Douglass

Diamond Bell
AP English III
Douglass
10/13/09

Frederick Douglass was a very determined and accomplished man. He was born a slave in 1818. He had the strong will of more than just a man but a survivor.
He was sensitive but yet still bold. With Frederick’s conditions he still learned how to read and write, only because he was determined and dedicated. He goes on to describe how the process of his changes in life in the story. In some ways he admired her until her husband changed her ways. He experienced many disturbing things but he developed into something much more. The reality of him being a slave broke him down. He used great diction and words u wouldn’t even think a slave would know. He was destined and determined to be something more than just a black slave. He had the will and power to change his life and he did.

WHITMAN!

Diamond Bell
AP English
Spontaneous Me
10/13/09

Walt Whitman was a man of every emotion possible. Walter Whitman was born May 31, 1819 and he soon grew to be an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. Whitman was somewhat of a renaissance man. He was a part of the transition between Transcendentalism and realism; he incorporated both views in his works. Whitman was one of the most influential poets in history. His work was very controversial in its time. He had sexuality and sensation in some of his writings. Even though he was criticized for his writings the writings still went down in history and were popular amongst many people. He had a creative side of him in which he could make imagery out of anything. The poem, Spontaneous Me, embodies something much more than just a regular poem that rhymes. It has randomness and spontaneity in it. The first topic that Whitman speaks of is nature. He mixes nature and human nature in the poem. “Two sleepers at night lying close together as they sleep, one with an arm slanting down across and below the waist of the other.” That quote is one example of human nature. He creates pathos with the sincerity of his words and how heartfelt he is about his writings. He uses sexuality many times in this poem. “The hairy wild-bee… that gripes the full-grown lady-flower, curves upon her with amorous firm legs, takes his will of her, and holds himself tremulous and tight till he is satisfied” I can understand why Whitman was criticized for his writings back then just because of the previous quote used. He had the ability of creating a poem with so many different things and made all of it make sense. He had the ability to capture the reader’s attention and allow his true feelings to come out. He used similes and great diction all over Spontaneous Me.

Desiree's Baby

Diamond Bell
AP English III
Desiree’s Baby
10/13/09

In the story of Desiree’s Baby it refers to all the discriminations in America now. It has the faults of race and gender. It creates an image of history in a more interesting manner. This phenomenal story was created by the realistic author Kate Chopin. She created an emotional story that reveals to the readers and audience who knew of this story. The pathos that was used in this story contained the love of the mother but the hatred of Armand because the baby turned out to be somewhat black. Kate’s writing reflects on her, because she is Creole-French. The quote that was first used was, "When she reached L'Abri she shuddered at the first sight of it, as she always did. It was a sad looking place...Big solemn oaks grew close to it and their thick leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall". That quote already expressed to me that the ending of the story was going to have a bad turn out because it is a foreshadowing quote. Chopin related to the story at first hand because she grew up among the blacks being inferior to the whites because the blacks were slaves. The thing that made the story a great story to read was the diction. The words that Chopin used helped me as the reader create an image rather than just to sit there and read words on a piece of paper. She helped me analyzed why she wrote what she wrote and what was the true meaning of it. The story is against having black descent and being a woman. If a white man would have had a child by a black women he would have been looked at differently than Desiree, because she had a baby in which she adored by a black man. All odds were against Desiree in the story because she was having a baby, she was a woman, and the baby wasn’t all white. Kate Chopin points out main details that no one can really identify with today. Now in today’s society women are doing more than men and making more money. The way Chopin described women were ad they had to have a baby by the same race and take care of the home. She touched on many points about the baby’s skin tone and the ethnicity of the baby. Why didn’t Chopin use a white male as the main character and a black woman as the one who is pregnant? Did Chopin want to make it worse than it already was back the? She used the entire rhetorical triangle and created a theme of injustice society back then and the difficulties of discrimination.

"Pit and The Pendulum"

Diamond Bell
AP English III
Pit and the Pendulum
10/13/09



The “Pit and the Pendulum” was a complex and detailed story by an unnamed narrator. Edgar Allan Poe created suspense in the story that intrigued the reader even more. In "The Pit and the Pendulum," Poe was thinking of the effects of unrelieved torture and suspense. The story is focusing on fear in the reader because it focuses on sound and it exaggerates reality. Poe creates a Gothic theme to this suspenseful short story. The Pit and the Pendulum" is really focusing on of the effect terror has on the narrator. Poe creates a theme of hopeful expectations for both the reader and the narrator. He appeals more to the readers’ reactions because he didn’t reveal if the character was a boy or girl or even the name of the main character. The first sentence in the story pulls the reader in and attracts them to the story. It starts off with the sentence of the narrator saying” I was sick-sick unto death with that long agony.” That phrase brings the reader to begin to read more and more. Poe knew that he had to grasp the reader’s attention with the diction and fluency he used in the very first sentence. The narrator loses consciousness while receiving his death sentence. Poe used the unconsciousness as a persuasive act to pull the reader in by making them think of what was going to happen when the narrator regained consciousness. The unnamed narrator of the Spanish Inquisition was tormented, even though Poe did twist some of the historical facts. He was blamed for a crime and put into a completely dark room. He passed out and when he woke up he realized it was a pit in the middle of the floor and again realized it was a blade-like pendulum hanging above him. Poe captures the theme of terror and fear in the narrator and reader. He relates them both to people that are afraid of what’s going to happen next. The narrator is in fear of dying and the reader is in fear of what is going to happen to the narrator in the short story. Edgar Allan Poe created a suspenseful theme of adventure and confusion. He led the reader on and t narrator on because he didn’t know if he was going to die or not. The Gothic and thrilling story fits the title of “The Pit and the Pendulum.”

