Response to Passing Post

A re-occuring image that I noticed was the contrast between hot and cold. The first placed I noticed it was in chapter 2, when Irene is about to encounter Clare. On page146, Irene says that their is a, "dancing blaze," and that the breaze is like a breath of a flame fanned by slow bellows."Yes! The day that Clare and Irene "meet" is full of this imagery--remember Irene goes into the Drayton to escape the oppressive heat. The next place I noticed this imagery was on page 164, when Irene is meeting Clare once more. She describes the weather as, "parched," and, "stifling." This is in contrast with the cooling, "rain," that did not fall. The speaker also refers to the, "October sunlight streaming in upon her," when she is opening Claire's letter. This imagery cannot be looked over because it sets the mood for the relationship between Claire and Irene. Nella Larson uses this heat imagery at the beginning of each chapter intentionally, to allow the reader to feel Irene's stress and anxiety she is feeling inside. The imagery is also used right before she is encountering Claire for the first few times. This is important because they are not yet completely comfortable with one another. Nella Larson uses the cool imagery as a method of relaxing the stress. Whenever Irene is cooled down she is comfortable with her relationship with Claire and confident that everything is working out.
I underlined the passive voice because you want to get out of that mode for analytical writing. Not a big deal here, but just want you to be aware of it.
Anyway, what we've got here needs a stronger bite. Larsen uses this imagery to establish tension and to relax it, but why? What's going on with this relationship? Is heat/fire symbolic of the passion that is dangerous? Is it reflective of some psychological force that Irene is trying to control/repress? Is it emblematic of desire, like the desire between these two women? Is it setting up Irene's repressed anger? Is it symbolizing Clare's passionate nature, that Irene wants to extinguish, much as one puts out a cigarette. Just before she kills/bumps/doesn't touch Clare, "Irene finished her cigarette and threw it out, watching the tiny sparks drop slowly down to the white ground below" (238). I love that.
So here's what I'd do: make a list of your evidence, or highlight it all. Then, decide what pattern makes the most sense to get you to a snappier so what.

"Passing" Post

A re-occuring image that I noticed was the contrast between hot and cold. The first placed I noticed it was in chapter 2, when Irene is about to encounter Clare. On page146, Irene says that their is a, "dancing blaze," and that the breaze is like a breath of a flame fanned by slow bellows." The next place I noticed this imagery was on page 164, when Irene is meeting Clare once more. She describes the weather as, "parched," and, "stifling." This is in contrast with the cooling, "rain," that did not fall. The speaker also refers to the, "October sunlight streaming in upon her," when she is opening Claire's letter. This imagery cannot be looked over because it sets the mood for the relationship between Claire and Irene. Nella Larson uses this heat imagery at the beginning of each chapter intentionally, to allow the reader to feel Irene's stress and anxiety she is feeling inside. The imagery is also used right before she is encountering Claire for the first few times. This is important because they are not yet completely comfortable with one another. Nella Larson uses the cool imagery as a method of relaxing the stress. Whenever Irene is cooled down she is comfortable with her relationship with Claire and confident that everything is working out.

Response to Thoreau Post

Wow--tough passage to parse! The first thing I noticed in this passage was his pathos remember--we generally talk ethos, pathos, and logos when we are looking at persuasive texts. They're the three main types of appeals in persuasive rhetoric. when discussing his spiritual connection to the universe. I also noticed the hyperbole when he explains his solitude as, "a region viewed nightly by astraunomers." Is that really hyperbole? He truly sees his home as the dominion of astronomers. These two things create a mood of mysticism proving the point that conformity is the enemy of creativity. I'm not quite with you here. How does mysticism prove conformity thwarts creativity? The next thing i noticed was his diction when placing, "celestial corner," and, "the system," directly after on another. This contrasting technique reinforces the idea that society is very mechanical and systematically makes people do things. Interesting reading. The, "celestial corner," reinforces the peace of mind from staying away from society. The next thing I noticed was his ethos when discussing the different stars and constellation showing his, "genius." The way you use "genius" here sounds like factual knowledge, not spiritual connection with the universe. Next, I noticed when he said the, "new and unprofaned universe." This contributed to Oneness, and showed that the over spirit is in nature. The Metaphor of him being a star showed the idea of improving oneself to be unique. Interesting reading of this metaphor--good. He states that he would be, "as fine a ray," in a, "moonless night." Finally, he says, "Such was that part of creation where i had squatted." This humoressly shows the important idea of happiness in romanticism.

