Fourth Class Response

      Since my last post, we've read and analyzed Death of a Salesman, written and discussed an essay on the "Barred Owl" and "The History Teacher", and had a project on literary eras.
      I read Death of a Salesman last year in Ishall. I don't know whether it was because I had read it before or if it was the different medium, but I found the movie much more emotionally involving. I was surprised that, in the class discussion, others didn't focus on Biff's and Willy's relationship as I did, yet veered into a very separate thematic reading. Death of a Salesman made me more comfortable with annotating.
      The most recent class essay went the most smoothly for me. I tried to worry less about structure and DIDLS and more about analyzing the poems and supporting my claims. Though it accomplished just about the same thing, the second mind set is familiar ground, a comfort with the time limit. Still, I missed the deeper level in the "Barred Owl;" I looked over the shift in connotations and even the contrast of inside and outside, something I feel I'd usually see right away. The poem seemed simple, and, with the time limit prominently in mind, I went with it.

      I hadn't learned much of the literary eras previously, so the presentations were interesting. My group researched Romanticism, which I had previously thought to be rather traditional.; the information I found was surprising and new.

Sherlock: A Study In Pink review

http://www.denofgeek.com/television/547082/sherlock_a_study_in_pink_review.html
     Brew is very positive about BBC's new take on Sherlock Holmes. He balances all his enthusiasm with a sophisticated tone, remaining reliable. He sees the show in an artistic light, and gives the actors, Moffat, and McGuigan much credit in an informative review.
      Brew starts the essay in establishing the difficulty: making the current audience "take notice" is a "very hard job." The next sentence is isolated, a lone paragraph accenting the final destination of the paper: Sherlock has "an awful lot" to offer. He establishes that it's "different," worthy of new attention, yet is quick to assure that it's also "faithful"- the perfect combination. Tone helps to establish Brew's credibility; he keeps just enough of a formal air to stay credible. He describes Moffat's script as being done "terrifically well," and McGuigan as a "brilliant, brilliant" choice. Cumberbatch being a "superb" choice and the film "rollicking" keeps, again, an interesting amount of distance while still being engaged.

      The review, in its positiveness, appears unbalanced. Brew seems hesitant to give criticism; every negative factor is quickly followed with a redeeming quality. The story is "not the most demonstrative," but "[that]," according to Brew, "[is] not a bad thing." The story, he later admits, didn't have "quite the sense of threat" the beginning promised, yet, again, "it helps is, if anything." 

      Still, he supports his claims, his details backing his legitimacy. He lists other movies that McGuigan and Martin Freeman worked on, and gives quotes from the show when his review calls for them. Noting McGuigan's frequent use of the rule of thirds adds to his artistic authority. It's a good observation. 

      He seems to have great confidence in the creators of the show. McGuigan "wisely" understands what the audience will want. Brew presents the show as an art form: it's specifically "Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock" that he's analyzing, a "portrayal" that "anchors" the show. 

      Brew's writing often reflects what he's trying to describe, creating more of an atmosphere for those readers who have not yet seen Sherlock. Sherlock being a "texting-mad, nicotine patch-wearing creation" captures his energy. The first episdoe is a "maiden story," a phrase which, though fitting, is unusual- again, a reflection of the show. Moffat's script "subtley crams," a juxtaposition which sounds like what it means. Throughout the review, Brew creates an energetic yet learned look on the new version of Sherlock Holmes.

1986 prompt

1986. Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

      Memories are a kind of time travel. Miller's Death of a Salesman uses this to form a layered narrative of Willy's life. The play, in following Willy to the past and present, lets the audience sympathize with him. Because it's not realistic chronologically, Death of a Salesman leans toward emotion.

      Willy's conversations with Ben don't happen in the "present time" of the play, yet they contribute great meaning. He's haunted by the success that Ben achieved, and sees him as a role model. He frequently quotes how Ben "walked into the jungle" and walked out a rich man. It becomes a kind of fable for him, a legend; the world isn't working that way for him, but it worked for Ben, so he should keep hope! He returns to that memory when he's confused or overwhelmed, asking for advice. This pattern reveals his insecurities to the audience, and shows one of his motivations. Later, when he's talking over the possibility of suicide with an imaginary Ben, Ben already symbolizes someone who Willy trusts. This image helps portray the gravity of the scene. Ben, in being used as a memory, often in the same moment of time, helps to make Willy understandable.

      Willy's flashbacks carry the audience along closer to Willy's pace, suspending their understanding of the situation and its causes. Biff's epiphany is later in the play, after the conflict between him and Willy has been established. Knowing that it is not yet resolved makes the fall even more tragic. Without traveling with his memories, Willy alienated from the audience. His increasing tension is brought from the weight of the conflict in his memories as well as the memories' interactions with the present. He's disturbed whenever he sees Linda with stockings, and the connection between those stockings and the Woman's is understood through the twisting of time. By manipulating time, Miller helps the audience understand Willy and why he committed suicide.