2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
As a society we have come to recognize certain objects that represent more than what they are. We classify them as known symbols, for example a cross is used to represent Christ and his suffering. This symbol is known in almost every culture and is understood with out explanation, but not all symbols are so well known. A box can mean almost anything but in Edward Albee's The American Dream, Grandma's boxes represent a set of values that are important to her, and the play.
The American Dream is a play that shows grandma as a role model and as a woman that has worked hard for what she has. She lived through the great depression and sacrificed her dinner for her daughter who grew up in a generation that does not care about values. Grandma puts up with her daughter through the majority of the play but has all of her belongings, all of her values and the values of the old american dream, packed up in boxes ready to be moved.
Grandma's boxes seem simple on the outside and so they are pushed around by her daughter. At one point her daughter, Mommy, even steps on them. This shows that Mommy and her generation only care about what is on the outside, as Mommy even remarked about how she had the prettiest packaged lunch at school and how she always gave the food inside to her grandma at the end of the day. The wrapping of the lunch box is the opposite of what Grandma cares about. Grandma wants the substance inside the package, she ate the food in the lunch and she put all of her belongings in plain boxes because she cares more about what is in the boxes than what is on the outside.
The symbol of the boxes is a large symbol that carries on the Edward Albee's The American Dream. Through the boxes the generational differences are made clear and his hope for a better future is heard. Although these boxes are not known in every culture it is an important symbol, almost equally as important as a cross because the boxes do their job well and show the reader something deeper than what the play appears to be.
A-dawg,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, you did a really good job on the surface level of the play. Most, if not all of the arguments that could be made for symbolism in the American Dream were covered in this post. However, its important to remember that there isn't just one question being asked. Meaning is a big part of writing these open prompts, and (obviously) the essays when we get to them. I think this essay, as is, wouldn't score too high due to the lack of meaning, but if you were to add a paragraph about meaning into it, this essay would have the potential to be a higher level essay. Additionally, I think that if you got a few quotes in your essay it would help to prove to the readers (who have a weird thing for quotes apparently) that you know what you’re talking about, and the boxes weren't just something that came up once and then was never mentioned again.
-RAaaY RAaaY
Ana, first of all, I love your blog! It’s so pretty! But now down to business. Overall this is a great essay, however I have noticed with most people that since this was before we did our open prompt practice, many of us fell into common traps that AP graders look to mark down for. Your intro is very good in general, however for the structure of the AP essay it happens to fall under some of those traps. Some things Ms. Holmes’s mentioned that many of us do is trying to start with a catch title and redefining a basic literary term. I used to do these things often, however she said especially defining terms is offending and comes off as if we think the graders are not capable of knowing these terms. I, as well as many have also done this mistake many of times but with the intro practice we have done I’m sure this is not a problem for you! Overall this is a great piece and you maintain a good structure that highlights each of your points! Good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Ana,
ReplyDeleteI like how you included the prompt in your post; it is nice to be able to look back to, and it is probably very helpful when you type your essays. Now, I apologize if some of my comments are a bit redundant since we had that intense Open Prompt exercise. First of all, I do not think it is a good idea to use first person at all in any of these essays, since this a formal situation and audience, so in the future try to avoid "we"-try "one" instead. Also, your introduction is a little bit too broad and actually makes a strange claim ("in all cultures"), so try and stick to the thesis answers prompt/sandwich concept, focusing right away on your main points. I also think you could use some better phrasing, especially since you can assume the grader has some background with your work. You don't need to say, "The American Dream is a play that..." I think you pulled some great evidence from the play and made a great connection to the play's meaning. However, I feel like your analysis is trumped by the details you take from the play. I think you can keep the same amount of evidence next time, but definitely try to draw some more ideas on the text based on that evidence because that's what's going to show the graders your super smartness. I like how you deeply incorporated the meaning in your conclusion, but definitely put it in your intro too. Good work!
As one of your peer reviewers pointed out, you have a Forbidden Opening here, Ana.
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