The American Dream
Summary
The American Dream is the story of... well, it isn't really a story.
At the start, Mommy tells Daddy all about a meaningless and very absurd mix up with hats, and Daddy's impotence is more than implied. Grandma enters laden with boxes and makes generalizations about what people think of old people, while everyone awaits an elusive and late "them", who will supposedly bring satisfaction. Mrs. Barker (them) arrives, but cannot remember why she is there. As Mommy and Daddy try to fetch missing things from missing rooms in the house, Grandma explains to Mrs. Barker that Mommy and Daddy adopted a child before, but when he was curious about his sexuality, and preferred Daddy to Mommy, Mommy mutilated him and murdered him. Then, a visitor shows up at the door (not the 'van man' that Grandma had been threatened with), who Grandma names The American Dream. He is physically beautiful, but completely empty and without feeling - he is the twin of the mutilated son who Mommy and Daddy are named in relation to. Mommy is 'satisfied' with this new American Dream, and begins suggesting that he satisfy her later that night, when Grandma interjects a goodnight, breaking the fourth wall, and speaking to the audience. Its sort of a confused play.

Insights/Themes/Analysis
This is all about the replacement of the original American Dream with consumerism. Grandma's homespun wisdom and frank manner are no longer valued in this society where everything can be manufactured and bought - even children and sexuality. The idea that we can buy satisfaction is prevalent, as well as an emptiness in our new values, as characterized by the American Dream, who is nothing but a pretty face.
Another theme is the castration of America. Daddy's masculinity has been stolen, and Mommy's femininity is equally absent. This desexualization of America is connected to the commercialization of sex. This could be interpreted as a message about how sex is becoming a commodity, and commodities are only a step away from losing all value.  In this universe, sex is not only meaningless, but quite absent. It is replaced by other equally meaningless activities. Here, a child is also a commodity, and thus replaceable.
Edward Albee uses many absurdist elements, but The American Dream is not entirely a part of the Theatre of the Absurd, because is does have a message (other than 'life is absurd'). He shows us the absurd world that our society is moving towards, but uses Grandma as a voice of reason, offering us a choice between a meaningless existence, and the old values. When Grandma speaks directly to the audience, she practically appeals to them "Don't become like Mommy and Daddy". This show parodies everyday behavior to the extreme, in an effort to offend and frighten people away from a meaningless existence.

Close Reading: How Healthcare is Changing - for the Better
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/10/18/how-healthcare-is-changingfor-the-better

This Article, 'How Healthcare is Changing - for the Better' convinces us that new measures are more appropriate, cost-effective, and useful in treating patients. The author, Christopher Gearon, uses personal details and straightforward logic to argue this point.

Right off the bat, Gearon describes a specific patient, Sarah Holobaugh, who is living with respiratory and cardiac problems (Gearon 1). He uses a 'zoom-in, zoom-out' approach that personalizes the issue with 80-year-old Sarah, then explains how her situation is that of millions of Americans. The tiniest detail of her roof being rebuilt to avoid damaging mold spores brings humanity to politics and policy, so he makes sure to refer back to it later, "The goal is to expand... attention to the realities of daily life—like transportation and financial issues and Holobaugh's leaky roof" (Gearson 1). This organization helps us feel the personal relevance of changes in the health care system. This structure is repeated in a successive paragraph, this one about "Retired IBM engineer Stephen Hennessy of Essex Junction, Vt." (Gearson 2). I think its a little cheesy, but these individuals give a face to the reforms and grab interest.

Now that we're feeling all warm and fuzzy, it is time for some indisputable facts and logic. "Whereas most hospitals and doctors are paid only for providing direct care, and not for any time and effort they spend trying to prevent illness, doctors here are rewarded in part for making sure people keep their conditions in check" (Gearson 1). That sounds pretty reasonable. And it makes sense; if doctors are paid for attempting to cure, not preventing disease, then there is no incentive to keep people healthy in the first place, and programs like Medicare and Medicaid are strained. "Approximately 1 in 4 people with heart failure are back for return visits within a month of being sent home," is an excellent fact, because it is a simple fraction with complicated implications (Gearson 2). He goes on to explain how emergency care is more expensive and dangerous than preventative measures with consistent follow up. This is a multifaceted issue, but when these important correlations are highlighted through rational explanations and unfettered facts, an audience will be convinced.

The article goes on to describe the benefits of a new , more interactive, more preventative health care system. But an article is only as convincing as its author. Gearson's use of personal/emotional details, and clear facts makes the content accessible, understandable, and relatable to the average American.

                                                    Open Prompt 10-14

1990. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.

         The novel 'The Westing Game' by Ellen Raskin features Grace Wexler and her daughters Angela and Turtle. These seemingly opposite sisters are both ignored and neglected by their mother, though in very different ways. Everyone assumes that they would be rivals, but they share a special connection; this reinforces the book's theme of unexpected love.

