Close Reading #4

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/opinion/death-in-connecticut.html?ref=editorials

           

We all have heard about the tragic mass murder in Newtown, Connecticut. A troubled man took his anger out on the lives of many 6-7 year olds during school, and then himself. A New York columnist wrote a brief editorial on the subject matter. To help get all of the vital points across that create his story, he uses language to help relate to the reader, imagery to make the readers realize how wrong of a thing he did, and syntax to create a whole different meaning for the readers.

            The author’s use of language makes his article personable and very easy to understand and relate to. He keeps asking rhetorical questions throughout the article to help engage the audience and make them pay attention to what is being said, and in a very setting way that is understandable. When he addresses how Obama is getting involved in the situation, he brings up a very valid point. He says “what about addressing the problem of guns gone completely out of control, a problem that comes up each time a shooter opens fire on a roomful of people but then disappears again?” This helps us readers know that he is a normal human being, and one that doesn’t believe everything will be fixed right away. Things like that happen, and the killers get all of the fame. As he said, “the more that we hear about gun control and nothing happens, the less we can believe it will ever come.” All of these questions and statements help us relate to the author, because we almost all believe in exactly what he is saying. He isn’t lying in his article in hopes of promising a bright future that may never come, like many writers do.

            When we hear about this tragedy, it affects most all of us in a different way. We don’t know exactly what to imagine. However, in the beginning of this article, the author opens by saying “what actually matters are the children. What are their names? What did they dream of becoming? Did they enjoy finger painting? Or tee ball?” These questions bring us back to our child hood, and they recreate a picture of ourselves outside playing ball or doing crafts. These images make us imagine ourselves in the same situation as these children, or even in the same situation as their parents. “Our hearts are broken for those parents who found out their children — little more than babies, really — were wounded or killed, and for those who agonized for hours before taking their traumatized children home.” This sentence alone makes us feel strongly about the matter, and it instantly hits us close in the gut.

            The syntax is also strong in this piece and helps create a better build up of events. In the very opening the author uses a long sentence that describes a general feeling, then he elaborates by using short and sweet sentences that state times we have all heard of, very tragic events. The author opens by saying “each slaughter of innocents seems to get more appalling. A high school. A college campus. A movie theater. People meeting their congresswoman.” The short sentences are all that is needed to impact the reader, especially about a subject matter so serious. After painting a picture in the audiences head about what these children liked to do, the author begins his next paragraph with another simple sentence: “All that is now torn away.” By making this statement, we all feel the same loss that the parents feel, and that is why the syntax helps make the feeling so strong in the reader.

            Hearing about this event was hard enough, but reading this article helped some of the reality of it sink in. By being personable through language, by putting ourselves in the same situation through imagery, and by using short sentences that contain so much emotion, we are forced to read this article in a less than hopeful way. 

Open Prompt #4

1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.

                  In Stephanie Meyers’ The Twilight Saga, we are introduced to an entire different world. One filled with immortal creatures living within the same city lines as normal human beings. Bella Swan, the main character, is torn between two choices that could either end her life permanently, or end her mortal life for a split second, until she comes back to life as a vampire. Bella has to choose between staying with the love of her life, Edward Cullen, or living the rest of her life out normally for the sake of her family and friends. This decision is showed throughout the whole saga, it changes Bella and everyone around her, and it shows great impact for the novel, for without the conflict there wouldn’t be a novel at all.

                  When Bella Swan moves back to Forks, she is re-introduced her childhood friend, Jacob Black. As the story moves on, we all discover that he is not normal: he is actually a werewolf. Jacob has an unrequited love for Bella, but she is head over heels for someone else: Edward Cullen. We soon find out that Edward Cullen isn’t normal either: he is a vampire. We all know that vampires are not living, they are dead and their souls are no longer there. Bella cannot stop thinking about Edward though, and won’t give up on having him. In return, Edward is in love with Bella, and he has to make the choice on whether or not he should change her into a vampire so that they can be together forever, or if he should have her save her life and let her grow old and die while he is still right there by her side. Then we have Jacob, the werewolf. Already, the two immortals don’t get along, and they have certain rules they must follow so that they can live so close to each other. Throughout the whole series we are shown the struggles that are faced by all three characters and species, and we watch all of their lives unfold for the better; or worse.

                  Bella is a dynamic character; the biggest change being her mortality. In book one she was an awkward teenager, and by the end of the series she was a grown and mature vampire. She has to make life decisions that none of us could even imagine. She is forced to tell her dad that she died, and she tells her mom the same thing. Every one of her old friends thinks she dies, and the only people that know her secret are the vampire world and the werewolf pack. She is forced to put her real life to an end, and let her fake life begin. Though she is happy in the end because she is with her soul mate forever, she had to make life-altering decisions to get there (literally).

                  Without this decision, there would be no series at all. Bella would never be a vampire, and there would be no battles over her love and the reality of her child. There would be no Vulturi to almost kill the Cullen family, and Bella Swan would be living her life with Jacob, unhappy. Giving this big of a decision to an eighteen year old in high school was a very smart play on Meyers’ part. She makes Bella seem vulnerable, and selfish by doing only what she wants, and not thinking about her friends and family. Without all of these problems, there would be no series.

                  If Bella had been a static character throughout the series, they wouldn’t sell. The fact that Meyers gave her the power to make all of these decisions on her own is what made for a top selling series. This novel greatly shows the conflict that Bella is faced with and all of the ways in which is effects her life, and all of that is what contributes to the significance of the story.

Death Of A Salesman Summary and Analysis

Summary:

Death of A Salesman begins with Willy Loman traveling home in his automobile. As he enters his house, the recurring flute begins its song. Willy and his wife Linda begin discussing his travels, and Linda soon begins to ask him if he had gotten into another accident. Willy is quick to respond saying that he didn’t, yet he gets a little bit distracted and lost in time while he is having this conversation with Linda. Because of this, Linda thinks that it would be better for Willy if he got a job closer to home in New York. Willy then tells Linda that he will talk to his boss about it tomorrow, and everything will work out.

