Summary/Analysis: The American Dream

Author

Edward Albee

Style/Type of Theater/ Voice

·         Theater of the Absurd

Ø  Negative tone

Ø  Breakdown of communication – constant repetition, childish voice

Ø  Civilized people acting in barbaric ways – killing the “bumble”

Ø  Circular structure

Ø  Lack of apparent progress

·         No narrator because it’s a play

·         There isn’t a concrete style that Albee uses, I believe with each character the style changes due the characters different personalities.  Throughout the play we see figurative language, metonymy, ellipsis, and some similes.

Setting

·         Apartment in the U.S

Ø  Start out in a living room with two arm chairs, a sofa across the room, and a door to exit the apartment

 

Characters

·         Mommy

Ø  Very controlling “wears the pants in the family”

Ø  Materialistic/ obsessed with money

Ø  Grandma’s daughter, but definitely doesn’t act like it

a.       Always disrespecting her

b.      Not pure and hardworking like Grandma

Ø  Social climber

Ø  Uses Daddy for his money

a.       Sex in exchange for money

·         Daddy

Ø  Feminine

a.       Had surgery to remove penis and put in woman parts

Ø  Kind and understanding to Grandma

Ø  Constantly looking to Mommy to reaffirm his masculinity

Ø  Acts like a child

a.       During Mommy’s hat story constantly repeating ideas

·         Grandma

Ø  “Old American Dream”

Ø  Works hard

a.       Constantly cleaning the apartment

Ø  Witty and says whatever is on her mind

Ø  Sees Mommy for what she truly is

·         Mrs. Barker

Ø  Professional woman

Ø  Works for the adoption agency

Ø  Always referred to in the plural

Ø  Helps Grandma with her plan to replace the “bumble”

·         Young Man

Ø  “New American Dream”

Ø  All looks and no substance

Ø  Obsessed with money

Ø  Standard good looking Midwestern boy

Ø  The “bumble’s” twin

 

Plot Summary

·         Start out with Mommy and Daddy talking in their living room

·         Mommy tells a drawn out story of how she got a hat that was cream instead of beige

·         Then Mommy and Daddy talk about how they can never get satisfaction and also about a mysterious “they” who is always late

·         Grandma enters with an armful of nicely wrapped boxes, and this raises curiosity as to what is in the boxes

·         Mommy and Daddy tell grandma somebody is coming over and she is worried that it’s the “van man”

·         Mrs. Barker, a social worker, comes over and makes some snide remarks about the apartment

·         Mrs. Barker takes off her dress and causes to Daddy to giggle like a little girl and this doesn’t make Mommy very happy

·         There is some confusion as to why Mrs. Barker is here so Grandma tries to clear it up while Mommy is getting Mrs. Barker some water

·         Grandma tells Mrs. Barker about how a long time ago she brought Mommy and Daddy a “bumble”, but they didn’t like it so they ended up killing it (didn’t give them satisfaction)

·         Then there is a knock on the door and Grandma opens it to find the Young Man standing there

·         Through their conversation we figure out that he is the “American Dream”

·         Grandma and Mrs. Barker make a plan to give Mommy and Daddy the Young Man so they can have satisfaction

·         Grandma leaves the stage, claimed to be taken away by the “van man”, and ends the play with a message to the audience

 Symbols

·         The hat is a symbol for the constant power struggle between Mommy and Mrs. Barker

·         Grandma symbolizes the Old American Dream

·         Young Man symbolizes New American Dream

 Theme

·         The Old American Dream that’s associated with hard work is being replaced by a New American Dream that is materialistic and obsessed with money and social status

 Support for the Theme

·         Grandma supports the idea of the Old American Dream

Ø  Hardworking

Ø  Genuine/honest

Ø  Kind (some snide remarks here or there)

·         The Young Ma, Mrs. Barker, and Mommy all somewhat represent the idea of the New American Dream

Ø  Power struggle between Mommy and Mrs. Barker

Ø  All obsessed with money

Ø  Mommy wants to impress others (moving to bigger apartments)

