After finishing the first reading of The American Dream, we discussed it, annotated it, and then discussed it again. Through this process, I was finally able to (somewhat) understand the play. Talking to my classmates helped me to begin to see the symbolism and metaphors in the play and then discussing it a second time further aided me. I really like the format of a first read, discussion, second read with annotations, and discussion again. I feel like each time I process the work, I'm gaining more from the text (which I assume is the purpose). Our class also discussed and agree on the theme of the play: Consumerism is corrupting American societal structure and values. Once we decided this, more of the play began to make sense.
In this time, we also read and annotated How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster and Nuts and Bolts of College Writing by Michael Harvey. The class talked about how the concepts in HTRLLAP apply to recent literature or pop culture. I didn't necessarily like reading his book, but being able to relate Foster's literary theories to books and movies I'm familiar with was immensely helpful. Next, we wrote a practice Open Prompt essay and then used Nuts and Bolts to revise it. One of the biggest things I took away from Nuts and Bolts was the idea of a "pompous voice". According to Harvey, younger and less experienced writers tend to overcompensate for their lack of knowledge by adding big words that convolute the writing. I know I have been guilty of this more than once, so reading the book helped me to be more aware of the words I'm using.
We also began doing a warm up exercise everyday at the beginning of class. Each one involves a specific literary element (diction, syntax, imagery, etc.) and has an excerpt from a text and questions that go along with it. These have helped me be able to recognize a certain element and apply it to my own writing. Also in class, Ms. Holmes went over the specifics of the multiple choice and writing sections of the AP exam. In the past, multiple choice has been one of my strengths in standardized testing, but from what I've seen, the AP Lit MC seems more difficult. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week, we watched Death of a Salesman with Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich. I haven't had the chance to read or see Death of a Salesman before, so I was happy we got to watch it. I enjoyed the movie and I'm excited to delve into the play this week.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
American Dream Summary and Analysis
Author: Edward Albee was adopted by a wealthy family in the late 1920s. He was never comfortable with his adoptive family and eventually went off to live in Greenwich Village in New York.
Setting, Plot, and Characters: The play is about five characters: Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Mrs. Barker, and the Young Man. It is set in mid-twentieth century America in a small apartment in the city. The story follows Mommy and Daddy's quest for "satisfaction". In the beginning, Mommy and Daddy are discussing a mystery guest that is coming soon. Finally, the guest (Mrs. Barker) arrives. None of the characters seem to know why Mrs. Barker is there, including Mrs. Barker herself. Once Mommy and Daddy are out of the room, Grandma hints to Mrs. Barker why she is there. Grandma reveals that Mrs. Barker has been there before in order to give Mommy and Daddy a "bumble of joy", but that Mommy and Daddy mutilated it because it did not behave. Finally, a Young Man arrives that Grandma dubs "the American Dream". Mommy and Daddy decide that he is suitable for adoption and Grandma ends the play.
Analysis: This piece's point of view comes from Albee as he reflects his cynicism of the American Dream. Grandma could be considered as acting as the narrator of the play once she is removed from the action. Writing in a loosely absurdist feel, Edward Albee creates all of his characters as silly and without any real emotions. The tone throughout the play is mostly cynical and it is a satire on American culture and Albee employs many devices to accomplish this. For example, the play often references bodily mutilation. When Daddy says “I’m all ears”, Mommy squeals with joy. Mommy exclaims “I could cut my tongue out!”. Mommy and Daddy even cut off the eyes, hands, and genitalia off of their child. One of the clearest symbols in The American Dream is boxes. When Grandma first enters the stage, she is carrying neatly wrapped boxes. It is not clear until the end of the story that the boxes contain the contents of the apartment. Mommy also talks about when she was younger and Grandma would pack her lunch in a such a nice box, she would not want to open it. Both of these elements symbolize the artificiality of modern America. Albee is commenting on the fact that people don’t care about the inside, they only care about the outside.
Cool quotes:
“I’ve got to go into my act now.”
Grandma is often described by critics as the most "human" character in the play. In this instance, it seems like she is even aware that she is merely playing a part. As the only self aware actor, Grandma is able to change the direction of plot as well as end the play altogether.
“So, let’s leave things as they are right now...while everybody’s happy...while everybody’s got what he wants...or everybody’s got what he thinks he wants.”
This quote reflects on one of the main motifs of the play - superficiality. Mommy, Daddy, and Mrs. Barker all have something they want: a son, money, and praise. However, as Edward Albee explained in an interview, the Young Man is really there to kill the family, so this quote also adds to the dramatic irony. So when Albee speaks through Grandma, he is commenting on the American incapability of looking past the surface.
THEME: Consumerism is corrupting American societal structure and values.
