Response to Material, II (Oct. 27th)

     In the past month we have covered a variety of topics, many of which I have found to be very enlightening. One of the first things we did was watch a power point and discuss the forming of multiple choice questions and answer choices. This was eye opening to learn about these because throughout my high school career I have taken several multiple choice tests but now, when I take one it's like a whole new experience. Never before did I pick up on the many different types of multiple choice questions as well as the different types of distractors and traps throughout the answer choices. Now when I take multiple choice tests I am much more conscious of how things are worded and how easily I used to fall into the mindless traps.
      Another topic we discussed this month was poetry. For me when we started "My Father's Song" by Ortiz I was a little nervous, mainly because poetry has never been my strength so I didn't want to embarrass myself in discussion. However, as the discussion continued, I began to feel more comfortable with the poem and was able to pick up on many of the ideas and details others were mentioning. I think thoroughly going through this poem really helped me with analyzing a poem, however I still think I could use some more practice.
        Annotating, annotating, annotating. We have indeed done lots of annotating this month! Which surprisingly, I haven't minded too much. I have realized in our discussion how much annotating really helps one to understand a piece of literature. Not only does annotating expose one more to the material and allow them to get more familiar with it, but it also allows one to be creative and try to draw conclusions in order to get a deeper understanding. Annotating is not the only thing that is helpful to understand literature, discussions are another very helpful way to dig deep into a book. We finished up our discussion of American Dream and are now just beginning a new discussion on Death of a Salesman. For once, I can actually say I am excited to further discuss DOS after having such a successful one of American Dream. Usually in book discussions I find it hard to add something that isn't completely obvious and irrelevant, however, with as much time as we spent on American Dream, I think I was able to develop a sense to look 'between the lines' and pick up on some important details. After the American Dream discussion I am now much more excited to start really getting into the DOS discussion. Also, I think the DOS discussion will also be better because since we watched the film I think this really helped people get a better understanding of the play right off the bat so we can quickly jump into the more complex ideas.

Open Prompts, Part One #2

2008 Student Answer’s to question #3:

Student 1:

            Overall, Student 1 had a very good and thorough response, not he/she include great detail and support on their conclusion of who the foils were, but he/she also was able to connect how the foils impacted the meaning of the story of a whole.  This is not easy to do, for sometimes students tend to get caught up in explaining the detail of the question specifically asked (displaying foils in a work) and as a consequence they do not show how that point intertwines with the meaning of the entire passage. Although as mentioned by the AP grader, the Student did say a little summary of the novel, which could be the reasoning for the one point deduction, however, he/she managed to get back on track and again focus on the main topic. When looking at this student’s actual structure of writing and diction, this student did a good job of organizing his/her essay and did a good job of using semi-formal language. This is a solid essay and indeed deserves the 8 it was given.

Student 2:

            This student does a fairly decent job describing who the foil is and the impact they have on the story, however, the foil is not actually clarified until the very last paragraph, which takes away from the essay a little. If the reader were to have stated that the father was the foil in the beginning/first paragraph, this essay would’ve been much stronger. Also, this student seemed to get a little lost and caught up in ideas throughout the body of this paper, especially when discussing Shug’s effect on Celie. I agree with the AP grader in the fact that at first it seems as though the student is trying to portray Shug as Celie’s foil. It seems this way especially when the student describes Shug as “an independent woman whom no one can stop.” This comes off to be Celie’s foil because up to this point the student has gone into great detail describing how much Celie is not an independent woman. This student struggled to clarify points but eventually brought all the ideas together in the end, I do in conclusion agree 6 was a fair score. 

Student 3:

            Let me just say…yikes! This essay was all over the place. The student does indeed state who the foil of Hassan is, however, the student also adds in some additional information that adds in confusion. For instance, in the first body paragraph when the student discusses Baba and Hassan’s loyalty, the student gives a good example of the servants, however he/she all of a sudden throws out the name “Amir” leaving the reader to assume this is the servant. The lack of the student introducing this new character added some confusion and took away from the strength of that specific example. Also, while observing the actual structure and writing of this essay, I noticed the author used very casual language throughout the entirety of the essay, as well as short/informal sentences such as, “He had good intentions.” This structuring of the essay kept it from flowing smoothly and also took away some of its importance. Overall, I think giving this essay a 4 is stretching it a little mostly due to the poor structure and actual writing of this essay, however, the student did manage to mostly answer the question asked of him/her so in that they deserve some credit. 

