MAKE UP 4

Invisible Man wasn’t the first novel, or thing, to not exactly like machines. Take for example the band Rage against the Machine. “I'm a brother with a furious mind
Action must be taken
We don't need the key
We'll break in
Something must be done
About vengeance, a badge and a gun
so rip the mic, rip the stage, rip the system
I was born to rage against 'em “ (sound familiar? Rage against the Machine was the title Ellison had on the rough draft of Invisible Man). Take also for example the machine imagery, and similar therapy, that opposes the main character of A Clockwork Orange. Alex, after years of being only amused by sheer violence coupled with random spurts of committing sodomy, is thrown in prison. After about 2 years in prison, he is able to fake his way to treatment to get better of his violent tendencies, and to get out of prison. The treatment he gets selected for, however, is not something you would want to willingly sign up for – its called the Ludovico technique. Its quite similar to the lobotomy in Invisible Man, but almost a thousand times worse and atleast a thousand times more graphic. What it is is a disturbed form of aversion therapy, where Alex is given a nausea inducing drug while watching videos with extremely disturbing acts of violence. This continues for an entire two weeks. Alex then realizes that the musical soundtracks shown with the violence are making him become nauseous; distressing him greatly because the only thing he loved more than sodomizing was Beethoven. The doctor’s think this is a hoot, plus the aversion therapy is working, so they continue out the two weeks and completely destroy Alex’s love for violence and classical music. The crazy thing is though is that a literal machine was strapped to Alex’s head, but also he lived in a dystopian society that allowed for this gruesome treatment to a gruesome man. You know who also hates mechanized things? That’s right – our BFF Grendel! Grendel, if you recall, hates the mechanized process of animals and the nearly mechanized void the humans have in society. Grendel’s only role in society is to destroy their cycle, and to take away hope from the humans. Grendel is extremely reluctant to refer to himself as an animal, despite his mother’s condition of running around in circles frantically and lacking language. Grendel even kills, savagely, a ram that does not heed his warning – illustrating his frustration with the mechanization of life. The narrator in Invisible Man certainly suffers at the hand of machines – the liberty paint factory machine that injures him and the lobotomy machine – but there are certaintly other cases of people hating machines of all kings the exact same. But, without that machine imagery, the narrator never would have received his disturbed baptism and never would have reached the climax of character in the brotherhood. Or, Alex would have been a stagnant, flat character that remained unchallenged by the mundane life in prison. Grendel would not have been alive without his animal mother, although he may have been happy with that.

MAKE UP 3

A few weeks ago, Mrs. Clinch noted in class, quite regrettably later, that some kids decide to make up books for their AP exams to fake their way through the open question. Well, not only is that widely hysterical, its also very tempting to do. So, here’s my attempt at completely answering an AP Lit prompt – fake. 2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of the minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil to a main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.
In the novel Vikings at Midnight, the main character Sven of the Swedes was largely put on a pedestal by his adoring fans. Yet, the antagonist of the novel Horton acts as a Christ figure ironically, and thematically serves as a wake up call for Sven. The book opens with the chapter “The Nordic Nightingale”, and it describes the harrowing adventures of Sven as he crosses the Pacific Ocean. However, Horton reminds his Viking kind that Sven is a traitor, and not to be trusted. This illustrates the complexity of the culture at hand, and that Sven should perhaps not be easily trusted by his people. This also highlights the metaphorical weaknesses of the main character, Sven. Sven, obviously, has no physical limitations – yet his soul aches for the company of another, and this soft spot allows for him to get involved in treacherous adventures and his intentions are not revealed until the end of the novel. The FOIL here is significant, because the secondary character actually takes the spotlight from the beginning of the book, and at the Battle of Dragon both characters fight for glory and freedom. This also adds back to the entirety of the work, because both characters are fighting bravely for a sacrifice for their people. In another scene, where Sven was saving a Norsewoman in Need, Horton also appears to taunt him about his long blonde hair and his need for approval. This is an allusion to the archetypal story of Rapunzel, and this acts as a foil because Horton illustrates how Sven has feminine features despite him being a Viking prince. This also illustrates Sven’s weaknesses, and that he is not as strong on the inside as he conveys on the outside. Yet, at the conclusion of the novel, Horton sacrifices himself for Sven and his people and dies tragically. However, in a motion that only Joseph Campbell could predict, Horton travels to the underworld and back to reveal to his people that Sven is actually a Viking God and a decedent of Thor. Thus, Sven’s weaknesses that have been accumulating up until this point in the novel reveal his human side, whereas his strong personal persona illustrates his God like side.

And that is when the AP Lit reader gave this essay a negative 9.

