Approaches to literature week six

Learning about U.S. Cities Through Literature and Movies

The Joy Luck Club

American Dream: The land of opportunity

The term “American dream” is used in many ways, but it essentially is an idea that suggests that anyone in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life. Many people have expanded upon or refined the definition to include things such as freedom, fulfillment and meaningful relationships. Someone who manages to achieve his or her version of the American dream is often said to be “living the dream.” This concept has been subject to criticism, because some people believe that the structure of society in the US prevents such an idealistic goal for everyone. Critics often point to examples of inequality rooted in class, race, religion and ethnicity that suggest that the American dream is not attainable for everyone

Far and away—Fannie Mae

It is a 1992 romantic adventure drama film directed by Ron Howard from a script by Howard and Bob Dolman. It stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The cinematographer was Mikael Salomon, and the music score was done by John Williams. It was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. Cruise and Kidman play Irish immigrants seeking their fortune in 1890s America, eventually taking part in the Land Run of 1893.This was Cyril Cusack's final film before his death the following year.

Vocabulary

ann: year

anniversary

meaning: a date that is remembered or celebrated because a special or notable event occurred on that date in a previous year

Example: It was the fortieth anniversary of the death of the composer.

annuity

meaning: an insurance policy or an investment that pays someone a fixed amount of money each year

Example: Investors should consider putting some money into an annuity

annual

meaning: happening once a year

Example: The British Labor Party concludes its annual

conference today in Brighton.

cir: circle

circulatory

meaning: relating to the circulation of blood through the body

Example: The flow of blood through the circulatory system of an organism.

chronic: tome

synchronize

meaning: to cause (things) to agree in time or to make (things) happen at the same time and speed

Example: The sound on a film must synchronize with the action.

gene: birth, origin, creation

generator

meaning: something that produces something; especially : a machine that produces electricity

Example: It is a electrical generator.

Novel

Linda Brewer’s 20/20

The story starts out smack dab in the middle of a road trip. I wonder how these two met, and what was their destination, but I must assume the Author doesn't tell us because it's not important. I liked the part when Bill wondered why Ruthie wouldn't argue with him about abstract or theoretical ideas. Personally, I enjoy friendly battles back and forth, and often start debates about nothing with my friends. Just wherever our minds take us and all the possibilities and breakthroughs we have during these said debates. His comparison of East Coast women and Ruthie, a rural girl from Ohio, is a debate I've had with myself over time. Two of my brothers live on the east coast and every time I go out to see them I find myself looking for the differences in the females from here in South Dakota and out there. Have I found any? I don't know if I would say I found any, but the debate still comes up. Why is the story called "20/20" anyways? Ruthie is always talking about seeing things, whether it be the cows, the Indian paintbrush, the Golden eagle. Bill almost seemed annoyed by Ruthie and her sights, but maybe it's because his eyes were rarely open enough to see the larger more beautiful picture of their surroundings, and Ruthie could. It's a useful lesson that the world is what we want to see. We can see all the horror and terrible things going on in the world, but somewhere there is something magical and great to see, and we just have to keep our eyes open.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

It is a comedy believed to have been written by William Shakespeare between 1590 and 1597, portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (the mechanicals) who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world.

To kill a Mockingbird

It is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors. The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality.

It’s a sign to kill a mockingbird?

The meaning of "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" involves innocence. But more specifically, mockingbirds imitate the songs of other birds, so it would be a sin to kill a mockingbird based on the sound it produces. It is just mimicking what it hears. Sometimes, people, especially children, imitate ideas and behaviors of others without fully understanding them. It would be wrong to persecute that child for believing ideas (such as racism) that were those of the parents. The child has innocence.

Yasunari Kawabata: The grasshopper and the bell cricket

It is written in a narrative perspective of someone watching children searching for insects using colored and decorated lanterns. I would like to think that the author is trying to symbolize life, and that it is not only one path to go. We are all aiming for acceptance and to fit in to the society, but this story tells us that the author, who put himself as narrator, describes how he walks through the halls of the university and approaches the upper school and its playground, and he seems to get so emotionally attached that he cannot take another turn.   “I turned right so as not to leave the playground behind. Kawabata writes, “When I turned to the left, the fence gave way to an embankment planted with orange trees”. The color orange usually symbolize a warning, danger or something strong.