            In the mean time, his sons Biff and Happy are both home visiting him and Linda at home. Biff isn’t exactly the definition of success, and Happy isn’t either. They have been lying to Willy about how successful they are. Happy has a job and is more successful than Biff, but he still isn’t perfectly happy with his life. Biff then asks him to join him out West, because that is where Biff has been residing the last couple of years. They are in the kitchen at this time, and Willy is eating some cheese. Biff and Happy have awoken from Willy and Linda’s conversation, and are now in the kitchen with Willy. They are talking about the past, and how Biff hasn’t lived up to Willy’s expectations.

            Suddenly, there is a scene of Willy and his sons washing a car from the past. Biff and Willy are discussing the big game coming up for Biff and how he is going to be so successful based on how well liked he is. Happy keeps trying to get Willy’s attention, but Willy never gives it to him. Willy begins telling his sons how one day he is going to start his own business bigger than Charley’s (their neighbors) and be far more successful than him. Meanwhile, Bernard, Charley’s son, comes over in search of Biff. He is looking for him because he knows that Biff needs to study for his final math exam or else he will fail and he won’t be able to graduate. Then, we are introduced to the women’s laughter. She is just telling Willy thanks for buying them for her, when all of a sudden we are brought back to the other flashback and we see Linda mending a pair of her own stockings. Willy gets mad when he sees this, and forces her to throw them out. Bernard then starts again with Biff telling him how he is going to fail, when Willy just tells him to let Biff cheat off of him. He doesn’t realize how this is nearly impossible on a state test. He goes on to wish he moved to Alaska with his brother, Ben. He keeps having a flash back of Ben being with his family and arguing with them, trying to teach them about reality.

            As the scene sets back in reality, we see that Linda is talking to the boys about Willy’s problems. She tells them about how he isn’t really earning his own money and how he has tried to commit suicide. Biff then tries to talk to Willy about how he will stay and help but Willy is to filled with pride and they end up getting in an argument about it. Soon enough, Happy jumps in and tells Biff that them two brothers should start a sporting goods business. This fills Willy with happy thoughts and pulls him back to his normal “happy” self.

            As act two begins, we are informed that Happy and Biff are taking Willy out to dinner. Willy is still happy about the future because of his boys’ future plan about starting a business, and he tells Linda that today is the day that he is going to talk to Howard Wagner about getting him that job in New York so that he doesn’t need to travel. Howard rejects his offer though, and doesn’t seem the slightest bit interested. He tells Willy to take some time off. And then Ben reappears and tries to tell Willy to join him in Alaska. But then we are taken to a flash back and Linda reminds Willy how important his boys and his job is, and that he cant leave them behind.

            At the restaurant Biff and Happy get distracted by other women that are there. Biff ends up getting angry at Happy for lying and being such a player that he storms off, and Happy takes the girls and chases after him, leaving Willy all alone in the restaurant. Willy goes to the bathroom, and is taken back to a time when he was in a hotel room. The women’s laughter fills the air, and suddenly we hear a knock on the door. It is Biff coming to inform Willy that he has failed his math exam. However, Biff realizes that Willy is cheating on Linda, and gets so angry at him that he breaks down in tears and won’t accept anything that Willy is trying to tell him anymore and tells him he wont be going to college. Then, back in the present, Willy exits the bathroom and leaves the restaurant in search of seeds.

            When everyone arrives home, Linda confronts the boys about what they have done and starts yelling at them about how they don’t even care about Willy. This is occurring while Willy is out trying to plant his seeds in the garden that will never grow anything. Biff brings Willy into the house where he enters the argument, and Biff tries to get everyone to start telling the truth because the whole household is filled with lies. After minutes of arguing, Biff and Willy make peace, kind of. Biff cries to Willy, and Willy finally thinks that his son truly loves him. To make it even better, he knows that if he kills himself, the family will gain 20,000 dollars. After everyone goes up stairs to go to bed, Willy leaves and takes his car and kills himself so that his family can have something worth more than he thought he was worth.

            At the funeral, only Bernard, Biff, Happy and Linda are there. They all talk together about how he lived the life of salesman, but how he was really meant to do something with his hands, he just wanted a different image. Linda then asks to speak to Willy alone, where she tells him that she made the final payment on the house today and now she has no one to share it with.

Author: Arthur Miller was an American playwright and was an influential figure in American theatre. He has written other works called The Crucible, All My Sons, and A View From The Bridge.

Setting: The play takes place in the 1940’s. It is mainly shot in Willy’s house that is surrounded by other homes and apartments in Brooklyn, New York. There are a couple scenes shot in the city of Manhattan, such as when he goes to the restaurant and then he goes to Boston in the hotel room scene.

Characters:

Willy: The main character that lives in a world filled with hot air and pride that shouldn’t be there. He grew up and raised his children to believe that being well liked is the key to success in life. The plot of the story revolves around him and his beliefs of the American Dream.

            Linda: Linda is Willy’s wife. She is the one that has to handle a lot of the problems that go on in the household. She is in charge of Willy’s problems and because of them; she treats him much like a child. She starts putting the blame of his problems on Biff and Happy for arguing with him so much.

            Biff: Biff is Willy’s oldest son. He is also his most favorite. He used to be a really good athlete in high school and almost went to college for it, but because Willy taught him that grades don’t matter and success was based off of how “well liked” you were, he didn’t become very successful. Once he discovered that Willy had cheated on Linda, their relationship fell apart and he moved out west, where he soon discovered himself and that being a salesman is not the job for either him or Willy.

            Happy: He is Willy’s second son. He is always trying to impress Willy, because Willy never really noticed Happy when they were younger because he was always tied with Biff. Happy now is involved in business and gets around with women, he isn’t truly happy though and he is just trying to please Willy.

            Charley: He is Willy’s neighbor. He is a foil to Willy, because he is very successful and raised his kids successfully and they are continuing on the pride. He is willing to help Willy and provide him money and he even offers him a job, but Willy is too prideful to accept.

            Bernard: He is Charley’s son. He is Biff’s foil. They went to school together and he was always concerned with school and his grades. This proves to lead to success when we see him later on in the play as a lawyer living a good life.

            Ben: Willy’s older brother. Whenever Willy gets in one of his crazy spells, Ben appears (though he is dead) and Willy talks to him nonstop as if he’s really there. Ben was very successful, and he is always trying to get Willy to be successful too. Willy looks to him for advice.

