Close Reading #3- Isn't That Ironic?

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/17/how-to-live-without-irony/?ref=opinion

Christy Wampole informs one of the negative outcomes of living in a post-modernistic society. In her commentary in the New York Times, she discusses the effects of irony on America as a whole, and the potential threats it serves. With Wampole's sophisticated use of imagery, diction and details, she convinces the audience that irony has harshly impacted our daily lives and will continue to do so.

In Wampole's commentary, she warns her reader's of how to spot an ironic character. Wampole classifies a hipster as "the archetype of ironic living". Hipster's are defined as an easy target for mockery. Wampole describes hipsters as "[a] contemporary urban harlequin [which] appropriates outmoded fashions (the mustache, the tiny shorts), mechanisms (fixed-gear bicycles, portable record players) and hobbies (home brewing, playing trombone)."Hipster's have an ironic stereotypical image that they are easily recognized for; "The hipster is a scholar of social forms, a student of cool (Wampole)."The details that are included give the readers a perfect description of a hipster. This opening description is crucial because the rest of the article goes on to describe how hipsters use irony in their lives. Therefore a general understanding of a hipster needed to be established.

The use of imagery within this article is very important because it allows the audience to visually recognize the effects of irony in daily life. Wampole states that irony is now used as a self-defense technique because it "functions as a shield against criticism". Living an ironic life is a way of avoiding problems that one may feel uncomfortable to face, but with irony, it offers an easy escape. Wampole creates an image of a giant shield that protects you from all of your fears and awkward situations. This image helped me realize how irony offers a get-a-way to real life problems that need to be faced. When Wampole compared ironic living to a shield, I was able to see the overall effect on individuals. Wampole successfully utilizes her literary techniques because it allows the audience to grasp her message because she provides an example that most individuals can easily relate to.

Lastly, in Wampole's commentary on ironic living her use of diction truly persuades the audience. Oftentimes the word nostalgia is used to describe the attitude of hipsters living in irony. Wampole complains about the new culture's attempt at life, "the nostalgia cycles have become so short that we even try to inject the present moment with sentimentality." Her diction here comments on the frustration seen at rushing though the best parts of life. The image of loving every minute of life has taken over the true enjoyment, and that is a message Wampole convey's through her complaints of the ironic generation growth. Wampole accomplishes her goal through her persuasive literary techniques. 

Open Prompt #3

1970 Also. Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.

In William Golding's novel, "Lord of the Flies", a group of English schoolboys are deserted on an island where their plane has crashed. The boys form what they can of civilization based on a conch shell. The conch serves as the greatest source of power available to the boys as they must survive through the society they have created themselves.

The conch shell serves as a physical object of power to the boys. The boys must create a plan, or some sort of system of survival in order to get though their struggles together. The conch is discovered by Ralph and Piggy and they first use it to gather all of the boys around the island. This is the first way the conch is used as a way to unite the children. The conch symbolizing unity is important because unity is what they need to establish first before a civilization is built. The conch represents the foundation of the mini-civilization. The conch is also used as a symbol of power. The conch determines who holds power at a given moment. During the boys' meetings, the conch is used to control thoughts and ideas by giving the person holding it the power to share their voice. The order that the conch brought to the secluded society represents the democratic system that had been subtly put into place. However, similar to a democracy, when the rules are not obeyed, chaos breaks loose and the democracy falls apart. This trend is demonstrated in "Lord of the Flies" when the civilization begins to fall apart and the conch looses its power. The unity the shell once brought is now destroyed because of the barbaric behavior of the boys. The shell no longer has the influence and control it once had on the boys. The final destruction of society is when the conch shell is crushed by one who once believed in the power of the shell. The conch shell is constantly being referred to in this novel because of the importance it served to the success of the boys. The foundation of the boys' had been ruined, just like their attempt at civilization.

Response to Course Material #3

In class we finished up The American Dream, looked at the AP multiple choice section, performed some sort of skit after reading chapter 4 in our textbook, and watched Death of a Salesman. To me, it was a relief on the day that our close readings were due. I was happy to sit in a powwow and discuss the parts I had trouble understanding on my own. This discussion felt like a conclusion to my thoughts on The American Dream. I liked how we related characters from that play to the ones in the works we read in our textbooks. The performamces of the similarity in tone between works was not only hilarious and entertaining, but it actually made sense to me! It was so useful to actually SEE the tone be played out. Learning about the strategies of the AP multiple choice test makers was very interesting! It was also a vert easy concept to grasp and apply because it was all so logical. I had seen all of the distractor answer choices before in previous tests, so I knew exactly what was being taught. I feel like now, I'll be more focused on the question itself, than the choices. I've noticed myself making more literary connections in my life than usual! Last weekend I was watching the movie Rise of the Lychans and I noticed how one of the main characters clearly resembled the heroic character of Jesus. He resembled him so much to the point where he was chained down, being whipped while his lover was dying on a post (that clearly resembled a cross) nailed to it at her hands. That was why I was like okay do you notice all this too?? And my non-AP friend thought I was over analyzing it!!!!! That frustrated me so much because I know that Ms. Holmes would agree with me, along with my 6th hour, when I say that this archetype is obviously present!