It's been less than a month since my last response to the course material and we have already learned so much more in the class...
I'll just start with our study in syntax.The article by Virginia Tufte that was given to us during class was not only all about syntax, but it also really helped me have a better grasp on the concept of this literary device. I'm going to admit that before coming into this class, I didn't even know what syntax was. This article actually opened my eyes to the importance of sentence structure. After examining the story segments in the back of the packet, I became more and more familiar with the fact that writing is not only about what words were used or if the punctuation was correctly applied, but it also is greatly impacted by how the sentences are formed and the different affects that the location and size of each sentence or word has on the piece as a whole.
Moving on to The American Dream. Despite the fact that it was probably the weirdest play I have ever read in my life, I was still able to gather some useful information from it by applying what we've learned in class to the piece. I thought one of the most important details to know before even reading the play is that the style of the piece is called "Theatre of the Absurd". After reading the "Theatre of the Absurd" article (given to us by Holmes), it really cleared things up for me and became an explanation as to why the play was so strange itself. For example, one of the first things I noticed about the play was the strange usage of language. The dialogue between the characters was exactly like how the article had explained: the words traded between each person did just "become nothing but a vehicle for conventionalized, stereotyped, meaningless exchanges." This along with the other information provided in the article really served as a guiding light for me while reading the actual play.
Beside those two things, we were also handed two other articles that explained the types of comedy and the theories drawn from humor and comedy. These articles were extremely helpful in my interpretation of the American Dream while also refreshing my memory on the techniques and terms used through comedy. I was also surprised to learn about how many different theories that could be interpreted from comedic works and all the elements that were required to for a piece to actually become humorous (I won't re-list these elements because I'm assuming that you've read these articles.)
Anyway, those are the things I've learned thus far in AP Lit. Now I'm going to move on and write about my Close Reading (awkward concluding paragraph ends here).
I'm realizing now that it would make more sense to respond to your assignments in order from oldest to newest, but this reverse order of response is something we'll have to live with. We were in the same situation, syntax-wise. I had no idea what it was before AP Lit either, and I also enjoyed Virginia Tufte's article. It was neat how your tied the article on "Theatre of the Absurd" with The American Dream so well. This shows that you really are connecting everything that we're learning. It sounds like you're getting a lot out of this class.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to almost every aspect of this article. I, too, lacked any knowledge of how to use syntax or what it really was. It has been interesting to examine syntax and how it changes writing. The American Dream was my first exposure to Theater of the Absurd as well, so naturally I found the play quite strange. Overall its good writing that the reader can relate to, which makes personal statements like these much easier to read.
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