Narrative voice/symbols:

            Overall, the feeling given off from this play is sad and kind of depressing. Since it’s a play, everything is told from a direct point of view. We aren’t questioning whether what we are being told about other characters is true or not. There are many different symbols used in this play, like stockings, dairy products, seeds, and geography. The stockings represent the lies and betrayal that has been done in the family. The dairy products represent child like behavior and qualities. The seeds represent Willy’s ideas and version of the American Dream, and him planting them in a place where they will never grow shows how his dream will never work. The geography used in the play comes up a lot. Biff goes out to the West where he discovers himself. Willy always travels north and east to his job, and then Ben in persuading him to go south.

Important Quotes:

1)            “Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground.” (pg. 96)

~ Willy is saying this when his sons stand him up at the restaurant. He realizes that he has nothing. No success, no children that really love him, and his life has kind of been nothing but a lie. He finally realizes and wants to try to make a change, but it’s too late. The seeds that he is trying to plant will never grow; he is planting them in a dead garden. Much like how he planted his sons in a world of lies and how he can’t make his own living because he’s too prideful.

2)            “He’s liked, but he’s not well liked.” (pg. 20)

~Biff is saying this about his neighbor Bernard to Willy. In the play, we are taken to a flashback of when Biff and Willy and Happy were out in the backyard and talking about Biff’s future in sports and how that alone was going to make him successful. Then when Bernard comes along, he starts trying to tell Biff that he needs to study for his Math exam, because if he fails he won’t go to college. Biff blows him off, and Willy tries to get Bernard to cheat off of him, but it doesn’t work. This explains a lot of what Willy told the boys as they were growing up, and what he taught them worked in the real world. Being popular and well liked and having a good physical appearance is all that Willy was concerned about, he didn’t care much about what was inside of a person, just what was on the outside. This is a central idea throughout the whole play, and one that helps summarize what Willy’s idea of the American dream was in a short sentence.

Theme: You are the only person that can change your future and you can’t be blinded by the lies that may be fed to you.

            ~ In this play, we see many different peoples lives in front of us and how they have been told to live. We hear the ideas and lies that are being fed to these characters, and we watch their lives unfold in a less than positive way. The only way that you can avoid these though is if you stick to what you believe, and don’t do what you are told. For example, we see this in Bernard. He grows up next to Willy and Biff and the common idea of Willy telling Biff that he is going to be so successful because a lot of people like him. Bernard always knew not to give into this though, and he stuck to his studies. He tried to get Biff to study too, but Biff was too filled with hot air from Willy, and he thought that he would get along just fine because of what was being fed to him, but little did he know that this was completely wrong and he needed to step up for himself and change his life ways. Willy had multiple opportunities to change his life around, but he didn’t choose to take any of them. He had too much pride. The setting in the play helps show how everyone around him is always changing. Many houses have been built around his house, and this shows how they are all being successful, but he is still living in square one, right where he started. Also, the tone helps back this theme. It is mainly dark and pessimistic, until Willy starts talking about his future and how he is going to become successful. This shows how you can change your life, but you have to have the drive and willingness to do so.

Response to course material #4

Since my last response to course materials, we have covered a lot of ground. I can finally say that I understand Death of a Salesman again, because I forgot almost everything that we learned about it last year, and we went a lot further in depth than we did last year. As for Hamlet, yeah that's going to be hard for me. Any Shakespearian piece of work is always hard for me, so I'm going to needed a lot of guidance throughout Hamlet. So far though I am keeping up with it pretty well, I just get a little lost until we begin discussing, then usually my classmates and Holmes will help guide me along.

Watching Death of a Salesman twice seemed like a good idea to me, but I just got kind of bored the second time around. Somehow though, I was gone for two of the days we watched the movie, so both times all I saw was the very beginning and the very end. I understand it though from all the articles, and thats all that really matters to me!

Finally, the DIDLS practice everyday is slowly starting to help me. Along with the tone word challenges, even though I can never come up with a good sentence. Everything we have learned so far is coming into good use, and it seems like it will for a long time.

Close Reading, November 18th

In the article, The Quiet Ones by Tim Kreider, he discusses the many problems that people face in the quiet cars on Amtrak Trains.  Staying quiet is a very large deal to these riders, and they take that simple rule very seriously. Throughout the article, Kreider uses strong diction, vivid imagery, and syntax to convey his points to his intended audience.

His strong diction helps create instant feelings within his audience. When he says, “those of us who despise this tendency don’t have a voice, or a side, let alone anything like a lobby” he is evoking emotion in the reader that will make them feel belittled and weak. He is saying that these people can’t find it within themselves to speak up, and these are the people who are making the “quiet train” not so quiet today. If it weren’t for his use of such strong diction, the article wouldn’t be as impactful on each reader. He doesn’t just say that the noise isn’t staying quiet enough, or that it is rising above preferred levels. He says, “until this last bastion of civility and calm, the Quiet Car, has become the battlefield where we quiet ones, our backs forced to the wall, finally hold our ground”. By this, he means they are doing something about it, and not just letting ignorant people take over their quiet zones.

Kreider’s use of imagery is also very impactful in this piece. He compares the “soft but incessant…background silence, as maddening as a dripping faucet at 3 a.m.” When he explains how annoying and continuous this talking is, he also compares it to other things that we can all relate to. He goes back to our childhood, and says that the conversations between a couple is “like a grade-school cafeteria after the lunch monitor has yelled for silence, the volume [of the people has] crept inexorably up again”. People just don’t know when to stop, and they don’t know how their small chatter can be creating a large problem for many who go to these Amtrak cars to find peace. The audience can easily picture these events happening, seeing as they have happened more than once to the most of them.

Finally, his use of syntax helps pull this piece together. To help engrain this idea of togetherness of the riders, he says very formally that “we’re a tribe, we quiet ones, we readers and thinkers and letter writers, we daydreamers and gazers out of windows”. This helps us know that he is being serious about everything he has said, and that every little hint of noise affects them all. When he says, “this is how we talk in the quiet car”, we know that they all take it very seriously, and if it weren’t for the rude “barbarians who would barge in on our haven with their chatter and blatting gadgets like so many bulldozers” then this article would have never been written.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/opinion/sunday/the-quiet-ones.html?pagewanted=1&ref=opinion

Open Prompt. November 11th

2006. Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.