American Dream

Summary and Analysis of The American Dream, By Edward Albee

About the Author:

Albee was a homosexual man who due to the times lived with other men similar to him and therefor was not really exposed to women. In effect we see how his lifestyle played a role, for throughout the play the women are portrayed as power freaks who want to overrule men.

Characters:

Mommy- middle aged woman married to Daddy and daughter of Grandma. Married Daddy for his money, has a thirst for power (struggles with Daddy, Grandma, and Mrs. Barker at times to overpower them). Doesn't get along well with Grandma.

Daddy- middle aged man married to Mommy, often emasculated by Mommy, had a sex change surgery, is a governor, speaks in a childish manner and usually supports Grandma.

Mrs. Barker - works for Bye-Bye adoption Service (gave bumble to Mommy and Daddy 20 years ago). Bickers with Mommy and often fights over power; Mrs. Barker acts like she is superior.

Young Man - identical twin to the bumble and represents the new American Dream. He is very confused and feels he doesn't have a purpose or skills so he uses his good looks to get any job possible.

Setting:

A simply furnished symmetrical living room within a apartment. During the 1960's.

Plot: 

It starts by introducing Mommy and Daddy to us in the living room who are having a discussion of Mommy's beige hat that Mrs. Barker claimed to be wheat. Grandma then shows up and with her she brings several wrapped boxes and just leaves them in the living room. We are informed of Mommy and Grandma's past; Grandma had to support for Mommy due to the grandpa dying. Mommy then swore she would marry a rich man and live happily. Mommy and Grandma now have a rough relationship and bicker often. Mrs. Barker arrives and the majority of the play is a discussion among the characters who are trying to remember the reason why Mrs. Barker was called over. Meanwhile, Mommy and Daddy tell Mrs. Barker about the bumble they once had and how they mutilated it so badly eventually leading it to its death. The Young Man arrives not long after and Grandma claims him to be the new American Dream. He complains about how much he feels like a useless shell and how he is missing his twin (Mommy and Daddy's now dead, bumble). Grandma claims to the others the Young Man is the van man and makes him take her boxes outside. Once finished, he and grandma exit in the elevator. Mommy and Daddy re-enter and notice Grandma is missing, all Mrs. Barker says is the van man took her. Grandma then makes comments to the audience as Mommy and Daddy take the Young Man in and celebrate. Grandma then says few words to the audience and ends the play.

Author's Style and Narrative Voice:

This play is told through the narration of the characters. This limits the readers to what they know, for they have to guess what the characters are thinking and make assumptions about their intentions and meanings to their actions. Albee's use of tone is essential to this play, for the way each character speaks is specific to them in order to complete their roles. For example, Daddy speaks in a childish way because he portrayed as powerless and careless.

Albee also uses imagery several times throughout the play to emphasize his point of increasing consumerism and inability to gain satisfaction. This is well displayed when in great detail, the process in which Mommy and Daddy tore the bumble apart is described. This graphic scene adds a dark tone to the play and gives the reader a sense of shock and disbelief.

 

Symbols in The American Dream:

• Beige hat - shows materialism and desire to look wealthier than actually are in reality.
• Grandma's boxes - the gathering and exiting of the old American Dream.
• The bumble - the corruption of the new American Dream, commercialism and lack of satisfaction.
• Bye- Bye Adoption Agency - consumerism (Buy - Buy)

Motifs in The American Dream:

• Gender role swaps
• Childish behavior - power struggles
• Can't get any satisfaction
• Materialism/Consumerism
• Transition of the Dream

Quotes:

"You can't get satisfaction; just try. I can get satisfaction, but you can't." (62).

--> This shows how Albee believed that the stereotype of that time was that women always tried to be superior to men and believed they were better in many ways. This also shows the idea of how much people desired satisfaction. A key problem with the new American Dream is the desire for satisfaction.

"I do wish I weren't surrounded by women; I'd like some men around here" (86).

--> Daddy is lonely in the sense that he has no man to relate too. Not only did he have a sex change but he also is disconnected from other men so he doesn't know what it is like to be manly even if he wanted to be. Daddy still wants to be more masculine, however he just doesn't have a choice.

Theme:

Albee's The American Dream warns that the current generation of Americans has gutted the heart and soul of original American values and replaced them with a materialistic longing to acquire unattainable satisfaction, but there is hope for change.

This theme statement our class agreed on is supported strongly by many pieces of evidence from the book. For instance, the setting supports this claim because the period was the 1960's and during this period was the transitional from the old American Dream to the new one. Due to this, Albee included many examples of how the new American Dream has corrupted the old. The old enforced that people were hard workers, hopefulness, and motivated to work and do their best. However, Albee tries to show that these beliefs have been replaced by things such as materialism and other superficial beliefs.

