Prompt Revision #4

2008, Form B. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is struggling with the concept of growing up.  His childhood is portrayed a time full of innocence, which has failed to prepare him for the harsh realities of adolescence and the difficulty of finding one's place in the complex adult world.

Holden's childhood innocence is portrayed throughout the novel, which reminds the reader that Holden is still young and childlike.  Holden shows his immaturity when he is trying to act like an adult.  When Holden call's the prostitute, he intends to have sex with her, but when she actually arrives he just wants to talk to her.  Holden tries resolve his loneliness by acting like an adult, but instead his inability to function in the adult world contributes to his loneliness.  Later when Holden tries to flirt with the group of girls at a bar, the girls end up making fun of him.  Holden is  is unable to realize that they are really mocking him and have no intrest in him at all because his childhood innocence prevents him from understanding the situation he is in.  Holden's innocence sets him up for the painful realities of society and adult life.  In addition to his innocence, Holden's confusion and fear about society gave him a rude awakening about the real world is like.

Holden describes many of the characters as being phony.  Instead of really getting to know people he just labels them as "phonies" in an attempt to distance himself from them.  Holden is afraid of getting to know many of the characters on a deeper level.  His difficulties connecting with other people express the difficulty of finding one's place in society.  Holden is confused about his teenage life and fearful of the uncertain future that his adult life that is quickly approaching.  Because Holden has been kicked out of multiple schools and is currently failing almost all of his classes, he is essentially gives up on school and attempts to live as an adult. However Holden's perception of adulthood his much different than what he experiences.  Without money and the education required to get a job  he faces the reality that his options are limited in the adult world.  These times of tribulation durning Holden's adolescence cause him to panic and he eventually end up in a mental health facility.  The harsh realities were too much for Holden to handle which shapes the meaning of the novel about the stuggles of growing up.

The events in The Catcher in the Rye establish childhood as a time of innocence and adolescence as a time of inner struggle while finding one's place in society.  This innocence causes denial about the future which then leads to painful realties of developing into an adult.  

Ceremony Summary and Analysis

Author: Leslie Marmon Silko wrote this novel.  She is half white, half Laguna Pueblo just like Tayo.  She recieved a lot of criticism for writing this novel from the Laguna people because they felt she revealed and exposed too much of culture to the public even though she changed many of the stories and poems.

Setting:  The novel takes place in the southwest on the Laguna Pueblo reservation and nearby towns.  There is a drought while this book is taking place which plays an important role in the plot of the story. Takes place not too long after WWII which many of the Native American's served in.  There are many flashbacks to before and during the war as well as old Laguna Pueblo stories.

Main Characters:

Tayo- The novel is centered him and his life dealing with the struggles of coming back from WWII and finding his place in society being a half white and half Laguna Pueblo.  He is very sick in the beginning of the novel and fully heals himself and his community by completing a ceremony.

Rocky- He is Tayo's cousin, but is much more like a brother to him.  He assimilated very easily into western culture and relieved a scholarship to play football, but he was killed in WWII.

Auntie- She is Tayo's aunt, but has raised him since he was little.  She is a very strong woman who is very concerned about other peoples' views of her and her family.  She believes Tayo and his mother brought a lot of shame on their family and at times excludes him and makes him feel like he doesn't belong in the family.

Josiah-  He is Tayo's uncle and taught him Laguna traditions and beliefs as well as how to heard and take care of cattle.  He also has a relationship with Night Swan who gave him the idea to get into the cattle business.

Night Swan- Josiah's girlfriend who is very strong woman.  She also sleeps with Tayo later in the novel.

Betonie- He is the medicine man who helps Tayo preform his ceremony, but he does it in a untraditional way due to the influence of American's on Native Americans and works in the modern world.

Harley-  On of Tayo's friends and drinking buddies, but it is clear that he is an alcoholic.

Grandma-  She is the leader of Tayo's family and is quiet most of the time unless she has something important to say.   She provides wisdom throughout the story through her quotes and advise to Tayo.

Te'sh-  She helps Tayo finish his ceremony by giving him advice.  She helps Tayo heard his cattle and is one of the Yellow Women in the novel.

Emo- Him and Tayo have never really gotten along.  Tayo almost kills him by stabbing him with a broken beer bottle and ridicules Tayo about being half white.