Torah

is the central reference of the religious Judaic tradition. It has a range of meanings. It can most specifically mean the first five books of the twenty-four books of the Tanakh, and it usually includes the perushim (rabbinic commentaries). The term "Torah" means instruction and offers a way of life for those who follow it; it can mean the continued narrative from Book of Genesis to the end of the Tanakh, and it can even mean the totality of Jewish teaching, culture and practice.[1] Common to all these meanings, Torah consists of the foundational narrative of Jewish peoplehood: their call into being by God, their trials and tribulations, and their covenant with their God, which involves following a way of life embodied in a set of moral and religious obligations and civil laws (halakha).

In rabbinic literature the word "Torah" denotes both the five books (Hebrew: תורה שבכתב‎ "Torah that is written") as well as the Oral Torah (תורה שבעל פה, "Torah that is spoken"). The Oral Torah consists of interpretations and amplifications which according to rabbinic tradition have been handed down from generation to generation and are now embodied in the Talmud and Midrash.

Traditionally, the words of the Torah are written on a scroll by a sofer on parchment in Hebrew. A Torah portion is read publicly at least once every three days in the halachically-prescribed tune, in the presence of a congregation. Reading the Torah publicly is one of the bases for Jewish communal life.

Themes vs. Motifs vs. Symbols

Theme: the main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc. The fundamental figures or colors and universal ideas often explored in a literary work.

Motifs: In narrative, a motif about this sound (pronunciation) is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative (or literary) aspects such as theme or mood. The recurring structures contrasts, and literary devices that can help develop and inform.

Symbols: Mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different concepts and experiences. All communication (and data processing) is achieved though the use of symbols

Dramatic irony

It is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters.

Oedipus the king: Oedipus the King unfolds as a murder mystery, a political thriller, and a psychological whodunit. Throughout this mythic story of patricide and incest, Sophocles emphasizes the irony of a man determined to track down, expose, and punish an assassin, who turns out to be himself.

Term explanation

dramatic irony

is an important stylistic device that is commonly found in plays, movies, theaters and sometimes in poetry. Storytellers use this irony as a useful plot device for creating situations where audience knows more about the situations, the causes of conflicts and their resolutions before leading characters or actors. That is why the readers observe that the speech of actors takes on unusual meanings. For instance, the audience knows that a character is going to be murdered or making a decision to commit suicide; however, one particular character or others may not be aware of these facts. Hence, the words and actions of characters would suggest a different meaning to the audience from what they indicate to the characters and the story. Thus, it creates intense suspense and humor. This speech device also emphasizes, embellishes and conveys emotions and moods more effectively.

example: “To be able to be free from care, quite free from care; to be able to play and romp with the children; to be able to keep the house beautifully and have everything just as Torvald likes it!”(A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen)

Nora is delightedly looking forward to those moments when she would be able to pay off her debts to Krogstad. This reflects that she would be free. However, her speech shows the use of dramatic irony when the readers know that her freedom is, in fact, a bondage, which she comes to realize by the end of the story.

Elements of fiction

Exceptions-What do you except?

What happen in the story?

How is the story narrated?

Who are the characters?

What is the setting of the story?

What do you notice about how the story is written?

What does the story mean?

Additional Supplement

First inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt

We have nothing to fear but fear itself

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

Movie

1967 The Graduate

It is a 1967 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay is by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, who appears in the film as a hotel clerk. The film tells the story of 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a recent college graduate with no well-defined aim in life, who is seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), and then proceeds to fall in love with her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross).

1992 Basic Instinct

It is a 1992 erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, and starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. The film follows a police detective, Nick Curran (Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy rock star. During the investigation Curran becomes involved in a torrid and intense relationship with the prime suspect, Catherine Tramell (Stone), an enigmatic writer.