Close Reading #4 - Dec. 16 - "Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?"

"Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?"  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/kristof-do-we-have-the-courage-to-stop-this.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0

In the article " Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?" the author, Nicholas Kristof, discusses gun control. He believes that we should regulate guns in order to prevent the thousands of deaths caused by the weapon. Kristof uses the literary techniques details, diction, and syntax to show the severity of the situations guns create and that the government must act soon to prevent future problems.

The details that Kristof puts into the articles show that we are in need of new gun regulations and by having more restrictions, we can save thousands of lives annually. Kristof writes " In the 18 years before the law, Australia suffered 13 mass shootings — but not one in the 14 years after the law took full effect.". By adding the fact that Australia's gun laws have been very effective over the years, Kristof shows the audience the effectiveness of restrictive laws and that having them could really be worth it. Kristof also adds "The law did not end gun ownership in Australia.". This detail shows the audience that successful gun restriction doesn't mean that all guns have to be taken away. Also, this shows the many who don't want regulation because of the fear that they'd lose their guns that they are able to keep their firearms, potentially changing their view on gun control. Another detail added includes "we have required seat belts, air bags, child seats and crash safety standards. We have introduced limited licenses for young drivers and tried to curb the use of mobile phones while driving. All this has reduced America’s traffic fatality rate per mile driven by nearly 90 percent since the 1950s.". By stating the auto requirements, Kristof shows the audience an example of restrictions that are already in place without taking away the object that causes problems. He also shows through this the benefits of regulation of another problem, allowing the audience to see the advantage these rules can have.

The diction in the article shows the audience how hesitant the government is about regulating guns as well as how childish some are being about the potential restrictions. Kristof writes "What do we make of the contrast between heroic teachers who stand up to a gunman and craven, feckless politicians who won’t stand up to the N.R.A.?". The words "craven" and "feckless" show the audience how cowardly and ineffective politicians are on gun regulations, according to Kristof. By adding "heroic" as a contrast, he emphasizes how weak the politicians are. Kristof also writes "But so is driving, and we accept that we must wear seat belts, use headlights at night, and fill out forms to buy a car. Why can’t we be equally adult about regulating guns?" By adding the word "adult", Kristof makes it seem to the audience that we're being childish and immature about the potential of having restrictions on guns. By making the audience see this, Kristof may make some believe that having regulations is the mature thing to do, making it the right thing to do.

Lastly, the syntax in the article shows Kristof's understanding of some of the fears on regulation as well as gives a feeling of accusation towards the government. He writes " I understand: shooting is fun! But so is driving...". By having a fragmented sentence in the middle of the paragraph, a feeling of informality is given off, making the audience able to make a connection to his voice. Through this, he is able to show the audience that he understands that he understands that shooting a gun is something that can be enjoyable. Finally, Kristof writes "The fundamental reason kids are dying in massacres like this one is not that we have lunatics or criminals — all countries have them — but that we suffer from a political failure to regulate guns.". By adding that all countries have crazy people in the middle of the statement, the audience gets a feeling of accusation. By having that statement in the middle of the sentence, interrupting the original statement, to be followed by the fact that we suffer from political failure, Kristof clearly shows the audience the failure of the government to protect the citizens from gun abuse.

Overall, the Kristof shows the audience the benefits and importance of gun regulations. He clearly shows his belief that America needs to set some rules on guns and that the audience should think the same.

Open Prompt #4 -Dec. 9-

2002, Form B. Often in literature, a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may select a work from the list below, or you may choose another work of recognized literary merit suitable to the topic. Do NOT write about a short story, poem, or film.

In Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, Viola, the protagonist of the story, must keep her gender a secret. Shipwrecked in Illyria and thinking that her older brother Sebastian is dead, Viola dresses as a man and works for Duke Orsino under the name of Cesario. Viola's secret of truly being a woman is only know by Viola and the captain of the ship. Viola's choice to keep her gender a secret has a huge impact on the plot and the work as a whole.

Viola's secret is, in fact, what allows the plot to develop. Viola is in love with the Duke, but the Duke is in love with a girl named Olivia, who is  in love with Viola, thinking that she's a man. Since Viola is really a man, she must hide her feelings from the Duke, which causes her a few problems, such as constantly listening to Orsino talking about how lovely Olivia is. Though, the bigger problem is Olivia, who's fallen in love with Viola/ Cesario. Obviously because Viola is a woman, she is unable to requite Olivia's love and so avoids her constant flirting. This also leads to the confusion at the end of the play. Viola's brother, Sebastian, who survived, returns to Illyria. Olivia, then, confuses him with Viola, since she still hasn't revealed her secret. Sebastian, who is completely confused, accepts Olivia's marriage proposal, making the Duke believe that Viola/ Cesario has betrayed him. To clear the confusion, Viola finally reveals her true gender and marries the Duke. The gender confusion is what causes all these events in the play.

The gender swap also contributes to the overall themes of the play. One the most obvious themes is Mistaken Identity. Viola's disguise leads to many believing that she's a man, which clearly isn't her true identity. This also causes for Sebastian to be mistaken as Viola by Olivia and the Duke. Another theme that is affected is love causing pain. The Duke is in love with Olivia, and constantly reminds her and offers her gifts, but Olivia is in love with Viola, which causes the Duke some pain. Viola is in love with the Duke, but the Duke is constantly talking about Olivia's beauty, and so Viola is suffering as well. If Viola had revealed her secret earlier in the play, this wouldn't be a problem, since Olivia wouldn't like her anymore knowing that she's a woman, and Viola can try to woo the Duke without worry.

