Ap Lang Midterm

“Genius and Drill” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ethos: Influential thinker and writer; graduated from Harvard Divinity School; founded Transcendental Club; popular lecturer.

Synopsis: Importance of respecting the individuality of students; education should nurture a child’s natural abilities rather than impose rigid structures.

Claims: 1) Education must respect the child’s natural tendencies; 2) True learning requires both inspiration and discipline.

“A Talk to Teachers” - James Baldwin

Ethos: Influential figure in American literature; famous author of many novels; social critic of race relations and sexual identity; poet and playwright.

Synopsis: Addresses teachers on living in a dangerous time; explains the paradox of education; mentions America being built by convicts and the comfort adults find in deception.

Claims: 1) Education is meant to create individualists while also teaching conformity; 2) Teachers must provide a true understanding of African American history.

“Let Teenagers Try Adulthood” - Leon Botstein

Ethos: President of Bard College; author.

Synopsis: Advocates for abolishing middle and high school; suggests teens graduate at 16 because of their maturity and need to be around other age groups.

Claims: 1) High school should be abolished; 2) Teens should graduate at 16 and be around older age groups in work and college.

“What America Can Learn from Smart Schools in Other Countries” - Amanda Ripley

Ethos: Investigative journalist and author; has worked for Time, NYT, The Atlantic, WSJ.

Synopsis: Discusses PISA testing; America falls below average in math, reading, and science; emphasizes the need for improved resources and standards in education.

Claims: 1) American education needs to be fixed to advance; 2) Other countries have better resources for needy children, high-quality preschools, and rigorous standards.

“Me Talk Pretty One Day” - David Sedaris

Ethos: Grammy-nominated humorist, essayist, playwright.

Synopsis: Sedaris's experience as a 41-year-old student learning French in Paris; discusses feelings of intimidation and struggles with the language; harsh teaching methods impact his progress.

Claims: Effective learning can create discomfort and struggle but lead to positive results; harsh teaching methods can drive progress.

“Why We Desperately Need to Bring Back Vocational Training in Schools” - Nicholas Wyman

Ethos: CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation; author.

Synopsis: Advocates for vocational education and claims that not all students benefit from college; highlights the need for a separate learning track.

Claims: 1) College doesn’t work for everyone; 2) Vocational education must be added back to high school curriculums.

“Women’s Brains” - Gould

Type: Column in Natural History (1980).

Ethos: Paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, author, Harvard.

Claim: Justifying sexism with inaccurate scientific claims is flawed. Synopsis: Critiques Broca's studies which inaccurately compare women’s brains to lesser beings, showing bias.

“Professions for Women” - Woolf

Type: Talk to Women’s Service League (1931).

Ethos: Novelist, critic, essayist. Claim: Women face societal expectations that limit their success.

Synopsis: Discusses the “Angel in the House” as a barrier to women's true selves.

“Just Walk On By” - Staples

Type: Essay (1986).

Ethos: Author, writer for NYT.

Claim: Race and gender drive societal assumptions that psychologically impact individuals.

Synopsis: The psychological burdens faced by black men; acknowledges women's vulnerabilities.

“I Want a Wife” - Brady

Type: Magazine Article (1972).

Ethos: Editor, author.

Claim: Unrealistic expectations are placed on wives due to gender roles.

Synopsis: Satirical piece listing expectations for a wife.

“There is no Unmarked Woman” - Tannen

Type: NYT Article (1993).

Ethos: Author.

Claim: Women face societal marks based on appearance while men are unmarked.

Synopsis: Discusses how women are defined by male association.

“Toxic Masculinity is Killing Men” - Holloway

Type: Essay (2015).

Ethos: Writer, editor.

Claim: Toxic masculinity imposed by society causes harm to men. Synopsis: Discusses emotional suppression taught to boys.

“Where I Lived, and What I Lived For” - Thoreau

Type: 2nd Chap of Walden - 1854.

Ethos: Philosopher, poet, essayist, naturalist, influenced by Emerson.

Synopsis: Living simply away from societal distractions; emphasizes purpose over routine.

Claim: Enjoy the simplicity of life. Quote: 'Simplify, simplify.'

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” - MLK

Type: Letters responding to clergyman - 1963.

