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.
Hey, Nick!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about how amazing it is to learn about DIDLS(S). I know that statement sounds a little dorky, but honestly, I also had never been exposed to such helpful, straightforward, and generally relevant learning device before this class! It kind of makes me feel like my past English classes were all a waste of time.
I also think that it is cool that you had heard about the Theatre of the Absurd before. Reading The American Dream was the first I had heard of such a concept, even though I am fairly familiar with satire. You pointed out how the young man is given the name, The American Dream because he represents the American Dream that Albee recognizes as empty but desirous. In addition to this, I think that the young man also made a connection between Albee and the audience. It was easy to recognize how the young man represented something that was distasteful because of the tone of his dialogue. Thus making it easy for the audience to see how Albee saw the American dream, and the criticism he had for the materialistic modern society.
Thanks Abby!
DeleteHey Nick! I agree with you about DIDLS. I think that idea should be taught in a much earlier english class because as you mentioned, it's gives us a really simple way to help us analyze literature. I also had the same thought about poetry being "language condensed for artistic effect". It never occurred to me before how condensed poetry is. I used to kind of blow off poetry because the meaning was not immediately clear to me. It never occurred to me that that was on purpose. I'm glad you like the Theater of the Absurd! It is pretty different from anything I have ever read before, but if you really dig deeper, it can really add a lot of meaning to issues in the world today.
ReplyDeleteNow that I am further in AP Lit, I now have an even better understanding of poetry. AP Lit has helped me appreciate it!
DeleteHey Nick,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I just have to say that your blog backround is absolutely hilarious and even though I am not a cat person, i'm digging all of them doing generally absurd things in space. That's awesome. On a different note, I completely agree with you about DIDLS. The way the acronym is so complete in covering all the bases when analyzing literature will make this class so much more straight forward. I really liked the example you gave about the young man being the "American Dream". Similarly, I think the Theater of the Absurd is such a great way for us to start of the year with reading the American Dream, because of all the irony and satire, it gives us so many ways to analyze and go deeper into the text. Overall I think your post was really good- nice job!
Thanks Elena! I'm glad that you approve of the horrendous design of the page!
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