prompt revising #4

1970 Also. 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.

"The Great Gatsby" is a novel of great literary merit, and it has been used time and time again as a representation of America's history. Not only does the novel itself contain examples into the past of America, but it also creates symbols that are used to portray these ideas. The green light at the end of Daisy's dock showcases the many thoughts of Jay Gatsby and more importantly America.

As Jay Gatsby looks across the water from his own land, he admires the green light that comes from the end of Daisy's dock. Gatsby and Daisy have a history between them, which Gatsby cannot seem to get off of his mind. As he looks into the glow of the light he reminisces on his past, and he remains hopeful for the future. All of his hopes and dreams for the future are presented through this one, important symbol. His love for Daisy is prominent throughout the entire novel. The green light is only a symbol of his adoration.

The American Dream seems to be a major theme throughout the novel, as well. Gatsby's longing for the unattainable (Daisy), is symbolic of the way America has been. For instance, many American's look forward to the picture perfect lifestyle; a family, stable job, and money. However, for many American's this is a difficult goal to reach. Because the green light symbolizes Gatsby's goals for the future that are unlikely, it is clear that the American Dream is portrayed through the light, too.

The green light at the end of Daisy's dock is such a simple road map that guides us through the novel's ideas. Nevertheless, it is quite important to the understanding of the story. The green light is entirely basic, but it creates great themes and meanings throughout the play, and portrays America and a man's hopes for the future.

Ceremony Summary and Analysis

Plot:

During Leslie Silko's novel Ceremony, the protagonist, Tayo suffers  from the distress of war and the discrimination of being of mixed race. Tayo was left by his mother when he was young, and his Auntie took him in. She is a very Christian woman and treated Tayo as a disgrace rather than a son. She attempted to keep him and her son, Rocky apart, but because they grew up together they continued to become as close as brothers. Tayo lost Rocky in the war. As Tayo attempts to heal, he has other friends, Harley, Leroy, Emo, and Pinkie, who all self-medicate with alcohol. It was suggested to Tayo for him to get assistance from a couple medicine men who guide him in certain "ceremonies". As he continues to fulfill his ceremony, he crosses paths with different characters, including Night Swan with whom he has an affair. Eventually, his journey comes to an end and the ceremony is complete.

Characters:

Tayo is the protagonist in the novel. He has many obstacles to face within himself and the outside world, including discrimination of his mixed Indian and White race. He seems to be quite observant and although he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from the war, he finds ways to overcome.

Auntie is a practicing, Christian woman and has a very specific view of the image of her family; anyone who comes in and disrupts this image is disgraced (like Tayo). She cherishes her son Rocky, and has a strong love for her immediate family and seems to be quite uptight.

Josiah helps communicate with Tayo and teach his the Native American ways. He is a strong believer in that culture and depends heavily on it. However, he runs off with a Mexican woman which is not the usual for their culture.

Style, Symbolism, Motifs:

Silko's style relied heavily on the use of storytelling and poetry that was intermixed within the text. She used Strong symbols and multiple motifs to provide diction, imagery, details, language, syntax. Every paragraph seemed to have some part of DIDLS, and quite in depth. Her language was descriptive and gave insight into the ideas and setting of the characters and plot, and her details were important to the addition of imagery throughout the work.

There were many motifs that I noticed including: colors, time, direction, wind, dreams, and stories.
Many of her descriptions included color symbolism and provided the piece with specific imagery in the piece. She included quite specific times because the time of the novel continued to swtich from flashbacks to reality. 
Tayo had many dreams and relied on stories to stay connected with his Indian culture, and they were important to his life and the way that he lived.

Theme:

Silko's writing gives readers an insight into the importance of storytelling by including poetry within the prose and by creating specific description within her words.

Course Material 4/15

Well, currently we are reading Fifth Business, and I am not exactly too far in it, but I am liking the novel as a whole. We just finished Ceremony, and I loved the story, but there were so many layers to peel back it got quite difficult to read. Compared the Ceremony, Fifth Business is an easy read, but there are still many layers to peel back and many questions to ask. Throughout all of the novels we have read there is so much insight that goes into it that I am never aware of. I may think I have gotten the gist of it, but in reality, I have missed the most important idea! i guess that is why we have our discussions in class.

Other than the novels we have read, we are preparing for the big test! I, honestly, do not feel prepared at all, but I think I will do okay, as long as I continue to participate in our class activities and keep practicing. There is so much that goes into that test, and sometimes I have problems really comprehending what the questions are asking and when I do it is too late. I think with all of our practices it will turn out okay!

As the year is coming to an end, AP Lit has been a great class to get experience for college, even though it was probably the most difficult and tedious classes I have taken at the High School. Overall, I am glad I took it because I know it will help me stay organized and be prepared for the college years ahead.