Response to Course Material #4

      Each time I write a response to what we have been doing in class, I feel that I have been focusing purely on  close readings of what we are supposed to be reading. You would think by now I would write about something else or mention something more important. I think that is a hard task to do, because looking at the text this closely truly enhances both the reading experience and the overall meaning of what you are reading. By doing a close reading of both Death of a Salesman and The American Dream, I was able to make better and deeper connections and comparisons between the two pieces. However, I think I have a better understanding of The American Dream.
     Another thing we have been doing is looking at the multiple choice questions that will be on the AP test. I think that I will be able to understand these questions better with more practice. 

Closed Reading #4

UC Davis Pepper Spraying: a Symbolic Response to Occupy Wall Street BY Russell Amor

     This article, when read, can strike up many different opinions. A person could wonder if they agree with Amor's idea that the policemen were simply acting on behalf of a higher power or if this act should be compared to the acts of Nazi soldiers. Amor evokes these questions by using diction, details, and syntax.
     When you begin this article, you immediately know which side the author is on. Amor uses diction to portray his emotions about the event. Instead of using neutral words, Amor uses words such as "tragic" and "appalling" to describe the event in the first sentence of his article.  Also, while voicing his opinion that the policemen were 'forced' to act this way by a higher power, he uses words such as "manipulate" and "compromise" to sway our opinions of the matter. While it may seem that these words are just used to describe how the situation happened, these words are actually affecting readers opinions because of their negative connotations. This connotation leads to further disappointment in the situation and affects the tone of the article as a whole. 
      The main focus of this article is Amor's comparison to the policemen's actions at Davis and the actions of others who were listening to authority figures. Amor makes this comparison very powerful by using details about how these past events are similar to the events this past week at Davis. Amor uses details about how authority affects people by saying "they must proceed" and that these people will respond this way "even if it compromises our [their] own personal vaules" allowing the reader to see that the act at UC Davis have been done before. These details provide Amor's piece with meaning by elaborating on his idea that these acts were "normal". 
      While reading this article, I felt as if the author was talking to me, explaining why these events happened while giving his opinion of the whole ordeal. The syntax in this piece gave me that personal and conversational feeling. The sentences were long, but had multiple breaks in them making it sound as if the author was speaking directly to me. 
      Amor's article portrays both his emotions and his theories about why this happened with the use of diction, detail, and synatx.

Open Prompt #5

1988. Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.

       Waking up after a very vivid dream can be very disturbing, that is, until we realize that it was only a dream and everything is okay. But what if you couldn't distinguish the difference between reality and these vivid occurrences? In the play a "Death of a Salesmen" by Arthur Miller, the main character Willy often goes into very vivid flashbacks allowing the audience to understand Willy's struggle and constant strive for perfection.

       Willy Lowman seems like an average man, until you observe his actions for more than a couple of minutes. One minute Willy is over-the-moon extatic, and the next minute he is screaming and yelling. But these are not the strangest of his actions. The strangest is when Willy begins to talk to himself about the past or repeats his words from very intense moments in his life and imagine that these moments are happening over again. Although these actions are not always kept inside of Willy's head, the hallucinations and flashbacks are purely a creation of Willy's mind. 

       Miller uses these "internal events" to shape the entire plot of the play. When Willy sees, thinks, or hears about something that reminds him of a past event, he automatically segues into a memory. In the beginning of the play, when Willy is talking about driving, he starts to think about the past. He thinks of the red car, Biff and Happy's youth, and successful business days. Then, later on in the play, when Willy is talking to Biff and Happy at the restaurant with their dates about Biff's current failure, Willy is reminded of Biff discovering Willy's affair. This shapes the play by tying the current issues of the play with the issues of the past allowing the reader to understand the tribulations of both Willy's life and his family's life.

      These "internal events" put a great deal of strain on Willy, and allow us to understand the breakdown of this man. Because Miller puts in these events, and because they are often the most dramatic parts of the play, we are able to look further into the mind of Willy Lowman and see how this man has died before reaching success. 

Open Prompt #4

2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

    The reason why someone betrays us can sometimes never be clear, but authors leave their readers with the ability to analyze why a character did something with the help of context clues. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, betrayal plays a huge role in the ending of the novel. Through analyzing the novel we are able to understand that the murder of Lenny was based off of protection and love.

     George and Lenny begin the novel on the run looking for a new life. Lenny has once again caused problems where they were, and George decides that they should be relocated. At first it seems as if George is stuck with a dim witted friend who is constantly reeking havoc, but as the novel continues we see that George actually cares for Lenny.  Because of these emotions, most readers are in pure disgust when they read about George killing Lenny for doing something he has no control over. 