In the end, if Viola had told her secret earlier in the play, none of the events would occur. Her secret influences most of the plot and contributes to the themes of the play. 

Death of a Salesman: Summary/Analysis

Author: Death of a Salesman was written in 1949 by Arthur Miller. Miller was born in Harlem, New York and attended The University of Michigan. He joined the Federal Theater Project after he graduated in 1938. He wrote Death of a Salesman in Roxbury, Connecticut in about 6 weeks. Miller has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Prince of Asturias Award. He also was apparently married to Marilyn Monroe.
Setting: DOS takes place in New York, mainly within the Loman home. The house is surrounded by apartment complexes, which block out the sun from reaching their back garden. The room where most of the events take place in is the kitchen. Other places within the play include: Boston hotel room, restaurant, Willy's workplace, Charley's office
Plot: In the beginning, Willy returns early from a trip to Boston, since he almost got into an accident. Willy rants about how his sons are unsuccessful to his wife Linda, but his sons Biff and Happy are able to over hear. Biff and Happy are sitting in their rooms talking about their dreams and ranting about their father. After they're done talking, Willy is found in the kitchen looking for cheese, but he begins to "flashback" to a time in which Biff was a popular athlete. Back in the present, Willy's friend Charley comes over and plays cards with him. Willy begins to hallucinate(?) thinking that he's talking to his older brother Ben. In his confusion about what's reality, he snaps at Charley and he leaves. Biff, Happy, and Linda come downstairs and Biff and Willy get into an argument. Happy suggests to Biff that he goes to his old employer, Billy Oliver, to see if he could get a decent job, which makes Willy really happy. Linda also suggests that Willy goes to his employer to see if he can get a job in New York so he doesn't have to travel as much. So the next day Willy goes downstairs to hear that Biff and Happy had left already and wanted to go meet up with him for dinner. Willy goes to his job to find his boss playing around with a recording device, asks for the relocation, and ends up getting fired. He once again "flashes back" to the past in which the family is about to leave for one of Biff's football games. Afterward, Willy goes to dinner with Biff and Happy, where Biff tries to tell Willy that Bill Oliver doesn't remember him and that he stole his fountain pen. That pretty much fails and Biff and Happy ditch Willy and leave him in the bathroom, where Willy has another "flashback". This flashback is about when Biff catches him cheating while he's in Boston (when Biff is trying to get Willy to talk to his teacher,  since he flunked math). Back at the Loman house, Biff and Happy finally show up at home and Linda is pretty mad at them. Biff tries to talk to Willy and finally confronts him about his flaws and such, and ends up in tears towards the end of their argument. Willy then realizes that Biff cares about him and goes to kill himself in a car crash in order to gain money for his family. At the funeral, there's only a few people there, and Linda ends by saying "we're free".
Characters: 
Willy: Salesman with a broken dream. He tries to appear like he's successful, though he's not. His father and older brother left him when he was young- looks up to them. His dream is to work in Alaska alongside his brother and father. Wants his sons to be successful, and pushes them pretty hard. Believes that in order to be successful, you need to be well known. He also is a bit crazy- not all there.
Linda: Willy's wife. She's very supportive of Willy and seems to be constantly worried about him. In order to protect Willy, she also hides some of the truth in order to prevent his flashbacks. Seems to be constantly unhappy with her sons, since it tends to be them that causes Willy's troubles.
Biff: Eldest of Willy's sons. Dreams to work on a ranch with his younger brother. He's held back by his father- who constantly wants him to be a salesman. Walks in on his father while he's cheating on Linda, and seems deeply effected by it- things went downhill for Biff from there. Used to be a football player when he was in high school.
Happy: Youngest of Willy's sons. Is actually much like Willy, he also shares the same salesman dream. Seems to be ignored by his parents, Biff is the only one that pays attention to him. Is apparently employed as an "assistant's assistant"
Charley: Willy's only friend, according to Willy himself, he also keeps loaning him money and also offers him a job. Successful businessman. Father of Bernard.
Bernard: Biff's high school friend. Quite smart. Tries to get Biff to do his work, but Biff never really listens. Lawyer.
Ben: Willy's older brother. Left when Willy was young to go find their father, ended up finding diamonds in a jungle in Africa. Is someone Willy looks up to.
Narrative Voice: There really isn't a specific narrative voice used in DOS, since it's a play. There isn't much of a point of view either.
Author's Style: As far as I know, DOS doesn't really fit into a specific category of play. Though, I noticed Miller had a lot of arguments and yelling in the play. There's that and also lying, cheating, and stealing in the play as well.
Tone: I think that Willy's tone through most of the play is an angry one. He's constantly yelling at his wife, his sons, and i'm pretty sure he yelled at his boss when he refused to allow him to have a job in New York. The only people he never really yells at is Ben and the Woman, but that's because they're the people that make him "feel good" (they reassure him throughout the play and such). Everyone else seems to have changing tones based off the situations in the play, such as Linda's annoyed/angry tone when Biff and Happy return home from the restaurant or Biff's worried tone when trying to figure out how he's gonna tell Willy abut Bill Oliver.
Imagery: Since this is a play, the imagery comes with actually acting out the play. In the script, there is only dialogue and a few stage directions.
Symbolism: One of symbols in the play is the garden behind the Loman house. This also goes along with the  apartments. These represent Willy's missed opportunities. Willy had multiple chances to be successful, Ben offered him work in Alaska and Charley offered him a job as well, but he turned both of them down. This is much like how Willy had the chance to plant the garden before the apartments were built, but instead he waited until afterwards to finally plant them, but it's too late. The apartments also represent the new American Dream, and the garden representing Willy's success. The new dream is much different than Willy's, and so Willy's dream is "outdated" and so does not fit in society, and Willy is then unable to be successful. So the new dream (apartments) prevent Willy's success (a growing garden). Another symbol is the stockings, which represent  infidelity. Whenever he goes to see the Woman he gives her a new pair of stockings, yet whenever he sees Linda mending her old stockings, his guilt leads him to yell at her, telling her to stop.
Quotes:
"Are you football or baseball?" (119)
This quote is representative of how women are treated. The woman is offended by Biff's response (football) because woman in the play, are represented by the ball, and are kicked around. Biff, Happy and Willy seem to only use women for pleasure. Happy sleeps around with the wives of executives, Biff is rough with them, and Willy abuses Linda and seems to only use the Woman to make himself feel good.
"He's liked, but he's not well liked" (33)
This quote is representative of Willy's idea of being well known and liked is what makes you successful. Through this, Miller is trying to show that success isn't just based off of popularity, but hard work as well. This is shown through the character Bernard, who worked hard and is successful and Willy's failure.
"You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them!" (132)
This quote states another point that Miller shows through the play: That people who work hard are just used and then once they're all used up, they're just tossed aside.
Theme: Some of the themes I found in the play was success and what leads to it as well as how work fits into being successful. Miller makes it clear that even if you work hard and are possibly successful, you're eventually gonna be thrown away and replaced. This is shown through Willy being fired and is somewhat shown through Willy's previous boss being replaced by his son. Miller also shows that thinking that popularity is what makes someone successful, will lead to your downfall. It appears as if he's saying that you'll be so wrapped up in trying to be popular, you'll damage your chances of being successful. He shows this through Willy and his attempts to be a successful salesman. Willy cheats and lies in attempt to make himself look good, but that only ruins his chances as well as teaches his sons that these things are okay.  

