During this past week of class we've discussed our annotations on Ceremony. I have to say that though this is the least productive my class has ever been (we've spent four days on the first group) it is the most I have gotten out of any of our class discussions. Ceremony is so full of symbols and deeper meanings that every time you read a passage you can find something new. And though it can be a pain to read, it has definitely become my favorite book so far. The message of reconnecting with one's cultural traditions to solve the answers of the present is a powerful one and one that means a lot to me. The slow close reading our class does allows everyone to be able to find a large majority of the symbols and be able to interpret the book in different ways though all correct which is the beauty of Ap Lit. I think it's safe to say that I am thoroughly enjoying class.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Closed Reading #5
Live Responsibly; Shop Drunk
Among Alcohol’s several uses, making the act of shopping smoother and more enjoyable is not one of them. However in this article “Live Responsibly; Shop Drunk, the author Brett Martin proves that alcohol does just that. In this refreshingly humorous piece Martin utilizes language, detail, and diction to carry the message that the ever so difficult task of shopping is better done with a buzz.
The first point the author makes is just how impossible shopping
can be with the use of imagery and diction. Brett Martin illustrates his
anxiety toward the task by using vivid imagery. Shopping causes him to have “sweaty palms,[a]
pounding heart, general despair followed by either a hasty, bad decision, or a
rip-cord-pulling abandonment of mission.” This makes it clear that Martin cannot successfully shop because
the process brings up deep insecurities, causing him to second guess himself
and therefore not feel confident or competent enough to purchase something
decent or anything at all. He strengthens this point with the use of diction.
With words such as “porkpies” and “pandoras” both of which hats that only the truly
stylish and competent shoppers would know the names of reinforce the idea that
Martin is an outsider who desperately wants to be included but is afraid that
he won’t really fit in. Because of course to truly fit in one must know the
right thing to wear, which requires a confident decision something Martin
cannot do while shopping.
The author’s other point is that the
only way to effectively shop is to do so after a couple of drinks, though one
shouldn’t be drunk. Martin achieves this point through the use of language and
details. Martin seriously introduces us to the idea through juxtaposition:
shopping is the problem and drinking provides a cure to the symptoms that is
causes. He continues to expose us to this solution through detail. The decision
to add the fact that his most prized possession was purchased after a couple of
drinks helps prove that alcohol just might be the answer. In addition the end
result of him purchasing a straw fedora is the result of one Bloody Mary making
his point that a buzzed shopper is a productive one.
In conclusion Brett Martin carries out
this purely comedic piece through the intelligent use of literary techniques
such as language, detail, imagery, and diction. He impressively proves his
point that his best shopping is done while drunk and suggests that men who face
the same hardships follow suit, after clothes are returnable.
*Please don't try this at home :)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Open Prompt #6
1978. Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or
character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary merit. Write an
essay that explains how the incident or character is related to the more
realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary
The addition of an utterly bizarre incident in
a play or novel strikes us, as readers,
but it also prompts us to make the connection to our lives and in doing so
achieve what the author desired. In Edward Albee’s The American Dream, Mommy
and Daddy’s treatment of the baby is incredibly bizarre and unrealistic, this
incident however is tied to realistic elements of the story. However this
addition is heavily responsible for creating the meaning of the play, illustrating
how not to live one’s lives and where Albee thought the current society was
going.
Many
aspect of the play would strike the reader as normal and not at all out of the
ordinary. These aspects are the most important because these are what allow the
readers to relate the play to their own lives. Starting with the Mommy and
Daddy, Albee paints them to be obviously distant and estranged, though they
live together. This relationship is clearly seen in the domineering language of
Mommy towards Daddy, and his genuine lack of interest and sentiment towards
her. The author also adds in that they no longer sleep together. It also shows
that they are both very consumed in the culture of the present times , and
follow very much the expectations of Society. This is seen first with Mommy
during the hat fiasco and even more through the fact that they are in an
assortment of clubs showing their need to belong. Knowing their other
characteristics: needing to appear rich, wanting to have a family—seen in them
calling each other Mommy and Daddy sans the presence of a child—and having to
have the right color hat, these all begin to form a certain picture. A particular
one that shows a couple who prizes materialism, outward appearances, and
ultimately themselves before any others. These are all things that we see
everyday even now; it’s the new american culture.
Mommy
and Daddy’s dissatisfaction is obvious and understandable when looking at their
character make-up. Though Mommy is the biggest offender and big villain,
neither of them are innocent, especially in the act against the baby. The
mutilation of the baby is the bizarre act that Albee has added. Though it hits
us as strange at first through further reflection and examination of the
characters and morals of both Mommy and Daddy it no longer seems so
unrealistic. The reason for the baby’s mutilation was what Mommy saw as wrong
doing towards her, “[the baby} had eyes only for his father,” something that is
rare. Usually babies have eyes for the mother’s which molded society to expect
that the baby would prefer the mother. Because the baby went against society’s
norms and in doing so embarrassed her she punished him, by ordering Daddy to
mutilate the child and emasculate him.
The technique
of linking the normal with the bizarre makes for a well relatable play; one
that will enable audiences to learn from it. This was indeed Albee’s purpose in
writing the America Dream. By pointing out the normal elements of the play in our everyday world such as the
obsession with materialism, estranged couples that no longer love each other,
and the valuing of a group acceptance it makes it easier to relate the bizarre
to our lives as well. The ordinary elements of the play lead to the unrealistic
act that caused tragedy, so by not living our lives in that way we can
ourselves avoid that tragedy and dissatisfaction.
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