Close Reading 4

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/opinion/speaker-john-boehner-makes-an-offer.html

Open Prompt 4

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.

The Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is play generally about the conflict between Willy and Biff and the failures of the family. Through the play Willy has false beliefs about life and has a false reality of his sons. Miller uses the conflict between Willy and Biff to criticize the unrealistic American Dream.

Willy is convinced that Biff is destined for greatness, even though he is actually a failure. Willy thinks that all that matters in the world is that you are well liked, which will make you successful. Biff comes back every spring because he thinks that he need to get an "actual" job and be successful, like Willy wants him to be. In the play Biff realizes that he really just wants to work out on a farm in the west. Willy does not want to realize that Biff isn't suited for the business world and thinks that he fails to spite him. Willy himself is never actually really successful. This forces the question of what it means to be successful. Biff finds himself the happiest when he was working on farms in the west and realizes that he has been a failure in the business world, which is contradiction to the standard American Dream.

At Willy's funeral, very few people showed up: his family, Charlie and Bernard. By no one showing up it shows that Willy did not have a legacy to leave behind. Biff remarked that there was more in his house than his whole career. Willy loved working with his hands and being a carpenter. Instead of pursuing what he wanted to do, he went to follow the "American Dream". Biff realizes this and does not want to end up like him. Their differing views on one's occupation is a fuel for their conflict. Despite all of this Happy wants to continue on Willy's legacy and show the corporate world that the Lomans amount to something. This continues on the legacy of the failed American Dream.

The majority of the plot is driven from conflicts between Biff and Willy. Willy's inability to see reality shows the superficiality of the American Dream.

DOS Summary/Analysis

Setting:

• The play takes place in New York City, which was where Miller was born, in an urban environment. He probably chose this city because he knows it best and had the best feel for what the city is like. Willy notes how the city used to be less crowded and is no in decay. Most of the play takes place in the Loman's house or their backyard, where many of the flashbacks take place.

Author:

• Miller has written many plays, many of them criticizing America in some way. 

Charcters:

• Willy Loman: He is a business man, who is now only paid on commission  because he is so bad at selling now. He has never made very much, despite what he has said. Charley often tells him to grow up and his family often uses terms that you would use with a child. He has "flashbacks" whenever he doesn't like the situation he is in and remembers better times. Willy's father left early in life, and thus sees Ben as a father figure. Willy thinks all that matters is that if people like you, not whether you are smart or not, he is neither.
• Biff Loman: Biff is seen as the golden child by Willy. Willy tells him he is something special and is not just a common man. Biff buys into this early on and has it pervade his life and believes that he should have instant success. Biff goes out west every year and then returns every spring time, trying to get his life together according to the ideals that he was brought up on. 
• Happy Loman: Happy is often ignored by everyone. He says many times that he is getting married, but no one even acknowledges it. He often goes out with other woman, even though he is engaged. Happy is the spawn of all of Willy's ideals and will probably end up just like Willy in the future. 
• Linda Loman: She is very supportive of Willy, often seen like a mother figure of Willy. She helps fuel Willy's illusions of reality, especially when she wants him to stay in New York, instead of going to Alaska.
• Charley: He is a foil to Willy. He is a successful business man, unlike Willy and he paid little attention to his son, unlike Willy. Charley is his neighbor and Willy is always jealous of him. Charley feels bad for Willy and gives him money, so he can pay bills. 
• Ben: Even though you can't say that he definitively exists, he has a huge impact on Willy. He goes north and some how ends up in Africa striking diamond mines. He is the father figure to Willy, because his dad left. Linda dislikes him because he tries to get Willy to move and go to Alaska.

Plot:

