Michael Rossi
April 29, 2010
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
40 Minute Timed Essay AP Test Practice: What is the author's message, and how does he use diction and syntax to achieve that goal?
This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us
The United States lost its touch as being the most hated country in the international community, and the torch of despicable public opinion has been handed to China. The author utilizes aggressive messages, diction, and syntax to make for an unreserved, satiric work.
The author questions the significance in which the media and society place in attributes that make up a strong nation. Economic, financial, and political assertion is the stem of national progression in which China paints as positive. The Author’s main message, through syntax and diction, is to demonstrate his biased belief against the commentary in most articles.
The author’s clever us of utilizes syntax lays the censorious seed that eventually blossoms into full blown satire: “It’s the dawning of a new huge bastard era” (Article 1). Here the author weaves vulgarity into an otherwise orthodox editorial paper. Doing this exposes the ridiculous nature of China’s so-called progression. Replacing a vital part of the sentence with bastard shows how disposable and empty the sentence is as; anything could be put in front of it and have read almost exactly the same.
The author further waters his satire with the spring water of well placed diction By adopting the stylistic choices of commonly positive works, the author is able to attribute the written positive connotation into a vulgar denotation. An excellent exhibition of this concept can be seen as the other claims, “A country like Iran is obviously a pretty big dick, but ultimately it lacks the resources to be a truly world-class asshole” (Article 1). Pretty big dick and world class asshole could easily be replaced personify Iran as possessing it with insults that typically pertain only to humans. Through diction, the author is able to simplify the complicated national issues as childish insults, in order to expose the childlike values that some countries posses.
The author utilizes aggressive messages, diction, and syntax to make for an unreserved, satiric work. In the end, the author was forced to plan his satiric work with the hope that he could help revive from society from the fire of immorality that swept the political spectrums of the international community. The tree of knowledge starts stems from the nurturing of satire.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Michael Rossi
April 3, 2010
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay Topic #1
Study Up
Adhering to the conscience is God’s test. The notes of public redemption are the methods of studying test. One ought to treat society as a means of preparation for the most difficult test possible. If one cannot please his countrymen with his repentance how can he hope to please God? The characters from the texts: The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and The Picture of Dorian Gray had wildly different approaches to such an exam. In The Crucible, Abigail flunked the test by trying to cheat Salem’s court while Proctor simply did not study. In the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale crammed just before the test, while Hester passed with the flying colors of repentance after years of study. Dorian, from The Picture of Dorian Gray, simply refused to take the test.
In The Crucible, Abigail attempted to lean away from her conscience in order to peer over the court’s shoulder to exploit its knowledge. A fatal problem with private redemption is that it relies on the moral perfection of an individual to actively pursue self-improvement, while too many simply offer no room for self-reflection. Abigail is a perfect example of one who would exploit such a system. Abigail perfected the art of manipulation, enabling her to take the quiet insecurities of Salem and brazen them with color: “Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it!” (Miller 108). Abigail never ceased painting her evil through the town, and never once allotted herself the time to reflect upon what she had created. Abigail is forced to pathologically lie in order to prevent Salem from learning of the threads of lechery that existed within the cloak of secrecy that shrouded them from Salem’s view. In the shallow confides of Abigail’s mind she never once considered the morality of her actions, because she never had to. There was no publicity to slow her down and remind her of sins. Abigail was caught up in her conquest of the people of Salem for any sort of reflection. Although Paris told Abigail, “your punishment will come in its time,” (10) one must consider the purpose of punishment, reform. Abigail became a prostitute and led a wretched life, however her punishment was worthless. The loose grasp of private redemption allowed Abigail to escape from her problems without addressing them, while public shaming at the gallows would have done well to ensure the she could never forget her trespasses.