                  In Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman, he uses the setting to help convey certain meanings to the audience. The Loman family is based in a city like setting, surrounded by apartment buildings and other individuals. However, their house hasn’t always been like this. It was originally more in the open, and during this time the two boys, Biff and Happy, were merely men. As they were growing up, Willy had taught them that the only important thing to success was being well liked and having a good physical appearance. As soon as they were faced with life after high school, they realized this was false the hard way. The country setting helps show individualism, self-discovery, and potential.

                  After high school, Biff was forced to find a way to make a living for him self. He traveled out to the far west, and found work on a farm. Unknown to him at the time, the audience could eventually tell that on the farmlands, Biff was content with himself and free from being forced to do something he didn’t want to do by his father Willy. When around Willy, Biff feels that he needs to lie to him in order to make him happy about what he has done with his life. While out in the country, Biff has opportunity. He can do what ever he wants with his life. While he is out west, he realizes the importance that he has. However, all of that goes away when he finally comes back to visit Willy

                  The American West symbolizes potential and future success. Biff could have a lot going for him, yet he grew up in such a materialistic society. Miller tries to show his audience that Biff needs to find himself by leaving his hometown. Going out West is just the way to do it. His escape from Willy’s delusions and the American East’s materialism suggests how he is discovering himself. Biff needs to realize that looks and being well liked won’t get you anywhere in life, and growing up on a farm, away from material society is just the place to discover himself. When he comes back, he knows that he screwed up his life. He realizes how he grew up with such a false view of success, and that he would have to start all over again.

                  If Miller didn’t include this part in the play, Biff would not be a dynamic character. He would simply always be living in the falsity of becoming successful the “Loman” way. Including the American West in the play helped convey ideas of individualism, self-discovery, and potential. Without these, the play would simply be a depressing story about how some people simply can’t get anywhere in life.

Response to Course Material, Nov. 4th

     Well, what do you know? It's been another few weeks of school already. So far senior year has been flying by, as well as all of the information we have learned in AP lit. Though we have learned a ton of information, we have also been reviewing the same information over and over again. Normally, I would say that this is extremely boring in classes, but for this particular class, I believe that it is necessary. Literature isn't math or science, there is never only one correct answer, and two different people can have two completely different views on one piece of literature.
     As we saw when we deeply analyzed The American Dream, there were many different ideas floating around. After many, many discussions, our class came as close to a consensus as is possible. I'm sure people still have their own opinions about it though. We just started Death of A Salesman (well we watched the movie). I can tell that this play is about to be just like The American Dream. Already, I am very confused. I even read this last year in lit and watched it and I totally forgot what it is supposed to be about. Our discussions though greatly help. Applying everything that we learn almost everyday is very helpful for me, and I'm starting to enjoy doing it more and more.
     I also enjoy how we have started looking at elements of the AP test. Being told to write multiple choice questions seemed like almost an impossible task at first, but it proved to be a lot easier that what I anticipated. Reading other groups' questions was also a good way to practice. Everyone is going to have different questions, and the more we answer, the more practice we get in. Along with the AP test, we did the writing about the Century Quilt. I have to say, I wasn't as bad at that as I thought I was going to be. I was off in a couple areas, but overall I didn't find it to be too bad.
    Lastly, we have the terms test. I was a little confused on how to go about studying for it this time, because I knew that what I did last time definitely did not work. However, last time I was also completely unaware as to what the format of the test would be like. With that said, I did the exact same thing to study as I did last time, hoping that my familiarity with test questions would help my score. Surprisingly, it did, only by 5%, but I'll take it!

The American Dream Analysis and Summary

Author: Edward Albee. He was born in 1928, and is most commonly known for popularizing the Theater of the Absurd.

Setting: The setting of the play is not specified too much. It takes place in a living room in an apartment. He doesn’t really make anything too detailed about the setting.

Plot: The beginning of the play begins with Mommy and Daddy sitting in their living room. Mommy is going on rambling about how she bought a beige hat yesterday from the store. Throughout this elongated story, she continuously checks to make sure Daddy is paying attention to every detail she spits out. Daddy always responds with an answer that is relevant to her story. Mommy then goes on about how she ran into the head of the Woman’s board, Mrs. Barker. She then begins to tell Mommy how her hat is wheat. Mommy then goes and “exchanges” her hat for a wheat one, when really it was the same exact color as the first one.

            Soon enough, Grandma enters the scene. She enters with many, many boxes. These boxes are very neatly wrapped, and they show stand for her American Dream (the old version). In these boxes, grandma’s oldest possessions are kept. Pretty much, her life values are what are figuratively in these boxes. We learn that Grandma and Mommy don’t have a very strong relationship, and Mommy wants her to be put in a home. Mommy is more into wealth, seeing as that is why she is still with Daddy.

            Mommy has a very reversed relationship with Daddy. She is the masculine one in their case. When Mrs. Barker arrives at their apartment and rings the doorbell, Mommy tells Daddy to go answer it. Timid at first, he is then persuaded by Mommy when she tells him how masculine and decisive he is. Mrs. Barker then enters their room.  This is not what’s expected though. With many things wrong in their apartment, Mommy and Daddy were expecting them, the repairmen, to come. Instead, it was Mrs. Barker. She is commonly referred to as “them” because she represents large corporations and shows how dominant they are in today’s world.

             Soon enough, the doorbell rings again. It is the new American Dream (aka Young Man). He is brought to Mommy and Daddy through the Bye-Bye Adoption Agency. He isn’t their first child though because they had one before (another adopted son). Their other son wasn’t good enough for them though. They pretty much disemboweled the kid by hand. They couldn’t obtain satisfaction, which is another motif that is commonly brought up in this play.

            This new American Dream is strongly characterized. The Young Boy who represents it says he will do anything for money. He then goes on to tell Grandma how he can’t feel any emotions pretty much due to his separation of his twin brother when they were children. This brother is the first child that Mommy and Daddy adopted.