•  Willy return home from a business trip, which he goes on each week and requires a lot of driving. He doesn't make any money from these any more. Linda tells him to go to Howard and ask for a job in New York, so he doesn't have to travel as much. Willy complains about Biff not doing anything with his life. Linda tells him to go down stairs to get some milk. Willy goes into the kitchen and has a flashback, while talking to himself. In their old room, Biff and Happy reminisce about their childhood and talk about woman. They also talk about getting a ranch in the west and finding true happiness. Willy's flashback is of when he returns home from a business trip and buys a punching bag for Biff. Bernard enters and warns that Biff is going to fail math if he doesn't study. the boys leave to go do some chores and Willy confides in Linda that he is not well liked, but she says he is. He has another flashback of the woman, who gives stockings. He goes back to his other flashback  with Linda mending stockings and he gets angry at her for mending stockings. He also yells at Bernard for saying that Biff will fail math and get caught for stealing. Willy's flashback is disrupted by Biff and Happy coming downstairs. Happy tries to calm Willy down. Willy yells about how he should have gone with Ben and we learn that Ben went to Alaska and somehow ended up in Africa striking diamond mines and was very rich. Charley comes over to play cards and during the game, Willy talks to Ben. Willy loses the game and says that he won. Charley leaves as Willy is yelling at him. Another flashback begins and this time Ben has come to visit Willy's family. Back in the present, Linda tells Biff and Happy that Willy is trying to commit suicide. Biff decides to go to Oliver to get a job and Willy decides to go to Howard to see if he can get a job in New York. Willy goes into Howard's office and asks for a new job. Howard denies him and Willy gets angry shouting about things that didn't happen. Howard fires Willy, then he ends up going to Charley's office. He meets Bernard there, who is very successful. Charley offers Willy a job, which he rejects, and is then given money from Charley. Happy is in some type of bar,  where he flirts with some woman. Biff walks in and tells Happy that he didn't get the job and in fact had never even directly worked for Oliver. Happy doesn't want Biff to tell Willy this. Willy walks in and as Biff is telling him about what happened, Willy falls back into a delusion. The Woman and Willy are in a hotel room and Biff walks in. Biff and Happy leave with the women, while Willy is having his delusion. Willy goes back home trying to plant a garden.Willy and Biff have a fight where Biff says that he loves him. They all go back inside and everyone goes off to bed except Willy. Willy leaves and commits suicide. At the funeral, only Willy's family and Charley are there. 

Style:

• There is no narrator, but the reader does get to see into Willy's delusions. You can't completely trust all of these because you know what Willy says or sees ins't always true. The tone of this play is usually hopeless. Many of the objects like the house are in decay to reflect Willy.

Quotes:

• "He was liked, but not well liked" - This quote appears a few times in the play. Willy says this meaning that being liked is the most important thing, not hard work. This is reflective of what Willy strived for, even though in reality no one actually liked him that much.
• "Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground." - Willy realizes that he has nothing to show for in his life. 

Theme:

• The American Dream is not the same for everyone - Happy thinks that he must continue on Willy's dream and has to show the world that he mattered. Biff realizes that the business world is not for him and that he just keep out west where he is happy. Willy thought he had to be salesman, because that is the American Dream, even though he should have a carpenter. 

Response to Course Material #4

Since the last response, we have finished discussing Death of a Salesman, which I did not like very much. Many other people seemed to like it, but for some reason I found it very boring and I disliked all the characters except for Ben. I liked reading all of the essays about it. It gave new perspectives to the play that I hadn't thought of before and made it much clearer.

We have also started reading Hamlet, which I find hard to understand sometimes because of the language that Shakespeare uses. I find all of the hidden meanings interesting and how the world of the play is so distrustful. This makes it so each character has to be very careful in what they say. I'm sure as the play goes on I will understand the language that Shakespeare uses, making it easier to find all the underlying themes and what characters are really saying. I feel like the annotations will help significantly with my understanding with play once I get there.

Close Reading - Why We Should Stop Obsessing About the Federal Budget Deficit

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/why-we-should-stop-obsess_b_2155489.html

Robert Reich, who was the Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, and is now a professor of public policy at University of California at Berkeley, thinks that people think that the deficit is the main factor in the economy, when its really not. Reich uses elements of rhetoric diction, details, and syntax.

Reich's uses diction to emphasize that people who support cutting the budget are wrong and that job growth comes from spending. Reich calls deficit cutting an "industry" (para. 6 ln. 1). He is saying that people who only focus on deficit cutting are part of an industry and are fueled by money. The word "hokum" (para. 7 ln. 2) shows the media as a magician, who is showing people an illusion, rather than the truth. Reich says that investment "spurs" (para. 10 ln. 1) public investment. By using the word "spur" he is saying that investment is the spark of job growth. Reich's use of diction shows that the deficit is not really all that important.

Reich's use of details are used to provide previous examples when a balanced budget came out of a strong economy and not from cutting programs. Reich says "the 1990's when the Clinton administration balanced the budget", was not because of cutting spending, but because of "faster job growth than anyone expected" (para. 3 ln. 2-4). Many people remember the 1990's as a time of job growth and a strong economy. By Reich coupling it with a balanced budget, he makes readers associate the two, to make the idea seem very viable.