Response to Course Material #4 -Dec.2-

I'm pretty sure most of the things we've done this month are related to Death of a Salesman. After all of our discussions, I feel like I have a pretty clear understanding of the plot and some of the symbols. For example, the apartments and how they block out the sun for the garden, how it kind of represents how as time went on, Willy lost his chance to be successful and waited too long before taking opportunities. I can see now how Happy and Willy are similar and that Happy is probably going to end up much like Willy as he gets older. They both were not paid attention to by their family, Willy being left behind by his father and brother, and Happy being ignored while Biff was the one everyone paid attention to. I found the whole "Biff and Willy are lovers" thing to be interesting..and a bit odd. I was able to see the examples given in the article in the book, such as when he found Willy cheating, Biff felt betrayed. Watching the movie a second time was actually quite interesting, since I had a better understanding, I was able to see things I hadn't seen before. I thought that the directors of the movie did a pretty good job sticking to the play itself. I especially liked how they made the argument between Biff and Willy crazy and the characters constantly yelling and then suddenly quieting down when Biff begins to cry. It helps show the relationship between Biff and Willy.  I'm actually really glad that we're reading Hamlet. I know what kind of happens because of this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8z4E0_-si4. I can't wait for the discussion on this, I really think picking the play apart will be interesting. Though, first I have to get through all of the language...

Close Reading #3 -Nov.18- "New Hope on Immigration"

"New Hope on Immigration" http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/opinion/sunday/new-hope-on-immigration.html?ref=editorials&_r=0 

In the article "New Hope on Immigration, according to the author, Obama had promised that he would deal with immigration in his first term and failed to do so. The author believes that now that Obama has been reelected, he has a second chance to work with immigration laws, and now it's even better since the Republicans are now on board. The author of the article uses the literary techniques diction, details, and syntax to  try to show the audience that President Obama has an opportune moment to reform, and that many are now in favor of reform, including some that may have previously been against it.

In the first paragraph of the article, the diction used shows the audience how the Republicans were strongly against unauthorized immigrants and thought of them poorly, but are now allowing some change. The author writes "unauthorized immigrants are an invading army of job stealers, welfare moochers and criminals whose only acceptable destiny is to be caught and deported". The words "stealers", "moochers" and "criminals" are normally used to describe people that take from others, giving off a negative feeling. This makes the audience believe that the Republicans thought that all illegal immigrants were no good. The author also writes "Senators like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who once bravely supported bipartisan reform but slunk away late in the last Bush administration, are scratching at the door again, as if the last five years never happened". When the author uses the word "slunk" it gives of an impression of shying or quietly slipping away, as if McCain and Graham slowly dropped their support despite what they previously thought. The use of the word "Scratching" gives off the feeling of eagerness, showing the audience how McCain and Graham were glad to be able to support reform, forgetting about their 5 years of silence.

