We're on the last one! THE LAST BOOK WE"RE READING FOR CLASS. This is crazy. This year has flown by!
So, Ceremony. I've found that after all these annotations I get quite attached to my copies of whatever we're reading. All of the blood, sweat, and tears involved.... I've been enjoying Fifth Business not having to annotating it. But at the same time I find myself reaching for a pen as I find connections just out of habit.
Now we're on to 5th Biz. I like it so far. I'm not sure about Dunstable Ramsey-- he's got some issues. He can be just downright strange. All this psychological stuff is interesting to me, though. After that lecture on the archetypes I've been making some connections, but I haven't quite figured out who all of the characters might represent. Haven't quite diagnosed Dunstable's problem, either. My only conclusion at this point is that he seems very emotionally detached from most people, (his parents, Diana, etc) except for this strange obsession with Mrs.Whats-Her-Name which I don't understand.
Aaaannddd that's all for now, folks! The AP is coming up! Time to start reviewing the stuff in the past that we've learned and dust off those terms test flashcards! Fun fun fun. :)
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Ceremony
Summary and Analysis the Quick Kenzie Way
Ceremony
First published 1977
Author: Leslie Marmon Silko
Setting: The Laguna Rez, (New Mexico I believe?), area beyond the Rez owned by whites/State land, the jungle of the Philippines/Cities Tayo visited during the war, and the spiritual past.
Plot:
Tayo is a WWII vet, haunted by his status as half-Indian half-white and the trauma associated with war. He comes home physically and mentally sick, and does not recover until he meets with an old Navajo healer, Betonie. Betonie guides him through a series of steps and ceremonies (scalping ceremony, stars, a woman, finding the cattle) which heals him. When Tayo resists the temptation from a corrupted Indian veteran, Emo, and resists violence, he brings the world back to peace, and banishes all the witchery and tools of the witches (whites) back to order.
Tayo is a WWII vet, haunted by his status as half-Indian half-white and the trauma associated with war. He comes home physically and mentally sick, and does not recover until he meets with an old Navajo healer, Betonie. Betonie guides him through a series of steps and ceremonies (scalping ceremony, stars, a woman, finding the cattle) which heals him. When Tayo resists the temptation from a corrupted Indian veteran, Emo, and resists violence, he brings the world back to peace, and banishes all the witchery and tools of the witches (whites) back to order.
Significant Characters:
Tayo: Our main guy. Mixed kid from the Rez, never fully accepted by Auntie, looks to Josiah and Rocky as two father-figures.
Betonie: Navajo healer.
Auntie: Tayo's Aunt, a failed yellow woman, Rocky's mom, wants the white culture
Robert: Auntie's husband, soft-spoken.
Josiah: Father figure for Tayo, Auntie's brother.
Rocky: Tayo's cousin.
Harley and Leroy: Tayo's friends, ultimately fail him in the end
Emo: Evil. Basically a witch.
Night Swan: Old cantina dancer, involved in Tayo's pre-war life
Ts'eh: Yellow woman, heals Tayo, love each other
Betonie: Navajo healer.
Auntie: Tayo's Aunt, a failed yellow woman, Rocky's mom, wants the white culture
Robert: Auntie's husband, soft-spoken.
Josiah: Father figure for Tayo, Auntie's brother.
Rocky: Tayo's cousin.
Harley and Leroy: Tayo's friends, ultimately fail him in the end
Emo: Evil. Basically a witch.
Night Swan: Old cantina dancer, involved in Tayo's pre-war life
Ts'eh: Yellow woman, heals Tayo, love each other
Narrative voice/POV: Third person limited to Tayo, some of parts of the story told by other characters such as Betonie, Grandmother Spider.
Tone: In-your-face, everything is going downhill but there's some hope, somber, realistic. Silko doesn't squirm away from gory details and never fails to mention colors or the landscape.
3 Significant Quotes and why:
1. "If the white people never looked beyond the lie, to see that theirs was a nation built on stolen land, then they would never be able to understand how they had been used by the witchery; they would never know that they were still being manipulated by those who knew how to stir the ingredients together: white thievery an injustice boiling up the anger and hatred that would finally destroy the world: the starving against the fat, the colored against the white" (191).
= It's witchery, not exactly white people. White people are a huge part of it, but they were created by witches to bring their evil, they were never supposed to be here.
2. "Everywhere he looked, he saw a world made of stories, the long ago, time imemorial stories, as old Grandma called them" (95).
= It's the circle of life. These things have happened in the past, they will happens again. Also brings up the idea that the world is just a story, Grandmother Spider tells the story and that is how life goes.
3."Old Betonie might explain it this way -- Tayo didn't know for sure: there were transitions that had to be made in order to become whole again, in order to be the people our Mother would remember; transitions, like the boy walking in bear country being called back softly" (170).
= It's a transition. Times are changing, as they always have, and nothing is ever the same. In order for the people to be healed they must change, and not be afraid of change.
= It's witchery, not exactly white people. White people are a huge part of it, but they were created by witches to bring their evil, they were never supposed to be here.
