Part 1

Core Class Elements

Literature:

What I learned:

First and foremost I learned that one can read a book in two ways: One can read the book for pleasure overlooking all of its subtle hints at the meaning of life and the social implications behind the messages or one can read a book to try to interpret these enigmas through literature. Neither way is wrong, but each way has its benefits. This year we read for the latter purpose of the two within class, which is expectable seeing as we are in English class and not on the couch reading. When looking at content though, I read four great books that really stick out in my mind as remarkable literature this year. The first novella which I remember has to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as we analyzed within it elements of Marxism, Psychoanalysis, or Social Darwinism. I eventually chose to write mine on the elements of psychoanalysis as they related to characters and settings within the book. It gave me a whole different perspective on how pervasive these ideas (Psychoanalysis, Marxism, and Social Darwinism) were within my own life. We then went on to read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein where I analyzed language acquisition within the monster. Then we proceeded onto 1984 with Marxism and Hamlet with Psychoanalysis yet again. Throughout all of these novels I learned that the author's true intentions in writing these novels are much more deep than just providing a good story, for these authors meant to get at the very nuances of what it means to be human. As Ms. Anderson always explains, "Literature is a reflection of the human experience," I truly believe that it is after this year of thorough analysis a reflection of our experiences as humans. 

What I wish I had learned:

I can't ask for much more than what we have gone through this year as it seems like we have learned so much as a class, but if I had to narrow it down to one thing I think I would have cut down on the Reader Response Theory at the beginning of the year so as to give more time to analyze Archetypes within fairy-tales as I found that we were not able to achieve the same depth with Archetypes as the other units. I would have liked to have delved into the archetypes within these fairy-tales a bit more deeply within the class so that I could reach a greater understanding of them in the stories we were given, and since I found Reader Response theory the most dull, I feel that shorting that unit would be permissible in the scope of a year worth of learning and a greater understanding of Archetypes.

How I could have learned the material better:

One of the only improvements I believe could actually help the students, including myself in the midst of the trials of this year would have just been more explanation as to how the novels apply to our lives within the classroom as sometimes I would try to interpret the books on my own and found myself at a loss as to what their nuances really meant.

Writing:

What I learned:

I learned that everything I had been taught about formal academic writing up to this year was a joke. Nothing compares to MLA format and nothing compares to the overall structure of an essay written in Mrs. Anderson's class. The intricacy required in order to purvey one's thoughts is astounding, and this year I know I certainly haven't come close to having mastered my own writing style, and yet, I can say that I have certainly improved, which isn't much of a surprise seeing as I went from having minimal knowledge of the correct format to now "knowing the ropes," if you will, of how to write a true formal academic piece. I especially learned this year that emphatic statements are like a social taboo in which you can't break the chains of unless if you fully submit to the rules of The Great Essay Challenges and the rules of the great MLA. I learned that in order to win it is necessary to play by the rules, and I guess I had to take the hard route on this one because I certainly had my fair share of redos, extra essays, and terrible grades this year. I can honestly say I learned a lot about writing, the purpose of such stringent formatting, and the necessity of formality within Formal Academic Writing this year.

What I wish I had learned:

Much of what we covered in the realm of Formal Academic Writing was practical and scrupulous, yet I wish that we exited out of the realm of formal academic writing more than we actually did in our class. The regimented personality of writing in MLA format was a great thing to learn, but eventually its monotony plagued me as I tried to endure writing countless essays. I wish that we explored the realm of non-academic writing for the purposes of leisure through poetry, or short stories and things of that nature because I felt often in the classroom that we excluded the pleasure from learning that can be re-acheived through the informality of prose and poetry.

How I could have learned the material better:

The only complaint that I could have for this year would be more strait-forward directions. The ambiguity of some of our assignments created much frustration in the teacher and students alike as the teacher ridiculed us for being too needy, but the dependancy was necessary for us, as students, to perform our assignments up to the teacher's standard. Basically, more direction would have been nice, that's all.

Grammar and Punctuation:

What I learned:

Honestly, this year was the first time I have ever been forced to tackle the field of grammar and punctuation. I learned all about parts of speech, their forms and functions, and all about the functions of punctuation. Mostly credit is due to the classroom and definitely the teacher, but much of the credit for punctuation goes to Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss. I learned that through the syntax of sentences one can interpret the true meaning of the sentence, and one can bolster the impact of his sentences through his own knowledge of syntax. I traversed the confusing landscape of punctuation this year as well as we tackled what the true intended purpose for much of the poorly-used punctuation in existence today. 

What I wish I had learned:

I do not think I could have wished to learn much more than what we already have learned about punctuation and grammar. I only wish that we could have seen examples of the ways punctuation was used in novels and essays, otherwise I am content with what we have learned.

