IB Portfolioliolio

Daniel Arcega Mrs. Emerick IB English HL II IB Course Concluding Portfolio Over the two years of IB English, I’ve read a total of 14 works. When reviewing those works, I realized that The Things They Carried from year one and The Dew Breaker had similar themes and structures. When I investigated further, I realized the other books had similar connections. For each book in year one, there was often a similar book in year two. This portfolio will go over the connections I found between these stories and my thoughts on them. How to Read Literature Like a Professor and Hamlet           I’m going to start with the first book I ever read for IB, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster. I have decided to connect this book with Hamlet by William Shakespeare because of both novels’ relation to the art of literature. Unlike the rest of the novels on this list, these two do not have any overlapping themes and are not even the same type of work. What they do share is knowle

  Daniel Arcega Mrs. Emerick IB English HL II Compare the presentation and function of villains or anti-heroes in at least two works of prose fiction that you have studied. Both The Handmaid’s Tale and The Scarlet Letter have two antagonists: society and a person, which both serve to affect the protagonists’ freedom. The societies within the two novels oppress their protagonists’ freedom, yet contrarily also elevate them in some ways. In The Scarlet Letter , Hester’s life throughout the novel is under the strict watch of society. However, its influence transforms as time goes on. Society initially rejects Hester due to her sin. She is unable to make any lasting connections with others. (quote here) Society’s judgment eventually shifts to see Hester in a more positive light. She eventually becomes known as a treasure of the town. She feels more free to walk around the town. (quote here) Her society both oppressed her and raised her up. On the other hand, Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale

Daniel Arcega Mrs. Emerick IB English HL II The Handmaid's Tale Loaded Lines "To put her out of her misery, and myself as well. To put her out of our misery"(292).     The wording that I think is important here is "our misery". This wording suggests that despite Offred's and Serena's different roles in society, they both share the same misery. I believe this connects to the theme of gender explored by Gilead's society. Even though Serena has much more privileges than Offred, she is still a woman. Their gender leads them both to be oppressed, in different ways, under the patriarcal society of Gilead. " I'll sacrifice. I'll repent. I'll abdicate. I'll renounce"(286).      The use of asyndeton makes this line sound like a pledge, like how Offred is promising all these things to God. Additionally, the specific word choices all have subtly different meanings which affect the overall message of the line. "Sacrifice", and

Daniel Arcega Mrs. Emerick IB English HL II Scarlet Letter Creative Portfolio     Seen above is a physical recreation of the titular scarlet letter worn by Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. The letter is made distinct by the gold threading which Hester herself sewed into it. However, Hester isn't the only character who bears a mark of shame. I decided to recreate what I believe these symbols would be, if they manifested physically, for the other important characters in the novel.      The letter above represents the brand upon Minister Dimmesdale's chest. As implied in the story, he wears the same symbol as Hester since they share the same crime. However, the detailing of the two letters is what differentiates them. Hester's letter is adorned in golden thread by her own hand, representing how she willing shows it off to the world. In comparison, Dimmesdale's letter is marred by splotches which symbolize the corruption of his spirit. Hester surm

Doubt Final Topics Character,Symbolism,In,Global Issues,Thematic Topics,Gender,Word Choice,Doubt MLK Letter Response In,Global Issues,Nonfiction,Essay Sketch,Word Choice, The Handmaid's Tale Context Portfolio Violence,Thematic Topics,Culture,The Handmaid's Tale,Out, MP3 Choice Portfolio Character,Symbolism,In,Comparison,Reconstuction,The Handmaid's Tale,

Daniel Arcega Mrs. Emerick IB English HL II Reconstruction in The Scarlet Letter           Within The Handmaid’s Tale, reconstruction is a device Offred uses in order to maintain a sense of power in her uncontrollable life. She takes events she has experienced and envisions different versions of them and imagines different outcomes. This results in many versions of the same story of which neither Offred nor the reader know the truth of reality. Similarly, the tale of The Scarlet Letter is painted as a reconstruction. Its narrator takes the stories of Hester he finds in papers and produces a streamlined narrative. As such, parts of the story can be scrutinized as to whether or not they actually occurred as the narrator claims. The potential differences in the events of the novel can lead to them having different significance. One scene that can be interpreted in a couple ways is the scaffold scene in chapter twelve. Specifically the moment where Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl are holdi