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.