2. "Everywhere he looked, he saw a world made of stories, the long ago, time imemorial stories, as old Grandma called them" (95).
= It's the circle of life. These things have happened in the past, they will happens again. Also brings up the idea that the world is just a story, Grandmother Spider tells the story and that is how life goes.
3."Old Betonie might explain it this way -- Tayo didn't know for sure: there were transitions that had to be made in order to become whole again, in order to be the people our Mother would remember; transitions, like the boy walking in bear country being called back softly" (170).
= It's a transition. Times are changing, as they always have, and nothing is ever the same. In order for the people to be healed they must change, and not be afraid of change.
Theme: The current white vs Native American culture situation
Elements which Support this Theme:
n Setting – Located where this issue is most obvious
n Plot – When Tayo heals, he doesn't just heal for himself, he heals for the people. In fact, most of the healing he must do and all the anger is directed at witchery, which the whites are being used by.
n Author’s style – Laguna stories/poems are throughout the book, creating a "backbone" which the story continually goes back to.
n Tone – shows the hardships, keeps it real
n Symbolism – EVERYTHING IS SYMBOLIC. Colors, cows, directions, the land, the stars, it's symbolic in the Laguna culture.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
I would advise to revise
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.
Often called one of the greatest American plays, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller revolves around Willy Loman, a 60 year old salesman from New York who is struggling under enormous pressure. His oldest son, Biff, is also conflicted with where his life is going, and he blames many of his failures on Willy's false dreams he grew up believing. The strained relationship between Willy and Biff was driven by their extreme differences in how they viewed the world: Biff was realistic while Willy lived in dreamland. Miller's juxtaposition of these characters and their conflict with one another draws the audience towards the viewing life realistically.
The father-son conflict escalates quickly after Biff discovered Willy having an affair. While Willy talked it off, making excuses that he only did it because he was lonely and still loved his wife, Biff was devastated. Biff saw his infidelity for what it was, while Willy refused to acknowledge the consequences his actions could have. This is especially seen by the emotion displayed when Willy's affair is brought to light. Biff breaks down sobbing, and while Willy becomes angry, his anger is targeted at Biff and his seemingly silly tears and not his own action. The audience understands Biff's huge disappointment with Willy, and Willy's unfeeling reaction only helps solidify the idea that it is better to face the truth and reality than hide behind a outwardly positive curtain.
Willy Loman is a firm believer in the power of a good handshake and a smile. Anyone, according to Willy, can be successful, and he predicted amazing things for the popular Biff while he was still in high school. For awhile, Biff believed in this ideal dream; that because he was good-looking, personable, and athletic, he could go far in life and in the business world. However, Biff "grew up" and realized that the things Willy valued were worthless, and the reason he was never successful in business is because he had nothing beyond personality and looks. Because the empty hopeful ideas of Willy led to Biff's failure in the business world (and Willy's eyes), the audience begins to come to the conclusion that having an overly positive outlook can have some serious negative effects.
Throughout the play Biff is seen trying to amend things with his dad, but never can. While not completely blameless, Biff tries to please his father after his mom begs him to try to help Willy. Biff agrees to live in a city which he despises and do a job he hates in order to give his dad the positive outlook he thrives on, and does whatever he can to sway his father's understanding so that he will accept Biff as he is once again. This dedication to Willy is contrasted by Willy's coldness back. Willy thinks Biff blames him, and does what he does to spite him, and not to help him. By having Willy be an example of dramatic irony in which he does not understand what is going on around him, Miller leads the audience to pity Willy and his unrealistic outlook.
The conflict between the father and son is not just a serious disagreement, but also a deliberate act by Miller. Having two characters who should be similar in beliefs and attitudes be so different creates a divide in the audience; there is no comprimise on which side they can take. Either it is better to look at life level-headed, or dream with your head in the clouds. When Willy kills himself based on a false illusion, the audience understands the dangers of his beliefs and understands the value of realism in the modern world.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
March's Response to Course Material
Well well well, we've reached March! That means the AP (and graduation!) is only two months away!
So. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is what's up. Each time I read one of these AP books there's all this meaning that comes out of nowhere but it's especially true this time. Because it really did come out of nowhere, and nothing. But trust me, it's there!
On the cover of the book there's that quote from The New York Times. "This is a remarkable play. Very funny. Very brilliant. Very chilling." I applaud them for their great use of repetition and the rule of threes, but I'm not sure I agree with them on that one.
Yes, it's funny. Maybe it's just me but I was laughing out loud for some parts of the movie, and laughing in my head during the first read through. Not extremely comical or happy, but there's something about what they say and do -- the childlike plot to trap Hamlet, that they're best of friends, their play on words -- that's just funny.
Brilliant? Hmm. I mean, kudos to Stoppard for taking these minor characters and making us love them. And he threw in a bunch of trippy big-time questions about life in a really subtle/obvious way.
But I wasn't that chilled. Like, that's strange that they didn't know what was going on. That's sad that they were basically enslaved with no other way to live life. But chilling? Maybe if I also believed life was meaningless it would scare me... Nah. It's going to take more than this to creep me out!
