Tag: Collections: Grade 11, 9780544569546

Analyzing the Text

Literally, he is describing a scene in the forest as the sun sets. Figuratively, he is describing the end of an era – one by one, the formerly enslaved are dying off. Some of the themes conveyed include respect for the elderly and the passing down of history/memory.

The speaker was never a slave himself, but is descended from them. He represents the poet’s own generation, which watched as those who came before them and had once been enslaved one by one disappeared and are now preserved only through memory and history.

It refers to the profits earned by white people on the food grown by slaves.

The first eight lines describe slavery, and in particular how the slaves weep and toil for no profit of their own. The last six lines reassure the reader that being black is nothing to be ashamed of and that one day this people will rise.

“My brother” does not refer to his biological brother, but to the white man, who owned his people in the past. Therefore, this line refers to how the white man’s children prosper while his own do not, or find it much more difficult to. “Bitter fruit” refers to the fact that the labor of his ancestors was not rewarded; his people are still downtrodden.

The extended metaphor in “Song of the Son” is the “everlasting song.” In “From The Dark Tower,” it is flowers. In “A Black Man Talks of Reaping,” it is planting.

It pulls the somewhat lengthy poem into one cohesive unit and drives his point home by making sure the reader understands it 100%.

They describe slaves – as well as their descendants – as shrouded in darkness, with the promise that someday the sun will rise and black people will not suffer.

All three are mournful. The first is reverential of the narrator’s ancestors, while the last two express frustration for the narrator’s lot in life.

“Song of the Son” seems more interested in looking backward and musing about the experience of slaves. “From The Dark Tower” is hopeful. “A Black Man Talks of Reaping” focuses on the fate of the speaker’s children.

Analyzing the Text

Nature doesn’t love a wall, since the thawing of the ground after winter dislodges the carefully-constructed wall and sends stones falling down. Besides the natural world, the speaker himself isn’t too fond of walls.

“Spring is the mischief in me,” he says, wanting to have a little fun and attribute the wall falling down to elves and not to natural forces.

Rather than directly saying that he doesn’t like walls, the speaker presents more than one interpretation of his lines. Evidence supporting the idea that he believes good walls make good neighbors include the lines when he companionably works alongside his neighbor to rebuild their mutual wall each spring. Evidence against that is the tense relationship revealed toward the end of the poem, which leads the reader to realize that without a wall to divide their property the two neighbors would end up squabbling.

Mary is kind-hearted, while Silas is exhausted and lonely. This information foreshadows Mary’s worries about Silas and Silas’ eventual fate.

It reveals a pensive, sad side of her character.

He sees it as a refuge and a familiar place. Mary understands what the place truly means to him, while Warren is initially frustrated because he doesn’t think Silas is much good at anything and wishes he worked harder.

In the first poem, two men are speaking. In the second, it is a husband and wife. The plot is much more mundane in the first, while the second is a little more dramatic and sad since it contains a death. The first poem shows that the narrator has a sense of humor, while the second is much more serious and includes elements such as pity and frustration. The setting of both poems is a farm.

Analyzing the Text

It provides historical and cultural background for the events of 1692. In particular, it discusses their intensely repressive and pious society, as well as the deep-seated disagreements and even hatred between neighbors that eventually bubbled over into accusations of outright witchcraft.

In a conversation without any of the adults around, the girls are revealed to be frightened and secretive about what they asked Tituba to do. They made a big mistake and aren’t quite sure how to talk their way out of it.

Putnam holds numerous grudges because he feels that, as a wealthy man, his opinion should have more weight than others’. Therefore, he resents those who challenge his authority and seeks to ruin their lives. Parris is convinced that everyone else is out to get him and, additionally, doesn’t know how to handle children – so he is especially ill-equipped to deal with this scenario.

He isn’t as religious as most of the others in Salem and so feels that he doesn’t fit in. Additionally, his relationship with Abigail makes him feel very guilty.

Analyzing the Text

In act 2, the stakes are raised and readers begin to realize the danger that various characters are in – and who has put them there.

Ever since his affair with Abigail, Elizabeth has mistrusted John. Meanwhile, he is frustrated because he is trying his best to prove his loyalty but she still doesn’t believe him. They have a very tense relationship.

The “secret blasphemy” refers to Abigail’s part in this situation and the way in which she is taking revenge against those who have hurt her. Proctor feels guilty for his part in this and resolves to take Abigail down with him.

