Closed Reading

Article Title: EYE SCREEN, YOU SCREEN

Article Website: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/movies/2011/11/eye-screen-you-screen.html

          Technological growth continues to progress exponentially. In this article, the writer Richard Brody comments on the possible creation of a minuscule LED that could be embedded in a transparent chip at the center of the contact lens. Brody is indirectly illustrating his point of the increase in technology lending to greater human progress while at the same time utilizing his piece as a means to hint at the possible manifestations of this new discovery.

          Brody utilizes imagery to demonstrate the prevalence and application of this new from of technology in everyday life. He states how "G.P.S. will enable you to get a map superimposed on your view of a town or to get a yard marker or a strike zone or athletes’ statistics overlaid on your view of a game..." and many other implications in order to attract significant attention form the audience to treasure this piece of technology. He also utilizes language, especially in its technical form, by referring to phrases such as "...minuscule LED in a transparent chip..." and "...connected to the LED by an integrated circuit..." in order to give a feel of a well thought-out technological breakthrough that is well-supported and consists of a significant amount of complexity. Both of these literary techniques, while they reinforce the importance of the LED in a transparent chip on contact lenses, they consequently arouse a sense of doubt in the mid of the reader of where this technological growth will end and what marks it will leave on this world.

          The use of syntax in the form of questions, such as "So just how big does a screen have to be in order to provide a satisfying movie-watching experience?" attract the interest of the reader in learning more about this new piece of technology by reading this article and reveling in the technological growth and purportedly thought of simplicity that accompanies discoveries. On the other side of this argument, it is also visible that the incredible amount of technological growth that human beings are experiencing may very well be detrimental to our own perception of reality and judgement, leaving us with nothing but a false sense of simplicity in our lives. While technological growth may be beneficial to human progress, it may, however, forever change our position and role in this world.

Responses to Course Material

          Over last three weeks, the Death of a Salesman, The American Dream, and the Eras Presentation have greatly enhanced my critical analysis skills as well as augmented my general awareness of how the literary eras, especially the Renaissance, have impacted the literature produced by authors of the particular literary periods.

          The analysis of the Death of a Salesman as a class allowed me to gain ideas from others and see the work of literature in a different light. One idea that I felt would have been beneficial to discuss is how Willy is solely a salesman and he always just wants to sell, whether it be a material product or an idea. The discussion about the religious aspect of the work was also interesting to note, along with the feminist considerations as well as the purpose the names of the characters serve. Overall, I feel that I have a solid understanding of what the text generally means, but I would like to discuss the text as a whole so as to grasp the central theme as well as the various sub-themes.

          I feel that we should spend more time talking about the relationship between the Death of a Salesman and The American Dream. For myself, I found many converging instances and themes in both plays. I am very much interested in acquiring the views of others in my class and what they think about the relationship between the two texts, in terms of specifically the larger theme. By doing so, I believe I will be better able to understand both texts in order to effectively apply its various aspects in my open prompts for my blogs as well as the AP exam.

          Researching the Renaissance literary era has provided me with greater insight into understanding how the characteristics of the literature from the 14th to 17th century developed in the first place and how they influenced authors and their works in the future. By reading about the famous writers of the Renaissance and acquiring a general picture of the situation at the time, I can now see what motivated them to write their particular texts. Over Thanksgiving Break, I look forward to reading Ceremony and being transported to the Native American past, attempting to reconcile the past with the present to project for the future.

Open Prompt

1972. In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.

          

          Understanding the beginning of the play is one of the most important ways to ensure an adequate understanding of the central theme. In The American Dream, Edward Albee utilizes the first scene in his one-act play to indirectly refer to the major themes that are going to be further explored in the work. In the first scene of The American Dream, Albee portrays the feminist condescending aspect as well as materialism to hint at the larger theme of how the passage of time has altered the image of the old American Dream.

          By first staging the scene with only Mommy and Daddy, Albee cleverly utilizes the setting to portray the gender division in society by separating the chairs in which the characters are sitting by a considerable distance and even going as far as to place them almost back to back. This set-up creates a very distanced and isolated atmosphere in the play and a skeptical view in the eyes of the audience about the marriage of Mommy and Daddy. The on-going conversation between Mommy and Daddy further enhances the gender division between the two characters and implies how Mommy is dominating Daddy by constantly berating him and reminding him to pay attention to what she is saying. At a deeper level, Albee is trying to portray how the change in the old American values of oppressed women has metamorphosed to the new, more liberal American values of granting greater freedom to women and allowing them to play a more pronounced role in the world. In a sense, Albee is using Daddy's character to show how he slightly disapproves of this drastic change in the societal perception of females by showing Daddy as apathetic to Mommy's monologues.

          The content of the conversation further augments the central theme of the play. Mommy is endlessly elaborating on the subject of how she was deeply engrossed in buying a hat and debating between a more avant-garde beige and a common wheat color. The use of repetition by Mommy, constantly emphasizing her zeal to be involved in consumerism, points to the change in the old American values into a more materialistic inclination towards consumer satisfaction. This conversation in the first scene also refers to the class division that greater consumerism has ensued in America and led to a more unsatisfied populace.

          Through the use of various literary techniques, including repetition and setting, Albee attempts to display the metamorphosis of the old American Dream to incline more towards feminism and materialism in order to create a community where each member only strives to be at the top of the societal hierarchy rather than to find a unique level of satisfaction within.