Blogger #18, Bridget Meier, Period 5, 10/27/21

 Aim: How does a close-reading of Lord of the Flies demonstrate the power that naming has in society?

Do Now: 

At the beginning of today’s lesson we discussed the backgrounds behind our names, and the significance or meaning of our names. Surprisingly, only a few students were able to associate or identify with the meanings behind their names, however most did not and do not believe it reflects on their personality. Angela shared that her name means “angel” or a messenger of god, but does not associate with that name, and does not believe that her personality is reflected in her name. Rory shared that they were named after Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, however strongly dissociates with the name and believes that their character is more reflected in the name Rory! I personally believe that my name and personality are deeply correlated, as my name means “vigor and virtue” and I am a fairly headstrong person. This discussion was a very good segway into the lesson, and although our views about our names were fairly different, writers often use naming to give insight into their characters and the story, which we get into later in the lesson. 

Pair-share into Whole Group Discussion

Next, we discussed how naming was present in the “Lord of the Flies”, specifically by discussing the titles of chapters in the book. Some ideas brought up were that the chapters give some insight into what we are about to read, foreshadow the events of the chapter, and provide symbolism. My group discussed that in the last few chapters, darker symbolism showed that there will be an unhappy ending, foreshadowing the conclusion of this book. Towards the last chapters, the words “darkness” “death” and “cry” present these sadder dark themes, while the beginning of the book appears to be less dark and more innocent, leading us to discover that naming of chapters does indeed have a very large purpose and importance in our reading!

Titles of Chapters

1. The Sound of the Shell

2. Fire of the Mountain

3. Huts on the Beach

4. Painted Faces and Long Hair

5. Beast from Water

6. Beast from Air

7. Shadows and Tall Trees

8. Gift for the Darkness

9. A View to a Death

10. The Shell and the Glasses

11. Castle Rock

12. Cry of the Hunters

Close-Reading (Page 11)

Afterward, we read a section out of Chapter 1 “The Sound of the Shell” describing an interaction between the characters known as “Piggy” and “Ralph”. Then discussed the significance of “Piggy’s” name with our group and how this name could affect him. We concluded that the character “Piggy” is described as a “little fat boy” and the name piggy would be associated with pigs and is often an insult towards someone’s body type. This name with a very strong negative connotation could lead this character to be cast out from society, ridiculed and bullied, as well as compared and treated like a pig. The naming of Piggy’s character sets up a conflict for his character, which is demonstrated in Ralph’s reaction to his name. Ralph is a depiction of how society would react and ridicule someone with such a nickname. Additionally, this reaction from Ralph sets up his character to be a rather childish character with a lack of maturity and emotional awareness/empathy.

Finally, we wrapped up the lesson with a character analysis, discussing each character’s direct and indirect characterization. Each student was supposed to submit an individual response describing either Ralph’s, Jack’s or Piggy’s character. The students were supposed to submit a brief response touching upon both direct and indirect characterization and evidence from the text to support these claims. 

Let's start off with Ralph. Ralph’s direct characterization was of his physical appearance, the author directly describing him as being “the boy with fair hair”, and “…taken off his school sweater and trailed it from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair plastered to his forehead.” Indirect characterization of Ralph is developed through his actions, through how he appears immature and insensitive to the reader through his complete abandonment of Piggy’s trust, and the bullying he subjects him to, not realizing the harmful consequences his actions have on Piggy. 

Next, Jack’s is described with direct characterization and indirect characterization as well. He is described as “tall, thin, and bony” and his face was “crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness”. This gives a direct depiction of his somewhat unattractive physical appearance, however Jack is also depicted as a bully through his incredibly cruel words and actions, specifically towards Piggy. Additionally, Jack is portrayed as arrogant, rude, and bloodthirsty. He is angered when he is not able to kill, and has an innate desire for power, which is developed through his attempt to become chief through a display of arrogance. 