Reich uses syntax to keep the reader thinking and to make something seem less dangerous. He asks the question "Why don't our politicians and media get this?" (para. 6 ln. 1) referring the affect of our budget on our economy. He places this at the beginning of the paragraph to have the reader think as why they do not get it, then in the next sentence, he quickly answers the question. Reich also calls the "fiscal cliff" a hill. Instead of just saying that it is a hill, he artfully says "(and, yes, I know -- it's not really a "cliff" but more like a hill) " (para. 2 ln. 3-4). by using the parenthesis he is saying that he actually knows its not as serious as everyone thinks it is, but he is just calling it the fiscal cliff, because everyone does.

The use of the elements of rhetoric in this paper are used to strengthen his argument that the deficit is not the huge problem that people make it out to be and that the fiscal cliff is not that serious either. 

Open Prompt 3

1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

In "1984", written by George Orwell, everyone is constantly watched by Big Brother, although no one has ever seen him. He is on posters, stamped on their coins and even on large telescreens, all with the message of "Big Brother is Watching You". Although in the book you are not even sure if Big Brother is real, he still plays an important role. Big Brother affects the action of the characters, the theme of the book, and how characters develop.

Big Brother is everywhere and the characters of the play know that. Winston his whole life has followed the rules of the Party, but has always harbored hate for everything that they stand for. His affair with Julia is an act of rebellion for both of them, but for different reasons. Julia does it for self satisfaction, while Winston rebels because he has a fundamental ideological problem with the party and he sees this as a way to rebel. Winston also does little things to rebel, regardless of whether he will be caught or not. Deep down Winston feels that regardless of what he does Big Brother will eventually catch him through the thought police. By thinking this, Winston makes little rebellions that increase his risk of being caught, like when he wrote "Down With Big Brother" in his journal that he had bought. Big Brother acts as a God like figure, in that he everywhere and supposedly know what you are doing.

A clear theme that  Big Brother influences is that you can not trust large governments that control everything. There are large telescreens in everyone's houses that spew propaganda about the party. The propaganda tells people false information, making the party's failures look like huge successes. Another theme that is in this book is that the government will use the technology for evil. Big Brother and the party have hidden microphones all over the cities and use the telescreens to promote the Party and brainwash everyone in Oceania. 

How characters develop are also largely affected by Big Brother. Big Brother is the face of the Party and represents what the party stands for. After Winston is caught by the party for his affair with Julia, the party brainwashes him to be a loyal party member. After, Winston comes to love and embrace Big Brother. Big Brother affects all the characters, not just Winston. They all face the same scrutiny of Big Brother.

Big Brother may not actually be real, but has a significant affect in "1984". Big Brother affects the actions of the characters, how they develop, and influences the themes of the novel.

Response to Course Material #3

We recently retook the terms test, which I did just a little better on than last, but that was to be expected, for how much effort I out forth. The games were helpful at first, but after the first couple of times we did them in class I had already memorized the answers, so they were only good for examples and not for application. I do feel like I do know the terms much better now though. I also feel like some of the questions on the terms test had more than one right answer for them, but that just might be me. We usually do a tone exercise everyday, which for me is more of a vocab lesson than a tone lesson. I think it really just depends on how you say it to get the piece of candy. Like the song Santos and I made "America is Sick". If you didn't hear us say it you would probably think we meant it literally, not America is awesome.

We watched Death of Salesman, which I found really boring. I think I might like it more when I read the play, but I really disliked the movie. The point that Miller was trying to get off, I think was overplayed at the time by critics of society in that time period. I personally don't like the way he did it. That may be because I watched it as a movie and couldn't go back and re-read something, if I didn't catch it. I think after our small discussion of the play definitely helped in my understanding.

American Dream Summary/Analysis

Setting:

• Mommy and Daddy's apartment. There setting is very plain and bare.