Private redemption is not only a flawed system for cheaters, but also those simply do not know how to go about studying. One will seldom find serendipity of any kind if they refuse to confront repressed feelings. In The Crucible, Proctor’s lechery with Abigail was profoundly responsible for the witch-trails. Since Proctor could not reveal his sin to Salem, (because he would be hanged) he strived to cope with his sin by ignoring his sin in private. The only reason why Proctor was redeemed is because he was on trial by Salem. Although they were trying him for the wrong reasons, the trial taught him the fortitude and selflessness necessary to truly be redeemed in God’s eyes: “Because it is my name! […] How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 143). This demonstrates that no matter how erroneous a society is, so long as it forces some degree of public redemption, a better end product is produced. Proctor conducted himself as a bright man in the community who was capable of carrying out much of his redemption; however, he needed to be spurred by an outside influence. Imagine that The Crucible’s court is an awful parent and Proctor is its child. Although a parent may mistakenly adopt a parenting route that consisted only of public punishments (such as making the child stand in the corner) instead of afflicting his child with shame, the parent is still punishing the child for the right reasons. The child, whether he cares about his actions or not, will come to hate shame and develop a fear of punishment. The child will naturally try to bring about an end to shame in the future and will think about the actions that could potentially be the cause of his punishment. Eventually the child will adapt to their parents’ whims, and in doing so, the child will be forced into self-reflection. Thus, Proctor was forced by the results of the trial to be introspective and seek public redemption. With the town standing over him, he reviewed the class notes of public redemption and gave everything he had to pass the test (quite literally).
Proctor actively sought well, but was still largely spurred by external factors. Dimmesdale on the other hand, demonstrated altruism after his affair with Hester, but suffered at the neglectful hands of his private redemption. Dimmesdale was trapped in a vicious cycle. Dimmesdale sinned. He cannot stand his sin and feels the need to repent. Dimmesdale, bound by his responsibility to the community, could not repent, for he believed that his people would lose faith in God and be led astray. He cannot openly discuss his sin because he believes he will be harming his followers’ faith, so he only speaks of how wretched he is. The people love him even more as they view his self loathing as simply humbling himself: “He had told his hearers that he was altogether vile, a viler companion of the vilest […] They heard it all, and did but reverence him more” (Hawthorne 131). As the people’s love for Dimmesdale increases, his guilt and self hatred are only intensified. As a result, he punishes himself by flogging (which he believes is God’s will). Dimmesdale was struggling so intensely with his atonement because there was no clarity upon which he could draw his guidance from. Private redemption automatically assumes that since the redemption is done in solitude, so must come the all answers. The only problem was that Dimmesdale was stuck and could not figure a way out. Public redemption would have allowed Dimmesdale to atone for his own sins while still appearing as a hero to his people who would learn from him the rugged commitment of self-improvement.
Hester demonstrated what it means to take advantage of public redemption. Early in the The Scarlet Letter, Hester was branded with a scarlet A. Later on, Hester was able to change the meaning of the scarlet letter: “many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able;” (Hawthorne 146). Public redemption transformed Hester from a whore into a, “living sermon against sin” (Hawthorne 59). It was the notes and guides of public redemption that forced the impetuous upon Hester to reflect upon her sins and flee from the failure of lies.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian had no room for public or private redemption. He was far too busy absorbing and living Lord Henry’s witticisms. One of those witticisms happened to deconstruct the holiness that one typically considers as the nature of a conscience: “Conscience makes egotists out of us all” (Wilde 106). Even if one does not believe in a conscience or governing presence outside of one’s body, one must still chronically undergo self-improvement. If one does not, one is accepting iniquity, which does not satisfy even the most selfish beings on the planet.
Dorian’s fall from grace is far worse than any of the characters in The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian’s fall emphasizes the need for public redemption as he received the least amount of societal pressure. While Hester succeeded in her redemption, Abigail, Proctor, and Dimmesdale ultimately failed in utilizing public redemption. Dorian was engaged in situations similar to those of Abigail, Proctor and Dimmesdale, yet he fared far worse and could not attain redemption.
