Response to Course Material (3/16)

One of the tasks we focused on was multiple choice practice for the AP test. Unfortunately, that was our last time working on the multiple choice in groups. I think there are both positive and negative effects to working with a group. On one hand, groups provide more minds that can add to understanding in any scenario. But, they also add doubt. At times, working with others can cause me to doubt a correct answer, and I think I caused doubt for my group members as well. Still, I will have to see how I manage the questions alone.

We also talked about Ros. and Guil. more. I particularly liked the discussion of this play, because I think it has so much to explore and there are so many contradictions. Just when someone thinks he/she has a grasp on it, someone else can go, “but what about…”. There are constant issues within the play. I have always thought that one piece of literature can have many different meanings, and Ros. and Guil. are Dead is a prime example of different interpretations.

Speaking of many interpretations of literature, we also looked at critical lenses. It seems like some of the lenses kind of sink into our discussions at times. We never looked at The American Dream in depth from the Feminism lense, but it was still part of our discussion. I am also guilty of looking at literature and media and wondering what the role of women is supposed to be in the work and how that comments on women in society. I do not necessarily only question that one aspect, but it is taken into consideration. Any of the critical lenses can be part of our discussion without us explicitly stating that we are looking at a work from that lense.

I think a whole new meaning can be found in things from a different perspective, which is a concept we touched on when we read an article written about a whole different culture analysing Hamlet differently than the traditional Western perspective.

We spent an entire class period talking about Northrop Frye and his own way to critically analyse works. Under his system, Death of a Salesman would be considered irony. Again, the concept of different perspective comes in. This seems like an interesting time to look at new perspectives. For the first time, we are exploring an unfamiliar culture in Ceremony. The American Dream and Death of a Salesman take place and were written in mid 20th century America. Hamlet takes place in Medieval times, but was written during the Renaissance. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is based off Hamlet and was written in the mid 20th century.

Ceremony is written in a whole new writing style that we are not used to. All the others, are written in traditional Western structure and are pieces that are more common. The idea that we get to explore a new culture and a new writing style is quite interesting. We also get to do so, with more critical lenses in our pocket to draw from.

We have looked at Ceremony some over the past few weeks. The entire idea of perspective and order is throwing me off some. I have read things with changing perspectives and things written out of order before, but it is much harder to get my bearings with the story told out of order. It is hard to get a typical exposition understanding before the plot starts when the exposition happens with plot.