Motifs: gender roles, the American Dream, confusion, manners, emasculation, social status, control, sexuality, artificiality, immaturity, deceit, new vs. old
Motifs: gender roles, the American Dream, confusion, manners, emasculation, social status, control, sexuality, artificiality, immaturity, deceit, new vs. old
The title has a clear connection to the theme of the play. The "American Dream" has been corrupted by the commodification of people. Albee also comments reveals the pointlessness of polite society through his dialogue. All
of the conversations between the characters are cyclical and the reader
or viewer gets the idea that they have no meaning. He also makes fun of trivial things, like when Mommy and Mrs. Barker argue over the color of a hat. The playwright's use of satire also condemns consumerism.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Close Reading October 12th
Scientologists' constant battle against drugs, especially the psychoactive assortment, inspired the creation of an organization called Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR). The Scientologist magazine "Freedom" includes articles about success stories of the CCHR, among other things. In Mark Shaefer's piece, The Letter that Shocked the World, he tells the story of the patients held in the Child and Adolescent Unit of New Zealand's Lake Alice Hospital. Shaefer's diction, imagery, and details cooperate to portray psychiatry in a negative light, while praising the CCHR.
In his discussion of acts performed by the Lake Alice Hospital, Mark Shaefer uses specific diction as a means to condemn psychiatry. The head psychiatrist of the hospital, Selwyn Leeks, administered "blasts" of electroconvulsive therapy and apparently performed experiments on the patients described as "torturous". Later, Leeks is pictured as "skulk[ing]" away. Shaefer chooses these words specifically for their negative connotations, painting a picture of a diabolical character. The CCHR, on the other hand, is described as a "watchdog", giving the reader the idea that the organization is courageous and important. Each word is chosen for the purpose of promoting the CCHR.
Powerful imagery is used in the piece to sway the reader. A quote from the director of the CCHR in New Zealand is included, saying, "Lake Alice was a dumping ground where forgotten children who were wards of the State could be experimented on without fear of consequences". Reading this, the reader envisages a garbage dump of children, thrown away like trash. To reinforce this dehumanization of children, the article goes on to say that Leeks acquired children "whom he dismissed as little more than feral animals". The images that Mark Shaefer exercises show the hospital's devaluing of human life.
The author employs certain details in order to create a negative view of psychiatry in the readers' minds. For example, the article tells of each of the punishments inflicted on the patients, including "solitary confinement, painful drug injections, beatings, sexual abuse and blasts of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to the head, shoulders, legs and even genitals". In a similar way, the details that Shaefer include about the CCHR make is seem almost noble. He explains the founding of it saying that "CCHR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting patients’ rights and reforming the field of psychiatry". Whenever Shaefer includes a specific detail, it is used to reflect the best parts of the CCHR and the worst of the hospital.
Carefully chosen diction, vivid imagery, and specific details are all employed in this piece to condemn the activities of the Lake Alice Hospital and perpetuate the ideals of the Scientologist organization.
In his discussion of acts performed by the Lake Alice Hospital, Mark Shaefer uses specific diction as a means to condemn psychiatry. The head psychiatrist of the hospital, Selwyn Leeks, administered "blasts" of electroconvulsive therapy and apparently performed experiments on the patients described as "torturous". Later, Leeks is pictured as "skulk[ing]" away. Shaefer chooses these words specifically for their negative connotations, painting a picture of a diabolical character. The CCHR, on the other hand, is described as a "watchdog", giving the reader the idea that the organization is courageous and important. Each word is chosen for the purpose of promoting the CCHR.
Powerful imagery is used in the piece to sway the reader. A quote from the director of the CCHR in New Zealand is included, saying, "Lake Alice was a dumping ground where forgotten children who were wards of the State could be experimented on without fear of consequences". Reading this, the reader envisages a garbage dump of children, thrown away like trash. To reinforce this dehumanization of children, the article goes on to say that Leeks acquired children "whom he dismissed as little more than feral animals". The images that Mark Shaefer exercises show the hospital's devaluing of human life.
The author employs certain details in order to create a negative view of psychiatry in the readers' minds. For example, the article tells of each of the punishments inflicted on the patients, including "solitary confinement, painful drug injections, beatings, sexual abuse and blasts of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to the head, shoulders, legs and even genitals". In a similar way, the details that Shaefer include about the CCHR make is seem almost noble. He explains the founding of it saying that "CCHR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting patients’ rights and reforming the field of psychiatry". Whenever Shaefer includes a specific detail, it is used to reflect the best parts of the CCHR and the worst of the hospital.
Carefully chosen diction, vivid imagery, and specific details are all employed in this piece to condemn the activities of the Lake Alice Hospital and perpetuate the ideals of the Scientologist organization.
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