AP Test Multiple Choice Tips

• Learn the test structure, time period for each section, and directions for each section. Knowing this information has two benefits for you. First, you will know ahead of time what you are expected to do, so you can practice. Second, knowing what kinds of tasks you will need to perform will relieve some of your test anxiety.
• Learn the vocabulary of the subject matter. You will not be able to answer questions if you do not understand what the terms mean. The glossary at the back of your textbooks can be handy study guides.
• Annotate the questions. Circle, bracket, underline, checkmark—in some way highlight the key words in the question. Use these to help you find the right answer choice.
• Use the process of elimination when you are not sure about an answer.Even the College Board suggests that if you are not sure about an answer but can eliminate at least one answer choice as being wrong, guess. Use logic to work your way through the answer choices until, through the process of elimination, you can select one answer as your best "guess."
• Guess if you have to. Part of pacing is moving on when you come to a question that stumps you. But if, when you come back to it, you still are not sure of the answer and hesitate to use the process of elimination, think of these facts: A wrong answer deducts a 1/4 point from your score. A right answer adds a point. You would need to guess wrong four times to lose a whole point.
• Pace yourself; this is a major benefit of practicing for the test. You may be expected to answer 80 multiple-choice questions in 55 minutes and plan and write an essay in 35 minutes. Only by pacing yourself will you be able to come near to accomplishing these tasks. Work out a pacing schedule for yourself. Write it in your test booklet if you have to in order to remind yourself to work steadily and efficiently. It will help keep your anxiety level under control.
• Don't be careless in marking or erasing answers on the answer sheet. In other words, blacken answer ovals completely and erase your changes completely. You have probably heard this every time you have taken a standardized test, but it is true. Multiple-choice tests are scored by machine and the machine is not programmed to deal with pencil marks, only blackened answer ovals.
• If you skip answering a question, circle the question number in the test booklet, not on the answer sheet. The same reason applies; stray marks confuse the machine.
• If you skip a question, be sure you skip the answer line for that question.

phschool.com

AP Test Essay Suggestions

• Answering essay questions generally requires a good deal of training and practice. Students too often begin to write immediately, creating a string of disconnected, poorly planned thoughts. You need to learn to attack questions methodically and to plan your answers before putting pencil to paper.
• Carefully analyze the question, thinking through what is being asked, and identify the elements that must be addressed in the response. Others require you to consider all the similarities between people or events, and then to think of all the ways they are different.
• After you have determined what is involved in answering the question, consider what evidence you can incorporate into your response. Review the evidence you learned during the year that relates to the question and then decide how it fits into the analysis. Does it demonstrate a similarity or difference? Does it argue for or against the generalization that is being addressed?
• Whenever you offer evidence to illustrate contrast or similarity, clearly state your intent. Then, with additional information or analysis, elaborate on the ways in which these pieces of evidence are similar or different. If there is evidence that refutes a statement, explain why it argues against the statement. Your answer should reflect an understanding of the subtleties of the questions.
• Begin writing only after you have thought through the evidence you plan to use, and have determined what your thesis statement will be. Once you have done this, you will be in a position to answer the question analytically instead of in a rambling narrative. You will also know whether you are going to argue on a side that supports or refutes the statement, and whether similarities outweigh the differences.
• Learn how to present your thesis statement: describe your overarching framework and then position your supporting evidence so that it is obviously directed to the question—not just a string of abstract generalizations. State your points as clearly as possible, not leaving it to the reader to infer what is meant or how something illustrates a point.
• If you have done the analytical work required prior to writing, you should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of the question. You should be able to state your thesis, introduce the elements that support the thesis, and demonstrate the logic that led you to link the elements in support of the thesis. By applying these ideas you will construct an excellent essay.
• While essay writing in general is a valuable exercise, you may wish to work specifically on free-response questions from previous AP Examinations. This will allow you to compare your own responses with those that have already been scored and evaluated by faculty consultants. Free-response questions are available through the Advanced Placement Program^® in numerous formats.