     This act of betrayal was out of love and protection. By killing Lenny himself, Geoge spared Lenny from being tortured by the people who didn't know the truth about Lenny. However, the first time reading this novel, many people are caught up in how vile and repulsive George's actions are until they look through his eyes and see what he saw. George knew that he had to kill his best friend, to spare him the pain and torture that was coming, even though it would cause himself pain as well. George's act of betrayal was not driven by hatred or disgust, but by love and fear. George wanted Lenny to go peacefully, so he betrayed his own best friend to spare his feelings.

Response to Course Material # 3

      These past few weeks have been reinforcing the idea of  even more with our reading of Albee's  "American Dream" and our class discussions. When I found out that I would  have to annotate every single page, I was immediately overwhelmed. I was never forced to read into the text like this. I have always been guided in what passages to look at why I should be looking at them. This close reading of the "The American Dream" was basically the cutting of the rope of teacher-guided    reading and set me to wander through this book on my own. 
      I feel that by analyzing "The American Dream" I am going to be able to analyze both "Death of a Salesman" and prompts on the AP test with confidence. 

Closed Reading #3

The 'Let Women Die' Bill - Ross Becht


      In this article, Ross Becht discusses the bill in women would be potentially forced to die, rather than abort their babies in the case of complications. In this article, Becht uses diction, syntax, and imagery to express his opinion on this bill.
      As soon as you begin the article, you can sense the tension and complete disgust in the idea of this bill by his choice of words. By using words such as refusing, unfortunately, and ridiculous to describe how he feels about thisbill Becht, is automatically setting the tone of the article.
     Another way we can understand Becht's point of view was his syntax. He easily got his point across by asking the readers questions and using phrases to express his view. Another way he uses syntax to make his point clear to the readers is by using long sentences with the most powerful piece of information at the end to shock his readers and influence them to have the same opinion that he does.
      Finally, the most effective thing that Becht uses to express his opinion is the strong and vivid images. Becht begins the article talking about his own personal experience with his wife and the hardships all women face either during or after pregnancy. This really allows the reader to embody the physical pain that these women go through leaving the reader feeling sympathetic. The strongest use of imagery is at the end of the article he starts three sentences with "As a ..." and follows each phrase with a reason why he is appalled when he is this certain type of person. By doing this we can see how different readers may react to this bill, based on their background.
     By chooisng what he put into his sentences and carefully picking his words and memories, Becht is able to influence his readers and make them see the error in this bill.

Open Prompt #3

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 which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character's alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions or moral values.

      In the popular TV show Glee, the main characters constantly step out of their comfort zone to highlight the other boring high-schoolers that attend their high school. People who are different often contrast how others are the same and are percieved. In "The American Dream" by Edward Albee, the Grandmother is an older and wiser character used to juxtapose the younger characters to show Albee's opinion of the old and new american dream. 

      Many times in the play, we see that Grandma was raised in a different environment and age period in comparison to the younger characters like her daughter and her daughters husband, their son, and one of their friends. The Grandma in this play is contrasted to the younger characters such as Mommy and Daddy by having conversations full of substance and truth instead of talking about the color of a bag. Grandma's monologues are constitent in the way that she is always pointing out the truth and being honest. By doing this, Albee represents the old American dream as truthful and full of substance. 

      One major comparison of characters in this play is the comparison between Grandma - the old american dream, and the young man - the new american dream. Grandma is old and worn down and is always complaining about how old she feels. The young man appears handsome and both full of energy and life. This comparison between the two dreams represents how Grandma was once like the young man both promising and full of hope.

     Albee's comparison of these two types of characters, the young generation and the old generation highlight the differences of the two types of dreams and the way they are used. 

Response to Course Material #2

     After the 25th of September, we did multiple things such as continue to learn about the aspects of DIDLS,  continuing to practice how to write an introduction for our essays, and learn about types of comedy by reading "The American Dream" by Edward Albee.
    One thing I really enjoyed about these past few weeks was being able to fully understand how to use syntax. Before this class I understood that syntax is about the structure of sentences, but in the packet we reviewed in class I was able to actually look at specific examples of how it is used and the affect it has. By learning about how syntax can be used in pieces, I was able to use syntax for my closed reading response. By using it I felt that I was able to go more into depth of how the author was portraying his point.  
    The constant repetition of dissecting prompts and creating introduction paragraphs seems very tedious to me, but I know that in the long run that this will be a very good skill to have practiced multiple times before the AP exam this may.
     Finally, another thing that has really stuck with me is the reading of Edward Albee's "The American Dream". I enjoyed reading this play because of how absurd it was. I thought it was a very clever way to get his point across. While I was reading this I thought about how parents can make up absurd stories to get children to learn life lessons. Also, another reason I enjoyed this reading was because I took an active part in the play by reading the part of Mrs. Baker Barker. Overall I think that these past few weeks have expanded my knowledge of both tactics to approach literature as well as the AP exam.

