Responses to Course Material

From my study of literary concepts since the start of this school year, I have acquired the following image of literature: "Literature is an oxymoron all in itself. It is filled with complexity, yet it can be dissected analytically into simple pieces if thought about meticulously".

In order to know what DIDLS truly means, it is essential to take a holistic approach towards literature. As an analogy, I like to think of diction and imagery as the fuel, detail as the body of the car, and language and syntax the road; combined together, they serve as a conduit for open interpretation of a work of literature. Apart from technique and style, plot, setting, character, and symbols serve as effective components of forming a basis for interpretation of a work of literature. Their subtle references intertwine to form a blank screen with nothing but raw color, inviting the reader to paint it with his/her imagination. 

Literature can be subtle as well as overtly conspicuous. The clever use of authors' words convey different kinds of tone and style. For poetry, for instance, the use of rhymes, alliterations, and cadence can point to interpretations beyond the superficial level. In order to fully grasp the meaning of a work, it is essential to devote some time to reading and re-reading the work. By doing so, a reader is able to analyze the poem at several different levels and incorporate different perspectives on every read. By first noticing techniques utilized and the organization of phrases and then delving deeper into patterns and connections in the work along with the author's background playing a part, a reader is able to form a complete thought about the work by commenting on different aspects of the poem and connecting them to life in general.

When writing an analytical essay on a piece of work, your focus should always be the thesis, which is the culmination of your arguments. You should be very careful to exactly state what meaning you are going to address in the essay and how. By doing so, your essay can have a clear direction and can explicitly lead the leader towards approaching your arguments. The techniques used by the author should serve as concrete evidence for the writer's claims. Next, warrants are the most essential part of a paper, where the writer displays analytical thinking about why the evidence means what it means. Without a warrant, the paper would not be analytical, but rather a summary of the author's statements in the work. The purpose of writing an analytical essay is to organize the words and meanings portrayed by the author and balance them with your response to the work.

Poetry is contained literature that is waiting to expose its diverse colors through its several interpretive meanings. While reading poems, annotating and re-reading are most useful. In order to reflect on a poem's context, it is essential to have at least a general idea of what you think the poem's purpose is in context of the world when it was written as well as the world today. You should go beyond just simple observation and critically analyze with reference to the atmosphere set up by the poet in the poem.

Literature, if read with passion and genuine interest, is a world of possibilities. The interaction between the writer and reader is priceless, both bringing their own cultural backgrounds to the mix, intertwining to develop a unique bond that lasts on the basis of pure interpretation.

Yash Pandya

Open Prompt

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.

          "We only do the things we do and give you advise about life because we care for you." This clichéd statement often quoted by parents, however may be true in the real world, is clearly not the case in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The conflict between father and son is cleverly presented in the novel by Twain in order to portray the apathy and instability of Pap leading to the development of Huck into a self-sufficient, responsible, and mature individual who alludes to the result of lack of familial ties contributing to his abnormal transition from childhood to adolescence.

          Raised by a respectable family, Huck is under the care of two women who put their best efforts at work in order to change Huck into a civilized member of society. Despite of their efforts, Huck is reluctant to change his self and assimilate into the ways of "normal" society, a rebellious quality often visible in young children. In my opinion, Huck's father, called "Pap" in the novel by Huck, has had a lasting influence on Huck by indirectly referring to a savage and free life as a dream come true, often overpowering Huck and forcing him to believe in and live with his ideals, in the process straining his relationship with his son. In the beginning of the novel, when Pap visits Huck in his room, he expresses anger and frustration at the news of Huck being educated and changed into a sophisticated individual, instilling great fear into Huck. Moreover, Pap points to the lack of need of education and outright denies Huck from attending school ever again. Huck, still vacillating between his obligations to the two women who have tried to raise him into a civilized young man and Pap, retaliates to Pap's constraints on his freedom. Further in the story, when Pap forcefully takes Huck to his run down little place near the Mississippi River, once again through his dependence on brute force and oppression, Huck is forced to give in to the demands of his father, forming an image of an insane and unstable parental figure. 

          Due to his strained relationship with his father, Huck decides to take the reins in his own hands and set himself free of his Pap. Upon feigning his death, Huck sails down the Mississippi River, alone on a journey to live by himself. The image of a brutal and overpowering parental figure stays permanently in the mind of Huck, allowing him to assume a more independent role in life by learning to live by himself without any obligation to others in the world. Through the rest of the novel, we see how Huck's relationship with Pap, leaving him with nothing but painful memories of beatings, changes his opinion of the world by allowing him to find no alternative to the efforts of the women to civilize him and Pap to suppress his freedom. Huck is now left with no other alternative than living alone by himself. The introduction of Jim in the story further reinforces the opposition of Huck to the presence of a parental figure in his life. Despite of Jim's older age, Huck does not look at him as a protective parental figure. Rather, Huck considers Jim to be his companion on his journey through the Mississippi River, which is demonstrated by Huck and Jim helping each other survive in the wild.

