Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Adolescent Choices in "A&P"

This was the first essay I wrote for this class. I focused the piece around the theme in John Updike's short story that, "in adolescence, choices are made without the consideration of consequences." I first introduced my ideas to engage the reader, "Have you ever decided to do something in your adolescence to live in the moment, only to realize the consequences later of that choice? Maybe it was the choice to argue with your parents because you thought you were right. Or perhaps it was to break the rules. Or you reacted on your gut feeling to get in a fight over a girl." This intro was meant to help the reader relate to my essay while simultaneously exposing them to the connection in "A&P" that, "such adolescent choices are exemplified by Sammy’s condescending mindset, three girls’ outfit decisions, and a commitment based on impulsiveness."
An example of my coherence through organization is how I break up each point into two paragraphs and connect them with a topic sentence such as, "In addition to the older customer, Sammy also decides to think superiorly by casting judgment on the butcher McMahon." Although I break apart from the standard 5-paragraph essay, I think that I do so in a way that maintains coherence for the reader to follow along.
I develop my ideas by integrating quotes into my essay. One example is, "Lengel’s sad Sunday-school-superintendent stare is the reason that 'Queenie’s blush is no sunburn now' (18). The reassurance that this girl is truly humiliated, and most likely regretting her decision to have given Lengel a reason to make her uncomfortable, is illustrated in the attention drawn to her blushing." I continue to develop the evidence in the quote by explaining the significance directly after.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Actions Explained by Biological Research

This was my first piece of the semester for Intro to Lit which I think went very well. This gave me an idea as to what was expected for the anaysis. I decided to do a "floor 3" anaylsis whcich required taking a bigger picture look at the story as well as an outside source. I related the main character's behavior to a potential lack of full brain development due to his adolescence:

In John Updike’s “A&P,” the teenage protagonist’s actions may be explained by biological research of brain development. According to the article, “Adolescence, Brain Development, and Legal Culpability,” by the American Bar Association, “One of the things that teenagers seem to do is to respond more strongly with gut response than they do with evaluating the consequences of what they’re doing” (2). Such compulsive behavior is demonstrated by Sammy’s quick response to the girls’ hurried exit as he blurts out, “‘I quit’ to Lengel quick enough for them to hear” (18). The way in which Updike has 19-year-old Sammy act is probable and consistent according to research that one’s brain does not reach the biological age of maturity until the early twenties. After Sammy’s, in his initial perspective, heroic gesture, he eventually realizes the consequences of his spontaneity as, “I felt how hard the world was going to be to me here-after” (19). Updike catches the accurate behavior of a teenage boy, according to the biological evidence that the brain of an adolescent has not fully developed, leading to Sammy’s strong gut response in an attempt to impress a girl in a two-piece.