Close Reading #3

Hipsters are constantly trying to evade what is thought of as "mainstream." Christy Wampole's article How to Live Without Irony addresses what she thinks may be the origination and effects of the hipster.
To start off, Wampole describes where we may be able to spot a hipster. She explains that they are lurking predominately in big cities, but are most likely present all around the world, even in small towns. She then goes on to explain common hipster attire and mannerisms such as "outmoded fashions (the mustache, the tiny shorts), mechanisms (fixed-gear bicycles, portable record players) and hobbies (home brewing, playing trombone)."  I think Wampole starts off her article with this imagery because it is relatable to her readers, creating connections that people can draw about certain hipster-like individuals in their own lives.  
Throughout the article, Wampole uses an elevated sort of language, though not quite as formal as epics may be, but more formal than any type of day-to-day language we use to communicate casually. Wampole uses words like "preemptively," "disseminated," "contemptibly," and "existential malaise" to illustrate her point. This actually may be a use of the idea of irony in her article to use words that are not as popular in the English language. Using a word like "hipster" in her article, a more commonly used term, actually draws more attention to the idea of a hipster because of the contrast to the rest of the article. 
Wampole also has many broken sentences in her article. As I am reading it, there are several sentences where it sounds like Wampole is almost interrupting herself with her own ideas, much like how someone would talk. The syntax is a bit strange because as I mentioned before, the language is quite elevated, but perhaps Wampole just talks like this all the time. This makes me think that Wampole may be in fact a hipster herself. 
Wampole implements these rhetoric strategies to help make the point that even though the hipster may be frowned upon in our society, there is actually a little bit of hipster in all of us.  Everyone strives to be different and to stand out in some way, and Wampole wants people to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/17/how-to-live-without-irony/?ref=opinion

Open Prompt #3

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.

In George Orwell's 1984  the main character, Winston Smith, is constantly striving to oppose the majority. In his society, Oceania, the government has the ultimate say--they dictate his history, actions, and even his thoughts. The government, also knows as the Party, prohibits free thought or any expression of individuality. Winston decides to join the Brotherhood, a rebel that wants to overthrow the Party, in hopes of fighting their oppression.

From Winston's point of view, the society that he lives in has no right to control his life. He meets a beautiful woman, Julia, at the Ministry of Truth, where he works, and falls in love. However, it is illegal to love in Oceania, and the two must continue their affair in secret. He knows he is taking a risk by seeing Julia, so he decides to start a journal to record his thoughts, just in case he taken away by the police, in hopes that he may share them one day to inspire others to join the fight against the Party. Winston's happiness is limited by having to keep his relationship a secret, and bottling his opinions and emotions toward the government. He believes that the Party is not entitled to directing his opinions and his right to happiness.

The Party, on the other hand, stands by their actions. They believe what they are doing is right. They have changed Oceania's past by telling their citizens what other countries they are at war with, and altered their history records to fit their needs. The start of all conflict is a difference of opinions, they say, and by unifying and implementing only one "right" opinion, they have eliminated conflict, and ultimately brought about world peace. By controlling society down to the individuals' thought, the Party believes they are creating a better place.

Response to Course Material 3

In class, we watched the Death of a Salesman instead of reading it, like The American Dream. I think this was a good choice, because the American Dream is much easier to envision by just reading, unlike Death of a Salesman. DOS involves ghosts and hallucinations, and several scene changes that I wouldn't have understood by just solely reading the play. Like earlier with the American Dream, I don't really understand what's happening yet, so I hope the class discussions next week can help me out.

Also, we had the terms test re-take, but I didn't feel like studying, so I just took the first grade that I got. Probably an early case of senioritis.

For the blog posts, the more we do, the less I have to talk about. For instance, with the open prompts, I am actually running out of literature to reference. I have a very limited number of books to choose from, which is a problem. Half the books I've read aren't even applicable to the prompts, and the other half is pop fiction, which is apparently not ok to use anymore. In middle school, I remember reading a new book every night, but ever since high school started, all I've wanted to do after doing homework for hours is sleep. I guess I miss reading for fun, but who has the time? So next open prompts for the rest of the year are going to be a struggle.

Besides the blog posts and the movie, we've also held student-led exercises that help us with DIDLS. These discussions are a fun way to implement what we've learned about the rhetoric. I think that interactive class activities help engage students in the learning process.

American Dream Response

Author: Edward Albee

Setting: Mommy & Daddy's apartment

Significant Characters:

Mommy- a selfish, controlling woman. An unusually masculine figure in the story. Seems to feel no emotions toward anyone, including her mother or her husband. Only concerned with material goods. Regularly emasculates her husband.

Daddy- a belittled man who goes along with Mommy's harsh harassment against his manliness, seemingly unable to think for himself, though he does have some affinity for Grandma.

Grandma- a sassy old woman, she points out much of the truth in the play, and seems to be the wisest of them all. She also possibly embodies the old American Dream.

Mrs. Barker- a woman who works with adoptive services, who comes to the apartment but is unsure of why she is even there.

Young Man- the twin of Mommy and Daddy's first child, dubbed by Grandma as the new American Dream, because of his beautiful materialistic appearance, but his lack of substance. 

Plot:

Mommy and Daddy sit in their apartment, waiting for someone to come. Grandma then enters, talking about her boxes and then Mommy reprimands her for being old and noisy. Mommy and Daddy ponder where they are and what they are doing for a while. Mrs. Barker then appears after, and though she doesn't seem to know why she's there either, Grandma eventually reveals that Mommy and Daddy had adopted a child from her before, and describes how they mutilated and eventually killed it. However, Mrs. Barker fails to understand what Grandma is hinting at. The Young Man then shows up, looking for work. He tells the story about how he's empty inside because a part of him has been killed, leading Grandma to determine that he's the twin of Mommy and Daddy's first child, and he is dubbed the new American Dream. When Mommy sees him, she is very pleased, and her behavior suggests that he could replace her old child. In the end, Grandma leaves the scene, and the rest of the characters seem very happy. 

Narrative Voice/Style:
The voice is seen as very sardonic, and mocking of American life and values. The characters' dialogue is sometimes very irritating because of the way Albee depicts them--very stupidly. The imagery of the mutilated child of Mommy and Daddy's, as well as Grandma's quips about old people, all show the shocking corruption of American life that Albee is trying to portray in his play. The symbolism of Grandma's boxes, which could be interpreted to mean old American values, also illustrates the changing nature of the American Dream, as well as the Young Man, empty on the inside, symbolizing the new American Dream.

Quotes:
"'I can't stand it, watching her do the cooking and the housework, polishing the silver, moving the furniture'" (Albee 67). ~ Mommy demonstrates her lack of appreciation for honest work, and further proves her need for immediate satisfaction. Mommy also is concern with material things.
"'Yup. Boy, you know what you are, don't you? You're the American Dream, that's what you are. All those other people, they don't know what they're talking about'" (Albee 108). ~ This quote shows Grandma's conviction that the Young Man is the American Dream, and also establishes in her a certain amount of authority to determine that for the audience.

Theme:
Albee's American Dream demonstrates the emptiness of American values and the corruption of the American Dream, which is the reason why people can't get any satisfaction. The setting and plot contribute to this because the mundane apartment and lives of Mommy and Daddy show the inherent meaninglessness of their existence, and the sarcastic narrative voice further serves to make fun of their situation. The style, tone, imagery, and symbolism also support this theme, because they point out the ridiculous aspects of Mommy and Daddy's relationships and ideas. Finally, the title of the play also mocks the idea of the American Dream, because the play reveals all the unflattering aspects of its namesake, and what Albee thinks it's become.