She has collaborated with Abigail and so will not testify against her. She will, however, likely testify against Elizabeth Proctor and John Proctor

Analyzing the Text

Mary, in contrast to Abigail, is lonely, naive, and plain-looking. She wants to fit in and so is easily swayed by Abigail.

Danforth is extremely condescending to Giles and uses his authority to threaten the other man into shutting up.

She doesn’t know that he has already confessed and doesn’t want to get him in any more trouble.

Sunday is a day of rest in this society, so they believe that if he occasionally plows on those days it “proves” that he does not believe in God and is in league with the devil.

He has become increasingly bold, as well as more worried. He no longer hides his indiscretion with Abigail. His actions in this act reveal the lengths to which he will go to protect his wife and expose injustice for what it is.

Analyzing the Text

They show what a dark and lonely place this town has become. The setting in act one is homey and fairly comforting, even as Parris is worried for his daughter. In contrast, the stage directions for act four show how irrevocably life has changed for the residents of Salem.

Danforth doesn’t want his authority to be undermined and knows that having the prisoners “prove” their guilt by confessing will make him look good in the eyes of the town. Parris feels guilty for the role he played in instigating this whole situation. Hale is sorry that he may have played a part in condemning Proctor to die.

Her words portray him as a determined and principled man who skillfully evades Danforth by never confessing one way or another. To Miller, Giles represents someone who is faithful to his own principles until the very end and refuses to, as the saying goes, “throw others under the bus” in order to save himself.

All the characters in this play find their courage, loyalty, faith, et cetera tested under such extreme conditions. Titling this play The Crucible alludes to and foreshadows the fact that all the characters undergo immense pressure and reshaping.

The central paradox is that if the accused don’t confess to witchcraft, they will be hanged for something. But if they confess to witchcraft, they are living a lie and must face the judgement of the town. Here, Miller stresses the point that these situations can quickly spiral out of control and may be used for neighbors to enact old grudges.

Proctor’s conflict is one many other characters face: Do they die knowing they have stayed true to what they know is right or do they capitulate to the wishes of others? Proctor’s determination is, apart from Giles’, probably the strongest in this play.

It hints at how the condemned, including Proctor, will indeed hang. It is also hinted that the nearby town of Andover was more sensible in their handling of the situation and that residents of Salem are beginning to suspect Danforth & his cronies.

Language and Style: Dialogue

Go you into the house!

Aye, sir, ’tis true that I, myself, with Rebecca Nurse did see the devil.

Of their guilt, are you sure?

Confess you to these sins!

Analyzing the Text and Media

Analyzing the Text

He makes outlandish, sweeping statements such as “for it obliges me to renounce my allegiance to the Darwinian theory” and proposes a new idea instead. This paragraph reveals that he holds animals in greater esteem than humans.

It depends! Some of his experiments could have realistically happened, such as the one with the anaconda and the calves. However, the one at the end with people of various religious beliefs is quite obviously fictional.

It shows how disgusted Twain finds the earl’s wanton cruelty.

Most animals refuse the opportunity altogether, and even those that take advantage of it do not accumulate any more than is needed to survive through the winter. These examples serve to show that, unlike humans, animals aren’t greedy.

These examples show not only how ridiculous our disputes have been, but how uncommon such fights are in the wider animal kingdom. After all, other animals don’t wage war or torture each other. Those acts are unique to humans, unfortunately.

Animals don’t have a concept of immodesty or humiliation, so they have no reason to blush. Mankind has essentially invented scenarios it deems improper and becomes embarrassed when those situations occur.

With “man is the only patriot,” he shows the bloody battles that have occurred throughout history – as well as the supposed wishes of peace and goodwill that follow. In terms of “man is the religious animal,” he describes the hypocrisy of people killing each other in order to prove that only their own beliefs will assure them a happy afterlife.

His purpose is to not only get people thinking about the ways in which animals are more intelligent and sensible than humans, but also the irrational and often cruel actions of humans that we take for granted.

Analyzing the Text and Media

The actors are wearing costumes similar to the clothes the Puritans would have worn at the time. This film adaptation doesn’t attempt to reinterpret Miller’s play into, say, the modern world complete with a different setting and the clothes we wear today.

This was the scene in act one at Betty’s bedside, when Abigail and John are alone in the room. This photo suggests that in this interpretation, the scene takes place outside for some reason.

