Blog #6: Close Reading 1

"Rethinking Sleep"
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/opinion/sunday/rethinking-sleep.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Written by David K. Randall, "Rethinking Sleep" sets to prove to readers that we should look at sleep differently by using details, language, and diction.

Though people believe they know everything about sleep, Randall tries to prove us wrong. Many believe that getting a block of eight hours of sleep is the best for our minds and bodies but according to this article it is not. The details Randall uses in this article help bring this point across. First, Randall writes about how people sleep differently, "Millions of Chinese workers continue to put their heads on their desks for a nap of an hour or so after lunch" (para 4). He also compares this with people from India and Spain, showing that not everybody only sleeps at night. Continuing on the idea of napping, it is discussed how it might be best if we break our sleep up. "The cognitive benefit of a nap can could last anywhere from one to three hours..." this detail is very convincing to readers (para 14). The information of this sentence makes the benefits of napping seem very important.

Diction is also a very large part in this article. Randall uses strong words to convey the important nature of this article. The word "cognitive" is a strong piece of diction (para 14). To the average reader, the word "cognitive" implies more than it actually means, but because it sounds more formal, it emphasizes these benefits more. Another example used is, "But this directive may be part of the problem", the word "directive" in this sentence sounds forceful and commanding (para 3). It also captures the attention of the reader with the strength. Rather than saying idea or thought, the word directive helps convey the sense that we need change in how we think about our sleep. Randall also gets his point across when he says, "Strategic napping in the Rangers style could benefit us all" (para 18). Using the word "strategic"appeals to the readers. It, once again, has the connotation of importance and provides more strength to the sentence, and to Randall's point.

Lastly, the figurative language that Randall uses, too, conveys the point Randall is trying to make. Randall frequently uses personification to make the passage more appealing to the reader and interesting. Randall says,"... the tyranny of the eight-hour block reinforces a narrow conception of sleep..." the word "tyranny" is referring to sleep pattern and is a great use of personification (para 3). Tyranny stresses the control and span of our current knowledge of sleep and how we have little control over it.

The techniques that Randall uses helps emphasize the importation of our sleep problems. By using diction, details, and figurative language, the reader is convinced that rethinking sleep may not be such a bad thing.

Blog #5: Open Prompt 1

Prompt: 1974. Choose a work of literature written before 1900. Write an essay in which you present arguments for and against the work's relevance for a person in 1974. Your own position should emerge in the course of your essay. You may refer to works of literature written after 1900 for the purpose of contrast or comparison.

     In every English class taken, it seems as if majority of the focus is on pieces of work that seem ancient to us. Readings from the 1500's to Shakespeare to the 1800's, the difficulty of the language seems to lead readers to the question, "Why do I have to read this?". The point of  reading literature from hundreds of years ago seems to get past most of the readers. How is it that works such as Beowulf and Pride and Prejudice still are necessary to read now? In reality, works from before the 1900's are more beneficial for us to read today that work of our own time because the provide a historical context that we can not find anywhere else.

     Beowulf, written around 1000 a.d., is still commonly read in literature classes today. Though through translation it is not a difficult read, many still question why we would read this poem. The story line is relatively simple and isn't anything that you couldn't find in a novel more modern. But yet, Beowulf is one of the most important pieces of work found from the Anglo-Saxon time and still bears great importance today. Having read Beowulf the reader is exposed to many different aspects of Anglo-Saxon culture and life. Without the accurate recording of history, Beowulf provides us with a glimpse into the beliefs and customs of those who lived in the Anglo-Saxon time that we would not get without the this poem or from any work found in the 1900's.

     Pride and Prejudice is possibly one of the most read novels of all time. Written by Jane Austen in the 1800's, Pride and Prejudice is still commonly read today. The question still remains though, "Why should I read this?". Austen's satire provides the reader with a look into the lives of families that lived during the 19th century. The focus on marriage and courtship shows the reader the importance of marriage customs of the time and how they were not necessarily perfect. Throughout the story Jane Austen seems to undermine the ideas of her time and shows the readers the flaws found in her own time. Without reading this novel, modern readers would not understand the dark side of relationships found in that time. This is not something that we can find in modern day pieces of work. Austen offers a first hand account of what life was really like and how relationships were created and flourished, 

     Whether is be from the 1000's to the 1800's, work before the 1900's still bears great importance on readers in our time. These works provide us with a look into the opinions of authors, historical reference, and a look into many different cultures that seem almost foreign to us. Without reading works such as Pride and Prejudice and Beowulf modern day readers would miss out on learning, not just what happens in the work, but about another culture as well. 

     

Blog #4: Response to Course Material 1

     For being in AP Lit for only 4 days, we have actually covered a lot of material. From the terms test to three different PowerPoints, it is becoming clear that this class is connected in all sorts of ways. In the first week, I have noticed how everything seems to tie together. For instance, the three slideshows on Spruz that we looked at, The Rhetorical Situation, Argument, and the AP Lit Magic Question, between these presentations it was clear that they are all intertwined. To write a good essay for the AP Lit exam you must combine the ideas found in all of the presentations. First you must focus on your rhetorical situation, or how/what you want to say and determining who the audience is that you are writing for. This becomes the "roadmap" for the essay, after this you apply the concepts found in the argument slideshow. Here is where you decide your claims, warrants, evidence, and how you will convince your reader to believe what you are saying. And lastly, to tie together everything you must answer that AP Lit magic question. This question is what you want to argue and you must decide how you want to get these ideas across in your essay. By combining all three of these ideas, it will lead to a great AP essay. Along with these ideas, the vocabulary used in the essay is very important. After spending all summer reviewing our terms, we took the test. Although I knew the terms, I didn't actually know them. If you asked me the definition of anaphora, I could spit it out just perfectly, but when it came to finding the terms inside of a passage, I struggled. This was very frustrating to me and and made me feel as if I had studied for nothing. But I then realized, it's not about the grade that I got on this test, it's about how I need to find a new way to study to do better. And hopefully that will happen quickly =).