alexandraloyd-blog

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last update

I have officially finished my project and it’s a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I never thought I was going to finish, let alone a week before the deadline. It wasn't actually as bad as I had thought it would be. I spent a lot of time stressing about the general introduction but once I sat down and cranked it out, it wasn't even difficult. I think this was a good project and it definitely prepared me for future torture once college starts. I definitely think this project should be kept for next year, it’s really not as bad as everyone says it is. 

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I would take Four from Divergent to prom with me because he seems like a really nice guy. He puts his friends and anyone he cares about before him, and never acts selfishly. He’s incredibly brave and strong when it comes to being face to face with bad situations, but he also seems to have a more mellow side. He seems like he’d be a fun person to talk to and he has an interesting back story. And let’s be honest, he’s really attractive. 

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research #3

I just finished writing my abstract and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I kept finding myself summarizing the book more than the criticism, because I could see the moves that the author was making and connect it back to the book. It was difficult to actually just summarize what the AUTHOR was doing and not my book. I dont know if I even did it exactly right but it’s a relief to have one down.

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research #2

I just finished annotating my first criticism and let me tell you, it didn’t start off easy. I had my phone’s dictionary app open the entire time and had to look up just about every other word. I felt very discouraged until I started the second draft read and had a sudden epiphany; I understood what the author was doing and trying to say and it totally worked. Now I know what to write in my abstract. I hope it’s not as hard as people are saying it is.

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I did some research on Aretha Franklin and it said that she met Whitney Houston when she (Houston) was just a little girl and fell in love with her talent. Aretha Franklin adopted Whitney Houston as her “god-daughter”; (not officially, but they were close friends) I think that Whitney Houston’s voice owes something to Aretha Franklin because she was not only her mentor, but also inspired her music style. Whitney Houston as an artist without the influence of Aretha Franklin would have been totally different.

The two sang a duet together called “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be” http://youtu.be/rDhSJM4JYO8

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Shima and I forgot to take a picture at the U of M library while getting our criticisms (SO I REALLY HOPE KREINBRING DOESNT MAKE US GO ALL THE WAY BACK THERE) so here is my picture with them. The internet database was down or something so I got 2/3 of mine from books. I made copies of them and now I am trying to three draft read them, which is VERY painful, I might add. I really hope that these criticisms are okay because I started annotating them but cant ask Kreinbring if they're okay until tomorrow. yay ap lit!

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The ending of your book was almost the opposite of mine. I expected the entire time that at the end, my character wS going to kill herself. In the end, she ended up living, and I was suprised. My entirely depressing book actually had a happy ending.

This is it.

When we left off in the first half of Part Three, Emma had amassed so much debt that the police took notice and threatened to seize her property if she didn’t pay 8,000 francs. Well, now the police have inventoried her house, and all the while, Emma is running around desperately trying...

[alexandraloyd-blog]

I experience the same thing in my book. My main character is unique to herself and doesn't like to be like anyone else; despite being judged. She doesn't care what others think about her, which causes some conflicts along the way. She gets herself into trouble, and doesn't have a filter when she talks, so some people think that she's rude. When she was placed into an asylum, she had multiple opportunities to get out, but was sentenced to longer time because of her sassyness.

The not caring about judgement thing also reminds me of Janie. When the sitters were sitting on the porch, judging her every move, she couldnt care less.

Something different about Pride and Prejudice is that there is lengthy dialogue rather than description. This makes sense considering that it is written in third person, but it’s easier to get lost in the dialogue and forget who is talking.

One thing I love about Elizabeth is that she seems to...

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I would probably wait until you at least get most of your research done, and maybe even research the movie before you watch it. If it's like most movies, where different parts of it don't match up to the book, you could get confused while writing the essay, of what events are true to the book and what you saw in the movie.

breakfast at tiffany's {part 2}

Alright so I kinda need some advice. My book has a really famous movie that goes along with it and I’m wondering if I should wait to watch the movie until after I finish my project. Any thoughts?? I’m afraid I will mix details or who knows maybe it will help….?

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Part of my book took place in NYC as well, and basically my main character thought the same thing. She had dreamed about NYC as some fantasy for her entire life, but now that she was there, she was really unhappy. People were rich and snobby and nobody was truely happy; all anyone cared about was money. This threw my character into a deep depression, because she realized that nothing was ever really as great as it was when you dreamt about it, and she felt trapped in the harsh reality, while all the while, dreaming of that "perfect" city life.