The plot also supports the theme. This is because there are many instances that show that the plot is framed to prove a point and to really get to the point that people are now more needy and have more of a desire for material items and having the image of being wealthy. This is well demonstrated when Mommy has difficulties with the beige hat. Even though it may be wheat, she wants it to be beige primary because beige signifies a higher class than wheat (working class). Throughout the play Mommy and Daddy are very materialistic and focused on appearances. However, there is hope this may change because near the end when Mommy and Daddy decide to take the Young Man in, they are showing they are finally satisfied and are not at the moment concerned with being a consumer. The title is an key detail to this story, for it displays how the two American Dreams are merging into one, long behold becoming the ultimate, American Dream. These are only a few of the many aspects of the book that contribute to this provoking theme.

Close Reading 10/13

Gravity

It gives outer space back its beauty, terror, and wonder.

By: Dana Stevens

Article from: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2013/10/gravity_with_george_clooney_and_sandra_bullock_reviewed.html

       Gravity starts in early with the rug-pulling twists and keeps them coming straight up to the end" says Dana Stevens, a movie critique who recently reviewed the new Blockbuster hit Gravity. Throughout her article Stevens goes into detail about the key effects of this thriller and what make it unique, however, she doesn't fail to add her opinion of how the movie went wrong. Stevens uses facets of diction, syntax, and imagery to encourage others to go see Gravity.
        Throughout the article Stevens maintains a everyday language with a hint of informal diction. She mostly uses common words however to emphasize some points she uses some more peculiar words. For example, she describes the characters and how they interact with one another in an interesting way, "Clooney and Bullock's exchanges in the early scenes have a disarming screwball charm-- he's unflappable if fatalistic optimistic, she's an uptight loner with a tendency to give up too soon--" her descriptions of the characters do not make them that appealing, however I think since she emphasized that they have special quirks it makes the reader more interested to see for themselves how they interact. Even this short quote displays some of the uncommon words she uses such as "unflappable and fatalistic." I think her use of this kind of wording makes the reader much more interested and even adds excitement to wanting to watch the film. Stevens does a very good job of persuading, her diction gives a sense desire and urgency to the reader to see the movie.
           Syntax is another element of rhetoric Stevens uses to support her opinion of the film. Stevens often uses longer sentences throughout the article which are full of lots of detailed descriptions and persuading ideas. The long sentences open and end ideas in one sentence; she describes and ends a point all at once to keep the readers attentions. For example, "But I think it's sage to disclose that this is an unusually paced action movie: Despite its trim 93-minutes running time, there's room for both contemplative beauty and chilling suspense (a structure enabled in part by that whirling space debris, which orbits the Earth at a set speed, allowing big action scenes to alternate with periods of serious inactivity and silence)." This is a very long sentence, however it still is very interesting and had key information for someone interested in the film. Stevens also uses punctuation as a element of persuasion, especially when describing thematic points that the dialogue shows, "Loneliness! Courage! The Need to Contact!" The use of exclamations here add drama to these points and make the reader more interested in finding out the cause behind them. Stevens uses different types of syntax in this article and in affect they make the reader much more interested in the movie.
           Stevens also uses detailed imagery to add to the appeal of this film. Supporting her statement of
"Gravity's great gift to the viewer is that it gives outer space back its beauty, terror, and wonder" she identifies outer-space as "the awe-inspiring black chasm in which our tiny blue world floats" which is a very unique way to describe space. Her use of imagery here helps place an image in the mind of the reader and therefor makes them curious to find out how the movie portrays space so well to make Stevens give it such an interesting description. Stevens highlights how well the cinematography is by describing what is shown, "an orbiting spacecraft, a character's face in close-up, a dropped tool spinning into the void-- floating into view just when we need to see it." This sentence alone instantly puts an image into the reader's mind and makes them want to see proof of these good camera skills. Another instance of good imagery is the description of the Russian satellite debris, "a dangerous cloud of jagged debris that's due to whiz past at any second." This previews some of the suspense Stevens claims it entitles.
       Stevens movie review did not seem like a typical review to me, and due to this, I am actually very interested in seeing this movie. Her tactics of some of the elements of rhetoric indeed worked on me and I am now persuaded. Usually, I never agree with film critics because they are usually too harsh or too general, however Stevens gave great details of the film and wrote in a unique way that made the film seem much more tempting.