Salinas AP Lit

Robert Frost begins his advice to his daughter by implying that imagination is needed to make an essay great, and then apologizing for the loss of imagination that comes with strain. However, Frost believes that even when imagination is diminished, ideas are still a good place to start for an essay. From there, he suggests trying to treat the reading of whatever work the essay will be on as a conversation with the author. Frost then provides one of the most important pieces of advice to essay writers: "you have to be honest." Being honest in writing means not making whatever argument you think will earn you the highest grade, or using words that will make you sound smarter, and instead choosing to make an original, thoughtful reflection of the work. I also interpreted being honest in writing as being honest to yourself about what the text says. While it may be tempting to come up with an argument and find evidence that supports it, the best arguments are made from the evidenc...

In the movie Dracula, several important differences in tone result in several characters and moments throughout the film having different connotations. When Jonathan first arrives at Dracula's mansion, we can already see how creepy the whole affair is, yet in the novel Jonathan is blinded by elitism, assuming Dracula to be a gentleman because of his status. Additionally, Dracula himself is portrayed as an elderly and creepy old man in the film, but is described as distinguished-looking yet suspicious nobleman in the book. Another important difference is the sexuality of the film which is definitely present in the book, yet to a far lesser degree. As the three vampire women suck Jonathan's blood in the film, they are essentially having sex with him, yet in the book it is far more violent than that. Further, when Dracula sucks Lucy's blood for the first time, she is essentially raped by him, while in the book it is once again more of a violent act rather than a sexual one. On...

Earlier in Dracula , though we had seen Dracula's weaknesses like having to sleep in a coffin with his own soil, or needing permission to enter a space, there were workarounds for these weaknesses. For example, by scattering coffins throughout the town, Dracula was able to move without worrying about being far away from one of his coffins. Additionally, his weakness of needing permission to enter a space was countered by his ability to control minds, allowing him to guide Lucy outside so he could feed on her. Even when he didn't control her mind, he could come in through the windows which Mina had opened to, ironically, keep away away. However, towards the end of Dracula , we begin to see his the Count's weaknesses actually come into play. Once the protagonists are able to find several of his coffins, he is not able to move around as easily. Another major factor in his weakness is that Van Helsing and Mina have figured out what they are, and can now take action to defend ag...

Despite Dracula's immense power, he has a few major weaknesses, including not being able to enter a residency without being invited, garlic, crosses, and most importantly, having to sleep in a coffin containing his personal soil. To mitigate this weakness, Dracula uses coffins as a part of his master plan. When he climbs aboard the ship to Whitby, he brings with him fifty coffins, all with his own soil in them. He then hides them throughout the town in secret locations, meaning he is always close to a coffin. This effectively removes one of his four major weaknesses, as he can travel wherever he wants at night and still be able to sleep in a coffin. Additionally, by disguising himself as a wolf, the townspeople invite him in, meaning he is able to wreak havoc on it. Later, he is also able to use his mind control powers on Lucy to get her to invite him into Mina's house so he can suck her blood. This effectively removes another weakness from the list, meaning he has effectively ...

Many of the characters in Dracula  are not superstitious at first. First, when Jonathan watches Dracula jump off his balcony and climb up the walls of his castle, he wonders if he can do that. He also is a little startled by Dracula reaching for his throat with intensely angry eyes, but he just finds it odd and nothing more. When Lucy is repeatedly bitten, everyone assumes the bite marks are from safety pins, despite her obviously declining health. As she is dying and on the verge of death, no one seems to understand what is going on. Additionally, when Mina sees a mysterious cloud float through the town at night on several occasions, she is suspicious but doesn't think much of it, despite it lingering near Lucy. Only once Lucy has died and eventually brought back as a vampire do people become superstitious. However, Van Helsing is superstitious from the beginning, and he understands the situation better than anyone. When Lucy is dying, he makes sure to cover her house in garlic an...

     I have mixed feelings about the writing of  Dracula . On one hand, the novel is very well-written, and the descriptions of just about everything help transport you to the world of Dracula . On the other hand, there is so much description that it feels like any plot is lost in a sea of words. I believe that choosing to describe the scenery and setting so often was a conscious choice by Stoker, made to add to the terror of the Count. However, it feels far too exaggerated, with endless paragraphs that could be condensed into a few strong sentences. As the novel goes on, the descriptions become more and more relevant, but there is still far to many.      The characters, however, are mostly well-written. Jonathan Harker is meant to be an arrogant lawyer, which he very much is, and Stoker makes a point to show his cluelessness. Despite Dracula acting extremely suspicious, having no reflection, reaching for his throat, and jumping off a balcony, Harker s...