Closed Prompt #3

TEEN EDITORIAL: Lower America's drinking age

In our modern word, it is impossible to hide from alcohol. Yes the drinking age is 21, but let’s be honest, we all know what alcohol is years before it is legal. For many teenagers, drinking is a common pass time. Others are naïve to its prevalence. Whatever the case, no one can deny that alcohol consumption is a controversial conversation. Whether one is getting an MIP, getting grounded by their parents, or getting ignored by a friend for ratting out a party, it can be a roadblock in many teenage lives. This editorial by Madyson Foltz, a 16 year old in favor of lowering the drinking age, uses details, diction, and syntax to create effects and meanings.

         With her use of important, crucial, congruent details, Foltz supports her position. She does an impeccable job of uses details that draw the reader in and make them agree with her side of the argument. Foltz brings in the law, telling us  “the 1984 federal law set the drinking age to 21 is a contradiction of the rights already given to 18 year olds.” Statistics are used to inform the reader of false accusations. The author seamlessly ties in history too speaking about “Prohibition [not working] in the past, and [not] working now.” By including heated facts like “eighteen year olds are given the right to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, and get drafted into the military” Foltz supports her position with not only true but prevalent information.

          Foltz successfully uses diction to enhance her position. Although she is only 16, and therefore an amateur writer, one would not be able to tell that from her piece. She successfully uses mature language. Phrases like “forbidden fruit” and words like “taboo” give her an educated appearance. She is able to acknowledge the position of her opponents but use feeble words and phrases to lessen their significance. She then counteracts them with forceful words supporting her position. Many times throughout the piece, she uses drinking as a noun. For example, she calls it “a badge of adulthood.” This is a unique technique but it is used in an enticing way.

         Using syntax in a creative, effective way helps Foltz hammer her point into the heads of her readers. In multiple instances, she uses conjunctions and punctuation throughout the sentence to make the ending that much more apparent. Since she is writing about a controversial issue that undoubtedly has a strong opposing argument, it was imperative for her to comment on the negatives of her argument. By using correct syntax, she is able to do this in an impeccable way that doesn’t negate her position. For example, she states how “alcohol affects teens performance in school” but immediately uses her rebuttal statement that “A teen's performance, however, tends to be affected only when consumed in abundance.“ Her use of semicolons helps her tie ideas together seamlessly. For instance, she says, “Teenagers drink regardless of the law; to them, rebelling is enticing.“ Her flawless use of syntax helps her tie her abundance of ideas together without making the reader feel overloaded with information.

         Madyson Foltz uses details, diction, and syntax to create effects and meanings in her editorial on teenage drinking. She is able to pound her position into the reader’s head and gives them adequate facts to help prove her point. Although it is a controversial issue with many strong opinions on both sides, this 16 year old does a remarkable job while trying to take a stand for what she believes is right. 

http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/615707_TEEN-EDITORIAL--Lower-America-s-drinking-age.html

Open Prompt #3

2005, Form B. One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work.

        

When the Hunger Games trilogy by Susanne Collins hit the best-seller list, the main attraction was the love battle between the teen heartthrobs Gale and Pita. Once unwrapping the text, the reader discovers the books represent much more then just a petty love story. They are unwrapping and exposing issues in government and society. The whole book is based on a future society where “The Capital” holds the power to control every aspect of the “districts” and Katniss Everdeen is attempting to destroy the powerful, evil controlling machine.

When her beloved little sister is chosen to take part in the annual Hunger Games-- a Capital controlled activity in which 24 children were thrown into a harsh environment and forced to kill each other until there is just one survivor-- rebellious Katniss Everdeen steps in and volunteers to take her innocent sister’s place. As the story rolls on and Katniss moves closer and closer towards the heart of the corrupt government, she wants nothing more then to strip away it’s power. Katniss becomes a symbol of rebellion and freedom: a light that shines over all of the Capital controlled districts.