MAKE UP 2

Let’s talk about Jazz and its impact on the black community because, hey, what did the invisible man do to be so black and blue? Have a deep seated history in jazz music! Jazz music was created by the impact of slave and their folklore. Basically, the musical traditions from west Africa brought together a strong tribal music coupled with American music found in the south. Lavish festivals in which slaves were able to participate occurred in places like New Orleans and Texas, where slavery existed but wasn’t the keystone of the economy. It functioned as music for work, ritual, relax, and expression and included work songs for field work and music when relaxing in cabins. The African tradition used many single line melodies and what is called “call response patterns”, but lacking strong music theory and stringent musical harmony. The rhythm was actually composed by the individual and their outward expression, and was easily controlled and swayed by the tempo of the person tapping their foot. What was strongly different about Jazz than other forms of music was that it was the everyday man’s music, and was relaxing and not heavily regulated by men in whigs and coats. In the early 19th century an increasing number of black musicians learned to play European instruments, particularly the violin, which they used to parody European dance music in their own cakewalk dances. In turn, European-American minstrel show performers in blackface popularized such music internationally, combining syncopation with European harmonic accompaniment. Louis Moreau Gottschalk adapted African-American cakewalk music, South American, Caribbean and other slave melodies as piano salon music. Another influence came from black slaves who had learned the harmonic style of hymns and incorporated it into their own music as spirituals. Following the civil war, blacks had new opportunities in careers never open to them before. Although Jim Crow Laws strictly regulated much of their work, many were still able to function in entertainment and music. Jazz really started its grass roots in local bars and saloons, allowing for a party like atmosphere for the everyday man, not just those of the upper class. Jazz was soon to be associated with negativity because of its placement in these types of saloons. In fact, vaudeville also stemmed from the jazz movement and was able to come to terms with the onslaught of the jazz movement. By the 20th century jazz had become a legitimate type of music, becoming popular around the country – especially in three specific cities. Louisiana was the world capital of jazz, where the movement originated. Other significant jazz cities included Memphis, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina. Still today, Louisiana is still widely known for its jazz heritage and its Creole culture. Many famous players in the early jazz movement include Ernest Hogan, who appeared first before the 20th century, Vess Ossman, who popularized the banjo within the movement, Tom Turpin, who brought jazz to Harlem, and Scott Joplin who brought into play “ragtime”.

MAKEUP 1

The first part of the stranger was pretty mundance and kind of pointless, in the most literary significant way possible. Mersault, which I later discovered did not sound like assault, pretty much finds life to be pointless and black, and hardly bats on eyelash at the passing of his mother. And although that may seem kind of cruel, the other morning I was listening to NPR and apparently Americans are now pretty similar to Mersault. Supposedly, American particaticiaptoin in volunteering and Pta’s have dropped over 60% in the last few decades – in the 1950s over 80% of mothers were involved in there children’s school functions whereas now it’s a low of 33% - and that’s not even all of it. Even voting has decreased exponentially. “By the 1950s, however, voter turnout was back to normal, and all signs in the United States pointed to ever higher rates. College-educated Americans were half again as likely to vote as those who had not finished high school. With college attendance on the rise, the trend appeared unmistakable. Moreover, women had been steadily closing the voting gap that had existed ever since they had gained the vote in 1920. Their turnout rate initially was not much more than half that of men; by the 1950s, the gap had narrowed to 10 percentage points. And signs of racial change were clearly evident. It would only be a matter of time before literacy tests, poll taxes, and other legal barriers to black participation were removed.” Volunteers for the military have also dropped 25-40%, and that’s a conservative estimate, form the 1950s, Some attribute many Americans apathy as a consequence of Vietnam, and nowadays Americans are just more jaded and less willing to get engaged. Others speculate the falloff the PTA participation with the substantial rise in the amount of households with 2 working parents, and then theres simply not enough time in the day. However there has been substantial rise in membership growth in organizations like the NARP, where membership is based on dues not an attendance. Whatever the reason, people have been growing more bored with society I feel like in the past few decades. In the 1950s it was okay to have national pride, whereas now you don’t typically see as much outgoing displays of Americanism. Perhaps people have grown more jaded with the wars and the deception of our government, I’m not really sure. I do think that our society has grown increasingly more busy, stressful, and everyone seems to be depressed nowadays – which all seem related.
P.S. – “A surprising number of Americans report high levels of stress, anxiety, and sadness, according to new survey results. Even though their symptoms don't meet the definition of clinical depression, they can have a significant negative impact on quality of life, according to Dr. Michael Seidman of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.” Depression is hitting the nation really hard nowadays…I wonder why?