And now we are on to reading Ceremony! I know it seems like I just can't be happy with any of these books but I'm not sure of this one so far. I find it really sad. I'm just hoping that things improve for Tayo at this point!
So. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is what's up. Each time I read one of these AP books there's all this meaning that comes out of nowhere but it's especially true this time. Because it really did come out of nowhere, and nothing. But trust me, it's there!
On the cover of the book there's that quote from The New York Times. "This is a remarkable play. Very funny. Very brilliant. Very chilling." I applaud them for their great use of repetition and the rule of threes, but I'm not sure I agree with them on that one.
Yes, it's funny. Maybe it's just me but I was laughing out loud for some parts of the movie, and laughing in my head during the first read through. Not extremely comical or happy, but there's something about what they say and do -- the childlike plot to trap Hamlet, that they're best of friends, their play on words -- that's just funny.
Brilliant? Hmm. I mean, kudos to Stoppard for taking these minor characters and making us love them. And he threw in a bunch of trippy big-time questions about life in a really subtle/obvious way.
But I wasn't that chilled. Like, that's strange that they didn't know what was going on. That's sad that they were basically enslaved with no other way to live life. But chilling? Maybe if I also believed life was meaningless it would scare me... Nah. It's going to take more than this to creep me out!
And now we are on to reading Ceremony! I know it seems like I just can't be happy with any of these books but I'm not sure of this one so far. I find it really sad. I'm just hoping that things improve for Tayo at this point!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Summary and Analysis the Quick Kenzie Way
Summary and Analysis the Quick Kenzie Way
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Tom Stoppard
First performed 1967
Author: Tom Stoppard
Setting: Middle of nowhere, Elsinore, and on a boat. In the Elizabethan Era (1500s)
Plot:
ACT I: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are very confused. The odds are against all laws of nature, and every time they flip a coin it lands on heads. This isn't as shocking as it is puzzling, a strange phenomenon that is only mildly interesting. Guil remembers that there was a messenger who gave them a purpose but he can't really remember. Ros mostly repeats what Guil says.
While in the middle of nowhere they run into a band of tragedians, who are desperate to play for someone, anyone. While at first alluring, their demonstration is too crude for the pair who want something with matter, something classical. Guil tricks them into a bet to get their coins, but when he finally gets a bet wrong (the coin landed on tails) the lights change and they find themselves inside Elsinore.
Hamlet and Ophelia run by, and Ros and Guil get swept up by the King and Queen, and they both discuss in Shakespearean English and we learn that they are to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. Left alone they get confused, talk about a bunch of nothing, play question-and-answer games, role play. Hamlet and Polonius come in, mistake the two of them, and the scene goes dark.
ACT II: They talk with Hamlet but learn nothing. They talk with themselves, get confused. Polonius enters, with the Players. The Player accuses Ros and Guil of abandoning them on the road. The three of them talk about Hamlet and what's going to be shown tomorrow. They watch the dumbshow. The Player leaves and Ros and Guil talk about death, Ros in particular very disturbed by the thought.
Ros and Guil "wake up" in the positions the "dead" actors were just in. Claudius asks them to find Hamlet and Polonius' body. They talk more, get confused, and try to trap Hamlet with their belts which fails miserably. They learn they will be taking Hamlet to England. Ros is hesitant and says he does not want to go but Guil makes him, since they've come so far anyways.
Then, they're on a boat. Hooray, on a boat! They talk mostly about previous topics, and Guil gets angry at Ros for being repetitive. Ros gets scared about the nothingness that is to come and the unpredictability, says he doesn't believe in England. Then they remember the letter and act out what they will say to the king. By reading the letter they learn that Hamlet is to be executed. Ros is distressed because Hamlet is a friend, but Guil rationalizes it in all different ways seemingly indifferent.
Hamlet overhears them, switches the letter as they sleep. In the morning, the tragedians are there. Ros and Guil talk more, then pirates attack and there's chaos, and they all jump into barrels. After the chaos Hamlet is missing, and Guil freaks out again. The Player talks about death, which makes Guil so angry he stabs the Player, who dies. But he didn't really die, just acted it out. Then they talk more about fate and what went wrong, Ros eventually leaves the stage and Guil follows soon behind.
Then, we're back in Elsinore in the last scene where everyone is dead. Horatio gives the last speech from the real play, and the curtains are drawn. THE END!
ACT I: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are very confused. The odds are against all laws of nature, and every time they flip a coin it lands on heads. This isn't as shocking as it is puzzling, a strange phenomenon that is only mildly interesting. Guil remembers that there was a messenger who gave them a purpose but he can't really remember. Ros mostly repeats what Guil says.
While in the middle of nowhere they run into a band of tragedians, who are desperate to play for someone, anyone. While at first alluring, their demonstration is too crude for the pair who want something with matter, something classical. Guil tricks them into a bet to get their coins, but when he finally gets a bet wrong (the coin landed on tails) the lights change and they find themselves inside Elsinore.
Hamlet and Ophelia run by, and Ros and Guil get swept up by the King and Queen, and they both discuss in Shakespearean English and we learn that they are to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. Left alone they get confused, talk about a bunch of nothing, play question-and-answer games, role play. Hamlet and Polonius come in, mistake the two of them, and the scene goes dark.
