The American Dream: The really odd book. I will forever remember this book as slightly disturbing.
It's about a married couple. The Wife's mom is staying with then, and is convinced they are sending her away to an old people's home. The couple had a child from adoption services, but killed it, but cutting things off because the child was using it's hands to do something naughty with itself. They called the adoption lady again, and end up getting this older kid, who turns out to be the other kids twin brother. Who could feel nothing, because they were connected and the parents already cut out his brothers heart.
Death of a salesman: Willy, good old Willy. He was a great salesman, but only because he slept with the buyers interns, so they convinced their bosses to buy things from him. He cheated on his wife, but justified it by saying it was for the money. Wow he was basically a prostitute. Neve noticed that before. Interesting. Willy wanted his son Biff to be awesome like his uncle Ben, who only showed up in Willy's imagination, maybe he was crazy? Well happy was always ignored because Biff and Willy were always fighting. Happy kept telling his parents he was going to marry this girl, but really he had no girlfriend, he just wanted the attention, that his parents still didn't give to him. Well Willy decides that since he is to old to have sex with people anymore, so he can't sell things, that he should kill himself so his wife Lynda and his boys will get the life insurance money. Lynda and his boys want to stop him, but in the end, he still kills himself. At the end of the book, you never are sure if they got the insurance money or not.
Ceremony: First off, did not like this book. The author was obsessed with the "belly" and Tayo was throwing up all the time. It wasn't pleasant. at all. Well Tayo was a war vet, and his best friend (Rocky), basically brother got killed. When he comes back, his aunt, Rocky's mother, basically blames him for Rocky's death, because Tayo was supposed to take care of him. Well Tayo basically goes on this search to find himself, meets Ts'eh (who is nature) and falls in love? sorta, not really sure actually. People in town think he's crazy because they think he is spending time a lone in nature, so this guy named Eddie, who Tayo had originally stabbed in the stomach, convinces everyone that Tayo is crazy, except for Tayo's other best friend Harley, who ends up getting tortured to bring Tayo out of hiding. In the end, it's Eddie who becomes crazy, and Tayo is allowed back in town, and people accept him again.
Pride and Prejudice: Over all it was a good story, a little hard to get through, but still pretty good. The movie was better, but maybe because I had seen it first. Well theres this family, goes by the name of Bennett, there are five sister, and the eldest is Jane, who is very beautiful. A young rich man comes to town, Bingley,with his richer friend, Darcy, Darcy's sister, Miss Darcy, and Bingley's sister, Miss Bingley. Well Bingley is infatuated with Jane, and Darcy, well he's very rude to everyone, they all think it's his pride, but really it's not, he's just quiet. Darcy meets Elizabeth, the second to oldest sister, and at first, doesn't even find her handsome. Well Darcy sees that Bingley really liked Jane, who is very shy by the way, and thinks that Jane doesn't return the feelings, so he whisks away Bingley, in hopes that Bingley will forget about Jane. In the meantime, Wickham, basically Darcy's brother but not by blood, arrives in town, and Elizabeth is very taken with him. They start flirting, but Darcy doesn't approve, because he knows that Wickham is a gold digger and went after Miss Darcy, just for her money, and broke her heart. Darcy, realizes that he loves jane, and decides to tell her he loves her, while insulting her at the same time. By then though, Elizabeth found out about Darcy taking Bingley away, and breaking her sister's heart, so she refuses Darcy, even though she loves him as well. Lydia, the youngest sister, runs off with Wickham and gets married, but only after Wickham makes sure that he gets money for marrying her. Eventually, Darcy brings back Bingley, because he realizes thats the only way to get Elizabeth, and then Bingley and Jane get married, and Darcy and Elizabeth get married. All this time, their mother, Mrs. Bennett is being sneaky and creepy, trying to marry off all of her daughter, don't like her very much. Oh yeah! and Mr. Collins, the girls cousin, visits and is a threat of taking the house away once Mr. Bennett dies, and tries to marry Elizabeth, but she refuses, so he marries Elizabeth's best friend, Charlotte Lucas, and Elizabeth feels very betrayed, but she eventually gets over it because they are very happy together.
Hamlet: Well Hamlet's Father is dead,who is also named Hamlet. His uncle takes over the kingdom, and marries his mother, scandals! You never actually find out if Hamlet's mother and his uncle had an affair before, but it's assumed, because they got married only after two months the old king had died. Well the king becomes a ghost and tells hamlet to kills his uncle because his uncle married him. But to leave his mother alone. After this, Hamlet goes or acts crazy, I think slightly both, he ends his relationship with the fair Ophelia, and tells her to go to a nunnery. Well the king orders the king of England to kill Hamlet because Hamlet was headed for england, but Hamlet kinds out, changes the order, and gets kidnapped by Pirates! Before this he had killed polonius, who was Ophelia's father. Now Ophelia thinks all the men in her life had abandoned her, and she drowns herself, which back then means she was pregnant and not married, Scandal!! Hamlet gets back, hears that Ophelia is dead, and challenges Laertes, Ophelia's brother, to a duel. Laertes dips his sword in poison, to cheat because the king wanted him too, he scratches Hamlet, they accidentally switch swords and Hamlet scratches Laertes, meanwhile, the king is trying to get Hamlet to "take a drink of water" which is really poison, but the Queen, Hamlets mother, drinks it instead, and dies. So Hamlet and Laertes are dying, well Hamlet couldn't die with out killing the King, so he stabs him, and they all die. Hamlet knew that is anyone in Elsinore got the crown, it would still be corrupt, so he killed everyone, and Fortinbras, king of Norway, comes in and takes over the Kingdom of Denmark.
Even though this section of your "Synthesis of Course Material" might help you greatly while recalling the basic plot of each of the novels/plays we have read so far in class, it would be much better to highlight the themes, symbols, motifs, and other such aspects of the works. Even though these five works did constitute a large portion of the AP Lit course, greater focus was devoted on actually understanding the deeper meanings conveyed. Considering all four of the sections that you divided the course in, there was a lack of connection between all of them. In essence, you may want to try to link all of these sections together and see the overall skills that you have gained to best prepare you for the AP exam and college literature.
ReplyDeleteYou provide good summaries of the books, but I wonder if you couldn't have included some deeper meaning from them-- we've talked a lot in class about the points the different authors are trying to expound upon by certain things they do in the literature, and I personally feel like those are the most important things about studying the works.
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