Interpreting A Poem.

Previously, I talked about one of my favorite poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. This poem meant a lot to me over the years because it always brought me back to my elementary school days. But now that I am in my last year of high school, what better than to dissect the poem into its literary analysis? 


The speaker is most likely the author himself, but his audience is included in the poem by using words, such as "we'll" or "we". He speaks from a universal standpoint in order to capture the main idea of it all. The structure is set up into three different stanzas that include some sort of rhyme scheme. There is a repetition in the phrase, "Where the sidewalk ends...", which is a sense of imagery about the central theme. The grammar is just basically colloquial and structured to form into the poem.


There are many important images the author portrays throughout the poem as an indication for the main theme. One of these is referring to the paradise we should all dream of: "And there the grass grows soft and white, And there the sun burns crimson bright". It paints a picture of what life should really be like if we were all free from the stresses of life. We also can see the darker side of reality from this: "Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends. Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow..." Like stated beforehand, the most important words are the ones repeated, "Where the sidewalk ends". It ties in all of the examples back to the point of where we want to get in the poem. 

The overall tone to this poem is optimistic despite where our circumstances are in the time being. He is idealistic in the sense that he believes we, as a whole, can go beyond our imaginations and create a better world for our future. His diction and tone contribute to the light side of the wish for a greater place than what we know. The prosody (the way the words and flow combine to emphasize the structure and theme) is playful in the sense that this author intends this piece to be one for all ages. The wishful thinking for a better tomorrow makes it more open to everyone than other poems. 

Mock AP Essays

During the mini essay exam, I felt pretty prepared for whatever topic was thrown my way. I feel like I understood the majority of the plots and could connect literary terms to the prompts if needed. The only difficulty that I had preparation wise was that even though we had our LALAs, I would have benefited from a complete Socratic Seminar when we all finished the books to compare and contrast the novels. I learned that the AP questions were more focused on insight followed by evidence rather than comprehension. This short period essay test justified the fact that I believe I work well under pressure. I feel like I could have written more to finish an entire essay, but with the time amount allotted, I think I got my thesis and point across with an example or two for back up. Overall, with a bit more practice, I believe I can say that I'll be ready when May comes around.

ATOTC + Dickens Lecture.

This lecture conducted by Dr. Tony Williams discussed the personal connections between Charles Dickens's life and his historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Here are the accommodating notes:


 -Third city is Manchester in A Tale of Two Cities

-the preface outlines Dickens emotional attachment and influence to the story

-1857: The Frozen Deep was a play Dickens had co-wrote (with Collins) and starred in as Richard Water

-plotline is similar along the lines of ATOTC with the self-sacrifice

-met the Turnams and fell in love with Ellen (who influenced Lucie in ATOTC)

-1857: Dickens’s marriage was falling apart due to affair

-1858: public readings for profit was a big thing for him; established a new fan base for readers

-April 30, 1859: Chapter 1-3 of ATOTC published

-Dickens brought to London by his father; knew the city in and out like the back of his hand

-thought England was a “vile place” but was his “magic lantern”

-described as different atmospheres in different novels

-Dickens visited Paris; “most extraordinary place in the world” and “wonderfully expressive in character”

-Paris was his biggest inspiration of perfection for Dickens

-in ATOTC, talks about the changes that Paris goes through

-Dickens visited Paris 15 times throughout the years 1844-1868

-later investigation and articles prove the topographical locations Dickens talks about in ATOTC

- ATOTC was one of two historical novels Dickens wrote

-provides history leading up to and following the French Revolution

-the novel came out in weekly parts chapter by chapter

-Dickens illustrated (with Hablot Knight Browne) the novel on a monthly basis

-despite being historical, Dickens describes novel as being “best story ever written” due to narrative

-many of the characters (Sydney, Darnay, Lucie, etc.) were based on Dickens or other people in his life during the time

-some of the dates and ages add up as well along the lines of his personal relations to others

The Reasoning Behind Dickens.

There are many reasons in which Charlies Dickens decided to write his famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities. 


First off, he wanted to display the corruption and confusion within the feudal system. Dickens thought that the ways of the king and the monarchy were twisted; therefore, he wrote this novel to expose those horrible laws that he wished he could have changed. Dickens's tone towards what the future lies ahead for the people raised by these laws seems slightly optimistic with a touch of cynicism. 


"I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long years to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out."

Second, he knew that during the time period of the French Revolution, many people in England feared a similar even reoccurring in their country. They had just recently suffered a huge loss in the American Revolution and didn't want a repeat of that misery. Dickens used A Tale of Two Cities to emulate those fearful emotions held by the British. His use of symbolism between wine and blood foreshadowed the soon to come revolution in which things within the country would change for the good, the bad or the ugly.

"The time was to come, when that wine too would be spilled on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red upon many there."

Lastly, Dickens wrote this historically based story after being scarred for life by his father's presence in a debtor's prison. This was said to mess up his thinking for a while because after his father was released from jail, they took Dickens out of school to work. Dickens loved school so much, so leaving it was a trigger to his quasi-insanity. The imagery Dickens used throughout the novel was very descriptive, even when it came to elements the reader couldn't actually see. 