Plot Summary:  The plot of the story is a version of a traditional story in Laguna culture that in this case involves Tayo who is coming back from WWII and is trying to heal.  The story blends the traditional poems and Tayo's story, but they are both essentially telling the same story just with different characters.   Tayo is very sick when he returns home from the vetaran's hospital.   He has to deal with the traumatic experiences of war, as well as the deaths of Rocky and Josiah.  Even though neither death was really his fault he feels guilty and responsable for both of their deaths.  Tayo has a hard time recovering and spends a lot of time drinking with childhood friends who use alcohol as their medicine to help ease their suffering after they returned from war.  Tayo goes to the local medicine man, Ku'oosh who is unable to cure him.  He remembers his childhood and we are introduced to Night Swan and her relationship with Josiah.  This ceremony isn't enough to cure Tayo so he goes to Betonie whose ceremony is less traditional and creates a special ceremony for Tayo.  The first part of the ceremony that Tayo has to complete is finding Josiah's cattle.  In the process of finding the cattle, Tayo is about to be arrested for trespassing, but then end of letting him go because they go off to search for a mountain lion instead.  Later Tayo meets a man who lives with Ts'eh and he finds out that they have his cattle.   Tayo and Ts'eh spend a lot of time to together, but Tayo finds out that people in the town have heard stories him from Emo and soon him and the police will be coming for him.  Tayo is able to avoid the white police.  He sees Harley and Leroy and he hangs out with them for a little while.  He realizes that they have betrayed him are helping Emo so he runs away from them.  He hides and watches Emo torture Harley violently, but he knows that to complete the ceremony he must restrain himself and not kill Emo.  Tayo is able to restrain himself which completes his ceremony.  He returns home and tells his story to his people.  Harley and Leroy are found dead on the side of the road. Auntie finally talks to Tayo like she does to Grandma and Robert making him feel like he is a part of her family.  They find out that Emo killed Pinkie, but the FBI called it an accident and telling him to go away and not to return so he is in California.  Grandma then says that she has heard all these stories before, just with different names (people).


Narrative Voice/Author's Style:
The novel is written in third person omniscient so the reader is able to see the character's thoughts which gives insight into their culture.  The novel has a very complicated tone.  The tone is depressed at times because times are tough for the Laguna people, but at other times it is optimistic for a brighter future once the cycle completes itself.  It is also critical of both white and Luguna people for the way they have handled their relations.   The novel is filled with imagery and figurative language.  The sun, wind, and weather are often personified and are used throughout the novel to symbolize different events.  Like the tone, the symbolism is also very complicated.  Most of the symbols have to do with the Laguna belief that events (time) go in cycles unlike the western thinking that time linear (advancing in days, years ect).  The gambler's story, Tayo's story, and the story of the Hummingbird and the fly are are essentially the same story completing the same cycle just with different characters.

Quotes:

"It seems like I already heard these stories before... only ting is, the names sound different" (260)

This is Grandma's quote at the end of the novel that reinforces the idea that these events just keep on going in cycles.   It wraps up the whole novel describing this story as one loop around the cycle.


"She could see what white people wanted in an Indian, and she believed this was his only chance" (51).

This line is describing how Auntie was alright with Rocky distancing himself from his native culture in order to assimilate into American culture.  This line sums up how complicated assimilation is.  When cultures are very different such as western and Laguna, it is very difficult to blend the two cultures together and fit in with both groups of people.


Theme:
Sticking to your native beliefs is the way to withstand harmful outside influence.

All the characters who stray away from there native beliefs the most end up dying in this novel (Rocky, Josiah, Harley, Leroy).  Tayo becomes more influenced by western culture when he goes off to war and becomes very sick.  It isn't until he completes a ceremony and reacquaints to his native culture and values that he is able to find the correct balance between western and Laguna beliefs.

Response to Course Material

We just finished annotating Ceremony and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  It took a while, but I made an effort to do 20 pages each day over spring break and that made it a lot more manageable.   I was in Phoenix during spring break and it was actually kind of cool to be in the same region the book takes place in and it kind of helped with some of the imagery in the novel.  I ended up really liking Ceremony.  Some parts seemed lengthy and were kind of boring, but the parts that described the American's colonization and treatment of the Native Americans was really interesting.  In American history classes in 9th grade and in middle school we are told the American side of the colonization, but hearing a different point of view in this novel was eye-opening.  I had never thought of how complicated assimilation must be.  Its always has been described to me as being pretty black and white where you either assimilate or fight against it and keep your native values while some new values slip into the native culture.  Reading the book I could see how outside influence can really divid a native culture appart because of different views on assimilation.

The AP exam is also approaching quickly.  We have worked on our writing some and I assume that we will do a lot more AP practice leading up to the exam.  The biggest problem I have is determining the meaning quickly when reading a passage.  When we analyze it and discuss it, I can get a strong grasp of the meaning, we don't have a lot of time on the AP exam.  We also just started reading Fifth Business, but I'm not very far into it so I don't really have much to say about it.