Literary Terms Practice Test

1. alliteration
2. allusion
3. anaphora
4. antithesis
5. assonance
6. consonance
7. diction
8. hyperbole
9. imagery
10. metaphor
11. oxymoron
12. paradox
13. personification
14. pun
15. rhyme
16. simile
17. symbol
18. understatement
19. verbal irony

 

_____1. Use of contradictory words in the same phrase

_____2.  Repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words

_____3.  Repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of lines, clauses, or sentences.

_____4. Repetition of initial consonant sounds

_____5. An indirect reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place, person or thing.

_____6. An image which stands for something larger than itself

_____7. placement of opposite ideas in similar grammatical structure

_____8. Comparison of two unlike objects without using the words like or as. The objects are compared by identifying them or by substituting one for the other.

_____9. Words or phrases a writer uses to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas descriptively by appealing to the senses.

_____10. Repetition of sounds in two or more words or phrases that appear close to each other in a poem

_____11. A comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as

_____12. Repetition of a consonant sound within a series of words to produce a harmonious effect

_____13. A play on words based on the similarity of sound between two words with different meanings

_____14. Word choice intended to convey a certain effect.

_____15. A seemingly contradictory statement which proves true when you think about it

                 

_____16. An intentional representation of something as less than it is

_____17. when there is a difference between what is said and what is meant

_____18. An intentional exaggeration of something for dramatic or comic effect

_____19. to give an inanimate object human qualities    

For each example below, identify what literary term it illustrates. Not all terms will be used.

 

1. alliteration
2. allusion
3. anaphora
4. antithesis
5. metaphor
6. paradox
7. personification
8. pun
9. simile
10. understatement
11. verbal irony

_____20. “Life is a broken-winged bird/That cannot fly”

_____21. He'd never gone hunting but decided to give it a shot.

_____22. “I must be cruel to be kind.”

_____23. “Some tinfoil was sticking in a knothole in the fence just above my eye level, winking at me in the afternoon sun.”

_____24. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

_____25. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Click on the link below for answers

http://garciatnhs.tripod.com/id58.html

My Plan For The AP Test:

- Study 30 literary elements per week

- Review vocabulary from last semester and previous years

- Do 3 practice essays per week

- Do 3 practice multiple choice tests per week

- Organize a study session the weekend before the test to get last minute practice and help from peers

Annotated Lecture Notes: Part II

-Lady Macbeth- evil, manipulative, non-maternal
                      - barren, childless
                      - thinks she's emotionless but ultimately has guilt
                      - dominant, masculine

-Macbeth fells guilt after killing Duncan
(killing to make himself feel better?)
-Only cares about himself, not the future of the country of other people
                        - addicted to killing (like alcohol, drugs, or sex)
                        - makes him feel better

-Macbeth hasn't lost his moral sense
                       - he still knows and understand what is right and wrong
                       - "Come, see the night scarf up... that bond that keeps me pale"
                       - prays to take away human feeling
                       - wants to make his own mind comfortable, doesn't care that what he is doing is wrong

 -Macbeth is dehumanized
                       - man member of the community
                       - turns into a human killing machine
                       - doesn't seem to care that his wife has died " She should have died hereafter"
 
-Macbeth is not in denial
                       - understand what he is doing is wrong
                       - takes responsibility for his actions
                       - doesn't blame his wrong doing on the witches or his wife
                       - feels guilty, but still ok with being a killer because it  makes him feel better

-Witches are one of the main reasons for all of Macbeth's killing
                        - provided Macbeth with an ideal view of the future that he was compelled to fulfill
                        - told Macbeth the Banquo was going to get power, causing him to kill him
                        - Manipulated Macbeth to the point that he was no longer human and killed

Soliloquy Recitation- Recorded by Cali Ferrari

Annotated Lecture Notes: Part I

Macbeth Characterization:

- Tragic Hero: he has a critical flaw that contributes to his own demise
- At the beginning he has a lot going on for me, well though of by peers
- By the end he is isolated and completely destroyed
- The loss of everything signifies his demand
- He did it all to himself, the architect of his own demise

