Open Prompt revised #4

1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.

The will of the common man rising against the power majority strikes a patriotic chord in the hearts of all Westerners. Thus, it is no surprise that this theme has transcended into the field of literature, in particular 1984 by George Orwell. In 1984, Orwell creates a character, Winston Smith, who fights the Big Brother government by breaking moral codes and attempting to destroy ethical barriers resulting in a novel that criticizes a centralized government.

Winston Smith's first signs of protest can be seen in his moral disobedience in standards of the Big Brother government. For instance, Winston's first "sin" is obtaining a diary, knowing full well that the punishment for owning such is death. Why choose this detail in the novel? Why a diary? George Orwell wants to not only show rebellion in Winston's heart, but also describe the Big Brother regime. The Big Brother government is a centralized power that through the use of the media chooses to propagate and manipulate its upper class into supporting the regime. Therefore Orwell chose a diary to illustrate Winston's desires to become an individual in a society of groups. Instantly, Orwell makes a connection to Winston's diary and democracy, rule of the individuals. 

The next big moral "sin" Winston partakes in is sex, which is an attempt by Winston to completely detach himself from ethical barriers of the Big Brother regime. Sex is biologically natural. However in the Big Brother government, it is banned. Again, you see that Orwell is, through Winston's rebellion, trying to paint a picture of how unnatural the big brother regime is. Orwell, like the English philosopher John Locke, is arguing that a government is built for the people and must promote individuality, not conformity.Why is this such an important point? Though the novel's title is 1984, it was written in the late 40's right after the devastating world wars. Thus the idea of "unnatural" government held a lot more weight because it alluded to regimes like Hitler's Third Reich and Mussolini's Italy, as well as the upcoming Soviet Union. 

The final "sin" Winston is guilty for is love, which in itself describes the foreignness of the Big Brother Regime because love is seen as an innocent treasure in Western society. Winston falls in love with Julia and finally he is able to experience life outside the Big brother regime. He experiences true freedom for the first time and craves it. Never does Winston fully recover from this drug of wanting to be free. Thus by breaking moral codes, he grows to crave a free government, not a centralized regime.

By defining the protagonist as a good and regular guy who breaks all the moral codes in this overbearing centralized society, George Orwell is implicitly criticizing all centralized government, primarily relating to the centralized Soviet Union, which was the main centralized regime of the 1950's.

open prompt revised #3

1990. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.

Parental conflict is an everyday experience for the  average teenager. However, in literature, it can often have deeper implications. On such example is in The American Dream by Edward Albee, in which the conflict between Mommy and Grandma  describes a generational change as opposed to a mere act of rebellion and the transformation of the American dream through time.

Mommy illustrates the growing trend in consumerism in America. Mommy enjoys the thrill of getting "satisfaction" of purchasing a "baige" hat opposed to a "wheat" hat, a reference to agriculture(the mark of the previous generation). Mommy, while looking up to authority, tries to increase her own social status. Mommy respects Mrs. Barker and engages in an implicit battle with Mrs. Barker over Daddy's satisfaction. Mommy is obsessed with the material world and makes it a job to remind that fact to Daddy, who is still nostalgic of the old beliefs that Grandma promotes.

Grandma, a manifestation of the older American dream, is constantly belittled by Mommy. Though Grandma is an elderly lady, she is the one with all the cards. She manipulates Mommy, Daddy and Mrs. Barker while also acknowledging the audience, which is significant because it creates a piece that isn't just a play but a deeper statement on the changing society and the changing American dream. The conflict between Mommy and Grandma alludes to the dismissal of the old frontier dream.

The surge in comsumerism in America marked a period in which the old frontier dream that founded the country became non-existent and the materialistic society became the new United States of America. Edward Albee highlights such changes through the fued he creates between Mommy and grandma.

Open prompt revised #2

1970. 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.

The love triangle in Titanic has captured the hearts of billions of people across the globe. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Hermia, like Kate Winslet in Titanic, faces the momentous battle between society and true love. In A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Shakespeare uses the rigid Ancient Greco society to create a comedic twist on Hermia and her love interests through the use of supernatural powers, just like in Ancient Greco epics.

