Hi, Leah! I loved your presentation and how it fit the design fit the themes perfectly. (Sidenote: I especially loved the color symbolism of the leaves gradually changing color as if they were "withering", as does innocence in a character's bildungsroman.)
First, I'd like to answer the question you posed at the beginning of your presentation: does the amount of literary criticisms about a novel measure its value? No. Although A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is lacking in its literary criticism, I believe that it is an extremely valuable piece of literature both stylistically and thematically. You made this very apparent throughout your presentation. By paralleling her own life with Francie Nolan's life in the novel, we can understand the complexities within the novel through a very personal touch. Additionally, the Marxist perspective,Catholic values of spirituality and hard work within a dystopian Brooklyn, themes of Political upheaval that act as Nolan's political commentary on a coming of age, female roles, the American dream and the wealth gap are applicable to many AP Prompts and display how Nolan views the world. Stylistically, I enjoyed your discussion of the simplicity of syntax and how it made the novel more relatable, acted as the dystopian society and embodied a coming of age.
Second, I thought that the bit about the difference between a C and A paper was very helpful. I had many of the same issues as you did initially, only skimming the surface of my novel. Remembering to not only identify and analyze literary devices but looking at how they CONTRIBUTE to the larger work is what makes an A paper. I think that your presentation did a good job on looking on how to dive deeper into a work.
Firstly, I wanted to address the fact that you and I chose the same topic to address for the research paper; I think that this particular topic regarding cultural, physical, or geographical surrounding is extremely universal and can be applied to almost any merited piece of literature or works from the literary canon. Your slide with the side-by-side comparison between Betty Smith and Francie Nolan perfectly articulated the parallels that exist in their surroundings. The application to the bildungsroman and familial themes was very convincing in that I was ultimately persuaded that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is undoubtedly a merited piece of literature that deserves more recognition through literary criticism.
I enjoyed the subtitle to your slide regarding “The Arduous Voyage Across Three Letter Grades” (love the slight touch of humor) and I think that you did a great job of highlighting the differences between an A and a C paper. The inclusion of both versions of the theses clearly shows the depth of complexity, coherence, and purpose that is well articulated in your final thesis. This is a great detail to point out, as a high scoring AP essay must include complexity and the answer to the question “so what”?
Hi lovely ☺ As per usual, you are a trailblazer, and this project further proved that you have no problem carving out your own path. Yeah, there wasn’t much literary criticism on this book, but thanks to you there is now. I loved how you analyzed the book thematically and stylistically in order to prove its literary merit. The realism that permeates this presentation (and apparently your book too) adds such an authentic flair. You took things that are relatable like parent/child conflicts and socioeconomic struggles and added an element of complexity that makes them viable topics for the AP exam.
You probably had one of the most helpful segments on AP application. I know how hard you worked to make your essays better, and I love how you shared that knowledge with the class. You made sure to tell us all how important it was to not only state what is happening, but WHY it has value. Your journey made you a stronger writer, and in that process you chose to share that improvement with the rest of us. Your focus on finding the complexity in everything was so relevant to this class. Overall, the amount of effort you put in definitely showed through in this amazing project, and I know that you will continue to work hard as you carve your path to success in NYC.
I thought your presentation was absolutely splendid. I love the paradox of the title "Complex Simplicity" and I feel that it does a wonderful job of initially conveying what your presentation discusses. I appreciated your attention to Betty Smith's multiple character viewpoints and how these viewpoints formulate a comprehensive viewpoint on the poverty that occurred in Brooklyn, NY. It was interesting how you noted the Marxist perspective of Smith's writing and how this correlated to her viewpoints on poverty. It was also very unique how you tied in her catholic upbringing as a potential source for holistic analysis on society and its incompetence in managing poverty.
I noticed that you maintained solid topic sentences that reinforced specific points in your thesis. I believe you were the only one to contrast "Angela's Ashes" with your author's novel, and reveal the similarities and differences in each writing style. I thought that this distinguished your presentation from many others. As a final word from me to you, and having watched so many of the plays you've performed in, and realizing how talented and passionate you are about music and theater. I am confident that you will find success in New York. I once asked you if you were bound for Hollywood, but you told me Broadway, and your passion and dedication for the fine arts is uncompromising. I wish you the best of luck and I hope to see you in New York one day.
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ReplyDeleteHi, Leah!