Quotes:
- And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, 
The instruments of darkness tell us truths, 
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's 
In deepest consequence. 
--Banquo, Act I, scene iii
- If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me.
--Macbeth, Act I, scene iii


Murder of Duncan:

- Why does Macbeth start his career by killing Duncan?
- His ambition is driven by the want to become king
- Macbeth doesn’t question appearance of the witches, they are responding to his desires
- Wants to be a king but its fighting w/ the idea of murder and public opinion
- He knows there is going to be a price to pay, he is not in denial or and idiot
Quotes:
- Is this a dagger which I see before me, 
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee; 
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. 
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible 
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but 
A dagger of the mind, a false creation, 
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? 
I see thee yet, in form as palpable 
As this which now I draw. 
--Macbeth, Act II, scene i


Lady Macbeth:

- Keeps the evil fire flaming in Macbeth
- She’s and evil impulse and foul destruction
- No conscious, goes against her role as a woman, wife, and mother
- She animus (masculine) while Macbeth is anima (feminine)
- We can’t blame her for Macbeth he chose his actions
- After their plan of killing Duncan is complete she is consumed with regret
- She falls apart and finally kills herself
- She thought she could distance herself from the guilt of the murders but she wasn’t evil enough for that

Quotes:
- I have given suck, and know 
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: 
I would, while it was smiling in my face, 
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, 
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn 
As you have done to this. 
--Lady Macbeth, Act I, scene vii
- Screw your courage to the sticking-place.
--Lady Macbeth, Act I, scene vii

- Nought's had, all's spent 
Where our desire is got without content. 
'Tis safer to be that which we destroy 
Than, by destruction, dwell in doubtful joy. 
--Lady Macbeth, Act III, scene ii



Macbeth as King:

- After he killed Duncan he gave up on being good
- He becomes a mass murderer
- He has an evil determination to not let anything or anyone stop him from having power, this is his only heroic quality even if its not admirable
- When he becomes king he is overwhelmed with fear
- Irony: his evil has made him terrified of his own self
- Macbeths and Lady Macbeths relationship falls apart after Duncan’s murder, before planned Duncan’s murder together, after he comes up w/ his own plans

Quotes:
- I have almost forgot the taste of fears; 
The time has been, my senses would have cool'd 
To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair 
Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir 
As life were in't: I have supp'd full with horrors; 
Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts 
Cannot once start me. 
--Macbeth, Act V, scene v
- Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player 
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, 
And then is heard no more. It is a tale 
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, 
Signifying nothing. 
--Macbeth, Act V, scene v

Macbeth Test Answers

1. A 
2. B
3. A
4. C
5. A
6. B
7. B
8. B
9. A
10.C


1. A
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. A
6. A
7. C
8. C
9. A
10. B

Notes While Reading Macbeth

Opening Scene:
-witches- gross, ugly, beards, gossipy
             - practice witch-craft
             - symbolize 3 fates of mythology
-Banquo- friend of Macbeth
             - related to King James I
-witch foretells that Macbeth will come into power
-Macbeth gets a promotion to Cawdor
-King Duncan- King of Scotland
                    - great ruler
                    - impressed by Macbeth because of his success in battle
-witches tell Macbeth he will become king of Scotland
-Macbeth is named Cawdor (original Cawdor sentenced to death for treason)
-Macbeth will meet with the King
- Lady Macbeth- ambitious, wants power
                        - she wants the witches fortune to come true, power hungry
                        - wears the pants in the relationship, very masculine
                        - tell Macbeth to kill King Duncan to become king
                        - strong, bossy
-Macbeth doesn't want to kill the king, but does want power
-Macbeth stabs the king in his sleep
-He becomes king of Scotland
-Malcom- Duncan's son
              - flees to England
              - fears that whomever killed his father will kill him next
-Witches' prophecy- Banquo's sons will become powerful
                             - Banquo doesn't really believe them and doesn't take action like Macbeth
-Macbeth fears that the witches were right and kills Banquo to keep his sons from getting power
-Fleance- Banquo's son, survives
-Banquo's ghost haunts Macbeth at the dinner party
                   -symbolizes Macbeth's guilt
                   - Banquo was a good man and his friend
-Macbeth goes to the witches for help
-they say demons are after him
-Mcduff- Scottish nobleman
            - knows Macbeth is bad
            - wants Malcom to become King
-Lady Mcduff- opposite of Lady Macbeth
                     - kind, maternal
-Macbeth orders Macduff's wife and children to be killed
- Mcduff is devistated
- Lady Macbeth dies and Macbeth doesn't really care
             -"She should have died hereafter, signifying nothing"
-Mcduff, Malcom, and English army invade Scotland
-Lennox, Ross- Scottish nobles
                       - support English invasion
                       - hate Macbeth
-Mcduff kills Macbeth at the end of the battle
-Malcom become King of Scotland
- Witches wait in the background  

