Sunday, December 16, 2012
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.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, December 3, 2012
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.
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.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
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...
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