Samantha Rittenhouse

Samantha Rittenhouse

Powell

AP Literature 3rd

28 April 2013

1. Wikipedia defines “classic” literature as: a book accepted as being exemplary or noteworthy, either through an imprimatur such as being listed in any of the Western canons or through a reader's own personal opinion. And Google defined classic as being Judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind. But I believe that classic literature, well at least how it’s been provided to me, is the literature that was written even before our teachers were born.; the old books that no one has heard of outside of our English classes. What is Wuthering Heights about? I have no clue, but I heard about it in English class. The Glass Menagerie? I can’t even give you give you plot summary on that. What is A Street Car Named Desire about? Wait, I actually have read that play, first heard about it in English class. I’m not saying that all the books assigned in English are horrible, personally The Great Gatsby is my favorite book tied with the The Last Song. But I believe being that in my English classes we should have a bigger input into what we read, I’m not proposing to relax and read a Nicholas Sparks book, but rather than changing what is deemed classic, lets change the system. Set up guideline “Class this year we will read five classic books, come to a consensus on one dystopian, one American, one foreign, one pre 1900, and that final book is to be a “modern book” and prove to me why it is “classic”. For a contemporary English class the fundamentals are always needed. Start from the classics and work towards the modern for a comparison. Books taught in the contemporary English class should be nonfiction. I want to learn about other people’s lives though their experiences, not just morals though fiction. To Kill a Mockingbird is deemed “classic” because it is an old book filled with morals and literary devices that Engish teachers strive to see in their classrooms. The book incorporates the point of view through s child but has adult insight making it perfect for high school English classes. TO my definition, this book was written in 1960, so relative to it is not too old, but is borderline. I believe that because it is on the borderline of being an old novel it should be a classic and it should be in our curriculum because it teaches good morals, growing up, literary devices and many themes. To Kill a Mockingbird is any English teacher’s dream classical novel.

2. Chapter 13, Is That a Symbol? .ofHow to Read Literature Like a Professor by Foster analyzes the trickiness of the possible meanings and interpretations of symbols. Foster believes that it is important when determining a symbol to pay attention to how you feel about the text because symbols are created upon the associations and emotional reactions of the reader. Thematically the novel To Kill a Mockingbird accesses the loss of innocence due to evil, and the mockingbird symbolically represents innocence. The mocking bird is constantly referred highly by the community members of Maycomb: Miss Maudie explains “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but…sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” and Scout believes that if one were to shoot Boo Radley it would be like “shootin’ a mockingbird.” The evil that corrupts the mockingbird is a direct correlation to the evil that corrupts Tom Robinson, an innocent working man, who is tried in court on charges of raping and beating MayellaEwell. Even though the town knows that Mr. Robinson is innocent, due to racial injustice he is convicted of the charges that lead to his fatal death as he attempts to escape the confines of the jail. Tom Robinson is a mockingbird that is corrupted by evil.

3. Scout Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird and Miss Skeeter of The Help are central characters growing up in an racially prejudice southern town. Both Scout and Miss Skeeter break the common fold and build relationships with African Americans. Both girls bonded strongly with their maids and left their white communities to venture into the black community with their maids. Scout recalls going to an all-black church and being harassed for her attendance and having Calpurina harassed for working for a white family, but also recalls the nice black people that accepted her in their community. Both girls also recount the societal pressures to be a woman. Miss Skeeter is pressured into dating, marriage, children and caring for the household, and falls into the trap of dating but realizes that she should aspire to do what she wants and she takes up a career in writing. Scout feels societal pressures when she is no longer welcome to play with Jem and Dill, she wanders off to try “female activities” but always resorts back to what she wants to do, and plays with the boys. Scout is also criticized for being a young lady and wearing pants, society expected her to wear a dress. Both females live in a white male dominant society and break the rules building relationships with African Americans and not being “lady-like”.

In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.(2008)

Quote: “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your goat. Try fightin' with your head for a change.”-Atticus Finch Atticus is telling Scout not to beat up kids that make fun of him and for her to keep her composure.

Thesis: The book is told as a reflection of the main character, Scout Finch, as a child, therefore, the story is told with innocence, loyal to family, and because it is retold has minor adult commentary.(from age 5-8)

Body 1: Innocent

-doesn’t comprehend the lynch mob for Tom Robinson

-doesn’t comprehend the different life styles and manners of different social classes (yells at Ewell for using too much syrup)

-doesn’t understand why she shouldn’t be at a black church

-doesn’t understand why she shouldn’t be at the black booth at the court house

Body 2:Loyal to family

-Defends Atticus when called out for defending a black man (is called a “nigger-lover”)

-Defends her father for teaching her how to read

-becomes jealous when Jem grows up and won’t play with her

Body3:random adult commentary

-Ex. Mr. Underwood didn't talk about miscarriages of justice, he was writing so children could understand. Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping.