The details that were put into the article show how Obama has a good opportunity for reform. The author writes "All it took was an election in which millions of Latino voters — many of them the wives and husbands, sons, daughters, grandchildren, cousins, co-workers and friends of those despised “illegals” — overwhelmingly chose President Obama over the man who promised to be deporter in chief. They rejected Mitt Romney by 3 to 1, according to exit polls. Asian-Americans did, too. Republicans looked at a changing America, saw a future of decline and irrelevance for the party, and concluded that immigrants weren’t so bad after all.". By adding the detail about how Obama has strong support by many, including the Republican party, the author shows the audience that the idea of reform is a popular among a large amount of the population, and so Obama wouldn't meet much resistance when trying to work with immigration laws. Another set of details that were added to the article show how useless immigration enforcement is. The author writes "Illegal border crossings and arrests at the border have fallen to the lowest levels in decades.". Through this detail, the author shows the audience that because the number of illegal immigrants have fallen, we don't need to waste money on unnecessary enforcement.

Lastly, the syntax in the article gives of a feeling of accusation. The author writes "The hard-liners against reform — including the white-culture alarmists and the closet racists — have not gone away.". By adding the groups against reform in the middle of the sentence, the audience feels as if the author is accusing them of not wanting change. It's as if the author has to stop mid-sentence just to turn and state the groups through his teeth. Same goes for the sentence: "Now he needs to think bigger and better, and look to the large constituency behind reform — student activists, business groups, farmers, labor unions, Catholic bishops, evangelical churches, African-Americans, civil-liberties organizations and regular American citizens who support legalization — to press the case.". The author emphasizes the large amount support by listing all supporters in the middle of the sentence. This shows to the audience the opposing amounts of supporters and those that are resistant.

Overall, the author shows the audience that reform is popular among many, and Obama is now in a great position to begin making changes through their use of literary techniques. It's clear in the article that the author believes that Obama should work on immigration reform, and many even be trying to get the audience to believe that as well.

Open Prompt #3 -Nov. 11-

1986. Some works of literature use the element to time in a distinct way. The chronological  sequence of  events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. 

The novel Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris is written so that the story is not exactly told in chronological order. Rather than having the story written straight through, Harris writes in two different perspectives that take place in two different times and switch constantly back and forth. One comes from one of the teachers, Roy Straitley, at St. Oswalds school (which is one of the main settings of the story). The other comes from someone who goes by the name Snyde (The identity of the second isn't revealed until later in the book), who sneaks into St. Oswalds and pretends to be one of the students. Straitley's perspective comes from the present, unlike Snyde's, which comes from the past. The alternation between the two time periods greatly contributes to the novel, allowing for a more detailed back story and clarity, despite the constant switch between the two speakers. 

The switches between the two time periods allow for the reader to have a more detailed back story to the main conflict in the book. Since it's constantly switching, it allows for both stories to have an equal amount of time to play out. Through this, you are able to see elements of Snyde's past that ultimately effects them in the future. For example, the abuse they faced as a child from their father who would care for them on minute and then would be beating them the next. Another example would be the love they felt for Leon Mitchell. They had fallen for Leon, but he had a girlfriend. Yet, once Leon found out that Snyde was a girl (he had originally thought that she was a boy because she had been dressing up as one) he freaked out, leaving Snyde with a feeling of betrayal. The detailed back story allows the reader to understand certain things that come up in the present perspective. 

The switches also make the story clearer, Snyde's story from the past explains what's going on the in the future. For example,  the story explains why Snyde is out to ruin St. Oswalds. In the past perspective, it shows that Snyde was the reason why Leon Mitchell fell off of the roof of St. Oswalds. It explains that Snyde blames this accident on St. Oswalds, and so shows why the events in the present are happening. Another example shows why Snyde targets Straitley in the present. According to the past perspective, Straitley was the one that scared Leon and Snyde, forcing them to jump the gap that killed Leon. This explains why Snyde messes with Straitley in the persent, they force him to think that students steal his stuff and makes him look like he dislikes Jewish people. 

Overall, the alteration of events chronologically helps contribute to the effective Gentlemen & Players. It adds more to the story as well as helps explain many elements of the story to the reader, despite the continuous switching between time periods.

Response to Course Material #3 -Nov.4-

Due to my terrible memory, I'm having trouble remembering all that has been going on the past few weeks, so i'll try my best to remember as much as I can. Death of a Salesman, watching the movie was fun, though since I was in Canada I missed a good chunk of it (and I plan on making up for that in the reading). But from what I saw, Willy is a salesman who believes he deserves a job in New York. He's married to a woman named Linda and has two sons, Biff and Happy. I think it was Biff who walked in on Willy while he was cheating on Linda while he was away on business. Willy also gave the woman his wife's stockings (according to Biff anyway), which may or may not have some significance to the rest of the story. Originally in the end, I though Willy killed himself, but after a bit of discussion, apparently he went chasing after Biff when he left the house and ended up crashing. Which reminds me of the discussion about Willy's two cars. From what I remember we had talked about how one's really beat up, and the other is really nice, but Willy takes more care of the beat up one (I think...). I know we had mentioned symbolism within the cars, and the idea of the car's being something like his past and present, and Willy hangs on to his past, so takes care of the older car more may have been brought up. There was also the days where we learned how to answer multiple choice questions. There were the distracting answers such as opposite, too broad, correct but doesn't answer the question, etc.. When going through the questions, I was able to see a few examples of these in the choices.While going through the questions I had some trouble with some of the vocabulary used in the questions and the answers. Which brings me to terms test #2... that test was evil. I thought I was going to do a lot better than my first test, since I studied harder for this one. That was a lie. A complete lie.

