Part One

Characterization

Charlie- He is Dynamic, because he changes drastically throughout the book, especially when he meets Sam and Patrick. He becomes more open and makes more friends, actually falls in love with someone, and finds out the truth about his childhood and becomes at peace with the situation.

Part Two

"and in that moment, I swear we were infinite." (page 39)
- This shows that Charlie is happy. He is finally enjoying being noticed, and loved.
"but because things change. and friends leave. and life doesn't stop for anybody." (page 145)
-This shows that no matter what happens, you have to move on, and keep on going.

"'I would die for you. but I won't live for you.'" (page 169)
-Sam says this to Charlie because she can't make him enjoy life, or enjoy it for him, she wants him to experience it himself.

My Personal Mixtape

1.  Don't Rain On My Parade by Barbara Streisand, from the famous Broadway Show "Funny Girl" in 1964. It is a major part of my day, especially before school because it reminds me that no matter what will come my way that day, I WILL NOT let it rain on my parade; let it rain on my personality, on my self array, my happiness, my dreams, my goals. EVERYTHING that I believe in myself, I refuse to let someone tear me down.

 

2. Take me to the King by Tamela Mann because I am a true believer in God, and I consider myself a Christian. God is my everything, without him I am nothing. With this song, it describes that life can get you down and you feel like when u come to church all the time, you kind of get churched out cause their is no spark, but it reminds you that when you get down and feel like no one is there, God is, and you take it all to him, you take it to the king.

 

3. Belief by Gavin Degraw, because it reminds you that belief in something makes something or someone stronger in someway. This song is kind of depressing song, because he is talking about how his lover is a hard pill to swallow but yet he still believes she is amazing and she is his world.

 

4. So Beautiful by Musiq Soulchild, because it reminds me of the good in love. It reminds me of the sweet, passionate, fun relationship I have with the love of my life. He always brings me joy, and laughter.

 

5. The Way I am by Ingrid Michelson, because in this song it describes what she would do for the ones she loves, such as "if you were falling, then I would catch you" and in the end all she wants in return is to love her for the way she is. I believe this relates to my life very much.

 

6. Round and Round by Imagine Dragons simply because it is about depression and about all the people who feel left out or rejected in life. Everyone goes round and round, escaping the same way, and in the end we just want someone to tell us to lift our head up high because life itself has a purpose.

 

7. Hey Jude by The Beatles because it is about A girl who is sad, and the Beatles tell her to keep calm and just breathe, and turn something sad into something happy. It reminds you that for all that you do for someone, even if they don't appreciate it, just go on and be thankful for the good person you are.

 

8. Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles, I love this song just because it brightens my day and has a great tune and meaning to it.

 

9. I'll be seeing you by Billie Holliday because this song touches my heart and gives me a thought of reminisce to the 60's, with the vintage and love, and just a soothing sound to my ears. I almost try when I listen to it.

 

10. Don't Rain on My Parade by Barbara Streisand. The classic Broadway song that brightens my day. I listen to it before I start my day and when I end it, so it is repetitive, and simply because it reminds me that I will not, EVER, let anyone tear down my goals and dreams; nor my personality, my happiness, my love.

What exactly does it mean to be a "wallflower"? 

to know everything that goes on, keep quiet, and understand

Characterization

Who is the protagonist? How would you characterize him?

Charlie; he is a curious but awkward teen who is transforming into high school, trying to make friends and feel excepted.

Which characters are round and flat? 

Charlie is round, Patrick and Sam are round, Brad is round, Charlie's brother is flat. Bob is flat, and Bill the teacher is flat.

Examine the family dynamics in "Perks". Would you classify Charlie's parents as good or bad? What textual evidence do you have to support this?

I believe they are good, but they don't make enough attention to Charlie. In the book, it constantly says how the parents are proud of the older brother, and talk about how good he is.

 

POV

• What point of view is used and what style? Why would the author chose this method? How is it effective?

Personal narrative, it is from first person; Charlie. Because it makes the reader feel how Charlie feels and thinks.

Plot

• What conflicts exist in this novel so far?

He likes Sam and he is trying not to. His parents aren't recognizing him, and making friends.

• What do you notice about the exposition of this story? Does it grab your attention? How?

somewhat, because you want to know how the story plays out with his new friends he has made.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Which chapters apply so far?

Communion.

Quotes

Discuss these quotes in your groups. What do they REALLY mean?

- when someone has something bad happen to them, it can either affect their future or not.

- when you feel like u deserve crap, you will only except crap.

- he likes his life, but their is some parts that he don't like.

Things I've Learned....

