Response to Course Material 10/7/12

Over the course of the last few weeks, much of the time was spent learning about the different literary periods, critical lenses, and the Bible and mythology. While it involved a lot of note taking, I really appreciated it, especially the part about the Bible. I never really understood the allusions to the Bible in the literature we read in the past years, like in Macbeth or Beowulf, because I was unclear of the stories in the Bible, so covering that really helped clear the stories up and now I think I can understand many more allusions, especially since many of the novels and pieces of literature contain allusions that are related to the Bible in one way or the other. I also really found the mythology information very relevant because much of the older literature such as works from the classical era have characters that are Greek and Roman Gods, and I was unfamiliar with their story and characterization, so therefore sometimes it was hard to keep up with parts of the story. Now, with all this information to reference, I feel like I can analyze the literature much better for allusions and understanding in general.

            Last week we finished reading The American Dream and initially I thought the play seemed pretty plain, with no sort of rhyme or reason to it. It seemed pointless, which essentially was the point of the works written in that period of “the theatre of the absurd.” However, after reading the handouts we received about the play and analyzing the play on a closer level, I’ve realized that the play is actually an allegory of “The American Dream” and it portrays the shift from the old American dream (represented by Grandma) to the new American Dream (represented by the Young Man). Reading this play helped me practice the skills for analyzing literature and helped me realize that while sometimes something may not seem important, looking closer, it might have a deeper meaning.