Blog #28: Open Prompt Revision 4

1987. Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's views. Avoid plot summary.

    During the time in which Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice, marriage customs were much different than those of today. Young woman were expected to marry older men only for the purpose of reproduction and the accumulation of wealth. However, Austen sought to change this standard and create a marriage the contains love and a true desire to be with each other. By creating relationships between characters that are foreign and unusual of her time and the tone used throughout the novel, Austen attempts to persuade readers that the marriage standards of her time needed to be changed. 

     One marriage custom of Austen’s time was marriage within families. Although this idea differs from that of our time, in the nineteenth century it was deemed acceptable for two cousins to get married to each other. This type of relationship can be found in Pride and Prejudice. In the novel, when Mr. Collins comes to town he decides to marry one of the Bennett girls, his cousins. After much thought and consideration, Mr. Collins decides to propose to Elizabeth, who ultimately rejects his proposal even though she had no other suitable prospects at the time. Mr. Collins goes on to marry Charlotte Lucas, with whom he was not related to. Although marriage between cousins was allowed at the time, Austen’s decision to have Elizabeth reject her cousin was deliberate in showing her disapproval of the custom and her tendency to agree with the need for change in marriage. Because Mr. Collins ends up with a woman that was of his own social class and that was not related to him Austen shows something that she may want to see in a marriage. 

     Although Mr. Darcy has the option to marry whomever he wants, he chooses to marry Elizabeth Bennet even though she is of a lower social class than he. She has significantly less money, her family name is not one that is important to carry on to further generation and in the beginning, shows no interest at all in Mr. Darcy. Darcy fights to win Elizabeth, and in time he does. The love-struck couple soon decides to get married and not worry about the financial and social difference between the two. This was not like many relationships of the nineteenth century. Typically men of the time would marry rich women for their money and status in order to maintain their own family status and inherit the wealth of their wife.. Mr. Darcy however does neither of the two by marrying Elizabeth. With this relationship the key components of a modern day marriage are present. This is very similar to the relationship depicted by Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, showing a strong resemblance to marriages of modern times and Austen’s probable approval of marriages now.
        The tone that Austen uses throughout the novel seem to mock the ideas of the time. In the first pages of the book, Austen pokes fun at the over-bearing tendency of parents of the 19th century by showcasing a conversation between the parents of the Bennet girls. The tone of the conversation is highly critical and harsh towards not only the girls but the parents as well. The tone of the first line of the novel also draws attention to the disapproval that Austen comes to show throughout the rest of her novel. The ironic tone and nature of her first line regarding how all women want a man to marry showcases the theme of the rest of the book, that love isn't always what people thought it would be.

      The relationships shown is this novel defy the standards of 19th century marriage and are a cry of help from Austen asking for change. Not only does Austen defy the standards, she creates many solutions as to what a marriage should look and be like. Though risky at the time, Austen work foreshadowed the marriage concepts of our time and possibly inspired the change.

Blog #27: Ceremony Summary and Analysis

Ceremony: Summary

Author: Leslie Marmon Silko

Setting: Set after World War Two after Tayo comes home from the war taking place a Laguna Pueblo reservation in New Mexico. Some flashbacks do occur taking place in the Philippines during WW2 and other past events in Tayo's life.

Plot: After fighting in WW2, Tayo returns home to a Laguna Pueblo reservation. Once arriving home Tayo must deal with the PTSD (although that's not what the novel calls it) and to bring the rain back to his community. The first flashback appears when Tayo is fighting in WW2, he believed that he saw his uncle Josiah's face in a group of Japanese soldiers he was supposed to shoot, this led Tayo to become mentally unstable during his time in the war. After staying at a hospital to recover, Tayo is allowed to go back home to his family at the reservation. Once returning to the reservation, Tayo feels guilt for the drought occurring, believing it is his fault due to him begging for the rain to cease during the war.

Beside Tayo, other Native Americans fought in the war as well.  Harley, Leroy, Emo, and Pinkie were a few of Tayo's friends that also fought and also came home with the same mental trauma that Tayo faced. These boys only point of the difference between the white people and Native Americans, which is a big problem in Tayo's mind. To help Tayo recover from his mental troubles, Ku'oosh is called to perform a ceremony to help Tayo return to his original mental state, but it is feared that it won't work. After the ceremony, the novel opens up the events of Tayo's past. His cloes relationship with Rocky before his death, the relationship between Josiah and the Night Swan, and the cattle that Josiah and Tayo tended to. Persuaded by the Night Swan, Tayo performs a ceremony to make the rain come again. Tayo is then seduced by the Night Swan. Back in the future, it becomes clear that the ceremony to cure Tayo didn' work. He is then sent to see Betonie who is thought to be able to help Tayo more.  Learning of  Tayo problems, Betonie creates a new ceremony to help Tayo heal. Throughout this process, Tayo learns much about the Native American culture through Betonie.