How I could have learned the material better:

More repetition would be the only suggestion I have as a student because some of the grammar rules can be a bit confusing when trying to apply them at first, especially when outside of the classroom, so I would just suggest that there is more time in class for students to become acclimated with the intricacies of grammar and punctuation.

Part 2

Core Class Literary Theory

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

definition: Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development analyzes one's motivation behind making decisions based on what stage they are acting in on a scale of 1 to 6 with each rank having different motivations.

Relevancy:

• Academically -  The theory of moral development has relevancy in academics because in literature the theory can be used to gauge what level characters are acting in and then based on their level we can gauge their motivation. In the same way teachers or students in the classroom can use this in other classes when weighing the morality of cheating and the selfishness of actions
• Personally - Personally Kohlberg's theory has relevancy to me because it includes the morals and values, which weigh heavily in many of the decisions that I make on a daily.
• Socially - Socially the pattern of friendship is based on individuals with similar values as well as similar moral beliefs. Also, the stages of Kohlberg's theory can be used to gauge individuals socially to determine why they act the way they do. 
• Universally - Universally everyone has a motivation for acting the way they act, and in order to understand actions Kohlberg's theory can be used to grasp a greater knowledge of the reasoning behind certain types of actions.

Important Terminology:

Ethics: A formal system or set of rules, which are adopted by a majority of people who agree to follow the rules.

Morals: Motivation for a person's behavior based on what is wrong or right as determined by society.

Values: Beliefs of a person in regards to the morals established by the ethical system.

Pre-Conventional Stage: Stage where children judge the morality of actions by their direct consequences – good or bad. This stage is purely concerned with the self.

Conventional Stage: Primarily concerned with adolescents and adults where they judge the morality of a person's actions by comparing actions to societal views and expectations.

Post-Conventional Stage: Primarily concerned with adults where a realization that individuals are separate entities from society and the development of the individual perspective as it relates to society.

Marxist Theory

definition: A theory as to how conflict arises in the world to create progress. Marxist theory states that all conflicts arise out of economics and class struggle. Those with the means of production are those in power, and those who work for them are the working class. 

Relevancy:

• Academically - We can see Marxist theory academically in the dialectic where teachers or students will discover a new or modified way of solving a problem, and as a result a synthesized result appears. We can also see the working class misery within student's complaints about how the schoolwork is so hard because the teachers who assign it are tough on them.
• Personally - Personally I can see marxist theory in my own life through my own class consciousness where I know exactly where I belong in my friend groups and think I know pretty well how others view me.
• Socially - Socially marxist theory can totally be seen in instances where there are powerful individuals who own the means of production for certain items, and as a result, they have power.
• Universally - Universally there has always been the struggle for power, and within each of these struggles, Marxist tenants can be seen in each of them.

Important Terminology:

Class Struggle: Conflict between upper and lower classes.

Working Class Misery: References education, occupation, culture, and income where individuals who sell and trade their labor for wages do not own the means of production.

Class Consciousness: Self-awareness of a person's place in society causing the active pursuit of one's own interest; aware of the misery of your own situation.

The Dialectic: Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis: The law of unity is based upon two conditions that are opposite of each other, the thesis (original thought) and the antithesis (original thought's opposite) that unite to create the synthesis (opposites conflict enough to eventually create a new stage).

Psychoanalysis

definition: Sigmund Freud's theory as to how the personality works and how external and internal stimuli affect us. 

Relevancy:

• Academically - Books can literally be read "psychoanalytically," which can help us as readers grasp a deeper understanding of what the author truly means to imply and what the character's true motivations are.
• Personally - Psychoanalysis has been an interesting unit for me because I can definitely see elements of it in my own life. Principles like The Superego and the Id, Moral Anxiety and Isolation are all actions that i internalize and definitely are influences on my own life. 
• Socially - socially psychoanalysis has pertinent relevance because behind every action there is a motivation, and almost everyone has fear (or Anxiety) that causes them to take certain actions in order to confront these fears.
• Universally  - psychoanalysis can be seen within every human, it is something that characterizes human life and so it is universally relevant because it literally is universal.

Important Terminology:

Personality Theory: Preconscious vs. Subconscious: Personality theory is based on three key components: The conscious mind (what you are aware of at the particular moment), the pre-conscious mind (what can easily be made conscious like memories), and the unconscious mind (what you are not aware of consciously like instincts, thoughts, wishes, perceptions, memories, and emotions that are associated with trauma)

Psyche: ID, Ego, Super-Ego: The Psyche is composed of three components: The pleasure principle run by sex and aggression (Id), the reality principle that regulates the demands of the Id and the superego (Ego), and the moral principle that internalizes ideals to provide standards of judgement (Superego). 

