Synthesis #4

Now for an exciting update in the life of AP English! We have just finished up our first read of Ceremony, which we were warned was very challenging. Overall, sorry to say, i disliked the book. It was a more challenging read than most, but not something i would pick up on my own. Although i must say the author's writing style seemed sophisticated and elaborate, but was not enough to win me over. The book did succeed at confusing me at some points, but hopefully i got the jist of it. I am looking forward to hearing how much i did not understand. The last week before break we were finishing up a quick lesson on the eras. I found all of the groups power points surprisingly entertaining. Whether that was due to the use of presi or the falsity of my preconceived knowledge of the eras i will never know. Well that's all for now. Hopefully, you can hold off on your suspense for the update on the life of AP lit. Cya!

~Dana

Synthesis #3

We have most recently completed a lot of annotating of The American Dream, not only as a group but alone as well. At first i thought it was quite challenging but soon i realized it was pretty easy and helped me understand the material a lot more. Our class discussions have been quite interesting, they brought up many points that i never noticed or considered. Hopefully future annotating will continue to get easier!

~Dana

Synthesis #2

We seem to have covered a lot in the last few weeks. We finished up DIDLS and did some more work with syntax. Although, syntax seemed daunting and intimidating when we first started to learn about it, i know feel confident. The numerous work sheets have beaten the concept into my memory. Also, the class read Edward Albee's 'The American Dream". I really enjoyed being able to play the part of Mrs. Barker in class. I felt like it gave me a deeper understanding of the reading, although i am still thoroughly confused with all of the elements of this play. It seems like there is so much to digest in the play, i just cant take it all in. I feel like i am missing a lot of very important elements, which hopefully i can discover when we annotate it.  The play itself is very odd, and it made me wonder what kind of abnormal person would think of that. But then i watched the brief interview with him and he seemed quite normal. Also the purpose of the play seemed quite normal as well for an abstract play. It is almost like a reality check, compare yourself to these people and make sure you're not living this way. I'm interested to learn more about it. Also, i need more work/practice with where to start on the broader prompts. I'm having trouble with that.

~Dana

Synthesis #1

The first few weeks in AP lit have been interesting. I feel that all of my lit classes thus far have really been a joke, an easy A, and not serious. Last year my class completely skipped annotation because people said they were having a hard time with it. So, it is refreshing to have a class that will actually challenge me, and has already. I like how we have several different elements of  different classes at play here. We are doing note taking on our own time, group discussions, and blog work. This class appeals to a lot of different learning styles which is good. My learning style is more of a "see it, learn it." So i like that we have the AP to refer back too and add to our notes in class.
In class we have spent our time learning about DIDLS. At first, i wondered how much time we could spend on what seemed like a topic of little importance. Then, However, I realized that this is the basis of Literature. You must be able to understand work to analyze it, and this is what DIDLS is all about. DIDLS is about looking at what might be considered the minuscule elements of the authors writing, and interpreting them to use toward a greater understanding of meaning. After learning how to properly start to use these techniques, i wonder how much i have missed in passed readings. I have started to pull the information we learned in class, not only for assignments but for pleasure reading as well. I now feel that i am understanding literature at a much deeper level than i was before.
This is the first year i have taken AP classes, so i was unfamiliar to the timed essay writing. I was very nervous when i heard we had our first in class essay and did not think i would do well. And while that was somewhat true, i realized that i did do something things well, like finishing. Grading my own essay was also very helpful, because i got a better understanding of what i need to write. I was able to see what i did well, and what i needed to work on and how i could improve it. I am now looking forward to our next essay, to see if i can implement those improvements.
Im looking forward to see what else this class has to offer, cant wait! :)
~Dana Page

Open Prompt Revision #4

1998. In his essay "Walking," Henry David Thoreau offers the following assessment of literature:

    In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is but another name for tameness. It is the uncivilized free and wild thinking in Hamlet and The Iliad, in all scriptures and mythologies, not learned in schools, that delights us.

From the works that you have studied in school, choose a novel, play, or epic poem that you may initially have thought was conventional and tame but that you now value for its "uncivilized free and wild thinking." Write an essay in which you explain what constitutes its "uncivilized free and wild thinking" and how that thinking is central to the value of the work as a whole. Support your ideas with specific references to the work you choose.

            Most students would prefer to read their own choice of literature rather than the literature assigned in class. Why is this? School literature is considered dull and boring, many just assume that it will be pointless, and unrelated to their lives. This was the case, when my class was told that we were going to begin reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I must admit that even i fell victim to the groans of despair upon receiving this announcement. Although, once we started reading the book i found it exciting, scandalous, and even relatable to modern day life.

            This book was set in the puritan era of the 17th century. When most think of the puritan era, excitement is not the first word that comes to mind. Puritans had their values set in stone alone with morals and a code of conduct. This air of strictness and rules that is perceived in the book is what makes it exciting. This setting allows the event of a scandal be made into that much greater of an ordeal. The great scandal that arises in this book, to make it so interesting, is Hester Pyrnne bearing a child out of wedlock. To the community, this is a most haneous crime. So while many thought this was just an old romance story, it has already taken a wild turn.  But Hester does the community one worse, she does not hang her head in shame and hide. She proudly embroiders her A on her breast and parades her child. The towns people are shocked. This is where many start to relate to the book. Hester is a rebellious main character who represents free will and thinking. She doesn't care what people think or say about her, and the readers respect her for that. It is so pivotal for teens to see that this power struggle and rebellion was going on long before they experienced it for themselves.

