Masterpiece Academy Question

Hannah Savaso

Period 4

                Personally senior year was a year of growth for me. I saw growth in all aspects of my life: emotionally, academically, and physically (one inch to be exact). I learned a lot about myself, others, and the world around me. One of my biggest eye opening experiences was in my AP Literature and Composition class. Day one I could tell that senior year English was not going to be like any class I had before. This class was going to push boundaries, to make me think, to go above and beyond. All through school I had always loved learning however this year was different. This year I not only loved but also fully embraced learning. The Open Source Learning techniques presented in class made it easier to embrace learning inside as well as outside the classroom. Learning became a lifestyle not an occupation I participated in from 8 to 2.

                Open Source Learning put us students in charge of our education. Freedom? Decisions? In high school? I know it’s pretty unheard but I was a firsthand participant and witness. This new source of power gave many students including me self a sense of responsibility. I felt pride in the fact that I was entrusted to lead myself and my peers in our academic journey. After eleven long years of being told what to do, it felt well deserved to finally be able to take some control over my education.

                During the journey I have taken this past year, I found myself relating to many characters in literature. In the most recent book I read “The Book Thief” I found many similarities between myself and the main character Liesel Meminger. At first glance you may think that Liesel’s fiery attitude and witty comebacks are all that we have in common, but the similarities don’t stop there. Liesel, much like myself this year, was thrown into an environment she was very unfamiliar and uncomfortable with and was expected to thrive. After time passed, Liesal and I both learned to adapt to and love our new and very different surroundings. Besides Liesal, I found myself identifying with Bernard from “Brave New World”. In AP Lit we were all kind of Bernards, questioning the world and accepted learning methods around us. The last literary character I found myself connecting with was Jing-Mei Woo from “The Joy Luck Club”. In the beginning of “The Joy Luck Club” Jing-Mei feels unsure of herself and what she is capable of. However, as time passes Jing-Mei begins to recognize her potential and what she can achieve. This journey of self-doubt to self-realization parallels the one I endured this year.

                This year I have reconnected to and ignited a number of my passions. I would say the biggest passion I reconnected to this year was just the simple joy of learning. This year, more than any other, I appreciated what I was reading or seeing because it truly interested and engaged me. It is so easy to lose this passion when you are in classes that only use workbooks and worksheets as learning tools. In addition to learning, my passion for adventure sparked in a big way at the end of this year.  For our masterpiece, my friends and I decided to go on as many adventures as we could in the time we had left together. This project fueled my passion to travel and experience the world in its entirety.

                This past week I saw a common thread through many of the masterpiece presentations and mine. Hayley Forett’s blog “How to Love High School” highlighted a lot of the same kind of experiences that my group’s blog Theadventuresofus.tumblr.com did. Breanna, Whitney, and Eli’s theme of living each day like your last was similar to the make the most out of every day mentality my group had. Both Miranda and Danny’s videos about high school and growing up touched on the concept of fleeting time that our video did. It was eye opening to see that so many kids were/are feeling the same kind of positive thoughts that my group is about high school, graduation, and the future.

                This year I went through my own little mini version of “The Allegory of the Cave.” I learned that there are alternative and effective ways of learning that do not solely depend on lengthy textbooks and endless lectures. I was once in the cave of dark uniform education, but now I am aglow with new possibilities (and the light from my Open Source Learning computer screen). I feel enlightened and even more than that, I feel the need to share my experience with others, because after all that is what OSL is all about.

The Adventures of Us Project

 For my masterpiece I worked with Taylor Duguran, Meghan Martella and Kylie Sagasi. Our goal was go on as many adventures as possible in the time we had left together.

Here is the link to our blog: http://theadventuresofusproject.tumblr.com/

Here is the link to our Prezi: 
http://prezi.com/mjtsoqri3odi/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Here is the link to our video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnvIgZJXcPI

The Adventures of Us Project

Check out our video!