            In the end, the new American Dream replaces the old American Dream. The Young boy moves in, and simultaneously Grandma moves out and brings with her all of her boxes. Originally, this saddens Mommy. She is forced to think grandma stole something, but as soon as she realizes that the young boy is there to stay, she is perfectly satisfied. Solely by his appearance, the young boy is accepted into their family. Grandma is shoved out by the new dream, and at the end of the play she speaks directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall, telling them that everyone thinks they are happy now. This is left to have us question how long their happiness will actually last.

Significant Characters:

Mommy: Mommy is a very dominant character in the play. She stands up to everyone, except Mrs. Barker. She emasculates everything Daddy does, and she knows how to manipulate him to do certain things. She can easily be called a gold digger. She married Daddy for his money, and that is solely the only thing that has kept them together. She helps show how materialism and consumerism affects today’s world.

Daddy: Mommy emasculates him throughout the entire play. He feeds off of her strong commands, and is persuaded to do things by being told how “masculine” and “firm” and “decisive” he is. At this point, he is staying with Mommy out of fear.

Grandma: As soon as Grandma enters the play, we begin to see how she is the most relatable and straightforward character. The other characters in the play do not easily understand her, except the audience understands most everything she does. She sees things that the other characters cannot see, because they live in almost a completely different world. She represents the old American Dream, and no one else can understand this version of the American Dream.

Mrs. Barker: She exerts dominance over Mommy, and makes her feel uncomfortable even in her own apartment. She is in charge of many different organizations and clubs. The most spoken about is that she is chairman of the women’s club and she is in charge of the Bye-Bye Adoption Agency (how they received both their children). She represents large corporations.

Young Man: He is characterized by looks. He is from the West Coast, and we know that he is extremely handsome, even Grandma is swept away by his beauty. He was torn apart from his twin brother, and can no longer love or feel emotion. He will do anything for money. That being said, he represents the New American Dream.

Style: Throughout the play, Albee’s style is very obvious. He tone is very sarcastic and he is very critical. He also lets all of the characters represent very large ideas, such as Grandma as the old American Dream. By not specifically naming the characters, we can tell that he is describing the typical American family, not just one specific one. His imagery is also very strong in the play; when he describes the previous bumble of joy that they had. As we learned before beginning the play, we knew that this was Theatre of the Absurd (basically, a play about nothing). However, as we read it, we discovered there were many different symbols and meanings deep beneath the lines. If someone read this play though and didn’t go through and depict it like we did, they would probably attest that this is solely theatre of the absurd.

Important Quotes:

11)   Mommy: “You can’t get satisfaction; just try. I can get satisfaction, but you can’t” (62).

-Throughout the entire play, satisfaction is continuously brought up. Mommy seems to think that satisfaction can be purchased. First, she is satisfied by buying the “wheat” colored hat, when in reality it was the exact same hat as the beige one that she had originally bought. Then, she is unsatisfied by her original bumble of joy. She finds the simple solution to this problem, killing the kid and purchasing a new one (new American Dream).

22)   Young Man: “I’ll be happy to tell you. 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.” (113)

-The Young Man in this play clearly represents the new version of the American Dream and how it has taken over the old version. It is almost completely about materialism, consumerism, and looks. Albee is trying to say that people don’t see the true values in life anymore, and they just want money and satisfaction.

Theme: The American Dream has been manipulated by new generations and these generations have altered societal standards.

This theme is strongly supported by two characters, as well as everyone else in the play. However, the two most influential characters for this theme are Grandma and the Young Man. Grandma represents the old version of the American Dream. She can see things that no one else in the play can see. Whenever she tries to explain these things to the other characters, they don’t even bother to listen to what she is trying to say. This shows how the generation of Mommy and Daddy don’t even care, and that they care more strongly about themselves and what is currently going on in their lives. (Satisfaction, consumerism, materialism.) The Young Man is straight up told he is the American Dream by Grandma. He represents how the new dream is almost solely based on appearance, wealth, and instant satisfaction. He tells Grandma how he has to compensate for his lack of emotion by his looks. He was torn apart from his twin brother at birth, and ever since that moment he has not been able to feel love and give emotion. All of the other characters contribute to this, Daddy doesn’t really do much to change his life because it isn’t exactly terrible; he can live well and get pleasure when he wants. Mrs. Barker helps show how standards are being changed when she takes off her dress and arouses Daddy. Though claiming she is a professional, we know that a real professional would never do that. This is part of Albee’s sarcasm and exaggeration. In the end, instant satisfaction is what is very important to the characters in the play. When Grandma comes out and speaks directly to the audience and says, “So, let’s leave things as they are right now…while everybody’s happy…while everybody’s got what he wants…or everybody’s got what he thinks he wants” (127), she is showing how these characters will not stay satisfied with themselves forever, especially with how fast everything in the world keeps changing. 

Close Reading #2: October 21

            In the article “Am I a ‘Working Dad’?” by Ken Gordon, he discusses what it takes to be considered a “working dad” and how that stereotype is underdeveloped in the Unites States today. It doesn’t only have to be women who are considered “working women”, men do the same things as women do, and they don’t get as much credit for it. Gordon pushes his opinion onto us readers effectively by using creative syntax, in depth detail, and strong diction.

            Immediately, Gordon’s unique use of syntax grabs the reader’s attention. He begins by telling us the basic overview of his life, and what his article is going to be about. When he says, “I’m a dad — two children, 9 and 7 — and I work. Hard.” we immediately understand what the following article will discuss. The way that Gordon made a one word sentence out of the word “hard” helps deliver the point that life isn’t as easy for men as it is depicted to be. And women shouldn’t be the only ones who get the title of “working women”. Gordon knows how to reach out to the reader by making the voice of his piece more “friendly”. He lets the audience know that he isn’t alone when he says, “My fellow dads and I deserve the same kind of respect, no? We dudes get up every day and make breakfast” This makes us as readers see how Gordon is just a typical “dad” along with every other dad in the world. Him and the other dads have to do what mom’s do, while adding work on top of that. After reading this article I was agreeing with most of what Gordon had to say.

