thoughts on information so far

      I'm not used to the style of analysis in this class. It's a little disconcerting for me to use acronyms with analysis. Becoming comfortable with it, though, will no doubt be useful during the AP exam. The structure we're supposed to use for essays, built with sub arguments and starting with a full thesis, will help as well. Still, paired with the textbook's mention of a five paragraph essay form, I'm wary. Should we develop a thesis through those sub arguments, or, as the thesis is supposed to “answer the prompt,” according to “TAP,” are the sub arguments there purely as stepping stones to our point?

      Most of the textbook felt like review, both from past years of literature and from this class. Still, it was a new way of seeing the information. I have little knowledge when it comes to specific poetic terms, such as elegy and petrarchan, and am confused about how we'll need to apply the information.

      “DIDLS” are the textual evidence used to support an argument. The AP prompts often call for “techniques,” which are those five. The letters' specific meanings took me two or three days to understand. At first, I didn't realize that diction was one word at a time, and that it and language really were separate. Details, however, are still unclear to me. They seem closely linked with diction, imagery, and language, and I'm afraid I'll have difficulty distinguishing between them.

      There have been many clear definitions in this class so far. Acronyms have provided a universal strategy in both gathering evidence and how to approach the prompt, which will be a welcome safety when facing the stress of such short essay times. Still, I'm not always comfortable with those divisions. The way prose, poetry, and doggerel were separated, for instance, was interesting and will help in most cases, but it seemed flawed; some short stories could be written about for longer than the length of the text itself. Would they, then, be considered poetry?

Second 1970 Prompt

      "Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another."
      Possessions often begin describing a person's character. Laura's glass menagerie, from the drama of the same title, helps define her; her fragility and the figures' delicate forms are easily comparable. The glass menagerie's purpose, however, runs deeper; it serves as her escape into the ideal.
      Laura's unusual anxiety hinders her ability to function in the world. She was embarrassed of her typing on the first day of classes, and instead of returning the next day to improve her skill or talking to her mother about it, she avoids conflict and spends the days wandering about the park and zoo. Her behavior exhibits her detached nature. Jim, later, comments on her personality. "It's unusual to see a shy girl nowadays." Laura's favorite figure in her glass collection is a unicorn. The unicorn is a metaphor for who she wishes to be- someone loved both despite and for her uniqueness. She frantically tries to keep distance between herself and her desires, terrified that she'll find they are impossible. When she realizes Jim is her old crush, she refuses to sit at the table, not wanting him to see her and either not recognize her or be disappointed by her. When she and Jim talk about high school, Jim is surprised by how self conscious about her leg brace she was. He kisses her, wanting her to have more self confidence. In a way, her ideal has been realized- Jim has shown her affection due to her standing out.
      The dream is soon cracked. The unicorn falls off the table when she's caught up in dancing with Jim. Jim, in bumping the table, breaks the unicorn's horn off- the unicorn becomes, as Laura puts it, "just like the other horses." Laura parts with the unicorn, giving it to Jim as a "souvenir." After her return to an unwelcoming reality- Jim having a fiance- she needs something to keep a connection with that moment, something to make it more real. Finally, she had felt like other girls- the distance had been crossed.
      The glass menagerie's function changed throughout the play. It begins by focusing her longing, accenting it by how often she played with and dusted it. Later, it illustrates the lack of sustainability her ideal holds. The glass menagerie adds depth to Laura's character.

"Extra Punctuation: Death in Videogames"

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/extra-punctuation/8753-Extra-Punctuation-Death-in-Videogames

         Yahtzee's article, while discussing a game design choice, remains humorous. The image of Cooking Mama's look “[implying] impending murder” introduces his sense of humor. As he begins setting up his argument by giving examples, his voice and imagery betray his preference. In Prince of Persia the character is “rescued by [his] nanny an instant before death,” an undignified comparison. Still, he describes the more widely accepted death as “bull-headed,” giving it a sense of stubborn repetition, and through that, a lack of originality. He uses images both to forward his argument and to exaggerate to the point of satire. Describing an average death in Call of Duty, the initial damage is “strawberry jam smeared on his spectacles.” While unexpected imagery in association with death, it does serve the insubstantially that the oncoming loading screen will bring. He goes on to dramatize the player's last sight: the vision of his goal, “its sheer distance taunting him with his failure.” Again, he's playing with the drama that lies before the simple redo. These images are contrasted with the easy way out: “Private Protagonist's belt-mounted patented Death-Away device kicks in and he's jolted back onto his feet by a burst of pixie dust.” These divides are one way Yahtzee keeps his article light and funny.

          The diction in this article aids the imagery, as well as the weight and voice. The “Death-Away device” certainly has a nice ring to it, and the phrase “pixie dust ration” is worthy of a giggle. Even when not in an image, the diction sets the tone. From the first paragraph, his word choice is light and informal; his mind is “sparked,” and he deems the debate “old” despite his current examples. Later, his confident choice of words makes him seem more trustworthy: “It can't possibly be a gameplay issue” as they are “functionally identical.” Finally, the diction shows he knows his audience. When he starts to describe a Nicholas Cage movie, seemingly out of the blue, he reassures the reader that he knows they're confused, but they should trust him anyway: “Just roll with it.”

           This consciousness of his readership displays itself in his choice of details, as well. He begins the article by establishing the audience as people who enjoy video games with the mention of Kirby's Epic Yarn. When he describes his idea, he knows he can say that “[it'd] be controlled Hitman: Blood Money style” and be understood. He knows the call to Nintendo at the end will not go unappreciated. His details, like the other two techniques, aid in humor. When telling of the road one of the universes in the game must have taken, he chooses a cliché: the bad guys have a doomsday device. All three techniques are used to make the article interesting and funny.