Plot:

• The play starts off with Mommy telling Daddy a story of how she bought her beige hat. Mommy makes sure that Daddy is paying attention, and to show that he is paying attention, Daddy repeats what she says. Grandma enters with neatly wrapped boxes and mommy tells her to put them at Daddy's feet, basically covering him. Later we learn that the boxes contain many things like the water that was in the apartment her sunday teeth etc. Mommy tells Daddy about how Grandma used to wrap her lunchbox everyday and she would never open it and kids would giver he food. When she got home, Grandma would eat what was in the lunchbox. Mrs. Barker enters the apartment, but no one knows why she is there. Grandma is constantly cut off and eventually says that the boxes have nothing to do with Mrs. Barker being there. Grandma says she knows why Mrs. Barker is there, but Mommy calls her a liar and tells Daddy to break her television. Mrs. Barker and Grandma are alone, Grandma strongly hints that Mrs. Barker is here because of an adoption, by telling a story. Mrs. Barker doesn't see how this relates and leaves to get her water. The Young Man rings the doorbell and enters. Grandma thinks he is the van man, but he assures her he is not. He says he'll do anything for money. He looks physically perfect, but lacks any emotion or skills. Grandma hatches a plan for Mommy and Daddy to adopt him. Grandma leaves the stage. When Mommy finds out that Grandma is gone, she is very upset, but it quickly forgotten with the Young Man there.

Characters:

• Grandma: Embodies the old values (old American dream). She is the only person who communicates with other people normally
• Mommy: A control freak, and the "man" of the house. She is part of the new American dream, which can be seen when she accepts the Young man so easily.
• Daddy: He has been emasculated and had a surgery that replaced his man parts with lady parts. He is also very wealthy.
• Mrs. Barker: Head of Mommy's woman group and a volunteer for Bye-Bye adoption center. She has many power struggles with Mommy throughout the play.
• Young Man: Perfect looking, but with no emotion and skills. He is a representation of the new American dream.

Narrative Voice:

• This is a play, so there is no narrator. The setting is very bare indicating that there is little substance in the characters, except of course for Grandma. Imagery is used to show absurdity of consumerism. When Mommy buys the beige hat, Mrs. Barker says that the hat is wheat colored. Mommy then goes back to the shop to buy the exact same hat. The grotesque disfigurement of the bumble is used to show how the new American dream is. The character's dialogue is repeated constantly and they all usually have a lack of understanding except for Grandma, which is part of theater of the absurd. A way that it is not theater of the absurd, is that the play does advance. Albee has Grandma represent his opinions, with her representing the old American dream. The young man is used as an allegory to the new American dream, to show that is devoid of any substance.

Quotes: 

• Mommy - "WHAT a masculine Daddy! Isn't he a masculine Daddy?" This is an example of how Mommy has Daddy's masculinity and teases him with it. This also shows how Mommy is the dominant person of the apartment. 
• Grandma - Then it turned out it only had eyes for Daddy. Mrs. Barker -For its Daddy! WHy, any self-respecting woman would have gouged those eyes right out of its head. Grandma - Well, she did. That's exactly what she did. This quote shows how the bumble was disembodied by Mommy. Its representative of the repression of children by adults and destroying of familial bonds. 

Theme: 

The new American Dream is substance less and American society is plagued by consumerism. 

• The Young Man is a very good example of how the new American Dream is substanceless. He looks very pretty, but lacks any skills and has no emotion. People can take satisfaction from him, but he can't get any himself  The setting is also very bare, like I said earlier shows that the apartment lacks substance. dialogue between the characters also lacks any substance and is repeated often, which makes it lose meaning. The part when Mommy goes to buy the beige hat, but goes back to buy the same hat after Mrs. Barker says it's a wheat color hat, is a good example of consumerism. Mommy makes up the excuse of the lighting that changed the color of it, when really it's just perspective. The tone of play is generally indifferent which adds to meaning of substanceless, except with Grandma. Imagery is used when Grandma tells the story of how Mommy disfigured the bumble, which took away the substance from the American Dream.

Close Reading - Will Vote Fraud Win the Election for Obama?

http://www.thenewamerican.com/reviews/opinion/item/13300-will-vote-fraud-win-the-election-for-obama

Selwyn Duke, a journalist for the website thenewamerican.com, thinks that Obama will win the election because of widespread voter fraud. He uses elements of rhetoric: diction, details, and syntax to prove his point.

Duke's use of diction emphasizes the point he tries to make in his editorial. His use of diction is used to poke fun at the Democrats. When Duke says, "extra-curricular voting" (para. 13 ln. 1) he is saying that the Democrats commit voter fraud. The word extra-curricular implies that the Democrats go the extra mile to win the election, outside of legal ways. Duke also paints the media in a bad light by calling them "socialist-yearning" (para. 7 ln. 4). By calling the media this, it shows that they do not have America's best interest at heart and are controlled by the leftest leaning. Duke uses diction to show that Democrats are law-breakers and the media aspire to be socialists.