Active Reading Notes Act 5

·         Lady Macbeth alarms people by moving in her sleepwalking trance like state, complains of blood on her hands

·         Macbeth wildly making military preparations

·         Macbeth confident in his army over the approaching Englishmen, worried about Lady Macbeth

·         Macbeth is informed about Death of queen and approaching “forest” which is actually army in disguise

·         Alarms Macbeth because the “forest army” is fulfilling the first part of the witches death prophecy for Macbeth

·         Claims he will at least die fighting

·         Macbeth and Macduff fight on the battle field, Macduff wins and returns with Macbeth’s head to castle

Active Reading Notes Act 4

·         Macbeth goes to witches asking for them to tell him more prophecies

·         Witches tell him: 1. To be careful of Macduff – floating head appears

                                2. “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth”- bloody baby appears

                                3. He will die when Birnam Wood Moves

·         Lady Macbeth upset Macbeth has left her and she doesn’t know why

·         Murderers show up to the castle, stab Macduff’s son and chase after Lady Macbeth

·         Malcom speaks with Macduff and deems him a worthy ally

·         Ross appears and tells the pair of the turmoil that his befallen Scotland because of Macbeth

·         Macduff vows to get revenge after he hears that Macbeth has killed his family

Macbeth Essay Questions

1. How and why is the contrast between appearance and reality so important in the

play? Include the role the witches play in affecting the play’s events.

2. What is Shakespeare saying about the nature of prophecy and fate? Just because

the witches predict things doesn’t mean they’re able to see the future…right?

3. What is Shakespeare saying about what it means to be a man? Which

character(s) do you think Shakespeare believes is the best example of a man?

4. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change dramatically over the course of the play,

and their marriage changes, too. What are these changes, what causes them, and

how and why is their relationship in the end so different from their relationship in

the beginning?

5. At the end of the play, is Macbeth’s death a good or bad thing, i.e., are we

satisfied to see Macbeth defeated or upset to see a potentially great man fall?

Finally, is Macbeth a tragic hero?

Literature Analysis #3

The Jungle centers around a family who immigrated to Chicago’s Packingtown from Lithuania to “get rich”. The family comes in hesitant to trust Americans, but optimistic about what the future will bring. However, as time passes the family begins to realize the harsh realities of working in this industrial nightmare. The whole family finds jobs in the meat packing district and each endures their own kind of horrors. Although the novel includes a variety of characters, the plot mostly focuses on Jurgis who is the “man of the house”. The family continues to struggle  and everyone is forced to make sacrifices. They reach a breaking point when Jurgis’s wife,  Ona dies while giving birth to a still born baby. Jurgis breaks down but trudges on with the thought of his one year old so Antanas on his mind. Tragedy strikes once again when Jurgis comes home to find that Antanas has drownd in the streets. This absolutely destroys Jurgis so he leaves the family and Chicago to go live by himself in the country side. Jurgis continues to live an unstable, homeless life where he tries many different menial jobs, gets involved in crooked politics and begins to steal. Eventually Jurgis falls into a group of men who are trying to spread the idea of socialism and he joins their cause.


The obvious theme throughout this novel is that capitalism can be extremely cruel. Sinclair brings the reader on a journey of despair, tragedy and hopelessness by highlighting the evils of living in “dog eat dog world”. The true evil that is revealed that in capitalism few truly benefit while the working class faces a daily struggle of trying to stay alive.

The authors tone in this novel is sympathetic. It is evident that Sinclair feels for his characters and thinks it is extremely unjust the way they are living. Sinclair wrote this to make others aware of how horrible workers are treated so his tone is defiantly in favor of the working class.

Characterization

Sinclair uses direct characterization in the beginning of the novel when he describes Jurgis as being big, confident and strong. These traits aren’t revealed through actions they are written plainly by the author. An example of indirect characterization is when Jurgis goes after Ona’s boss for sending her to the whore house. This shows how quick of a temper Jurgis has and how deeply he cares about his poor wife.