Life Instinct vs. Death Instinct: The life instinct is the desire to seek survival through reproduction and having one's needs met whereas the death instinct is characterized by the need for constant peace, escape from life, or craving for rest. 
Anxiety: Realistic, Moral, Neurotic: There are three signals to the ego that the whole of the organism is in jeopardy: Moral Anxiety (fear from internal stimuli), Realistic Anxiety (fear from external stimuli), and Neurotic Anxiety (fear of being overwhelmed).

Attributions: Internal vs. External Motivation These are inferences made about the cause of events and behaviors where internal motivation is due to personal factors like traits, abilities, or feelings and external motivation is due to situational factors.

Attribution Bias: Fundamental Attribution Error, Self-Serving Bias, Just World Hypothesis: Fundamental Attribution Error is when other people's behavior corresponds to their personality, Self-Serving Bias is where people attribute success to themselves and failure to the situation., and the Just-World Hypothesis is where people need to believe that the world is fair.

Defense Mechanisms: Denial, Repression, Isolation, Turning Against the Self, Regression, Rationalization, Sublimation: All of the latter are used to cope with anxiety. Denial is when one blocks out an event as though it didn't happen. Repression is when one is not able to recall a traumatic event. Isolation is where an individual strips the emotion from a threatening situation. Turning Against the Self is when the person becomes his own substitute target. Regression is where individuals become frightened, so their behaviors become more childish. Rationalization is when one cognitively distorts "the facts" to make an event less threatening. Lastly, Sublimation is when individuals transform an unacceptable impulse into one that is socially acceptable.

Therapeutic Methods: Dream Analysis, Parapraxes, Transference, Catharsis, Insight: Dream Analysis can be used to find out the yearnings of the unconscious mind. Parapraxes is a slip of the tongue that reveals a deep seated desire. Transference is when our feelings or actions are directed towards an unintended person. Catharsis is a sudden, and dramatic, outpouring of emotion. Lastly, Insight is being aware of the source of one's emotions.

Feminist Criticism 

definition: A type of literary criticism developed in the 1820's that puts an emphasis on traits which define the perfect women. Traits like piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity are among these characteristics.

Relevancy:

• Academically - This can be seen in academic when it is assumed that males are more dominant in math and science and females are more dominant in English.
• Personally - Personally I see tenants of feminist criticism all the time whether it be snide remarks about how "women belong in the kitchen" or the societal expectation that men ought to be out in the workplace providing for their families while the women are expected to stay home.
• Socially - Socially, as I stated briefly above, the expectations for women to stay in the house with the children and the man to go out and provide for his family is reminiscent of Feminist criticism.
• Universally - Universally, women are deemed the "weaker sex" every day without any real basis behind the argument. The expectation for women to be taken care of by the man does not bother me, but rather the expectation for the woman to be dependent upon man.

Important Terminology:

Theory of the Cult of Domesticity: A new ideal of womanhood that puts an emphasis on a woman's piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity that developed around the 1820s.

Theory of Spheres: This is the theory that women belong in the home, and should be confined to the home while men are the individuals that go out into the workplace to provide for the family.
Genderlect – sexism in language: The obvious inferences in language to the theory of spheres in examples like male nurse or actress, or even poetess.

Darwin’s Theory of Women’s Inferiority: Darwin constantly reasoned that women were biologically inferior to men, and tries to back it up saying that women are less advanced evolutionarily than men.

Archetypes

definition: A pattern embodying shared experiences of the individual in the collective unconsciousness. Basically, images ingrained into our heads before we are even born that unify every person for they are found in all culture.

The Persona

Relevancy:

• Academically - Archetypes can be identified in every novel ever written since the are the nuances, which we know before birth that are instinctual.
• Personally - I see archetypes in my everyday life through the personality types that I see in my friends and myself.
• Socially - socially archetypes can be seen often in relationships where an individual is "the caregiver"" or "the wise old man" to someone else or where certain elements of events can be deemed archetypical;. 
• Universally - Universally, archetypes exist everywhere, they are found in all cultures and and are shared between all individuals. 

Important Terminology:

Abstract: Abstract Archetypes include: "The Mother", "The Creator", "The Mana". "The Persona", and "The Shadow". Each different archetype is symbolic of certain important entities that are important in society. 

Concrete: Authority Figures: These include Archetypes like: "The Ruler", "The Magician", and "The Sage".

Concrete: Family Figures: These include popular the archetypes of "The Wise Old Man", "The Caregivers", or "The Orphan".

Personalities: These include personality types like "The Innocent Fool", "The Trickster", and "The Seeker". Warrior Hero: Represents the character that desires to conquer; self-searching adventure that extends beyond the Ordinary World.
Animal Realm: These archetypes symbolize humanity's relationship with the animal world. Popular archetypes in this genre include animals like dogs, cats, horses, and even wolves.