Monday, December 7, 2009
The End of Another Semester
The end of another semester is drawing to a close. It’s exciting to know that there’s a break from all this work is coming soon. It isn’t that exciting though, because the end of one semester only means the beginning of another. College really isn’t all that bad, though. School is what is expected of you, with the gradual add-ons of responsibilities. I don’t really know what to do with myself when I’m done with college, other than get a job. It’s comforting to know I can sit back for at least the next two years and think it over.
Chapter 15 and 17 Poems
The first poem I read in Chapter 15 was “ This is Just to Say.” The point of this poem was to show that it is not always the point of a writer to write cryptically. Sometimes, words are meant the way they seem, without a hidden meaning or metaphor behind them. I was able to read the poem and immediately understand what it was about without having to look below its surface. The author is simply apologizing for eating the delicious plums from the refrigerator.
Another poem I read was “Grass,” by Carl Sandburg. Sandburg’s poem is full of allusions, or an indirect reference to something not precisely mentioned. His poem is narrated by grass. The grass is speaking to the survivors of events marked by death. It is telling them to bury them in the ground, sooner or later; it will grow over the graves and cover the catastrophes that had once taken place there. It would be as if the events had never taken place.
Last, I read “Carnation Milk.” It was written by an anonymous writer. The purpose of the poem is to show a different style of English. I found it the most entertaining out of the poems in the chapter. It has a straight to the point, almost sarcastic tone. It sticks in your head with its witty rhyme scheme.
The first poem in Chapter 17 I read was a haiku called “The Piercing Chill I Feel.” The haiku, by Tanguchi Buson, uses tactile imagery to gains his audience’s attention. The poem is three lines, but gives the makes the worst chill go down my spine. A man, who recently lost his wife, is in his room when he steps on one of her belongings she dropped on the floor; a comb that she used to run through her hair.
Second, I read “The Falling Flower,” by Arakida Moritake. Also a haiku, it talks about the beauty of nature. It focuses on a butterfly, landing on a tree branch. Mortake compares the prettiness of the butterfly to a flower. Two entities in nature that make the world a more beautiful place to live.
Third, I read an example of Contemporary Haiku. Walt Whitman’s poem, “The Runner,” caught my attention. It is a modern version of the Japanese Haiku, written in English. The modern haiku describes the characteristics of a person running down the street. It describes his or her body, clothing, and actions.
Another poem I read was “Grass,” by Carl Sandburg. Sandburg’s poem is full of allusions, or an indirect reference to something not precisely mentioned. His poem is narrated by grass. The grass is speaking to the survivors of events marked by death. It is telling them to bury them in the ground, sooner or later; it will grow over the graves and cover the catastrophes that had once taken place there. It would be as if the events had never taken place.
Last, I read “Carnation Milk.” It was written by an anonymous writer. The purpose of the poem is to show a different style of English. I found it the most entertaining out of the poems in the chapter. It has a straight to the point, almost sarcastic tone. It sticks in your head with its witty rhyme scheme.
The first poem in Chapter 17 I read was a haiku called “The Piercing Chill I Feel.” The haiku, by Tanguchi Buson, uses tactile imagery to gains his audience’s attention. The poem is three lines, but gives the makes the worst chill go down my spine. A man, who recently lost his wife, is in his room when he steps on one of her belongings she dropped on the floor; a comb that she used to run through her hair.
Second, I read “The Falling Flower,” by Arakida Moritake. Also a haiku, it talks about the beauty of nature. It focuses on a butterfly, landing on a tree branch. Mortake compares the prettiness of the butterfly to a flower. Two entities in nature that make the world a more beautiful place to live.
Third, I read an example of Contemporary Haiku. Walt Whitman’s poem, “The Runner,” caught my attention. It is a modern version of the Japanese Haiku, written in English. The modern haiku describes the characteristics of a person running down the street. It describes his or her body, clothing, and actions.
Hamlet Questions
Act 1 (3)
Horatio is a friend of Hamlet’s from school. Horatio was very respectful of Prince Hamlet, and as the play when on, Hamlet began to rely heavily upon him. Horatio lives through the end of the story to tell the tale of Hamlet.
Act 2 (3 & 4)
Polonius’ word play and metaphor shows him as a conniving and manipulative character trying to convince the queen her son, the next person in line for the throne, has gone mad after his father’s death. It also downplays him a bit, making it hard for the audience to want to listen to his useless words. Polonius does not know how to make a speech simple and sweet.
Polonius is a foolish character, however, he was wise to tell his daughter, Ophelia, to stay away from Hamlet. Although Hamlet had great love for her, he was burdened by the troubles of his evil uncle.
Act 3 (2 & 4)
Gertrude is guilty of pretending everything in her world is all right. She does not cope with reality, and instead of mourning her husband’s death, she marries her brother. In Act 3, Hamlet reproaches her for doing such a deed. She is protecting Claudius, the man who killed her first husband and Hamlet’s father. As the play wears on, I do feel sorry for her. She is blinded to see that Claudius was the real culprit behind King Hamlet’s death and does not understand he is completely manipulating her.
