Author:
Edward Albee; semi-absurdist, but the play actually goes somewhere. One of his first popular plays.
Setting:
Minimal, which undermines the stability of the comfortable American family. Mommy and Daddy's living room, two arm chairs and a sofa. No time is given in the setting, but the play was written in the late 1950s, early 1960s.
Plot:
Mommy and Daddy are waiting in their living room a mysterious visitor, who is apparently late. Mommy recaps her hat-buying adventures from the previous, explaining how she had finally gotten satisfaction out of the experience. While they're waiting, Grandma comes into the room carrying as many boxes as she can. Mommy and Daddy notice how nicely the boxes are wrapped, but Grandma won't tell them what's in any of the boxes. Grandma accuses Mommy of being a tramp, always planning on marrying for money. At this point, the visitor, Mrs.Barker, arrives. No one knows why she is there, other than the fact that Mommy and Daddy called her. There are multiple power struggles between Grandma, Mommy, and Mrs.Barker, comprising most of the play. Mommy sends Daddy to break Mommy's TV and then goes to get Mrs.Barker a drink, leaving Mrs.Barker and Grandma alone. Grandma gives Mrs.Barker a hint as to why she's there, telling her a story about a couple "very much like" Mommy and Daddy adopting a child, but being dissatisfied with it. They torture and end up killing the child, and have now called Mrs.Barker because they want satisfaction in the form of a new child. The doorbell then rings and in waltzes the Young Man. He talks to Grandma about his twin who he was separated from and doesn't know what happened to him. Grandma mentions he looks remarkably like Mommy and Daddy's other child. Grandma gets an idea and tells Mrs.Barker to pretend she brought the Young Man for Mommy and Daddy. Grandma then leaves with her boxes, and the rest of the family (plus Mrs.Barker) drink some bad wine in celebration of the "satisfaction" of adopting the Young Man.
Characters (because they're all significant):
Mommy- Mommy is very controlling, but childish. She does just about anything, including throwing a fit and killing a child, to get satisfaction. Mommy is also portrayed as the masculine one in her relationship with Daddy. She is constantly in a power struggle, whether it's with Grandma or Mrs.Barker. Mommy is very materialistic and commodifies satisfaction, and pretty much everything else in life.
Daddy- Daddy is essentially a woman. He Mommy's inferior, contradicting the societal norms of the time. Daddy doesn't seem to be able to think for himself, mostly just repeating what Mommy says. The few times he does differ from Mommy is when he's sticking up for Grandma. He also agrees with Mommy in that it's nearly impossible to get satisfaction these days.
Grandma- Grandma represents the "old" American dream. She's the least materialistic character in the play and usually provides the logical side of things. Grandma has more morals and a better sense of reality than the other characters of the play.
Mrs.Barker- Mrs.Barker is constantly referred to in the plural, which lead me to see her as a representation of the media promoting the American dream.
Young Man- The Young Man is the most materialistic of the characters, saying he'll do anything for money. He's handsome, strong, and incapable of feeling. He represents the new American dream, coming in as Grandma goes out.
Style:
As mentioned earlier, Albee uses an absurdist point of view in writing The American Dream. Although the play is not completely absurdist because it does progress (thought quite confusingly...), it has absurdist elements such as repetition, civilized people acting in uncivilized ways, lack of cause and effect, and the breakdown of communication. Albee's tone contributes greatly to the humor of the play. By using a light, fun tone while talking about murdering a child or sexual acts, Albee essentially forces the audience to laugh. The uncomfortable, private, and serious are made public and reduced to having little to no importance, and this contradiction causes laughter. The most prominent example of imagery is when Grandma tells Mrs.Barker about Mommy and Daddy killing their first child, though even then, there aren't too many gory details that really put a good picture in the reader's head. The major element of symbolism in The American Dream comes in the forms of Grandma and the Young Man. Grandma symbolizes the old American dream, with traditional values. The Young Man symbolizes the new American dream, materialistic and emotionless.