Close Reading #2

"Up From Ugliness" - Ross Douthat


     When I first looked at this article, I expected it to be about the late Steve Jobs and every one of his accomplishments. However, as I continued to read the article I was mesmerized by how Jobs had affected not just the products we use, but how they are perceived. By the careful use of diction, imagery, and syntax Douthat convinces his readers that Jobs was more than just a successful business man, but a man who shaped the modern world into something beautiful.
     In this article, Douthat uses positive words to emphasize his opinion of Jobs. Words such as glories, allure, grace, style and beautiful all create a positive and innovative impression of the work Jobs has done. The sentence ". . . Jobs revived the romance of modernity — the assumption, shared by Victorian science-fiction writers and space-age dreamers alike, that the world of the future should be more glamorous than the present" is loaded with words that appeal to the reader making Jobs sound like a glorified  inventor. The positive words sway the reader to listen to Douthat's perspective of Jobs and begin to see the impact that Jobs really had.
     While reading this essay, I was constantly comparing both fantasies and realities of the world and what it was envisioned to be. Most people had an ideal image of what the future would be when they were younger; in this essay I was able to compare what I had expected to what Steve Jobs had created.  The author evokes this thought process by comparing strong images. Douthat describes a less innovative and ugly world as "Our cities had crime-ridden towers and white elephant shopping centers where the neighborhoods used to be. . ." and then switches to describing the current world by saying  ". . . a return to walkable neighborhoods, human-scale housing, and pleasant public spaces. . . our cars more curvaceous, our civic architecture less offensive." The contrast of these different images followed by a description of the type of work Jobs did causes the reader to imagine the two types of lifestyles and the impact Jobs had on it.
     Another reason this piece causes a strong sense of admiration for Steve Jobs is the use of syntax in the article. A common tactic used in this piece is the pairing of short sentences followed by a long sentence. This allows the reader to learn some quick information about Jobs and then go onto hear how this affected the world. Syntax, imagery, and diction are all used in this piece to highlight the contributions that Steve Jobs has left this world with. 

Open Prompt #2

1977. In some novels and plays certain parallel or recurring events prove to be significant. In an essay, describe the major similarities and differences in a sequence of parallel or recurring events in a novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. Do not merely summarize the plot.

     Each time we revisit a familiar place, new memories are created; no two visits are exactly the same. In our minds, we view these revisits as normal experiences, but in literature, these occurrences are almost always symbolic. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester's visits to the scaffold represent both the progression of the novel and the unraveling of the novel's biggest secret. 
     There are three instances in which Hester stands on the scaffold. Each time she stands there Hawthorn is emphasizing a major event. In the beginning of the novel, Hester stands before the town with her baby Prim in her arms. She is stoic as she stands alone and refuses to say the name of the father of her child. This visit to the scaffold emphasizes how brave Hester is and how cowardly Dimmesdale is. 
      In the middle of the novel, Hester, Prim and Dimmesdale meet on the scaffold in the middle of the night by chance. In this scene, Dimmesdale is acknowledging the fact that he is Prim's father and also a sinner. In comparison to the first scene on the scaffold, this scene has both Hester and Prim again with the addition of Dimmesdale, except the towns people are missing. This scene represents the start of Dimmesdale's acceptance, but because this meeting is in the  dark of night with no witnesses besides Hester and Prim we can see that he has not fully forgiven himself.
     In the final visit to the scaffold, both Hester and Prim are present once again, as well as the towns people and Dimmesdale. Here, Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the entire town and then shortly dies afterwords. While the three are standing on the scaffold, they are all free of their secrets as they are displayed in front of the entire town. This scene is free of secrecy as compared to the first encounter on the scaffold where Dimmesdale remained hidden from the public. By having Dimmesdale stand on the scaffold in front of the town, Hawthorne is emphasizing the fact that Dimmesdale has come clean and accepted his sin.  
     These three visits to the scaffold are emphasizing the beginning, middle and the end of the novel by comparing who is on the scaffold and who they are in front of. These scenes cause the novel to tie itself together and creates a better sense of what is going on in the novel.

Response to Course Material #1

     Ever since the first day of school, we have been going in depth on how to really read literature in order to understand every aspect of it. In every other class I've been taught to look further into literature, but the acronym DIDLS really helped me remember what exactly I should be looking for every time I read (diction, imagery, details, language, and syntax). This acronym has already made it easier to analyze pieces. At first when I read the short story "The Way We Were" by David Sedaris, I was unsure on the overall meaning of the story. Then, after I applied DIDLS to this piece, I was able to see what Sedaris was saying all along whether it be in the length of his sentences or the choice of his words. After I realized what a great tool DIDLS is, I had the urge to reread a few of my favorite books to analyze all of their hidden meanings just in case I had missed something! 