Prompt Revision

2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

In the novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding, a conch shell is used to symbolize civilization and order.   The conch shell is used to the help keep order in the novel and it reveals the characters' views of their society as well as emphasizing the meaning of the constant battle between civilization and savagery.

The conch schell was first discovered by Ralph and Piggy and they blew into to to make a loud noise that could be heard throughout the island.  During tribal meetings whoever held the conch got to speak.  The conch is used to maintain order so the conch is a symbol for civilization  As the play progresses and Jack and his hunters separate themselves from Ralph and Piggy, both Ralph and Piggy are constantly clutching the conch schell because the are trying to hold on to the remains of civilization and order they attempted to create.  When a boulder is thrown and kills piggy, it also crushes the conch.  The destruction of the conch symbolizes all the order being overcome by savagery   Golding uses the symbol to show how Jack and his leaders have destroyed all aspects civilization and order. 

The conch reveals how the characters feel their society on this island should be organized.  Ralph believes strongly in the conch in the beginning of the novel which shows his strong views about how the children on the island need order.  As the novel progresses, Ralph begins to doubt the power of the conch, revealing his doubts that and orderly society will can actually work on the island.  Piggy keeps his faith in the conch until his death, which reveals his constant belief in the need for civilization.  Jack is the first person to doubt the conch's power and he ends up leading the savages who focus on killing instead of order and civilization.  The characters belief or lack of belief in the conch shows whether they favor civilization of savagery.     

The major theme and meaning of this novel involve the struggle between civilization and savagery.   Civilization and order are complicated and fragile just like the structure of a conch.  A conch just like a democracy is carefully constructed over time, but can be destroyed in an instant. The conch shell is used is a barometer of the level of order in the novel. When the conch is widely accepted and respected there is much more order on the island and they boys' society resembles a primitive civilization.  As the conch lost importance so the values the boys grew up with creating a island without any form of order, which almost leads to the their society's destruction. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Author: The play was written by Tom Stoppard and was published in 1966.  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is Stoppard's most famous play.

Setting:  The play is set within Shakespeare's play Hamlet.  The first part of the play takes place in what is described as “a place without any visible character” (Stoppard 11).  The middle part of the play takes place in Elsinore where the plot of Hamlet takes place, and the final act is on a boat along with Hamlet. 

Major Characters:

Rosencrantz (Ros)-  The play focus on him and Guil as they attempt to figure out what is going on with Hamlet.  He has a carefree and easy-going attitude towards life.

Guildenstern (Guil) -  Just like Rosencrantz he was friends with Hamlet when he was younger.  Guildenstren is constantly trying to find meaning and purpose to the things and events around him.  He believes he is much smarter than he really is, which causes him to constantly misquote and interpret various educational terms/philosophies throughout the play. 

The Player- He leads the actors that perform the play within the play in Hamlet.  The are known as the Tragedians.  The player and the Tragedians perform a play predicting Ros and Guil’s fate, but neither of them realize the play is about them.

Hamlet- The same character as he was in Hamlet.  He is more of a side character in this play, but he confuses Ros and Guil when they try to figure out what is bothering him just like in Hamlet.

Claudius- He orders Ros and Guil to find out what is wrong with Hamlet and later when he sends Hamlet to be killed in England he sends Ros and Guil along with him on the boat. 

Gertrude- Her role is essentially the same in this play as it was in Hamlet.  Her sympathy towards Hamlet is also apparent in this play.

Alfred- He is one of the Tragedians and he offered up as a prostitute by the Player.  He is forced to wear a skirt and is often treated like a woman and has to act as women in their play. 

Plot:

The play starts out with Ros and Guil playing a game where they flip coins.  Ros keeps on winning because heads continues to be flipped.  Then the Tragedians come and are willing to do anything for money including which confuses Guil.   Guil starts to play the coin game with the Player and bets him that his aged doubled is an even number.

In the next scene Claudius tells Ros and Guil to figure out what is wrong with Hamlet.  Ros and Guil try to practice for when they talk to Hamlet by having Guil pretend to be Hamlet.  They then play a question game.  Later when they speak to Hamlet he confuses them by using complicated language full of deeper meaning that goes right over Ros and Guil’s heads.  While Guil is pleased with how the meeting went, Ros realized how outmatched they were in the conversation and states that they lost badly in the question game.   They then talk to the player about Hamlet's troubles.  Later they give Hamlet's message telling the main characters to attend the play.  