The diction and syntax remain relatively the same throughout the novel. Sinclair varies in sentence length both the story is written simply and easy to follow. However, at the end the book becomes more technical when going in depth about politics and socialism. During these politically driven chapters there are many long speeches that Sinclair includes from various socialist supporting men.

Jurgis is practically the definition of a dynamic character. He arrives in Chicago optimistic and hopeful then when trouble falls on him he becomes hardened and dark. Later on he changes again and experiments with being a thief and having crooked morals. The novel ends with him finding hope again and having a cause, something to live for and believe in. It seems as though he goes through major personality changes frequently and I believe this to be a direct result of the corrupt, atrocious atmosphere he is surrounded by.

This book actually changed my outlook on a lot of things and affected me in a number of ways. I was disgusted by not only the food making processes but also the incredibly terrible treatment of the workers in Packingtown. The worst part of reading this novel is making the realization that the things Sinclair wrote about were based off of true events. Sure they may not have been a Jurgis or an Ona but their were/ still are thousands of millions of people who lived the terrible lives and received the despicable treatment that the characters in this book did. This book has furthered my interest in helping the poor and aiding those who do not have a voice.

 

Essay Draft/ Brainstorming

PROMPT
1979 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.

Immoral: not conforming to accepted standards

Both Bernard and John the Savage. The latter more extreme and vocal about it.

John: throws out all the soma, mourns over mothers death, disgusted by the “twins, repulsed by Lenina’s sexual advances

Lit Techniques: indirect characterization, allusions, juxtaposition

Go Go Go

Our project is officially launched! Go follow us at:
 theadventuresofusproject.tumblr.com

10 Questions

The 10 questions I would ask my experts are...
1. What's the biggest lesson your adventures have taught you?
2. Where is your favorite place you have been?
3. Who inspires you?
4. What are your plans for the future?
5. Do you regret anything in life?
6. Who do you love?
7. What do you look forward to in life?
8. What inspired your journey?
9. Tips on traveling?
10. What's the best advice you have ever received?

Literary Analysis #2

Summary: Brave New World is a science fiction novel set on Earth but far into the future. The book starts by giving an over view of the world state and showing how everything is calculated, calm and predicted. From the time they were fertilized in the lab to death, people in this Brave New World live a predetermined future. There is a very strict caste system set in place that all members of society are brainwashed into embodying.  Bernard lives in the world but his imperfections make him feel out of place in this “perfect” society. He pushes boundaries and asks the Director if he can go visit the savage reservation with a girl he likes named Lenina. On the reservation, savages live in dirty conditions but have free will and choices. Bernard is intrigued by this starkly different world while Lenina is repulsed. Bernard brings back a savage named John to the civilized world. At first John enjoys himself but as time goes on he gets angry about how everyone around him acts like clones or robots. At the climax of the book John starts pouring out and destroying cases of soma, a drug the people in the new world use often to feel happy and carefree. Due to this outburst John, Bernard and his friend Helmholtz are taken up to the Director. The Director exiles Bernard and Helmholtz off to an island but tells them that they might actually like it. John is forced to stay in the new world and goes off to live by himself up in the mountains. He works very hard daily building and gardening and occasionally whipping himself for the sins he thinks he has committed. Reporters see this and make a movie about it which draws many curious citizens to visit John at his house. A crowd is present when John sees Lenina (who he loves and is attracted too) and John snaps and runs over and starts whipping her. The crowd gets excited and circles the beating in a flurry of violence. Later Bernard is found in his house where he hung himself.

Theme: The theme of this book is that people are too dependent on technology and too submissive to authority. A combination of these two things results in a loss of individualization for virtually all of society. Everyone is living in an unrealistic bubble content living a life without freewill.

Tone: This book is a satirical cautionary tale to Huxley’s audience. His tone is disapproving but the majority of the book he presents events factually without bias.

