Close Reading #4 (12/16)

     http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/opinion/collins-the-woes-of-roe.html?ref=opinion

      The article "The Woes of Roe" by Gail Collins is an editorial discussing the abortion issue that is constantly debated.  Her article defends a woman's choice to have an abortion, and discusses how labels such as "pro-life" and "pro-choice"  can affect how people view the question.  To support her argument, Collins utilises diction, syntax, and details.
      The main function of Collins' choice of diction is to relate to the target audience.  She begins the article by mentioning that young Americans are giving less support for abortion rights, so young Americans are the people she needs to convince that abortion rights are important.  To do this, Collins uses simple terms that teens use, but not too much so she still sounds like an imformed adult.  Diction that relates to teens are words such as "crazy," "labels," or "popular."  Throwing in words that teenagers hear on a daily basis from their peers helps them relate to the writer.
      To make supporting abortion rights seem like the obvious choice, Collins includes different syntax techniques.  As said above, Collins states that more young Americans are calling themselves pro-life rather than pro-choice.  After this Collins writes, "On the other hand — I know you had faith that eventually we’d get to the other hand — the polls depend on the question."  Breaking up the middle of the sentence with dashes makes the middle of the sentence sound like an aside.  It implies that the reader was waiting anxiously to hear the rebuttal.  Later, Collins includes the quote, "We’re just doing business as usual. Trying to be there for the women of Mississippi."  The person saying the quote uses short simple sentences as if nothing more is necessary.  This tone magnifies the point that what's truly important is supporting women no matter their personal choices.

       Lastly, details greatly  reinforces Collins' point of view while convincing the reader.  Even though lately more people say they are pro-life, "according to the Quinnipiac poll, if you ask Americans whether they agree with the Roe decision, nearly two-thirds say yes."  Basically this is saying that even people that are pro-life agree with the decision that allows abortions.  To help her case Collins includes details that tie into the struggle economy issue such as, "Abortion clinics around the country are reeling under crazy new rules that make it impossible for them to operate...only a handful managed to reopen." This detail says to the reader that this decision doesn't only effect women, it effects our economy.  Finally, to drive it home Collins pushes the argument that women should decide what's right for women with the detail, "If you want to rack up a real positive response on a poll, ask people whether the women or the politicians should make decisions about their pregnancies. One of the surveys commissioned by Planned Parenthood showed 83 percent of likely voters picked the women, including 64 percent of those who called themselves pro-life." 

      A woman has the right to believe that an abortion is not right for her, so a woman should also be given the right to choose the alternative.  This is what Collins' article wants to get across to the audience.   To do this diction, syntax, and details, are skillfully used to support her view.

   

Open Prompt #4 (12/9)

        In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, a group of school boys are stranded on an island left isolated to fend for themselves.  The story follows their struggle to survive while they slowly progress from civilized to savage.  Several symbols and motifs are implimented to reveal traits about the characters and enhance the themes of the story.  One of the most important symbols is the conch shell, a source of power and order because the boy who holds it is allowed to speak.  The conch becomes the symbol for civilization to magnify the theme of civilization vs. savagery and characterize the boy Ralph.
       After a plane crash, the boys are scattered about the island and the sound of the conch shell brings them together again.  The keeper of the conch shell Ralph becomes the leader of their  group.  In the beginning of the book, all is well on the island with everyone being responsible for a job (even if they don't always work diligently).  Under the rule of the conch shell, the boys are civilized human beings.  However, as violence increases the power of the conch decreases.  Not long after the leader of the hunters Jack makes his first kill he decides to leave the group.  As more and more boys follow Jack and abandon the conch shell, the more savage they become.  Giving in to their inner beast, the boys turn severely violent without showing remorse.  Without the order the conch provided, their state becomes so savage that they murder the only innocent character without the blink of an eye.  Civilization finally loses the battle when the conch shatters.  Following the destruction of the conch, the savages hunt down the original leader, Ralph, to murder him.            
      Another main function of the conch is to characterize Ralph.  Ralph finds the conch and uses it to round up all the boys on the island.  He is elected to be the leader and controls the conch.  He is the one who decides the  conch will be used to organize who will speak at their meetings.  Other boys are not always concerned with the chores they are assigned but Ralph continuously tries to get work done for survival and to get home.  When the other boys leave to join Jack's tribe, Ralph who still holds the conch refuses to join and denies the violent tendencies the other boys contracted.  His close connection to the conch keeps him civil.  At one point, Ralph leaves his camp and the conch and visits the other camp.  While he is there he commits an act of violence, the murder of the innocent boy.  However, Ralph is not transformed into a savage like his comrades.  He returns to the conch and clutches it while he admits his sins to himself.  After the shell is broken Ralph, the only civil one left, is hunted but before his attackers catch up he discovers a ship that will rescue them.  Knowing he is safe, Ralph "wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart," (Golding).  This boy who found the conch shell is able to reflect on the events and feel remorse for the loss of civilization.
      The conch supports the book's main theme and is used to guage how characters lie on the spectrum of civilizaed or savage.  The events involving the conch can provide insight into the theme and reveal the characters' true self.  Without a conch, or gavel, or flag, society will discover the true nature of human beings.