With the ceremony still in progress, Tayo begins the "hunt" for his Uncle Josiah's cattle. On the way to finding the cattle, Tayo mets Ts'eh and then finds the cattle in a pasture. The cattle run away from the pasture but after honoring the mountain lion and meeting the hunter, the cattle are found again at Ts'eh's house. Finding the cattle however, does not end the drought. Tayo then returns the ranch with Ts'eh where he soon learns that Emo has sent to police after him. Tayo is able to avoid the police, however he must still run from the wrath of Emo, who has joined forces with Harley and Leroy. In order to hide from Emo, Tayo hides in a uranium mine where he discovers that this is the last step of completing the ceremony. From his hiding spot, Tayo sees Emo and Pinkie kill Harley. After making it through the night, Tayo returns to see Ku'oosh and completes the ceremony.

Significant Characters:
-Tayo- Main character of the novel, suffers through PTSD, must find a way to bring the rain back to his reservation through the completion of a ceremony.
-Betonie- Creates a new ceremony to help Tayo bring the rain back to the Laguna Pueblos, very knowledgeable in Native American culture.
-Josiah- Tayo's uncle who's death is never clear to the reader. The major father figure in Tayo's life, who continues to affect it even after his death.
-Emo, Leroy, Pinkie, Harley- Tayo's friends from the war and Laguna Pueblo that also suffer through PTSD, Emo ends up killing Harley in front of Tayo as he hides in the cave.
-Ts'eh- helps Tayo find Josiah's cattle and helps Tayo avoid the police in order for him to complete the ceremony.
-Ku'oosh- The old medicine man that sends Tayo to see Betonie, believe is traditional Laguna Pueblo culture.

Narrative Voice: 3rd person narrative, with an occasional poem in first person

Author's Style: The author uses a lot of diction and figurative language to help make the text seem more interesting and intriguing to the reader. Overall, this novel did not have a specific tone other than the changes between the different scenes of Tayo's life. This tone is mostly shown through a change in the syntax, which switches from typical poems to different forms of poems that correspond with the events occurring in the prose. Other techniques that are used are similes, metaphors, parallelism, repetition, and symbolism. The actions of characters were very clear because of the narration that was used throughout the novel. The third person narrative provides clear directions for the movement and the events occurring with the characters throughout the novel. Motifs and symbols were heavily relied on. Some of the most frequent included circles, colors, and the animals, all adhering to typical Native American customs.

Quotes:

-Quote 1- "Nothing was all good or all bad either; it depended." Probably my favorite quote of the novel. I think that it describes life perfectly and how everything is not all good or all bad, it just depends on how you look at it. I think in essence this quote is saying that life is what you make of it and if you want to find the good or bad in something you can.

-Quote 2- "Here they were, trying to bring back that old feeling, that feeling they belonged to America the way they felt during the war." This quote shows one of the main themes of the book, the importance of the need to combine the Native American and white person culture. This quote shows the desire of the Laguna Pueblo's that fought in the war to be a part of the white man's culture. Through Tayo's disapproval of this quote Silko's desire from integration can be detected. 

Theme: The integration of the Native American and white culture is very important for society to proceed efficiently.

Support of Theme: Syntax is used to show this theme quite often. Long lengthy sentences seem as if the are woven together just like that of a web that is meant to bring together the two cultures. The blurring of memories also achieves a similar effect. The hard distinction between memories is meant to show how the two cultures should blend together in order to create a complete society. Another way that Silko supports this theme is through her extensive detail of the Laguna Pueblo culture. The detail that the author goes into, shows the white people the importance of the culture in order to bring them closer together.

Blog #26: Response to Course Materials 8

After quickly finishing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, we began our study of the novel Ceremony. Finally, for the first time this year, we moved on to a real novel, no longer working with plays. At first, I was very happy to be reading our first novel, but after beginning to read the firs few pages, I discovered that I did not like this novel at all. I found the constant shift of time and the consistent use of circles to be annoying and made the book uninteresting and confusing to me. Another aspect that I struggled with, was the narrative this novel was put in. My favorite novels tend to be in first person narrative, and Ceremony was in third person which made deciphering the events even harder to do. 

It seemed like as soon as we started Ceremony, we finished it. I was very happy about that. Just a few days after finishing we began reading Fifth Business, another novel. This novel on the other hand, I really enjoyed. It moved at the right speed and have a very definite story line that was easy to follow. Many of the aspects of this novel remind me of Catcher in the Rye. The familiarity helped me differentiate what could be information given by an unreliable narrator.

Finally, we had a class presentation on Carl Jung. I found this very interesting. All of the different types of personalities were very interesting and applicable to the events and characters in the Fifth Business.