“The operation undergone voluntarily for the good of Society, not to mention the fact that it carries a bonus amounting to six months' salary."

"You all remember, I suppose, that beautiful and inspired saying of Our Ford's: History is bunk."

"All of the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects."

Literary Techniques:

Repetition: Throughout the novel Huxley mentions that people in society are conditioned to repeat and embody certain sayings.

"Ending is better than mending. The more stitches, the less riches."

Allusion: Multiple times during the novel phrases are used that are parallel to how we would use God’s name in vain today.

“Oh, Ford!”

Allusion x 2: The use of Ford is a reference to Henry Ford who is responsible for creating assembly line production which basically represents the new world.

“Thank Ford!”

Symbolism: Symbolism is used a lot throughout the book. An example of this is the drug soma which represents and escape and disconnect from reality for the people living in the new world.

"A gramme is better than a damn."

Simile: Multiple similes are used throughout the novel to compare citizens to mindless but effective insects.

“Like maggots they had swarmed defilingly over the mystery of Linda’s death”


Characterization

Indirect/ Direct: An example of direct characterization is when Huxley flat out states that Bernard is insecure about the fact that he is shorter than the typical Alpha. In contrast, indirect characterization shows Bernard’s cowardliness when John and Helmholtz are dumping out the soma and Bernard does not help them because he does not want to get in trouble. When the police show up he even tries to tell them he doesn’t even know the pair and should not be taken into custody with them.

Syntax/ Diction: When focusing on John someone who actually shows passion and feeling both positive and negative, I found that Huxley used a slightly more dramatic word choice to emphasize the difference between him and more robotic characters like Lenina. The graphic detailed whipping scene language also serves to emphasize the contrast between John and the Brave New World.

Static/Dynamic: I believe Bernard is a dynamic character because he struggles with his motives and values throughout the novel. He at first is disgusted by society and people around him at the beginning of the book and questions his place in the world constantly. However, when he brings John back to the New World and is treated with respect and awe, Bernard seems to forget about his previous disapproval. He loves his time in the spot light and when this is taken away he gets disgusted all over again. It seems as though Bernard’s happiness is always fleeting because it depends on the approval of others.

After reading this book I didn’t really feel like I met any of the characters, but it did make me look at our world today in a new light. Is Huxley right? Is this the direction society is heading for? I hope not. The Brave New World is so cold and devoid of real passion, emotion or love. Sure the members of society in the book don’t care because they don’t know anything different. But everybody alive today and I know what these people are missing.

  

Launch

On an earlier post I elaborated on what my launch will be but I will expand upon that right now.
I am working together with Taylor Duguran, Meghan Martella and Kylie Sagisi for my masterpiece. Our plan is to create a list of things we want to do before our senior year is over like hiking, concerts, yoga, kickboxing... pretty much anything that's fun, new and exciting is welcome on the list. We are also going to integrate an element of positive change in each activity we do. The concept is to experience while also leaving someone or something better than when you found them/it. This could be passing out lunch to homeless on a trip to San Luis or planting flowers during a day of Frisbee golf at the park. We want to prove that fun and positivity go hand and hand and actually thrive off the success of the other. Anyone and everyone are welcome to join us in this movement as long as they bring an optimistic attitude. We plan to document each event with either photos or videos and then post them into one massive college of happiness on a blog.

Super Five

The Buried Life Cast: The Buried Life is a show that aired on MTV for a couple seasons a few years back. The premise of their show is very similar to my group and I's masterpiece idea. They have a bucket list of things they want to complete and on each adventure they go on they do something positive while they are there. I think this would be a great resource to reach out to because they could give us advice, tips and inspiration.

The Human Experience Cast: The Human Experience is a documentary where two brothers and their friends go out into the world and try walking a few miles in other people's shoes. They learn about other people's cultures, values, life stories etc. while out on their various adventures.

Tom Shadyac: Tom Shayac is the director of the documentary I Am. In this documentary he explores human nature in both positive and negative lights.