Dorian does not run from his society like Abigail, but rather he wars against it. When Abigail’s plan was challenged, she ran away steaming with rage. Basil risked his good favor with Dorian in order to warn him of what he is becoming: “Then there are other stories-stories that you have been seen creeping at dawn out of dreadful houses and slinking in disguise into the foulest dens in London” (Wilde 156). Dorian did not simply run as Abigail did, but rather he cut Basil to ribbons. With no one around to help police him, Dorian in his naivety, did not possess the mental capacity to appropriately reflect and repent for his actions. Instead of reflecting upon his actions, Dorian simply had the body destroyed, in the hopes that his guilt would accompany it.
In The Crucible, Proctor took up private redemption in the hopes that his lechery would be forgotten. In the end, Proctor was forced to repent and he died in the name of his pride. Dorian never once sought any form of redemption, public or private. Proctor never had the luxury of having a picture that showed him his soul with which he could use as a stimulus for change.
Dimmesdale had a bout with his conscience and was being tested without studying. Dimmesdale’s vicious cycle of sin was only so devastating to him because he did not have the slightest drop of apathy in the sea of his mind. Dorian did not even know how to care. Since Lord Henry taught Dorian that his conscience would make an egotist out of him, he knew not what to attribute his feelings of guilt or a moral nudge to: “‘Good heavens! I have hit a beater!’ “[…] ‘ I wish it were stopped forever, Harry,’ he answered bitterly. ‘The whole thing is hideous and cruel’” (Wilde 207-208). If Dorian listened to his conscience, he would have stepped in to help the injured man instead of complain about what happened to him. In order to save himself, Dorian needed to publicize his problems and seek help from the community. Towards the novel’s end Wilde endorses public redemption when he claimed, “Yet it was his duty to confess, to suffer public shame, and to make public atonement.” (Wilde 228). Doing this would have been enough to change Dorian for the better. Dorian was not completely evil, only extremely ignorant, and education can always cure a misguided soul. Dorian turned to opium in order to suppress his problems: “To cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul” (Wilde 189). Curing the soul is done through meditation and centering oneself, in order to find peace and determine what must be done to fix life’s problems. Opium and other drugs only distract one from the chronic problems that only tend to worsen from neglect. Looking inward is the first step to fixing internal problems, not the conclusive one. After one is able to focus his thoughts, one ought to refer his ideas to a neighbor in order to insure the right path is chosen and one’s conscience is in check.
Adhering to the conscience is God’s test. Studying the notes of public redemption is the only way to pass the test. Dorian was once as pure as a fresh blanket of snow, until he stopped reviewing his conscience altogether. In Dorian’s eyes, Lord Henry became Dorian’s God and Lord Henry’s witticisms became Dorian’s conscience. Dorian’s failure is a message to the reader. Humans must never lose sight of what their test will be about; they must study by following their consciences. In the end, the conscience is God’s test and Dorian failed his test so that Wilde’s readers may pass theirs.
Works Cited
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1986.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Group, 1976.
April 3, 2010
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay Topic #1
Study Up
Adhering to the conscience is God’s test. The notes of public redemption are the methods of studying test. One ought to treat society as a means of preparation for the most difficult test possible. If one cannot please his countrymen with his repentance how can he hope to please God? The characters from the texts: The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and The Picture of Dorian Gray had wildly different approaches to such an exam. In The Crucible, Abigail flunked the test by trying to cheat Salem’s court while Proctor simply did not study. In the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale crammed just before the test, while Hester passed with the flying colors of repentance after years of study. Dorian, from The Picture of Dorian Gray, simply refused to take the test.
