Revision: Open Prompt #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.

           Dystopian novels are commonly written throughout ages of change and political commotion. Authors of those types of novels most likely write them to warn readers what may happen in the future if things continue to change for the worse. In the novel, 1984, the author, George Orwell, uses themes to show people what moral and ethical implications a totalitarian government may have on its citizens.
            One theme that Orwell uses is the control of the mind. The Party (government) alters the news and books to change the history that portrays them in bad light. The Party also monitors the citizens carefully and 24/7. The citizens are not allowed to think or speak rebellious thoughts (thoughtcrime) and are forced to suppress sexual urges. Children are turned into Junior Spies to rat out people that commit those crimes. In addition, the Party creates a new language called Newspeak that contains no rebellious words so that people won't think or speak rebellious thoughts.
            Another theme that Orwell includes is the control of the mind. The Party uses immoral and unethical tactics to crack Winston Smith (protagonist). The Party takes Julia (Winston's secret girlfriend) away and forces Winston into Room 101. They threaten to let a bunch of rats (Winston's biggest fear) eat his face unless he gives up Julia. Winston tells the Party to do it to Julia instead and in the end, Winston loves the Party. The Party also forces citizens to do physically demanding workouts every morning. If anyone defies the Party or commits a crime, the Party punishes them severly until they learn to love the Party (like what they did to Winston).
              These themes serve as warnings to what may happen if countries convert to totalitarianism. The citizens and society will be oppressed morally and ethically.

Summary/Analysis: Ceremony

Author:
Leslie Marmon Silko is a Native American writer. She is a mixed race of white, Mexican, and Laguna Pueblo. Some of her notable works are Storyteller and Ceremony.

Setting:
Laguna Reservations in America.

Significant Characters:
Tayo-
Tayo suffers from PTSD after returning from war. He struggles with his identity, not really fitting in any community because he is half-white and half-Laguna. He has to complete a ceremony to bring order back into the world and to cure himself and others.
Auntie-
Auntie excludes Tayo and blames him and his mom for causing the neighborhood to gossip about their family. She excludes Tayo often and doesn't treat him like a son.
Josiah-
He was Tayo's uncle who taught him Native American traditions and how to herd cattle. Tayo is crushed when Josiah dies and has to learn to how to get over his death and move on.
Emo-
The villian of the play, Emo has had a hatred of Tayo since childhood. He doesn't approve of Tayo's mixed race and after the war, transforms into a drinking, raged mess.

Narrative Voice-
The narrative voice changes quite often, especially between the main story and the poem. For the most part, the narrator is of a third person view, telling the story of Tayo and his past.

Plot Summary-
Tayo comes back from war and is very sick. Grandma sends him to Ku'oosh, the medicine man, and Tayo later sees Betonie, another medicine man. Betonie instructs Tayo to complete a ceremony in order to cure himself and the community. Tayo goes on his journey, which involves looking for Josiah's cattle, encountering a mountain lion, and meeting the Night Swan and the Yellow Woman. The Yellow Woman warns Tayo that Emo is trying to kill him, so Tayo hides from him. At the end of the story, Tayo and the community are cured and the ceremony is complete.

Quotes-
"It seems like I already heard these stories before—only thing is, the names sound different."
This quote shows the circle theme in that everything eventually comes back around in a huge cycle. Grandma said that the stories are always the same, but the people involved in those stories are different each time.

"Here they were, trying to bring back that old feeling, that feeling they belonged to America the way they felt during the war."
This shows that the Tayo's Laguna friends want to feel like they are included by other Americans because the only way they actually felt that was when they were at war, fighting with the other Americans. It incorporates the theme of combining different cultures into one.  

Style-Silko uses many symbols, imagery, and diction to enhance her story. The symbols of colors show different moods and themes. For example, grey symbolizes the merging of two different cultures: Laguna and American. Imagery is shown throughout the book, especially in various flashbacks of the war. Diction like "intricacy" and "entaglement" add to the description of the imagery.

Theme-
One of the major themes is the importance of tradition. In the Native American culture, preserving traditions through stories, actions, and ceremonies is very important, but the traditions must also change and mold to fit with the new values and culture of the current society.

