A Reflection on Unstructured Learning

The theme of this piece is the idea of a universal learning environment where ideas, knowledge and wisdom can come from anywhere at anytime and potentially launch a person into the stars if their inspiration and determination is strong enough. The whole idea that the sarcastic remark "Nite Owl" becoming the name for a potential hero exemplifies this point.

Studying So Far

I looked over some of the multiple-choice questions today and realized that on many questions I saw reasonably correct answers and couldn’t really decipher the correct answer from the bunch.  As long as I was able to slip inside the story I did fine. I was able to identify conflicts and points of view very well. I was able to get into the minds of the characters very well. However my only draw back was when the question mentioned that the story was really some sort of allegory or fable. Then I started to second guess myself and end up with not being able to answer the question because I could argue all of them being right like what I said above.

Macbeth Essay Prompts

1996     Hawthorne’s “Judge Pyncheon” from House of the Seven Gables:  Analyze how the narrator reveals the character of Judge Pyncheon.  Emphasize such devices as tone, selection of detail, syntax, point of view.

1999     Cormac McCarthy’s The Crossing:  Show how the author’s techniques convey the impact of the experience on the main character.

2005    Katharine Brush’s “Birthday Party” (1946): Write an essay in which you show how the author uses literary devices to achieve her purpose.

My Ap plan

My plan is to know the literary terms and familiarize myself with the AP test-makers' writing style so I will be able to percieve the answers they deem as correct. I am a horrid test taker and what I think is right or important often is not seen as such for the people who write these exams. I will be mainly focusing on the multiple choice styled questions this week and then focus almost soley on the essay responses next week. Oh, and during the course of both weeks I will be using the AP literary terms so I am not stuck with a clutch of words/terms I can only use or recognize. That way I will get a better understanding of the test-makers' language in the multiple choice and use it in the essay response.

Macbeth Soliloquy

Macbeth Lecture Notes

Pre-murder

Macbeth simple play, rise and fall of a great man

            Act 3 he is already king

            Act4-5 is fall of Macbeth

Macbeth doesn’t let us get in his mind

            Porter is only comedy in play

Interested in the character Macbeth

            Tragic hero- flaw is ambition

            Has a ton of potential

            At end of the play, wife is dead, friends have left him, hopes dashed and he is

completely alone

Macbeth is never deceived or used

            More he tries to make situation better the worse it gets

Nature of the challenge creates a sort of prolonged suicide

            Kills King and is still not happy with position

Wants to become king- obvious

            Part of a plan he isn’t aware of

Both Banquo and Macbeth skeptical of witches, but Macbeth already had ideas about

killing the king

Desire for kingship conflicts with morals

Macbeth tackles issues head on and has mental strength to continue goals

Lady Macbeth keeps dream of kingship alive-she is pure evil, desire

            Cognitive dissonance with loving mother

Animos- masc.

Anima- fem.

How can Macbeth murder, puts himself in situation and then forced to carry our killing

Macbeth freely embraces evil, crazy imagination drives him

            As King

On a slippery slope, kill one kill them all

Villain plus conscience equals tragic hero

He is an addict to ambition because of loss of self control

Macbeth has outward courage but no inner courage

Lady Macbeth’s inner world folds on her and subconscious kills hers because she can’t

                        Issues of inner world

She feels out of control and then kills herself

Macbeth Notes

The story takes place in Medieval Scotland and Britain. Macbeth kills the traitorous thane of cawdor, and soon the fates come and tell him a prophecy about him becomming the future king and that his friend Banquo will be both greater and lesser than he. Soon Macbeth is told that he is next in line for the kingship. Lady Macbeth then harasses Macbeth into slaying King Duncan and creates a cover story for both of them. Duncan's sons flee the murder thinking they will be next and try to raise an army in England. He then kills Banquo because of what was mentioned in the prophecy. Banquo's son flees to England as well. Macduff becomes suspicious of all the killings and deserts Macbeth as well, who then later kills Macduff's wife and kids. Lady Macbeth realizes the horror that she created in Macbeth and kills herself. Macbeth is grieved but undettered in his quest for kingship. The witches warn that Macbeth will be invincible until the Birmam woods move and that he will be slain by one born not of a woman, who turns out to be Macduff who was born by c-section. Macbeth gets beheaded by Macduff in combat and Duncan's son, Malcolm becomes king.