PxP Ch. 7-10

1) "'Oh! certainly,' cried his faithful assistant, 'no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved'" (Austen 29).

Here, we see what passes for an "accomplished" woman in the story. She must indeed be a true "Renaissance Woman", as she must have knowledge of almost everything, plus the way she carries herself and the way she acts. This is what must be done to ensure or even improve a woman's reputtion in the novel. It seems almost idealistic in its description. I don't know whether anyone can do ALL of that at once, woman or man. Still, though, we now know what passes for a great woman in the text, which will probably play out further somehow.

2) "'Nothing is more deceitful,' said Darcy, 'than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast'" (35).

One of the key concepts of the novel is pride, and this quote has something to do with that. humility is the antonym of pride, and here Mr. Darcy says there is nothing worse than false humility. I get the feeling false humility is actually some type of pride, in a way. The person would make it seem he is humble rather than actually being so, most likely to invoke feelings of affection or friendship from others. The person has knowledge of his humility, but real humility would pass by unnoticed. Darcy here is speaking to many character in the novel, including Miss Bingley. She especially is a perfect example of this. She makes it seem she is humble and kind when really she despises Elizabeth and everything related to her. Not only does pride play a fair role in the text, but its impersonator as well.

PxP Ch. 1-6

1) "'His pride,' said Miss Lucas, 'does not offend me so much as pride often does, because there is an excuse for it. One cannot wonder that so very fine a young man, with family, fortune, every thing in his favour, should think highly of himself. If I may so express it, he has a right to be proud'" (Austen 13).

I believe this quote to be important because it describes an aspect of Pride, a major concept addressed in the text and one third of its title. It is also a commentary on how people view pride. If someone is simply average, middle class, and ordinary, yet they are proud, then there is a problem, but with someone so well off as Mr. Darcy--handsome and wealthy--his various different outstanding qualities are the type of things that warrant pride in one's self. As Charlotte so eloquently put it, he does have a right to be proud. This quote exactly establishes the requirements for pride in the novel.

2) "'...it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life'...But no sooner had [Mr. Darcy] made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some other equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness" (16).

When I read the first part of this quote, where Charlotte is speaking of marriage, I did not agree. the first thing that popped into my mind was Agent Myers from Hellboy: "You like someone for their qualities, but love them for their defects." If you truly love someone, you want them entirely, both the good and the bad. As Myers is saying, you only love someone whe you accept their defects. When I read that, immediately I did not really like Charlotte's character as much as before. As I continued reading, Mr. Darcy's all for Elizabeth is detailed, in complete contradiction to Charlotte's words. He acknowledged that she was pretty, but now he is finding himself falling in love with her for the exact reason he at first did not find her beautiful. In other words, he is finding that his love for Elizabeth was because of what he deemed as defects. I also like how these two refuting passages are on the same page. This is yet another reason why I love Mr. Darcy.

AoM-The Tao Appendix

I believe the most important aspect of the Tao is the Law of Magnanimity, because that is, if not the closest to, loving others. Love is the basis for all morality. Chivalry is among the many forms of this selflessness to others, and it if the perfect example of what Lewis' references state: Others come before ourselves; their needs, their troubles, their happiness is more important than ours. This sense shows that we are human. Without Love, what are we? We have no feelings, no emotion. There are those who say that to love and feel for others is to show weakness. Remove the weakness, and we would be perfect, like a marble statue: Cold, unfeeling, and rigid. We would have no utter regard for our fellow man. Then, what point is there in including ourselves in the collective of mankind if we stand alone? As Lewis has stated, our hearts--the center of all sentiment in our bodies--are what make us men. By our mind, we are purely spirit, and by our bodies, we are purely animal. Our heart, and thusly our sense of emotion, is what makes is human, and so it is the most important of the Laws.

I would say that if I had to add one aspect to the Tao, it would be the Law of Equality. Everyone is the same as everyone else, and it should be treated that way. We all live on the earth, we all share it, and we all depend on everyone else at some time in our lives. Everyone deserves to be treated the same as everyone else. It is from this type of problem that slavery, womens' rights, and gay rights have arisen. If all are treated equal, the world will be a better place. Coupled with the Law of Magnanimity, it would create a powerful combination of good deed and good will. If everyone is to be treated the same, then everyone is treated selflessly, and thus will arise a mutual kindness toward all others.

AoM-Abolition of Man

1.) "We shall have 'taken the thread of life out of the hand of Clotho' and be henceforth free to make our species whatever we wish it to be.[...]For the Power of Man to make himself what he pleases means, as we have seen, the power of some men to make other men what they please" (59).