Response to Course Material #4 (12/2)

As much I as enjoyed discussing Death of a Salesman in class, I did not have as much fun annotating it.  We are supposed to use at least three of the DIDLS and connect them to our annotations, but I found that most of the time I was just making comments on the motifs, theme, tone, etc.  Finding techniques to annotate was a greater struggle than it was for American Dream.  However, after reading the commentaries on Salesman, I saw that Miller said that the only real technique he used was Willy's use of Victorian language.  This definitely made me feel better about my troubles with the annotations, and it also made me realize that a book or play doesn't have to be stuffed with DIDLS to create the theme.  Of course DIDLS are still necessary and I'm still going to work hard to find them, but now I know to relax if they aren't as frequent as they are in other works.

Now that we are on to Hamlet, I am more confused then I have ever been.  Reading along with the text while people read aloud is almost the same thing as tuning everyone out and waiting until Ms. Holmes stops to explain.  Even if I knew what all of the different words from Shakespeare's time meant, I would still have trouble following.  If something doesn't have straight-forward sentence structure I can't flip it around in my mind fast enough to understand the play as we're reading it.  Hamlet is even harder than Romeo and Juliet or Taming of the Shrew because the plot even in plain English is difficult to comprehend.  At least I have something to work on!  We're only just starting so I'm hoping to improve as we get further into the play.

The other difficult thing about Hamlet is envisioning the staging.  I also found this difficult in Salesman, but not so much so in American Dream.  So far this year, we've only read plays, and plays do not give very detailed stage directions so the reader is left up to his or her own devices.  Staging can greatly affect a scene, and knowing where the characters are in relation to each other affects mood and can even affect tone.  Therefore with little stage directions, I feel like I could be picturing and hearing the scene extremely different from what was intended and possibly missing something important.  Then again, perhaps that is the point.  Forcing us to decide what exactly is happening can help us analyze the scene more closely.  With this in mind I'm hoping to take this into account when we really get into Hamlet.

Close Reading #3 (11/17)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/opinion/lies-murder-lexicography-dictionary.html?pagewanted=1&ref=opinion

In the article "Lies! Murder! Lexicography!" written by Ben Zimmer, sets the story straight on a dictionary scandal.  Zimmer takes a humorous approach using diction, syntax, and  to make the previous accusations toward the Oxford English Dictionary, that they omitted words from their dictionary, seem ridiculous.

The most obvious way Zimmer achieves this is through diction.  Words such as "juicier," "shoddy," and "cooked-up," are used when describing the gossip that surrounded the issue when the false report appeared.  These words might be found in the dictionary, but they are not words you would use if writing about a serious issue.  Using more "slang" words gives the impression that a silly topic deserves silly words.  Zimmer even makes up the word "wordhood" to poke fun at the admission of new words into the dictionary.

The scandal involving the dictionary is also made absurd using syntax.  For example Zimmer wrote, "All of this over some editorial decisions about dictionary entries several decades ago!" about the scandal.  The use of the exclamation point changes the tone of the sentence to emphasize Zimmer's disbelief.  Another sentence that utilizes syntax is, "How does a media-generated “scandal” like this get cooked up in the first place, especially involving a profession as unglamorous as lexicography?"  Placing a question in the article interrupts the flow and makes the reader stop.  Like the previous example, using a question here also emphasizes disbelief and brings attention to the fact that dictionaries aren't interesting.