In The Crucible, Abigail attempted to lean away from her conscience in order to peer over the court’s shoulder to exploit its knowledge. A fatal problem with private redemption is that it relies on the moral perfection of an individual to actively pursue self-improvement, while too many simply offer no room for self-reflection. Abigail is a perfect example of one who would exploit such a system. Abigail perfected the art of manipulation, enabling her to take the quiet insecurities of Salem and brazen them with color: “Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it!” (Miller 108). Abigail never ceased painting her evil through the town, and never once allotted herself the time to reflect upon what she had created. Abigail is forced to pathologically lie in order to prevent Salem from learning of the threads of lechery that existed within the cloak of secrecy that shrouded them from Salem’s view. In the shallow confides of Abigail’s mind she never once considered the morality of her actions, because she never had to. There was no publicity to slow her down and remind her of sins. Abigail was caught up in her conquest of the people of Salem for any sort of reflection. Although Paris told Abigail, “your punishment will come in its time,” (10) one must consider the purpose of punishment, reform. Abigail became a prostitute and led a wretched life, however her punishment was worthless. The loose grasp of private redemption allowed Abigail to escape from her problems without addressing them, while public shaming at the gallows would have done well to ensure the she could never forget her trespasses.
Private redemption is not only a flawed system for cheaters, but also those simply do not know how to go about studying. One will seldom find serendipity of any kind if they refuse to confront repressed feelings. In The Crucible, Proctor’s lechery with Abigail was profoundly responsible for the witch-trails. Since Proctor could not reveal his sin to Salem, (because he would be hanged) he strived to cope with his sin by ignoring his sin in private. The only reason why Proctor was redeemed is because he was on trial by Salem. Although they were trying him for the wrong reasons, the trial taught him the fortitude and selflessness necessary to truly be redeemed in God’s eyes: “Because it is my name! […] How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 143). This demonstrates that no matter how erroneous a society is, so long as it forces some degree of public redemption, a better end product is produced. Proctor conducted himself as a bright man in the community who was capable of carrying out much of his redemption; however, he needed to be spurred by an outside influence. Imagine that The Crucible’s court is an awful parent and Proctor is its child. Although a parent may mistakenly adopt a parenting route that consisted only of public punishments (such as making the child stand in the corner) instead of afflicting his child with shame, the parent is still punishing the child for the right reasons. The child, whether he cares about his actions or not, will come to hate shame and develop a fear of punishment. The child will naturally try to bring about an end to shame in the future and will think about the actions that could potentially be the cause of his punishment. Eventually the child will adapt to their parents’ whims, and in doing so, the child will be forced into self-reflection. Thus, Proctor was forced by the results of the trial to be introspective and seek public redemption. With the town standing over him, he reviewed the class notes of public redemption and gave everything he had to pass the test (quite literally).
Proctor actively sought well, but was still largely spurred by external factors. Dimmesdale on the other hand, demonstrated altruism after his affair with Hester, but suffered at the neglectful hands of his private redemption. Dimmesdale was trapped in a vicious cycle. Dimmesdale sinned. He cannot stand his sin and feels the need to repent. Dimmesdale, bound by his responsibility to the community, could not repent, for he believed that his people would lose faith in God and be led astray. He cannot openly discuss his sin because he believes he will be harming his followers’ faith, so he only speaks of how wretched he is. The people love him even more as they view his self loathing as simply humbling himself: “He had told his hearers that he was altogether vile, a viler companion of the vilest […] They heard it all, and did but reverence him more” (Hawthorne 131). As the people’s love for Dimmesdale increases, his guilt and self hatred are only intensified. As a result, he punishes himself by flogging (which he believes is God’s will). Dimmesdale was struggling so intensely with his atonement because there was no clarity upon which he could draw his guidance from. Private redemption automatically assumes that since the redemption is done in solitude, so must come the all answers. The only problem was that Dimmesdale was stuck and could not figure a way out. Public redemption would have allowed Dimmesdale to atone for his own sins while still appearing as a hero to his people who would learn from him the rugged commitment of self-improvement.
