Open Prompt

2004, Form B. The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organized essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

                  “Death is a natural part of life” is a clichéd phrase recognized since the dawn of the search for greater human understanding. However, in plays such as “Romeo and Juliet,” death goes beyond serving its core function and hints at its possible manifestations and effects in the context of the play. In “Romeo and Juliet,” the scene of the death of Romeo and Juliet points to how the play as a whole is reflective of the internal conflict that exposes itself externally in the form of hopelessness and also references the consistently present worldly message of standing strong in the face of opposition and advocating for one’s own control over one’s life and choices.

            The death of Romeo and Juliet, an end result of the priest’s efforts to reunite the two lovers, was caused due to an intricate plot to feign the death of Juliet in an attempt to forever untie the two star-crossed lovers. The futility and desperateness was clearly reflective in the death scene where Juliet held the already dead Romeo in her arms and lamented the passing away of her true love. The discouragement that Juliet experienced was immense, an emotion that manifested itself to directly portray how the friction between the two houses led to the eventual death of the two lovers. Despite of Romeo and Juliet’s persistent efforts to live together forever, the conflict between the two houses was too great and deep-rooted to move their families enough to accept the pair of lovers with open arms. Furthermore, the consequent death of Juliet after Romeo references the hopelessness of their attempts to convince their families. Despite of working tirelessly, Romeo and Juliet were never able to reconvene these to enemies of old in order to allow for the ever-lasting presence of their love.

            Beyond the context of the play, the death scene of Romeo and Juliet serves a critical function to apply the theme globally. I feel that Shakespeare intended to use this play as a basis for applying the concept of initiative, confidence, and belief emanating from one’s self. Through the death scene, a reader can obtain a perspective on how the root cause of the death of these two lovers was their inability to stand strong in the face of opposition. Applying it to the modern world, Shakespeare is trying to convey how it is essential to advocate for one’s choices in order to establish a sense of satisfaction in life rather than pass away with regrets in your heart. With the freedoms that we possess today, it would be easier for us to root for our opinions than it was for Romeo and Juliet. The only thing we need is a passionate purpose in mind to drive us towards our distinct goals without concern for society’s restraints. In the face of discouragement and limits on one’s choices, we can progress forward confidently to achieve fulfillment and prosperity in life. 

Closed Reading

Article Link: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/10/whats-left-in-iraq.html

Article Title: WHAT’S LEFT IN IRAQ by Dexter Filkins

            Democratization of a country is one process that the United States has played a significant role in. In this article, the author, Dexter Filkins, utilizes U.S. engagement in Iraq to illustrate the effects of American involvement in the attempted stabilization of another country. Filkins is highlighting how American involvement in the reformation of Iraq among constant inter-fighting has incurred drawbacks in the forms of innumerable deaths and benefits in the form of a hope for the future, culminating in a breeding ground for self-sustenance and passionate purpose.

            Starting with the second paragraph of the article, the use of diction such as “crimson” is indicative of a very unique reflection on the bloodshed occurring in Iraq. Rather than using the color “red”, the author relies on “crimson” to display the magnitude of bloodshed occurring in Iraq. Furthermore, in the same paragraph, the author states that we will “…find some of those young men in the years to come: in shallow graves, in garbage dumps, at the bottom of the Tigris, their skeletons still handcuffed and gagged, alongside the rusting cars and washing machines.” This use of imagery sets-up a very gruesome image of the Iraqi condition. Is this what American habitation in Iraq has caused? If this is the result with American presence, what will it be without? The author is attempting to incite the question “Is it really worth it?” Over the past nine years, the author clearly illustrates how the situation has exacerbated and led to nothing but more bloodshed. The country is on its path to deterioration. While it may be worth noting that Americans have helped build “schools, roads, and bridges”, a detail utilized by Filkins, the resulting bloodshed in the past decade seems to have engulfed all efforts.