The American Dream: Summary/ Analysis

Author: The American Dream was written in 1960 by Edward Albee. Albee was born in Virginia, but was adopted and brought to New York. He had been expelled from multiple schools while in high school.  He was openly gay, and had a partner named Johnathan Thomas.
Setting: The American Dream took place in a small apartment, mostly in the living room of the apartment. Living room only contains a few chairs, and a there are also archways leading to other parts of the apartment.
Plot: In the beginning of the play, Mommy and Daddy are complaining about someone (referred to as "They") being late, reason for this person coming over is unknown. Mommy tells a story about how she bought a hat, makes a big deal about the color. Grandma shows up with boxes, Mommy and Daddy talk about how pretty they are. Finally the person they were waiting for shows up (Mrs. Barker). Mrs. Barker and Grandma are unsure as to why Mommy and Daddy called Mrs. Barker over, though Grandma eventually figures it out. Grandma tells Mrs. Barker about the "bumble", which was mutilated, as a hint to why she was brought over to the apartment. While Mrs. Barker is in the kitchen with Mommy, the Young man shows up asking for work. Grandma calls the Young Man the "American Dream",  and gives him a job. Grandma leaves, and the Young Man stays with Mommy and Daddy.
Characters: 
Mommy: Acts like a dictator, wants to be the lady on top. She is also quite childish and has an odd relationship with Grandma.
Daddy: Quite feminine for a man. Apparently has had a surgery that gave him "tubes". He is also childish, and allows himself to be commanded by Mommy.
Mrs. Barker: Seems to be a bit clueless about a few things. Works at the Bye-Bye adoption agency, and is chairwoman of the woman's club.
Grandma: The only character that apparently understands what's going on in the play. Witty, and somewhat masculine.
Young Man: Apparently is the twin brother of the bumble. Is unable to love because of what happened to his twin. Is apparently very handsome, Grandma calls him the American Dream.
Narrative Voice: There is no specific narrator in The American Dream, and so there really isn't a specific point of view.
Author's Style: The American Dream falls under the Theater of the Absurd category. Fits the characteristic of " bewilderment, anxiety, and wonder in the face of an inexplicable universe". The play itself is a bit crazy, and the characters are quite oblivious to the major events in the play (except for Grandma). Also fits "humor masks horror", for example, calling the bundle of joy a bumble. Another is "civilized people acting in uncivilized and barbaric ways", for example Mommy and Daddy's mutilation of the baby, yet they seem to be completely civilized people.
Tone: There seems to be many shifts in tone throughout the play. Mommy's tone while speaking about Grandma seems to switch a lot, sometimes it's hatred and sometimes it's love/ admiration. There are moments where the tone doesn't seem to match the situation in the play, like Mrs. Barker's tone while reacting to the story about the bumble, her tone seems to be astonished, yet not about Mommy and Daddy's actions, but about how the baby was acting. Mommy's tone also switches quickly when she realized that Grandma was gone, she started off at a sad tone, but it switches to a happy/excited tone when she learns that the Young Man is the replacement for the bumble.
Imagery: Since the American Dream is play, it's mostly dialogue, though there are a few examples of imagery. When Mommy describes her trip to go buy the hat, she uses the colors Beige and Wheat to describe the hat, giving the audience an image. As she further describes the trip, there is an image of Mommy screaming at the sales ladies at the hat shop. There are also examples of imagery when Grandma describes the bumble. For example when Grandma says "it still put its hands under the covers looking for its you-know-what", the sentence allows the reader to picture the bumble confused and searching for his missing you know what.
Symbolism: There a few symbols that I noticed while reading The American Dream. The boxes symbolize Mommy and Daddy's misjudgment of people. They only noticed the outside of the boxes and how nicely wrapped they are, but they never question what's inside of them. Another is the tracts and tubes that are mention while Daddy is trying to find Grandma's TV. The tracts and tubes represent Daddy's feminism, since Mommy says he has had tubes implanted into him, and she also comments on how he's like a woman.
Quotes:
"Oh, look at you! You're turning into jelly; you're indecisive; you're a woman." (pg. 75)
This quote shows that Mommy is dictator like, yelling at Daddy simply because he's hesitating to open a door. This quote also show's Daddy's feminine qualities, since he is unable to open the door, since it's normally a man that would open the door, and so because he is unable to open the door, Mommy calls him out on it.
"So, let's leave things as they are right now...while everybody's happy...while everybody's got what he thinks he wants." (pg. 127)
This quote shows that Grandma has a clear understanding of what everyone else is thinking. She knows that though everything thinks they know what the want, overall, none of them have what they want. Mommy and Daddy wanted a new son, and got the Young Man, yet the Young Man is the twin of the bumble, so it's almost as if they are getting close to the same thing as they did earlier.
"For its Daddy! Why, any self-respecting woman would have gouged those eyes right out of its head" (pg. 99)
This quote shows Mrs. Barker's cluelessness, and is quite ironic, since Mommy and Daddy really did remove the bumble's eyes. This also adds to how Daddy is more feminine than Mommy, since babies tend to  prefer their mother, but since the gender roles between the two have switched, the baby had taken a preference to Daddy.
Theme: I think the themes of The American Dream are Materialism and Gender.
Materialism: Mommy's story about the hat, how color was really a big deal. The bumble, how Mommy and Daddy treated as if it were just a product that they could break with no penalty. The Young Man being something like an upgrade from the bumble. The boxes, how Mommy and Daddy only cared about it's outer appearance. The apartment, how Mrs. Barker calls it ugly.
Gender: Tubes and tracts, how Daddy has had a surgery that may have mad him a woman. Daddy's inability to open the door. Grandma's cover name during the baking contest. Mommy's commanding, masculine like attitude.