            The detail that is used in this article is also very gripping. Right off the bat we were placed in a situation where we were almost watching Gordon as he “fall[s] out of bed at about 5 a.m. and stumble[s] back there at about 10 p.m.” How is describes his day to day life helps the reader understand that Gordon is a hard working man who deserves a title such as “working dad” because it isn’t as easy as it seems. He dedicates an entire paragraph to describing a day in his life. He says that, as dads, “We feed the cat, take out the trash, wash the dishes, if any are left over from the night before. We can do an occasional emergency load of laundry…” and that goes on for a whole paragraph. The description of these vital tasks helps him to reach the readers and to make them realize how difficult a dad’s life can be. Similarly, he compares them to the typical “carpool-board-meeting-spaghetti-dinner-toothbrushing-book-bedtime lifestyle” of women.

            Finally, the use of strong diction help keep the readers entertained, and help to create a vision for the readers.  The diction used in this article isn’t necessarily so strong that we don’t know what the words mean, but his choice of diction is appropriate for the audience he is reaching out to, and for the style of syntax he is taking on. After he questions if the work men do is enough to win the “merit badge” he says. “if not, if we’re encroaching on sacred woman-only territory… I have another, more modest proposal.” This diction helps get the reader to keep reading, to figure out his “more modest proposal.” Finally, we see how Gordon feels when he says “the unremitting demands on our energy and time and patience, means that we’re chronically wiped out.” This is a great closing sentence because it delivered his final point. It reached the audience affectively, and in a way that all ages could understand.

            Gordon has a well written persuasive article formed demonstrating how men should win a “‘working dad’” merit badge.” His use of syntax, detail, and diction really helped to bring the piece together as a whole. Without them, the piece wouldn’t affectively persuade the reader to agree with how men, dads in particular, deserve a higher title in life.

 

Article: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/am-i-a-working-dad/

Open Prompt #2: October 14th

2006, Form B. In many works of literature, a physical journey - the literal movement from one place to another - plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

                  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most well known pieces of American literature. Within its’ many lines lies many different truths about the current world around Huckleberry Finn, and many different conflicts that people in the world have faced. After reading the very title of this novel, we can automatically infer that it is going to be an adventure story, of someone going out on a journey to capture something they need. And we see this very dominantly in this novel. As Huck and Jim travel up the Mississippi River we start to see what they are both in need of.  Huck, the protagonist, is on a quest merely for fun, but we also begin to see that he is getting away from his abusive father. Jim is on a quest for freedom. While reading this novel, we see the relationship that forms between Huck and Jim from being on the river, we see that they can be away from the flawed society while on the raft (not completely escaping societal problems), and that they are both on their way to greater freedom.

                  Huck and Jim were already connected from the beginning of the novel. They were a part of the same care family. Willow Douglas and Miss Watson were providing for Huck, while Jim was their slave. In the beginning, Huck thought of Jim only as a slave, of being property. As they spent more and more time together and traveled down the river, he began to realize how everything he was being taught by Willow Douglas and Miss Watson were flawed, and that Jim was in no way a slave. He was a normal human being. Just like a river, they are forced to accept each other for which they are and they and they can change their attitudes towards each other. Jim soon becomes Huck’s father figure. He makes food for Huck, he provides shelter, and he keeps harsh reality away from him. For example, when Huck’s fathers corpse shows up, Jim does his best to shield Huck from it. Jim is Huck’s father figure, and he sets an example for Huck to follow.

                  Immediately, we see that the river is a symbol for freedom. After Huck fakes his death to his father, he has a raft that safely carries him down the Mississippi River, well seemingly safe. Once he runs into Jim, they realize they both are going to the same direction, and they make their quest together. We see that they run into troubles when they are off of the water and on land. For example, one time the river floods, forcing Huck and Jim onto land where they run into criminals who have stolen money and goods. They tried to seem good and like they meant well at first, but Huck was able to tell that they were bad and that they were lying. Also, as they just began embarking on their journey, they are hit by a bad fog storm that causes them to miss the mouth of the Ohio River, which was their original plan to freedom. This shows how the societal problems are not going to go away, and they still affect Huck and Jim while they are just leaving the city of St. Petersberg. After they have traveled a bit further down the river, we see another event that shows how land isn’t exactly safe. They stay with an unknown family while Huck pretends to be someone he isn’t, and after a few days of living well, it all goes down hill. There is a mob that breaks out against the family he is staying with. In response, Huck and Jim flee and begin their travels down the river again. We see that the raft is a good source of safety for both Huck and Jim.

                  Throughout the novel, we see many ways in which Huck and Jim are struggling for personal freedom. Huck is tortured with an unloving father, who abuses him and only really cares about money; while Jim is a slave who had been torn from his real family, and is on a mission to get his family back. Originally, Huck goes on this adventure solely for that purpose; for it being a cool adventure and story to tell. But we see how he is actually escaping from something real, and we see how he is affected by society around him. The teaching of slavery and racism are not accurate, and he wants to get as far away as possible from these beliefs. That goes to say why Jim is fleeing. He wants personal freedom; he wants to find his family that he was torn apart from.

                  Overall, the meaning behind the Mississippi River is a very dominant one in this novel. But the events that occur on the river and the coming of characters are prevalent towards the plot. Both characters discover their true identities by growing a family relationship towards each other, by being away from the flaws of society, and by achieving freedom together. All of the events create these two characters, and provide for a novel depicting society and using satire to show these flaws. The former inexperienced, naïve Huck, transforms into a matured, grown “adult”, while Jim makes a huge jump in roles from being a slave, to being a freed human being.