Vocabulary Strategy: Nuance in Word Meaning

Cold, Frosty, Freezing, Frigid, Bitter

Hot, Sweltering, Blistering, Searing, Scorched

Happy, Elated, Overjoyed, Ecstatic, Jubilant

Whiff, Aroma, Smell, Stink, Stench

Cute, Pretty, Beautiful, Gorgeous, Exquisite

Analyzing the Text and Media

The photographs suggest that he is something of a slob, since he is dirty and unshaven. In reality, this is his appearance after having been in prison for months.

Photographs don’t easily allow the viewers to figure out what is happening in this scene. An audio recording makes a little more sense, but it may be tricky for some listeners to keep track of who is speaking when. Film allows the viewers to experience this scene almost as if it were happening in real life, right in front of them.

He appears horrified at the scene unfolding before his eyes, as well as protective of Abigail. In actuality, he has a troubled relationship with Abigail. While it may be true that he is horrified by what is happening, it is also true that he himself played a large role in it.

Analyzing the Text

He is clearly passionate about the subject. His fury at and scorn for America’s hypocrisy are shown through his word choices and his credibility as a prominent abolitionist.

His reputation as a former slave and now as an abolitionist influences the urgency and anger of his speech.

Virginia laws punish disobedient slaves, therefore acknowledging that slaves are “moral, intellectual, and responsible” – that is, they assume black people are just as human as white people are. And if slaves are people and all people are entitled to liberty, than slavery is morally wrong. This is an appeal to logos.

One example is his reference to the Jewish people under Babylonian captivity. This is a powerful use of figurative language because, firstly, most of his listeners would have been familiar with the reference and secondly, it establishes a historical/cultural precedent for his argument that slavery is inhumane. Another example is found toward the end of his speech, when Douglass urges listeners to “go where you may, search where you will, roam though all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world…” Here, his elegant use of figurative language reminds the audience to, once again, look to history for proof, but says so in a more descriptive way than if he’d just said, “Read a history book.”

His literary references not only demonstrate how well-read and educated he is, but provide a frame of reference for the audience that helps him to prove his point. His vocabulary also demonstrates his intelligence, as well as the fact that he has obviously spent a great deal of time thinking and discussing this subject!

Douglass believes his invitation to speak was intended to make the audience of white abolitionists feel good about themselves for including a black person in their celebrations. He questions why he should care about this holiday, since neither liberty nor justice have been extended to him and his fellow African-Americans.

The line “bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy” is a good example of strong connotative language. They describe white Americans’ self-congratulatory feelings toward their own country and serve to make the listener begin to think about the country’s guilt and violence.

Douglass quotes and references concepts from the Declaration to show that, although Americans claim that their country stands for liberty and justice for all, such freedoms have not been extended to all people. For instance, toward the end of the speech he says that (white) Americans claim to denounce tyrants, but themselves behave tyrannically toward those of other races.

Critical Vocabulary

When my dog chewed up my brother’s shoes, my mom described it as a reproach.

An artist might cleave together newspaper, photographs, and the tiny slips of paper inside fortune cookies.

In Lord of the Rings, Frodo was quickened to take action when he learned that the One Ring must be destroyed in order to stop Middle-earth from utter ruin.

Officials might control a crowd’s license by providing security guards at the event where the crowd is expected to gather.

These places include a schoolyard, a prison, and a football stadium.

Analyzing the Text

Her claim is that when a group of people feels they have not received equal treatment, they should explain their reasons for desiring change. In this instance, Stanton references the Declaration of Independence to support her argument.

This is an appeal to historical precedent, as well as logos. If men accept the views put forth by the original Declaration, she reasons, they will accept the Declaration of Sentiments since it is modeled after the original’s ideas of liberty and justice for all.

It reveals her argument to be that women are not treated equally in America and therefore must demand that wrongs be righted.

She’s talking about women’s right to vote. She sees this right as an essential part of the “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that the Declaration of Independence grants to men.

She uses repetition to create a sense of rhythm and drive home her point. Through this repetition, her arguments are stated clearly and are impossible to forget or misinterpret.

One theme is that women’s inability to vote has deprived them from having a say in the day-to-day decisions made by their own country’s government. Another theme is that women are considered to essentially belong to their husbands or fathers. Furthermore, women have limited opportunities with regard to employment, education, and religious communities.

Through repetition, she wraps up her argument and addresses any concerns that may be had – for instance, how women will use “the pulpit and the press” to defend their cause.