Close Reading

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-myturn-ashes-20111205,0,1947552.story

Diction: Shaw uses pejorative diction when describing cremation to highlight his doubts regarding the practice. He describes the urn of ashes "squatting" on the mantle, not exactly the most dignified image that could be conveyed to the reader. He also compares cremation to a "medieval" Catholic practice, giving off the impression that he feels that the practice is dated and primitive. The "dessicated" fingers do not romanticize the Catholic practice, and comparing it to cremation does not put it in a good light.

Imagery: The image that Shaw describes of his hypothetical grave contrast greatly with his negative portrayal cremations.

Response to Course Material

In the past week we have been reading and analyzing Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. We have been close reading in groups and sharing our analysis with our classmates. Personally, I liked the first half of Ceremony and didn't care much for the second half, so I'm enjoying our discussions while I can. My second read for Ceremony was much more helpful to me than my second read for Death of a Salesman and The American Dream because of its unusual narrative structure. Similarly, the discussions are much more helpful to me for Ceremony as opposed to the others. This may be because there is simply so much more content to break down in a novel as opposed to a play.

Open Prompt #6

Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes' observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author's treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

Some works of literature, such as War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, are works that address many diverse issues in great detail. Others are more simplistic, and it is clear to the reader what the central question raised by the work is. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is a work that unambiguously questions the American way and American society, yet any solution that Miller suggests is far from obvious.

Miller's message in Death of a Salesman is critical of his contemporary American society, and he raises his questions regarding the American Dream through the life and ultimate demise of the main character Willy Loman. Through Willy's beliefs, Miller conveys everything that he finds wrong with the American Dream. Miller uses Willy's job as a salesman to represent the materialism and fake quality of the American way; Willy's strongly held convictions that success can come from being well liked are proved wrong again and again throughout the work. However, Miller makes it clear that Willy is not to blame for his failure; he is portrayed as helpless to the forces of society around him, that ultimately cause his downfall.

Though Miller clearly indicts American society for its distortion of values and failure to live up to the principles of his ideal American way, he does not give a specific answer to the audience about what should be done.