The play in Act 3 explains that humbleness in Elizabethan theatre was key. It was not acceptable to be exuberant with your lines or to have exaggerated hand gestures, however, it was not acceptable to be lame, either. The scene shows that they took their theatre very seriously.
Act 4 (2 & 3)
Ophelia goes mad with loneliness. Her father is killed by Hamlet who is in turn sent away from Denmark. The two people she cared for most are suddenly taken away from her. She no longer has anyone but her brother, who not nearby, to rely on. She knows she will never see the man who raised her ever again and thinks the love of her love is gone from her forever.
As Ophelia goes mad, Shakespeare shows no intelligent thoughts coming from her character. She is not only acting insane when she has an audience, but when she is on her own as well. Shakespeare gives Hamlet’s thoughts reason, but when someone is watching, he does not quite act like himself.
Act 5 (2)
Fortinbras celebrates Prince Hamlet. He thinks highly of him and despite all the tragedies in the play, shows light on what could have been if only Hamlet lived to rightly rule the kingdom. He lightens the end of the play that is plagued with death.
General Questions (1,2,7)
The play’s dramatic question is whether or not King Claudius will get away with his brother’s death. The question is formed early on in the play when King Hamlet’s ghost appears to Prince Hamlet, explaining his death. The turning point of the play is when Hamlet is sent off from Denmark, with a secret order of his death given to English soldiers.
Claudius is perceived as the villain in the beginning of the play. Shakespeare wastes no time in letting his audience know that Claudius is not innocent. When King Hamlet’s ghost begins to appear, it’s apparent something is wrong. A ghost is not going to haunt its past life if its death was anything but natural. It is also natural to assume the one person who has everything to gain from King Hamlet’s death is the culprit.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are one of the many representations of betrayal in Hamlet. If they were cut from the play, if would take away some of the drama at the point where Ophelia goes crazy and would take away proof of Hamlet’s genius.
Horatio is a friend of Hamlet’s from school. Horatio was very respectful of Prince Hamlet, and as the play when on, Hamlet began to rely heavily upon him. Horatio lives through the end of the story to tell the tale of Hamlet.
Act 2 (3 & 4)
Polonius’ word play and metaphor shows him as a conniving and manipulative character trying to convince the queen her son, the next person in line for the throne, has gone mad after his father’s death. It also downplays him a bit, making it hard for the audience to want to listen to his useless words. Polonius does not know how to make a speech simple and sweet.
Polonius is a foolish character, however, he was wise to tell his daughter, Ophelia, to stay away from Hamlet. Although Hamlet had great love for her, he was burdened by the troubles of his evil uncle.
Act 3 (2 & 4)
Gertrude is guilty of pretending everything in her world is all right. She does not cope with reality, and instead of mourning her husband’s death, she marries her brother. In Act 3, Hamlet reproaches her for doing such a deed. She is protecting Claudius, the man who killed her first husband and Hamlet’s father. As the play wears on, I do feel sorry for her. She is blinded to see that Claudius was the real culprit behind King Hamlet’s death and does not understand he is completely manipulating her.
The play in Act 3 explains that humbleness in Elizabethan theatre was key. It was not acceptable to be exuberant with your lines or to have exaggerated hand gestures, however, it was not acceptable to be lame, either. The scene shows that they took their theatre very seriously.
Act 4 (2 & 3)
Ophelia goes mad with loneliness. Her father is killed by Hamlet who is in turn sent away from Denmark. The two people she cared for most are suddenly taken away from her. She no longer has anyone but her brother, who not nearby, to rely on. She knows she will never see the man who raised her ever again and thinks the love of her love is gone from her forever.
As Ophelia goes mad, Shakespeare shows no intelligent thoughts coming from her character. She is not only acting insane when she has an audience, but when she is on her own as well. Shakespeare gives Hamlet’s thoughts reason, but when someone is watching, he does not quite act like himself.
Act 5 (2)
Fortinbras celebrates Prince Hamlet. He thinks highly of him and despite all the tragedies in the play, shows light on what could have been if only Hamlet lived to rightly rule the kingdom. He lightens the end of the play that is plagued with death.
General Questions (1,2,7)
The play’s dramatic question is whether or not King Claudius will get away with his brother’s death. The question is formed early on in the play when King Hamlet’s ghost appears to Prince Hamlet, explaining his death. The turning point of the play is when Hamlet is sent off from Denmark, with a secret order of his death given to English soldiers.
Claudius is perceived as the villain in the beginning of the play. Shakespeare wastes no time in letting his audience know that Claudius is not innocent. When King Hamlet’s ghost begins to appear, it’s apparent something is wrong. A ghost is not going to haunt its past life if its death was anything but natural. It is also natural to assume the one person who has everything to gain from King Hamlet’s death is the culprit.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are one of the many representations of betrayal in Hamlet. If they were cut from the play, if would take away some of the drama at the point where Ophelia goes crazy and would take away proof of Hamlet’s genius.
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