Response to Course Material #8

           With only a month left before the AP Exam, I'm starting to get a bit nervous! I definitely need the most work on the essay writing, but I also want to get as much multiple choice practice in as I can too. Throughout this past year, I feel like my analyzing skills have gotten better, it's just a matter of putting that analysis into words with good claims and warrants that I struggle with.
           Over the last few weeks, we have finished reading, discussing, and annotating Ceremony. This book was definitely the hardest to annotate, as it was extremely long and detailed, with many hidden meanings woven into it. I think that the background knowledge, poems, and culture that this book came with made the story quite interesting to read. I found myself constantly underlining symbols like the circles, directions, and colors that were described over and over again. It was as if Silko deliberately did this to attract attention to those symbols. I thought it was cool that although all the poems were scattered within the book, at the end of the story, those poems came together to create a giant story. Although it took my forever to annotate this book, it is really one of my favorite books we have read this year!
          We have just started to read Fifth Business. Even though I'm only a couple pages into it since I was absent for a couple of days, I can already tell that it will be a great read. It reads much quicker than the rest of the previous books we have read and best of all: we don't need to annotate it! :) I'm excited to finish reading this book and practice for the AP exam. We're in the home stretch!

Revision: Open Prompt #1

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.
      
           In the series of Harry Potter, many characters' childhoods affected who they became and the decisions they made. Harry Potter, Severus Snape, and Tom Riddle all had troubled pasts, but each of them chose a different path to take in their later lives. 
            Although Harry was raised by his rude aunt and uncle and was buillied by his cousin, he didn't let them affect him. In his childhood, he chose to ignore his family and stayed out of the way by spending his time in his room under the stairs. Later on, he relied on his friends to help him reach his destiny of defeating Lord Voldemort. He pushed his sad past away from his mind and focused on his goals.
             Severus Snape also had a broken family. His mom and muggle dad constantly fought, but like Harry, he chose to avoid them. His parents arguments led him to hate muggles and join the Death Eaters. But, his choice of joining the Order of Pheonix to spy on the Death Eaters helped Harry win the war against Lord Voldemort.
           Although Tom Riddle had a sad childhood (he lived in an orphanage) like Harry and Snape, he chose a different path than them. He spent his childhood bullying other orphans and leading them into dangerous situations. He continued to gain followers as he grew older and used dark magic to obtain his goal: to avoid death. Unlike Harry and Snape, Riddle showed how a troubled childhood can lead to a even more troubled life.
            JK Rowling's representation of these unfortunate childhoods enforces her theme of the importance of choices. Like the wise words of Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, "You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be,"  it does not matter if one doesn't have a happy childhood, but rather how he lets that affect him and his choices (Rowling 708). Rowling uses this theme to not only teach readers about growing up and making good decisions, but also to develop her charcters and create her storyline. As a whole, the different choices of different characters shape the story of this series by creating a hero, villian, and a helpful spy.

Summary/Analysis: R&G

Author:
Tom Stoppard is a famous Czech-British playwright of the National Theatre. He has translated some plays into English and co-wrote the screenplay of Shakespeare in Love. He also wrote Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead which is based off of the play, Hamlet.

Setting: 
This book takes place in the middle of nowhere, in Hamlet's court, and on a boat.

Significant Characters:
Rosencrantz-He is Guildenstern's best friend and Hamlet's childhood friend. He is more carefree and easygoing than Guildenstern. He is a very simple man and doesn't delve into meanings or solutions in depth. He is usually pretty positive and always tries to cheer up Guildenstern.
Guildenstern-
He is Rosencrantz's best friend and Hamlet's childhood friend. He is more practical and reasonable than Rosencrantz, and always tries to see the implications, consequences, and meanings of actions and events. He often gets angry and frustrated with Rosencrantz, but nonetheless is a loyal and good friend.
The Player-
He leads the Tragedians in performing plays. The Player understands more than others think. He is very witty, confident, and mysterious. He isn't just an actor, acting is his life.
Hamlet-
He is the childhood friend of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He is the Prince of Denmark, the Queen's son, and nephew of King Claudius. He misses his father and is unhappy with his mother, his uncle, and the society he lives in.

Narrative Voice:
N/A because it is a play.

Plot:
R&G are flipping coins when the tragedians approach them. The player asks them to participate in their play, but Guildenstern makes a bet with the player. The player loses the bet and because he cannot pay, he has to perform his play for R&G. Later, Claudius tells R&G that he wants them to spy on Hamlet, so R&G play a question-answer game to practice finding out why Hamlet has gone mad. After the play is performed, R&G escort Hamlet to England on a boat. R&G can't decide what to do with the letter that Claudius gave them, so when they are sleeping, Hamlet rewrites the letter ordering R&G's execution instead of his. Guildenstern reads the letter and tells Rosencrantz that they are going to die. Guildenstern stabs the player with the player's knife, but it turns out that it was a fake knife and the player faked his death. The scene shifts to where all of the dead bodies are lying on the floor back in Elsinore.

