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.
Monday, November 21, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, November 14, 2011
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.
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