         The whole book revolves around the idea of corrupt power. The Capital has sole control over all of its districts. It controls what they do, eat, wear, and survive. Susanne Collins uses this idea to propel the story and put the pieces together. The reader inevitably hates the Capital and everything they stand for. We give all of our love to Katniss. She holds the future of the Districts as they place their power into her hands. Power is a motif that represents not only aspects of the plot but individual characters as well.

By using Katniss Everdeen, Susanne Collins seamlessly intertwines a magnetic love story with a power struggle. The book revolves around a heart wrenching confrontation: The Capital vs. Katniss Everdeen and the rest of the districts. In the end, it is all about power: who has the power to win, to love, to fight, and to conquer. 

Response to Course Materials #3

            Coming into AP Lit, the idea of reading books over and over was tedious. But now, after analyzing The American Dream time after time, and currently working on a read-through of Death of A Salesman, I understand why we do it. Honestly, I like it. I feel like I actually get to understand every little detail in the piece, which makes for an overall more enjoyable reading experience. The first time through The American Dream, I literally had NO CLUE what was going on. But by the end, after reading it multiple times myself and participating in numerous class discussions, I finally understood the symbolism, the characters, and all the other dynamic, dense aspects of the story.

            So what else? Along with dissecting the American Dream, we learned about The Theatre of Absurd and comedy rules. Both of which, as awful as those packets were to annotate, actually helped me understand both the play and future readings. It is so strange to me, at first, this class seems like it is filled with such useless information (no offense Ms.Homes) but then, it all actually helps you. Even when I am sitting at home watching a movie I will think of some rule of comedy and see it in the movie. The more we discuss it in class, the more I understand how to use it. But that’s how everything is. The more discussions we have, from The American Dream to the literary terms, I understand it better and better. That is why those are my favorite days: the ones where we sit in a round circle and talk about whatever the topic of the day is.

            I am interested to see how I did on the in-class writings. It is hard to say if I need a tremendous amount of help on them or if I am some-what on tract. Hopefully, we will review those papers soon (both the ch.4 and The Century Quilt) so I can see what I need to do for them. While talking about the Ch.4 essay I will say I liked the paper MUCH better then the quiz. I felt like it helped me to actually have my book open while writing. The information actually made sense and I was able to put it to use instead of just attempting to memorize it for a quiz. I also really liked how we tied it to The American Dream. It was not only fun, but made me think abstractly too.

            And last, but certainly not least, the terms test TAKE 2. I am so frustrated with this test. I spent hours studying for it and I actually felt like I understood the information but then I ended up getting the exact same grade as last time. This was not only discouraging, but also confusing. It is hard for me to understand how some of those questions were fair. I mean honestly, something can be incongruity, verbal irony, and invective all at the same time. But on the brightside, I now feel like I actually understand the majority of the words and will be able to put them to use. Even now, I feel like my vocabulary has grown and that’s what that exercise was for. Right? 

Summary and Analysis of The American Dream

Author: Edward Albee- he was born in 1928, which would make him in his 30’s when writing this play. He is best known for helping popularizing The Theatre of the Absurd.

Setting: In a vague apartment. The reader is not given much information about the apartment besides the fact that it needs some work. An ambiguous setting is an element in The Theatre of the Absurd so that explains the ambiguous apartment.

Characters:

   -Mommy= The antagonist of the play. She is materialistic, rude, demanding, masculine, fake, controlling, demeaning, only cares about what others think, and does not show respect for anyone. She does not truly love other people and is only concerned about consumerism. She represents the new American Dream.

   -Daddy= Feminine, inferior to Mommy, bullied by his wife, immature. Never has anything important to say. Forgets everything.

   -Mrs.Barker= Head of the Bye-Bye Baby Adoption services. Clueless. Forgets everything. Listens to Grandma. Thinks what Mommy and Daddy to their baby was okay. Stands for government/corporations.