Blog #25: Open Prompt Revision 3

2008, Form B. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

      A person's childhood leads to some of the most important moments in a life. People grow, learn new traits, and face some of the hardest struggles that will affect them for a life time. Childhood and adolescence portrayed, shape the story as a whole whether it be in a good or a bad way. In the novel Finding Fish, Antwone Fisher's childhood is depicted throughout the first half of the novel. Through the terror and verbal abuse written about in this novel, the work as a whole takes on a whole new meaning. Instead of being a retelling of Antwone's life, because of his childhood this novel becomes a story of strength and perseverance.

     After being put into the foster care system, Antwone is sent to live with the Pickett family, consisting of Mizz Picket, Reverend Pickett, and two other foster care children. Within a few chapters of the novel it is clear that the Pickett's are only in it for the money provided for caring for foster children. Through the verbal and physical abuse suffered, Antwone's childhood takes on a whole new meaning and shape how he behaves in the future and the rest of the novel. Throughout the abuse, Antwone manages to continue through school and one day become a member of the Navy, showing a true strength that not many abused children are able to feel. The ultimate sign of strength and perseverance found in this novel is Antwone's final encounter with Dwight, where Antwone sees how his life could have ended. From the abuse to the Navy, the childhood that Antwone faced and his rise to the top create a meaning of hope throughout the novel. Because of the extreme circumstances that Antwone was raised in, his rise to the top at the Navy provides the reader with a sense of accomplishment and the feeling that there is hope for anyone, not matter how bad their past may be. 

     Along with suffering the abuse from Mizz Pickett, Antwone is also sexually abused by his babysitter. These encounters shape how Antwone behaves with others in the rest of the novel. Distant at first, Antwone was fearful to show emotion or connect with anyone with his life. Until meeting a therapist in the Navy, Antwone was closed off and unable to put the past behind him. Remarkably, his is able to share his story and take strength from all that he has been through. By finally opening up, the transformation of Antwone is complete. The represents the story coming full circle, and creating the notion that his childhood no longer has a lasting impact on his actions. 

     A childhood, good or bad, shapes the way a person's life progresses. Whether in real life or in a piece of fiction, the meaning of a person's life story can be dramatically changed by how they are raised.

Blog #24: Summary of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead"

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead: Summary

Author: Tom Stoppard

Setting: Most of the time very obscure, both the audience and reader are unsure of actual whereabouts, unless the action of the play was coinciding with Hamlet where the action takes place in a castle in Denmark

Plot: The play starts with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern flipping coins. Both men have no clue where they are, how long they have been there, or what exactly they are doing. Soon they remember that a messenger from Denmark has sent for them and they are on their way to the castle, the reason however is unknown to them. On their journey, R and G ask stupid, pointless questions and try to find out some of the most basic things, their name, where they are, etc. They then come encounter with the player. The player offers them a performance (not just a play) and wagers with them were he "looses". Throughout the first encounter with the player, his movement is limited and his actions are somewhat shady. Then men continue onto Elsinore where they are informed by the king that they are to spy on Hamlet to find out the cause of his lunacy. Here there is some direct language from Shakespeare's work. The player and his troupe then show up at Elsinore and they are set to perform a play for the castle. During part of this act, the players perform portions of Hamlet and then also the play that was performed in Hamlet. After the play is performed, it is decided that R and G will take Hamlet to England. After a blackout, the men end up on a boat on their way to England. Again they question where they are, who they are, and what exactly they are supposed to be doing. On this boat pirates hijack it and take Hamlet. The letter that was once written by the King was swapped out by one that was written by Hamlet. R and G notice the switch but still end up giving the King the letter even though it ordered the death of R and G. The play ends after Horatio's monologue at the end of Hamlet.

Significant Characters:

-Rosencrantz- Very childish, empty minded, lacks the ability to think about the bigger picture, little social graces (unless in the presence of characters from Hamlet), less worried about the big things, more concerned with the trivial questions (who are we, etc.), seems good-hearted but acts the wrong way because of this, scared of what is to come after they leave Elsinore.  

-Guildenstern- More mature of the two, tries to think logically but frequently looses that effect due to malapropisms and other issues, wants to think about the bigger picture but lost in the childish thoughts of Rosencrantz, tries to adhere to the social norms, asks bigger picture questions, wants to find out the truth, accepts his fate and isn't concerned about where he will end up.

-The Player- Seems to appear everywhere, even if it is illogical, questions the actions of R and G, makes the audience the reality of this play and Hamlet, everywhere is a stage for him, frequently makes R and G attempt to think about whether we have a fate or free will.

