Open Prompt #4

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

    Many novels revolve around a fictional societies and characters roles within them. In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", the protagonist Huck Finn, helps a slave escape on board a raft headed down the Mississippi. Along the way, Huck develops new ideas about what society is and weather he agrees with it or not.

    In the novel, Huck starts in a small town in Missouri. In this town, like much of the south during the 1800's, slavery is common practice and the law of the land lies in the bible and Christianity. As Huck sets out on his journey he passes through a series of different towns and villages in which he is considered an outlaw for assisting a slave in escape. Societies culture in the book sees Huck not only as an outlaw, but a heathen who can be reeducated and reconditioned into a good christian citizen. The main goal of Huck's society is to ensure and reinforce christian values and keep race relations to nothing more that master and slave.

   For Huck, the prospect of being assimilated into his racist, ultra religious society is dreadful. Despite these feelings towards his society, Huck struggles to overcome certain boundaries such as race relations which have been ingrained in his mind since birth. These conflicting feelings lead Huck into many moral conundrums. One such event is the final escape of Jim, Huck and Tom from the Phelp's farm where Jim is being held captive. During this episode, Huck makes up his mind after fierce debating, that he will save Jim. Though this might seem like the logical thing to do for us, it is a big step for Huck. This choice directly defies the common practice of his society and shows us that Huck is willing to choose what he believes to b morally correct over the expectations of Society.

   In the end, Huck Finn overcomes societal norms in order to become what he feels is a morally superior person. By defying what his society, Huck takes a great step towards understanding and tolerance in his life.

Response to Course Materials #3

Last time I wrote one of these, we had just finished reading "The American Dream" and I talked about how confused and unimpressed I was by the play.
This week however I've started to take a liking to the play. Not because of the work itself but because i find the way it creates thought and discussion among my peers interesting. Again, I have no taste for the play itself whatsoever, but i find the way 15 kids sitting in a room are able to conjure new meaning to a bizarre play very intriguing. As for individual annotation i can't say i'm a fan. I do however, find it interesting to look back at my annotations. Reading my previous annotations is something  like reading a journal of what i was thinking about as i read. Overall, it was a great week. Being able to look at the book and in a sense solve out what it means was a great pleasure and even though annotating was a drag, it was still cool to be able to look back and my thoughts.

Closed Reading: Imagery, Syntax, Details.

This is another piece by David Sedaris. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/01/29/070129fa_fact_sedaris?currentPage=1


        As is always the case with Sedaris, the literary techniques in this piece are used with expertise and care in order to deliver a perfectly conveyed meaning. In this particular case, Sedaris uses Imagery, Syntax, and Details to recite a tale about his battle against annoying birds.
      In this piece, Sedaris' use of imagery shows us perfect picture of his house after bird proofing it, which involves taping pictures of terrorist's and rock star's photographs to his windows. My favortite example of his use of imagery is when he says "the light settles on the western wall of our house, just catching two of the hijackers and a half-dozen singer-songwriters who look out from the windows". This line makes me think of a dimly lit room with silhouetted pictures in the window. By using such imagery, Sedaris is able to paint a vivid picture in the mind of his readers.
       Details are, in my opinion, one of Sedaris' strong points. This piece is some of the best evidence for that argument that you can find. In this piece, he uses minor details that work together with imagery and other techniques to show the reader exactly what he wants you to see.  The way Sedaris takes a brief moment to explain what room he is in and which person he has chosen to hang in the window makes me imagine him in the room with the person physically fighting the birds. This makes the whole piece for me even more hilarious as i imagine him in his bedroom with Janis Joplin fighting off a pack of birds
       Syntax is another technique used well by Sedaris in this piece. Syntax it is one of my favorite techniques to inspect because the way it can change a piece so profoundly while only registering as a subtle change to the reader. Sedaris uses syntax particularly well while describing his placement of different pictures throughout the house. During the passage, Sedaris changes tho shorter but animated sentences such as "The pair then moved upstairs to my office, where Janice Joplin and I were waiting for them.". Sedaris uses this shorter more simple structure to convey a sense of urgency in his writing such that it seems he is racing the birds from room to room.
    This is another great piece made even better by the skillful use of basic literary techniques. \

Open Prompt #3

1987. Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's views. Avoid plot summary.

     In Edward Albee's play "The American Dream", the audience looks in on Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma while they struggle through a simple meeting with a young man, and Mrs Barker, a local adoption agent. While the play seems to be absurd and confusing, upon analysis, it becomes clear that Albee is showing us the absurdity of american social norms of consumerism and conformity during the 1950s. By emphasizing and exaggerating the culture in addition to having childish protagonists, Albee tells us to abandon the ways of the 50s and accept a new less rigid society.