   -Grandma= The only “real” character in the play. The only one who has genuine love for others. Stands for the old American Dream. She is hard working and actually knows what is going on. Raised Mommy by herself

    -Young Man= Very attractive- only has his looks. The twin of the child that Mommy and Daddy mutilated. He stands for the new American Dream. He is the only one that actually communicates and appreciates Grandma. He has no ability to love others and is looking for a job when he goes to Mommy and Daddy’s apartment.

Plot Summary: The play begins with Mommy and Daddy sitting in their apartment waiting. Mommy is rambling on about her adventure while buying a hat and explains the controversy she had with the head of the women’s club about the color. Daddy is giving un-enthusiastic answers and Mommy keeps insisting he listens to her and occasionally forces him to repeat what she says. They are waiting for someone unknown to the reader and keep making remarks about how “they’re late.” Then Grandma enters the scene will boxes. Mommy and Daddy make a big deal about her boxes and then make remarks about Grandma and her “johnny-do’s.” They speak about how they hear her in the john weeping away. When the doorbell finally rings, Daddy gets up to answer it after Mommy persuades him by speaking provocatively about his “masculinity.” When Daddy finally answers the door, Mrs.Barker enters. The whole conversation is very confusing; none of the characters remember why Mrs.Barker is there. The following scenes include many uncomfortable, seemingly pointless conversations including Mrs.Barker taking off her dress and creating an immature reaction out of Daddy, Mommy and Mrs.Barker having an satirized host/guest relationship, Daddy’s surgery that “turned his tubes to tracks,” and Mommy all the while treating Grandma and Daddy like her children. When Mommy and Daddy are off looking for water for Mrs.Barker and Grandma’s room, which is apparently lost, Grandma tells Mrs.Barker a hypothetical situation that really explains why she is there. She makes clear that Mommy and Daddy mutilated their last child and Mrs.Barker is there now to give them another child since they were unsatisfied with the last one that they got from her adoption agency. Next comes the Young Man, who Grandma first believes is the van man that Mommy keeps threatening to bring to take her away. The Young Man is very attractive and is looking for work. After a dialogue about the Young Man’s career in Hollywood it comes out that he has an inability to love anyone. About this time, Grandma realizes he is the twin of the child Mommy and Daddy mutilated. Only Grandma knows the truth about him. When Mrs.Barker enters the scene again, Grandma tells her he is the van man and they take all of her boxes out of the apartment. At this point, Grandma leaves the play and joins the audience. Only the Young Man and Mrs.Barker can see Grandma. Mommy and Daddy believe the van man has taken her away. At first, Mommy is upset by this but quickly gets over it when she meets the devishly handsome Young Man. Mommy, Daddy, Mrs.Barker, and the Young Man congregate in the apartment and the Young Man goes to “work” for Mommy and Daddy. This play ends after Mommy provocatively speaking to the Young Man and Grandma addresses the audience.

Narrative Voice: None- it is a play. But, at the end, when Grandma joins the audience, she speaks as a narrator.

Edward Albee’s Style: Throughout the play, Albee uses many literary devices. He uses both repetition and parallelism a ton. Also, he utilizes tricolon, exaggeration, metonymy, and an abundance of sarcasm and irony. Albee has a cynical perception of society and expresses it through his negative connotations. He makes an emphasis on consumerism and materialism poignant in society. Repeatedly, he criticizes marriage, gender, and power roles. The whole play is set up as Theatre of the Absurd; it consists of a plot that goes nowhere. All of Albee’s connotations and “deeper meanings” are hidden beneath the words on the page. There are many symbols in this play. They range everywhere from Grandmas boxes to Mrs.Barker. Albee uses a unique technique is which he has his characters represent symbols. For example, the Young Man directly represents the American Dream while Grandma is the old American Dream.

Quotes:

1. Mommy- “I have a right to live off of you because I married you, and because I used to let you get on top of me and bump your uglies; and I have a right to all your money when you die (67).”

 -This line from Mommy to Daddy shows Mommy’s poor character traits, the materialism ever-present in the play, and fake love. It shows how Mommy just married Daddy for his money and not for love; Mommy is a gold-digger.