ACT II: They talk with Hamlet but learn nothing. They talk with themselves, get confused. Polonius enters, with the Players. The Player accuses Ros and Guil of abandoning them on the road. The three of them talk about Hamlet and what's going to be shown tomorrow. They watch the dumbshow. The Player leaves and Ros and Guil talk about death, Ros in particular very disturbed by the thought.
Ros and Guil "wake up" in the positions the "dead" actors were just in. Claudius asks them to find Hamlet and Polonius' body. They talk more, get confused, and try to trap Hamlet with their belts which fails miserably. They learn they will be taking Hamlet to England. Ros is hesitant and says he does not want to go but Guil makes him, since they've come so far anyways.
Then, they're on a boat. Hooray, on a boat! They talk mostly about previous topics, and Guil gets angry at Ros for being repetitive. Ros gets scared about the nothingness that is to come and the unpredictability, says he doesn't believe in England. Then they remember the letter and act out what they will say to the king. By reading the letter they learn that Hamlet is to be executed. Ros is distressed because Hamlet is a friend, but Guil rationalizes it in all different ways seemingly indifferent.
Hamlet overhears them, switches the letter as they sleep. In the morning, the tragedians are there. Ros and Guil talk more, then pirates attack and there's chaos, and they all jump into barrels. After the chaos Hamlet is missing, and Guil freaks out again. The Player talks about death, which makes Guil so angry he stabs the Player, who dies. But he didn't really die, just acted it out. Then they talk more about fate and what went wrong, Ros eventually leaves the stage and Guil follows soon behind.
Then, we're back in Elsinore in the last scene where everyone is dead. Horatio gives the last speech from the real play, and the curtains are drawn. THE END!
Significant Characters:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: They are two separate characters but often do not know which one they are, as do the other characters. Together they seem to make up one person. Guildenstern often asks the deep questions, often thinking through what is going on around them, as compared to Rosencrantz, who asks many simple questions ("what's my name?") and would rather act rather than think about it. I think of them as the Thinker and the Doer.
The Player: The leader of the band of tragedians. He seems to know what is going on, but Ros and Guil do not pick up on all the double meaning he says. Seems a bit shady to me.
Alfred: Alfred is one of the tragedians, a boy who plays the role of the female character in the play.
The "Hamlet" characters (Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius): Major Shakespearean characters appear for select scenes and say their lines which they said in the original play. Unlike in "Hamlet" their role is minimal and we aren't caught up in their emotional tale.
The Player: The leader of the band of tragedians. He seems to know what is going on, but Ros and Guil do not pick up on all the double meaning he says. Seems a bit shady to me.
Alfred: Alfred is one of the tragedians, a boy who plays the role of the female character in the play.
The "Hamlet" characters (Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius): Major Shakespearean characters appear for select scenes and say their lines which they said in the original play. Unlike in "Hamlet" their role is minimal and we aren't caught up in their emotional tale.
Narrative voice: No narrator
POV: 3rd person, with no narrator. Many times the fourth wall of the play is broken when the characters talk about the audience in a demeaning way, yell "Fire!" to watch their reaction, and even spit into the audience.
Tone: Bleak, hopeless, life is meaningless, art is what you want to make of it, play on words, made to make you think.
3 Significant Quotes and why:
1) Ros: What are you playing at?
Guil: Words, words. They're all we have to go on. (pg 41)
This quote is significant because (its the Spruz quote! and) it sums up the situation Ros and Guil are in. They don't have anything physical, anything real to direct their actions, just a couple of words. This kind of goes along with the meaningless theme. There's not any meaning, any reason for them to live when all they have are words that don't make sense.
This might also helps the interpretation of the play in which Ros and Guil are actors who fall into their parts when the "Hamlet" scene comes on. All they have to go on are words, vague directions which they don't know how to respond to.
Guil: Words, words. They're all we have to go on. (pg 41)
This quote is significant because (its the Spruz quote! and) it sums up the situation Ros and Guil are in. They don't have anything physical, anything real to direct their actions, just a couple of words. This kind of goes along with the meaningless theme. There's not any meaning, any reason for them to live when all they have are words that don't make sense.
This might also helps the interpretation of the play in which Ros and Guil are actors who fall into their parts when the "Hamlet" scene comes on. All they have to go on are words, vague directions which they don't know how to respond to.
2) Guil (broken): We've travelled too far, and our momentum has taken over; we move idly towards eternity, without possibility of reprieve or hope of explanation.
Ros: Be happy -- if you're not even happy what's so good about surviving? (pg 121)
This quote is towards the end of the play, and is important because it also talks about the main points. Guil represents the more serious theme to the book, that we will go throughout life knowing nothing. Ros here represents the same idea, but has a lighter spin on it, that since it's out of our control why do we even bother worrying?
Ros: Be happy -- if you're not even happy what's so good about surviving? (pg 121)
This quote is towards the end of the play, and is important because it also talks about the main points. Guil represents the more serious theme to the book, that we will go throughout life knowing nothing. Ros here represents the same idea, but has a lighter spin on it, that since it's out of our control why do we even bother worrying?