Lastly, Zimmer uses language to prove that any gossip about dictionaries is idiotic.  When Zimmer provides the image that the offices of Oxford English Dictionary headquarters as "battlegrounds where the fate of the language is decided," or as "shadowy enterprises with secret, back-room meetings" you can't help but find humor in the ludicrous situation.  Rendering the scandal about the dictionary as ridiculous takes away all of it's credibility, as Zimmer intended.  The author certainly achieved this goal with his use of diction, syntax, and language.

Open Prompt #3 (11/11)

1986. Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

         In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," the main character, Willy Loman, experiences a life crisis, which triggers him to regress to certain memories.  These regressions take him away from the real world and into how he sees the past in his mind.  During the regression, the scene changes so the audience is in the memory with Willy and the other characters.  Miller's technique using the memories emphasizes Willy shortcomings, and his past as he remembers it.  Both of these things combined provide the audience with more insight into Willy.  The regressions are the mechanism Miller uses to let the reader inside his mind to strengthen the tragedy of Willy Loman. 

        Willy is taken away into a memory at times of stress or trauma.  Three of his regressions occur when Willy is taken off salary at his job, when he discusses Biff over a card game with Charley, and after he is fired from his job.  At these points in the story, Willy is so overwhelmed that he slips into the past.  Looking at what causes the regressions, the readers can see that his job and Biff's lack of success cause him much stress.  These stress triggers further emphasizes Willy desperate need to be successful and desire for Biff to follow in his footsteps.

      The events that occur in the regressions also give the reader information about where Willy's mind is in the story.  For instance when Willy is taken off salary at his job, he regresses to a memory where Biff and Happy are in high school.  The boys idolize their father in this scene and live to please him.  It is a time where Willy has hope for the future that he can pass on to his boys so they will be successful like him.  A second regression occurs while Willy and Charley start to have a conversation about Biff.  Trying to continue his conversation with Charley, Willy is ripped away by the sound of his older brother Ben's voice.  In the memory that follows, Willy shows off his sons to Ben how well-liked his boys are and how devoted they are to him.  Because the memories are in his mind, they may not be accurate, therefore the content of the regressions shows how Willy views himself and how he wants to be viewed by others.  With this point of view, the audience sees that he is a man who only wants to provide for his family so he will be appreciated and admired by them.

       The melding of past and present are not just there for the reader to think that Willy Loman in crazy.  As Linda Loman says, "a terrible thing is happening to him," and as he is slowly dying, Willy is given a last reflection of his life in an attempt to find some meaning and understanding from his past.  Willy may not have found what the regressions could have shown him, but the reader can analyze Miller's meaning behind them.  The content and placement of the memories let the reader into Willy's mind to discover what led to the death of a salesman.

       

Response to Course Materials #3 (11/4)

What I've taken away from this class lately is that I'm still confused about "incongruity."  I'm pretty sure Holmes said that it at a second glance the meaning is deep and required some kind of psychological change, or something like that.  So how can any quote from Mean Girls, especially from Coach Carr, contain incongruity?  Maybe I'm mistaken but that's really my only frustration with the terms test this time around.

I'm also frustrated because the "H" key fell off the keyboard, and then my mom lost it so there is no hope of fixing it.

Even though I missed the last day of watching Salesman, I liked the movie and I found it very interesting.  I do think that the theme is similar to the theme of American Dream but maybe it'll be interesting to examine how different styles of writing make the same point.  I think I like Salesman better than the American Dream because the characters feel more like real people to me.  In the American Dream, Grandma was the only person with  a shred of humanity so most of the time I was somewhat annoyed with the other characters.  With Salesman I can see why the characters ended up where they are, I know why Biff is frustrated with his dad, I can tell that Linda has an internal complex when it comes to Willy, and so on.  Because of this I'm looking forward to getting into it and discussing it in class.  Hopefully I'll get some things right before Holmes gives us a handout that explains everything.

The other big assignment we did was the compare/contrast essay on the poems in the textbook.  I tried really hard to remember everything Ms. Huntley taught us about this type of essay but I'm not completely confident I wrote the essay as well I could have last year.  I'll be able to reflect more on it once we get them back, but basically this assignment showed me that I need to do some brushing up on essay types and how to organize them.