2.) "You cannot go on 'seeing through' things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it.[...]If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see" (81).

In his last chapter, Lewis sums up his argument and explains the title of his book, The Abolition of Man. He states that eradicating a certain aspect of the next generation, as Lewis argues that Gaius and Titius do, with eventually be the destruction of mankind itself. This next generation of man will not be men anymore than a doll is human. They will be but false representations of humanity, devoid of true life and made of cheap metaphorical plastic. Man will no longer be an invividual entity, but a memory of its predecessors. He will be exactly how others wanted him to be, not his own being. In doing this, man will have robbed fate of its true job: weaving the future. Everything will be predetermined; everything will be known. Once we know everything, and once everything in the world can be explained, there will be nothing left to discover. There will be nothing left to "see" and thus man will be no more. Too much knowledge can be a gift as well as a curse: When you know everything there is to know, there is nothing more you can learn.

AoM: The Way

1) "Knowledge cannot itself be instinctive: the judge cannot be one of the parties judged; or, if he is, the decision is worthless and there is no ground for placing the preservation of the species above self-preservation or sexual appetite" (Lewis 36).

2) "The Tao, and which others may call Natural Law or Traditional Morality or the First Principles of Practical Reason or the First Platitudes, is not one among a series of possible systems of value. It is the sole source of all value judgements" (43).

In this chapter, Lewis speaks of morality and value, specifically what is and what isn't. He's saying that Gaius and Titius, and any such Innovators, are tearing down sentiments in order to replace them with a set of values that they believe to be good or just. Lewis refutes this by saying that all value judgements stem from the Tao; it is the basis for all value. He uses the analogy of branches on a tree. If the branches rebelled against the tree, they would destroy themselves; it is the same for values. Every subjective value system in itself contains some objective aspect of the Tao, tearing it down would tear down the value system in question. Also, in regards to this, he addresses what value, moral, or instinct is better than another, or which one has precedence over the other. Much like he relayed in Mere Christianity, the instinct itself cannot be the thing to tell a person to obey it over another instinct; there is an objective law or way that shows us. All values stem from the Tao, and so trying to tear it down and replace it with a "better" system of value which we believe has more precedence over another is self-contradictory.

AoM-Ch.1 Men Without Chests

1.) "The man who called the cataract sublime was not intending simply to describe his own emotios about it: he was also claiming that the object was one which merited those emotions" (Lewis 15).

As we discussed in class, Lewis is arguing that saying something is sublime does not mean you feel sublime, it is that you in fact feel humbled because of that object. The object is in itself sublime, and that sublimity warrants your own feelings to surface and describe it as such. The same can be said for vile or annoying. The object itself is so vile or annoying that it stimulates your own feelings to describe it as such. We do not feel the word, we feel that object described is the word.

2.) "It may even be said that it is by this middle element that man is man: for by his intellect he is mere spirit and by his appetite mere animal" (25).

Here, Lewis speaks of three factions of the body--the mind, the chest(or heart), and the stomach(or body). The mind and the body are the two ends of the spectrum, the heart acting as the middleground that connects them. It is what makes us human, not, as Lewis writes, purely spirit or purely animal. The combination of both is what makes us human. Lewis is saying that The Green Book is essentially robbing the students it teaches of their feelings, what makes them human. Basically, men without chests, only a mind and body.

MLK Letter Essay

Scott Pero
AP English Language
October 13, 2009
What makes King’s argument so persuasive?

Eloquence Is Spelled M-L-K

Ever since mankind learned to speak, it has been twisting and warping words into beautiful poetry and enthralling stories. The English language has evolved tremendously since its inception due to various orators throughout the ages pushing the language to its limits. One such orator was Martin Luther King Jr. King, born 1929, was one of the most eminent civil rights activists of history. Out of the many ways King educated and inspired his audience, his writing is especially outstanding. This is shown in King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. After he was arrested on April 12, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama for demonstrating without a permit, King wrote the letter to the white moderate, explaining his actions and acting as a voice for an oppressed people. King writes to his “Fellow Clergymen” (King 738), establishing himself as an equal to the white clergymen of the south, an audacious act for a black man in the 60s. The color of his skin is incentive alone for others not to listen to him, as well as the fact that he is writing from a prison cell. That, however, shows perseverance, that despite everything, King still struggles on. He writes of an illogical and unjust oppression of blacks in the U.S. and demonstrates his civility and sheer intelligence in doing so. Martin Luther King’s letter is so persuasive because of his syntax and complete mastery of the English language, his diction and appeals to emotion and logic only enhancing his argument.