Close Reading #2 -Oct.21- "Mr. Romney's Version of Equal Rights"

"Mr. Romney's Version of Equal Rights" http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/opinion/mr-romneys-version-of-equal-rights.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

In the article "Mr. Romney's Version of Equal Rights", the author (who is not specified in the article) uses the literary techniques, diction, details and imagery to show the audience how Mitt Romney's position on equal treatment between men and women is harmful to his campaign.

The diction used in the article gives the audience the impression that Mitt Romney is struggling to appeal to voters that are concerned about equality between genders. When the author writes "On Tuesday night, he bumbled his way through a cringe-inducing attempt to graft what he thinks should be 2012 talking points onto his 1952 sensibility.", the word choice they used shows how Romney had stumbled through topics during the presidential debate. The word "bumbled" gives off an awkward feeling, which goes along with "cringe-inducing", which gives off a painful feeling (due to the awkwardness , elevating the awkwardness impression that the audience receives. The author also states that Romney had "fumbled" over the topic of funding planned parenthood. The word fumbled gives off a struggling feeling, that Romney had trouble while trying to take a clear stance, without making himself sound like a bad guy.

Details given in the article show Romney's confusion when it comes to taking a clear stance on a topic. The author first gives Romney's statement about how he believes that people in Washington or employers should not be able to tell a woman whether she should use contraceptives or not. But afterwards the author adds: "Perhaps Mr. Romney forgot that he vetoed a bill as Massachusetts governor in 2005 that would have given women who were raped access to emergency contraception, or that he supported an amendment this year that would have allowed any business to opt out of the contraceptive mandate, or that he has said he would support a state constitutional amendment that would declare that life begins at conception — potentially making some kinds of contraceptives illegal.". By including Romney's past decisions and promises, the author   indirectly states that Romney is clueless about what his stance is on contraceptives. The audience sees through this detail that Romney is unable to make a set choice, which can cause problems if is was to become president, which can cause people to change their vote.

Finally, the imagery in the article shows the audience how "incorrect" Romney's statements are. When the author writes "At this point we could practically hear his political consultants yelling 'Stop!'",  the image shows that his statements are so bad, that the author believes that Romney's consultants would be trying to get him to stop talking. It also gives off a feeling of severity, since his consultants are "yelling" at him. Another image is when the author states "True equality is not satisfied by allowing the little lady to go home early and tend to her children.". This image makes the woman feel small, and dainty, especially with the use of the word little. The image also is similar to what maybe Romney's thoughts on women are, that they are able to work, but they aren't able to for too long since they have to go home and tend to the family. So by using the image, the author is saying that Romney's thoughts on what is right for a working woman are not correct, and in fact are not fair.

Overall, the author is able to show Romney's flaws through his essay using the literary techniques. By doing so, the author is better able to get through to the audience, and perhaps even change their opinion on the presidential candidate.  

Open Prompt #2 -Oct. 14-

2009 A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do no merely summarize the plot.

In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde writes about a boy named Dorian Gray, who starts off as an innocent boy, but is changed after being corrupted by Lord Henry. Dorian, who met Lord Henry while sitting for a painting by his friend Basil, wished that the painting that Basil created would age, rather than himself. Wilde uses the actual painting of Dorian Gray as a symbol that shows Dorian Gray's loss of innocence and his selfishness.

During the beginning of the novel, Dorian was an innocent boy with a good heart, according to Basil. Though, when Dorian hears Lord Henry's theories and thoughts on life, he begins to change. The same day that Lord Henry visits, Dorian wishes that the picture would be the one that ages, in fear that he would be ugly when he ages. From then on, the painting begins to change, much like how Dorian's innocence has changed. Lord Henry's teachings had exposed Dorian and Dorian was then no longer able to hide behind his innocence, and caused him to be "cursed". The painting also had changed as Dorian continuously became more corrupted. For example, when he killed his friend Basil, the painting changed too. Dorian's hands in the picture were covered with blood, and his face held an evil grin. The changing of the painting highlights how Dorian is quickly losing his old, innocent, self, and is turning into a sick, ugly, person.

The picture also exposes Dorian's selfishness. When he wished that the painting would age, he himself had wanted to be perfect forever. By doing so, the painting changes, showing the imperfections that he would've had. Another instance where the picture shows Dorian's selfishness is when he dumps the girl he proposed to, only because he thought he loved her for her acting. He didn't care about how she felt, which then led her to kill herself. This resulted in the painting gaining an unattractive grin, which made Dorian realize his selfishness and feel guilty.

Overall, the painting reveals certain aspects of the character, Dorian Gray. By placing the painting as a symbol, Wilde shows that Dorian is a selfish man and that he loses his innocence through influence.