Roco Belik: Roco Belik is the director of another documentary that has some elements similar to I Am, called Happy. Belik would be a good contact because he could tell us about his journey while filming this movie and how it effected him.

My Team

I think today has been the most productive masterpiece day to date. Before today I didn't really have a set project or specific thing I wanted to do. After talking with a few of my fellow classmates I found they were in the same position. Our solution was to come together and collaborate on a project. Our idea is to create sort of senior year bucket list of things we want to go out and do before college. These things include hiking, biking, baking, kayaking etc. However, the twist is that on each adventure we go on, we do something positive while we are there. For example, if we go spend a day at the beach we could pick up trash while we are there.

Brave New World Essay Prompt

 1995 Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using
characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender,
race, class, or creed. Choose a play or novel in which such a character plays a
significant role, and show how that character’s alienation reveals the
surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values.

I Am Here

This semester has proven to be just as stressful as all other semesters in years past. I am here to dispel the myth the senior year is a year to relax, a "walk in the park." There is still nightly homework but in addition we now have to worry about scholarships, college applications, resumes... the list never ends! Last semester I believe I managed my time very well in relation to college applications. Unlike most things in my life, I chose to actually not procrastinate on my applications. I cannot tell you how good it felt to have everything turned in and finished a week before the due date. Unlike most of my frantic classmates, I was relaxed and confident in what I sent in. My efforts have been further rewarded because I have already received acceptance to the University of San Francisco (my top school) and Loyola Marymount because I applied early action, Although this semester doesn't have anything coming up that is as looming as college applications, there is still lots to do. I have focused a lot of my time these past few months on applying for scholarships. I feel that at this moment in time that is my top priority because as we all know college is expensive so why not try and lessen the burden while I can?

Lit Terms #6

Simile: a figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things through the use of a specific word of comparison.

Ex. She’s as pretty as a sunflower.

Soliloquy: an extended speech, usually in a drama, delivered by a character alone on stage.

Ex. To be or not to be

Spiritual: a folk song, usually on a religious theme.

Speaker: a narrator, the one speaking.

Ex. Holden in The Catcher in the Rye

Stereotype: cliché; a simplified, standardized conception with a special meaning and appeal for members of a group; a formula story.

Ex. Jocks are stereotyped as not smart.

Stream of Consciousness: the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character’s thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images, as the character experiences them.

 ex: Essays of Montaigne

  Structure: the planned framework of a literary selection; its apparent organization.

Style:  the manner of putting thoughts into words; a characteristic way of writing or speaking.

 ex: formal syle

Subordination: the couching of less important ideas in less important  structures of language.

Surrealism: a style in literature and painting that stresses the subconscious or the nonrational aspects of man’s existence characterized by the juxtaposition of the bizarre and the banal.

Suspension of Disbelief: suspend not believing in order to enjoy it.

 ex: People watch Harry Potter even though they know magic isn’t real.

Symbol: something which stands for something else, yet has a meaning of its own.

 ex: The green lantern is a symbol of hope in The Great Gatsby.

Synesthesia: the use of one sense to convey the experience of another sense.

 ex: a "soft smell”

Synecdoche: another form of name changing, in which a part stands for the whole.

 ex: Counting heads can mean counting people

Syntax: the arrangement and grammatical relations of words in a sentence.

Theme:  main idea of the story; its message(s).

Thesis: a proposition for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or disproved; the main idea.

 ex: I typically have my thesis in the first paragraph.

Tone: the devices used to create the mood and atmosphere of a literary work; the author’s perceived point of view.

 ex: anxious, exciting, dreary

Tongue in Cheek: a type of humor in which the speaker feigns seriousness; a.k.a. “dry” or “dead pan”

ex: my sense of humor

Tragedy: in literature: any composition with a somber theme carried to a disastrous conclusion; a fatal event; protagonist usually is heroic but tragically (fatally) flawed

Understatement: opposite of hyperbole; saying less than you mean for emphasis

 ex: She did one assignment her whole high school career.