ReplyDeleteI loved your presentation and how it fit the design fit the themes perfectly. (Sidenote: I especially loved the color symbolism of the leaves gradually changing color as if they were "withering", as does innocence in a character's bildungsroman.)
First, I'd like to answer the question you posed at the beginning of your presentation: does the amount of literary criticisms about a novel measure its value? No. Although A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is lacking in its literary criticism, I believe that it is an extremely valuable piece of literature both stylistically and thematically. You made this very apparent throughout your presentation. By paralleling her own life with Francie Nolan's life in the novel, we can understand the complexities within the novel through a very personal touch. Additionally, the Marxist perspective,Catholic values of spirituality and hard work within a dystopian Brooklyn, themes of Political upheaval that act as Nolan's political commentary on a coming of age, female roles, the American dream and the wealth gap are applicable to many AP Prompts and display how Nolan views the world. Stylistically, I enjoyed your discussion of the simplicity of syntax and how it made the novel more relatable, acted as the dystopian society and embodied a coming of age.
Second, I thought that the bit about the difference between a C and A paper was very helpful. I had many of the same issues as you did initially, only skimming the surface of my novel. Remembering to not only identify and analyze literary devices but looking at how they CONTRIBUTE to the larger work is what makes an A paper. I think that your presentation did a good job on looking on how to dive deeper into a work.
Hi Leah!
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I wanted to address the fact that you and I chose the same topic to address for the research paper; I think that this particular topic regarding cultural, physical, or geographical surrounding is extremely universal and can be applied to almost any merited piece of literature or works from the literary canon. Your slide with the side-by-side comparison between Betty Smith and Francie Nolan perfectly articulated the parallels that exist in their surroundings. The application to the bildungsroman and familial themes was very convincing in that I was ultimately persuaded that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is undoubtedly a merited piece of literature that deserves more recognition through literary criticism.
I enjoyed the subtitle to your slide regarding “The Arduous Voyage Across Three Letter Grades” (love the slight touch of humor) and I think that you did a great job of highlighting the differences between an A and a C paper. The inclusion of both versions of the theses clearly shows the depth of complexity, coherence, and purpose that is well articulated in your final thesis. This is a great detail to point out, as a high scoring AP essay must include complexity and the answer to the question “so what”?
Great job hun!
Hi lovely ☺ As per usual, you are a trailblazer, and this project further proved that you have no problem carving out your own path. Yeah, there wasn’t much literary criticism on this book, but thanks to you there is now. I loved how you analyzed the book thematically and stylistically in order to prove its literary merit. The realism that permeates this presentation (and apparently your book too) adds such an authentic flair. You took things that are relatable like parent/child conflicts and socioeconomic struggles and added an element of complexity that makes them viable topics for the AP exam.
ReplyDeleteYou probably had one of the most helpful segments on AP application. I know how hard you worked to make your essays better, and I love how you shared that knowledge with the class. You made sure to tell us all how important it was to not only state what is happening, but WHY it has value. Your journey made you a stronger writer, and in that process you chose to share that improvement with the rest of us. Your focus on finding the complexity in everything was so relevant to this class. Overall, the amount of effort you put in definitely showed through in this amazing project, and I know that you will continue to work hard as you carve your path to success in NYC.
I thought your presentation was absolutely splendid. I love the paradox of the title "Complex Simplicity" and I feel that it does a wonderful job of initially conveying what your presentation discusses. I appreciated your attention to Betty Smith's multiple character viewpoints and how these viewpoints formulate a comprehensive viewpoint on the poverty that occurred in Brooklyn, NY. It was interesting how you noted the Marxist perspective of Smith's writing and how this correlated to her viewpoints on poverty. It was also very unique how you tied in her catholic upbringing as a potential source for holistic analysis on society and its incompetence in managing poverty.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that you maintained solid topic sentences that reinforced specific points in your thesis. I believe you were the only one to contrast "Angela's Ashes" with your author's novel, and reveal the similarities and differences in each writing style. I thought that this distinguished your presentation from many others. As a final word from me to you, and having watched so many of the plays you've performed in, and realizing how talented and passionate you are about music and theater. I am confident that you will find success in New York. I once asked you if you were bound for Hollywood, but you told me Broadway, and your passion and dedication for the fine arts is uncompromising. I wish you the best of luck and I hope to see you in New York one day.
Alex