And finally, as mentioned before, Piggy, described with very negative connotations, is depicted as unintelligent, not attractive, and rather unimpressive. The lack of a name for this character, as he’s just referred to as “Piggy” shows how he is viewed by his peers as unimportant and not worthy of a name. Some examples of direct characterization are the author’s direct description of “Piggy” as a “fat boy” while Ralph is portrayed as a“fair boy” and the use of the word “Piggy”, comparing him to a rather disgusting animal. However his words give away his intelligence and maturity. Rather than acting without haste and thought, he attempts to be organized and thinks through his actions. Instead of just wanting to have fun he immediately creates plans for survival, which shows his maturity above his peers. Although he is portrayed as unintelligent and unimpressive, and is given many physical incapabilities, he is developed to be way above his peers in terms of his maturity level.

Reflection: In today's lesson I learned about how naming has an impact in many areas of our life and in literature. As we started off the lesson I began to reflect upon what significance my name had on me, and my classmates on them. Then as we transitioned into our reading and responses later in the class I began to realize just how important naming has in many aspects of literature. Naming of a character in literature often has a great impact on how the character is portrayed and perceived. The indirect characterization of a name can often tell a great deal about what the author intends for you to believe about this character. Naming chapters in a book can also help identify what the significance of the chapter is and provide details to the events of the chapter, the impact of them, and the importance of what the chapter is named as. The naming of Piggy’s character in Lord of the Flies helps portray him as almost like an animal, rather unintelligent, unfit, and helps the reader perceive him as somewhat below the other characters in terms of physical and mental capabilities. Piggy’s character is quite obviously being compared to a “pig”, and Ralph’s reaction to this name shows how this name is almost laughable and something that Piggy would get bullied for, however the indirect characterization throughout the chapter shows how this name specifically reflects/represents Piggy’s own personality. This lesson helped me understand just how important character’s names are, and how the author directly and indirectly characterizes them, and I will make sure to keep in mind these ideas while reading “The Lord of the Flies” and many other books in the future. 

Blogger #26, Antonio Ramirez, Pd.2, 12/22/21, Freshman Lit 2022 Blogger #26, Antonio Ramirez, Pd.2, 12/22/21, Freshman Lit 2022

 Blogger #26, Antonio Ramirez, Pd.2, 12/22/21, Freshman Lit 2022

Aim: How can an in-depth rhetorical analysis and evaluation of Brutus’s speech provide insight on multiple levels (POV, Roman PPL, etc…)?

Do Now: Team Discussion: How can you tell when someone has given a powerful, persuasive speech? What attributes might be included?

Today our class discussed how you know you gave a powerful speech. We talked about receiving reactions and emotions from your audience such as crying or cheering. Some aspects of a powerful speech is repetition. Repeating certain phrases helps give emphasis and adds power to your words. In addition, having a powerful tone and voice creates assertiveness in your speech. Other points made by my classmates were using ethos and logos in your speeches. Ms. Peterson also gave great examples of powerful speeches such as MLK and JFK’s speeches. 

Martin Luther King Speech: https://youtu.be/fR-PReWhMGM 

JFK Speech: https://youtu.be/P1PbQlVMp98 

Sources From Class:

BRUTUS’ SPEECH [2 PAGES]

Brutus’ Speech [4:57]

12.2 JC: Brutus' Funeral Oration Analysis

After watching Brutus’ speech adressing the murder of Caesar, we were asked to analyze what he just saw. My group agreed that Brutus had an assertive tone as he believes he has done the right thing and is now proving it to the people of Rome. We also conversed over the fact that the crowd seemed restless and skeptical of Brutus at the beginning of speech, but towards the end they calmed down as if they started to 

agree with what he had to say. As a class, it was mentioned that Brutus used prose when delivering his speech to keep everything natural. Ms. Peterson pointed out the word authentic when describing his speech. Brutus’ rhetorical questions were also brought up. One of them we identified was when Brutus asked, “Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any speak, for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If any, speak for him, have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country?”. Brutus asked this expecting a consensus no from the crowd. 

Reflection:

Today I learned about the aspects of a powerful speech. We discussed the outcome of a powerful speech, which was the crowd showing emotion. We discussed what a powerful speech consists of; repetition, powerful tone, and ethos and logos. We also analyzed powerful speeches. We were able to determine the strategies Brutus used in delivering his speech, as well as the crowd’s thoughts slowly shifting throughout it. I believe I learned this because being able to know how to create a powerful speech is an important skill throughout life. It helps reflect your thoughts while persuading and motivating others. It can influence other people’s thoughts and opinions. Finally, I will use what I learned today whenever I public speak moving forward. When public speaking, you always want to voice your opinion while influencing others. That is exactly what a powerful speech does. The more I can understand and analyze powerful speech, the better my public speaking skills will be in the future.