Macbeth Notes:

-Evil, dark

-Macbeth- cynical, evil, brutal

-Shakespeare's darkest play

-Written between 1605 ads 1606

-Globe Theater, Black Friar's Theater

-Macbeth- political play

-Changed history to add suspense

-Must understand background and history

-Macbeth- genius, ambitious

-Macbeth- supposed to evoke emotion
                - upset people

-Super natural forces

My Top 3 Videos

1.http://nlrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/  Nick Lycan

2.  http://ajkrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/   Drew King

3. http://kabrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/     Kelly Brickey

Romeo and Juliet Video

LA: Romeo and Juliet Notes

Main Characters:
Romeo- 16, son of the Montague family, very sensitive, good-looking, loyal friend

Juliet- 13, daughter of the Capulet family, beautiful, innocent, naive, will do anything for love

Benvolio- Romeo's cousin, very good friend to Romeo

Capulet- father of Juliet, very controlling, has a bad temper

Lady Capulet- mother of Juliet, lets a nurse raise her daughter, wants Juliet to marry Paris

Montague- father of Romeo, strong figure

Paris- kinsman, planned to marry Juliet

Nurse- raised Juliet, comedic character, supports Juliet's quest for love

Friar Lawrence- friend of both families, secretly marries Romeo and Juliet

Setting:
-Verona, 1500's (assumed)

Themes: 
-The power of love

-Violence

-Rebellion

-Society

Literary Elements:
-Symbolism- thumb biting, poison

-Point of view- All characters have opposite points of views. This creates and scene of tension and violence.

-Iambic Pentameter- Shakespeare's writing in which each line contains exactly ten syllables.

-Irony- Irony is used several ties in the play, but the most important time was when Romeo and Juliet drink the poison because they don't know what the reader knows.

-Imagery- Shakespeare uses lots of imagery and descriptive details to paint a dark and scary mood.

"The Serious Need For Play"- Article Notes

-"Free, imaginative play is crucial for normal social, emotional and cognitive development. It makes us better adjusted, smarter and less stressed."
-Whitman- 25 years old college student, shot 46 people randomly one day
-Brown (psychiatrist) studied Whitman and 26 other convicted murderers in Texas and found two commons links between them all: they came from abusive families and didn't play freely when they were children
-Play allows benefits that last through adulthood
-Brown- play deprived children are disrupted from normal social, emotional development
-It is good for kids to play games with set rules, but they must also have time for free play to allow for more creative responses
-Studied show that kids who play with blocks test higher than kids that don't
-Play spikes creativity and problem solving
-According to animal studies, lack of play can impede the development of problem solving skills.