Next the same play within a play that takes place in Hamlet is preformed.  The same events occur in this play as in Hamlet, but after the player foreshadows R&G's death.   Later R&G see Hamlet with Polonius's body and try to trap him, but they fail.  When they talk to him, Hamlet refuses to tell them where Polonius's body is.  

In the next act R&G are on a boat with Hamlet.  They read the letter from Claudius that orders for Hamlet to be killed which causes them to panic because they don't know what to do.   When they fall asleep, Hamlet switches the letter ordering R&G to be killed instead.  The players come out of these barrels right before the pirates come to the ship which is when Hamlet disappears.  Guil stabs the player, but it was only a stage knife so the player does not die.  Ros and Guil then ponder their inevitable deaths, before the play jumps back to the very end of Hamlet.


Narrative Voice/Author's style:

The play is mainly centered around R&G and their dialogue. This point of view proves to be very unreliable in large part to them being very oblivious to what is actually going on.  There is a sharp contrast between the tone of R&G.  Guil has a much more pessimistic and ominous tone.  He is constantly over-analyzing everything trying to find its meaning.  Ros on the other hand has is very easy going and is constantly fascinated by his surroundings.  He is also much happier throughout the novel than Guil.  There is almost no imagery in the play (described in the play as emptiness).  This helps enforce the idea that the characters are living meaningless lives in a completely empty world.  The key symbol in the novel is coins that symbolize chance.  Because the coin always lands on one side it represents how things in the world are very random and unpredictable and filled with very unlikely events.  


Theme: 

One can not fully understand particular feelings or events from a play, they have to experience it for themselves.  

In the play R&G are unable to see that play they are watching is predicting their own deaths just like how the audience doesn't understand death just from watching a play where people die.  Stoppard also emphasizes the separation between the stage and real life by breaking the fourth wall during the play.  

Quotes:

"Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over... Death is not anything... death is not... It's the absence of presence, nothing more" (124) 

This quote from Guil has a very interesting point of view on death.  It helps contribute to the meaning that we are are living meaningless lives and our deaths are just as meaningless.  

"We move idly towards eternity, without possibility of reprieve or hope of explanation" (121)

This is another quote from Guil that deals with the idea that are just passing through time without any purpose.  It really reveals his pessimistic outlook on life and gives his feelings that we don't really have a purpose. 

"If you're not even happy what's so good about surviving?  We'll be all right.  I suppose we just go on." (121)

This is Ros's line and his more optimistic attitude is very clear.  While he doesn't fell like he has much purpose, he just enjoys life as it is. which is the opposite of Guil who is always questioning things.  

Response to Course Material #7

Since the last response to course material blog we have finished Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, started Ceremony, and worked on closed prompts.  I felt like the most interesting part of R&G was the relationship between theater and real life.  The play brought up the interesting point about how  it is different if you experience something serious while watching a play rather than experiencing it in real life.  I agree with this point and I think makes an interesting point about how people feel like they have experienced certain events just from watching them in a play.  This is even more relevant today with movies because not only do they appear more realistic, but a popular movie can be seen by millions of people.

We have also just started reading ceremony and in class we have been introduced to Laguna Pueblo culture and I have found it very interesting.  It is a refreshing change from the constant references to the bible in the literature we have read so far.  I've barely started the novel, but so far I have enjoyed it even though it is difficult to understand.  Trying to determine the meaning of the text is even more difficult because I am unfamiliar with the main character's culture.   

In class we have also been working on closed prompts and its been rough.  I have trouble figuring out the meaning of these passages when I have lots of time to analyze them, but with the 40 minute time limit it makes it even more difficult.  The part that may be even harder fo me is actually translating my thoughts about the passage on paper.  I'm used to using informal language when discussing literature during class, so using more formal language on the closed prompts has been to be difficult.  Although I have struggled, Ms. Holms helping us during class and practicing has helped and I've started to see improvements in my writing.

Prompt revision #2

1995. Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character's alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions or moral values.

Characters in novels and plays often represent certain issues or conflicts in society.  In America the issue of racism has been an important issue throughout America's history.  In To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Tom Robinson represents racism and the general attitude towards African Americans in the south.  

Tom Robinson, a poor african american farm hand, was falsely accused of raping a white girl despite minimal evidence against him.  Almost the entire community believes Tom is guilty which represents the animosity towards african americans during this time period.  The entire community didn't think twice when taking a white man's word over a black man's word showing many white american's values and views about race during this time period.  The only evidence against Tom was Bob Ewell's word saying that he witness Tom rape his daughter.   Bob Ewell was one of the least respected members of society and even his word was considered better than Tom's.  This represents how much more weight a white person's opinion had than an african american's opinion during this time period which reenforces the theme of social inequality in the novel.