Response to course material: Oct. 7th

     DIDLS- diction, imagery, details, language, syntax. This is a recurring word that we see every single day in AP lit. One where we just walk in the room and get asked very first thing of the day, in the early morning, and we all know it. This short acronym helps pull all literature together in AP lit, and so far after just being in school for a month, it has helped me to recognize things in writing and analyze things way better.
     How do we make something really funny? What elements need to be included? In literature, it is really hard to make people actually LOL. A total of 6 different elements have to be included. Not only do a lot of different elements need to be included, but there are also different theories that have to be taken into account when we try to be funny. For example, in the past I'm sure we have all tried to be funny in some writing, but did it really work? I know it didn't for me! Of course, I thought my writing was funny, but it takes a lot to get the reader to see exactly what you are seeing and think the same things are funny. After learning about all the different theories of being funny and learning the elements (appeal to intellect, be mechanical, be inherently human, go against societal norms, and painless or harmless to the participants), I have now noticed why things on tv, and in books and plays such as The American Dream, are so funny. They use the elements well.
      We not only learned about how to be funny, but we learned about different literary time periods as well. Last year in American lit, we learned most of these (romatiscm, po-mo, modernism, realism, colonialism) but this year a couple new ones were thrown in. Classical and midevalism were both new material to me, and I can see why. They seem to primarily be relevant to British literature and the things that they study. Coming from different backgrounds of study fields is kind of hard because both groups know so many different things, so I think it would be cool if, on certain things such as literary areas, we could help teach each other what we know best so that there is a general knowledge of what is going on.
      We also learned about critical points of view. there are many different ways to analyze literature. The one that I would say I do most is the New Critic, point. I just read things and take them how they are written on the page, and I don't immediately try to connect it to something that has already happened in literature and stuff like that. The psychoanalytic view point is one that intrigues me. Being able to read that deeply into literature is really a good skill to be able to have. Who would have thought people could think of such weird and twisted ways to convey their every day lives onto paper? All of these things make literature what it is today, and without it there wouldn't be much to study about literature, would there?

Editorial: Taking note; So Many Screeners and So Little Shampoo, but Are Our Planes Safer

In the article “TAKING NOTE; So Many Screeners and So Little Shampoo, but Are Our Planes Safer” by Juliet Lapidos in the New York Times, she writes a short review on airport safety and how she feels about all of the changes that have been made in the TSA system. To support her opinion and to try to make us support her opinion, she uses a few components of the rhetoric system. Her use of detail, language, and syntax help convey her ideas to us readers.

The first element, detail, helps us think the writer is more reliable through the facts that they provide us with. For example, when Lapidos talks about how “the TSA employs roughly 62,000 people, including 47,000 screeners, at a cost of more than $3 billion a year in payroll, compensation and benefits” (The New York Times), she is including facts to make her sources seem dependable and to help support her opinion and make it seem dependable.

The next element that is used, language, is the way in which a writer conveys ideas to make the reader feel a certain way. How an author constructs their writing and the certain details they choose to use or not to use is what creates a certain feeling in a piece of writing. In this review, Lapidos is trying to persuade her readers that what the airport security has been doing to keep safe is unnecessary. It would be better for the TSA to ban obvious weapons of destruction, because “banning lighters is just security theater-it just makes airports seem safer” (The New York Times). It doesn’t actually do anything. Throughout the article, we are being told how much money has been wasted on machines that haven’t done much, like the “puffer” machine. All of these negative views on what could be helpful machines make us side with her throughout the time we are reading her writing.

The final use of the rhetoric that is being used is diction. Diction is the specific words that are being put to play throughout a text. They help the reader to really visualize what is being said, and the use of good, strong words will help them believe in the same things that the writer believes in. During this editorial, Lapidos helps us envision what the TSA is doing by saying; “the TSA seems like a caricature of a wasteful bureaucracy, spending astounding amounts of money even during a sluggish economic recovery” (The New York Times). Instead of simply saying the TSA spends a lot of money on unnecessary things in hard times, they use strong words such as “wasteful bureaucracy” and “astounding amounts”. These words really deliver the point that the author is trying to get across to the readers.

The editorial shows components of the rhetoric in action. Without these minor details, the piece wouldn’t have as big of an impact as it does on the reader. They all come together to create a specific feeling and to develop a common opinion. After learning about the five parts of the rhetoric situation, I have learned how to further read into pieces of writing and to take notice in the small words formations of sentences to convey certain meanings.

Article: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E7DF113EF936A2575AC0A9649D8B63&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Open Prompts Blog

2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

     Symbols are seen everywhere, and a reader can turn most anything into a symbol for whatever they see fit. Symbols don't always have one direct meaning; often times they have multiple. Symbols are used to convey different ideas and suggestions to the plot to help readers understand the text more thoroughly and literally. In the novel The Great Gatsby, we see the use of many, many different symbols; however, the most significant one would have to be the green light that Gatsby is trying to reach out to. 

     In The Great Gatsby, the symbolism behind the green light represents hopes and dreams. Gatsby used to be dating Daisy. After they break up, due to his participation in the war, he desperately wants to get her back. He doesn't realize how everything is always moving forward though, and what they used to have before he went to war is no longer there. Throughout the book he tries and tries to get her back, and for a while we, the readers, were all thinking that maybe she would get back together with him. We see their relationship goes no where though, because she has moved on to Tom and she loves him now. In the very beginning of the novel, Gatsby is looking out across the water and notices a green light. He reaches out towards it, and that conveys an entire new meaning intended for the readers to pick up on.

     Green is the color of hope. While Gatsby is reaching towards the green light, he is really reaching for his hopes and dreams to come true with Daisy. Little does Gatsby know that the green light is actually coming from Daisy's house, which really resembles how he desperately wants to get her back. Reaching out to this light will lead him to his end goal: getting Daisy. As hard as he tries though, the light doesn't getting any more attainable. It's so far across the waters, and all he can do is see it. This goes to show how he can't attain Daisy, all he can do is dream of someday getting her and hope that it comes true, which we see that it never will. 

     If the green light wasn't ever mentioned in the novel, there wouldn't really be a connecting image. Through the light we can see at the very beginning of the novel that there is something that Gatsby wants, but we aren't exactly sure of what that is. As time goes on though, we are told that this light stands at the end of Daisy's dock. Once we know that, as readers, we put the pieces together. There is a light, a green light to be exact, that can just barely be seen across the waters. And as for Daisy and Gatsby, we can see that there used to be a "light" between them, but as time went by it slowly diminished. What he thought was so close and easy to recapture, ended up fading away right in front of his eyes. Gatsby no longer had anything left to live for. 