The opening act in A Midsummer's Night Dream displays the rigid societal norms of the Greco Society. While Theseus is portrayed as a lawful and just leader, in modern terms his ruling would be highly controversial. The suppression of Hermia's voice in the ruling is the first huge piece of evidence that shows how rigid the society illustrated in the play is. On top of that, Theseus states that the ruling is a "gift" to Hermia, who is furious that her voice is neglected. Forced to obey her father, Hermia is twisted by society and her longing to be with Lysander. Though Hermia chooses to run away, it is important to note that none of this would have happened if the societal norms weren't so strict. 

Due to these strict norms, Shakespeare creates a comedic play, while using supernatural powers to emphasize the Greco society. A Midsummer's Night Dream could very easily be a Homeric epic. In ancient Greece, the Gods were not perfect, selfless, deities, often they mirrored the humans. Gods were just as selfish and arrogant as the humans. In Shakespeare's comedy, the Gods are no different than the humans. In fact, the main supernatural conflict is so closely intertwined with the human conflict that the Gods use the humans as pawns in their overbearing battle, just like in an Homeric epic. A key example of such is when Oberon makes his own wife Titania fall in love with a beast, but in doing so he begins to intertwine with Hermia's love affair as well. Thus causing the foundation of any good Shakespearean comedy, love triangles. Another aspect of Shakespearean plays is the use of a vivid setting. Since plays are primarily visual, having this supernatural experience happen in a forest seems almost too perfect. Nature is often associated supernatural Gods. Whether it be Buddhism and the Bo Tree, or in the Old Testament when Moses seeks God on a mountain, nature is always closely related to supernatural spirits. Thus by using the setting, Shakespeare adds to the idea of Ancient Greek Gods on Mount Olympus interfering with mankind and love.

The rigid Greco society in A Midsummer's Night Dream has many implications, primarily the use of supernatural powers to mirror those of the ancient Greek Gods. By doing so, Shakespeare creates a hilarious mortal comedy filled with love triangles and plot twists.

Open Prompt revised #1

1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Was it Batman's goodness or the joker's evil that made Batman Gotham's dark knight? Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, would probably argue that the Joker made Batman a hero, not the other way around. Similarly, in Bram Stoker's Dracula, it was the evil character Dracula who not only sends the plot rolling and enhances character development,  but also allows the text to surpass a fictional novel and be readily applicable to early 20th century Europe.

Count Dracula bears all that is evil and often said to be the devil. However, Dracula's greatest evil is far more symbolic than physical. It is his general persona. He is the destroyer of innocence, particularly in females. Had Stoker created a villain that tormented men, the evilness of Dracula would be lost. Though Stoker creates this pure evil villain, there is a certain fondness he conveys with Dracula. Towards the beginning of the novel, Dracula slowly kills Lucy and then turns her into a vampire. The conversion of Lucy by blood is far more symbolic. The loss of innocence through blood transfusion alludes to sex and loss of virginity (often a parallel to innocence).  Again, Dracula doesn't just kill Lucy in the physical world, but also the spiritual and religious world. Dracula is the complete villain: he is foreign (from Transylvania), he attacks females (pure and innocent ones) and he not only kills their bodies, but ruins their souls so they can no longer go to heaven.

Why create an absolutely evil entity?  The idea of an absolutely evil entity is contrary to most ideologies that stress balance or Yin and Yang. However, Dracula is a very symbolic character so making him an absolutely evil entity is a very bold statement. The first conclusion that arises when looking at Dracula is that he is the manifestation of all things foreign in Britain during the early 20th century. Dracula is not only from Transylvania, but he is also anti-christian in the sense that any holy relic will burn him. Alone, this piece of evidence is insignificant, but in the grand scheme of early 20th Britain, Xenophobia was as big of a topic as it is in the sunbelt states in present-day United States. The greater implications that associate Dracula and the whole Anglo-Saxon superiority novel in general is what makes Dracula a must-read when studying British history.