Narrative Voice: None, this is a play

Author's Style: The author uses a lot of diction and figurative language to help make the text seem more interesting and intriguing to the reader. Overall, this play did not have a specific tone other than the changes between Stoppard's words and Shakespeare's words. This tone is mostly shown through a change in the syntax, which switches from more modern day English to more old English specific to Shakespeare. Other techniques that are used are malapropism, similes, metaphors, parallelism, repetition, and symbolism. One technique unique to this play was the extensive use of stage directions. This left a more strict interpretation and played on the theme of fate vs free will. Because this was a play there wasn't a specific point of view for the reader to follow, other than in the stage directions. Motifs and symbols were heavily relied on. Some of the most frequent included the coins, flute music, and the determining the direction of the wind.

Quotes:

-Quote 1- "Audiences know what to expect, and that is all they are prepared to believe in." This quote is one of the times where the audience questions just how much  R and G know. It leads us to question whether they know that this is a play, if it is real, are they performing, is Hamlet a device that is just used in the play? This quote is both applicable to plays and the actual expectations in life. 

-Quote 2- "Words, words. They’re all we have to go on." This is one of my favorite quotes found in the play. I think there are so many meanings to it and that depending on the person it can mean something very different. In the part of the play the men only have what they have heard and read (words) to rely on, they don't really have any experience. This plays on the theme of childhood and extends the idea of the lack of knowledge that R and G have.

Theme: One them found in the play is the idea that our fates are predetermined and that we have no control over what happens.

Support of Theme: Support for this theme can be found within the stage directions. Because the directions are so specific it leaves the characters little room to determine their own actions and the reader little room to image what the author wants/means by certain actions and sayings. Another piece of evidence of this theme is the final act of the play. At the end R and G know that the letter to the King of England is requesting their death, but yet they still give it to him. This shows that even though they may still want to live they give the letter to the king because it is their fate and it cannot be changed. 

Blog #23: Response to Course Materials 7

Finally, it seems that we are all done with Hamlet. Even though we haven't been reading it recently, working with Rosencratz and Guildenstern obviously led to more conversation about Hamlet and the comparison of the two. Even though I am sick of Hamlet and his craziness, I appreciated the time that we spent discussing how the two plays interact. The idea I liked the most was the idea that Hamlet was just a play in "R & G are Dead". It was hard to wrap my head around it at first but after thinking about it, I was shocked about how possible it could be. 

Now, we have moved on to more of the AP preparations. We were able to do a practice closed prompt and luckily Ms. Holmes reviewed the basics of writing an AP style essay. I think the essays will be the hardest part of the test. For me, it takes a while just to find out the meaning and by then time will be up even before I write the actual essay. I think that the more practice I can get now will definitely help later on, even if I hate having to write the essay in class.

Blog #22: Open Prompt Revision 2

2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
   

     First impressions are always very important, even in a piece of literature. Often, an event in the past can shape the whole future of the book. This is the case in Pride and Prejudice. In the first few chapters of Pride and Prejudice there is a huge party held at Mr. Bingley's mansion. At this gathering, lasting impressions are made and shape the story as it progresses. Because of the party, the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy seems more unlikely than before and contributes to the message that Jane Austen attempts to convey through the text. Through the use of past events, Austen creates an unlikely relationship that greatly differs from those of her time to show her disapproval of the marriage customs of her time.

    Being the first introduction to most of the characters in the play, this party goes into detail about the personality of the main characters in this novel. Here, the reader can see just how different all of the Bennet sisters are. Lydia is young and slightly wild, Elizabeth is has bit of a temper and is stubborn, and finally, Jane who is kind and overall very compassionate toward others. Their personalities shape the way in which the interact at this party and with the others there. The distinct difference tend to determine the types of relationships these women hold later on in the novel. Lydia runs off with Wickham with little thought beforehand, showing her young personality with this relationship. Jane’s attitude is showcased in her relationship with Mr. Bingley and the slow and gentle nature of it. These relationships started at the party continue throughout the novel.

     In the case of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, this is one event that shapes their relationship for the duration of the book. After overhearing Mr. Darcy talking about her, Elizabeth is quick to pass judgement on him. Because of this, Elizabeth sees Mr. Darcy as full of himself and not worth her time. This affects the dynamic of their relationship throughout the whole book. Mr. Darcy begins to fall for Elizabeth, however she is reluctant to let him into her life. Elizabeth associates Darcy, with the first time she met him for the majority of the book. She has trouble putting the past behind her with Darcy and denies each one of his romantic advances. After much effort is put in on Mr. Darcy's part, the painful past slowly leaves Elizabeth's mind and eventually leads to them being together. The unlikely relationship created despite a horrid first impression helps Austen prove that if two people are meant to be together they will be. Their relationship is specifically created to showcase the love that Austen wishes that she could have.