Blogger #33- Aaron Yu- Period 2- 1/20/22

 Aim: How does Cassius and Brutus’s conflict establish foreshadowing for the denouement of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar?

Do Now:

• I can infer that based on Brutus and his conflict with Antony, he will eventually have to fight Antony, be it politically or physically. Antony and Brutus are essentially political rivals, at some point, they will fight in order to see who’s the cause will win and the eventual fate of Rome.

• I do not think he will emerge as a confident leader, Brutus is too easily manipulated, it only took a senator to turn Brutus against his best friend and brutally murder him. People in power and close to Brutus’s inner circle may manipulate him for their own personal gain. This is extremely detrimental to his decision-making.

• Like previously stated, Brutus is too easily manipulated, furthermore given that Brutus brutally murdered his best friend and desecrated his body, it goes to show how easily Brutus can be turned on his closest friend.

Denouement: The final part of the play where the climax descends and all previous plotlines come together and conclude.

Julius Caesar Act IV, Scene 2 Julius Caesar—Act IV, scene ii [2 pgs]

1. Cassius treats Lucillius with no obvious hostility, but also with no friendliness, instead he treats him like they are mere acquaintances.

2. Cassius treats Brutus as they are somewhat hostile, immediately accusing Brutus has betrayed him while Brutus remains polite and asks how he has betrayed him. Brutus claims that he would never betray a brother in arms which ironically, is exactly what he did to Caesar. Overall, their conversation is terse and rather hostile on one side which implies that their relationship has deteriorated over the past events.

1. “Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. Judge me, you gods! wrong I mine enemies? And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother?” (Lines 40-42). This quote shows how Brutus and Cassius greet each other, Cassius’s tone is hostile, immediately accusing Brutus of betraying him, Brutus remains courteous, claiming that he only wrongs his enemies, not his friends. This quote is ironic because Brutus claims to have never wronged his friends, even though he betrayed Caesar, one of his closest friends, even going as far as literally backstabbing him. Overall, this quote implies that their relationship has deteriorated since the events after Caesar’s death.

         3.  Brutus essentially says that true friendship is built over genuine trust, even if said friendship fades away, but the nature of the friendship is still genuine. Brutus says that false friendship is built through empty promises and will eventually be found out.

1. Brutus essentially says that friendship built out of genuine trust will remain forever, while friendship built over false promises will eventually be found out and justice will be served.

2. Hollow men mean people with false promises or people who promise or swear to something but never actually follow through with it or renege on the promise.

4. Brutus wants to preserve the public relationship between him and Cassius, saying that their armies are watching and they shouldn’t quarrel so openly lest their armies lose faith in them. Going indoors is traditionally more private and typically more uninterrupted rather than going outside and having your conversation publicly where anyone can hear you. 

Julius Caesar: Act IV, Scene 3 Julius Caesar—Act IV, scene ii [3.5 pgs]

1. Cassius accuses Brutus of betraying him, as he had one of their soldiers arrested because they took a bribe even though Cassius told Brutus not to.

1. Brutus in turn also accuses Cassius of betraying him, accusing him of being greedy, arguing that if they are not to repeat the mistakes of Caesar, they should not follow in his footsteps.

2. Overall, Brutus has the better argument, he points out that if they are not to repeat the footsteps of Caesar and in turn, his fate, they should not be corrupt and earn merit through honest means. Brutus points out that he has done nothing ignoble to earn his money and when he asked Cassius to loan him some, he refused. Brutus interprets Cassius’s wealth and alleged corruption as a gateway to sharing the same fate as Caesar.

3. This scene differs from most rhetorical speeches in the play as this is not a debate or oration, this is a fight, two people fighting against each other accusing each other of the same thing. The fight does not utilize persuasive language, it is a simple argument using logos and accusations. 

2. Brutus is concerned because if this corruption continues to exist, they would have another Caesar and eventually suffer the same fate. Brutus says he would rather die than become as corrupt as Caesar.