American Dream Summary and Analysis (10/24)

Author: Edward Albee wrote "The American Dream" in 1960.  This work is considered to be somewhat absurd but the clear message in this play makes it so it does not completely fulfill the
requirements of the Theater of the Absurd.

Setting:  1960; An apartment with two armchairs and a sofa, a door to the rest of the building, an archway to the other rooms of the apartment.

Narrative Voice/Point of View: The point-of-view is third person, and the narrator has no voice

Characters:

• Mommy: She is masculine and manipulative, and must have control of all people in the room.  She is obsessed with money and living well and is only concerned with materials and getting what she wants.  Her consumerism ways are what make her the "new dream" generation.
• Daddy:  He is emasculated by Mommy and is completely agreeable towards her, and most everyone else.  He is only masculine when Mommy decides to make him feel that way.  Daddy is basically a woman.
• Grandma:  Represents the old American Dream who is on her way out.  She is the only one who is concerned about the individual and humanity.  She is masculine, witty, and the only person who stands up to Mommy and knows what's going on.
• Mrs. Barker:  Has many "faces" but overall represents the ideal air-headed housewife who volunteers, takes care of the children, and has sex with her husband like it's her job.  She is often frank and rude which shows her lack of consideration for other people's feelings. 
• Young Man: Represents the new American Dream.  He is beautiful on the outside (and knows it), but completely empty on the inside.  The Young Man is only concerned about money and appearances, just like Mommy.  He represents the importance of consumerism in the next generation.

Plot:
-Begins with Mommy and Daddy complaining about not being able to get satisfaction ("lovely" hat story/artificial light); whoever is coming to fix the johnny is late (referred to as "they")
-Grandma comes in with beautifully wrapped boxes and Mommy and Daddy assume they are empty; Grandma believes in dignity; want to send her away with Van Man; day-old cake story
-Mrs. Barker enters (referred to as "they"); she is a professional woman; she doesn't know why she's there
-Disregard for Grandma; says she's "rural" and "agriculture"; no one cares what old people think; Mrs. Barker trusts her
-Bumble story; commodification of child; Mommy and Daddy killed innocent, impulsive, sexual being
-Young man enters; beautiful on the outside but empty on the outside; represents the new dream; Uncle Henry day-old cake story; bumble was Young Man's twin
-Mrs. Barker brings Mommy and Daddy satisfaction by letting them buy (commodity) the Young Man from her; Grandma leaves with boxes; Mommy also gets sexual satisfaction from Young Man so Grandma cuts the scene off

Style:

• Tone: Much of the time the tone is contradictory to the words being said.  For instance, when Grandma is describing the mutilation of Mommy's and Daddy's child, she says it as though it was not a big deal.  Contradictions like this show the character's disconnection from humanity.
• Imagery: Most of the imagery is provided by Grandma.  Grandma often times uses a lot of description, especially with the human body.  For instance Grandma says, "My sacks are empty, the fluid in my eyeballs is all caked on the inside edge, my spine is made of sugar candy, I breathe ice," (82).  When she gives us this description we can picture what Grandma thinks she looks like, and we see a person.  Albee also used imagery surrounding the body when Grandma lists and describes all the parts that Mommy and Daddy cut off from their bumble.  When Grandma uses imagery the audience envisions humans because Grandma represents the old American Dream and concern for humanity.  In contrast, the only imagery Mommy provides is the color of a hat.  From this we can see that the old dream was about people and the new dream was concerned with materials.
• Symbolism: In this play there are several symbols that represents complex ideas, including the characters themselves.  The wise and decrepit Grandma is a symbol for the old American dream that cared about people.  Grandma's boxes which are beautifully wrapped and are assumed by the others to be empty (why would you want to ruin something so beautiful by opening it to see what's inside?), are actually filled with all her belongings.  Her boxes are lovely on the outside but also contain sentimental and emotional belongings on the inside.  When Mommy brings up tracts and tubes, she is assigning gender roles to a physical object.  Mommy says that Daddy has tubes instead of tracts, meaning that he is a woman. 