Scout's father represented Tom and even she was treated differently as the trial approached.  It shows how angry and agressive society can get over an issue like race.  This anger has been know to affect and even harm innocent people in America as well as in the story.  Scout was teased in school and was almost stabbed while she was walking home at night at the end of the novel.  From just being associated with Tom, the Scout's entire family was somewhat alienated from their community which emphasizes the strong raciest values in America and in particular the deep south.  Racism being such a importnat part of the story contributes to the meaning of the novel by emphasizing the theme of social inequality in America.  

Tom Robinson and his trial has become a symbol of racial issues in America.  To Kill a Mockingbird has become an classic piece of literature in large part due to the portrail of racial issues and social inequality through the characters in the book. 

Response to Course Material #6

Thankfully the terms test 2.0 final was changed to acting out a scene of Hamlet.  It was actually kind of fun to decide how we were going to act out the two different scenes by deciding which version of the characters would provide and interesting interactions when actually acting it out.   For example we had a much more emotional and weaker Hamlet paired with a Claudius who was constantly scheming.

Ms. Holmes decided to save the best Hamlet movie for last.  "Heroine Hamlet" as I like to call it was very entertaining.  It was very interesting how making some of the male characters to females changed the story.  By changing Horatio to a female Hamlet and Horatio's relationship just felt different and then in the last scene the end up kissing as Hamlet is dying as the whole class started cracking up.  Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to watch the movie from start to finish but in the hour we had to watch it we got the general sense of what Fodor was trying to communicate to his audience. The movie as a whole seemed somewhat ridiculous which is what made it very enjoyable, but hopefully we will discuss it during class and investigate the significance of all the characters being heroine addicts.

We have also just started reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.   We haven't talked about it in much detail yet so I don't have a whole lot to say about it.   It is going to be very nice to be reading in modern english again, but just reading in the first part of this play I can tell that it is filled with deeper meaning that is going to be somewhat difficult to understand.  It is also shorter than Hamlet so the annotations will be a little more manageable.

Hamlet Summary/Analysis

Author:
Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare.  It has become one of Shakespeare's most famous Tragedies.  Shakespeare has left many parts of Hamlet up for interpretation and the different sides have argued by many literary critics.  Although not a whole lot is know about Shakespeares life, his works have left a lasting influence on English literature.

Setting:
The play takes place in the Elsinore which is a castle in Denmark.  This is where the royal family lives. The setting allows for the characters to easily spy on one another by hiding and eavesdropping.  Elsinore is portrayed as a play of lies, deception, and corruption throughout the play.


Plot:
Two watchmen and Horatio standing guard outside of Elsinore see a ghost.  Horatio tries to talk to the ghost, but the ghost is silent.  Horatio thinks that the it is a ghost of Hamlet, the king who has recently died.  They decide to tell Hamlet, the dead king's son about what they have seen.  The next morning Claudius gives a speech about his marriage to Gertrude and talks about how Fortinbras wants the land back that Hamlet's father captured from his father.  After the speech, Claudius grants permission for Laertes to return to France for school.  Then Claudius goes to console Hamlet about his father's death and reminds him that he is next in line to hold the position of king.  Claudius also states that he doesn't want Hamlet to return to Wittenberg because he wants to keep him closer to home.  Later Horatio and the two guards tell Hamlet about the ghost they have seen and how it looks like Hamlet's father.

When Laertes is about to leave for France, he tells his sister, Ophelia, to be carful with her relationship with Hamlet.  After he leaves Polonius also warns Ophelia about Hamlet and says he doesn't want Ophelia to associate herself with Hamlet anymore.  Later while keeping watch, Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus see the ghost just after midnight.  Hamlet goes to follow the ghost against the others' recommendations.  Horatio and Marcellus follow Hamlet shortly after.  The ghost of Hamlets tells Hamlet how Claudius killed him and urges him to avenge his death.  When the sun rises, the ghost disappears and Horatio and Marcellus find Hamlet.  Hamlet refuses to tell them what the ghost says but he tells them they must keep quiet about their findings and that he will start acting completely crazy, but not to reveal anything about how he is just acting.

After Polonius sends a servent to spy on Laertes and see if he is doing anything he isn't suppose to, Ophelia comes in and tells Polonius how Hamlet is beginning to act crazy since she began to not spend nearly as much time with him.  Polonius thinks it Hamlet is in love with Ophelia and that is why Hamlet is acting crazy.  Later Claudius commands Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two old friends of Hamlet, to go talk to Hamlet and find out why he has been acting strangely.  Later Polonius tells Claudius his theory and they plan on spying on Hamlet when he is talking to Ophelia.  When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to talk to Hamlet, Hamlet realizes that they are working with the king and he feels betrayed by them.  Hamlets plans to make the king watch a play that reenacts Claudius's acts against his father and see if he looks guilty while watching it.