Response to Douglass Post

You chose a great passage. It's an ideal length to read closely, and you've got a lot of elements in there to work with. The first thing i notice about this passage is the repetion Douglas uses with, "Work, work, work". This repetion shows the demanding attitude many whites had toward slaves. Yes, goodThe second thing i notice is how he interchanges the words, "long," and, "short." Interchanging these words shows that no matter what the slaves did, reward was never the outcome. By "interchanging" these words, I think you mean that he sets up parallel sentences; this certainly shows the futility of their efforts, yes. These attitudes masters had compliment each other in the first and second sentences. The next thing I notice is the personification when he uses the word, "Tamed." This is used to show how the masters treated the slaves like animals and not like equals. Nice point The Metaphor of, "breaking me," is using pathos to invoke sorrow in the reader. The Age of Reason now comes into play with the broken, "body, soul, and spirit." The, "body," shows the diminishing of the physicality and strength of manhood, the ,"soul," Remember--the ideal man is strong and sensitive shows the lessening of education, and the, "spirit," shows the dampening of religion. The Contrasting imagery of the, "spark that lingered about my eye," and the, "night of slavery," gives readers the chance to see the contrast between happiness and the life of a slave. This is also persuasion through pathos. Finally, ending with, "transformed into a brute," shows a turning point in his life of hope to a life of unhappiness. It's interesting to me, too, that he uses "brute," because he does use the word "tamed." It's clear he's resisting taking the animal comparison too far. Excellent job with this one, Michael.

p. 563, "Where I Lived and What I Lived For"

"Both place and time were changed, and I dwelt nearer to those part of the universe and to those eras in history which had most attracted me. Where I lived was as far off as many a region viewed nightly by astronomers. We are wont to imagine rare and delectable places in some remote and more celestial corner of the system, behind the constellation of Cassiopeia's Chair, far from noise and disturbance. I discovered that my house actually had its site in such a withdrawn, but forever new and unprofaned, part of the universe. If it were worth the while to settle in those parts near to the Pleiades or the Hyades, to the Aldebaran or Altair, then I was really there, or at an equal remoteness from the life which I had left behind, divided and twinkling as fine a ray to my nearest neighbor, and to be seen in only in moonless nights by him. Such was that part of creation where i had squattted;-"

The first thing I noticed in this passage was his pathos when discussing his spiritual connection to the universe. I also noticed the hyperbole when he explains his solitude as, "a region viewed nightly by astraunomers." These two things create a mood of mysticism proving the point that conformity is the enemy of creativity. The next thing i noticed was his diction when placing, "celestial corner," and, "the system," directly after on another. This contrasting technique reinforces the idea that society is very mechanical and systematically makes people do things. The, "celestial corner," reinforces the peace of mind from staying away from society. The next thing I noticed was his ethos when discussing the different stars and constellation showing his, "genius." Next, I noticed when he said the, "new and unprofaned universe." This contributed to Oneness, and showed that the over spirit is in nature. The Metaphor of him being a star showed the idea of improving oneself to be unique. He states that he would be, "as fine a ray," in a, "moonless night." Finally, he says, "Such was that part of creation where i had squatted." This humoressly shows the important idea of happiness in romanticism.

FD: Close Reading

Frederick Douglas, P. 38
'
"...Work, work work was scarcely more the order of the day than the night. The longest days were too short for him, and the shortest nights too long for him. I was somewhat unmanageable when i first went there, but a few months of this discipline tamed me. Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!"

