The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus--TPCASTT

The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

TP-CASTT

T	Title	Before reading the poem, the title makes me think of a huge statue of some sort, most likely built recently, and which could replace an older version.
P	Paraphrase	In the poem we read about the Statue of Liberty (at least how I see it). The author compares “her” with ancient Greek statues, but states that the “Mother of Exiles” is not a war sign, but a welcome sign for immigrants arriving at NYC.
C	Connotation	The word-choice of the author is inspiring towards immigrants, as the words selected are encouraging and hopeful. Also the use of direct speech from the protagonist helps emphasize the message being transmitted.
A	Attitude	The speakers attitude is positive and encouraging towards immigrants. We can support this claim by looking at the words employed referring to arriving immigrants: Mother of Exiles, beacon-hand, world-wide welcome, mild eyes, etc.
S	Shifts	Though there isn’t a major shift in the author’s attitude, she begins the poem by describing an ancient war colossus, but then she describes the “Mother of Exiles”, opposite from war.
T	Title	After reading the poem I feel like the title doesn’t capture the whole essence of the poem, maybe a reference to exiles or immigrants would help with that purpose.
T	Theme	The subject being addressed by the author is the massive arrival of immigrants to New York City, most likely in the 20th Century. This immigrants were usually minorities in their home countries, were poor, suffered of discrimination, or just needed a fresh start.

"Fox" by Alice Oswald--Why did I like it?

"Fox"

By Alice Oswald

I heard a cough

as if a thief was there

outside my sleep

a sharp intake of air

a fox in her fox-fur

stepping across

the grass in her black gloves

barked at my house

just so abrupt and odd

the way she went

hungrily asking

in the heart's thick accent

in such serious sleepless

trespass she came

a woman with a man's voice

but no name

as if to say: it's midnight

and my life

is laid beneath my children

like gold leaf.

______________________

I was browsing the "Poetry Foundation" website when I came across this poem about a fox who wakes up a sleeping woman while looking for food on her yard. I found the poem very interesting and illustrating for its reduced length. I loved the detail with which Alice Oswald described the different actions, for example the fox walking across the yard, or the moment the woman wakes up. I also liked the similes the author utilized to give the fox a more human look, to the point where the woman can actually think of what the fox might be thinking or trying to say. One last thing I liked about this poem was its rhythm. By continuing one sentence in the next verse or even paragraph, Oswald speeds up the rhythm of the poem, and, combined with the repeating rhymes, creates musicality. I was surprised when I noticed this musicality once I read the poem out loud, but I hadn't noticed before.

After reading the poem I looked at the author's profile and I have to say that I was impressed by her resume. I was also intrigued by one of her works, "Memorial", which is a rework of Homer's Iliad approached from a new perspective. 

AP Essay "The Stranger" by Albert Camus--Blog Post #6

Use a character from The Stranger by Albert Camus to respond to the AP prompt below: 

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.
Meursault, the protagonist of The Stranger by Albert Camus, is a very controversial character developed throughout the whole work. Meursault is a very peculiar character, and while Camus presents him as likable, his actions take away a lot from that likeability. While Meursault actions certainly make him look evil or immoral, we perceive him more sympathetically because he is the narrator of the story and views the world from a unique indifferent perspective, and sometimes he doesn’t understand the gravity of his actions in the society he lives in.

When reading The Stranger the readers feel closer to Meursault, and therefore like him more, because he is the narrator of the story and we see the development of the plot from his perspective. Seeing the plot and his actions from his own indifferent perspective allows us to comprehend his reasoning and why he does what he does. Sometimes his actions aren’t pertinent, or correct, but his reasoning and way of thinking make them looks as fair, pragmatic ones.

Meursault’s indifference leads to his inability, or he just doesn’t care, to understand other’s perceptions of him and his actions. For example, when he shoots the Arab on the beach it is not because he was being threatened, but rather because the heat was making him tired, and a reflection of the sun was blinding him, so he just shot him, as it was the more pragmatic solution. Meursault doesn’t see this action as something grave, but rather as unimportant, and doesn’t understand why he is put on jail. Another example, which is probably clearer, is when he doesn’t cry at his mother’s funeral. Everyone who attended expected him to cry, but he didn’t, he was just there because it was what was ‘right’ to do. He didn’t even want to go to his mother’s funeral in the first place, as the journey from his home was ‘tiring’. Both examples illustrate Meursault’s indifference towards society, and his inability for empathy, which lead to other’s labeling him as suffering from some kind of psychological condition, and eventually leads to his imprisonment.

Meursault’s actions in The Stranger are indisputably out of the norm, and label him as evil or immoral. However by showing the readers Meursault’s perspective and indifference, Camus creates a feeling of sympathy towards Meursault in the readers.