Quotes:
"'I'm talking about death - and you've never experienced that. And you cannot act it,'" (Stoppard 123).
This quote refers to Shakespeare's theme of a play with in a play. The player and the tradegians think that they are in a constant play and they are continuously acting. But, Guildenstern said that as much as they can try to act out death, they can never truly and accurately act it out because they have never experienced it. This sets up the next event where Guildenstern tries to kill the player with the fake knife.

"'Now for a handful of guilders I happen to have a private and uncut performance of The Rape of the Sabine Women - or rather woman, or rather Alfred-'" (Stoppard 26).
This quote shows that there are no women characters in this story (besides the Queen, but that is because she is a character in Hamlet). This may mean that women weren't cast as actors in that time period, so they had to have males play female roles. It may also show indicate that women had little respect, authority, or identity as they are barely represented in R&G.

Style:
Stoppard uses imagery, detail, symbolism, tone, and diction in this play. There is no point of view since it is a play and there is no narrator. Imagery and detail frequently used in this play, especially in the stage directions, to show what R&G are doing, "Guil takes another coin, spins it, catches it, turns it over on to his other hand, looks at it, and throws it to Ros, who puts it in his bag," (Stoppard 15). Stoppard uses tone to show how the characters are feeling. For example, "Guil (explodes): 'Don't be stupid,'" indicates that Guildenstern is feeling frustrated with Rosencrantz. Symbolism is also used in this play, like how the coins represent the opposite sides of the personalities of R&G. For example, Rosencrantz is optimistic and happy, while Guildenstern is pessimistic and concerned. Diction like "moroseness", "convulses", and "gleaned" add to the description of characters and events in the play.

Theme:
One of the major themes is the inability to make decisions. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are always lost and cannot decide which direction they want to go or why they are there. One decision that they have the opportunity to decide is what to do with the letter. Unfortunately, they can't decide on anything and this leads to their death, as Hamlet sneakily changes what the letter says to order their death.

Response to Course Material #7

           So far this month, we have finished reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. After class discussions and explanations from Ms. Holmes, I realized that R&G actually had more depth and meaning to it than I had originally thought. I liked how this play was not only comical, but also had great themes in it, like death. After annotating, I could definitely see how R&G related closely to Hamlet.
           We have also done some closed essay prompt practice. I think with each practice we have done, I have gotten better at pointing out claims and evidence within the text, but the analyzing and explaining is the hardest part. The prompts are quite tricky as well, since Ms. Holme's has pointed out that there could be more than one meaning behind a prompt and that you have to talk about both meanings to recieve a decent score. This scares me a bit because I am great at finding the obvious meaning, but it takes me a while to find the second and deeper meaning to the text.
            Finally, we have just started reading Ceremony. I like how Ms. Holmes taught us history about the culture of the tribe. It definitely cleared some of my confusion about this story. I think this book is one of the harder texts we have read this year and I am looking forward to finishing the book, as it is quite interesting to read!

Revision: Open Prompt #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.

           Dystopian novels are commonly written throughout ages of change and political commotion. Authors of those types of novels write them to warn readers what may happen in the future if things continue to change for the worse. In the novel, 1984, the author, George Orwell, uses themes to show people what moral and ethical implications a totalitarian government may have on its citizens.
            One theme that Orwell uses is the control of the mind. The Party (government) alters the news and books to change the history that portrays them in bad light. The Party also monitors the citizens carefully and 24/7. The citizens are not allowed to think or speak rebellious thoughts (thoughtcrime) and are forced to suppress sexual urges. Children are turned into Junior Spies to rat out people that commit those crimes. In addition, the Party creates a new language called Newspeak that contains no rebellious words so that people won't think or speak rebellious thoughts.
            Another theme that Orwell includes is the control of the mind. The Party uses immoral and unethical tactics to crack Winston Smith (protagonist). The Party takes Julia (Winston's secret girlfriend) away and forces Winston into Room 101. They threaten to let a bunch of rats (Winston's biggest fear) eat his face unless he gives up Julia. Winston tells the Party to do it to Julia instead and in the end, Winston loves the Party. The Party also forces citizens to do physically demanding workouts every morning. If anyone defies the Party or commits a crime, the Party punishes them severly until they learn to love the Party (like what they did to Winston).
              These themes serve as warnings to what may happen if countries convert to totalitarianism. The citizens and society will be oppressed morally and ethically.