Later while alone Hamlet talks to himself about whether or not to commit suicide in the "To be, or not to be" speech.  When Ophelia comes towards him, she tells him she wants to end their relationship.  Hamlet denies that he ever liked her and then gets very angry at her and tells her to go to a nunnery.  Claudius decides that he send Hamlet to England hoping that getting away from Elsinore will help him get better.  That night, Hamlet tells Horatio what the ghost told him and to watch Claudius closely during the play.  When the actor in the play pours poison in the king's, Claudius stops the play which reveals to Hamlet that the king is guilty.  Later when Claudius is praying for forgiveness Hamlet comes into the room planning to kill the King.  Hamlet decides he can't kill Claudius while he is praying because he think that it wouldn't avenge his father's death properly.

Later that night Hamlet enters his mother's chamber with Polonius hiding.  Gertrude tries to scold Hamlet for his behavior, but Hamlet calls her out for what she did to his father by marring Claudius.  Hamlet becomes very angry and violent which scares his mother causing Polonius to speak.  Hamlet hears him and stabs him through a curtain thinking it was the king.  Hamlet continues to scold his mother for marrying Claudius until the ghost returns.  Gertrude can't see the ghost leading to her thinking that Hamlet has gone mad.  Soon after Hamlet leaves with Polonius's body.  Gertrude goes to tell the king about what happened and he decides to send Hamlet to England immediately.  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find Hamlet after he has buried the body he goes with them to see the king.  Claudius sends Hamlet off to England along with a order for England to kill Hamlet.

Ophelia has gone mad.  She sings songs while passing out flowers and may be implying that she is pregnant.  Laertes enters very angry about his fathers death and then becomes even more angry when he sees what has happened to Ophelia.  Claudius explains that he is innocent to Laertes and explains that it was Hamlet who killed his father.  Claudius is then informed that Hamlet's ship was taken by pirates and will be returning.  Claudius then comes up with the plan to kill Hamlet in a dual with a sword that has a poisoned tip and that he will have a cup with poisoned wine as a backup plan.  Then everyone finds out that Ophelia has drowned in the river.

The two gravediggers provide some comic relief before Hamlet and Horatio enter and speak to the gravediggers. When they see Ophelia's funeral beginning Hamel and Horatio hide and watch and soon realize that it is Ophelia's funeral.  When Laertes jumps into the grave Hamlet comes out from his hiding spot and describes his love for Ophelia. Hamlet and Laertes fight in her grave, but are pulled appart.  Not very long afterwards, Hamlet leaves angrily with Horatio.

The next day Hamlet explains to Horatio how he switched the kings letter with one of his own ordering Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be killed.  Hamlet then accepts the fencing dual with Laertes which will begin shortly.  Hamlet tries to apologize to Laertes, but Laertes refuses to forgive him.  They then begin their match and Hamlet wins the first two points, but refuses to drink from the poisoned cup, but Gertrude drinks from instead.  During next round Laertes hits Hamlet and draws blood, but then end up switching swords after and Hamlet strikes Laertes.  The queen yells out to Hamlet that the cup was poisoned as she falls and dies.  Laertes admits that the tip of the sword was poisoned and that the king is to blame for everything.  Hamlet then forces the king to drink the poisoned wine.  Hamlet and Laertes forgive each other before Laertes dies and then Hamlet tells Horatio that he must tell everyone what really happened and that Fortinbras should be the next King of Denmark.  Hamlet dies right before Fortinbras enters.  They declare that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead and Horatio says that they need to gather everyone and explain what has happened.  Fortenbras then says that Hamlet should be honored and taken away like a soldier and the play ends.

Important Characters:

Hamlet- He is the prince of Denmark who tries to avenge his father's murder throughout the play.  He is much smarter than the other characters and is constantly manipulating all of them besides Horatio.  Hamlet is sort of all over the place, sometimes he acts very impulsively and other times he is hesitant and passive.

Hamlet (ghost)- He his Hamlet's dead father who was killed by Claudius.  The ghost urges Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Claudius which sets up the plot of the play.

Horatio-  He is Hamlet's only true friend and somebody that Hamlet really trusts.  He helps Hamlet with his plots against the king.

Claudius- He is Hamlet's uncle and marries Gertrude after he kills Hamlet's father.  He is the King of Denmark. Claudius is driven by his need for power and is constantly scheming different ways to maintain and gain more power.

