Synthesis of Course Material #1 - Literature

In the class so far we've read two novels (Ceremony and Pride & Prejudice), several plays (The American Dream, Death of a Salesman, Hamlet, and bits of The Importance of Being Earnest), and many poems. We also read Foster's How to Read Literature like a Professor, some Greek mythology and parts of the Bible as our summer work before the course started. We've gone through them all, close reading and annotating and then discussed the works as a whole in class. We started out annotating all together, helping each other out with The American Dream, our first attempt at close reading. By the time we got to Pride & Prejudice, though, we annotated completely on our own and discussed a bit in class. It's wonderful to recognize how much progress we've made since our first go at annotation. I love getting to look at so many different kinds of literature and the techniques authors use to tell their stories. It's very satisfying to finally come to some conclusion about the author's ultimate themes and messages. I haven't disliked any of the texts we've read although I wouldn't call The American Dream one of my favorites. The most nerve-racking thing, I think, as we start to look ahead to the AP test, is whether or not we're going to be able to remember these texts to answer our open prompts. The good news, I guess, is that most of what we've read could be applied to any number of prompts they could throw at us because there is so much good stuff in all of them. Besides the novels and plays, we've done a lot of poetry so far, as they often show up on closed prompts. I've always been a novels girl but this class has given me a new appreciation for poetry. I've just never really spent much time on it until now. Rossetti's "Promises Like Pie-Crust" and Collins's"The History Teacher" are two of my new favorites. Overall, I've really enjoyed the literature we've looked at and feel like I've learned a lot about the texts themselves and the way we approach them.

Close Reading #5 - Frank Bruni

Read it here!

Frank Bruni's article "One Country's Big Gay Leap" talks about the legalization of same-sex marriage in Portugal, other countries that have legalized same-sex marriage, and why or why not countries are able to do so. He uses diction and detail to create for the reader an idea of what is happening in Portugal and to enforce the idea that the United States should follow in Portugal's footsteps.
Throughout the piece, Bruni uses interesting choices in diction to give an accurate idea of the state of affairs in Portugal and the other countries which have recently legalized gay marriage. He uses certain sensory words in places where they are not commonly found. For example, he writes that he had a "potent case of Portugal envy". The use of the word "potent" is an interesting choice because it is usually used to describe a stong, powerful smell and is instead used to describe envy, a feeling. The use of this word enhances Bruni's envy, making it seem like something palpable and not just an abstract emotion. Of course, his envy is of the great strides Portugal has made toward equality, that the United States has not. He does this in other places to create a stong sense of the positive atmosphere about same-sex marriage in Portugal.
His use of detail is also important in giving the reader an idea of what is going on in Portugal. He begins the essay with a detail about Brenda Frota Johnson and Isabel Advirta, whose family seems to accept their relationship now that they are officially married. Other details like this, including a similar one about Sara and Rita Martinho, demonstrate the positive ways in which the legalization of gay marriage has affected Portugal and its citizens.
By using detail and diction to show just how good the legalization of same-sex marriage has been for Portugal and the other countries that have recently passed similar legislation, Bruni argues that America should do the same. While he acknowledges the differences between our country and theirs, he asks whether it "might be possible for President Obama... to take a lead on the issue" and that he might find out "that it wouldn't make or break him".

Response to Course Material #5

In class lately, we've been reading Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. And it is so hard. But I'm also convinced it's brilliant. I really like it, too. Everything about it, really: the story, the nonlinear storyline, the characters, the culture. It's all pretty fascinating. It's just so hard to understand every part of it. Going through in annotations, we can write so much in a page. And it our group, we've been having trouble deciding if we're making brilliant observations or just reaching for meaning because there is so much of it. And then Ms. Holmes chimes in with some tidbit of info that would have taken us years to recognize. We also read some articles for the forum assignment. Mine were on cultural background of the Pueblo people and some essays by Silko. The cultural background one was great, it gave me a lot of info that helps understanding some of the motifs and symbols in the novel, especially the directions and the sunwise cycle. Overall, Ceremony is crazy difficult but I'm really enjoying it and I can't wait to get a clearer picture of the meaning as we keep annotating!

Close Reading #4 - "And Now... Professor Gingrich" by Frank Bruni

Read it Here!

As the 2012 election draws nearer, the race for Republican nomination is as crazy as ever. In his article for the New York Times, Frank Bruni, discusses Newt Gingrich's recent ascent to the position of front-runner. Bruni's use of diction and detail make it clear that he is not a Gingrich supporter and doesn't take any of the Republican candidates seriously.
He uses diction brilliantly, picking words like "yahoos" to describe the Republican candidates, making it clear that he doesn't support any of them. He goes on to say that Republicans have tended to shy away from any sort of intelligence and intellectualism. He says that even the "less ridiculous" republicans in the recent elections have played "hide-the-degree", never mentioning their impressive backgrounds at Yale, Harvard, and the like. That's why he says that Gingrich's rise to the top is the "strangest". Suddenly, it seems Republicans are willing to overlook his "braininess" and his "ostentatious know-it-all" nature. He uses other negative words to describe Gingrich, making it clear he doesn't support this sudden rise in the polls. Words such as "pomposity" and "flamboyant" make Gingrich seem arrogant and words like "magically" and "abracadabra" make him seem silly.
Bruni's details also make the Republican party seem ridiculous. After calling the candidates "yahoos", he goes on to describe the recent flubs made in the last week. He highlights Bachmann's idea that we had an embassy in Iran and Perry's "delusion" that the voting age is 21, not 18. Details involving Gingrich's arrogance and pomposity are also effective in making the audience see that Bruni is not a Gingrich supporter. He includes many quotes by the candidate that highlight his "knowledge-flaunting", comparing him to the beans one would pick at a salad bar when there is no "baby shrimp" or "chicken strips". These details combined with the diction used by Bruni make it clear to the audience that he does not like Gingrich nor does he take any of this election's Republican candidates seriously.