The first thing i notice about this passage is the repetion Douglas uses with, "Work, work, work". This repetion shows the demanding attitude many whites had toward slaves. The second thing i notice is how he interchanges the words, "long," and, "short." Interchanging these words shows that no matter what the slaves did, reward was never the outcome. These attitudes masters had compliment each other in the first and second sentences. The next thing I notice is the personification when he uses the word, "Tamed." This is used to show how the masters treated the slaves like animals and not like equals. The Metaphor of, "breaking me," is using pathos to invoke sorrow in the reader. The Age of Reason now comes into play with the broken, "body, soul, and spirit." The, "body," shows the diminishing of the physicality and strength of manhood, the ,"soul," shows the lessening of education, and the, "spirit," shows the dampening of religion. The Contrasting imagery of the, "spark that lingered about my eye," and the, "night of slavery," gives readers the chance to see the contrast between happiness and the life of a slave. This is also persuasion through pathos. Finally, ending with, "transformed into a brute," shows a turning point in his life of hope to a life of unhappiness.

Response to Patrick Henry Post

The first thing I notice about this speech is the pathos. Patrick Henry appeals himself to his audience in the first sentence by stating how, "highly," he respects their patriotism. Why do you consider this pathos and not his attempt to establish his ethos? It strikes me as total ethos. This is important because of the strong oppostion he states later in the piece. He also uses repetion by calling his rivals, "gentlemen," giving them respect. Ethos again! The next thing I notice is his aphorism when saying, "But different men often see the same subject in different lights," showing the importance of diverse opinion to his opposers. Interesting. Then, it is kind of a pre-emptive antithesis. These first two sentences are also extended greatly.Extended? You mean long? This extended tecnique is important because of the sudden change in the 3rd sentence. This sentence is only six words, compared to the previous fourty-seven word sentence. No need for the word count. Go ahead and quote that shorty. The reason why this short sentence is significant is because of the change in tone. This is smart reading, Michael. Just finish the thought. How does the tone shift, and why? The purpose of the article from this point is to invoke change aggressively versus the tone of appealing.
The allusion of God well, it's not really an allusion also appears at this point and beyond. The word, "Ceremony, God, Majesty of Heaven, and Kings," appear in these five sentences. This alluding is intense pathos ethos, too! because of the importance of religion in this time. Good. Just keep their version of God in mind. In here we see the Age of Reason God, who endowed men with certain inalienable rights, among them the right to liberty. Of course, it's a big smack at King George, whose rule is nothing next to "the Majesty of Heaven." Repetition also occurs in the word, "freedom." This repeated word smoothes out the transition between the argument of slavery and freedom of debate. I don't follow the previous sentence. It'd be hard to make too much of his assertion that this is matter of freedom and slavery, since this phrase begins the extended metaphor that controls the rest of the piece, and since ultimately, this is a question of liberty or death. The final thing I notice is the alliteraiton of the, "s," sound when closing the paragraph. Where? What words stand out as a result? This gives a punch to the closing line and furthers the tone of aggresiveness.
You're really working at this, Michael, and I want you to know that I see that. My comments are intended to show you how to keep pushing deeper, how to connect all the pieces you see to a larger "so what' and how to clearly articulate what you're seeing. Keep at it!

Patrick Henry: First Paragraph

The first thing I notice about this speech is the pathos. Patrick Henry appeals himself to his audience in the first sentence by stating how, "highly," he respects their patriotism. This is important because of the strong oppostion he states later in the piece. He also uses repetion by calling his rivals, "gentlemen," giving them respect. The next thing I notice is his aphorism when saying, "But different men often see the same subject in different lights," showing the importance of diverse opinion to his opposers. These first two sentences are also extended greatly. This extended tecnique is important because of the sudden change in the 3rd sentence. This sentence is only six words, compared to the previous fourty-seven word sentence. The reason why this short sentence is significant is because of the change in tone. The purpose of the article from this point is to invoke change aggressively versus the tone of appealing. The allusion of God also appears at this point and beyond. The word, "Ceremony, God, Majesty of Heaven, and Kings," appear in these five sentences. This alluding is intense pathos because of the importance of religion in this time. Repetition also occurs in the word, "freedom." This repeated word smoothes out the transition between the argument of slavery and freedom of debate. The final thing I notice is the alliteraiton of the, "s," sound when closing the paragraph. This gives a punch to the closing line and furthers the tone of aggresiveness.