Response to course material: Sept. 9th 2012

So far in AP lit, we have learned primarily about the rhetorical situation, how to approach the AP test, and how to create an argument. As we all learned throughout the first week, we use the rhetorical situation all the time, and personally I never realized I was using it all this time. When I think back to other pieces of writing I have done in previous literature classes, I notice that I have used some form of the rhetorical situation. Always. Persuasive essays are the jackpot for evidence of how I have used the rhetorical situation without even realizing it. In the past, we have been told to write a certain way, by considering your audience and by thinking about what they would want to hear and how they would want to hear it. That is exactly what we see as one of the main parts of the situation itself. The purposes of the writing (reflect, persuade, entertain, and inform) help link us to how we take the AP test. The main thing to think about while testing is how. How does everything come together? How does one thing relate to another? Well, while taking the test, you have to be able to make these connections. If we hadn't learned about the rhetorical situation, it wouldn't be as easy to tackle. The rhetorical situation helps us connect the dots and make sure we use every piece of information that we can. Of course, this ties in with the use of argument. We have to consider all of this information, plus how to even set up an argument. In the past, I have written many essays arguing something. What I didn't really think about though was how to appeal to my audience. Do I want them to feel what I'm saying emotionally? Logically? or to consider their morals? Putting all of these into mind will help me on future essays and pieces of writing. With knowing how to structure my writing logically, it can make my writing that much more effective. I just have to be able to put all of the elements we learned into play, and with practice, I am sure I will be able to.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

David Sedaris’s essay Me Talk Pretty One Day is a well-written and formatted essay. After reading The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing by Michael Harvey, we learn to see what makes Sedaris’s piece so captivating and easy to understand. Throughout the essay, we see that Sedaris correctly follows punctuation rules, has well formed paragraphs, and uses the tri-colon to make Sedaris’s “prose plainer and more graceful” (Harvey 47).

            Throughout the essay “Me Talk Pretty One Day” we come across many uses of the comma. Although it does come up quite often, it doesn’t bring down the value of each sentence it is placed in, rather it helps “create long, complex sentences that are still readable” (Harvey 35).  When a writer has many thoughts and descriptions that are necessary to complete a sentence, they have to be able to use the comma appropriately. Sedaris shows that he knows how to correctly use this punctuation mark when he says, “The teacher forged on, and we learned that Carlos, the Argentine

bandonion player, loved wine, music, and, in his words, ‘making sex with the womans

of the world.’” (Sedaris 12). This use of the comma “allow[s] the reader[s] to follow the dense description [of Carlos] without too much strain” (Harvey 35).

            Another correctly used piece of punctuation in the essay is the use of questions. We see that Sedaris follows almost exactly what is said in Harvey’s section about question marks to “direct the readers attention” to a certain idea (44). Because they are designed to direct the reader’s focus on something, they have the greatest effect when placed at the beginning of paragraphs (Harvey 45). Sedaris places his two questions into the beginning of a single paragraph. He asks, “How often is one asked what he loves in this world? More to the point, how often is one asked and then publicly ridiculed for his answer?” (Sedaris 12). The second, more detailed question leads the reader to think about where the essay is going and what the writer is trying to make them think about (Harvey 45).

            Another guideline that Sedaris follows extremely well is how he sets up his paragraphs. After reading The Nuts and Bolts, we learn that “paragraphs represent pieces of an argument” (Harvey 69). The first sentence of a paragraph is usually a great indicator of what that paragraph will be about (Harvey 71). For example, one of Sedaris’s paragraphs starts out saying “My fear and discomfort crept beyond the borders of the classroom and accompanied me out onto the wide boulevards” (Sedaris 14). This makes us, the readers, actively predict that the proceeding paragraph will go into further explanation of what his fears are and how they will carry out into the everyday world. Throughout the paragraph we can see how all of these fears are cutting into his every day life until finally he ends these descriptions by saying “I knew my fear was getting

the best of me when I started wondering why they don’t sell cuts of meat in vending

machines” (Sedaris 14).

            The final piece that adds gracefulness, according to Harvey, is the use of the tricolon. This is when there is a list mentioned that consists of only three items. When lists have three items, they “tend to feel balanced and complete” (Harvey 53). Sedaris uses the tricolon a great number of times throughout his essay. Right off the bat we see this when he says that after he obtains his student I.D, he also obtains “a discounted entry fee at movie theaters, puppet shows, and Festyland” (Sedaris 11).  One paragraph later, we see that all the students in his class were “young, attractive, and well-dressed” (Sedaris 11). These help give the readers a sense of completeness, as long as making the author feel as if he has completed and conveyed all of his thoughts about certain subject matters.
            Me Talk Pretty One Day is a perfect example of writing that follows Michael Harvey’s guidelines. Sedaris does a phenomenal job using punctuation correctly, explaining his thoughts in organized paragraphs, and using tricolons to complete his lists throughout his essay. Without these elements, his writing wouldn’t be as memorable and simple to read, creating a positive effect on the readers.

Second Blog Entry: Poetry Study Goals

Poetry Study Goals:

• Read lines how they are written, not how each line ends. (punctuation)
• Find major themes/ideas
• Keep up with figurative language and understand all allusions 
• Understand literary elements
• Read through the poem at least twice, and find something I didn't catch the first time

I chose these things because I feel that if I conquer each one, I will be able to completely conquer poetry itself. It all starts out with the basics though. First, I need to start reading poems with the correct punctation, a lot of the time I just place an imaginary period at the end of each line, and things don't flow and make a complete thought. I also feel if I took an extra second to think about the poem and find the major theme, all the contributing factors to it would pop out a lot easier at me and I would be able to dissect the poem more easily. Next, I need to work on language and knowing what certain words and ideas are alluding to in the poem. That will help me understand the poem as a whole. Also with the basics, literaty elements are very important. Just the way poems are simply written have meaning, and once I am able to figure out the way they are written, I can read the poem in a more fluent, understandable way. All of these go to show why I need to read through the poem at least twice, so that I can for sure pick up on each different goal.

First Entry: Reflection of Diagnostic Test

After taking the Diagnostic test, I wasn't too confident with my answers. For most of them I just took my most educated guess and went with it. There were a ton of vocab words that I was pretty unfamiliar with as well, and I need to look more closely at those because I recognized that a lot of them were on the terms list that we need to know very soon. When I went to check my answers though, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I got the ones wrong that I was almost positive I would get wrong, but there were many I completely took a guess on and got right. I noticed that this test was pretty similar to the ACT test, which the reading portion of that test is always my weakest, so I wasn't too happy. I do believe however that I will be able to conquer this come time for the actual AP test, so for a first run through, I didn't do too bad.