"The faintness of the voice was pitiable and dreadful. […] Its deplorable peculiarity was, that it was the faintness of solitude and disuse. It was like the last feeble echo of a sound made long and long ago."

Off Topic.

Okay, so I understand this post is not really relating to AP English. Shame on me for promoting this. But as a high school senior, I know we are all looking for scholarships. This site has thousands available for every person. It's a real site (no scam involved whatsoever) and I just want to put it out there to help everyone out.

Site:

http://www.fastweb.com/referral/kbrick6

The First 100 Pages...

As a quick review of the first 100 pages of A Tale of Two Cities, here are some lit techniques Mr. Dickens uses to get the point across:

-Juxtaposition: used to relate Paris and London as the two separate settings throughout the novel
ex) "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

-Symbolism: display the darkness of the era and a foreshadowing of the lives of the characters
ex) seeing the shadows all the time

-Diction: Dickens has a very descriptive sense of words for his writing. He is beyond wordy to the point where it draws out scenes to a tee.

-Syntax: Along with diction, Dickens's sentences are all lengthy in order to describe or set up the scene taking place.

-Tone: The tone seems to be a gloomy one to illustrate the view of the story's time period. During the Revolution, many people (especially in London) were not too pleased with the situation.

-Mood: The mood, like the tone, is more ominous and creepy. It lurks throughout the novel to create a not so happy picture for the places that the characters live in.

-Conflict (inner): Lorry dozes on and off on occasion. When he does, he has these dreams that, in a sense, reflect the horrors that life may be throwing at them in the near future. The conflict lies within these dreams corresponding to the reality of life and which one is more relevant.

-Imagery: As read, the syntax and diction add to the point of his descriptive use of imagery. Dickens can paint a picture of the situation at hand with his words in a way that makes it possible for readers to fully be aware of what's going on.

-Colloquialism: The dialogue is key to noticing how the characters don't use proper grammar. They skip to business and just talk like any other person would.

-Foreshadow: Many of the events have a sense of foreshadowing in them. They lead to the next event and influence the character's reactions to certain moments.
ex) -the news about Lucie's dad
      - Darnay's accusation/trial

10 Questions.

Wanna study for a quiz on A Tale of Two Cities? Well, it's your lucky day...

Questions
1. Why does the novel start out with the quote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."?

2. The story takes place during the French Revolution in Paris and London. Why are they chosen as the two separate cities for comparison?

3. Mr. Lorry says, "Recalled to life." What is he trying to say and what relation does it have to his life?

4. Why is Dickens's tone in the book very ominous or sad?

5. What is the big surprise about Lucie's dad?

6. How does Monseiur Defarge react to Lucie and Lorry when they come into his wine shop in England?

7. How does Lucie's dad react when Lucie shows up?

8. What is meant by the quote, "death was a recipe much in vogue,"?

9. Who is Jerry Cruncher and why is he relevant to the storyline in the current year 1780?

10. What is the relationship between Lorry and Charles Darnay?


Answers

1. That quotes symbolizes the contradictory attitudes from the two separate cities of London and Paris. While Paris was the center of the Revolution going on, they weren't in any major concern state of mind. Meanwhile, London was scared of another revolution starting. They were scarred for life by the American Revolution and did not want that to come back to haunt them like it did the first time around.

2. Like stated above in answer #1, the two cities were chosen as a sort of comparison between environments during such a huge historical event. Paris was going crazy but kept its cool. London was fearful of what they thought was going to destroy the European nation. Dickens used these two cities like a science experiment with one being the control and the other being the variable. They each took the reactions in different ways; therefore, London and Paris were the contrast of the time period.

3. Lorry is mostly talking about how troubled he is with the circumstances in his life. This phrase refers to the fact that giving himself or someone else a second chance of life is like a renewal. He will be able to start from scratch and have a clean slate at the difficult journey ahead.

4. Dickens has a dreary tone during the majority of the novel to set the scene for a gloomy life going on during the time period. London is known for its foggy setting and with the sad tone mixed in, it represents the sadness that the community feels after losing their last revolution/war. The tone also shows the character's personalities and outlooks on life.

5. Lorry and Lucie find out that Lucie's dad is not dead. He is, in fact, in jail and has been for the past 18 years. He got locked up for witnessing (and being falsely accused) a horrendous murder crime.

6. When they first walk in the shop, he ignores them like they aren't even there. After a few minutes, he talks to Lorry quickly and then leads them up some stairs. Once they reach the room they are looking for, they come to find an older man.

7. At first, he doesn't really recognize her because she has grown up since he last saw her. Then he notices her blonde curly locks as a familiar sign. He begins to assume that Lucie is his wife because of her noticeable hair. Lucie goes on to speak about what's been happening and her dad weeps with shock and joy because he has been reunited at last.

8. This phrase is meant along the lines of how to deal with crimes in the current time period. Many people who get convicted for whatever petty crime they did usually get killed because it is frowned upon to revolt against the laws.

9. Jerry Cruncher is an employee of Tellson's. He is married but he is very abusive towards his wife. He hates the fact that she has no true faith in him and beats her because of it. He becomes more involved in the storyline as he must go to the courthouse to attend to some important matters.

10. Charles Darnay is a man that has been accused for leaking secrets about the King of France, King Louis. He has to go up on trial in which Lorry is involved in as a witness to the crime.