               Many readers begin to sympathize with Hester as the plot thickens. This plays on many of the readers morals. How can you sympathize with a 'criminal'; someone who has committed an unforgivable deed and has been deemed not even worth of respect by the entire community. readers begin to question can their entire community and way of life be unjust an wrong. Many readers feel a sense of thrill with supporting the 'Evil' side, which adds thrill to the read.This give the book a deeper value, because it can relate to all ages. Everyone has gone through a rebellious stage at one point.

               This novel once thought of as drab and unexciting gains new emotional value when you truly read it. This book takes a walk on the wild side, and pushes the boundaries. This is why this book has so long been kept as a part of scholastic literature.

~Dana Page

Open Prompt Revision #3

2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

 The play "The American Dream" written by Edward Albee, is a classic of the theater of absurd. Albee draws on several elements to illuminate the oddity of this play. One includes eluding to the family's unbelievable past. As readers learn more about the bumble, we are able to understand the plot and story line much better.

 Every single member of the family has a past that involves the bumble. Due to the arrival of Mrs Barker and later the Young Man, they are forced to contend with that past. While most charecters facing thier past would normally recollect on what happened, none of the family does. The readers are left in the dark, forced to piece together the story line of their past that no one seems to remember. This unknown past is literally the basis of the entire story. That is why everyone is here that day.  The past events add a creepy undertone to what would otherwise seem like a pretty normal story line. It also lets readers gather a deeper understanding of who mommy and daddy really are and the theme of the story. We can see that they closely relate to the theme, which is the American dream.  Many would assume that they achieved that dream in the past when the bumble was present, but mommy and daddy thought otherwise. They were never satisfied and will only ever achieve false satisfaction. 

Albee's lack of details in this story adds to the mysterious ambiance of both the past and the present. His use of Diction and language make up for the lack of details. For example, Albee uses a lot of repetition of certain words to emphasize a point. Also, he uses very bland language to symbolize the family and the life they live. Many times the tone is hard to receive, as a reader you are not sure whether they are being condescending or admiring. Albee also switches the roles back and forth, as it seems like either mommy or daddy are always playing the child, due to their lack there of.

"The American Dream" would not be the play it is without the aspect of their past.This personal elements adds to the character's relationships and the works meaning as a whole.

~Dana

Open Prompt Revision #2

2010, Form B. “You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.” —Sonsyrea Tate

Sonsyrea Tate’s statement suggests that “home” may be conceived of as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind. It may have positive or negative associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves home yet finds that home remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of “home” to this character and the reasons for its continuing influence. Explain how the character’s idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

It has always been said that "Home is where the heart is". No matter how far you physically travel, the quote tells us that there will always be a special place for you at home. A home is defined as a place where the people you love and care about congregate. This quote provides hope that, your home will always mean something special to you, and the same of it for you. Both Willy and Biff exemplify the true meaning of this quote in the play "Death of A Salesman" by Aurthur Miller.

Biff returns home after drolling on and on with his life of doing nothing to quite literally find himself. Before returning home, Biff wandered around aimlessly from job to job, not enjoying a minute of it. His return to home added some well needed clarity to his mind. His home and the people in it, gave Biff the push to try and pursue his "Dreams", when really that what was he needed to realize that is not what he wanted. Biff was able to find out the true meaning of success and happiness thanks to his home. With out this the book would lose one of the most valuable dimensions of the the plot. Not only did Biff benefit from his return home, but so did his entire family. The value of bringing back Biffs heart and spirit to the home, caused quite a reality shock to the family. This placed many people back on thier right track.

Biff was not the only one to leave the home and family, just to return. Like many say "Like father, like son."  Biff's father Willy also had to come back home to truly find himself. Willy is a traveling salesman and was rarely home. The trips quite literally caused Willy to lose his mind, almost death. The return home, with all his loving family there caused Willy several emotional roller coasters. After many ups and downs, both returning family members were at peace. So even though Willy did pass away, it was almost and ending of satisfaction that wouldn't have occurred with out their return home.

The value of home majorly adds the to themes and plot of this book. With out the significance of home, the characters would have never been able to find success, satisfaction or happiness.

~Dana

Open Prompt Revision #1

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 definition of perfection is based on each unique individuals perception of the term. So it can be very hard to achieve something that the population itself can’t agree upon. The act of trying to achieve the unachievable sets the grounds for many problems. This struggle is exemplified in "The American Dream" by Edward Albee, as conflict arises between parents and children as they are trying to achieve their definition of perfect. Perfection is often associated with happiness, although we see that this is not the case here.

Perfect can often times be described by social standards; something that a person yearns to acquire. Mommy and Daddy, the parental characters in TAD, are constantly trying to achieve perfection through their American dream. The standard of the American dream is married with children, well off, and well liked. Although what they don't realize is that perfection does not always guarantee happiness. So when they achieve their goal of having a child, everything seems well, but they are not satisfied. Just like any other baby, he cried and needed love and care, which Mommy and Daddy did not consider perfection. Their unhappiness and lack of satisfaction from the get go is the source of many of the future conflicts.

These conflicts led to Mommy and Daddy trying to solve them in the most drastic of ways; harm. Not only did Mommy and Daddy mentally harm the child, but the physically harmed him as well. They harmed him so much, that he ended up dying. His death, showed us that these conflicts that came from imperfection, cause Mommy and Daddy to ruin their own dream. Reader can evidently see that the parental characters values were scewed so much to achieve this dream they ended up cause the most extreme of conflicts. With out these conflicts, Mommy and Daddy's characters wouldn't be as well understand. The readers wouldnt be allowed as much insight to the shallowness of the new values of Americans. This conflict allows us to see the major themes in the book, like satisfaction and superficiality. 

Although usually unpleasant to read about, conflict can be the most important factor to develop a story. With out it, the work would have no meaning. 

~Dana