Gertrude- She his Hamlet's mother who does the ends up marring her dead husbands brother. She isn't a strong woman and she tends to dance around the issue instead of trying to fix the problem.  Gertrude really loves Hamlet be she is unable to realize how marrying Claudius really hurts Hamlet and she is unable to take strong actions to fix her relationship with Hamlet

Ophelia-  She is Hamlet's lover who is portrayed as an innocent young girl, but the events of the play reveal that she might not be so innocent after all (and maybe pregnant) depending on the interpretation fo the play.  By the end of the play she goes mad and she strongly hints that she has had sex with Hamlet.  She ends up drowning which can be interpreted as her killing herself.

Laertes- He is Ophelia's brother and goes to school in France.  He loves his sister dearly and he doesn't think her and Hamlet's relationship is a good thing for Ophelia.  After his father's death and Ophelia goes mad, he becomes very angry and wants revenge which leads to his downfall.

Polonius- He is the father of Ophelia and Laertes.  He also is concerned about Hamlet's and Ophelia's relationship being bad for Ophelia.  He is also is Claudius' advisor.  He is killed while spying on Hamlet for Claudius.

Fortinbras- He his the prince of Norway and Hamlet's foil.  Fortinbras decides to hold off his revenge of his fathers death and ends up being rewarded for it in the last scene of the play.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-  These are two of Hamlets old friends from school who betray Hamlet's trust by spying on him for the king.  Claudius believed that since they were close to Hamlet they would be able to figure out what was going on with him.  This really angered Hamlet who eventually has then killed by the English.

Narrative Voice/Author's Style (including tone and point of view):
The third person point of view jumps from character to character giving the reader a sense of what all the characters are doing and scheming about.  The characters inner thoughts and emotions are described through their monologues while they are alone and through their very descriptive and emotional lines. Shakespeares style involves very elaborate langue filled with description and multiple meanings.  The tone in the beginning of the play emphasized the grief and morning of Hamlet losing his father.  Once Hamlet spoke to his father the tone shifted from grief to anger and revenge which remained the major tone of the rest of the play.

Imagery: Imagery is used throughout the play especially during the scenes where the characters out on watch see the ghost.  Figurative language is used to describe how the moon, wind, and darkness.  Because it is very windy and dark this helps create an ominous mood which sets the stage for the ghost to come.  Horatio also describes the moon as being eclipsed, which according to Horatio is a bad omen.

Symbolism: Poison is used as a symbol of corruption and deception.  Claudius who represents greed and corruption in the play poisons Hamlet's father and indirectly poisons Hamlet and is responsible for the death of Gertrude and Laertes because it was his idea to use the poisoned sword and wine.   Yorick's skull is a symbol of death and in particular the wonder involved with death.  Hamlet questions what will happen if he kills himself throughout the play and the skull helps Hamlet realize what will be left of you after you die.  There are also many allusions to historical events where similar things have happened.  The most used reference is Julius Caesar's death.

Symbolism:

Quotes:
"But know, thou noble youth, / The serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown"(Shakespeare 1.5.38-40)

This quote is where the ghost of Hamlet's father is describing how it was Claudius who poisoned him and the snake that was described as killing him is really Claudius.  This is the turning for Hamlet's character because when the ghost tells him the truth about his fathers death, Hamlets grief becomes anger.  This anger drives Hamlet's desire for revenge eventually leading to his downfall.



"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles" (Shakespeare 3.1.57-59)

This quote is from Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" speech.  It is describing the dilemma of whether it is better to put up with all your problems and suffer or end all your problems by just killing yourself.  Hamlet is describing a moral issue that is widely debated.  It is a significant line because it shows the pain Hamlet is feeling as well as showing his strong desires to end that pain.  It also helps show how Hamlet's willingness to die why is evident in the last scene.


"Why, as a woodcock to mine own springe, Osric. / I am justly killed with mine own treachery" (Shakespeare 5.2.305-306)

Laertes is saying how he got caught in his own trap and he has been killed by his own evil actions.  This line shows how Laertes realizes that he was wrong to act on his anger and desire for revenge.  It also reinforces the message of the play that nothing good comes from revenge.



Theme:
Revenge is a selfish emotion that should not be acted upon.


Hamlet and his foil Fortenbras both have their fathers killed and are hungry for revenge.  Hamlet acts on his revenge by plotting to kill the king and eventually killing him in the end while Fortenbras never acts on his emotion so he ends up being rewarded at the end of the play.  All the characters who deliberately act on their desire for revenge are killed in the play (Hamlet, Claudius, and Laertes). The people who go along with these revenge plots also end up dying (Gertrude,  Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Ophelia).  Because the use of poison goes horribly wrong in the final scene, it shows what happens when deceit is mixed with revenge.  The dark and violent tone of the play along with the corrupt setting of Elsinore lets the anger and treachery among the characters build, until they begin to seek their revenge which is what leads to Elsinore's downfall as a castle ruled by Hamlet's family.