I finally settled on the Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. New York City is almost like a fantasy to me and I like how it is outlined in this book. The old NYC is very regulated and has a lot of rules. The rich stay rich because they marry rich and are assured a good life. It’s nice to set foot...

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I did this too! After struggling with the first few chapters, I decided to stop being stubborn and force myself to take the time and read it allowed. By doing so, I became to like the book more, because I actually was able to understand what I was reading.

For the first five chapters, I was struggling to get through the reading. I couldn’t stand the dialog and I would skip over large chunks of it. It was taking me so long to read because I was thinking so hard about what the characters were saying. Once I finished the chapters,...

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I agree, it's getting easier and easier to understand the dialouge, the more I read it. Also yes! I bothered me that Janie finally broke free from her first marriage, just to go run off with somebody else. If it were me, I would have embraced my new freedom, instead of tying myself down right away again.

Whenever I read a book or speak French, I slowly adapt to the language that is being spoken. So when I read The Scarlet Letter, after a while, I could understand what was being said. I started to read faster and then I even picked up a few words. When I speak French, after having a quick...

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reflection of chapters 1-5

At first I really didn't like the book because it was really hard for me to follow along with the dialogue without reading it allowed, so I kind of just skimmed it over. It was confusing and I was really lost. After discussing the first few chapters in our little groups, we concluded a lot of things, and I saw the potential for the book. For the next few chapters, I forced myself to take the extra time to read each sentence carefully so that I understood the dialogue, and I found that it wasnt actually THAT bad. I've been able to make some decent annotations on genius so I'm excited to see what happens to Janie next. When we harcknesses together as a class we came up with some really good stuff, and that makes me enjoy the book even more. I always enjoy books more after we discuss them in class because O tend to understand them better, only after we talk about them as a class.

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reading the work #6

Suprisingly, the book had a happy ending. Esther lived. I’m actually suprised by this. Throughout the book, Esther made SEVERAL attempts at killing herself, many different ways. That was accurate, because Plath did the same thing before she was actually successful with killing herself, too. I am suprised that Esther lived though, because that is the one thing that doesn’t match up to Plath’s life. Why did Plath give Esther the chance to live, instead of having her successfully kill herself in the end, like Plath planned, and eventually did, to herself? Maybe Esther was what Plath wanted to be. Maybe she saw Esther as a hero for being able to turn her life around; something that Plath herself was not able to do. I think that Plath wrote Esther’s character as how she portrayed herself, and as somebody that she aspired to be. Plath killed herself right after writing this book, before it was published even. Maybe she planned on getting help; but depression isn’t something you can control, and, in the end, knew that she couldn’t save herself the way that she had saved Esther.

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I kind of have that problem too. My author doesn't switch between people's stories but she switches between telling the present and the past story, which gets a bit confusing. She never says when she's transitioning, she just does it, so sometimes I read a few pages thinking it's actually happening, and then figure out she's talking about a childhood flashback.

Reading the work 1

So I’m almost 100pages in to my book Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and honestly these first 100 pages have been really confusing. Atwood keeps switching who’s story she is writing about and although it’s keeping me interested because I like seeing the different perspectives there are a lot to keep up with.

[alexandraloyd-blog]

Yeah I have that problem too! My book isn't boring but I just don't like to read and I keep finding myself zoning out and not remembering what I just read. I put on music and that helps a little bit for me, but not 100%. I cant read in silence because then I just completely zone out. I dont know what to do either, but I feel you. Good luck 😂

While I continue to read the Scarlet Letter I am figuring out so much stuff about the characters. Its definitely interesting but I am having one problem while reading. To be completely honest I’m not a big reader. For me i can be really focused during the exciting parts but sometimes I find myself...

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reading the work #5

To answer your question, clairewilliams2, no, the book being sad does not make me want to stop reading it. I really want to find out what happens to Esther, whether she lives or dies.

She continues to attempt to kill herself, but at the same time, she keeps talking herself into reasons not to. It’s like she really doesn’t want to do it, but something in the back of her mind is telling her that it’s her only choice. “Lately I had considered going into the Catholic Church myself. I knew that Catholics thought killing yourself was an awful sin. But perhaps, if this was so, they might have a good was to persuade me out of it” (Plath 164) So Esther is very suicidal but at the same time, wants someone; anyone, to help her. I’m curious to see whether she’ll win this battle against herself or not in the end.