Quotes:

• Young Man - "I'll do almost anything for money" (109); this quote almost spells out the meaning of the Young Man.  Since he has no real human emotion, he blurts out his vapid desire without even thinking twice.  This quote makes it clear what the new dream is all about. Money.
• Grandma - "Well, yes; very much like it. Bundle, bumble; who cares?" (98); The malapropism of replacing "bundle" with "bumble" is an example of the commodification of everything, even "bundles" of joy.
•  Grandma - "You got to have a sense of dignity...if you don't  have that, civilization's doomed" (64); Here Grandma is almost openly insulting Mommy and Daddy about their life.  She is foreshadowing the fate of the followers of the new American Dream who are caught up in consumerism.

Theme: In the new American Dream humanity is replaced with consumerism, and all things, even people, can be made into a commodity.
-Title: The title spells out the main focus of the play, and leads the reader to look out for meaning behind the American Dream
-Imagery: A detailed story from Mommy about a hat only left the reader with the image of a hat that is either beige or wheat.  On the other hand, when Grandma gives descriptions (usually about people) the reader sees very clear pictures, even if it is gruesome.  This shows that Mommy is vapid and can't even give meaning to what means to her most, while Grandma puts a lot of thought into her words to put a meaningful image in someone's mind.
-Plot: Most of the play sets up the transition from the old dream to the new dream.  Grandma represents the old dream who is emotional and concerned with humanity.  Mommy, Daddy, Mrs. Barker, and the Young Man make up the new dream.  These characters are the one's who want "satisfaction" and believe that this satisfaction can only come to them in the form of a physical object.  Because of this they've even turned human beings into objects which is shows by the murder of the "bumble." Furthermore, to finally achieve satisfaction, they buy a person.  A person who cannot love or feel emotions, but will obey if paid and is super hot.

Close Reading 2 (10/21)

The Issue That Goes Ignored

      In the article, "The Issue That Goes Ignored," the author uses several techniques to sway the reader's opinion in favor of gun control.  Firstly,  certain diction is used to make us as the reader feel sympathy for those supporting gun control, and the opposite for those opposing it.  For instance, the writer introduces the piece by saying, "it took an ordinary citizen, Nina Gonzalez, to stand up at the presidential debate," and by using the word "ordinary" the reader has immediate sympathy for the woman who could be the next door neighbor, co-worker, or friend.  Also, when the author calls the issue of gun control a "phantom" issue, it gives the connotation that a large issue has disappeared completely without a trace, making us appreciate the fight for an important issue and therefore, the issue itself.
      Imagery is also used to make the same point that gun control is necessary.  From the quote, "Mr. Obama and his administration never made a priority despite the many horrific mass shootings during his term," we unfortunately picture devastating loss while a president sits idly by.  This is a strong image to use and almost suggests that by not doing anything, the president is at fault.  When discussing the stand your ground laws the author tells us that they "permit machismo fantasists to shoot to kill when they feel threatened."  Envisioning a random stranger with a gun having the ability to kill you with the loose excuse of self-defense is frightening for the reader, and could possibly be a turning point in decision making.
      Another technique that leads readers to decide pro-gun control is the use of details.  For example, in the first paragraph the writer tells us, "every year, more than 30,000 people are shot and killed in this country."  Right off the bat we're hit with a huge number and a terrible fate for those that make up the statistic.  A detail like this grabs the reader's sympathy and details later in the piece hold on to it.  These details include, "among 23 populous, high-income nations, 80 percent of firearm deaths occurred in the United States, where citizens suffer homicide rates 6.9 times higher than in the other nations."  With a detail like this, we know that the U.S. is different from other nations which means that it is possible to decrease the rate of homicides.  With this conclusion, readers may begin to agree that the lack of gun control is a cause for increased shootings and homicides in the U.S.  This agreement along with other details, diction, and imagery are strategically used to change the opinion of the reader to become pro-gun control.
  

Open Prompt 2 (10/14)

Prompt: Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

            In Shakespeare’s time, women were raised to be wives.  They essentially had no power, were viewed as home makers and child bearers, and were completely controlled by their husbands.  On top of this, these “women” were often times still girls, being married off as early as fourteen.  In this society where women were at the mercy of men, Katherina of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, did not fit in.

            Shakepeare's character, Katherina, is not your average woman in this time period.  She is headstrong and not afraid for a moment to give her opinion to a man.  Katherina's younger sister, Bianca, on the other hand is absolutely perfect.  Bianca is young, beautiful, kind, and has captured the heart of more than one man in  Taming of the Shrew.  Because Katherina knows she is not the woman Bianca is, the type of woman she needs to be to get a husband, she rebels from her society.  

