A.P. Lit
How to survive & Jane Eyre
This is what AP Lit did to me...
While I may not physically be able to sit with all of you and reminisce about all my times in AP, and instill in you how to survive the class and test, I can leave you a brief guide with helpful tips.
Aside from these tools I'm leaving for you, I'll share some thoughts on what I felt to be one of the most influential pieces we read this year - Jane Eyre.
Ingredients for Success
- Colored Pens - color code everything
- Highlighters - this is a given
- Pencils - write. write. write.
- Reading Journal - journalize all thoughts, quotations, anything you feel to be important
- Dictionary - without a doubt, there will be a multitude of words you don't understand
- Caffeinated Coffee or Tea - for all those late nights and early mornings
- Snacks
- Post-it notes - annotate everything in site
While I insist that these tangible items are crucial to be successful in A.P. Lit, what really is necessary is a desire to learn, an interest in all subjects, the passion for success, and imagination. If I can do it, you can too. Being successul isn't about the physical objects, or the opportunities given to you, but the opportunities you create.
Is this going to be difficult? - absolutely
Discouraging? - sometimes
Worth it? - without a doubt
Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Parents: Rev. Patrick and Maria Bronte - Third of Six Children
- worked as a teacher and governess before collaborating on a book of poetry with her two sisters, Emily and Anne, who were also writers
- 1847, Brontë published novel Jane Eyre
Email: janeeyre@email.com
Website: http://www.reel-scout.com/blog/post/436/the-film-locations-of-jane-eyre-a-holiday-in-derbyshire-england/
Location: Thornton House, Yorkshire Street, Blackpool, England, United Kingdom
My Experience:
Brontë's novel Jane Eyre was one I just couldn't put down. It was the kind of novel you were disappointed to finish.
Emotions Felt:
Confused/Perplexed
- never knew what was going to happen next - curiosity
Sad
- felt the emotions that Jane felt - felt for chararacters
Happy
- rewarding moments
Important Themes:
- wealth versus poverty
- Religion - biblical imagery and references, religious characters
- ethics and morality
Symbols: how they contribute to themes and plot
- The Weather
- Ice
- Fire
- The Red Room - room that Jane's Uncle Reed dies in
Jane Eyre
- protagonist and narrator of novel; orphan; subjected to oppression and hardship
Rochester
- Jane's employer and master of Thornfield Hall; wealthy; mysterious
Helen Burns
- Jane's friend at Lowood School; religious; inspirational to Jane; dies in Jane's arms
Discussion:
Everyone was always eager to discuss Jane Eyre, and I believe that is what made every discussion about this novel intriguing. It was rare that no one had anything to vocalize about the shock they felt about a certain scene and event. The excitement was always unbearable. We were right beside Jane on her journey, and felt every up and down.
One of my favorite parts after finishing this novel was watching the film and comparing it to the book through different prompts. It was simply just an enjoyable thing to do.
What others say:
"The writer has us by the hand, forces us along her road, makes us see what she sees, never leaves us for a moment or allows us to forget
her. At the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte Brontë."
—Virginia Woolf, British novelist