Duke provides many details to make his argument seem valid. He gives good background information to show that he knows what he is talking about and to convince the reader that he does. Duke states, "The Democrats have captured an average of almost 70 percent of these states during the last 20 years, with their high being 100 percent and their low 40; in contrast, the GOP's low is 0 percent their high only 60" (para. 6 ln. 2-4). Duke uses this valid information to prove his point that Obama will win most of the swing states, thus winning the election. The use of details shows that Duke knows what he is talking about.

Duke uses Syntax for shock and to keep his point relevant. Duke says, "Barack Obama will likely win re-election" (para. 2 ln. 1). He has this in its own separate paragraph to emphasize it. He says this right after saying that Romney has surged in polls. By saying this it provides shock, which makes his argument seem more serious and important. Amidst all of Duke's joking, he says, "So her is my prediction: Romney will the popular vote but lose the Electoral College, with vote fraud putting Obama over the top" (para. 15 ln. 1-2). This keeps his what he is talking about serious and actually makes it seem like its a problem. Duke's use of syntax is reminds the reader of his point and keeps the reader interested.

The use of the rhetorical elements of Duke makes his editorial a substance of truth. His points make it an interesting read.

Open Prompt 2

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.

Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray's appearance stays the same, while his portrait changes with his sins and time. The portrait shows what Dorian should look like. After being strongly influenced by Lord Henry, Dorian believes that beauty is the only worthwhile aspect of life. With this idea in mind, he ignores what his true self  looks like (the portrait) and only concerns himself with what he looks like.

Dorian tells Sybil that he does not love her anymore, because her only beauty was on her acting, Dorian notices that his portrait has changed. Later, Dorian tries to reconcile with Sybil, only to learn that she had committed suicide. He dismisses her suicide realizing that his life will be lust and looks. This is where Dorian renounces all of his innocence and completely changes his personality. To deal with the loss of Sybil, Dorian leads an indulgent lifestyle. After 18 years, Dorian invites Basil over and shows him the painting. When Basil sees the painting, he is horrified. Dorian lashes out and blames Basil for it and ends up killing him with a knife. Dorian tries to escape his guilt by going to an opium den. Dorian again has misgivings about who he is and tries to run away from what he really looks like. By the end of the novel, Dorian ends up stabbing his portrait killing himself. His battle between what he actually looks like and his image drives him crazy.

The constant battle that Dorian has with himself and his portrait makes the novel very interesting. Lord Henry’s influence changes Dorian’s outlook on life and embodies what the portrait becomes, while still maintaining the image of an innocent boy.

Response to course material

Since my last response to course material, we have gone over recognizing the tone of sentences, The American Dream, have done more terms practice, and practiced close readings. Understanding the tones of excerpts was pretty challenging at first. I think now I am much better at finding the tone. I think this will be helpful with the close reading of The American Dream (which I have yet to start), in identifying what something means, or if its intended to mean something else that is not completely obvious. For me, The American Dream was quite enjoyable. Even though at first I didn't realize the depth of the play. The essay we read by Erving Beck was quite illuminating about all of the symbols and how elaborate everything really is. When we practiced close reading with the poem "Century Quilt" I thought it was quite difficult to relate everything back to the whole of the piece. It's quite easy to spot things and say it means something, without relating it back and connecting everything as a whole.

Should Google censor an anti-Islam video? Close Read

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/14/opinion/york-libya-youtube/index.html?hpt=op_bn5

Jillian C. York, a columnist for Al Jazeera, thinks that Google took the wrong response in blocking the video that was widely disputed and caused the death of the U.S. ambassador in Libya. She uses elements of rhetoric diction, details, and syntax to make her point.

York's use of diction emphasizes certain things in her editorial. Her use of diction is used to stress the violence and outrage in other countries. For example, "the video, which was made in America and crudely characterized the Prophet Mohammed, understandably offended many Muslims" (York para. 2 ln. 4-6). The use of the word "crudely" reflects her opinion of the video itself. This gives the connotation that the video itself is not well put together and is a misrepresentation of the Prophet Mohammed. The word "understandingly" gives off the impression that she sympathizes with offended Muslims and maybe even the rioters. York uses diction to show her opinion on what is happening and to create favorability  with offended Muslims. 