            To deal with societies rejection of the "spinster", Katherina responds by acting like the most unattractive woman.  She gives off the attitude that she does not want or need a husband so to defy society's standard of what a woman ought to be.  Since she is so dreadful, a man must be paid to "tame" her to become the willing wife that was so desirable.  In the end, Katherina is tamed against her strong efforts against it, and becomes a wife.  She fought to maintain her freedom by becoming a so-called "shrew", to say to her own society that she is able to be an independent woman without a husband telling her what to do.

Response to Course Material 2 (10/7)

Thinking back at what we did in class the main thing that sticks out in my mind was the three day long stretch of allusion presentations.  While we were doing it I was mostly confused or wondering when this ridiculous story would actually appear in anything I read.  But then I actually made a few connections.  In the movie "Anonymous" the main character has a relationship with a woman  and learns later that his lover was actually his mother who gave him away as a baby.  Sounds a lot like Oedipus doesn't it?  Also with the story of Pyramus and Thisbe.  Forbidden love between a boy and a girl who meet in secret, have terrible timing, think the other is dead, and think the best solution is to go ahead and kill themselves.  And I thought Romeo and Juliet was the original.

What I found difficult in class was trying to use DIDLS to find meaning in the poem "The Century Quilt."  With all the other close reading practice we had done for a second I thought this would be a breeze but I'm not sure I have the eye for it yet.  What I've realized is that I have trouble looking at the big picture to find a meaning.  I start off with picking out specific details to see if they mean something instead of finding a meaning and then going back and looking for the details that support it.  Perhaps if I approach it this way I will have better luck.

Finally, reading "The American Dream" was my favorite class activity we've done so far.  Because of the title, I knew to look for the message about the American Dream and when reading it I didn't think it showed up until the Young Man entered the scene and Grandma literally shouts that the American Dream is here.  A slave to the obvious, that is the conclusion I came to.  After reading the handout about the allegory in the play I was surprised to find out that Grandma was also the American Dream.  When reading it I did think that Grandma was the least absurd and was the main character but I didn't think anything much past that.  Reading the handout and learning about all the things I missed in the play shows me that when reading I need to keep an open mind and a watchful eye from beginning to end.

These are the only main assignment that I found to be the most important.  Other than these I think we had a few handouts, and the literary movements presentation.

Close Reading 1

"Apple's Feud With Google Is Now Felt on iPhone"
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/technology/apples-feud-with-google-is-now-felt-on-the-iphone.html?hp

     Lately, Apple and Google's break up is the most talked about since Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart split.  Because of this, the author of the piece "Apple's Feud With Google Is Now Felt on iPhone", Clair Miller, uses diction, figurative language, and imagery to play up the drama of the two companies' conflict.
     If Miller wrote about two companies having a business dispute, the reader would yawn and move on.  However, when Miller calls this conflict a "brawl" the reader is hooked.  The diction in the article is used to give the reader the impression that the two companies are "warriors" that are going "head-to-head" in a "battle" for the most users.  The connotation of the words makes a business conflict transform into something much larger than it is.  This exaggeration in word choice is exactly what the writer had the intention of doing to grab the reader and keep them involved in the drama of it for the whole piece.
     This drama is also created through the writer's use of figurative language.  For example, Miller writes, "Apple's move strikes at the heart of Google's core business."  This figurative language makes the companies appear human to relate to the reader, and to appeal to the reader's emotions and sympathy.  While most of this piece gives the idea that two warriors at war with each other, another example of figurative language reads, "it's the two big kids kicking sand in the sandbox."  The rest of the article attempts to amplify the feud, but this metaphor in the beginning downplays the conflict to remind readers that the companies are not truly at war and will not have a significant impact on the rest of the world.  Overall, the figurative language maintains the drama of the altercation.
     Lastly, imagery comes about from the use of diction and figurative language.  When reading the article, one begins to imagine two warriors on the battlefield fighting for their lives.  Many of the examples already used above exhibit this such as comparing Apple and Google's fight to a "brawl" where one "strikes at the heart" of the other.  In reality, the two companies are fighting it out in the courtroom but when the right words  are used, the reader sees a new setting.  To keep the reader's interest, Miller provided exciting images using diction and figurative language that again emphasizes the dramatic side of the scenario.

