Response to Course Materials 1

One of the first concepts that we learned in AP Lit was DIDLS with and extra S for symbolism. For those who do not know, D stands for diction, I for imagery, D for details, L for language, and S for syntax. Never before in any of my literature classes, had I been given such a simple and complete way to analysis literature. We spent the majority of our time on imagery and details. I never thought that diction, language or syntax could affect the way we analyze literature. After reading and thinking about Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, I realized that short choppy sentences can add a sense of insanity into the narration. For instance, the narrator uses short choppy sentences with abrupt stops to explain that his madness was justified, which created a frantic insane vibe.

After using DIDLS on short stories, we brought DIDLS to poetry. For the poetry, I decided to analyze My Father and the Fig Tree by Naomi Shihab Nye. I never thought of poetry in the definition given to us in class, "Language condensed for artistic effect". My Father and the Fig Tree was a perfect example of this. The author managed to cram so much information about his life and his father's into a two hundred and eighty word poem. Until reading some examples of poetry and using DIDLS to analyze them, I did not have a full appreciation of what poetry was.

Soon after, we read The American Dream by Edward Albee which introduced me to the concept of the Theater of the Absurd. I found a new genre that I enjoy. I had heard about play like this (Waiting for Godot and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) but had never actually read any examples. Part of the reason I love the Theater of the Absurd, is the way it satirizes things that we take for granted and pokes fun at our society, even though it is set in a world with backwards ideals. For instance, Grandma names the young man "The American Dream", which is poking fun at what the American Dream actually is.. The young man is a handsome, yet empty shell of a person who will do anything for money, which is saying that the American Dream is something that is glorious, but is exactly how it is portrayed, and empty ideal that seems grand. 

Jesus Resurrected: Close Reading 1

James Poniewozik: Black Jesus laughs with, more than at, its Son of God

http://time.com/3086811/review-black-jesus-adult-swim/

Reviewer James Poniewozik makes it clear that Adult Swim's Black Jesus is a "mockery with Jesus" and not a "mockery of Jesus". Poniewozik makes his point clear with the help of clear diction, details that give us an insight into the show and by making connections with other pop culture references to Jesus' rebirth.

The article's diction helps the reader gain an understanding about the show itself. Readers will pick up on his choice of words like "New Testament-ish" and "Sunday-School-pageant getup" show that this show is a weird mash-up of old ideas with a new interpretation. When Poniewozik uses "New Testament-ish" he is referring to Black Jesus "hanging out with sinner, partiers and prostitutes". Jesus was often affiliated with those types of people when he was alive, showing the new interpretation of old ideas. The use of "Sunday-School-pageant getup" draws parallels with modern day Sunday Schools. A lot of churches will act out certain scenes from the Bible, much like what Black Jesus does. Just like these Sunday Schools, Black Jesus is trying to spread a message about God and Christianity.

Poniewozik uses a myriad of examples to give readers an insight into the show. For instance, he uses quotes from the show like Black Jesus saying "I ain't in charge of miracles. That's Pops!". Thanks to this quote, readers get an insight into the Son of God's life in South Compton and his affiliation with his father, God. Black Jesus creates miracles like healing people and reading minds, but insists that all of these miracles are God's work. Quotes like this help readers gain a better understanding into Black Jesus as a character. Poniewozik also uses other examples, such as talking about the conflicts Black Jesus faces. Without this, readers may be led to believe that Jesus engages in religious conflicts. Instead, he deals with "crooks and self-dealers who care less about the community than their community of one". Poniewozik also shows that the show is not about mocking Jesus or Christianity by stating "Black Jesus may be crude and irreverent, but it's most interested in mocking a world in which Jesus' message perpetually won't fly". These details are crucial for readers to know before they watch the show. Without these details, readers may believe that the show is something that it is not. Poniewozik even quotes John 20:29 when referring to people who believe the show to be blasphemous and yet have not seen it. With this comparison to Doubting Thomas (the biblical character who doubts Jesus' existence), he tells readers to give Black Jesus a chance before they make their decision on whether to call it blasphemous or not.

Lastly, Poniewozik uses references to pop culture to draw parallels with other versions of Black Jesus. He relates the show to Monty Python's The Life of Brian, Saturday Night Live's: Djesus Uncrossed, and ever Family Guy's depiction of a Black Jesus. With comparisons like this, the readers can determine the tongue-in-cheek mentality of Black Jesus from a comparison to other forms of the character Black Jesus or even a biblical interpretation of Jesus. He also mentions that this is not a new concept of Jesus' return, giving examples of creators using the rebirth of Christ as a concept. Jesus' returning has been seen in South Park  and in Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brother's  Karamazov. Poniewozik uses these to show that Black Jesus is not only a reinterpretation of old ideas in the biblical sense, but also a reinterpretation of Jesus' return in the pop culture sense.

Poniewozik uses an effective diction, details that give reader an idea as to what the show is actually about and makes connections through pop culture all to show that Black Jesus is actually a "stoner hangout comedy at heart" rather than a "mockery of Jesus". He shows that the show is not all what it is chalked up to be, but rather about Black Jesus trying to spread his message to a non receptive society.