I have learned many things since school has started. Mrs. Endicott has taught me a lot about how to analyze a story, and find clues that help indicate the depth of a story. A lot of what has helped me is class discussions and the book "How to Read Literature Like A Professor".

1st Person-a category used in the classification of pronouns, possessive determiners, and verb forms, according to whether they indicate the speaker; in a story, the speaker is talking about their self

 

3rd Person Omniscient-the speaker is not part of the story, but is able to "know" and describe what all characters are thinking.

 

3rd Person Limited-the speaker is not part of the story, but tells about the other characters but limits information about what one character sees and feels.

 

3rd Person Objective-a story told from the "he/she" point of view, in which the narrator reports the actions and words of the characters, but not their thoughts

 

3rd Person Collective-a story told from the "he/she" point of view, in which the narrator reports the actions and words of the characters, and their thoughts

Popular Mechanics: Rewritten from first person

  I looked outside the window as I was quickly shoving my belongings into my small duffle bag. I recognized it was starting to get dimmer inside, not to mention the strong tension that was arraying throughout the house. Even the dreary white slush beaming off the covered ground outside didn’t illuminate through the window. She was in the other room pacing back forth. I was glad I didn’t have to finally her yelling in my ear, questioning me; I was just sick and tired of the emotion, the mourning. I just had to get away, leave all the chaos of this prison I felt I was being held in. As soon as I got done gathering all I could, I reached for the door handle but she had heard me shuffling up, so insisted on barging in. She said, “I’m glad you’re leaving! You hear me?!” I just pretended that I didn’t hear her. Her voice was piercing to my ear drums. I had a picture of the baby in my hand. I tried to push my way through past her but she stopped me and jerked it away. She darted into the living room with it. I said, “Bring that back now!” She had started to cry, trying to compose herself, screaming, “Just get out!” I began to walk towards the baby and she sprinted to pick it up. I told her, “I’m taking the baby.”

“Are you crazy?” she proceeded.

I stared at her with anger, but I tried to keep myself content. I said, “no…but I want the baby. I will send someone to get his things.”

The baby began to cry as she tried to scream over him saying, “You’re not taking this baby, for God’s sake!”

Without a thought, I reached over towards her to take it out of her arm. She said, “Let go of the baby, get away now!”

I wanted that baby, she wouldn’t get to have him, and I just wouldn’t allow it. The baby was red-faced and screaming. As I was pulling to get him out of her arms, we both knocked down a flowerpot that hung behind the stove. I pushed and pinned her into a corner so I could get him away from her, to break her grip. I held onto the baby and tried so hard to get a good hold of him. I screamed, “Let go of him!”

She shouted at me, “don’t you’re hurting him!”

But I knew I wasn’t. I had to have this baby, one way or another. I finally got her fingers pried off of him, but just as soon as I got him into my arms she grabbed his wrist and pulled back. I insisted that she would absolutely not have this baby. It was coming with me.

As soon as she made the tug on his wrist, as I was fighting back, feeling the baby slipping, in that moment, in this manner, she and I both knew what was before our eyes; what had just happened. The issue was decided.

Self Analysis

I believe I am a dynamic character in the story of my life because the past two years, the reflection of how all the people around me and I see myself has changed drastically. I went from being insecure with my body, my face, my self-esteem, and even my relationship with God. I felt as if I had left everyone down all the time that I was rejected by all, loved by none. I hated myself with pure disgust. I began to let the Devil take over my mind and body. I told myself I was worthless and didn’t deserve anything; therefore I developed really bad depression. My past had a very big impact on my present and future. It could either make me or break me. At the time, I was letting it shatter me to pieces. I attempted to kill myself twice, and am so lucky I didn’t succeed.

Since then my life has changed in the better direction, I have changed for the better. I have gotten closer with God, closer with my family, and have my life on track. I have better self-esteem than I ever would and I feel loved and cared about my friends and family. I am also in a relationship with someone who cares for me and makes me see the fun and happy things in life. He gives me joy and makes me smile just because. Myself as a whole has become two different personalities from then and now. I may not be proud of the person I was, but it has shaped me into the better person I am today.