Open Prompt 1

1992. In a novel or play, a confidant (male) or a confidante (female) is a character, often a friend or relative of the hero or heroine, whose role is to be present when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener to confide in. Frequently the result is, as Henry James remarked, that the confidant or confidante can be as much "the reader's friend as the protagonist's." However, the author sometimes uses this character for other purposes as well. Choose a confidant or confidante from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you discuss the various ways this character functions in the work. You may write your essay on one of the following novels or plays or on another of comparable quality. Do not write on a poem or short story.

     When one thinks of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, the first thing that pops into most people's head is the unlikely romance between Elizabeth Bennett, a free-thinking  woman in the middle class, and Mr. Darcy, and extremely wealthy man high in society.  Rightfully so, since that is the main story line of the plot, though there are minor characters in the story who play just as an important of a part.  Specifically, Charlotte Lucas is not only Elizabeth's best friend and confidant, she also plays a role in delivering the message of the story.

     Elizabeth Bennett is a  feminist and romantic minded girl who does not play by the rules of her time, while Charlotte Lucas is much more realistic and obedient of societies rules.  By making Charlotte a foil for Elizabeth, Austen emphasizes Elizabeth's qualities.  These qualities are emphasized because they bring out the message that women should not be prisoners of society.  Charlotte is not just there to return Elizabeth's dialogue, she contrasts her to make Elizabeth stand out as a free-thinking and independent woman.  This function of Charlotte's is very important because Elizabeth's unusual qualities are what drives the main plot and message of the story.

     If the story was an experiment, Charlotte could be called the control group.  Charlotte obeys and even desires to become the average woman of the time.  At a mature age, she is eager to settle down and have a family even if it means she will not find love.  This scenario was common for the time period, and is the example of exactly what Elizabeth is running from.  Charlotte functions as the everyday wife who follows orders and social norms and gives the audience a picture to compare Elizabeth with.  The reader is able to see what Elizabeth is fighting, and why.

   Why does Elizabeth want to fight it at all?  Again, Charlotte holds the answer.  By today's standards, Charlotte (most likely at age 26)  would not be considered old, or too old to be single, however, in Jane Austen's era Charlotte was verging on becoming a spinster if she did not marry soon.  She gives an example of how unforgiving society was towards women.  Even more so because Charlotte was willing to give in to society.  The world was so cruel against an unmarried woman of a certain age that women were willing to give up their lives for men who they did not love.  

     In the end of Pride and Prejudice, love conquers all including society's power over people and relationships.  If the story consisted of only the main characters, however, this message would not have come through as clearly.  The supporting characters and plot lines are there to hold up the main idea of the plot and emphasize important themes.  Even though a character might just be seen as the "best friend", look closer and a new meaning will most likely be presented.  A story cannot have full meaning with only the obvious, the smaller things are what bring the message home.

Response to Course Material 1

        When I first started reading Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor, I wasn't expecting it to be the most interesting of books.  For obvious reasons it's not the type of book that you can't put down once you start reading it, however, I did learn a great deal from it.  Specifically, picking out symbols and what not out of literature and pop culture was much easier and I realized there are a lot of significant things in books and movies that I had missed before reading Foster's book.  When doing the Foster presentation assignment, I chose to use Titanic for my slide on "If she comes up, it's baptism".  Before, I did not make a connection between Rose wading in the Atlantic and her becoming a new person once she gets back on land until Foster told me so.  I was content with the ending of Titanic before I was aware of this, but recognizing her "baptism" makes it all the more meaningful.  Now, I am trying to be more aware of all the things Foster told his readers to keep an eye out for.  For example, when I sat down to watch "The Proposal", a silly romantic comedy, I realized that this movie also includes a baptism of a character.  Because this movie is meant to be a funny feel-good movie I did not except there to be symbols or the like to be prominent but now that I know what to look for and they seem to be everywhere.

"Me Talk Pretty One Day" Analysis

                David Sedaris’ “Me Talk Pretty One Day” is a comical and entertaining essay about the trials and tribulations of learning French.  His essay is well written and relates to the audience by following the rules set out in The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing by Michael Harvey, although he also breaks them.  Looking at the big picture, Sedaris obeys Harvey’s rules concerning style. When it comes down to the smaller details, however, he lacks some of the skills laid out by Harvey.