          Through the portrayal of Pap as an oppressive and abusive parental figure who limits Huck's freedom and utilizes him merely as the end receiver of his actions, Mark Twain alludes to the development of Huck into an independent, self-sufficient, and mature adolescent capable of making his own decisions. The strained father-son relationship acts as a starting point for defining Huck's character and lending him his skills of cautiousness and cognizance of his surroundings to ensure his own safety in the face of any external threat. 

Yash Pandya

Close Reading

September 9, 2011

Article Title: A harder America 

Article Link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-america-0911-20110911,0,942726.story

Starting with the first paragraph in the article, with regards to diction, the author's use of the word "normalcy" is quite interesting. He describes the many turbulent things that have occurred in the last century of America's history and points to periods of calm in between. Through this single word, the author is alluding to the fact that, due to America's increasingly global role during the last century, it has become involved in several conflicts, preventing it from experiencing a long period of domestic stability. Moreover, the author is pointing towards America's role in making a constant effort to establish peace in other countries while experiencing domestic downturns at home.

Even though the author uses the word "pendulum" in the third paragraph in order to refer to the changing attitudes of Americans upon experiencing 9/11, I feel that this is a microcosmic reflection of the American situation at large. As a reader, I see the author using this single-word reference to describe the constantly vacillating American condition at large, from prosperity to difficulty, especially during the last decade. However, the author's use of this word also has a positive connotation in pointing to the resilience and persistence of America in the face of obstacles, standing firmly to defend its people and its principles.

In the sixth paragraph, under the heading of 'An era of persistent conflict', the author utilizes the word "determination" in order to point to the existence of American aggressiveness and zeal for accomplishing the goal of maintaining defense and obliterating threats. Furthermore, the author is relating to the change in attitude that a major event such as 9/11 has brought in the American people. In contrast to the common opinion of lack of action on the part of the American people in response to a threat, as stated in the article with reference to Osama bin Laden, the attack of 9/11 has fostered leadership in the American people, inciting them to patriotically fight against opposers of freedom and liberty. Through the use of diction (normalcy, pendulum, and determination), the author is effectively illustrating his point by creating a combined effect of portraying America as a nation that has experienced a turbulent history with many ups and downs. However, despite of persistent changes, the country has been united under the banner of freedom and liberty and given hope to other to confidently stand for their views and oppose oppression at all costs.   

         Imagery is also an area of rhetoric that the author highlights in the editorial. The first instance is in the second paragraph where the author creates a picture of ancient warfare coupled with modern violence by using the phrase "warriors armed with knives and ailerons". Through this imagery, the author is referring to the lack of cognizance of the American people of the malevolence present in the world and their own vulnerability in maintaining a defense barrier around themselves. The attack of 9/11 illustrated the presence of terrorists who were capable of impacting the lives of Americans through violent warfare.

Another instance of imagery that the author uses to illustrate his argument occurs in the eleventh paragraph under the heading 'Overplaying their hand'. In this paragraph, the author writes that the instance of Osama Bin Laden emerging "...unscathed from the 1990s..." conveyed the message that "...Americans were simply too unnerved by the sight of blood to forcefully respond". These phrases create an apathetic picture of American patriotism in the face of external threat. The author refers to Osama Bin Laden's view of American vulnerability in order to illustrate how patriotism incited the American people to take action and fight against terrorism on the world stage. Through the use of imagery, the author is relating to the change that America has gone during especially the last decade and reinforcing the view of a strong and self-sufficient America that is capable of taking action and bringing about positive change in the world.   

In addition to the use of diction and imagery to effectively illustrate his argument, the author further utilizes specific details. For instance, in the first paragraph, the author starts off by reminding the readers of America's past through the words "two blood-bathed world wars, an economic depression, a Cold War that risked going split-atom hot, and now a decade's tussle with global terrorism". By comprising all the major events in one sentence, the author cleverly incites a patriotic and proud reaction from especially Americans. When Americans read this first statement, in connection with the title of this article, they are encouraged to reflect upon the metamorphosis that the nation has undergone over the last decade in response of specifically external influences.

         In order to add to the statement establishing the adoption of the aggressive attitude towards terrorism, the author states, “Not only did Americans refuse to forget the attack, they consistently have told pollsters they accept the costs of avenging it.” The author builds on the changing American notion, from passiveness, as in the view of Osama bin Laden, to aggressive conduct. This statement incites patriotism in the American people and encourages them to take a stand and fight for their convictions of preserving life against external threats of terrorism. Moreover, it relates to the role of the world's greatest nation to be a beacon of hope for everyone in the world currently suffering from lack of freedom and liberty. Lastly, by writing this editorial, the author successfully accomplishes his goal of using the history of America as a background for all its various changes and pointing to a future where the nation stands firmly in the face of external threats, such as terrorism, and defends itself as well as other nations for creating a safe environment for future generations.

Yash Pandya