2. Daddy- “Oh dear; oh dear.”

Mommy-“Well, go let them in Daddy. What are you waiting for?”

Daddy-“I think we should talk about it some more. Maybe we’ve been hasty…. A little hasty, perhaps. I’d like to talk about it some more.”

Mommy-“There’s no need. You made up your mind; you were firm; you were masculine and decisive (75).”

-This conversation between Mommy and Daddy shows both the gender roles and the power struggle in their relationship. Mommy gets Daddy to do what she wants by exposing his masculinity, or lack of it. Mommy has the powerful, masculine, almost parental role throughout the entire play. This dialogue is a perfect example of their relationship: Daddy is tentative and weak while Mommy is bossy, controlling, and the masculine figure. 

Theme: The old, honest American Dream is progressively getting misplaced by a new society concerned with consumerism.

Support for Theme: Throughout the play, Albee supports the theme that the old, honest American Dream is progressively getting misplaced by a new society concerned with consumerism. He uses Grandma as a representation of the old American Dream. She is the only honest, genuinely human character in the novel. She understands what is going on and has real love. He foils Grandma with the Young Man who represents the new age American Dream. The Young Man is devishly handsome and will do anything for money. Mommy and Daddy represent the peoples of society; they only care about appearance, material things, and have no real love for others. At the same time, there is Mrs.Baker: a “plural” character who stands for gorvernment/corportations. Her controlling, but yet uncaring ways stand for what society is turning into. The entire play is obnoxiously filled with Mommy, Daddy, and Mrs.Barker forgetting EVERYTHING. Albee repeats things over and over again and meanwhile, the characters can’t remember what happened in the last line. There is even a part when Mommy and Daddy can’t find anything in the apartment. And when I say anything, I mean anything; Daddy even looses Grandma’s room. The water even goes missing, which itself shows the pureness of the old American Dream going astray. These literal images of things being misplaced and forgot symbolize the old American Dream. The ending, where Grandma leaves, and although Mommy pretends to be upset for a few lines, she really could care less since the new handsome Young Man has appeared show the new American Dream replacing the old American Dream and society’s ignorance towards the change. 

Editorial: The War of Abortion RIghts

The war on abortion rights

       It is inevitable that the human race will run into walls. These barriers are built from the stubbornness invading every breath and the struggle for power blurring sight. Heated topics circle the world, with no answer that satisfy everyone; no answer that breaks down the walls. Given that it is election year, these debated topics are infamous and crucial. One of the most battled is abortion. This past July, The LA Times released The war on abortion rights: an editorial that is without a doubt, pro-choice. The author intensifies his or her message by using forceful diction, unique syntax, and crucial details.

            Diction sets the tone of a piece. This author was sure to use intense words with negative connotations to prove their point. For example, he or she says, “the new law pretends that it’s not about Planned Parenthood.” By using the word “pretends” the author makes the new lawmakers’ look like phony, untruthful people. They also say that abortion rights “require vigilant defense [from] continuing attacks.” With words such as “defense” and attacks” they create a real battle. “Vigilant” makes the abortion rights seem like a helpless victim. Throughout the entire editorial, the angry tone caused by the negative connotation of the forceful words helps the writer make the subject look dark and in need of rescue.

            In terms of syntax, the author uses a unique technique in which they state a fact and follow it up with a negative, sarcastic remark. When speaking negatively about the Republican bullies trying to defund parent hood the author states “These efforts come on the heels of similar moves in Arizona, Texas and other states — as well as the Republican-led vote last year in the House of Representatives to defund Planned Parenthood.” The author informs you of a fact, and the sticks you with a negative phrase to intensify their point. Another influential technique used in this editorial was stating both sides to the argument by connecting phrases. The author uses phrases like “but even if it did” and “instead” in the middle of sentences to include the opponents position and then state their rebuttal. These unique techniques give the reader a realistic view of the author’s point by including facts in an interesting, non-interrupting way. 

