We have spent the past few weeks reading and discussing Ceremony. I can honestly say I have never read anything remotely similar to this novel.  I am particularly fascinated by Native American story-telling techniques and how Leslie Marmon Silko weaves them into her book.  The idea that the blank spaces in the  novel are silence, meant to give the reader time to think gives me a whole new perspective on the story.  It also helps me to understand which parts of the novel are most important.  The most significant parts tend to have more "silence" around them, giving the reader plenty of time to think about them.  The novel also gives me insight into a culture that I really had very little previous knowledge  about.  I don't think we have ever gone that in-depth into any Native cultures in school, let alone Laguna.  Overall, I am really enjoying our time spent on this book.

"To Fix Health, Help the Poor"

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/opinion/to-fix-health-care-help-the-poor.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

The authors of this article, Elizabeth Bradley and Lauren Taylor, analyze  not only health care spending, as most other studies have done, but combine these numbers with the amount America spends on things like rent subsidies and unemployment benefits, and comparing it to other countries.  The authors use diction, details and syntax to convince readers that we must spend more money on social welfare projects.

Diction: The diction in this work helps to convey a trustworthy tone.  It is important for all authors to gain their readers' trust.  This ensures the reader will be receptive to the point the author is trying to make.  Bradley and Taylor are masters of the 5 dollar word.  "encroachment", "allocating" and "disdain" are all words that make the reader subconsciously think "Wow, these women are smart.  They must know what they are talking about".  Once the readers have placed confidence in the authors as intellectuals, it is much easier to make a point.

Details: Bradley and Taylor use very specific numbers to prove just how direct the link is between social spending and life expectancy, along with other health related statistics.  When discussing the health status of a group of homeless individuals, the article mentions they totalled 18,834 trips to the emergency room.  That number is shocking, and was clearly included to jolt the reader.  Further, that many trips to the emergency room is stated to have cost 12.7 million dollars.  The reader suddenly begins to think about all the other things that money could be used for.  There must be a way to lower that amount.

Syntax: Syntax is used mainly to engage the reader in the work.  Rhetorical questions such as "Why are these other countries beating us if we spend so much more?" make the reader really think.  Instead of skimming the article, with a mind half-focused on something else, questions like this help to make the reader pay attention to the task at hand and make him want to come up with a solution.  Additionally, sentences such as "Before we spend even more money, we should consider allocating it differently." place the emphasis on the point Bradley and Taylor are trying to make.  This makes the reader understand the importance and remember it.

2009, Form B. Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political oe social issue. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explazin how the issue contributes to the meaning of the as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

                One of the biggest issues in the American political arena is the issue of social responsibility.  In his novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck explores the question of how to deal with the country’s less fortunate through a focus on the Joad family and their struggle during the Great Depression.  Steinbeck uses imagery and diction to create theme.  Using this theme, Steinbeck makes the readers think about what they have that others might not.

                Steinbeck is incredibly skillful and concise in his writing, making it obvious that the book is about poverty in America.  His powerful diction makes it clear to the reader just how dire a situation Tom Joad and his family are in.  Strong word choice shows us that not just the Joads, but many of the people they meet as they travel and attempt to settle in California, are simply unable to survive.  As if it was not clear enough, Steinbeck then brings in imagery to further give the book an ominous feeling, a feeling that says all is not well.  Steinbeck describes the land of the Dust Bowl states with such vivid detail that one can picture the barren, dry land.  That land, fruitless and dead, relates directly to the Joads’ situation.  Imagery and diction combine to explain the situation and get the reader thinking about the poor.

                Once the reader has recognized that there is a poverty problem in America, Steinbeck must suggest how to fix it.  There are always two choices: do more or do less.  Steinbeck is very clear that we must vastly increase our support for the poverty stricken.  The Joads are repeatedly taken advantage of and exploited by giant, unregulated farms.  Workers are not protected in any way, and doing even less to regulate the exploiters logically would not help.  Therefore, Steinbeck is saying that we must do more.

                Theme, an important literary element, is created by technique.  In The Grapes of Wrath, imagery and diction cooperate to create a theme centering on poverty.  Steinbeck makes important use of that theme to call America to action.  He shows us what is wrong with the world, and begs us to do something about it.