Quotes:
"WHAT a masculine Daddy! Isn't he a masculine Daddy?" (74)
~This quote shows Mommy's control over Daddy. She gave him his masculinity and a few lines later, she takes it away when she calls him a woman. It also makes me think of someone talking to a dog, which further proves her control.
"A bumble; a bumble of joy" (97).
~ This is just the beginning of dehumanizing of the baby Mommy and Daddy killed. The baby didn't give them the satisfaction they wanted, so Mommy and Daddy mutilated him. By calling him an "it" and "bumble", the child is dehumanized and makes the act seem a tiny bit less repulsive.
"I'll do almost anything for money" (109).
~The Young Man says this when Grandma asks him what kind of work he's looking for. This really captures the new American dream and its materialism and lack of emotion.
Theme: The American dream is corrupt.
~ Albee's title, The American Dream, is a clear indication that the play will represent his ideas on the American dream. With Grandma (the old American dream) leaving as the Young Man (the new American dream) comes in, Albee is showing a replacement of artificial values for real values. The Young Man values money and only money, whereas Grandma valued hard work and family. As stated earlier, the minimal setting undermines the stability of a comfortable American family. The imagery of the mutilation of the first child also shows the intense mutilation of real values in order to get "satisfaction". The light tone Albee uses also supports this theme by making it fairly obvious he was trying to satirize the artificial values people had adopted, such as the color of a hat.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
15 Hawaiian Minutes
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/21/opinion/change-the-list-voter-turnout-hawaii/index.html
The article I chose is titled "Hawaii: The state that doesn't vote." As I'm sure you've guessed, it's about Hawaii having the lowest voter turn out and why. It's insanely long, but the author definitely creates a feeling of understanding of, and even agreement with, why Hawaiians are unlikely to vote.
Diction:
Toward the beginning of the article, Sutter uses words like "apathetic" and "bum" to create (or reinforce) the image of the lazy, happy-go-lucky Hawaiian surfer. He attributes the lack of voting to theses qualities in the people, then goes on to tell how he was wrong. Later, when describing the voter turn out of the leeward side of Oahu, he uses the word "desert", which is generally associated with bad. The lack of water translated to the lack of voters, and the extreme heat translated to the extreme dissatisfaction he talked about earlier in the article. At the end of the article, Sutter's description of the non-voters in Hawaii does a 180. Instead of being apathetic bums, he says the voters were "cared" when it came to political issues. A fairly weak word by itself, cared becomes strong and pointed when it's contrasted with apathetic.
Syntax:
Sutter uses a lot of rhetorical questions in this article. One entire paragraph is made up of questions he obviously doesn't expect the reader to answer. He asks, "That's a lot of pressure, right? On the trip, I definitely felt it. Throughout the journey -- and, let's be honest, pretty much life -- I was plagued with doubt: Is our money-hungry, attack-heavy, non-responsive democracy too far gone? Is apathy too entrenched? What if the choice of candidates isn't good enough? Does one cote out of millions actually matter? And isn't surfing more fun than voting, anyway?" Obviously, surfing is more fun than voting. By using this technique, Sutter makes the article more interesting and humorous, which is good considering its length. He also uses short sentences, set off as their own paragraph, for emphasis. For example, "I wasn't sure how I would react" and "She was outrages" easily could have been tagged onto the end of their preceding paragraphs. But by making them their own paragraphs, Sutter makes the reader think about how they would react or feel.
Imagery:
Let's be honest here, not a lot of extremely vivid images are needed to create the desired images of Hawaii. And Sutter clearly understood that. He doesn't go to a lot of trouble to create images of the islands, but it's still possible to see exactly what he wants the reader to see. In fact, he actually completely relies on what you have in your mind when he says, "The Maui where Elle Cochran grew up is exactly like the one you picture in your mind, especially if, like me before this trip, you've seen 'Lilo and Stitch' but never been to Hawaii." And that's all it takes for the reader to picture the sand, the waves, and the sunshine he was them to see. He describes his trip, simply, as a "romp through paradise", which captures the image of Hawaii and the lifestyle there perfectly, without needing to use strong imagery.