A tell-tale sign of literary proficiency is the correct execution of literary devices. King’s letter is riddled with a multitude of devices, and these devices are the reason his speech is so magnificent. During the 60s, many believed blacks to be uneducated and uncivilized. King tears down that stereotype, which forces others to continue reading his words. His intelligence is what catches the attention of the general white populace. One example of such intelligence is the uses of parallelisms. By constantly repeating a certain aspect of a clause, the idea behind it is burned into the reader’s memory. When King speaks of praise for the Birmingham police force, he exhibits parallelism: “I don’t believe you would…praise for the police department” (751). King repeats the phrases ‘I don’t believe’ and ‘if you would’. This repetition is easily noticed by the reader and it catches their eye. Parallelism was one of the many devices king used; it was not alone in its battle to win the attention of his readers.

Juxtaposition is another tool King uses to great effect. By comparing two different things, he can show the drastic contrast between them, thus adding to his point. When he compares the U.S. to China is a remarkable example of juxtaposition: “We have waited for more than…coffee at a lunch counter” (742). Here, his comparison is so effective because he is comparing the U.S., a very progressive nation, with less progressive nations such as Asia and Africa, saying that Asia and Africa are surpassing the U.S. in terms of equality. He also continues with this analogy by utilizing two forms of transportation—jets and horse and buggies—to deepen the sheer contrast. This paints a picture in the reader’s mind, illustrating King’s point to maximize its effect. As somewhat of a continuation to his use of juxtaposition, King utilizes two different forms of sentences in his letter.

Dr. King uses both periodic sentences and cumulative sentences in his writing, and both have their advantages. Where cumulative sentences establish their point at the very beginning, periodic sentences build up to a climax and reveal their point towards the end of the clause. The use of both types provides an equal balance to keep the reader entertained, rather than bore them. A glaring and ideal example of King’s periodic sentences is the paragraph on page 742: “I guess it is easy for those who…legitimate and unavoidable impatience” (742). King utilizes semicolons throughout the paragraph, making it seem like one breathless sentence. It all builds to his final statement of logic at the end, a grand finale to the entire paragraph. Cumulative sentences are the exact opposite, as King establishes what he is trying to say in the beginning: “I say it as a minister…cord of life shall lengthen” (748). His point is said first, with the succeeding clauses only adding to it. Both of these types of sentences are the inversions of the other.

Inversion, like many of the other devices King incorporates into his writing, is meant to emphasize the idea or concept of what he is trying to say. Inversion flips a concept on its head, a good chance to catch the reader’s eye. “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will” (745). The second clause is the complete antithesis of the first. This is what sticks in the reader’s mind, emphasizing exactly what it is King is saying—half-hearted acceptance is more confusing than outright objection. Similar to inversion, King also brings up the opposing argument within his own argument.

King knows there will be multiple objections to some of his statements, so he uses rhetorical questioning to take care of them. When he talks of unjust and just laws, King utilizes rhetorical questioning: “One may well ask, ‘How can you advocate’…‘An unjust law is no law at all’” (742-743). By bringing up an opposing argument and quickly shooting it down, it shows both how weak the opposing statement is and strong King’s own statement is. It conveys his determination and complete understanding of both sides of the argument. Like all literary devices, rhetorical questioning would be nothing without the words used within them.

King’s word choice is phenomenal. His diction is both aggressive and passionate. Instead of using a simple word, he uses an even better, more powerful synonym. When describing Birmingham he uses such words as ugly, unjust, notorious, hard, brutal, and unbelievable. These words are extremely aggressive and evoke a response from the reader. King also uses his diction within his plethora of extended metaphors: “Let us all hope that…their scintillating beauty” (753). Interwoven through that passage, King continuously uses weather analogies and words to describe the weather. This illustrates in vivid detail exactly what King is trying to convey. His words convey both his own feelings and the reasons behind them.

Emotion and logic are two appeals King uses simultaneously to enhance his words and argument. King writes from the point of view of someone living the cause, as is relayed in the aforementioned paragraph of page 742: ““I guess it is easy for those who…legitimate and unavoidable impatience” (742). Each of the fifteen examples King uses call forth an emotional response within the reader. The way he writes the paragraph makes it seem like one long, breathless thought, and by the end, the reader is exhausted, a parallel of King’s exhaustion with the issue of segregation. King’s emotions become the reader’s. King also uses logic when he references many a famous extremist: “But as I continued to think…‘that all men are created equal’” (747). Here, King logically uses other famous historic figures labeled as extremists as examples for his own actions and words. No only does he reference them, but he quotes them and uses their quotes to further enhance his own argument. Much like King, all of the extremists mentioned stood out for one thing or another, marking them down in the history books for all time.

