English Trouble (please...)

[Trapped]

I'm having trouble with this book, so if you've had experience with it please help.



Well, of course I'm behind....but I'm suppose to finish the book by monday, completed 5 journal (semi or short essay entries) topics on it, and taken notes on the book for upcoming essays (literary analysis) on it.



The test on the book (just to make you read it) is Wednesday, but the essays are all in class-- to prepare for the AP test. They're critical/literary anaylisis essays and I think one is Monday.



A little background...



The class is English 4 AP class (AP=Advanced Placement for college board or something like that).



I knew when I signed up for the class that would be challenging for me, b/c I don't like to read much, and I haven't. I do like and want to improve my writing and critical analysis skills, and I know that reading is necessary wether I like it or not.



Now, one reason I'm having such a hard time with this (or I will be) and why I don't like reading is because I don't think I'll interpret the literature correctly. And even if I do, I'll overlook what is meant, so I sound vague when explaining it, as if I didn't get the point.



When writing about it, wether I get it or not, I don't organize my thoughts very well. I just write what comes to mind and try to sound to intellectual (teacher comment), so I tend to write poorly-organized, redundant, wordy papers that don't "flow" but sound..."professional to some other students.



I think I'm trying to hard to be "smart" (intellectual since I hate using that other term), and I love Enlgish. (I'm think, possibly, about majoring in that...diff. story)



My concern is that I'm not intellectual....enough (it's a given talent/gift), therefore I can't be. (HYPOTHETICAL example: You can't make yourself a genious. You just are or you aren't. It's not something learned.) I do believe, however, that you can improve yourself, and in my case, bring it out of you. With the right coaching (which why I took the course)



Well, I hope someone has a better understanding of...my problem here, and can help me out.



In this book specifically, I don't know if I'm picking up on ALL of the symbols/ details, and I'm not sure which ones are fully significant.



Thanx. (if you got any of or al of that and you respond)

[Trapped]

I knew this class would be difficult for me...and this* is why.

I decided to take a challenging, for me, course to try to improve my weakness(es).



I don't like reading. Books don't fascinate me, I don't get "into" them, absorb them, feel emotional about them....I guess, that's just not me. But I do/did however enoy writing. But, so I've learned, you can only be a great writer by/thrugh reading....

A lot of interesting people I've met, excellent writers I know, fabulous people/writers I've heard about all had one more thing in common that I didn't: reading.



I am not picking up on the things that I need to, b/c I don't enjoy...reading that well. I can't get into the book enough to see how things are relating. I cann what some potential symbols may be, and there are soo many details, but I'm having a difficult time distinguishing between the major and minor.



I don't know if anyone can help with this...but this site isn't onlu for helping. I'm just posting how I feel right now, and what Ithink is my setback. I'm trying to let go of some of my feelings about this assignment, but until my "feelings"are validated, I'll still hold on to them; and continue with discontent, frustration, and a sense of decreased intelligence (about me) for this...





I guess you could call it a rant, but....it's not that intense? (Obviously)

[candela]

Pear Tree

Janie= pear blossom - blossoming into womanhood on a spring day

-- she wants a blossoming pear tree as an ideal symbol of her marriage to Logan - her pear tree wilts with her marriage to Lgan but blooms in full cycle with her marriage to Tea Cake



reappearance of a gate prior to a critical life change is also symbolic to Janie?s quest for self-identity



transformations in appearance of Janie?s beautiful, flowing hair and how it is worn is symbolic of either her constraint or freedom involved in her current marriage. As a young child, Janie wears ribbons in her hair and is seen by others with respect and dignity.

---Joe Starks, Janie is coerced by her husband to tie her hair up in rags, and that she must never let her hair down while in the store. Thus, Starks confines and restricts Janie as much as her hair, showing his possessive and jealous manner.

--- She tore off the kerchief ? and let down her hair. The weight, the length, the glory was there? (83). With Jody?s death, Janie feels free and relieved, noticing that she has finally become a woman. In chapter ten, Janie burns the head rag as a declaration of her freedom

---Tea Cake admires her hair as he combs Janie?s hair with affection, ??wishin? so bad tuh git mah hands in yo? hair. It?s so pretty. It feels jus? lak underneath uh dove?s wing next to mah face?? (99). Therefore, because her hair is a symbol of her character, Tea Cake appreciates Janie for who she is and displays his affection by grooming her.

---Janie returns and has found herself and her self-reliance as her hair is described as a ?great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume



got that from gradesaver.com - u can try and get more from spark notes and similiar pages - dont use this worrding in ur essay or it will be plagarism - hope this helps - from the summary of the book it seemed interesting- good luck

[Trapped]

Thankx so much for your efforts, but I bought the SparkNotes before I even got the ook for fear I "wouldn't get it" (though ppl don't see me as I see myself (not smart). I have the "alternative source(s)" but I won't/can't use it (tried it) because I know it's cheating, and I don't like to cheat. I can't get this stuff on my own, which just makes me "dumb" --well, not quite... but not as smart as I think I am (potentially).



And that's what I'm worried about..that perhaps this has been a lie, and why am I even in this advanced program? "I'm no 'dumby'" (firgure of speech, also quote from someone else), but maybe I'm not all that intellectual as I hoped...*sadface* *tear*





(I'm really not a sarcastic, so please take what I'm saying seriously)

[candela]

oo i wasnt making fun of you - im soo sorry. i just know that i didnt think to use sparknotes untill someone told me. -- it was tha day my report was due. Ps- dont worry about sounding smart teacher (ast least mine) preffer style and your writing vioce over sounding smart (as long as your wight and not too off topic) - luck - Katie

[PurplePoemPuppet]

I remember reading Their Eyes Were Watching God for my AP Lit class last year. Let me tell you, being in that class, I sure didn't feel smart enough. My boyfriend at the time, 4.0 student, A's for everything, and a lot of my friends very similar. But you are at your own level. It's good to take a course that might be more challenging than your abilities. You'll be exposed to it. I didn't do so hot on the exam. I got a 2. Oh well, that's just 80 dollars out of my pocket and exposure to some great literature. Don't get worried about not being smart enough, that's not really what counts here. What counts is gaining the learning experience, gaining the whatever knowledge you can out of a course like this. It's so much better than being stuck in a regular english class where all the average joe's sit there trying to distract the teacher so they don't have to learn.

[A! Elbereth]

I read that book last year, Sophomore year, but it was an advanced class. If you need help interpreting it go to http://www.sparknotes.com

[Trapped]

Thanx guys. I already had the actual Sparknotes book-- that I bought before we started reading. It turned out iI didn't actuallly read it, and I'm taking the test right now. I wrote 2 essay on it two days ago. (well, 1, but I'll tellyou how I do.