The article I chose is titled "Hawaii: The state that doesn't vote." As I'm sure you've guessed, it's about Hawaii having the lowest voter turn out and why. It's insanely long, but the author definitely creates a feeling of understanding of, and even agreement with, why Hawaiians are unlikely to vote.
Diction:
Toward the beginning of the article, Sutter uses words like "apathetic" and "bum" to create (or reinforce) the image of the lazy, happy-go-lucky Hawaiian surfer. He attributes the lack of voting to theses qualities in the people, then goes on to tell how he was wrong. Later, when describing the voter turn out of the leeward side of Oahu, he uses the word "desert", which is generally associated with bad. The lack of water translated to the lack of voters, and the extreme heat translated to the extreme dissatisfaction he talked about earlier in the article. At the end of the article, Sutter's description of the non-voters in Hawaii does a 180. Instead of being apathetic bums, he says the voters were "cared" when it came to political issues. A fairly weak word by itself, cared becomes strong and pointed when it's contrasted with apathetic.
Syntax:
Sutter uses a lot of rhetorical questions in this article. One entire paragraph is made up of questions he obviously doesn't expect the reader to answer. He asks, "That's a lot of pressure, right? On the trip, I definitely felt it. Throughout the journey -- and, let's be honest, pretty much life -- I was plagued with doubt: Is our money-hungry, attack-heavy, non-responsive democracy too far gone? Is apathy too entrenched? What if the choice of candidates isn't good enough? Does one cote out of millions actually matter? And isn't surfing more fun than voting, anyway?" Obviously, surfing is more fun than voting. By using this technique, Sutter makes the article more interesting and humorous, which is good considering its length. He also uses short sentences, set off as their own paragraph, for emphasis. For example, "I wasn't sure how I would react" and "She was outrages" easily could have been tagged onto the end of their preceding paragraphs. But by making them their own paragraphs, Sutter makes the reader think about how they would react or feel.
Imagery:
Let's be honest here, not a lot of extremely vivid images are needed to create the desired images of Hawaii. And Sutter clearly understood that. He doesn't go to a lot of trouble to create images of the islands, but it's still possible to see exactly what he wants the reader to see. In fact, he actually completely relies on what you have in your mind when he says, "The Maui where Elle Cochran grew up is exactly like the one you picture in your mind, especially if, like me before this trip, you've seen 'Lilo and Stitch' but never been to Hawaii." And that's all it takes for the reader to picture the sand, the waves, and the sunshine he was them to see. He describes his trip, simply, as a "romp through paradise", which captures the image of Hawaii and the lifestyle there perfectly, without needing to use strong imagery.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
This one time, in 1984
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.
In his novel 1984, George Orwell creates a society referred to as a dystopia:
the opposite of a utopian society. The Party is always watching, always right,
and completely in control. Winston Smith, the main character of the novel, has
generally accepted these truths until the point in his life where the novel begins.
As the novel progresses, Winston goes from an upstanding member of society to a
recurring rule breaker and back again.
To prevent a revolution, the Party monitors
the thoughts of the citizens. Thinking about breaking the rules is breaking the
rules. In fact, thinking badly about the Party or Big Brother is considered the
worst crime one can commit. At the beginning of the novel, Winston has decided
to write a diary, even though the act could get him killed. He finds ways to be
out of view of monitors and hides his diary in case the Party searches his
apartment. Winston hates the Party and the rules they set forth and defies the
standards of the society he lives in by recording these thoughts in a diary.
As part of their reign, the Party
outlaws sex for any purpose other than creating children. The Party chooses who
each person will marry to ensure there is no physical attraction between them
that could lead to breaking this rule. Winston, however, finds himself more and
more frustrated with the Party and its rules. After receiving a note from a
girl at work, Julia, that had the word “I love you” written on it, Winston
begins an affair. Constantly finding new places to meet so the Party won’t
catch them, Winston and Julia form a relationship based on the physical
attraction and love the Party tries so hard to prevent. Although both are
members of the Outer Party, Winston and Julia go against the societal norms to
be together.