3. Brutus says that he has never done anything ignoble and strives to do so, he says he would never become corrupt, which is why he has so little money compared to Cassius (This is a passive-aggressive comment against Cassius, which implies that Cassius is corrupt).

1.  Brutus is a selfless and honest person, at one point he says that he did not murder Caesar for himself, but for the love of Rome, and Brutus still abides by those morals. For example, Brutus is willing to die should he cross these morals even once, “When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous, To lock such rascal counters from his friends, Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts; Dash him to pieces!”.  Basically, Brutus says that if he were ever to be corrupt and covetous as Cassius and Caesar were now, he would have the gods dash him into pieces.

4. For context, Cassius accuses Brutus of not being with him, saying that now that all his friends and family turned their back on him, he has nothing to live for, he calls for Octavius, Antony, and Brutus to kill him and take revenge for Caesar.

Whole-Class Discussion:

1. At first, Cassius argues that it is better for the enemy to seek them, he advises that Brutus should play a game of attrition, waiting for the enemy to waste away and attack at the right moment. Brutus says that they have the advantage in numbers, if they launch a surprise attack, they can catch the enemy off guard and make a decisive blow against their enemy, they can also not afford for the enemy to build up their armies, as a result, Cassius agrees.

2. Portia killed herself because she is devoted to Brutus. The play mentions that Portia is Brutus’s closest confidant, meaning she keeps Brutus’s secrets, now that Antony and Octavius hold most of the power, they might try and find Portia to obtain Brutus’s secrets and to turn the people against him. Because of this, Portia kills herself to take her and Brutus’s secrets to the grave.

3. This scene sets up the finale of the play, as Brutus and Cassius march towards Phillipi, Antony and Octavius prepare for battle, and one side must stand out victorious. This scene also shows how devoted Brutus is to his cause, although he is grieving on the inside, he must remain strong for his men and lead. 

Reflection:

Today, we learned the definition of denouement, the events that lead to the finale, and the closing of several plotlines. This is important because the denouement is one of the most important parts of the story, it closes several plotlines and sets up several events that lead to the finale, leading to the catharsis of the story. I can use what I learned to truly understand the events of the finale and the lesson of the story. 

Blogger #31- Angelina Weng- Period 2- 1/14/22

 Aim: How does Cassius and Brutus’ conflict establish foreshadowing for the dénouement of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar?

At the beginning of the class, we continued to discuss the questions we ended off with yesterday. I thought Antony is the one that has the most power, out of Octavius (heir of Julius Caesar) and Lepidus. Our classmate thought Lepidus is like the third wheel that has the least power and seems like he doesn’t have any true decision-making power. Our classmate stated that when Antony say Lepidus was a “horse” and “ass he was thinking Lepidus should be like a property and do all the hard work like being the “ass” and he wanted Lepidus to be controlled by him so say he is also the “horse”. Secondly, Octavius is younger than Antony so he must have less power in him which results in Antony having the most power out of them. Besides that Antony thought Lepidus' brother should die because he was one of the conspirators and Antony wanted to keep himself clean. 

But the class found out the most ironic thing was Antony also wanted Caesar's will and money for himself and wanted to reduce what everyone got in the will. Which made his whole speech very ironic and fake because he was making a speech about Caesar giving so much to the people and he’s going to give all the will to the citizens. From the above students can tell Antony doesn’t seem to be as obedient as we thought in the beginning, but instead, he became two-faced and very ambitious when he had the power. This becomes the most obvious in Julius Caesar—Act IV, scene i lines 32-50 where we considered being the turning point of Antony when he is saying that he doesn’t want Brutus and Cassius to have too much power so he won’t have the chance of ending up like Caesar being killed by the conspirator. In this scene, students notice Antony’s selfishness and know that he wouldn’t be a good emperor like Julius Caesar. After Octavius heard Antony’s response above Octavius doesn’t seem to be on the bad side where Antony is and this is symbolic because he still listens and follows what Antony said. A classmate concluded from this that Octavius isn’t as power-hungry as Antony, but Antony is extremely ambitious even though he may seem to be very simple and obedient at the beginning, we saw a different side of him from this conversation. Overall, from Julius Caesar—Act IV, scene i, students discussed the character trait that Antony demonstrates in this scene is much different than what we have thought of before, especially after he had the power that he never had before. 