3) Player: Life is a gamble, at terrible odds -- if it was a bet you wouldn't take it.
This quote is significant because there's a lot in this play that has to do with odds, since all laws of reason have been flipped upside-down when every coin lands on heads. But it's more than that. It's a rather depressing quote, saying that life does not have very good odds for us, and our chances are bleak.
This quote is significant because there's a lot in this play that has to do with odds, since all laws of reason have been flipped upside-down when every coin lands on heads. But it's more than that. It's a rather depressing quote, saying that life does not have very good odds for us, and our chances are bleak.
Theme: The meaninglessness of life
Elements which Support this Theme:
n Setting – The setting is very vague, there's no "home". Wherever Ros and Guil are, they don't belong, and they don't understand why they're there.
n Plot – Plot? What plot? The plot is there, as the audience knows that all is leading up to Ros and Guil's death, but the circular, pointless conversations makes getting there take awhile.
n Author’s style – Very simple ideas are exaggerated to give them meaning, (such as the probability of a coin toss), but their gross exaggeration only helps to make them seem more pointless.
n Tone – Critical, sarcastic, witty/pun-y
n Symbolism – The coins, and landing only on heads, the boat, the actors vs. real people
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Prompt Revision from way back when
Ta-da! Review and Revision of an old prompt from back when I didn't know what I was doing.
Open Prompt -- October 14, 2012
1975. Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and only rarely uses a narrator's voice to guide the audience's responses to character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in which you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his audience's responses to the central characters and the action. You might consider the effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of comparable and contrasting characters, and the characters' responses to each other. Support your argument with specific references to the play. Do not give a plot summary.
Edward Albee -- The American Dream
Edward Albee may be thought of as a very "different" playwright based on his writings which often fall under the Theatre of the Absurd category, but like all playwrights he cannot use his own voice to direct the audience's response to character and action within his plays. Because of this, in his famous play The American Dream, Albee relies on a commonplace setting, the contrast between Mommy and Grandma, and Grandma's response to the arrival of the Young Man.
The American Dream is set in a living room of an apartment. There's truly nothing special about the setting, and that is what makes it work. Everyone knows what a living room is -- it's the center of the home, and so it makes sense to stage a play about a family right in the middle of where they live. The audience can relate to this common setting, and therefore can relate to the characters and their actions within that room. The family room is never left throughout the entire play, and this isolated world becomes the foundation for the audience's response to the action that takes place.
Grandma and Mommy are two very different characters who constantly clash. Mommy is middle-aged, manipulative, and concerned with getting her fair share of satisfaction. Grandma, her mother, is refreshing, old, loud, and not afraid so speak her mind. The audience leans towards favoring Grandma throughout the play, and become sick and tired of pathetic Mommy as the play goes on. By having this be, Albee guides the audience's response to favor Grandma's solid ideals, as opposed to Mommy's materialistic ones. There's no "this is what I think and how you should think" but instead, the audience naturally sides with Grandma, supporting Albee's ideas.
The audience also gets a glimpse of what Albee is trying to say with the Young Man's interactions with Grandma. The Young Man is a fresh, new character who arrives towards the end of the play. Many sides of Grandma have been seen, and when this new character comes along, her reaction helps the audience know what to make of him. At first Grandma does not want to come into close contact with this flashy "American Dream", but admires him and tries to find him a job nonetheless. The Young Man opens up to Grandma later, and her gentle response helps the reader understand him without Albee directly coming in to explain.
Writing a play has considerable challenges that writing a novel doesn't, but they can be overcome in a remarkable way. Using the setting, contrasting characters, and character's responses to one another, playwrights like Edward Albee can create works in which they themselves don't need to hold the audience's hand the entire time.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Another Response to Course Material!
Since my last Response to Course Material Post, we watched parts of yet another Hamlet version, which I did not care for. It was just too strange and twisted, not to mention hard to follow. We've also done some multiple choice practice, which is always an important thing to practice. I was at 7th Grade Camp this past week, but I believe we started reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and while I'm getting sick of Hamlet and plays, it should be interesting.
Since we've gone over Hamlet so many times, I feel like I am seeing Hamlet references all over. This week the second Chronicles of Narnia movie was on TV. And HOLY COW what do you know, Prince Caspian is basically Hamlet, whose evil uncle killed Caspian's father in order to take the throne for himself. Caspian had his chance to kill his uncle, but hesitated in the end. I was so proud when I saw this, you have no idea. Connecting what I learn inside of school to stuff outside of school! Yes!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Here we are again!
Ta-da! The new, and improved, revision!
1978 Open Prompt using The Picture of Dorian Gray
First posted on September 16, 2012
1978 Open Prompt using The Picture of Dorian Gray
First posted on September 16, 2012
1978. Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary merit. Write an essay that explains how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary.