            Upon establishing this scenario, the author questions: Is there any good in this? He demonstrates a scenario where an Iraqi teenager is captivated by the Oakley sunglasses worn by an American soldier and asks to wear them with alacrity, thinking that they have built-in X-rays. When he is dismayed by his inaccurate claim, he pleads to the American soldier in the last line of the article “Please. Turn them on.” While American presence on Iraqi soil may not have significantly altered the worsening situation in Iraq, it has, nevertheless, conveyed a sense of hope for a better future. By seeing the American condition through the common American soldier, Iraqis have developed an urge to experience the satisfaction of being a free citizen of a country that is self-sufficient and is able to provide for its residents, ensuring their livelihood under the banner of democracy. While nine years of bloodshed may have wrought only some progress, it certainly has instilled a desire to achieve fulfillment in life, whether today or in the next 100 years. 

Responses to Course Material

          During the past two weeks, reading The American Dream has greatly augmented my understanding of the text as well as my skills of reading a section closely and discretely. By being able to obtain the ideas of my group while annotating a specific section, I have been able to form a firmer grasp on the various connotations referred to by Albee in the novel. By attaining Albee's perspective on his work by watching a clip on Spruz and reading "Allegory in The American Dream", I have been able to form a different perspective towards the novel by incorporating different views about the underlying meanings portrayed by the author. The foil between Grandma and the Young Man has altered my perception of the two characters by prompting me to see them in a different light and leading me to relate that comparison to the world at large through the metamorphosis of The American Dream due to the passage of time. While in class, through the allocation of the analysis of two to three page sections to groups, I was able to add my group's thoughts to my own during discussions and enrich my reception of Albee's absurdist play.

          Writing introductions and topic sentences for three different Open Prompts using The American Dream as the novel of choice has allowed me to analyze various different aspects of the novel. By looking for DIDLS evidence to support my thesis, my group was able to find some interesting instances that allowed greater analysis and induced greater understanding. I feel that being able to practice Open Prompts in class and gaining the different opinions of others will allow me to perform better on the AP exam by expanding my perception and analysis of a work of literature. Preliminary reading through the incorporation of various distinct opinions and perceptions will prepare me better for independent thinking in the future.

          Rewriting the "Eros" prompt gave me an opportunity to reform my thesis by reflecting on the flaws in my reasoning and refining my perception of the two works. I was able to gain the correct interpretation of the novel from Ms. Holmes and incorporate her reasoning into me own. With regards to the blog posts, continuing practice with writing closed reading responses and open prompts has allowed me to refine my skills of writing to the point and supporting my thesis specifically with pertaining evidence. I have been able to gain the valuable skill of managing time while fulfilling the goals of the prompt. Furthermore, I have been successful at pulling many different works of literature from my past literature classes and highlighting them in a different light by applying higher level analysis. Over the weeks since the start of the AP Lit course, I have seen myself adapt to utilizing DIDLS in my analysis to a greater degree. I have learned to approach reading with a critical literary lens that is tolerant of radical as well as moderate interpretations and I believe that consistent straining of my mind due to persistent reading will eventually pay off by making me a more efficient reader.   

Open Prompt

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.

          Societal detachment is an often highlighted theme in literary works. Brave New World is one novel that illustrates this phenomenon through a class hierarchy. In the novel, the separation of Bernard, a lower class member, serves to highlight the assumptions of society of capability and eligibility based on rank where the judgment of right and wrong channels through a conforming populace.

          In the novel, Bernard is designated as a beta class member, a person with a small height height and consequently lower stature. In this society, activities surround a hedonistic approach towards life through sexual fulfillment. The activities that Bernard is limited and supposed to attend is constrained by a society that is responsible for producing surrogates to create class division. The class hierarchy is indicative of the attempt to separate certain citizens from others to create a distinct role for each citizen. Through Bernard's character, the reader is able to see society's assumption of a Plato-like perspective where each person plays his or her role in society and has limits on freedom in order to maintain order. Society is intentionally discriminating against its members and conveying inequality and injustice to lower class members, such as Bernard, despite of their potential to rise to the top.