                One detail that Sedaris does follow is using the active voice over the passive voice.  Using the active voice means that the subject performs the action (Harvey 12).  Harvey warns not to use the passive voice too often because “the subject doesn’t do anything - it is acted upon…The doer of the action often drops out altogether,” (Harvey 16).  In Sedaris’ essay, the doer definitely does not drop out.  Almost every verb is spoken in an active voice making every character’s actions stand out which keeps the action moving.  In the sentence, “Two Polish Annas raised their hands, and the teacher instructed them to present themselves,” he uses the active voice twice (Sedaris 12).  The first is “two Polish Annas raised”, and the second is “the teacher instructed”.  While Sedaris uses this skill well, he does make mistakes in other areas.

                The error that stands out most in Sedaris’ writing is mistakes in parallelism.  When used correctly, parallelism organizes key words within a sentence to make it easier to read (Harvey 50).  Not to say that the essay “Me Talk Pretty One Day” is difficult to read, but it could be more clear and concise if parallelism was used more often.  An example of faulty parallelism is in the sentence, “They were limited in terms of vocabulary, and this made them appear less than sophisticated,” (Sedaris 12).  If parallelism is applied, the sentence reads, “They were limited in terms of vocabulary, so they appeared less than sophisticated.”  Not only does this make the sentence more simple, parallelism also “makes writing more comprehensible, graceful, and memorable” (Harvey 50).

                Even without proper parallelism, Sedaris’ piece is memorable because of its simple style.  Harvey’s main pet peeve that he mentions several times in The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing is writing in the pompous style.  According to him, the pompous style includes “big words, self-important phrasing, a flat tone, long gobs of prepositional phrases, nouns galore, and abuse of the passive voice” (Harvey 1).  The main way to avoid pompous writing is to keep it simple.  Some people may think they have to make every sentence grand and ornate to be a good writer.  Harvey and Sedaris both seem to agree, however, that the opposite does the job.  Sedaris constructs sentences such as, “I’ve moved to Paris with hopes of learning the language,” which uses everyday words and an active voice (Sedaris 11).  This downplayed style relates to the audience because it makes the story feel like a conversation about his trip to Paris.  No one would ever say in a conversation, “I have made the long journey to the bustling city of Paris, France with the desire of mastering the most romantic language in the world that is French.”  That just sounds ridiculous.  Leaving the pompous style behind makes writing more direct, so the audience is able to connect with it.

The connection a reader is able to make with “Me Talk Pretty One Day” is mostly due to Sedaris’ accomplishments on the essay as a whole.  However, with closer examination by Michael Harvey’s standards more errors could surely be found.  Slip-ups show up here and there, which is not something the average reader would pick up on, but if each one was corrected the essay would be improved.  Details aside, David Sedaris is a great writer with the ability to capture the audience with his humor and conversation-like writing.  Examining this piece for its correctness, and its mistakes, shows that no one is done learning and growth is always possible.

Poetry Multiple Choice

• Know more poetry terms
• Be able to pick out themes more easily
• Understand the tone of the poem
• Learn to identify type of poem
• Be able to read by the sentence rather than the line

One thing about poetry I have always had trouble with is simply reading it without getting caught up on reading it line by line, which can completely change and confuse a whole poem.  I get too caught up in the visual and the meter of the poem that it makes it hard for me to read it in sentences.  I have found that this problem is usually what keeps me from improving on a few of my other goals such as finding the theme and the tone.  Once I study the vocabulary a little more, I know the poetry terms and the types of poems will come much more easily, but re-learning how to read a poem is more difficult than it sounds.  My troubles with these five things were reflected in my mistakes on the practice test and I hope to improve on them this year.

Diagnostic Test

While taking the test I did not feel extremely confident in my answers and after checking my answers I found that I shouldn't have been.  Even though I didn't do very well I don't feel defeated and I am not scared of taking the real test when the time comes.  I discovered that much of what I need to work on is simply vocabulary such as knowing the difference between exposition and argument writing and finding out what the word "sanguine" means.  Also, I had difficulties decoding certain parts of the writing for their true meaning when it didn't say it out right.  What I am confident in and what surprised me is that I finished with much time to spare.  Unsurprisingly, the test was difficult and asked questions that I was unprepared for but it was a good wake up call for what is in store for this year.