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.
Hi Bri,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job on this response to course material. You connected each thing we learned in class to what you thought about it and what experiences you had. I could definitely relate to some of your experiences, like already learning about the literary movements (I took AmLit and BritLit as well), but also adding to my knowledge with other topics we discussed in class.
I liked how you said you weren't very good at some of the things we did in class. I totally agree that it's hard for some of us to realize this, but that the realization will help us grow as readers and writers. You are definitely not alone on this aspect. I was also confused about "The American Dream", but now that we have had many discussions in class and I have done the close reading, I think I understand it better. I hope you do too.
Overall, your response was very nice. I don't have anything bad to say about it. Good job!
I had never seen the cave either it was kind of interesting! But i agree that the American Dream is a little confusing and I think its because it is an absurd play!
ReplyDeleteEmily Mackson
Honestly, the American Dream was a lot of nonsense to me the first time through as well. It seemed to me like a cross between Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" and reality TV. After our in-class discussions, however, things started to come together, though my interpretation tended not to match that of the class. Since we don't have Albee here to explain it to us, however, don't get caught thinking there is only one way to interpret the play. Plays offer a lot of room for directors to create their own meaning, so you as a reader can do the same.
ReplyDeleteNoah Symanzik