She provides the child prospective that it is a sin, but backs it up with adult commentary on justice.

In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice.” Choose a character from a novel or play who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. (2011)

Quote: “I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.” –Scout Finch Scout is telling Jem that there are only one type of people and that everyone must learn. And if what learn is not as much as someone else it’s okay because that’s all they can learn.

Understanding of justice: Atticus is taking a stand against in justice for Tom Robinson, by being the white attorney of a black man in a case against a white man. Sparking controversy Atticus is frowned upon by the white community. Even though Atticus is receiving a lot of attention for this act of justice, he is in no way doing it for that. He believes that Tom Robinson deserves a fair trial and that is why he is representing him.

To what degree is Atticus successful?: Atticus and Tom Robinson lose their case even though the town knew he was not guilty (racial injustice), Robinson goes to jail, Robison attempts to escape jail and is shot and killed, but Atticus raised awareness of the cause and the bond of racial injustice is slowly being to break apart.

Significance of this search for justice for the work as a whole: Atticus puts a lot of time into Robinson’s case and loses but he teaches people that the justice system should be colorblind and teaches his own children this ideology. Even though may are still raciallyprejudice Atticus’ hard work is compensated by starting to break the barrier between people, rich and poor, white and black in Maycomb. Atticus’ children finally understand what their father means by this at the end of the book (Boo Radley).

Often in literature, a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may select a work from the list below, or you may choose another work of recognized literary merit suitable to the topic. Do NOT write about a short story, poem, or film. (2002, Form B.)

Boo Radley keeps the secret of his life rather than exposing himself under th pressure of Scout, Jem and Dill. By withholding his secret the plot develops and because of other racial social injustices scout finally learns to accept everyone whether they are black, purple, stay inside all day or scream on their porch. Because Boo Radley withheld himself till the end when he save Jem and Scouts life, Scout was able to mature and learn the moral lesson that everyone should be accepted.

-Scout is now 8, rather than 5

-able to learn moral lessons –Atticus’ parenting works

Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character's actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary. (1979)

Atticus Finch

Quote: “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.” –Scout Finch

Thesis: The racial standards of Maycombcharacterize Atticus Finch drastically different; the majority of the white community believes that he is immoral for defending a black man against a white man and that his reputation and children are tainted by his associations with the black community while the some of the black and a few of the white community believes that Atticus has good morals for not caving into societal pressures and correctly defending Tom Robinson even if it does corrupt his reputation among the whites.

Body 1: Atticus has bad morals because he is defending a black man

-Called a “nigger-lover”

-Causes more stress on his family by defending the Robinson

-He guards the jail so that the white men of the town cant attack Tom Robinson with their lynch mob

-associates with the blacks too much, goes to tell Mrs. Robinson that her husband Tom Robison was dead

Body 2:Atticus has good morals because he is defending the black man and does not let racial prejudice change his morals

-does not let other people’s ideas change his racial justice

-teaches his childen good morals by not succumbing to the racial pressures of the town

-He gaurds the jail so that the white men of the town cant attack Tom Robinson with their lynch mob

-associates with the blacks too much, goes to tell Mrs. Robinson that her husband

Body 3: Why are we sympathetic to Atticus?

-Even though he is breaking the rest of the mindsets of the white men of the town he is keeping his job professional by not denying Robinson form being his lawyer, he defends Robinson in court, gains respect from the black community and teaches his children good morals, single father.

Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures -- national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a character's sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collision. Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character's response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole. (2003, Form B.)

Scout Finch

Quote: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”A conversation between Atticus and Scout in which he provides her with moral advice and wisdom. She is conflicted with how to live with sympathy and understudying of others but by the end of the book she finally understands Boo Radley’s perspective.

Thesis: Amidst racial segregated societies cultural collision forces maturing adolescents to either succumb to the racial profiling or prevail to ideology of racial equality.

Body 1: Cultural collision between blacks and whites

-example: Scout and Jem go to black church with Calpurina, not all of the people except them because they are white. Calpurina is scrutinized because she works for a white household.

-example: Riot at the jail over Tom Robinson, Scout intervenes and thecroud disperses

-example: Scout goes to the black community with Atticus

Body 2: Cultural collision of Accepting Others who are unique/different

-example: Scout, Jem and Dill torture Boo Radley but after he saves them and they meet him they realize his perspective

-example: when Scout goes to Finch Landings and fights with her cousin

-example: Scout defends her father against Cecil Jacobs (Atticus is called a
nigger-lover”

Body 3: Scout matures

-Scout realizes the perspective of Boo Radley

-“Atticus, he was real nice." "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.”

Works Cited

“AP® English Literature and Composition 2009 Free-Response Questions Form B.”AP Central

College Board. The College Board, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

“AP® English Literature and Composition 2011 Free-Response Questions.”AP Central College

Board. The College Board, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor. New York: Quill, 2003. Print.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. Print.