Imagine what it would be like to have a body which hid your evil doings by never growing old, with only a haunting portrait to remind you of your corrupt soul. The 19th century British novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde tells this story of a physically beautiful man with a corrupt and ugly soul, his secret hidden within a fantastic painted portrait. The portrait, which decays as Dorian commits one evil deed after another, is an unrealistic event which changes the life of Dorian forever. While it is both implausible and unrealistic, the portrait relates to the realistic elements within the novel, creating a whole and understandable story.
The changing portrait is not something anyone can relate to. However, readers of the novel can relate to Dorian's struggle with his outward appearance. He feels like his beauty is his greatest asset, and that he is a worthy person because of it. Dorian later despises his perfect appearance, saying that it is not worth being haunted by the portrait. His obsession with looks is only magnified by the portraits existence, making it an element that the reader can associate with.
Dorian goes to all sorts of extremes within this novel. He even reaches the point where his actions are controlled by the portrait, leading him to kill another man after he shares his secret with him. Being controlled by a desire or secret is a very realistic element many readers can relate to. While I'm sure none have committed murder in order to guard a secret, it is fair to say that many people have things about themselves they wish not to share and will protect from others. For example, I have friends who will never, under no circumstances, leave the house without makeup for fear of being seen without. Is this not unlike Dorian Gray, doing all he can to guard the secret of his inner corrupt being? I think not. The portrait is more than a portrait to Dorian, and the reader can understand how they have similar "portraits" they hide.
It's an absurd idea, that there really could be a "picture of your soul", but Oscar Wilde weaves it in to the point where the reader can't doubt its existence, even if it only is alive in Dorian's head. And while it may be crazy, it fits. It adds a whole new fantastic level to the novel, while still being familiar and relevant to the reader.
Response:
At first, 40 minutes seemed like a long time, until I was working on the last paragraph and saw I had 2 minutes to finish it up, and was still planning on writing another paragraph. It was also difficult to think back to last year when I read the book, and instead had to rely on past knowledge. As I went on writing it started to all come back, but a review of it would have been very helpful before I started writing!
HAMLET!
THE TRADGEDY OF HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK.
Author: William Shakespeare, in London, England, 1602 Hamlet was performed
Plot:
-Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is upset because his dad died recently, and his mother married his dad's brother, Hamlet's uncle Claudius.
-The ghost of the dead King Hamlet returns to tell his son, Hamlet, about how he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius, and to revenge his death.
-Hamlet is very distressed about this, can he do it, should he do it, etc.
-Hamlet's plan is to be feign madness, then somehow kill the king. Only his BFF Horatio and some other guy knows about this plan.
-Everyone (but Horatio) betrays Hamlet -- Ophelia, whom he once loved, allows him to be spied on by her scheming father Polonius, old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to understand his madness so they can report back to the king, and his mother does not understand the depth of his grief at her marriage.
-Hamlet organizes a play similar to the scenario of how Claudius killed the king in order to ensure what the ghost told him is real.
-Hamlet goes to his mother and tries to convince her of her sin. Polonius is spying on them behind a curtain, and upon hearing him Hamlet kills him, thinking him to be the king.
-Hamlet has a chance to kill the king, but since the king is praying at the time he refrains.
-Hamlet leaves to go back to school. He goes with orders from the king to have him killed, and upon discovering this, changes the letters to orders to kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
-Meanwhile, Ophelia is lost in grief over her father, Hamlet, (and possibly the fact that she is pregnant). We see her madness in her "flower scene".
-Later the queen reports that Ophelia has drowned herself.
-Ophelia's brother Laertes return, seeking revenge. The king calms him down, and forms a plan with him to kill Hamlet.
-Hamlet returns, their ship having been overtaken by friendly pirates.
-Hamlet is at a grave with Horatio, and sees the skull of the old court jester Yorick.
-Hamlet sees Ophelia being buried, and wrestles with Laertes.
-Hamlet and Laertes duel in a (seemingly) harmless, noble fight.
-The king has poisoned the tip of Laertes sword, and poisoned Hamlet's wine to ensure Hamlet dies.
-Laertes cuts Hamlet with the poisoned sword, and in the heat of the duel their swords are swapped and Hamlet cuts Laertes with it.
-The queen drinks some of the poisoned wine, and dies.
-Laertes is aware of the poison, and as he lays dying tells Hamlet what has happened.
-Hamlet then rushes to the king, cuts/stabs him with the poisoned sword, and makes him drink the wine.
-Hamlet instructs Horatio to tell the world his story.
-Everyone is dead.
-Fortinbras storms the castle, and finding all the rulers dead, takes the throne.
Setting: The rotten state of Denmark, in Elsinore (the castle).
Significant Characters:
Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, seriously troubled, more of a philosopher than a fighter.
Queen Gertrude: Hamlet's mother, not given so much blame as Claudius for their marriage.
King Claudius: The murderer and adulterer, the "bad guy".
Ophelia: Once was lover with Hamlet, went mad after he abandoned her and her father died, drowns.
Horatio: Hamlet's BFF, the moral compass for the play.
Laertes: Ophelia's brother, has a very deep love for her, foil for Hamlet, instrumental in Hamlet's death.
Fortinbras: Foil for Hamlet, meet him at the end when he takes the throne.