What is "Dropping Knowledge?"- Video Notes

-Internet is a localization of information available to us that is very beneficial
-Means of communication
-Better understanding of different views around the world
-Experience different perceptions
-"Curiosity" "Resistance" "Globalization"
-"Every attempt to change the world starts with people asking questions."
-"What is the proper balance?"
-"How can we sit together and discuss?"
-Discuss issues and not fight
-People getting together to share wisdom and get their own questions answered
-"Are Brands more powerful than governments?"
        -Some are, and others are actually their own government
-"If life started in Africa, why are we still less developed?"
-Spreading or "dropping" knowledge will create progress

Sonnet 75 Remix

1. Dramatic Situation- the speaker is a man who is in love and trying to keep his love last forever
2. Structure- ABAB rhyming scheme
                  - punctuation has semi colons, commas, and pattern
3. Central Message and Theme- love will never fade away, even in death
4. Grammar and Meaning- immortalize
                                       - words flow well
5. Figurative Language- "waves washed away"
                                   - "to die in dust but shall live by fame"
6. Important Words- wave, pains, death
7. Tone- somber, but optimistically hopeful
8. Literature Terms- rhyme, diction, syntax, tone, structure
9. Procedy- smooth flow, punctuation used correctly

"Everything is a Remix" Video Notes

-remix- to combine or edit existing news to create something different
-started in music
-the arrangement and transformation of samples
-myths of creativity
-romantics- Beethoven
-light bulb- metaphor for creativity, Pablo Picasso
-3 basic elements in creativity:
     1. Domain Knowledge- learning language
                                       - copying
                                       - learning, mimicking what other people are doing
     2. Transformation- producing variations of existing things
                                - steam engine, type writer, light bulb, Thomas Edison
     3. Combinations- merging existing things together
                              - E= MC2, printing press, internet
-Starwars- remix from old westerns, war movies, movies from the early 1920's
-implications- original ideas are considered property, sense of ownership
-loss aversion- our brains don't realize when we copy, but we get possessive when people copy us
-ideas are property- you can't steal ideas, you can only copy them, they still belong to the creator
-more examples- mac, xerox, lisa

Literature Analysis Number 4:

Pride an Prejudice


Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is a romantic novel set in old world England. The novel focuses on Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters. Each daughter encounters different romantic adventures. The novel mainly focuses on the relationship Elizabeth Bennet experiences. Elizabeth has a very difficult relationship with a man named Mr. Darcy. She is an intelligent, strong, young woman and struggles to give in to Mr. Darcy's arrogant personality.


One of the many themes of Pride and Prejudice is a woman's role in society. During the time period of the novel women were thought to be more like property rather than equals. Fathers practically sold their daughters to successful young men. Women also didn't speak out against men in relationships. Elizabeth was very strong, but often struggled to tell Darcy how she really felt. 


The tone of the novel is a bit ambiguous. The narrator seems distant and indifferent towards the characters and events, but there is always some sort of underlying mocking. The tone could almost be perceived as sarcastic. 
                     "In as short a time as Mr. Collins's long speeches would allow, everything was settled between them to the satisfaction of both; and as they entered the house he earnestly entreated her to name the day that was to make him the happiest of men; and though such a solicitation must be waived for the present, the lady felt no inclination to trifle with his happiness. The stupidity with which he was favoured by nature must guard his courtship from any charm that could make a woman wish for its continuance; and Miss Lucas, who accepted him solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment, cared not how soon that establishment were gained." -Narrator
                     "So this is your opinion of me. Thank you for explaining so fully. Perhaps these offences might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honesty..." -Darcy
                      "And those are the words of a gentleman. From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry." -Elizabeth 


Literary Techniques:


Rhetorical Question- "Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?" -Elizabeth
Aphorism- "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters."
Euphemism- "And those are the words of a gentleman? From the moment I met you your aroggance and conceit and your selfish disdain for the feelings of other made me realize that you are the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry." -Elizabeth
Aphorism- "Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." -Mary
Juxtaposition- "To yield without conviction is no complement to the understanding of either."
Simile- "Your profusion makes me saving; and if you lament over him much longer, my heart will be as light as a feather."
                      

Open Essay Questions

1971      The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry 
Finn is easy to discover.  However, in other works the full significance of the
title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually.  Choose two works and
show how the significance of their respective titles is developed through
the author's use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and
point of view.


The title of  Pride and Prejudice is very important to the meaning of the novel. One of the main themes is pride. Elizabeth is too strong and has to much pride to give in to Darcy's arrogant personality. She is a stubborn young woman who takes pride in what she believes in. Prejudices also play a huge role in the novel. Many people judge one another based on appearance and wealth. The Bennet family isn't particularly wealthy and therefore must work harder to find suitable matches for their daughters. Class is another prejudice in the novel. People are constantly being judged on their role and importance in society. 