Prompt Revision #1

2006. Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.

The country setting in Of Mice and Men plays an essential role in the story.  John Steinbeck uses the country setting to help set the stage for the events of the story and help reinforce the theme.  The country is used to represent a place of primitivism and ignorance and it also contributes to the theme of loneliness.  

The country is set up as a simple setting that most people can picture easily.  George and Lenny, the two main characters, live a very simple and primitive lifestyle working on different ranches trying to make a living.  John Steinbeck uses this simple rural setting to help convey the theme of the improbability of the American Dream. If the story had taken place in the suburbs, the basic desire to own your own property would seem less relevant. By working on farms for most of their lives, the classic American Dream of owning property seems very realistic and less forced upon the readers.   The constant reminder of this desire emphasizes the meaning of the difficulty to achieve the American Dream.  The ignorance in this country setting also acts as a major barrier blocking George and Lenny from achieving the American Dream.  

The country setting is also a place of ignorance in Of Mice and Men.  Lenny who has mental disabilities is a very strong and productive worker.  George has to constantly protect Lenny and tell him to keep silent to not reveal his ignorance.  The country setting helps create the general feeling that the society where George and Lenny live doesn't accept people like Lenny.  The attitudes of the other characters, especially Curley, show ignorance and intolerance that seem to fit in with the normal perception of a country setting.  One of the main messages of the story is how harsh realities of the world can make it very difficult to achieve success.  In this novel these realities come in the form of ignorance which prevents George and Lenny from owning their own property in the end.  

The loneliness of the country is also portrayed and has a major impact on the story.   Curley's wife instigates many of the problems on the farm primarily because she feels isolated and doesn't have other women to talk to.  If she lived in a city or a setting where there are more people she likely wouldn't have spent so much time wandering around the farm talking to the farm hands.  This ends up leading to Lenny getting in trouble because Curley's wife talks to him and then angers him.  The loneliness of the characters in this country setting is one of the main catalysts for the problems the characters face.  Since the isolation of the characters is a major theme and drives the plot of the story, the importance of friendship becomes one of the meanings of the story. Some of the farmhand are jealous of the relationship that George and Lenny have.  The farmhands realize that a relationship makes George and Lenny's lives more enjoyable and how it helps that to have someone that will look out for them.  By portraying George and Lenny's relationship in such a positive way by comparing it to the loneliness of the country setting, Steinbeck emphasizes the meaning and the importance of friendship.

The country not only exemplifies a primitive, ignorant, and lonely place in this novel, it also helps progress the plot with these themes.  By choosing a particular setting, the author establishes values of many of its characters and emphasizes the themes and meanings.  

Response To Course Material #5

I just finished annotating Hamlet today.  Hamlet in my opinion is like one of those movies that have five or six really great parts that are interesting and thought provoking but the movie as a whole is kind of silly.  The scenes where Hamlet is sneaking around town manipulating all the characters while investigating everyone are brilliant.  The other interesting thing about Hamlet is how much of it is left up for interpretation.  "Is Ophelia pregnant?" and "What were Fortinbras' true motives at the end of the play?" have sparked interesting discussions during class.  Unlike the other Shakespeare plays I have read, the entire story doesn't feel carefully calculated making sure everything fits together nicely and everything has a reason for being in the play.  The pirates taking Hamlet's ship felt like one of those silly plot twists in an tv show whose plot has drifted towards an unwanted direction. Reading Hamlet felt like watching one of the later seasons of 24 where the plot seemed predictable while being filled with unimaginative plot twists.  The other Shakespeare plays I have read are much more like Breaking Bad, where no stone is left unturned and everything fits together perfectly at the end of each season.

We also watched two different Hamlet movies.  The BBC version was hard to watch because of "soap opra like" camera angles and filming techniques.  On the other hand, the version directed by Kenneth Branagh was very visually appealing.  Branagh's version didn't leave much up for interpretation unlike the BBC version.  Despite enjoying Branagh's movie much more, the BBC version is much closer to what Shakespeare would have intended the movie to be like.

Coming up we have the TERMS TEST ROUND THREE! I think it will help being familiar with the text we analyzing before we are identifying literary terms in it.  Each time I have studied the literary terms I felt like I understood them a little better so I'm hoping that that trend will continue.