Tone: There is a very desperate tone throughout the work. Everyone is trying to keep what is theirs; the kingdom, their wife, their honor, etc.
Imagery: Tons of allusions to Greco-Roman myths, lots said about ears/hearing, death, the "rank" garden allusions, (aka Adam and Eve in the garden, then sin came and ruined the garden), the supernatural vs. free will.
Symbolism: Yorick's skull (the physical consequences of death). The ghost, (the spiritual consequences of death). Ophelia's flowers, representing more than just a flower (rue for abortion, daisies for innocence, etc).
3 quotes:
1) Hamlet. " To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?—To die,—to sleep,—
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to,—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d."
In his famous "To be or not to be" Hamlet here is considering what he is going to do next. Does he kill the king or ignore the ghost? Or end it all by killing himself? And when he does die, what will happen to him? In this way this little part of the speech and the entire soliloquy sum up much of the big ideas this play has.
2) Marcellus. "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
Another famous line, said at the beginning of the play, sets up the audience for the rest of the play. It also draws upon the allusion of the (now corrupted) Garden of Eden Shakespeare constantly uses to describe Elsinore.
3) Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. "Do you think I am easier to be played on that a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me."
Here Hamlet is calling out his so-called friends on their disloyalty, and for using him as they would an instrument. This goes along with the secrecy, lies, and corruption that is throughout the work.
Theme: The theme of revenge is present throughout the entire play.
Elements that support this theme:
Setting: The corrupt, dark, rotten state of Denmark.
Plot: Hamlet's response to revenge, (hesitant) vs. Fortinbras and Laertes (immediate). The entire play is a revenge tragedy, but Hamlet isn't totally sure about it.
Tone: There's a dark, desperate tone throughout the work. The audience knows someone is going to die, and that this is a very "sick" situation.
Symbolism: The ghost, a skull, flowers with double meanings = not a very happy time.
Author: William Shakespeare, in London, England, 1602 Hamlet was performed
Plot:
-Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is upset because his dad died recently, and his mother married his dad's brother, Hamlet's uncle Claudius.
-The ghost of the dead King Hamlet returns to tell his son, Hamlet, about how he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius, and to revenge his death.
-Hamlet is very distressed about this, can he do it, should he do it, etc.
-Hamlet's plan is to be feign madness, then somehow kill the king. Only his BFF Horatio and some other guy knows about this plan.
-Everyone (but Horatio) betrays Hamlet -- Ophelia, whom he once loved, allows him to be spied on by her scheming father Polonius, old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to understand his madness so they can report back to the king, and his mother does not understand the depth of his grief at her marriage.
-Hamlet organizes a play similar to the scenario of how Claudius killed the king in order to ensure what the ghost told him is real.
-Hamlet goes to his mother and tries to convince her of her sin. Polonius is spying on them behind a curtain, and upon hearing him Hamlet kills him, thinking him to be the king.
-Hamlet has a chance to kill the king, but since the king is praying at the time he refrains.
-Hamlet leaves to go back to school. He goes with orders from the king to have him killed, and upon discovering this, changes the letters to orders to kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
-Meanwhile, Ophelia is lost in grief over her father, Hamlet, (and possibly the fact that she is pregnant). We see her madness in her "flower scene".
-Later the queen reports that Ophelia has drowned herself.
-Ophelia's brother Laertes return, seeking revenge. The king calms him down, and forms a plan with him to kill Hamlet.
-Hamlet returns, their ship having been overtaken by friendly pirates.
-Hamlet is at a grave with Horatio, and sees the skull of the old court jester Yorick.
-Hamlet sees Ophelia being buried, and wrestles with Laertes.
-Hamlet and Laertes duel in a (seemingly) harmless, noble fight.
-The king has poisoned the tip of Laertes sword, and poisoned Hamlet's wine to ensure Hamlet dies.
-Laertes cuts Hamlet with the poisoned sword, and in the heat of the duel their swords are swapped and Hamlet cuts Laertes with it.
-The queen drinks some of the poisoned wine, and dies.
-Laertes is aware of the poison, and as he lays dying tells Hamlet what has happened.
-Hamlet then rushes to the king, cuts/stabs him with the poisoned sword, and makes him drink the wine.
-Hamlet instructs Horatio to tell the world his story.
-Everyone is dead.
-Fortinbras storms the castle, and finding all the rulers dead, takes the throne.
Setting: The rotten state of Denmark, in Elsinore (the castle).
Significant Characters:
Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, seriously troubled, more of a philosopher than a fighter.
Queen Gertrude: Hamlet's mother, not given so much blame as Claudius for their marriage.
King Claudius: The murderer and adulterer, the "bad guy".
Ophelia: Once was lover with Hamlet, went mad after he abandoned her and her father died, drowns.
Horatio: Hamlet's BFF, the moral compass for the play.
Laertes: Ophelia's brother, has a very deep love for her, foil for Hamlet, instrumental in Hamlet's death.
Fortinbras: Foil for Hamlet, meet him at the end when he takes the throne.
Tone: There is a very desperate tone throughout the work. Everyone is trying to keep what is theirs; the kingdom, their wife, their honor, etc.
