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.