might deduce that the clock represented the passing of time, as their lives were slipping away hour by hour. It nearly continuously reminds them of an inherent peril.

Student Reflection:

Today’s lesson jogged my memory of various literary phrases, which were no longer familiar to me. Through group discussions and sharing of various views and thoughts, I found out how each individual is subject to different thoughts and perspectives on the same exact topic matter. Within the tale, I didn’t discover the symbolic connection among the clock and the visitors, with the clock symbolizing the development of time. After the group discussion however, I found out how deep the meaning and messages of the tale can go, considering time is a universal concept more absolute than most other things. I contemplated on how many humans within society these days are just like the visitors on the abbey, ignoring concerning troubles inside society and continuing on with their ignorance. I considered how a parallels to our own society are mirrored in the tale. For instance, issues such as climate change and global warming are creeping up on us and negligence to work towards fixing such matters might result in our own demise. I thought about how the chiming of the clock is similar to different events and reports, caution of disasters, but are overlooked as though there may be no issue.

I learned to dig far deeper into the texts I read as the basic storyline might hold so much more significance once one chooses to see past this first layer and inspect the underlying meanings. 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.