Martin Luther King’s control of the English language, his diction, and his appeals are the foundations of his letter. His utter knowledge of English is evident in the myriad of literary devices that lift up his argument to greater heights. His vocabulary and word choice is paramount. The reader is enlightened by his own emotions and the logic he uses to fuel them. Each aspect commanded the attention of King’s audience; they are what made his letter so memorable. Without them, no one would have listened to a black man in a prison cell in the 60s. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail serves as a testament to the sheer power of writing and the will to follow a dream.

LfBJ Notes

Scott Pero
AP English Language
October 7, 2009
Letter from Birmingham Jail Notes

--King starts off with ethos in the beginning of his letter to establish himself and why he is writing the letter: “My dear Fellow Clergymen” (King, 738). Here, he makes it know that he is an equal to those he is writing to; he is a clergyman just like they are. Also, in that first introductory paragraph, he addresses why he is writing it: “Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas” (738).

--King uses Pathos and Logos interchangeably throughout his letter, using an even mixture of the two, and sometimes even a combination of the two, to deliver his point. A perfect example of his use of emotion is the paragraph on page 742, “I guess it is easy for those…our legitimate and unavoidable impatience” (742). He uses fifteen examples of pure pathos to move the reader, culminating when he speaks of segregation and such topics affecting his own children. The reader is exhausted after reading it, a parallel of the exhaustion he feels over the struggles of blacks. This also works as an establishment of his character, since he refers to other blacks in the universal sense of brother and sister.

--King’s paragraph at the bottom of page 739 about both nonviolent campaign and Birmingham show his use of Logos effectively, along with his word choice adding Pathos to it: “In any nonviolent campaign…the hard, brutal, and unbelievable facts” (739). He begins with his logic, saying that he and all other blacks have gone through all four steps of nonviolent campaign in Birmingham, and that “Racial injustice engulfs [Birmingham]” (739). The word choice he uses to accentuate this logic only drives the point he is making even further, using such descriptions as ugly, unjust, notorious, etc.

--Diction: King’s diction is aggressive and relentless
Metaphor’s are fully flesh out, for example: “they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress” (745). Rather than stopping at ‘structured dams’, King continues with the use of the word flow, painting an image and completing his metaphor.

--Syntax: Uses various literary devices to excellent effect.

--Parallelism: “I don’t believe you would…praise for the police department” (751). King uses the parallels in the use of the words ‘I don’t believe’, ‘if you would’, and so on.

--Juxtaposition: “We have waited for more…coffee at a lunch counter” (742). King compares our country to less progressive nations, but uses them as an example of how far behind the country is in terms of equality.

--Periodic vs. Cumulative: King utilizes both periodic sentences, or listing things to build to a conclusion at the end of the sentence, and cumulative sentences, or strengthening a point at the beginning of the sentence. An example of Periodic: paragraph on 742. Cumulative: “I say it as a minister…cord of life shall lengthen” (748).

--Inversion: “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will” (745). He uses inversions for emphasis, using the antithesis of the first statement to complete the sentence.

--Rhetorical Questioning: King answers his own questions, questions that would be brought up against him. He quickly shuts down the opposition, only making his argument stronger: “One may well ask. ‘How can you advocate’…‘An unjust law is no law at all’” (742-743).

Fallacy Examples

Hasty Generalization: I asked five people in my family whether they liked the show Power Rangers. All said yes. 100% of people in my family like Power Rangers.

Stereotype: He talked with a funny accent. I bet he was Australian.

Cause and Effect: After I drank my soda, my dog barked at me. Drinking soda causes my dog to bark at me.

Only Cause: We can eliminate babies' crying by always making sure they are properly fed.


False Analogy: My dog walks fast, just like I'm typing this now.

Attacking the Person: Why should he choose where we go to eat? He has no taste in food.

Either-Or: Either I arrive to school on time, or I don't arrive at all.

Non-sequitur: I couldn't talk to you because I tripped on the way home.

Circular Reasoning: She should win the race because she has lovely teeth.

Begging the Question: It is common knowledge that Avri Lavigne is the greatest singer in the world.

Syllogisms

Correct:

1.) Mammals breathe air.
Orcas breathe air.
Orcas are mammals.

2.) Carnivores eat meat.
A Tyrannosaurus ate meat.
A Tyrannosaurus was a carnivore.