Vernacular: everyday speech

Voice:  The textual features, such as diction and sentence structures, that convey a writer’s or speaker’s pesona.

Zeitgeist: the feeling of a particular era in history

Hafta/Wanna

Thinking about the future evokes a million different emotions within me. I'm anxious, I'm nervous, I'm excited... I guess I'm a little bit of everything. I can't wait to embark on a new experience and meet new people and go new places but at the same time I'm nervous to leave my comfort zone. I have only lived in Santa Maria in my whole life and have had the same friends for years and years. The thought of all this changing within a few months is enough to make me nauseous. My top choice for college right now is The University of San Francisco. I am beyond ecstatic to move to the big city that has so much going on in it. Although Santa Maria has offered me a bubble of comfort for the past seventeen years, I think I am ready for my bubble to be popped and to enter a brand new, very exciting chapter in my life.

Lit Terms #5

Parallelism: the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form.

Parody:  an imitation of mimicking of a composition or of the style of a well-known artist.

Pathos:  the ability in literature to call forth feelings of pity, compassion, and/or sadness.

Pedantry: a display of learning for its own sake.

Personification: a figure of speech attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or  abstract ideas.

Plot: a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose.

Poignant:  eliciting sorrow or sentiment.

Point of View: the attitude unifying any oral or written argumentation; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing.

Postmodernism: literature characterized by experimentation, irony, nontraditional forms, multiple meanings, playfulness and a blurred boundary between real and imaginary.

Prose:  the ordinary form of spoken and written language; language that does not have a regular rhyme pattern.

Protagonist: the central character in a work of fiction; opposes antagonist.

Pun:  play on words; the humorous use of a word emphasizing different meanings or applications.

Purpose: the intended result wished by an author.

Realism:  writing about the ordinary aspects of life in a straightfoward manner to reflect life as it actually is.

Refrain:  a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song; chorus.

Requiem:  any chant, dirge, hymn, or musical service for the dead.

Resolution: point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is worked out; denouement.

Restatement: idea repeated for emphasis.

Rhetoric: use of language, both written and verbal in order to persuade.

Rhetorical Question: question suggesting its own answer or not requiring an answer; used in argument or persuasion.

Rising Action: plot build up, caused by conflict and complications, advancement towards climax.

Romanticism:  movement in western culture beginning in the eighteenth and peaking in the nineteenth century as a revolt against Classicism; imagination was valued over reason and fact.

Satire:  ridicules or condemns the weakness and wrong doings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general.

Scansion: the analysis of verse in terms of meter.

Setting: the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem occur.

Lit Analysis #4

Plot: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway centers around an American young man named Ferderic Henry serving as an ambulance driver for the Italians in WW1. In the beginning of the novel Henry spends much of his time with his friend, a doctor named Rinaldi. The men stationed with Henry spend most of their time drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and eating. One day, Henry goes to the local hospital and meets a nurse named Catherine. The pair joke about love and getting married one day. Later on, a grenade blows up and injures Henry’s knee. He is transferred to a hospital away from the front and waits to have surgery. Catherine is also transferred to work at the same hospital and her bond with Henry grows stronger and stronger. Around the same time Henry is close to being released to the front, Catharine tells him she is pregnant. They both pledge they will have a life together after the war. Henry goes out to bring ambulances to troops with some men but the mission fails. He is captured by police but escapes and swims away in a river thinking of Catharine the whole time. He reunites with Catherine and the pair is forced to flee to Switzerland overnight in a row boat so that Henry does not get arrested for abandoning the army. The pair live a quiet, happy life in the mountains for a few months. When it is time for Catherine to have the baby many things go wrong and both she and the baby die. The novel ends very abruptly with their death and Henry walking back to his hotel.