          Furthermore, through the portrayal of Bernard's character, the author is displaying the degree of morality observed by citizens of the society in Brave New World. Even though society limits distress by creating a rigid class structure, an individual conscience is absent. Produced as surrogates designated certain rights and tasks in life, members of this society are similar to conformists. Their own individual perception of right and wrong is blurred due to society's institution of a conscience based on societal following. it is the conjunct effort of society's members that establishes morality that adheres to their world's pursuit of continuous pleasure. Bernard significantly highlights this morality in the novel due to his status in society that arouses conformity to society's views.

          Brave New World illustrates how alienation of one member of society can serve to effectively highlight the various sensitive aspects of society as a whole. It is through the attempted meaning of eligibility, conformity, and falsified conscience that the author of this novel wishes to warn future generations to remain wary of threats to equality and individualism.

Closed Reading

Article Link: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2011/10/afghanistan-war-ten-years.html

Article Title: AFGHANISTAN: A THOUSAND SONGS AGO

     Signifying certain things in life and giving more importance to one over the other is embedded in human nature. This article, posted by Amy Davidson, sheds light on weighing the prevalence of the ten years anniversary of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan with other matters such as the death of Steve Jobs and the anniversary of the dawn of the ipod. The author of this article utilizes the literary techniques of diction, imagery, and syntax to cleverly allude to the meaning of her piece, which rests specifically on the tendency of human beings to differentiate and adhere to one aspect or another of society with bias while overriding the significance of the other.

     Davidson relies on diction throughout her piece in order to illustrate her central argument. The use of the word "entirely" near the beginning of the second paragraph directly refers to the ten year anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. By this one word, the author is contrasting to the reality of the situation with the ideality of the optimism associated with the United States public recognition of the war through the use of bitter sarcasm. The word directly refers to the next few lines in the paragraph and illustrates the author's sarcasm pointing to human ignorance for judging importance. The use of the word "guess" near the end of the second paragraph further enhances the position of the author on critiquing the lack of acknowledgement of the war in Afghanistan by the people of the United States and their utter disregard conveyed through the evident use of repeated sarcasm in her writing.

     Imagery is another tool used by the author to convey her point. Around the middle of the first paragraph, for instance, the use of the words "Some of the first ones in rode horses..." paints a very glorious picture arousing memories of wars fought for honor. This image sets up a direct contradiction to the actual outcome of the war over the last ten years and attempts to indicate the metamorphosis in the perception of the war and the information that the people have failed to acknowledge. This technique clearly lays out the format and structure of her writing that relates to the change in perspective while at the same time coalescing that aspect of her opinion with her central argument.

     Like all authors, Davidson utilizes a unique writing style conveyed through syntax that gives her piece a distinct impression and aids the elucidation of her argument. In the second paragraph, the writer uses internal monologue: "...the first ones went on sale a few weeks later, on November 10th, 2001—it’s probably a good guess that, next month, that anniversary won’t be ignored—and held a thousand songs." The break in thought mindfully sends through her opinion about weighing importance while concurrently enhancing support for human ignorance through this solid piece of evidence. By using the quote "Yesterday, at the Council on Foreign Relations, General Stanley McChrystal said that we’re barely—maybe—halfway done," Davidson further enhances support for her argument by using speculation in the break in thought in the sentence to cleverly utilize syntax, indicate the precariousness of the situation, and complete the circle from the reference to glorious war in the beginning of her commentary to the debilitating effect of the conflict near the end of her writing.

     This well-written piece by Amy Davidson is a testament to complex human thought giving rise to the weighing of priorities in life. The central message of the writer is to encourage equal consideration for all activities in this world and play an active role in celebrating as well as mourning for peace and stability as well as lost lives in order to form a cooperative society based on genuine support and advocation for each other for the progress and prosperity of all.

