Overview of The Crucible for AP Exam

             The Crucible is a play based on the Salem Witch Trials. What starts out as just foolishness and dancing in the woods turns into death sentences for many innocent people accused as witches.
          One theme seen in this play is how quickly people succumb to fear. When a few children start becoming afraid the whole town fears of witches and the devil. 
          Dramatic irony is used. We are aware of what the girls are up to while reading bu the characters are not. Even the dialogue f the character could be considered a literary element in a way that indirectly characterized the characters. Abigail drinks chicken blood to kill Elizabeth. This shows her insanity. Also, the way Abigail takes to John you can tell of her obsession with him and that she will do anything for him. 
          A lot of realism is seen in this play. It is as if you are immersed into that time period. You can see the darkness and insanity of those days. Even the dialogue has a solemn dark tone to it. The craziness became relatable because you could understand what they were going through. 

Overview of A Raisin in the Sun for AP Exam

              A Raisin in the Sun is pungent with symbols to deliver a message about the internal struggle within an African American family in the setting of the 1960's. 
          One of the symbols is Mama's plant. It appears several times in the play and notable with a withered appearance. Mama takes care of the plant just like she takes care of her family. The hope that one day the pant will see sunlight parallels Mama's hope that her family will one day achieve it dreams. 
          The image of money is used extensively too, however, it means something different to each character. For Walter money is the tangible form of his very dream. The only time he is ever happy is when he has money. Money plays and importance in his life and his dreams. Without it he feels lost and miserable just as the way he was when he lost the money to the bar he invested in.  For Beneatha, money was used to achieve a dream of becoming a doctor. The insurance money was not  material worth but a way what she needed to reach her dream. For Ruth and Mama, money was something different; it was hope. Money would allow them to buy a new home and start anew. 
            For the Younger family money could have helped or hindered their dreams depending on how each character took it. One thing realized is that just as money can appear and disappear so can dreams. In the end, Walter and Beneatha's dreams were a bit altered but altered toward that hope that Mama and Ruth had. 

Ka'ba

          Within this poem it is obvious through the images described and through the phrases and words, that the speaker cares about the lives of African Americans in this country. "The closed window look down.., " " And we labor to make our getaway, into the ancient image, into a new correspondence with ourselves and our black family." The speaker gives way a tone of understanding, sincerity, and protectiveness. 

          It seems as if they are trapped in a cold, dark, place when they really should be in  better and glorious place more deserving to them. America is basically a prison African American were confined to.    

          The final idea or theme in the poem is of freedom. Baraka is certain that Black's want to escape. "We read magic now we need the spells, to rise up, return, destroy, and create." You cannot understand the intention of the speaker from the poem but you can tell how he feels.

“In Memory of Radio”

In the poem “In Memory of Radio”, Baraka in the beginning talks about Lamont Cranston and that he and Jack Kerouac only know of him and the rest of us know of Kate Smith. The speaker says he has no healing powers, no advice get saved or rich, no way to order us to the gas chamber, etc. He continuously talk of love vs. evil.

I looked up the people mentioned in the poem to understand their significance.The central image in the poem is a superhero from comic books and radio shows called The Shadow. Under the cloak of invisibility, The Shadow hunts down and roots out evil in the world. The words he uttered after he transformed himself from Lamont Cranston, a millionaire playboy, to The Shadow have become a part of popular culture: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." The poem states that the root of evil is love; a very contradictory idea.

There is an interesting phrase mentioned after the third stanza, “and love is an evil word. Turn it backwards see/see what I mean?” This is an obvious contrast and opposition evident in this poem. I find it interesting though that there is no mention of a radio in the poem itself, however, the parentheses and added dialog and humor which created the effect of one.

“Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note”

In the poem “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note” themes of suicide, depression, and satisfaction/dissatisfaction are present making it quite fitting that Amiri Baraka wrote this poem right before he turns into a black nationalist. Amiri Baraka was initially part of the Beat generation which were “a group of American post-World War II writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired. Central elements of "Beat" culture included rejection of received standards, innovations in style, experimentation with drugs, alternative sexualities, an interest in Eastern religion, a rejection of materialism, and explicit portrayals of the human condition.” Many of the Beat writers of the time were considered iconoclasts. After the assassination of Malcolm X, however, Baraka changes route and turns his back on the white world entering into racism and violence.

The poem is about the narrator who is definitely a parent. The parent is depressed and sullen by stating “Lately, I've become accustomed to the way /The ground opens up and envelopes me” By using the word accustomed the narrator is saying that he/she used to and bored with his or her life. “And now, each night I count the stars./And each night I get the same number./And when they will not come to be counted,/I count the holes they leave.” The holes mentioned are a metaphor for the holes or emptiness within the person’s life. After the depressed state expressed in the first two stanzas, a shift in tone takes place in the third stanza. Now there is hope. The child is praying and probably praying that his or her parent is going to be okay.

This has to do with Baraka’s life because he was probably not happy initially his hope was found in black nationalism. Even though many may argue that that would not be an ideal form of hope, Baraka also finds a second hope when he changes his ways and becomes a Marxist and supporter third-world liberation movements.

True Believer Review

             Nicholas Sparks is one of my all time favorite romance authors. It always amazes me how one of the best romance writers of our time is a man. When the main audience for this genre is dominantly women, how does a man capture that much depth, emotion, detail, into his stories? 
              True Believer by Nicholas Sparks is about the protagonist named Jeremy Marsh who is a science journalist who debunks myths and hoaxes, mostly things of the supernatural sort. He comes to a small, close-nit town in North Carolina to do research on the mysterious lights appearing in the town's cemetery. Before he knows it he falls in love with the librarian named Lex (whose grandmother is a psychic, by the way). Both come with their own baggage however, Jeremy is recently divorced and Lex has been through two serious relationships that did not end so well, therefore, she is the more cautious one. 
               The highlight of this story is not in the romance, it's rather in the mystery of discovering what causes the lights in the cemetery. A lot of writing in this book is dedicated to how Jeremy goes about debunking this mystery. Meanwhile, the mystery has a lot to do with the relationship between Jeremy and Lex considering Lex believes she witnessed her parents ghost in the cemetery. Jeremy and Lex are foil character. Jeremy is a big city journalist who lives life according to science and logic while Lex is a small-town witty and southern belle who puts faith into her parents and grandmother. Ironically the two end up attracted to each other which creates the problem in the story. 
                True Believer is not characteristic of the typical Sparks books that has popularized him like The Notebook or A Walk to Remember. Still its an easy read with clear organized plot and likable characters, besides Jeremy and Lex, who have that fun southern charm to them. 

HamLit - I actually kinda sorta liked it.

          When ever a teacher assigns a teacher assigns a major work to read you usually hear the class complain about either the length, reading difficulty, the boredom, etc; including myself, I must admit. However, I usually end up somewhat liking the books I read in class. Unfortunately, I never had a liking for Shakespeare. Ever since I read Romeo and Juliet eons ago I never understood the hullabaloo about the guy. Honestly, I never thought he was that good. Freshman year we read Merchant of Venice and that was alright but that's as close as it got. I love making lists. It helps me organize my thoughts clearly and succinctly. Here's a top five list of why I never liked Shakespeare.

1. Its overly done.
2. He talks weird. I have difficulty with understanding his diction.
3. Everyone dies in the end. Come one, its time to change the plot ending.
4. He is very wordy....full of monologues, soliloquies. To much complaining not much action.
5. Probably meant to be seen not read.

              I do not mean to completely butcher the name of Shakespeare because I still do think he should be considered a respected author. After over 500 years, he is still probably the most popular and most acclaimed writer ever! I even like one of his works, Hamlet and here's why:

1. I liked the though-provoking character of Hamlet in this.
2. I understood it. (This is also probably because I am older and experienced reader now.)
3. Timeless. Modern people can relate to it.