     Albee uses exaggeration throughout his play to show the absurdity of Mommy and Daddy's society. The most prominent example of this is when mommy proudly makes a scene in order to have her "wheat colored" hat replaced with a " Beige colored" hat. Though the idea of making a scene about a hat who's color is the same regardless of if it is called beige or wheat is in itself ridiculous. The more important fact is that mommy opted to have the hat replaced upon insistence by the head of her women's club that her new hat was wheat rather than the beige she thought she had purchased. This is an exaggerated form of conformity that Albee uses to show the absurdity of 1950s culture which he finds corrupt.

     One of the most prominent themes throughout the play is Mommy and Daddy's childish behavior. The first example of this behavior in the play is that Mommy, Daddy and Grandma all call each other Mommy, Daddy and Grandma respectively. By having his characters communicate as though they were children, Albee shows the childish nature of Mommy and Daddy. This nature transfers to everything they do especially when it pertains to greed. By calling each other Mommy and Daddy, the characters show that they have a childlike desire for all things considered to be important by society. Albee uses this nature to compare Mommy and Daddy's greed to the consumerist society of the 1950s in which individuals are encouraged to buy without thinking.
    By using different techniques in "The American Dream", Edward Albee thoroughly convinces audiences of his dissatisfaction with the conformist, consumerist culture of the 1950's

  

Closed Reading: Language, Syntax, Imagery.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/02/27/060227sh_shouts

This is a funny article about the author and his family as they attempt to become art experts. I really love the way Sedaris uses techniques to describe and illustrate his families brief obsession with art. He also uses the sames techniques to compare his families experience to his own and show how they differ.
         The first thing Sedaris does to really illustrate his piece is use imagery to vividly describe settings and objects. He uses it particulary well when talking about specific pieces of art. The vivid imagery helps us to be able to clearly understand a piece of art and its oftentimes absurd location in his parents house hold.
          Sedaris also makes great use of syntax as a tool in his writing. In this piece, he uses it to convey a sense of thought process and to show his opinion of his families art collection. It seems to me that Sedaris primarily uses longer more detail packed sentences which i feel conveys a sort of flowing nature similar to his thought process.
            Language is another technique Sedaris uses well.  Throughout the whole article, Sedaris throws around artistic names and terms which indicate he has a competent understanding of art. Combining this artsy language with his description of his families hobby sets up a nice contrast between him and his family and his knowledge versus their lack of knowledge. By using this sort of language, It adds a humorous element to the piece and makes it a great deal more amusing.
               As a whole, i really enjoyed reading this piece and i found it very clever and well written. I have decided that i may be analyzing a whole lot more of David Sedaris's work as we do more closed reading blogs.

Course Material #2

Another week...
So another week has come and gone and as usual we continue working through the course. We have been working more this week with syntax. This work actually feels fairly satisfying, much like diction felt last week. It is interesting to look at how we use sentence structure to convey meaning. It seems that we even do it subconsciously oftentimes. This week we read Albee's The American Dream. I found the whole play rather bizarre and, slightly unsatisfying. It is just so strange and in some places vague, that i had trouble deriving any particular meaning from it. Though the If one thing can be said about the play, it is that it certainly follows the notion of Theater of the Absurd. though the absurdity of it proved amusing sometimes ("Bump your uglies")  I found that i was unable to take it seriously as a play and felt myself even a  little annoyed with it. I was glad to be able to put some of my DIDLS knowledge to the test with the play and get a chance to actually implement what we have learned so far.

Open Prompt #2

2009 prompt.

2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

      Throughout the novel The Lord of the Flies, there is one thing that remains constant and prominent. That one thing is a large conch shell. This shell is initially used to herd the boy from the plane crash so they can organize, but quickly becomes a important status symbol and comes to be much more than just a conch shell.  

     From the beginning, the shell comes to represent power. Initially this power stems from it's ability to signal the other boys from great distance. After the boys are all found, they make the rule that at meetings, only the conch holder can speak. From then on, the shell is a recognized symbol for power. By initially being used as a speaking object, the shell becomes an inherent source of power among the boys. Being the only person who can talk means everyone must listen to you which puts whoever has the shell in power. The symbolism of the shell becomes a shaping factor throughout the novel. It leads to the formation of 2 tribes/societies and leads to the death of piggy. The shell is even today one of the most powerful symbols ever produced in a  novel.

         The purpose of the symbol besides as a housing for power, serves to shape the characters. Ralph, the original finder of the shell is a reserved kid who tries to use the shell to keep the peace, administer justice, and  keep the peace. This shows that Ralph is a more community minded person who cares more for the common good than anything else. Jack, Ralph's more aggressive counterpart, tries to use the shell as a tool of dictatorship. With absolute power, he administers justice, provides food and is king of his tribe which is based around hunting.

   Because of the shell, and its effects on people, the Lord of the Flies becomes a symbolic masterpiece that uses symbolism to shape its characters and the story.