Responses to Course Material

Building upon our knowledge of diction, imagery, and detail, we began to explore the concepts of language and syntax in class. The practice pages really enhanced my understanding of syntax by allowing me to analyze a specific piece for the technique in the context of a few lines from a work. The "Apply" section gave me an opportunity to utilize my understanding of syntax and prepare myself for analyzing the work in an AP essay using the technique as my evidence to validate my claim. Reading George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" gave me a unique chance to actually use syntax as a basis for elucidating my interpretation of a work. The group discussion further enhanced my understanding and assured me of my accurate understanding of the technique. As for language, the different examples that we read painted a nice collage of the impact that effects such as tone and atmosphere had on allowing the reader to perceive the work as distinct and bring in his/her mood to complete the experience.

The Theater of the Absurd was a very exciting avenue that we began to pursue last week. The initial reading about the history of comedy gave me a nice perspective on where it all began. I had encountered the phrase "Absurd drama subverts logic" in a different form and the reading allowed me to add my own perspective in order to create a harmonious blend of background experience and new information. The five different types of theories that adhere to different aspects of humor and how they all combine to convey the intricacies of comedy was previously unknown to me. I am now able to view humor from a learned perspective and truly analyze its complexity.

Reading The American Dream by Edward Albee was a great experience. The role play added a nice touch of ingenuity to encountering the play and encouraged me to approach the piece of drama with genuine interest and participation. Throughout the play, the various different underlying indications were referred to by Ms. Holmes and explained in detail, thus making the reading process a lot easier and more understandable. By reading this novel, I have understood the importance of beyond reading more than just once that points to profound analytical thinking to compile all the separate aspects of the play into a wholesome conglomeration that facilitates analysis.

We started writing an essay based on one of the open prompts by using The American Dream as a work of considerable literary merit. Reflecting on the writing process, I really valued the input of my group in contributing ideas that I had never considered before. The effective cooperation between my group members allowed us to consolidate our best ideas in order to create an effective argument. This essay will truly help me to practice for such similar essays on the AP test. Overall, my perception of literature has changed slightly over the duration of the class and I hope to mold it into a beneficial aspect of my reading skills that will aid my reception of a piece and contribute to greater understanding.

Open Prompt

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.

          "Home sweet home" is a phrase that often arouses cherished memories of one's life past. In the Eragon series, written by Christopher Paolini, Eragon is a young farm boy who is entangled in the world of dragons, elves, dwarfs, urgals, and many other such creatures. For Eragon, the protagonist in the novels, the image of home arouses the feelings of revenge and debt from the past while it points towards its continuing influence of serving as a symbol of future solace from hardships, alluding to his continued persistence towards fulfilling his responsibilities.

          As the Razac, foul creatures in servitude of the evil king, have killed Garrow, Eragon's uncle, Eragon's home serves to remind him of the pain that he has to inflict upon the Razac as revenge for his uncle's death. Paolini conveys this in the first novel through the image of Eragon's burning home to imprint the ashes of his past into his mind as his constant reminders of compensation through blood lust. Rather than the usual positive connotation of a cherished home, Eragon is reminded of his past life in a house where he obtained a burning passion to punish the Razac for ruining his family and leaving him with no other option but to flee with shame in his eyes.

          Apart from revenge, Eragon's old home harbors his debt to his cousin, Roran, who resents Eragon for bringing doom upon his own relatives solely for protecting Saphira, Eragon's dragon. Paolini utilizes diction in the second novel of the Eragon series, when Roran sees Eragon for the first time since Garrow's death and say "We need to talk", leaving Eragon in fear of facing his fate and informing Roran of his reasons for abandoning Garrow. This whole scene refers to the debt Eragon owes to Roran and Garrow for bringing doom and separation to their small family. He holds himself responsible for causing the demolition of their "home sweet home" and breaking his cousin down emotionally with no one to look up to.

          Paolini portrays these two instances in the novel to culminate Eragon's feelings when he thinks of "home" into a longing for personal fulfillment through offering solace to Roran and asking for his forgiveness. The power of the evil king that destroyed his family serves as a consistent reminder to Eragon to assume his new powers and responsibilities in order to free this land of a madman's whims and let prosperity resume so that young men like him no longer have to leave their homes and look back in the past to remember nothing but pain and suffering. Eragon's past gives rise to his optimistic dreams and drives his passion towards continuing his arduous journey and achieving success for the betterment of society.