            The use of details in this editorial is extremely important to the author’s position. The author provides heart-wrenching facts like “there [is] less money for Planned Parenthood to provide such services as breast checkups, contraception and screening for sexually transmitted diseases,” making it near-impossible for the reader to disagree with his or her point. By including details like “[the stated reason for the law was to protect women’s health, but that is transparently a pretext] when speaking about pro-life laws, makes the reader increasingly despise the government and legal bodies. The author did an impeccable job of packing this editorial full of crucial details to give body to his or her point.

            Diction, syntax, and details lead the author to a successful editorial. Abortion is a highly debated issue and this document would help to transform any reader to a pro-choice candidate.

 http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-reproductive-rights-20120718,0,4884243.story

Open Prompt #2

2009, Form B. Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

        

        The turn of the century in America did not expunge the turmoil and underlying frustration consuming the vast lands.  Poverty, unpleasant working and living conditions, hopeless commonplace of the working class, and overwhelming corruption of the powerful, invaded the homes of numerous Americans. With his book The Jungle, written in 1906, Upton Sinclair hoped to uncover the dirty secrets running rampant in America, ruining lives and killing families.

         The story is about Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant, and his struggling family. Sinclair was muckraker on a mission to expose the hardships immigrants were facing as well as revel the dangerous secrets of the meatpacking industry. He takes us into the lives of the Rudkus’, sending the reader on a heart-wrenching journey. His observations on the unfeasible horrid conditions and the cruel treatment of the less fortunate were put out to the public. At a time where social Darwinism influenced Americans’ opinions, something needed to be said. And that is exactly what Sinclair did.

         By using literary elements such as tone, language, and diction, Sinclair imprinted his message into the brains of all readers. His dark tone and vivid language transports the reader into Jurgis’ life, making every blow from the awful political creatures lurking behind the book feel like a blow to them. Using descriptive words that really stand out on the page and emphasize the deeper meaning instead of passive words help prove his point. By strictly using language, tone, and diction that reflect negativity and hardship, the reader has no option but to feel for the Rudkus’.

         Sinclair wrote The Jungle hoping to show how lives immigrants and those living in poverty were. Along with exposes every day life struggles, his exposure of the meat packing industry forced the government to pass The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

         Sinclair was a muckraking journalist on a mission to reveal the deep secrets that laid within the streets of the early 20^th century in America. With the use of his dark tone, diction, and language he proved his point to his readers and successfully influenced the passage of multiple laws for a happier, safer America. 

Response to Course Material #2

         Diction, imagery. details, language, syntax. Diction, imagery. details, language, syntax. Diction, imagery. Details, language, syntax. I do not think I could repeat this enough times. Only a month into AP Lit and I already know for certain these five words are crucial. It seems as if everything we do these five words come into play. When first learning them, all I could think about was how tedious they would be. But now, after putting them into action with numerous activities, I understand how they are actually helpful and worthwhile. I remember last year, we used to touch on basic ideas like why a word was used or why the author chose to include certain themes. This year, we are taking that to a new level in EVERYTHING we do. The fact that we are going to be reading books/plays multiple times to find the deeper meaning says enough. I am excited to try this new learning style.

        When taking notes on the literary eras and critical perspective I was extremely overwhelmed. The quiz on it did not help. I feel as if we were hit with a boatload of information; some familiar and some completely foreign. I think it is difficult that all AP students did not take Brit Lit and American Lit. Since our background information is not the same we are at conflicting places. What we have done so far with the Trends of Western Literature worksheet has helped me a lot. I think once the worksheet is complete, I will be comfortable with the information.

           I still am having trouble deciphering poems. The lesson on The Century Quilt helped but I am nowhere near when I want to be. I just cannot recognize the theme of a poem! I really hope that with more practice it becomes easier.

       So far, I actually like The American Dream by Edward Albee. I am not to excited about the annotating assignment but I do like the play. I love finding hidden meaning in things. After all the tedious annotating we did on comedies, I hope I am able to fully understand this play.