Open Prompt #6

1986. Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

In the Western World, we are taught to think in a straight line, beginning with point A and ending at point B. In many Native American Indian cultures, however, thought is circular and while it may begin at point A it visits and revisits many other points before reaching the end. This is very apparent in many works of Native literature, particularly in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony. Silko uses a nonlinear storyline to mimic the cycle of thought and Tayo's eventual realization that all things are connected in a great web, which ends up being one of Silko's most important messages in the novel.

Silko's incredible novel is scattered with smaller stories from the Pueblo people that enhance the narrative. The narrative itself jumps all over the place in Tayo's timeline. One moment he is hunting a deer with Josiah and the next he's in a South Pacific jungle, fighting the Japanese with Rocky. The details Silko uses in her writing help the reader to figure out where in time Tayo is at each point in the story. For example, in one part Tayo is in the hospital in Los Angeles and with little warning or transition, he is back in the jungle, watching who he thinks is Josiah get shot. Silko's details allow her reader to understand the transition of the nonlinear plot. She describes the muggy air and the large mosquitoes, details that would not be found in a white hospital in California. 

The nonlinear storyline that Silko employs in her novel mimics the reciprocal nature of thought and life that is so central to Pueblo beliefs. Just in the way that thought does not follow immediately from one thing to the next, her narrative does not move in a straight line down the timeline. It also represents Tayo's new knowledge of the great web that has been created by Thought-Woman. Everything is connected and as Tayo begins to realize this, the nonlinear plot becomes less confusing for the reader. He understands now that all things are related. This is mirrored in the way that Silko, through Tayo, connects one event to another. Tayo laying in bed, trying to stay sane, connects to a deer he once hunted with Rocky, which leads to the humid jungle, which leads to the bar with Harley and Leroy, and so on. Silko's seemingly crazy timeline is actually just as sane as our world, which, the Pueblo people say, is all connected and all related. 

Despite the confusion the nonlinear plot line creates in Ceremony, it is very important in getting Silko's message across to her readers. The nonlinear story is a representation of the circular thought that is understood by the Pueblo people. At the same time, it helps us understand what Tayo is coming to understand: that all things are connected and related through Thought-Woman's web. 

Response to Course Material #4

Since my last response, we've finished reading Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. I love this play so I was very excited to get to talk about it with the class. We looked at it a little bit in my American Lit class sophomore year but it was great to delve into a little bit further. I still feel very little sympathy for Willy but I love the boys. I am bummed though, I don't feel like we got to discuss it enough in class. I was really looking forward to it but our discussion didn't feel like it really ended. I don't expect us to be able to really "finish" talking about anything we read but we never really got to talk about the play as a whole which I would really like to do. Ms. Holmes did say we'd compare The American Dream and Death of a Salesman  so maybe we can talk some more then. Other than that, we did our Eras Presentations on Prezi. I love Prezi, I think its a great program. We did Modernism and Postmodernism which I've studied before in American Lit but even so, I enjoyed doing the project. We're just starting Ceremony now which is difficult but should be interesting and provide for a lot of material for the AP test in the spring!

Open Prompt #5

1990. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.

Conflict between parent and child is one of the most fascinating topics for authors to explore, possibly because they have experienced it. Arthur Miller delves into this complex issue in his play, Death of a Salesman, as Willy Loman and his son Biff struggle through their tense relationship. Miller uses detail and a nonlinear timeline to create and explore the conflict between father and son which ultimately shows his audience that the so-called American Dream will not bring the happiness and success that Willy expects it to.

Miller uses a nonlinear time line in the play to reveal to the audience some of the sources of the conflict between Willy and Biff. The play begins in present day and often flashes back in time to some memory of Willy's. In the beginning, flashbacks show us that when Biff in high school, the two had a wonderful relationship. Present day, however, the conflict and tension in their relationship is evident. Later, Willy flashes back to a memory of Biff visiting him on one of his trips to Boston. Biff had come to tell Willy that he flunked math and finds a young secretary in Willy's hotel room. Willy tries to lie his way around the truth but eventually just tries to excuse himself by saying repeatedly, "I'm so lonely", to his stunned, devastated son. The nonlinear way the story is told shows the audience the original source of conflict between Biff and his father. Miller also provides details that enhance the audience's understanding of this father/son conflict. Throughout the play, details reveal to the audience Willy's idea of a successful life. In other words, his American Dream includes being involved in business, being financially wealthy, and being "well-liked". Details also show Biff's idea of the American Dream. Many times, Biff has left his home to go west. We are given details about what Biff loves about being out west: baby calfs being born, open air, "the time to sit around and smoke". This, being contrary to Willy's idea of success and happiness, is a major source of tension between the two. 

This conflict, among other things, contributes heavily to Miller's main point which is that the American Dream, as Willy sees it, will not bring happiness or success to the one who achieves it. In the end, Willy finds himself poor and forgotten in the sales world, despite how important those things have always been to him. He still has not let go of this dream, however, and kills himself so his family can have the insurance money that will come of his death. At his funeral, which no one but his family and two family friends attend, his wife, Linda, repeats the words, "we're free". Willy, dead, is certainly not free, nor is Linda or their other son, Happy. Biff is the only one who is really free. He finally realizes who he is and that happiness and success comes of that, not of being "well-liked" and rich as his father always said. This realization effectively proves Miller's meaning to the audience. 

Father/son conflict is a commonly explored theme in literature. Miller uses this theme, which he creates through detail and a nonlinear timeline, to get his message across to his audience. He shows that the American Dream that Willy couldn't let go of, one of wealth and being "well-liked", will not bring happiness or success.