3.) Fictional Characters aren't real.
Percy Jackson is a fictional character.
Percy Jackson isn't real.

4.) Dairy Products come from Cows.
Milk comes from Cows.
Milk is a Dairy Product.

Incorrect:

1.) All sodas contain caffeine.
Coffee contains caffeine.
Coffe is a soda.
(not all sodas contain caffeine, i.e. caffeine-free Diet Pepsi)

2.) Scottish men wear kilts.
He is wearing a kilt.
He is Scottish.
(Not all Scotsman wear kilts, nor are Scotsmen the only people to wear kilts.)

3.) Love hurts.
A splinter hurts.
Love is a splinter.
(Love does not always hurt.)

4.) All roses are red.
Rudolph's nose is red.
Rudolph has a rose for a nose.
(Not all roses are red.)

Proposal

Scott Pero
AP English Language
October 1, 2009
Proposal

I have gone over the lines in my head a million times over and million times again, just to be ready for this moment; now that I think them over, I don’t believe any spoken word can describe my true feelings. You know that I love you. When I first saw you, you drew me in helplessly and since then, something changed: a smoldering flame of attraction that has now flourished into a raging wildfire of passion, one that I could not and would not extinguish, even if I tried. Before I met you, I never really thought I could love someone so fervently. I used to despise the very word. Here, it was happening to every one all around me, but I could not even taste a minute speck of the ecstasy it means to care for someone so. It sickened me, choking me with the very thing I longed so much for—somebody to love. Then I met you, and my whole world shattered into a million pieces. I did not know what these foreign concepts of love, devotion, and euphoria were until I knew you. You taught me everything I needed to know about them without uttering a single breath. Now, those very emotions possess my being each day I am with you, their intensity only growing with time. I cannot even begin to relate how tormenting it is to be but a small distance away from you for more than a heartbeat.

I realize all of this sounds overly cliché, but somehow it doesn’t matter to me. This is only an infinitesimal fraction of my feelings for you, and if I sound like a boring old record, this is what you have done to me. You are the reason for everything that I do, say, even think. All I do, I do it for you. Everything I say, I say so that you may hear it. Whenever I think, I think of you. Every hour of every day you run through my mind, and still I can not seem to get enough of you. The driving force of my world, the one power that propels me forward into each new day with hope and aspiration, is you.

I am not worthy of someone like you. I know that. You are everything I could have ever dreamed of. Like the average dreamer, I dreamt of something too good to be true for someone like me. It was like my fantasy suddenly manifested when you walked into my life. Your beauty surpasses all limitations, so much so I believe you to be a goddess in human form, pitying me, a mere mortal, with your company. I am humbled in your presence, every aspect of your angelic visage outshining my own mundane qualities absolutely. I hope you know that I am incredibly privileged to be with you now, and I would not change a single thing about it, except for one—how empty your ring finger looks.

Would you please do me the heavenly honor of accepting my hand in marriage? There is nothing more I would wish for in this world than to be with you forever. I can only pray that you feel the same, that way I can know for sure that what I am feeling is real. All I want is to make you the happiest person in the world, and I mean that. As you wish it, so shall it be. I will do anything you ask of me, even if only to see your heartwarming smile one second longer. Wherever you go, I want to be there waiting. Whenever you call, I want to be the one to answer. Whenever you cry, I want to be the one who wipes your tears and troubles away. I am already there at your beck and call, to serve devotedly my only desire.

I promise to be the best husband I can be, and to put you above all else. I am here for you and no other. We share all of the same interests—food, music, movies—and our personalities are already so much alike. I do not care what you say about yourself, all of that doesn’t matter to me. I think you are an amazing person, and I want you just as you are, both good and bad. I am so happy with you right now, that I thought, ‘Why should we not take the next step?’ You already know that my feelings for you are most ardent in their love, and I can see nothing wrong with walking you down the aisle. I can only hope that that day comes as soon as possible, only to make me the luckiest man on earth.

Now, the decision is entirely in your magnificent hands. I hope you understand the degree of my passion. My heartstrings ache only for you, the only person ever to play them so sweetly as to rival the majestic Apollo and his golden lyre. You are the reason I wake from my slumber each morning and the reason I am able to fall back in content each night. Whenever I imagine curling up to watch a favorite movie or just simply relaxing on a rainy day, you are the person I want to curl up with and whose hand I want fitted perfectly into mine. Whatever you choose, I hope you will be happy, as that is all I really want. Just know that I love you so much and I will always love you until my heart silence its rhythmic serenade, a serenade written for my one true soul mate—you.