 Important Quotes

·         “I have the right to live off of  you because I married you, and because I used to let you get on top of me and bump your uglies; and I have a right to all your money when you die”  - Mommy

Ø  From this quote you can see Mommy’s greed and obsession with money

Ø  Shows how this marriage is like a business deal (money for sex)

Ø  Shows how Daddy is now feminine because of the words “used to”

·         “It's that I have no talents at all, except what you see ... my person; my body, my face. In every other way I am incomplete, and I must therefore ... compensate”  - Young Man

Ø  Represents American Dream

Ø  No soul just looks

Ø  Obsessed with money and is very greedy

 

 

 

 

 

Close Reading #2

Viewpoint: Will Blacks Vote for Obama “Because He’s Black”?
http://ideas.time.com/2012/10/19/viewpoint-will-blacks-vote-for-obama-because-hes-black/

            From the title you can see this is about Barak Obama and if blacks will vote for him solely based on race.  This article is subjective and author Toure gets his point across through diction, details, and syntax.

           Just from the title we can see this isn’t going to be an objective article and Toure definitely uses some pejorative diction when talking about this issue.  At the beginning of the article Toure says “It is these moments that begin to explain why the question of whether blacks vote for Obama just because he’s black is so dumb.”  The word dumb reminds me of a frustrated elementary student who is so fed up someone that they don’t know what else to do other than calling the person dumb.  I believe that effect is present here as well, through the word dumb Toure shows how frustrated he is with this common misconception and he’s ready to show us why.  Later in the article Toure talks about how the Republican Party ideology disrespects black people, “But instead of looking at the Republican ideology and realizing that it is hostile to blacks, they call blacks racist for their supposedly thoughtless skin-color-based support of Obama.”  In this quote two words stood out to me; hostile and thoughtless.  Through these words Toure managed to get the readers on his side because he makes it seem like the Republican Party considers themselves superior to black people and don’t believe they can make a well-educated decision about the next President.

            To make his point stronger Toure added some details about past elections; “Al Gore won 90% of the black vote in 2000 and John Kerry won 88% in 2004. Obama won 95% in 2008.”  This detail emphasizes Toure’s point that Obama’s race has nothing to with how many blacks voted for him.  I believe this detail does emphasize that point, but it also makes me wonder if there are any statistics that go against Toure’s point and if he just decided to ignore those.  I think something like that definitely adds some bias in this article, which makes sense since this is a viewpoint.  Another detail I believe is important is “Another reason is Obama’s policies: saving Detroit, supporting universal health care, and fighting to protect the social safety net and a woman’s right to choose.”  Although this doesn’t seem like a true detail I believe it is for a couple of reasons.  First of all it gives you examples so you’re not just listening to Toure rant, but he’s actually backing up his position so it makes readers more apt to support him.  Another reason is because these examples evoke emotion from the reader, it makes people feel bad for the poor conditions that some black people have to endure.  I think Toure is very smart for adding that into the article because it pulls readers in.

            The last sentence of the article makes a statement due to Toure’s use of syntax, “And you have to believe that race is merely a skin color and not something that becomes a deep shaper of your life, a significant part of your soul, such that the revolutionary success of a black person on the nation’s most important stage is critical to your life and worthy of support, if he’s also got policies you like.”  By keeping that last phrase separate from the rest of the sentence emphasizes it and I also believe it adds some humor to the article.  I think it’s important because the idea that black people are voting for Obama because of his policies is the main idea of the article and the comma emphasizes that, but at the same time it makes it seem like a small reason to vote for Obama and that’s why I think it adds some humor to the article.  Another example of useful syntax is “And the question ignores the nuances of reality.”  This short sentence came right after a long information packed sentence and I believe Toure separated this thought for a reason.  This technique emphasizes how stupid Toure believe this idea that blacks vote for Obama only because of his skin color is and he shows it by saying that ignores some facts on why voters choose the candidates they do.  But on the other hand I believe this sentence also shows some connection with the previous one because Toure started it with the word and.