     Another thing that I have found really helpful in preparation for the AP test this spring, is how to write both a well structured introduction and thesis. All throughout my career as a student I have been taught that an introduction should be five sentences long, and I have always struggled finding enough to say in that first paragraph. You can imagine my relief when I learned that a good introduction paragraph is short and to the point containing only three sentences, a connection to the real world, a connection to the book, and a thesis. Writing these introductions became a little easier when we began discussing how to write a thesis. Writing a thesis has never been a strong point for me. I learned these past few weeks that a thesis should give the audience a general idea of what my essay is about, but most importantly that it should ALWAYS answer the prompt. Although there is still tons of room for improvement, I am one step closer to tackling the challenge of writing a thesis. I have always thought of myself as a strong reader and writer, but after these first few weeks I have realized there is a lot I do not know, and I am excited for what I have been missing out on after all these years. 

Open Prompt #1

Prompt:1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

Our location can influence our actions, emotions, and thoughts; you wouldn’t act like you do in your house like you would at school, would you? In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is influenced by the actions of others on land, but is able to think on his own on the raft in the river. In this novel, the contrast of the Mississippi River and the land surrounding it represent the difference between innocence and corrupt values.

On the river, Huck is alone on a raft with Jim, a runaway slave, which would be considered absurd to anyone who saw the two of them. If anyone were to know the truth of their relationship, the two would be judged severely and punished. However, none of this matters to Huck because on the river, he is his own person. Huck has no one to tell him how to act or how to think. Twain writes these river scenes to allow Huck to interpret Jim’s words and treat him as an equal.

However, when Jim and Huck stop on land, Huck is suddenly influenced by everything and everyone around him. Not only does he treat Jim differently, but he lies, cheats, and ventures around as if he were a parrot repeating someone else’s words. Huck’s actions are directly related to his location. Each time Huck steps his foot on land, he is back to thinking like a typical southerner of the time period would.

Twains juxtaposition of the land and the river contrast the ideas found in each location. On the Mississippi River, Huck and Jim are out of sight from everyone else leaving there minds free and untainted. But on land, these two deal with blending into the expectations of society. Twain uses this method of comparing the two places to put emphasis on Huck’s actions when he is being watched, and when he is not.

Close Reading #1

In New Sitcoms, Parents Need the Growing Up by Heather Havrilesky


     In this article, Harilesky discusses the differences in the roles of adults and children in several of today's hit TV shows. She discusses the different ways  adults and children interact on these shows and how the standards of parenting have changed. Harilesky makes her view apparent to her readers with the use of diction, imagery, details.


Diction:
     The word choice Havrilesky uses heavily reflects her opinion. Words like hopeless, misguided, and imperfect all have a negative connotation giving the readers a negative view of these parents. Phrases like "overachiever and underachiever", "idealist and pragmatist", "valiant hero and lazy jerk", "jittery angst", and "aggressively unpleasant" are used to describe both parents and the TV shows of today. This allows readers to think about parenting while being shown the negative side of it causing disdain towards these topics.
  
Imagery:
     At the beginning of the article, Havrilesky mentions being an adult and living next to a house that held several children's parties involving a bounce house. She then goes on to describe the bounce house as a place where "little kids and big kids shrieked and giggled and barely missed injuring one another" and then compares it to the actions of adults on current TV shows. Because the image of children in a bounce house and the chaos that goes with it is both a strong image and familiar sight to most, Havrilesky's readers are able to easily compare the two actions together. Another example of how imagery explains Havrilesky's opinion is the comparison of the two styles of TV, the then and the now. She describes the shows of the past as "sassy kids. . . engaging in mildly naughty activities. . . necessitating awkward family discussions that end when the perp apologizes. . ." allowing her readers to remember the TV shows they grew up on and recall clips of such shows. Havrilesky then switches gears and discusses the shows of today. Her example involves daughters who disrespect their parents, parents who fret over what to do, and finally parents doing a foolish act as a sign of retaliation. Havrilesky uses the imagery of these TV show descriptions to sway her readers to question the TV shows of today.


Details:
     The details that Havrilesky uses show her opinions of these shows and parents. Havrilesky includes specific examples from shows such as "Modern Family", "Up All Night", and "Suburgatory" to expand the readers view on how TV shows are portraying the role of parents of today by explaining scenarios in episodes that represent these roles. Her knowledge of these shows and the specific details give the article a sense of reliability and truth even though the article is based purely on opinion.