Ethos: Minister, founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Quote: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'

Synopsis: Responds to clergyman’s criticisms of peaceful protests; discusses civil disobedience.

Claim: Civil disobedience in the face of injustice is justified.

“This is Water” - Foster Wallace

Type: Graduation Speech - 2005.

Ethos: Novelist, short story writer, essayist.

Synopsis: Discusses awareness of others’ circumstances over mundane complaints. Claim: Be aware of others and see the positives.

“Mother Tongue” - Tan

Type: Essay - 2003.

Ethos: Best-selling author, daughter of Chinese immigrants. Synopsis: Discusses her experience with language and how it affects perception.

Claim: The struggle with accent reflects broader societal attitudes.

“The F-word” - Dumas

Type: Essay/Excerpt from “Funny in Farsi” - 2002.

Ethos: Author.

Synopsis: Discusses the challenges of identity and the desire for acceptance.

Claim: Difficulties in preserving original identity while adapting to societal norms.

“Words don't mean what they mean” - Pinker

Type: Book excerpt - 2007.

Ethos: Psychologist, science author.

Synopsis: Discusses the duality of communication.

Claim: Society’s norms lead to indirect communication.

“Let Them Eat Dog” - Foer

Type: Satire piece.

Ethos: Outspoken vegetarian.

Synopsis: Discusses the inconsistent attitude towards eating different animals.

Claim: The taboo against eating dogs critiques broader factory farming issues.

“Why Science Is So Hard to Believe” - Achenbach

Type: Op-ed in Washington Post.

Ethos: Author of various reputable pieces.

Synopsis: Discusses skepticism toward scientific data due to confirmation bias.

Claim: Beliefs interfere with accepting scientific truths.

“On Dumpster Diving” - Eighner

Ethos: Became homeless, writer.

Type: Magazine article (1991).

Synopsis: Discusses scavenging as an honorable skill; highlights society's wastefulness.

Claim: Scavenging reveals waste and fosters resourcefulness.

“Serving in Florida” - Ehrenreich

Type: Chapter in Nickel and Dimed (2001).

Ethos: Best-selling author, former server.

Synopsis: Describes the inhumane working conditions in the service industry.

Claim: The server industry exploits workers.

“In the Strawberry Fields” - Schlosser

Type: Article (1995).

Ethos: Journalist and author.

Synopsis: Highlights the exploitation of illegal immigrants in agriculture; their unpredictability and challenges.

Claim: Critique of American agriculture's dependence on illegal immigrant labor.

“The Gig Economy Celebrates Working Yourself to Death” - Tolentino

Type: New Yorker essay (2017).

Ethos: Writer for New Yorker.

Synopsis: Questions unhealthy habits encouraged by the gig economy.

Claim: The gig economy normalizes overwork and related issues.

“What the Bagel Man Saw” - Dubner-Levitt

Type: NYT Magazine article (2004).

Ethos: American authors and journalists.

Synopsis: Discusses human nature, dishonesty, and its implications in work environments.

Claim: Dishonesty rationalized in workplaces feels inconsequential.

Emerson

“The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil” - Individualism + Progressive education.

Baldwin

“The paradox of education is precisely this-that: as one becomes conscious one begins to examine the society which he is being educated” - Struggles of minorities in education.

Foer

“Imagine the sound of a dog’s whimper…before its throat is slit and its body left to bleed out.” - Criticizes factory farming as a whole.

Achenbach

“When Galileo claimed that the Earth spins on its axis…he was asking people to believe something that defied common sense.” - When an individual’s natural beliefs interfere with proven science, it leads to a divided society.

Thoreau

“Simplify, simplify.” - Live life free of unnecessary distractions; focus on simplicity and purpose.

MLK

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Justice is interconnected; allowing injustice to persist in one place undermines justice elsewhere.

Pinker

“So every sentence has to do two things at once: convey a message and continue to negotiate that relationship.” - The duality of communication.

Woolf

“What is herself?” - Women must define their own identity.

Holloway

“The emotionally damaging ‘masculinization’ of boys starts even before boyhood, in infancy.”

Tannen

“There is no unmarked woman” - Women cannot escape societal expectations related to appearance/actions.