Imagery: Tons of allusions to Greco-Roman myths, lots said about ears/hearing, death, the "rank" garden allusions, (aka Adam and Eve in the garden, then sin came and ruined the garden), the supernatural vs. free will.
Symbolism: Yorick's skull (the physical consequences of death). The ghost, (the spiritual consequences of death). Ophelia's flowers, representing more than just a flower (rue for abortion, daisies for innocence, etc).
3 quotes:
1) Hamlet. " To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?—To die,—to sleep,—
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to,—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d."
In his famous "To be or not to be" Hamlet here is considering what he is going to do next. Does he kill the king or ignore the ghost? Or end it all by killing himself? And when he does die, what will happen to him? In this way this little part of the speech and the entire soliloquy sum up much of the big ideas this play has.
2) Marcellus. "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
Another famous line, said at the beginning of the play, sets up the audience for the rest of the play. It also draws upon the allusion of the (now corrupted) Garden of Eden Shakespeare constantly uses to describe Elsinore.
3) Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. "Do you think I am easier to be played on that a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me."
Here Hamlet is calling out his so-called friends on their disloyalty, and for using him as they would an instrument. This goes along with the secrecy, lies, and corruption that is throughout the work.
Theme: The theme of revenge is present throughout the entire play.
Elements that support this theme:
Setting: The corrupt, dark, rotten state of Denmark.
Plot: Hamlet's response to revenge, (hesitant) vs. Fortinbras and Laertes (immediate). The entire play is a revenge tragedy, but Hamlet isn't totally sure about it.
Tone: There's a dark, desperate tone throughout the work. The audience knows someone is going to die, and that this is a very "sick" situation.
Symbolism: The ghost, a skull, flowers with double meanings = not a very happy time.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Second Semester! Response to Course Material
Second semester! Woohoo!
In preparation for the final, Amanda and I had to look over Hamlet and figure out what scene we wanted to act out. We needed a scene with two characters, and one that could be interpreted in different ways. In the end we chose Hamlet and the Ghost, the first time they met. ("I am your father's spirit..." etc.) There were many ways we could have gone about just this one scene: Was the ghost real? How did the ghost act? How did Hamlet respond? Once we had settled on our scene, the hardest part was sticking to one main theme, because there are so many variables that we could have thrown in and drastically changed the overall idea behind it! And yet it was even harder for me to think of how we might be able to pull it off. Acting is not quite as easy as it looks, apparently.
Even just our little final presentation gave me a better idea of the work behind the movie productions. I can't imagine how hard that really must be! The directors must be able to really have a solid view of what they want. I tend to be wishy-washy with this kind of thing, thinking "oh well this interpretation is good, but the other one makes sense too," and my interpretation of the play would probably be awful and make no sense at all if I had to direct it. All of the films we watched in class seemed to have a very clear focus to them, which I now see as very impressive. (And before I stop talking about the movies, I'd like to give a shout out to the second one we watched -- thank you, film maker of that version I don't know the name of, for a rendition that was both entertaining and made sense. The setting and time period was perfect.)
Looking back at my previous course material, I have learned so much about this play it's not even funny. (Also, I've learned that I must be slightly psychic, since I predicted Ophelia's death.) It hasn't been the smoothest of rides (Shakespearean language not making sense in the read-through, frustration with characters, a few angry sticky notes about how I hated Shakespeare, Hamlet, the entire play, and annotating) and I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, but it's grown on me. Darn you, Hamlet.
In preparation for the final, Amanda and I had to look over Hamlet and figure out what scene we wanted to act out. We needed a scene with two characters, and one that could be interpreted in different ways. In the end we chose Hamlet and the Ghost, the first time they met. ("I am your father's spirit..." etc.) There were many ways we could have gone about just this one scene: Was the ghost real? How did the ghost act? How did Hamlet respond? Once we had settled on our scene, the hardest part was sticking to one main theme, because there are so many variables that we could have thrown in and drastically changed the overall idea behind it! And yet it was even harder for me to think of how we might be able to pull it off. Acting is not quite as easy as it looks, apparently.
Even just our little final presentation gave me a better idea of the work behind the movie productions. I can't imagine how hard that really must be! The directors must be able to really have a solid view of what they want. I tend to be wishy-washy with this kind of thing, thinking "oh well this interpretation is good, but the other one makes sense too," and my interpretation of the play would probably be awful and make no sense at all if I had to direct it. All of the films we watched in class seemed to have a very clear focus to them, which I now see as very impressive. (And before I stop talking about the movies, I'd like to give a shout out to the second one we watched -- thank you, film maker of that version I don't know the name of, for a rendition that was both entertaining and made sense. The setting and time period was perfect.)
Looking back at my previous course material, I have learned so much about this play it's not even funny. (Also, I've learned that I must be slightly psychic, since I predicted Ophelia's death.) It hasn't been the smoothest of rides (Shakespearean language not making sense in the read-through, frustration with characters, a few angry sticky notes about how I hated Shakespeare, Hamlet, the entire play, and annotating) and I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, but it's grown on me. Darn you, Hamlet.
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