York provides specific details about laws and other similar cases to prove her point. York provides "When it comes to copyrighted content, YouTube is required to abide by the law, specifically the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, which allows a copyright holder to report content posted by other users as belonging to them (it also allows for a rebuttal)" (York para. 5 ln. 1-5). By giving information about laws concerning copyright, she shows that she is knowledgeable about what she is talking about. York also gives a case where the country actually blocked the website for offensive content, "When Pakistan blocked Twitter after the company refused to take down offensive content, citizens were outraged ...  the outrage of citizens forced the government to reverse its decision in less than a day" (York para. 14 ln. 1-3, 5-6). York gives an example of what the citizens of the country would do, showing that they would rise up against censorship. She gives this example to show that Google should model Twitter, which is her basic point in the article. The use of details shows that York is knowledgeable in what she is talking about and provides similar situations to Google's.

York uses Syntax artfully to direct our focus to what she wants the reader to remember. York tells us "Instead, by placing itself in the role of arbiter, Google is now vulnerable to demands from a variety of parties and will have to explain why it sees censorship as the right solution in some cases but not in others" (York para. 16 ln. 1-4). She ends with this statement, making sure the reader remembers the point that she wanted to get across. She leaves the thought that twitter is doing the right thing by censoring things that had "valid legal order" and Google should have responded in a different way. York's use of syntax leaves the reader with her opinion and thoroughly convinces the reader on how Google should have acted.




   

Open Prompt One

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.

 Characters are often put in situations, where the people around them have a predisposed assumption of them and judge them accordingly. In A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, the Youngers are plagued by poverty, like many African-American families of the time. There are many conflicts between race and class presented in this play. The result of Mama buying a new house in a all white neighborhood and Beneatha's wealthy boyfriend makes Walter feel alienated through class and race.
 The neighborhood that the Youngers buy their house in, immediately sets out to get rid of them. A representative from the neighborhood makes them an offer, that Walter intends to take. The proposal represents the disdain that the white community has for all blacks. They are willing to pay money, just so they  do not live in their "perfect" neighborhood. Walter wanting to accept the proposal represents Walter's want to assimilate into the white community. His view of being successful, is acting white and being wealthy, like a white person.
 Beneatha's boyfriend George, is a wealthy African-American, all that Walter aspires to be. George is well educated and wealthy, while Beneatha dislikes these aspects, Walter adores them. Every person has a different american dream, Walter's is to be like George, even though George scoffs at Walter's lack of education and wealth. George represents a fully assimilated African-American. Joseph, is a starch contrast of George. Joseph is Nigeria and embraces his African heritage. He teaches Beneatha about it and shows how much she has already assimilated into white culture. Walter of course dislikes this and thinks she should be with George more often. The relationships that Beneatha has with George and Joseph represent the two clashing cultures of white and African. Walter wants to forget his African heritage by casting off the chains of poverty and then finally being able to live "happily". Walter's view of class, ultimately leads him to be alienated.
 By the end of the play the Youngers are leaving for their new house, even though they had faced instances alienation. Walter's american dream is achieved, but its not the one he started with. 

Response to Course Material

This last week in class, was a different class style than i'm used to. It makes sense for it to be like this and I guess makes better use of our time having the us (the students) lead. After reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor and the presentation about AP Lit basics, I will definitely read and analyze books differently. I think back to when I read On the Road earlier this summer and I can't even begin to think of all the things I could have missed. I'm sure I identified some literary devices and odd phrase in the books. It makes me think how I just noticed things and didn't exactly analyze anything as to why the writer would place something there. Since Kerouac was on Benzedrine the whole three weeks that he wrote it, even though he already had notes and an outline, he was probably making different connections to things that a lucid writer wouldn't have. This really makes me want to go back and re-read the book, now having the knowledge to analyze it. This also makes me think back to previous literature classes and how usually you just had to spot a literary device and then you could move on. You may have had to expand on it, but never had to relate it to the big picture, just what that little bit meant and that's it.