Tolentino

“An individual working himself to death is evidence of a flawed economic system” - Critique of Capitalism + American dream.

Schlosser

“Growers of California and the peasants of rural Mexico created an agricultural system that has locked them into mutual dependence.” - Critique of Agriculture in America; exposes exploitation of immigrants.

Eighner

“Between us are the rat-race millions who have confounded their selves with the objects they grasp…looking for they know not what” - Materialistic society loses true selves, seeking meaning in possessions.

Nick: Significance - This is Nick’s concluding reflection on Gatsby’s life and the broader human struggle to achieve dreams while being pulled back by the past.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Daisy: Significance - Daisy’s cynicism about the role of women in society is revealed, as she acknowledges the superficial value placed on beauty and ignorance.

“I hope she'll be a fool – that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

Nick: Significance - This quote captures Fitzgerald's commentary on the restless pursuit of desires that leaves people dissatisfied.

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.”

Gatsby: Significance - This line reveals Gatsby’s obsessive optimism and idealism, as well as his inability to accept reality.

“Can’t repeat the past?… Why of course you can!”

Nick: Significance - Nick expresses admiration for Gatsby’s genuine idealism and ambition, which contrast sharply with the moral emptiness of the Buchanans and others.

“They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.”

Nick: Significance - This critique highlights the moral irresponsibility and carelessness of the wealthy, who use their privilege to avoid consequences.

“They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

Nick: Significance - This line reflects Nick’s ambivalence — he is both fascinated by the glamorous excess of the wealthy and repelled by its superficiality and moral decay.

“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

Nick: Significance - The green light symbolizes Gatsby’s unreachable dreams and the broader theme of the American Dream’s elusiveness.

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.”

Nick: Significance - This line captures Gatsby’s tragic pursuit of his dreams and the impossibility of achieving his idealized vision.

“He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”

Nick: Significance - The Valley of Ashes symbolizes moral and social decay, serving as a stark contrast to the wealth and glamour of West Egg and East Egg.

“This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens.”

Vardaman: Significance - A child’s fragmented perception of death, highlighting Faulkner’s modernist style.

“My mother is a fish.”

Dewey Dell: Significance - Symbolic of Darl’s existential crisis and eventual descent into madness.

“I feel like a wet seed wild in the hot blind earth.”

Addie: Significance - Shows Addie’s rejection of language as hollow and meaningless, a key theme in the novel.

“He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack.”

Cash: Significance - Represents Cash’s love for his mother through craftsmanship and his need for order amidst family chaos.

“I made it on the bevel.”

Darl: Significance - Reveals Darl’s insight into Jewel’s emotions and the family’s deeper grief.

“It’s not your horse that’s dead, Jewel. It’s not your horse that’s dead.”

Dewey Dell: Significance - Illustrates Dewey Dell’s inability to articulate her emotions and her resignation to her fate.

“Because it is. Because it is.”

Addie: Significance - Emphasizes Addie’s bitterness and Faulkner’s exploration of existential themes.

“The reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time.”

Anse: Significance - A darkly ironic and absurd ending, highlighting Anse’s selfishness and the family’s bizarre journey.

“Meet Mrs. Bundren.”

Dewey Dell: Significance - Reflects her despair and isolation as a young woman without support.

“I can’t love anything.”

Darl: Significance - The horse symbolizes Jewel’s love for Addie and his unique place within the family dynamic.

“Jewel’s mother is a horse.”

Jewel: Significance - Shows his relationship with his mother; introduces angry personality and that he is an independent person.

“One lick less” “It would just be me and her on a high hill and me rolling the rocks.”

Darl: Significance - Shows Darl’s complex thoughts and his troubled mind. Existence is lonely.

“It takes two people to make you, and one people to die. That’s how the world is going to end.”

Peabody: Significance - It is his philosophy as somebody who sees death on a regular basis and it is normalized.

“I believed death to be a phenomenon of the body; now I know it to be merely a function in the mind…”

Dewey Dell: Significance - She is full of guilt and shame and the guts are a symbol of her despair.

“It’s like everything in the world for me is inside a tub full of guts.”

Dewey Dell: Significance - Her world is falling apart; she is the only one bringing life against the dead earth.

“The dead air shapes the dead earth in the dead darkness…”