"What is Symbolism?": A Literary Guide for English Teachers and Students - YouTube

This enrichment will show a furthermore detailed explanation of Symbolism in literature.

WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION:

In this scene we see a different side of Antony. What things does he say that appear out of character with the simple and honest man he appeared to be in the previous act?

My classmate and I both thought it was ironic that Antony told people to go against the conspirator but he is kind of a conspirator himself to his teammate, for example, he agrees that his nephew should die and Lepidus should be used to do hard work. Furthermore, he wanted to reduce what everyone will get from Caesar’s will so that he could have more. From the decision that Antony made he doesn’t appear to be as simple and honest like what he appeared to be in the previous act

Do Now:         WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION

Consider Brutus 

• Predict the role he will play in the conflict with Antony as we move toward the conclusion of the play. 

• Do you feel he will emerge a confident leader? 

• Do you feel he will still be swayed by the opinions of others? Etc…

The class thinks Brutus is gullible and can be swayed again since he was easily swayed by Cassius before. We also thought Brutus could be a confident leader, a classmate can see him as a good leader based on the good conversational skill that he used during his speech and as we know from the beginning Brutus decided to be a conspirator out of his love and care for the people in Rome. 

Dénouement: The final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.

The class determined that the act and scene that we are focusing on now was towards the Dénouement of the play, the scene that will lead to the final solution. Below is a link for more detailed information on Dénouement.

dénouement - YouTube

We later started to read Julius Caesar—Act IV, scene ii 

15 JC: IV, ii & iii [Pt 1] - Google Docs 

05 - Act 4 Scene 2.mp3 - Google Drive

The class didn’t finish the questions for Julius Caesar–Act IV, scene ii yet but the questions will be done and further discussed tomorrow in class.

Reflection:

    In today’s lesson, I learned Dénouement was a series of events that would happen before the final resolution of a play. Now we are on Dénouement going to the end, I know this because the climax is when Julius Caesar was assassinated and the event that is happening now is after the assassination. From today’s lesson, I also learned and found out that Antony isn’t as simple as we have thought of before. After he has real power in his hand he becomes ambitious and two-faced, before, he shows full obedience to Caesar but now he’s trying to disobey him and reduce what everyone will get from Caesar’s will and to take some of it for himself. I believe we learned Dénouement so in the future, we can determine it and use it to understand the context of the literature more. We saw this in Julius Caesar’s play and I believe it will appear more often in the future. The discussion that we made today would let me have a better understanding of the play. I can use the information we learned today when I’m reading literature and will be able to know which part of the literature I’m on so I can have a better connection of it to the entire plot. In the future, I can also use what I learned today to create a better plot diagram. In conclusion, I learned Dénouement and we are reading the Dénouement of Julius Caesar play now and in this part of the play, the unknown side of selfish Antony was revealed to the reader.

Blogger #30 - Shao Quan Wang - Period 2 - 11/04/2021

Blogger #30 - Shao Quan Wang - Period 2 - 1/13/2022

Aim: How can analyzing the new triumvirate, and the conspirators, illuminate a clear comparison of the conflicts?

Do Now:                 PAIR/SHARE   

In Act III, scene ii, we witnessed speeches from both Brutus and Mark Antony. Based on what we read and viewed in the film, how do you think Brutus feels after witnessing and hearing Antony’s speech? Do you think he should be doing anything at this moment? If so, what?

    In the beginning of class we discussed the feelings and his decision after Antony’s powerful speech. As we have said in class, Brutus has made a terrible decision of not killing Antony before when he had the chance too. Someone mentioned that Brutus thought that Antony was a “headless chicken running around without the guidance of Caesar”. This is quite ironic because Brutus didn't think Antony was able to deliver such a speech so he spared him but now that the crowd was on Antony’s side, we can suggest that Brutus definitely regrets not killing Antony. At this point, Brutus should just go home and protect his family since the crowd has said to burn his property. 

Teamwork

1. TRIUMVIRATE: -  a group of three men holding power

What could be some strengths and weaknesses of a triumvirate?