Character Analysis: A Rose For Emily

Faulkner's very deep short story, "A Rose for Emily" is about an old woman who has lost everything in her life that she could possibly love; her childhood, her father, her lover, and her newer lover, Homer. Emily has a little bit of a twisted mind as she barely comes out of her house, and the townspeople believe she is a little crazy. After Emily’s father dies, that is when she goes downhill. Shortly after that, she begins to date Homer Barron. The townspeople didn’t like the idea so they tried to stop it by bringing in Emily’s cousins. Homer leaves town, and so do the cousins, but then randomly, Homer comes back. He is last seen going into Emily’s home and nor him or Emily were rarely seen coming out of the home for over 5 years. She eventually dies in an old room that never got light, and Tobe, her butler, sets up her funeral. He lets the townspeople into her home, which they have not been in since over 30 years ago. After the funeral, Tobe goes out the backdoor leaving the home to the townspeople. They come to find a rotting body in a bed which is Homer Barron. They also come to find that Emily slept beside Homer every night while he is deceased.

As one can tell, Emily is kind of demented and sick in a way. She is the main character of the story. The story is mainly about her and how her life was. From the narrator’s point of view, the townspeople, Emily is a true tragic figure. As the townspeople describe her to be demented and crazy, they don’t know any more about her than the reader does. Emily is how one would say, “impervious” because no one can truly understand her.

Plot and Structure: Literary Terms

Exposition- a description starting off the plot Rising  action-The dramatic structure building up to the climax Climax-The most important, exciting part of the story Falling action- the details that lead to the resolution Resolution- the ending of the story that pulls it all together Flashback- a reminisce of thinking about something that happened a while back Protagonist- the good guy in the story Antagonist- the bad guy in the story Conflict- a problem between people; to be incompatible, or differ, or clash In medias res- into the middle of things

Plot and Structure: The Lame Shall Enter First

In the story “The Lame Shall Go First” the exposition starts off with a simple breakfast between a son and his father. As taught in “How to read Literature like a Professor” states that a simple meal in a story is more than just a meal. It is communion; which tells the reader that the story is going to be biblical based. The communion goes wrong, which kind of sets the mod of the story, which is bad, and demented. The child gets sick of eating all kinds of food and pukes it back up on his own plate.

The rising action starts to build up when Sheppard, the father, goes into description about Rufus Johnson, and how when he came to him in the reformatory, he saved him in his eyes, and made him a better person. This shows Christ like figures. Sheppard looks upon himself as a prophecy. He “saves” people, and makes them better. It gives the readers a taste that Sheppard is full of himself, and infers that he does not believe in the bible or God. He tries to safe Rufus, and offers him to stay at his home anytime he would like by giving him a key to his home. Once again, to him, he is saving Rufus.

Rufus has a prosthetic leg.  It is described descriptively as dirty, old, and black. It is symbolism that takes place here as it represents his personality in a way, and how his life has been horrid. Rufus however is a believer of the bible and decides to share it with the son. He explains that his mother is in heaven, in the sky, and that the only way for good people like Norton, can get there by dying; therefore, Norton falls in love with a telescope and stares into the sky to hope to see her. Which falls into the climax where the readers guess it is when Rufus comes into Sheppard’s home while only his son is there, and makes a ruckus throughout the home upsetting the child; but this story has a messed up Freytag pyramid. The ending concludes with Johnson confronting Sheppard about being crazy, and a strong atheist, and how he did more for him than he did his own son. Sheppard is in guilt and instantly decides to be a better parent towards his son, Norton. He goes up in the attic to find Norton with the telescope, but instead he finds Norton hanging in the Jungle of shadows by a beam, to be with his mother.

Plot and Structure: An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

The short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce has many descriptive details and an interesting plot that sets the story off. All of how the plot is built up and created is by exposition rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. In the story, the exposition begins by a captain and sergeants as well as their other men are at a bridge getting ready to execute a civilian named Peyton Farquhar. Then to follow afterwards is the rising action which the narrator of the story describes how Peyton felt as he stood on the plank waiting, describing his thoughts. Next to follow is the climax, where in the story the reader comes to find out later he is dreaming but in his dream or thought he thinks that when he drops to be hung and executed that the rope breaks and he falls into the stream below, floating away from the armed men, barely alive. So he has escaped and goes on a journey through the forest to find his home and family. In that mere thought, Peyton imagined getting to safety, a thought he wished to happen. After the built up climax, is the falling action; which in the story the narrator proceeds to explain how Peyton describes walking through the woods to find a sense of direction back home “uncanny”. As he walks and describes the pain in his neck, the numbness of his feet, and the thirst of his mouth. How he walks so long that he is sleep walking, and before he knows it, he ends up at the gate of his home. Unfortunately, Peyton is only imagining when he ends up at his house, with his wife at the steps to greet him. In the end, the resolution falls to be that he has this exaggerated thought all in a split second while he is standing on the plank getting ready to plunge to his death. Peyton Farquhar is dead and all the deep descriptions simply feelings inside him; his imagination before his death.