Journal 12/8

What did you do this semester in ELA that was most meaningful to you, and why was it meaningful?

Probably annotating. I didn't see the point of it last semester, but this time around I decided to buckle down and attempt to do a good job at it. This helped tremendously, and has also allowed me to see the benefits of doing it- it's a legitimately good way to reflect on the book while you're reading, and even just consistently putting in questions allows you to remember more about the contents of the book.

 

What was the most challenging thing about ELA this semester, and why?

The paper I wrote in response to The Alchemist, hands down. Even while I was writing the rough draft, I had no idea how much information I'd need to put into it in order to fully prove my thesis. What resulted was a paper that I'd say is one of the best that I've ever written(not that there are many of them, but still). I'm proud of it.

What would you like to change about ELA, and why?

If you asked me this question at the start of the semester I would say annotating, but as I said above my opinion has changed pretty significantly. So, nothing. 

What would you like to stay the same in ELA, and why?

The flexibility of projects. I love how you're able to do so many things with them, but still learn a lot by not being able to do the same kind of project more than twice.

If you have any further comments about the class, please include them.

ELA is a great and well-organized class. 

Journal 12/1

Find three heroic epithets. Explain how you think these epithets were useful to the singer of poems in the Greek oral tradition.

The Earth-Shaker, Poseidon 

2. Odysseus, master of craft and battle

3. Calypso, the bewitching nymph

Epithets were useful descriptors of the many characters throughout The Odyssey. I'm sure they served as a way for the singer and the audience to keep track of the story and easily remember the characters in it. For example, if the singer resumes the story that had stopped the day before, some of the returning listeners might've forgotten a minor character or two (I know that I did while I was reading). The singer using one of that characters' defining traits as an introduction to his or her role in that part of the story could serve as a way for the audience to remember them. Plus, it's simply a cool way to introduce the characters. I mean, some of them don't have the most noble and elegant titles, but the ones that do really do. Poseidon's epithet "The Earth-Shaker", for example, is undoubtedly an awesome title and evokes a sense of power that fits a god well.