Response to Course Material #2 -Oct.7-

Out of all the things that we've learned since the last post, there has actually been things that I actually recognized. For example, I recognized the defense mechanisms from the critical lenses from when I took psychology last year. I feel like I've used the regression mechanism before. I also recognized the post-colonial terms, such as exoticism, alienation, mimicry, and appropriation from AP World History. But other than that, I don't think there was anything else I knew previously. Except for maybe some of the allusions, like the stories from the bible (but that's because I've read bits of the bible before). The others were new to me, the story of Ceyx and Alcyone turning into bird was something that I had never heard before the presentations in class. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice reminded me of the quote "Keep moving forward, and never look back", since Orpheus was told not to look back at Eurydice while leaving the underworld. I'm not sure whether the quote is actually based off of the story, or if it's just a coincidence. The literary movements...thanks to Brit. Lit., I actually recognized some of them (but that doesn't mean I remembered all of them. I remembered that Classical had to do with Greek and Roman legends and such, and that Romantics were all about nature and being wild. I think I remember bits of the others, such as kings and knights being the regular protagonists in Medieval and Renaissance literature. The American Dream was probably the weirdest/ most interesting play I have ever read. I did not expect someone to be stripping in the middle of it...at all. Though, I struggle to make connections to it from the huge packet on the existentialism and the Theater of the Absurd, but I do know they are related to each other. I hope that we go over it a bit more in class so I can actually understand it.

Close Reading #1 -Sept.23- "Cosmopolis"

"Cosmopolis" http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120822/REVIEWS/120829995

While reviewing the movie Cosmopolis, film critic Roger Ebert uses the techniques, diction, imagery and detail in order to better appeal to his audience.

Ebert's choice of words gives off a mixed vibe about the film. When he writes "'Cosmopolis' is a flawlessly directed film about enigmatic people who speak in morose epigrams about vague universal principles they show no sign of understanding. Its characters are bloodless, their speech monotone.", he clearly shows his distaste toward the characters, yet a liking for the director through the diction that he uses. The words "vague", "morose", and "monotone" make the characters seem lifeless zombies, especially with the use of the word "bloodless". Yet, he says the film is "flawlessly" directed, by using the word "flawless" he leads the audience to believe that it's the actors that ruin the film, without directly stating it. The elevated  language used gives the audience a serious feel, which in turn makes them feel that Ebert truly knows what he is talking about.

The imagery that Ebert writes into his review helps to give the audience a better idea of what the movie is like, without having to go see it. Ebert states "He enters his improbably long white stretch limousine, lengthy enough for a Mafia wedding, and sets off across Manhattan to his usual barbershop.". This statement gives off the image of wealth, the huge limo and the fact that he takes the limo just to get his haircut screams "money" out at the audience. Ebert also states "As Pattinson plays Packer, he states everything without emotion. All of the criticisms you may have heard or held about Pattinson's performances as the vampire Edward in the 'Twilight' films only serve to underline that he is perfectly cast as Packer.". The image of Edward Cullen, the emotionless, cold skinned vampire, allows the audience to get a feeling of coldness from Packer within the movie.

Finally, the detail that Ebert puts into the article allows the audience to have a better understanding of the movie and of his opinion of the movie. Ebert writes "The final act involves a nutty little man named Benno Levin, who opens fire on him from a warehouse in the district where limos go to spend the night". The addition of the detail "nutty little man" adds more character. Rather than just describing his as "a man named Benno Levin" he spices it up, allowing a deeper look into the movie.  At the end of his review, Ebert writes "I said 'Cosmopolis' is flawlessly directed. Yes, it is. I can't easily imagine a better screen version of the DeLillo novel, although I don't much want to imagine one at all. David Cronenberg is a master filmmaker, whose films sometimes fail to reverberate with me, but whose genius cannot be denied. There is a coldness and abstraction in much of his work, a heartlessness.". Ebert had chosen to put this into is review in order to get his audience to understand that though the film may not be all that great, the director is one that can be respected.

Overall, Ebert's use of diction, imagery, and detail allows the audience the get a feel for the what the movie is like, and what his opinion of it is, the goal of his post.

Open Prompt #1 -Sept. 16-

1995 Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in such a character plays a significant role and show how that character's alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions or moral values.

Within the novel A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Huxley places one of his characters in a society completely different from his own. By doing so, Huxley reveals the odd morals and assumptions of his "utopia". John, known as "the savage", is the character that exposes the values of future London in the novel. His values are very much like our own, and so does not fit into the conditioned world of London. The contrast between the two sets of values helps to highlight the thoughts of the Londoners on things such as sex, drugs, and death.

The people of London in the novel had been conditioned when they were children to believe certain things that we would think to be completely bizarre. For example, when Lenina, a girl who grew up in London, tries to show her affection for John, she attempts to sleep with him. Of course, since it's not acceptable to sleep with someone on the first date, John refuses her and screams profanities as he walks out the door. His reaction as well as Lenina's actions show that the society of London takes the subject of sex lightly and they believe that sleeping around with many people is normal.

Another instance is when John is visiting his dying mother. Once she passes, nurses bring a group of children to his mother to try to condition them about death. John, who is angered by their lack of emotion towards his mother's death, begins to attack the children and throws the nurse's soma (the drug used by the people to "forget their worries") out the window. The nurses begin to riot over their lost soma and police's solution to calm the riot is to fill the room with soma. The outbursts from both parties reveal that the Londoners are indifferent to death and ,in fact, are completely okay with dying. It is also revealed that the people are completely dependent on drugs and that using drugs to create false happiness is something that everyone wants or even needs.

John's reaction to the people's thoughts and ways are what made him alienated in London. But his reactions are also what exposed the true nature of the values that the people hold. By placing John in London, Huxley was able to highlight the morals of his Utopian world.