                  Overall I think Toure succesfully used the techniques of diction, syntax, and detail to back up his views on Obama and black voters.  This article had some information in it that I was already aware of but it also opened my eyes to how it makes black people feel that people assume they will vote for Obama only because of skin color.

Open Prompt #2

1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

            Endings are the most important part of a piece of literature, it's like the dessert of a 5-course meal, and if it's disappointing your whole meal is ruined.  The same mind set is applied to literature, a bad ending can leave a reader puzzled and upset.  Some novels and plays do intentionally have an incomplete ending, and sometimes it works and sometimes it's a disaster.  Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been acknowledged to be one of the greatest plays of all time, but it has an abrupt and different ending, but I believe this ending appropriately concludes the play.

            Shakespeare veered away from the usual "happily ever after" ending and that decision gave his play a lot of attention.  By ending the play with both Romeo and Juliet dying the reader initially was shocked and maybe even sad, but when the reader gets over the initial shock they can see the ending did a lot of good things.  First of all it leads to the Capulet and Montague houses getting along and it also adds some irony.  When their children die the two families agree to get along as a way to honor their children, but at the end the two families compete over who will build the better grave for their child.  It's also ironic that when Romeo and Juliet wanted their families to get along they didn't, but after they were gone then their families respected their wish.  This ending added some literary methods to the play as well as allowing it to be set apart from the usual sappy endings.

            Shakespeare's unfortunate ending to the play Romeo and Juliet added the theme of violence and destruction usually ignited by love or passion.  This is demonstrated throughout the play especially when Romeo and Juliet betray their respective houses because of their love for each other.  The ending of the play is the most important example of this.  Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves because they believe their loved one is dead.  Without this ending this theme wouldn't be as noticeable.  

            Another theme that's present in this play is family, and the ending of the play emphasizes the effect family can have on love.  It was no secret that the Montague's and Capulet's hated each other and at first this conflict wasn't a huge deal.  As the play goes on and Romeo and Juliet realize how strong their love for each other is this family conflict comes in the way.  In the end their family conflict led them to make a plan to escape and when that plan went bad it led them to kill themselves.  Juliet's family pushing her to marry another man and their family's not getting along led to their unfortunate deaths.  This ending emphasizes the effects of family, and what they can lead you to do.

            Shakespeare's ending contributes to his play Romeo and Juliet, and because of it the play became a literary masterpiece.  His unique ending supported the theme of love and violence, and family all while straying away from the usual "happily ever after"ending.

Response to Course Materials #2

             This class has definitely thrown a lot more at me than any of my other lit classes (I guess that's why they call it AP).  The stuff we learned this week isn't a lot of material I can apply to book or movies but rather information that I should memorize to better prepare myself for future readings.  For example the many comedy worksheets and the allegory of The American Dream worksheet helped me see the meaning of the play and also led me to see certain aspects of comedy in it.  At first Grandma just seemed like the common humorous, witty, old lady (kind of like Betty White) but now I can see that she makes up the play.  I see how the old American Dream is replaced by the new one, and now I see why it's such a big deal that Grandma never truly left the stage, to symbolize how the old American Dream is always with us and never truly vanishes.

            We also got a lot of power points thrown our way and some of the information was review from Brit Lit last year but some of it was new.   For example the literary movements that were in America were new to me because we only studied the ones that took place in Britain.  Knowing this information doesn't really help me interpret books any better, it just gives me an insight as to what was happening in the time period, and now I know what type of characters to expect in books.  I do like how we are filling out a chart that compares the aspects of the different time periods, because I learn and digest information better when it's all in one place.

            The most important thing we've done (at least from my point of view) is going over the closed prompt aspect of the AP test.  Looking at the practice poem and being able to pick out the important diction symbols, imagery, and etc by myself has given me hope for the AP exam. I still have a lot to learn about analyzing and essay writing but this has given me a lot more confidence on my analyzing skills, and I know the essay tips are going to come in handy not just for the AP exam but in other future papers I have to write.

             Overall this week or two has been a lot of preparation for reading and analyzing like a true AP lit student so I can't really apply much...yet.