From what we have mentioned in class some of the strengths of this is that there will be more opinions on the table and it could possibly come out to be a better decision. As people have quoted, “3 brains are better than 1 brain.” Some of the weaknesses is that not all people agree with each other and this can cause a dispute. We see this with Caesar and Pompey, where Caesar killed Pompey over a dispute between the two. 

2. Consider the fact that 2 sides are now clearly established: Antony and Brutus.

Based on your knowledge, list the potential strengths and weaknesses of Mark Antony’s team and Brutus’ team at this point in the play.

Strengths of Antony:

- Antony has the favor of the people (He has power to puresuade them to do something)

- Antony is really intelligent which is showed from his quick thinking of the speech and just after a spectacular speech that Brutus did, Antony managed to one up that speech. 

- Antony is also really persuasive, which is displayed from his ability to change the side the crowd is on with just one speech. 

Weakness of Antony:

- Antony doesn't have as much power or fame as Brutus and the other Conspirators. But this doesnt stop hjim from beating the well respected and honorable Brutus. 

Strengths of Brutus: 

- Brutus has a lot of power and respect from the Citizens of Rome. (This won’t really matter at this point anymore since he already lost the crowd).

- Brutus also respects his wife a lot, he is able to make choices with her opinion incorporated. (The respect Caesar has for his wife leads to his downfall). 

Weakness of Brutus: 

- He has lost the respect that the people gave him. ( Would pose a major threat to Brutus.)

- He underestimates Antony which leads to his defeat in the battle of winning the crowd over. 

- Brutus is a traitor to Caesar which shows that he could be manipulated. (This was what Cassius had taken advantage of to get Brutus to kill Caesar).

Discuss what you believe Comic Relief is.

 Do Not use the internet!!!

What purpose(s) do you believe it serves and why do you believe so?

We discussed in class that Comic Relief is when there is a break in tension, seriousness, or mood in a tragedy. Comic Relief is used to show the seriousness of the situation. For example, in the beginning of the play, when the shoe menders said a pun about “soles” and “souls”. It broke the tension between the 2 people that were foul mouthing Caesar for killing Pompey. This break in the tension gives us time to think about just how serious that situation was because all the chaos that is happening all stems from Caesar killing Pompey. 

Julius Caesar 

Act III, scene iii

(This is a copy of the comic relief of Cinna the Poet and the Triumvirate)

Julius Caesar—Act III, scene iii [2 pgs]

What purpose does it serve in this scene? (Cinna the Poet)

The purpose this scene served was to show just how hard Antony got the Citizens of Rome to be on his side. We see here that Cinna the Poet is being accused of being Cinna the Conspirator, and there is a funny moment/ break in tension but this shows us just how severe the hatred the Citizens have for the Conspirators. 

Julius Caesar 

Act IV, scene i

(same as scene 3 but on the second page)

Julius Caesar—Act IV, scene i [2 pgs]

1. Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus are the Second Triumvirate.

1. Evaluate their equality. Do they appear to be equals? Find Textual Evidence to support your response. 

From what my group has discussed, we responded that they were not equal. From what Antony said to Octavius, “ Octavius, I have seen more days than you”, it indicates that the decisions that Antony makes would be a lot better since he has more experience and Octavius lacks it. It can cause Antony to sway the opinion of Octavius and use him as his puppet. 

2. Why does Lepidus agree that his brother should die, and what condition does Lepidus attach to his agreement?

Lepidus agrees that his brother (Cinna)  should die because he has betrayed Caesar but he only agrees on the condition of executing Antony’s sister’s son (his Nephew) and Publius. 

Reflection - 

In today’s lesson I have learned that comic relief is a really powerful tool in the art of writing a tragedy. It opens the eyes of the audience and it makes them realize just how serious this scene actually is. We learned this thing because this could aid us in writing class next semester. This opens the eyes of the audience and it makes the audience say “Wow”. It also breaks the tension which is good because we wouldn't want the audience to always focus on the tension between things, we want to break it so that we give the audience a minute of reflection and this could create a deeper story and would really make the audience go crazy. This could benefit me in the future because I can have a different impact on what I write. This will give my story more of an impact/ a punch, and my teachers would be really proud of what I write.