This course material simply covers two grand topics: Death of a Salesman and the start of Hamlet. After my latest response to course material, we finished watching Salesman twice in addition to class discussions and Arthur Miller's commentaries. I really don't have much to talk about Hamlet because it's very very difficult to understand as of now. If it wasn't for Ms. Holmes paraphrasing and overview of important scenes, it would be complete gibberish to me.
I really enjoyed watching Saleman before annotating. It felt much different from the American Dream, where I would have to imagine my own settings and people. I noticed that during discussions, many of my classmates had similar opinions with me. The way our class couldn't understand Willy's purpose and personality nor Happy's obnoxious comments were things that will help me remember the play even better. I liked how we listed many, many symbols we saw throughout the play and connected them with each other; it really helped me during annotations (something I started on as soon as I could). It was also pretty interesting to see how Albee's play and Arthur's play had similar theme and connections, only with different style and perspectives. I think i'll remember this whole materialistic/ capitalistic phase in America for the rest of my life.
On to Hamlet; it's difficult. I'm already worried about annotations not only because its longer than the other two plays, but because I CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT (well, thanks to Ms. Holmes, it's not as bad). Honestly, I never really had interests in Shakespeare's plays; hence the reason why I took American Literature and not Brit lit... This could be because I only read Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. I'm still looking forward to Hamlet, just not with the greatest expectations. So far, it's interesting. The whole meaning behind the land feud, ghost, Ophelia & Hamlet's relationship, the intimacy of the closet... I have the kings all straightened up in my head even though they call them by their country (synecdoche), rather than their name. I'm hoping that I make many more connections and notes throughout the play; I'll desperately need them for the future.
This course material didn't have a lot of small assignments and notes, instead it was these two topics; the workload was still equivalent. As I look forward to reading and finishing more of Hamlet, I hope I'm not the only one struggling (hehoho).
~ 'tis the season to start worrying for AP Lit finals... sigh
Firstly, props to you for using the word synecdoche (you'll be more prepared than me for the final). I agree that watching the film made annotating much easier. Being provided the scene is very helpful when drawing conclusions about symbols and relationships. I like your connection between Salesman and The American Dream because it shows that you're really reflecting on the material. Recognizing different styles and techniques leading to the same theme is something that I think will help in this class and on the AP. About Hamlet, don't worry you're not the only one. Even after we read Hamlet the movie felt like a foreign film. Overall, good job making connections and reflecting.
ReplyDeleteYou're not the only one struggling with Hamlet. In a way it's a double-edged sword, the elaborate/confusing language serves to overwhelm me, but at the same time it provides a springboard into a plethora of annotations and connections.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Shakespeare, when we started reading Hamlet out loud a the beginning of the unit I dreaded it because whenever I've read Shakespeare as a class NO ONE knows what's going on, so the play gets dragged on & on - no tone, emotion, or understanding. (Although the cultural references help.) I don't know about you, but seeing the different portrayals of Hamlet is really quite interesting. I've never been a traditionalist when it comes to Shakespeare, so it's nice seeing all the different setting and time periods and costumes different directors use.
Hamlet can be confusing, and that's why I'm thankful that Ms. Holmes frequently stopped to explain what was going on to us.
ReplyDeleteSigh, finals are going to be killer. I didn't do fantastic on the terms test, and since the final is essentially the terms test...well...yeah.
It's great that you guys offer one another positive reinforcement, but you also need to challenge one another to work to capacity. Where are the connections to other course material, other courses, the world outside our classrooms, etc.? I just don't see the synthesis that this assignment is primarily about.
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