Response to Course Material #1 -Sept. 9-

Even though the school year has just started, thanks to the summer homework, I have already learned new (and interesting) things. Especially when it comes to finding symbols and such within literature. While reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor I was able to find examples of each chapter in books and movies I have seen (which made the Foster presentation a bit easier). For example, I was able to see the elements of a quest within the movie UP. Learning how to analyze simple things such as weather or geography has allowed me to see deeper into some of the things I read or watch in my daily life. In The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing I learned about the elements (Concision, Clarity, Flow, Gracefulness, etc.) needed to write a college level essay. I also learned that my essays could use some work. Within the power point presentation, I was able to see the connection between The Rhetorical Situation and Argument. While writing an argument you must take the rhetorical situation into account to be able to better persuade your audience. The types of argument, Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, can be used separately or together to appeal to certain audiences. I actually have never heard of these before reading them in the presentation, but I believe that I use Logos most, but write more effectively when using Ethos. All-in-all, I've learned a lot that I can really use through out the year and I hope I use it all effectively.

"Me Talk Pretty One Day" and The Nuts and Bolts of College Writng

While reading David Sedaris’ essay “Me Talk Pretty One Day”, I was able to see that he does write effectively according to points brought up in Michael Harvey’s The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing. Though, not completely concise, the essay does show flow, and gracefulness.

            In The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing, concision is defined as the “leanness of words” (Harvey 1). It gives examples such as reducing “Euthyphro continues to further justify his actions” to “Euthyphro continues to justify his actions” (Harvey 6). In a nutshell, you have to make your sentences short, sweet, and straight to the point. According to the points given in the book, Sedaris’ essay is not very concise. For example, when Sedaris receives his student ID:“After paying my tuition, I was issued a student ID, which allows me a discounted entry fee at movie theaters, puppet shows, and Festyland, a far-flung amusement park that advertises with billboards picturing a cartoon stegosaurus sitting in a canoe and eating what appears to be a ham sandwich.”(Sedaris 11) .This passage has too many unnecessary details that don’t even have to do with the main point of the essay. The simple sentence “After paying my tuition, I was issued a student ID” conveys the same message in 39 words less than the original.

                        While lacking in concision, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” has flow. When describing a fellow classmate, Sedaris states: “The first Anna hailed from an industrial town outside of Warsaw and had front teeth the size of tombstones. She worked as a seamstress, enjoyed quiet times with friends, and hated the mosquito.” (Sedaris 12). The description fits the examples given in The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing. The book states that there should be something to bind the passage together, with references, to said something, that point back to it (Harvey 23). In Sedaris’ sentences, Anna is the subject, the “she” in the next sentence points back to Anna and links the two sentences together. Harvey also adds that a passage that “hands off” to the next subject has flow (Harvey23). For the above section, the next subject would be mosquitoes, as the following sentences are about the teacher rambling about mosquitoes.

            Another thing that Sedaris’ essay has is gracefulness. A point brought up in The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing is how parallelism adds to the gracefulness of a piece (Harvey 50). In “Me Talk Pretty One Day” Sedaris states: “When called upon, I delivered an effortless list of things that I detest: blood sausage, intestinal pates, brain pudding. I’d learned these words the hard way. Having given it some thought, I then declared my love for IBM typewriters, the French word for bruise, and my electric floor waxer” (Sedaris 13). The parallel elements in the passage are delivered, learned, and declared. These elements are what make this part of Sedaris’ essay “graceful”.

            Overall, Sedaris’ essay displays many of the points given in The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing, which makes Sedaris’ writing clear and effective.

            

Poetry Study Goals

•           Read the poem more than once for better understanding
•           Try to get into the habit of reading sentence by sentence, rather than just the individual lines
•           Learn more literary terms
•           Learn to figure out who is the speaker of the poem
•           Read a few lines around a reference to understand the context

When reading poems I tend to just read a poem once or twice, and most of the time I still don’t have a strong understand of the poem afterwards. Reading a poem four times using the steps given in the AP book would really help my understanding poems. Learning more literary terms would help too. A lot. There’s a good amount of words that I need to learn before the start before the school year. I’m pretty sure that whenever I read a poem I don’t even think to figure who in the world is talking. I feel that knowing who’s talking would really help in understand what’s going on in the poem. When I come across a reference I don’t understand, I normally just sit there and stare at it, hoping to find out what it means. Reading around what I’m trying to understand should help my understanding of a poem.  

Diagnostic Test

When I took the test, I was actually quite surprised about how I did. I expected to get almost everything wrong, but I managed to get a good amount of them correct. It really wasn't as terrible as I thought it was going to be, since I was able to get through a bit of it without being completely confused. The thing that really got me, though, was the vocabulary. If I had known the definitions to the words I was clueless about, I definitely would have done better. When I read "Forbidden Mourning", I really was confused by vocabulary, which ruined the imagery, which then almost left me totally lost. Though, to my surprise, I did okay when answering the questions (I probably just had a few lucky guesses). The one thing I did enjoy in the test was the poem "Night Clouds". I liked the picture the author painted in such a short poem. I also liked the passage from Pride and Prejudice. I never have actually read it before (and feel like I should really read it sometime soon), but I liked the converstion between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Overall, I thought the test was okay, and some-what interesting. I know now that i'll probably have a lot of work to do this year, and (oddly enough) I kind of look forward to it.