Dracula in Stoker's famous novel is not just any villain used to create a conflict, he is the central key to the novel. His pure evil essence makes him a unique villain whose implications stem far past the details of the plot.

Review #4-present and future

Currently, we are looking at my favorite author Shakespeare. A genius in any era of time, Shakespeare's words resonate in any body of language. However, what we are looking at is not just Shakespeare, it's Hamlet, his most profound play! Hamlet is a great play because of the diction. While discussing this play in class, it's the words that are of greatest concern. The plot is okay, but nothing special. However, the diction is filled with biblical and philosophical allusions. Hamlet is my favorite character because he a genius who is essentially alone. I think it's interesting to look at a sole hero, acting on his own belief system. Hamlet acting on his love for his parents seeks to avenge his dead father and cleanse his lost mother. However, what may seem to be a physical battle is just about anything but that. Hamlet is looking for redemption in his parent's soles. Yes an intellectual who is very religious and spiritual, to me a unique character. Sorry religious readers, it's not often that you see a man of science, logic and phychology acting as a god-like character. The plays also has many sub-plots decribing women, primarily Ophelia and Getrude, as well as true friednship.

In the future, I see us working on AP test multiple choice stuff and doing more reading in preparation for the exam. I'm not looking forward to this test....

Review #3 looking at the texts

Oh the joys of opening a book... Though I can't read, many of my classmates have enjoyed reading The American Dream, Pride and Prejudice and Ceremony.

Here's a summary/analysis of each:

The American Dream is a satirical play that criticizes the idea of the american dream. Unlike most other novels or plays about the american dream, the main characters, apart from the grandma, remain clueless on the unattainability of the american dream.

Pride and Prejudice by the 19th century Stephanie Meyer(not exactly a compliment), is a novel describing the economic relations of the 1800's through the life of Elizabeth Bennett. While studying the diction of the play as well as the details, I drew the conclusion that many females of the time solely relied on marriage as gaining weath and a future. However, many women were forced to compromise on their indepence which was Jane Austen's biggest critique of the current society.

Ceremony was my least favorite text. mostly because I didn't really understand it. The text was unique and opened my eyes to a different culture and different writing style. It is essentially a composition of oral traditions fused with the american writing style, Silko's writing works on many levels. The implications are very profound as the text itself is meant to be seem as an oral tradition and ceremony within itself.

review #2- Delving into AP land

In the first sememster, we focused on tearing apart a text, AKA close readings. We used Diction, Imagery, Details, Language and Syntax to find effects in texts. These effects are used as evidence to formulate a hypothesis(or meaning) for the piece. In essence, a close read is an experiment. A question is posed, the prompt, and you must use your observations, techniques, to formulate and thesis, hypothesis. Within each technique, there are specific subcategories. These subcategories are essentially how you go about analyzing a text. For instance in diction, you look at the elevation of speech, regionalism, and connotations of certain phrases. These sub categories are what you look through during your second read, when you mark up your text.

The introduction and thesis was another spot that we, as a class, spent a lot of time on. We looked at the three sentence intro format as well as the thesis statement. The thesis must include every aspect of the prompt in order to obtain a high score on the AP exam. The thesis statement is the end product of a string of arguments. These arguments are stated in the topic sentence of each body paragraph and thus elaborated on in the respective body paragraph. Together it forms a cohesive and high scoring essay.

Review #1-The beginning

The beginning of the year consisted of knowledge enhancement. We worked on learning the basics for literary analysis. This includes learning allusions! The Bible and Greek mythology can be found in just about any text. The references are so widespread that they provide a basic foundation of literature and archetypal understanding. These texs are rich with stories that are repeated millions of times through out the course of literary history. Without this knowledge, one's understanding of literary elements would be incomplete. Another interesting thing we did was read Foster's How to Read Literature. This book described certain aspects of literature that are repeated and thus meaningful, such as weather, hansel and gretel and cardinal directions.