As his big act of rebellion,
Winston attempts to join the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is a group no one
seems to know much about, other than they work to overthrow the Party and Big
Brother. The Party emphasizes that the leader of the Brotherhood is the most
dangerous man alive, and as a general rule, society believes this. The standard
in the society is to fear the Brotherhood and distrust anyone who seems
affiliated with them. However, Winston thinks the Party is lying. He does not
believe the Brotherhood is dangerous, and even seeks out O’Brien, whom he
believes to be a member of this mysterious organization.
Throughout 1984, George Orwell paints a picture of the many different ways
Winston Smith defies societal standards and goes his own way. Whether it is
having a forbidden relationship, recording his criminal thoughts, or attempting
to join the Brotherhood, it is clear that Winston has had enough of the
standards his dystopian society holds.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Wait... tell me one more time. What's the American dream?
I think the best way for me to do this is probably chronologically. So I'm going to start with literary movements. I've taken American Lit and Brit Lit, and a lot of this was review for me. But I definitely never learned about The Analogy of the Cave or Aristotle, so that was a great addition to my literary knowledge. Although it means one more thing to remember, it's one more tool to use when analyzing a piece of literature. And I'm could use as many options as possible to help me analyze the pieces that are going to be on the AP test. As for the critical lenses, the one that was the most new to me was the Post-colonial lens. It makes sense to have a new lens when something huge (like having or being a colony) changes. I definitely need to work on those definitions, though.
Next, The American Dream. I have only one question: what? I have yet to start my individual close reading of the play, and I'm sure that will help me understand, but right now, I'm completely lost. Which character is supposed to portray the American dream? How does the author define the American dream? And why on Earth can they not find Grandma's room? The article by Ervin Beck did help a little bit, but I still have some work to do before I actually understand the piece. I'm probably going to have to reread some of the articles about theater of the absurd and comedy to grasp some of the deeper meaning in the play.
Last but not least, our practice close reading essay. I was actually surprised by how much I picked out of the poem on my own. However, to get the real meaning of the individual pieces I looked at, I had to discuss things with three different people. Which, obviously, won't be allowed on the test. I'm sure I'll get better with finding meaning as the year goes on, but I'm probably going to need to do some extra work to be where I want to be come May. Especially when it comes to syntax. I understand the DIDL part of DIDLS, but I reallllly need to work on the S. It's not that I don't know what syntax is, it's more that I don't know how to apply it, or how to figure out how an author applied it.
I'm actually excited to work on the shortcomings I've had so far. Which is weird for me. I usually hate admitting I'm not where I want to be academically. So I guess that shows some growth that's come from this class. It's more of a growth in character than in academics, but hey, growth is growth.
Next, The American Dream. I have only one question: what? I have yet to start my individual close reading of the play, and I'm sure that will help me understand, but right now, I'm completely lost. Which character is supposed to portray the American dream? How does the author define the American dream? And why on Earth can they not find Grandma's room? The article by Ervin Beck did help a little bit, but I still have some work to do before I actually understand the piece. I'm probably going to have to reread some of the articles about theater of the absurd and comedy to grasp some of the deeper meaning in the play.
Last but not least, our practice close reading essay. I was actually surprised by how much I picked out of the poem on my own. However, to get the real meaning of the individual pieces I looked at, I had to discuss things with three different people. Which, obviously, won't be allowed on the test. I'm sure I'll get better with finding meaning as the year goes on, but I'm probably going to need to do some extra work to be where I want to be come May. Especially when it comes to syntax. I understand the DIDL part of DIDLS, but I reallllly need to work on the S. It's not that I don't know what syntax is, it's more that I don't know how to apply it, or how to figure out how an author applied it.
I'm actually excited to work on the shortcomings I've had so far. Which is weird for me. I usually hate admitting I'm not where I want to be academically. So I guess that shows some growth that's come from this class. It's more of a growth in character than in academics, but hey, growth is growth.
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