Theme: I believe this novel emphasizes the question “Is it better to have loved and lost or to never have never loved at all?” Before Henry met Catherine he was a simple man with a grim outlook on both the war and his surroundings. At the height of his and Catherine’s relationship, Henry is ecstatic and filled with feelings of love and joy he had experienced. However, these new highs come crashing down probably far below a low he had ever experienced before when she dies. Hemingway alludes to Henry’s numb state in the end of the novel but does not go into detail about how Henry feels. This leaves the reader to infer what happens next. Judging by the fact the only thing that kept Henry sane on the front was the thought of reuniting with Catherine, I think Henry might now contemplate suicide because he feels as though he now has nothing to live for.

Tone: The authors tone throughout the novel is pretty somber. From the description of war life to the troubles Henry and Catherine face there are only short stretches of happy stress free living. Much of the novel consists of wishing for the future. A future free of fighting, death and love barriers. Although there is optimism in both characters, Hemingway writes a pretty pessimistic story.

“The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I’m not brave any more darling. I’m all broken. They’ve broken me.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Literary Techniques:

Diction: Hemingway purposely uses simple word choice and short sentence structure to create an atmosphere of disillusionment in the novel.

“There isn’t always an explanation for everything.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

First Person Narrative: Because the story is written in the first person, it makes the events much more real. The “I”s used helps the reader feel like they are there experiencing the events too.

“Keep right on lying to me. That's what I want you to do.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Allusion: Obviously many historically relevant things are mentioned throughout the novel because it revolves around WW1. However, Henry himself makes a few allusions that date even farther back.

“Napoleon victories; any Napoleon. I wished we had a Napoleon”

-Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Juxtaposition: The juxtaposition of happiness and sadness, of love and pain is evident all throughout the novel. Hemingway contrasts life’s highs (love) with life’s lows (death and destruction) frequently.

“And you'll always love me won't you?

Yes

And the rain won't make any difference?

No”

― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Simile: Similes are used at various times during the novel in the character’s dialogue.

“You look healthy as a goat.”

-Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Hyperbole: Hyperboles are used on the story to emphasize and exaggerate certain things. Hemingway’s characters can be very dramatic so the use of hyperboles is appropriate.

“But millions of fools like you don’t know it”

-Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Symbolism: Symbolism is used a great deal throughout the novel. One of the most prevalent symbols used in this story is alcohol. The ever present liquor represents the escape all the soldiers wish they could make. The flowing wine, brandy, etc. are used to help forget the present devastation.

“Wine is a grand thing," I said. "It makes you forget all the bad.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Characterization

1.       Hemingway uses direct characterization when describing Henry’s friend Rinaldi. In the beginning of the novel, he flat out states that Rinldi is a drinker who like to have a good time and mess around with Henry. Another use of direct characterization is the description of Catherine’s friend the nurse. The nurse tells the two she disapproves of them and hates Henry and Henry describes her as cold and bitter. Indirectly, Catherine is characterized when she tells Henry about the baby. She is very nervous and apprehensive so the audience is able to infer that she is very distraught at the thought of Henry leaving her. Henry is indirectly characterized when he rows all night to Switzerland. This shows his determination and strength in stressful situations.

2.       For the most part, Hemingway’s syntax and diction remains the same no matter what character he is talking about. However, the dialogue between Henry and Catherine is a little more dramatic than the rest of the novel.

3.       I believe Henry is a dynamic character because love changes him. He goes from numb to ecstatic to back to numb at the end of the novel. In the beginning of the novel we see his feelings for Catherine growing stronger and stronger as his views on love begin to change. Meeting Catherine gave him an even greater yearning to leave the war forever and live a life of peace. Love consumed him and ultimately destroyed him.

4.       I came away from this novel as if I was a part of Catherine and Henry’s tangled love affair. In the end, when Henry was waiting for Catherine to have the baby, I was stressing and worrying probably as much as Henry was. When Catherine and the baby were pronounced dead I could not help but feel lonely and betrayed by the world. It was as if I felt Henry’s pain when he did.