Hester demonstrated what it means to take advantage of public redemption. Early in the The Scarlet Letter, Hester was branded with a scarlet A. Later on, Hester was able to change the meaning of the scarlet letter: “many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able;” (Hawthorne 146). Public redemption transformed Hester from a whore into a, “living sermon against sin” (Hawthorne 59). It was the notes and guides of public redemption that forced the impetuous upon Hester to reflect upon her sins and flee from the failure of lies.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian had no room for public or private redemption. He was far too busy absorbing and living Lord Henry’s witticisms. One of those witticisms happened to deconstruct the holiness that one typically considers as the nature of a conscience: “Conscience makes egotists out of us all” (Wilde 106). Even if one does not believe in a conscience or governing presence outside of one’s body, one must still chronically undergo self-improvement. If one does not, one is accepting iniquity, which does not satisfy even the most selfish beings on the planet.
Dorian’s fall from grace is far worse than any of the characters in The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian’s fall emphasizes the need for public redemption as he received the least amount of societal pressure. While Hester succeeded in her redemption, Abigail, Proctor, and Dimmesdale ultimately failed in utilizing public redemption. Dorian was engaged in situations similar to those of Abigail, Proctor and Dimmesdale, yet he fared far worse and could not attain redemption.
Dorian does not run from his society like Abigail, but rather he wars against it. When Abigail’s plan was challenged, she ran away steaming with rage. Basil risked his good favor with Dorian in order to warn him of what he is becoming: “Then there are other stories-stories that you have been seen creeping at dawn out of dreadful houses and slinking in disguise into the foulest dens in London” (Wilde 156). Dorian did not simply run as Abigail did, but rather he cut Basil to ribbons. With no one around to help police him, Dorian in his naivety, did not possess the mental capacity to appropriately reflect and repent for his actions. Instead of reflecting upon his actions, Dorian simply had the body destroyed, in the hopes that his guilt would accompany it.
In The Crucible, Proctor took up private redemption in the hopes that his lechery would be forgotten. In the end, Proctor was forced to repent and he died in the name of his pride. Dorian never once sought any form of redemption, public or private. Proctor never had the luxury of having a picture that showed him his soul with which he could use as a stimulus for change.
Dimmesdale had a bout with his conscience and was being tested without studying. Dimmesdale’s vicious cycle of sin was only so devastating to him because he did not have the slightest drop of apathy in the sea of his mind. Dorian did not even know how to care. Since Lord Henry taught Dorian that his conscience would make an egotist out of him, he knew not what to attribute his feelings of guilt or a moral nudge to: “‘Good heavens! I have hit a beater!’ “[…] ‘ I wish it were stopped forever, Harry,’ he answered bitterly. ‘The whole thing is hideous and cruel’” (Wilde 207-208). If Dorian listened to his conscience, he would have stepped in to help the injured man instead of complain about what happened to him. In order to save himself, Dorian needed to publicize his problems and seek help from the community. Towards the novel’s end Wilde endorses public redemption when he claimed, “Yet it was his duty to confess, to suffer public shame, and to make public atonement.” (Wilde 228). Doing this would have been enough to change Dorian for the better. Dorian was not completely evil, only extremely ignorant, and education can always cure a misguided soul. Dorian turned to opium in order to suppress his problems: “To cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul” (Wilde 189). Curing the soul is done through meditation and centering oneself, in order to find peace and determine what must be done to fix life’s problems. Opium and other drugs only distract one from the chronic problems that only tend to worsen from neglect. Looking inward is the first step to fixing internal problems, not the conclusive one. After one is able to focus his thoughts, one ought to refer his ideas to a neighbor in order to insure the right path is chosen and one’s conscience is in check.
Adhering to the conscience is God’s test. Studying the notes of public redemption is the only way to pass the test. Dorian was once as pure as a fresh blanket of snow, until he stopped reviewing his conscience altogether. In Dorian’s eyes, Lord Henry became Dorian’s God and Lord Henry’s witticisms became Dorian’s conscience. Dorian’s failure is a message to the reader. Humans must never lose sight of what their test will be about; they must study by following their consciences. In the end, the conscience is God’s test and Dorian failed his test so that Wilde’s readers may pass theirs.
Works Cited
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1986.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Group, 1976.
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