In The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich, Mary and Karl arrive in the cold, foreboding town of Argus, Minnesota. The environment of Argus is unlike anything the siblings have previously experienced. Erdrich illustrates the impact of the cold on Mart and Karl. She also uses specific details to demonstrate how the tree effects Karl.
When Mary and Karl get off the freight train at Argus, the severe cold is the first thing to greet them. It was so cold, "they stumbled and scraped their palms and knees through the cinders." The imagery of the cold symbolizes the unwelcoming harshness of Argus and implies something unpleasant may happen to the kids. In particular, Karl us shown to be not welcome in Argus. Initially, it is the cold that rejects him. Later, it will be the guard dog that chases him out of Argus.
The on e redeeming quality of Argus, in Karl's perspective was the blossom tree. This tree was, "a scratch of light against the gray of everything else." Karl immediately gravitates towards this tree and ignores anything else. Erdrich points out the fine features of this tree that Karl is attracted to. She describes the "delicate perfume" and "tossed in a film of blossoms." Everything about this tree is elegant and graceful. A harsh contrast to the surrounding environment. By describing the tree the way she does, Louise Erdrich associates its characteristics to Karl and separates it from Mary and the rest of Argus.
Mary and Karl have stumbled upon a new world in Argus, Minnesota. A world completely foreign to them and in some ways, a world that rejects them. The harsh cold and isolated blossom tree represent their relationship with the environment. Through imagery and specific detail, Louise Erdrich forges this connection and contextualizes Mary and Karl's place in the environment.
Reflection:
This was my second attempt at an AP Lit essay and my first with a prose essay. To be frank, this essay was considerably worse than my previous attempt. For whatever reason – maybe I was tired or hangry – I stumbled around the prompt, struggling to uncover a deep meaning of the text. As a result, my essay is very basic in its analysis. Although I brought up imagery and specific details, I never really connected that back to the prompt or explained how the evidence connected to the environment's impact on Karl and Mary. As a result, my essay was unfocused and shallow. I believe this essay was worth the score of a 3. One way I think I could improve my score is to spend more time thoroughly sifting through the prompt, focusing on finding the smaller nuances of the text.
Comments:
http://tongnoahapliterature2015.blogspot.com/
This prose essay on "The Beet Queen" by Louise Erdrich does have potential, but in the end fails to effectively explain the points it makes. It touches on insightful points such as the lack of dialogue and symbolism. The essay just does not deliver a thorough analysis that would befit a higher scoring analysis. A score of a 3 is fair. Like the writer expressed, better planning of the essay and a deeper analysis of the prompt would improve this essay.
Reflection:
This was my second attempt at an AP Lit essay and my first with a prose essay. To be frank, this essay was considerably worse than my previous attempt. For whatever reason – maybe I was tired or hangry – I stumbled around the prompt, struggling to uncover a deep meaning of the text. As a result, my essay is very basic in its analysis. Although I brought up imagery and specific details, I never really connected that back to the prompt or explained how the evidence connected to the environment's impact on Karl and Mary. As a result, my essay was unfocused and shallow. I believe this essay was worth the score of a 3. One way I think I could improve my score is to spend more time thoroughly sifting through the prompt, focusing on finding the smaller nuances of the text.
Comments:
http://tongnoahapliterature2015.blogspot.com/
This prose essay on "The Beet Queen" by Louise Erdrich does have potential, but in the end fails to effectively explain the points it makes. It touches on insightful points such as the lack of dialogue and symbolism. The essay just does not deliver a thorough analysis that would befit a higher scoring analysis. A score of a 3 is fair. Like the writer expressed, better planning of the essay and a deeper analysis of the prompt would improve this essay.
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