Third Entry

Analysis of Sedaris

In “Me Talk Pretty One Day” David Sedaris writes what some consider a comedic masterpiece. Even though Sedaris is writing for entertainment purposes solely, it follows the rules in Harvey’s book, The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing. Sedaris makes a perfect example in his essay of concision, clarity, and beginnings and endings.
Sedaris doesn’t write in the “pompous style”, as Harvey loves to refer to it, instead he writes very clearly and concisely. There is no ambiguity in any of his sentences that one could take from them. When Sedaris says, “My school is an easy ten-minute walk from my apartment, and on the first day of class I arrived early, watching as the returning students greeted one another in the school lobby.” (Sedaris), it is very concise and to the point. It gets what is needed across to the reader and there is no fat to be cut from it. Whether or not Sedaris produced “a wordy first draft” (Harvey), Sedaris does a good job in making things concise and easy to understand.
While Sedaris does not write for an academic audience, he still makes the effort to make his essay clear. Harvey states, “A general audience, for instance, needs more background and explanation...”. A common reader does not know all there is to know about one thing. Sedaris helps people out by saying, “I’ve spent quite a few summers in Normandy, and I took a monthlong French class before leaving New York”. Unless you stalk Sedaris and research all about him, you probably wouldn’t have known that. Without this sentence, the reader wouldn’t have a general idea about how much french Sedaris has taken. Sedaris also makes it clear when his french professor uses a word that he does not understand by putting in something like this “meimslsxp”. Of course the word is neither english nor french. He makes it obvious that he doesn’t understand everything that is said by saying, “I’m not completely in the dark, yet I understood only half of what this woman was saying.” (Sedaris). Sedaris’ clarity makes the essay easy to understand and helps make it more comedic.

One of the things that drew me into this essay was the opening paragraph. Harvey says, “The beginning grabs the reader’s attention, prepares a context...”. Sedaris does this beautifully in his opening paragraph. It starts out as “At the age of forty-one, I am returning to school” (Sedaris). This gives me the context of the essay. He draws me in by saying “... a far-flung amusement park that advertises with billboards picturing a cartoon stegosaurus sitting in a canoe and eating what appears to be a ham sandwich” (Sedaris). This is quite a way to draw someone in. Rarely, if ever, has someone used the words “stegosaurus sitting in a canoe”. This immediately gives the essay a comedic feel, which will draw the reader in further. Instead of ending it on a boring note, like “in conclusion” or “in summary”, Sedaris ends it on a comedic note, just how he began. Sedaris ends with him saying that he can now understand french, but that doesn’t mean he can speak it. The lasts words are poorly put together words in french to prove that point, that he still has not mastered it. The beginnings and endings are one of myriad things that make this essay a great read.

“Me Talk Pretty One Day”, is very well written, following the rules of The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing. It uses concision, clarity, and interesting beginnings and endings, all to make this awesome essay. Although in the essay Sedaris doesn’t learn to talk pretty, I am sure that he does.

Second Entry

My Five goals are:

• Read the title every time and keep it in mind
• Know how to identify what type of poem it is
• Better understand the themes of poems
• Learn the literary terms and be able to recognize allusions 
• Re-read the poem several times to get a better understanding of what the poem means and all of its characteristics

These goals are definitely attainable for me. The first goal will come out of habit, after i remember to do it a couple of times. The reason I have this goal is because, when I read "The Chambered Nautilus" I didn't read the title and was completely lost on the multiple choice. I went back, and re-read the poem and was still confused, until I finally noticed the title. My second came from the multiple choice questions that asked to identify what type of poem it is. I know how to identify a sonnet, like "Sonnet 55" but that ones pretty obvious. This can cured with simple memorization, which I'm sure won't take very long. The themes of poems is something I have always struggled with and will probably take some practice, until I get good at them. I am sure at one point during last school year I knew all or most of these terms, but then summer came and I have forgotten that they existed until recently. I had to guess on the questions that asked "what figure of speech is found in this line?" and sometimes I even got them right. I didn't recognize many illusions in the poems that I read and when a question came up that asked about it, I was completely lost. The fifth goal is one of the tips I read in Peterson's AP English and I think this would be very helpful if I am not being lazy.

First Entry

I wasn't surprised about the lack of knowledge I had on poems. I really hate poems and don't enjoy reading or writing them. To me they are just a way to write something that is plain, elegantly. I did about as bad as I expected. I didn't really gauge my time, because I did not take the test in one sitting, with it being the summer and having the internet right in front of me. I'm not really sure how long I took and i took the test pretty casually. The ending questions, I thought, were more challenging than the questions on poetry. I figured they would have been easier, since it wouldn't have involved knowledge of poetry. Overall I did well, relative to my standards (32/50) and I took the test very casually, so I'll just use that as my excuse as to why I did bad.