Close Reading: "Don't let others Stress you out"

Amanda Enayati’s article about analyzing stress effectively conveys the potential dangerous outcomes through the use of diction, imagery, details and language. A strong use of diction and sophisticated language with words and phrases such as “emotional contagion” and “synthetic cry” gives readers imagery as they read. For example, when the author explains how infants are capable of vocal and infant mimicry you can picture a baby imitating those who they are surrounded by.These details leads us to the basic question ”what causes stress?” This question is delved into topics such as what we watch tv to who we hang around with and how that affects us. Details such as staying away from negativity gives us a broader view on how to remove stress from our lives.  

Diction is used to explain what how to avoid stress and how we control staying away from those “very toxic” people that we meet. The author also describes strategies we could “inoculate to our toxic environment”. This gives us multiple perceptions of how we are “masters of our inner worlds”, and how plummeting our blame on others for how we feel is a wrong approach to take when we avoid stress. Just these few phrases through diction tells us how to perceive the author’s ideas and controls how we read the article. This also binds in with our own emotions, making the tops more interesting and relate-able as we read.This diction gave me an image of myself in a busy environment controlling those around me, and staying away from that which can penetrate my emotions. Imagery is also conveyed through diction such as “find a relaxation method the same way you find an exercise routine”, a visual representation on how to calm yourself. I especially get a clearer understanding of finding a relaxation method when i read the line “practice it daily”, then I get an honest gist of what I can control. 

Details such as an explanation of how humans are empathetic and we can “catch” whatever those around us feel gives us a clearer understanding of how we are empathetic. This metaphor gives us a visual of what “catch” can mean, and makes it seem like emotions are viral. All of these details allows the language to flow smoothly throughout the article and gives us a clearer understanding of what the article is trying to convey.

Lord of the Flies Essay

  1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.

                In Lord of the Flies, Ralph is a character of innocence and purity that has to face the harshes of society and the savagery that his opponent Jack creates on the island.  Jack’s authority as a hunter creates havoc and chaos on the island, forcing the boy to lose their sense of unity and loss of innocence. The boys fail to coexist, and Ralph’s failure to create a civilized society causes the boy’s to lose their loss of innocence and face rivalry and hatred amongst each other.

                When the boys land on the island alone, they create a unity amongst each other and agree to cooperate in order to escape the island and be rescued. When Jack steps up to claim power, the boys blindly follow in his footsteps and do as they are told. Ralph is in a conflict with the way Jack runs the island with his morals and guidelines. Jack acts like a savage; he believes that hunting pigs, doing dances around a fire and talking to dead creatures with save him and the island. Ralph is startled by Jack’s immaturity and refuses to listen to the way Jack’s orders. In this respect, Ralph is rebelling and wants to create a civilized system with the boys.

 Ralph wants order; he wants people to be assigned a specific job and work together equally amongst each other. Jack wants to show that his clan is the best, and that the hunters should have more respect due to the fact that they provide food to the other boys. When the boys go hunting, Jack kills a pig, this act of killing creates a dark side in him and forces him to believe that he is able to do anything, including killing his peers. When things get out of hand and Jack turns against anyone who opposes him, he orders his clan to kill them. In this respect, each character slowly but surely loses their innocence. Due to these experiences, the boys do not react in remorse but rather in a cocky and defiant manner. Ralph and his friend Piggy can only truly see the beast that is manifested within them.

                Ralph’s rebellion towards the rest of the uncivilized society on the island shows how he morally makes right decisions and turns away from immature actions and deeds. His morality and faith come into question when Jack opposes his every move and challenges him to become savage-like. Although Ralph is tempted, he turns away and continues to control the beast that lives within them as he slowly watches his peers become more beastly and irrational in their actions. 

Response to Course Material

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   Two weeks into the school year and I have acquired an immense amount of knowledge on how to read and write actively. I have grasped the concept of DIDLS (diction, imagery, language and syntax) and how to use approach these tactics in an essay. I have picked up on description, and learned how to break down poetry in a manner that I have never thought of before. For example, I now know how to convert old english language into a modernized language and make contrasts between other pieces of poetry. This skill allows me to further my understanding of interpreting poetry, thus giving me the ability to grasp the concept of DIDLS. I have also learned how to make a concrete introduction, and how to write a two part thesis statement. 

   Learning the concept of DIDLS and how to apply it took a while, but I think I have learned how to find details and understand tone through diction in a reading. DIDLS also helps when it comes to breaking down opinions and attitudes in reading. I know now the difference between a formal statement and an informal statement all through the use of diction.

   I have also learned how to break down the prompts for the closed reading for the closed reading essay for the Ap exam. I know how to skim the prompt and take out the key concepts in which they want us to respond to. This effectively creates more time to write my essay, and helps me organize my thoughts before doing so. 

   The two part thesis concept has helped me quite a bit when it comes to writing my introduction paragraphs. My essays in general are going to always consist of a 3 sentence introduction from now on, and I will eliminate conclusion essays altogether. If it weren’t for those practice sheets and practice thesis statements, I would yet have to learn what it means to write a thesis. Although all this learning has enhanced my writing abilities, I still need to constantly improve and revise my work before I make it visible to others, and I still have a long ways to go in Ap english before I become a proficient writer and an actively profound reader.
    
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