Phillis Wheatley

Diamond Bell
AP English III
10/12/09
Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley was a very extraordinary black woman with great achievements. She went through ups and downs and still became a much known intelligent black writer while being a slave. She was kidnapped and taken from her natural being and still achieved many goals most slaves couldn’t even dream about. Wheatley wrote in moral and religious standards that reflected her as a person. She was bold but yet still, a humble black woman that held herself well. She didn’t hold her head down but instead she faced reality and wrote about how she felt and her views on the government and also life in general. Even though she was taken from her homeland, Africa, to Boston it almost seems as if it was destined. She adapted to her surroundings and made great use of the advantage of knowing how to read and write. Wheatley’s poetry intrigued many people and shocked many others. It is said she lived a good life as a slave, but life as a slave isn’t near being good. In retrospect she did know how to read and write two advantages that most slaves didn’t have at all. To me she didn’t let being a slave stop her hopes of being a writer or interfere with her life. Slavery came to Phiillis as something to deal with, but not as a huge tribulation. In “On Being Brought to America” Wheatley has confused me greatly. She is encouraging the blacks but also yelling at them. Why does she say,” Their colour is a diabolic die." Is Wheatley trying to say the color of blacks is related to the devil? Once again Wheatley confused me by relating blacks to Cain. What is she trying to say? Maybe she is coming off as,”why are we not united as blacks.” Another reason is can blacks be evil because Cain killed his brother? Injustice appears a lot through this poem and has a huge significance on why Phillis Wheatley created this poem.

Story of An Hour

Diamond Bell
AP English III
10/12/09
Story of An Hour

The “Story of An Hour” has a heartfelt meaning to it. The story had great details and diction that was unbelievable. The emotion in they story can help you connect to the real feelings and the value of the emotions expressed. Mrs. Mallard was affected greatly and it was expressed fully in the story. You could feel the emotion coming from Mrs. Mallard in the” Story of An Hour” it has a very unexpecting turn out due the creative and romantic writer, Kate Chopin. Out of all the stories, poems, and prompts I have read so far this story was the most interesting and detailed. Even though it wasn’t long it had similes and metaphors al through it. The story confused me at times, because how could she be happy about her husband’s death?! At first, I thought she was really angry and sad about the death, like anyone else would be, right? Another thought that came to mind was, why she is stressing herself out over a death. Death is suppose to be about rejoice and happiness because that person is now resting in peace. Then again she died over disease of the heart over something that wasn’t true at all, but in her heart her Mr. Mallard was gone. I guess in so many words many different people take death in many different ways. Louise was a very interesting character she was quiet but yet expressive. She had built up emotion inside and all of it came out at once. Many readers can relate to her and understand the way she handled the situation. I didn’t understand why her sister, Josephine, didn’t come off and say the bad new bluntly but not trying to be rude to Louise. Instead, Josephine uncovered Brently’s death with veiled hints. Josephine thought her sister might be extremely hurt and cause a rampage about the death so Josephine handed Louise the news in minute doses. Kate Chopin creates and image in the story relating to pathos, trying to interest the reader even more. At first it was hard for Louise to accept the fact that Brently was no longer living like the phrase stated in the story,’ paralyzed inability to accept its significance.” That phrase summed up Louise’s character. She is now to me a person who can’t accept reality and has troubles dealing with the facts of life. Kate Chopin, a realistic author, did a wonderful job by putting a twist on the story. She added suspense to an already absorbing and stimulating story. “Story of An Hour” was a very prodigious story that had unbelievable fluency, figurative language, and the whole rhetorical triangle.

Sojourner Truth

Diamond Bell
AP English III
Sojourner Truth
9/28/09
Sojourner Truth was a very wise woman. She was outspoken and very intelligent. Her writings flowed right and used all the right diction. In the writing “Aren’t I a Woman?” she was bold and used great intellect. She was a black woman and most people didn’t expect her to use well spoken english. Like Frances Gage for instance, she twisted the way Sojourner Truth wrote thirty years later and made it sound like a “black way of talking” in those days. Gage made her look as if she was intelligent enough to use the correct words or grammar in her writing. The writing spoke of Truth not being treated equally and she is tired of going unacknowledged.