Poem Assessment

Invictus by William Earnest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. 


This is my best interpretation of the nine poetic elements:
The author is a young man over coming extreme misfortune and tragedy. The poem doesn't seem to be set in any specific time, but the main setting is a dark night. The poem is organized in stanzas. Each stanza separates ideas while still tieing into the main message. The author uses many literary elements like personification and metaphors to describe the circumstance and misfortune. The theme of the novel is the overcoming of tragedy and the taking control of one's own destiny. Many words are crucial to the meaning of the poem. "Wrath" for example is used in an effective, but different way to convey the message of depressed frustration. The author also uses a lot of imagery. In the first stanza he uses imagery of a dark night to set a mood. The most important words are wrath, horror, circumstance, and master. These words all convey the message of overcoming misfortune. The author's tone is sad but also optimistic towards the subject. He is sad about the tragedy he faced in the beginning, but very optimistic about staying strong and controlling his own destiny in the end.  

Reactions To Practice AP Exam:

I thought the essay questions were surprisingly easy. They were very straight forward. The only thing that confused me a little was the fact the they didn't specifically ask about literary elements. I thought I remembered the essay questions last year being more technical. I was able to develop strong ideas towards the questions, but I don't think I had enough to support my statements. While writing the essays I also learned that I don't work to well under pressure. I could easily knock out my opening paragraph in just a little more than five minutes, but after that I would freeze up with the remaining ten minutes. I think my struggling was due to the fifteen minute time limit. I felt stressed and worried I wouldn't be able to get anything worth while down. I have found that when given more time like a fifty minute period, I actually finish way too quickly. I'm not really sure why I acted in the complete opposite way during the practice test.

I wasn't present for the second part of the practice AP exam. However, I have taken other practice tests and I have found them extremely difficult. I have found that just tackling one section at a time and not worrying about the time limit works best for me. I am also getting better at reading and comprehending long passages effectively. I took a six week long preparation class for the SAT and learned many helpful skills in tackling long passages and getting all of the needed information out of them.

Great Expectations Notes

-Draws characters that are realistic
-People that he wanted to be and people he didn't
-Almost every character is both

-Incite to a young man who is confused about false values and and unreal ambitions
-Understanding of background and 16th century England
                        -Could this same story happen anywhere else? NO
-Well constructed plot, different plot lines and views perspectives

-Themes: value of love, irreversibility of time, fragmented life around us, acceptance
-Codes- in first scene Dickens uses the word "plot" in four different ways
-Traditional Etipus story
-Cinderella plot
-Plot connections

Characters:
-Magwhich- Represents the stranger, weak, child fears
-Havasham- "Have A Sham", trained Estella to destroy men
-Joe- measures success by emotions, positive, good hearted
-Jaggers- only does bare minimum, secrets, with holding, doesn't trust anyone
-Wemmick- material and poetic views on life, in the middle of Joe and Jaggers
-Pip- confused because he is attracted and repulsed by both positive and negative views

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was greatly influenced by his upbringing. He knew what it was like to live in poverty and to constantly live with debt. Dickens grew up in England in the early 1800's. This time period was very important to his understanding of life and people because it was a time of revolution in countries all over the world. Dickens was also greatly influenced be his own family. His father went to prison because of a large debt. His family moved closer to the prison and left Dickens behind. He was forced to make his own living and start his own life. Charles made money doing small jobs like shoe shining and decided he would be a writer at the young age of fifteen. Dickens later became a very successful writer. Because of the hardships he faced in his own life, he was able to make the characters in his novel very easy to relate to for the people of the time period. Dicken's realistic writing caused him to become not only famous in Europe, but even in the United States. Today Charles Dickens is thought to be one of the greatest writers along with William Shakespeare. He started a new age of writing about real people and persuaded his readers to reach their dreams and stay young at heart.