        Both Angela and Turtle's problems with their mother stem from her  love of beauty and obedience. Grace Wexler, formerly Gracie Windklopper, is implied to have come from humble beginnings, but is desperate to leave them behind. She is constantly berating her husband for being "only  a podiatrist", and flaunts what wealth she has, ""I'll keep my furs with me," Grace said. She did not want to be taken for one of the poor relatives" (Raskin 22). She escaped poverty by being beautiful and obedient, a 'perfect housewife', so she wants her daughters to rise even higher socially with these same skills.

      Turtle Wexler is at the awkward age of thirteen, and she has inherited none of her mother's looks or social graces, "My mother doesn't think I'm beautiful.... when I was born she said I looked like a turtle. I still look like a turtle, but I don't care, I guess" (Raskin 63). Although Turtle is incredibly intelligent, "Mrs. Wexler always seemed surprised to see her other daughter, so unlike golden-haired , angel-faced Angela" (Raskin 10). When she is not being ignored or sent to her closer-sized bedroom, she is criticized, "I don't know why you insist on making yourself ugly" (Raskin 10). Grace only sees her daughters as future wives, so she doesn't value her fierce, independent youngest daughter at all.

       Angela Welxer is the 'perfect child'. She is "as still and blank-faced pretty as a store-window dummy" (Raskin 9). She is engaged to a doctor, and her mother is arranging the wedding without stopping to ask whether it is really what Angela wants. Grace values her because she has caught a rich man, Dr. Denton Deere, so Angela wonders "Why did they ask about Denton all the time, as thought she was nobody without him?" (Raskin 58). Although she gets her mother's praise and attention, Angela is just as objectified and overlooked as her little sister, only she is more desperate for her mother's approval. 

    Turtle and Angela are very different, but they have grown to understand each other very well. Turtle declares ""I know Angela doesn't want to marry that sappy intern"", while Angle has the strong insight that "Turtle's crutch is her braid" (Raskin 70). These details may seem random, but they reveal how much attention the sisters pay to each other. They also look out for each other. In an opening scene, after Grace scolds Turtle for wanting to dress up as a witch, Angela offers to sew the costume for her sister, because she understands the desire to hide behind a mask. Later, a distressed Angela sets off a bomb, and she pulls it away from Turtle so it hits her in the face instead. Of course, Turtle is the only one who realizes that Angela is the bomber, so she proceeds to set off her own bomb. Turtle reveals herself in an interview, ""Are you protecting Angela?" "NO!"" (Raskin 128). This mutual protection is an act of love, in spite of a mother who would have pitted them against each other. Judge Ford  discovers the true bomber is " ...Angela? That sweet, pretty thing. Thing? Was that what I saw her as? All I'd ever said to her was "I hear you're getting married" or "How pretty you look, Angela". Had anyone ever asked about her ideas, her hopes, her plans? If I had been treated like that, I'd have used dynamite, not fireworks" (Raskin128).
    The bombing incident reveals how much Angela and Turtle love each other in the face of their mother's objectification and neglect. Her cold calculation of her daughters' worth based on their potentials for snatching up rich men leads them both to act out. Although they have very different personalities, the sisters take care of each other where their mother failed.

Response to Course Materials - October7

Yes, its not really October 7th. On October 7th, I watched every blog post and every comment I published get deleted immediately by a sadistic laptop which I had planned to finish my homework on. So, I apologize for the tardiness of this post (as well as some late comments), and hope for some sympathy.
So, the past couple weeks, we've been doing a lot. This class is sometimes difficult for me to follow, because its not clear how it is divided up (are there units? I know its not chronological like Brit Lit...). In my notes, I have a good history of the literary movements. My favorite activity was when we made a chart showing who we focused on in each era of literature. The Classics are about the Gods, Medieval Lit is about Kings, Romanticism is about the Knights and Gentry, Naturalism about the middle class... and now we read about anti-heros and the victims of oppression. That is a cool pattern which I had not noticed before. I also learned about the mass culture of T.V. In other news, we read The American Dream, which I'm sure I'll post about later. Oh! And we went through about a million Greek myths and Bible stories so that we would catch allusions, though I haven't yet found any in American Dream. And we read The Century Quilt, and had lots of discussions about American Dream.
Shoot. I wasn't supposed to summarize what we learned. I only responded a little. But there is just so much, and I don't see yet how it comes together, so my response is confused. Bewildered. Lost. I'll understand what we do on any given day, but not how it related to the day before or the day after. I love our classes, really, but I never have any idea what we will be doing, unless it was specifically announced. Other classes have chapters or units or sections, but this one feels a little random. I guess its pushing my comfort zone. This was a very poor blog post, I know, so hopefully I will get some helpful responses. Thank you, friends.