Blog Post #17: Hamlet Act 2 Assignment

Hamlet on Mr. and Mrs. Smith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C1miwFdQOQ

The movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith - deals with the central issue of trust, but this notion is redefined for the context of a married couple made up of two world class assassins.How can we fully trust someone? If we’re living life as a play, we would like our record read nothing so that we can live in impromptu appropriateness and truly in the moment - honesty aside.    

Hamlet [reflecting upon the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith]: What is it that has, for so long, kept me from finding one whom I can trust - trust more than anyone else in the world - trust more than myself in times of disposition? Clearly these two lovers have yet to find a similar comfort and, after so long, have yet to understand what it is that drives them so far apart. The Smith’s have, for their entire marriage, known nothing of each other - rather, in knowing seemingly everything they are bound to know nothing in that, by nature, their marriage has been all but a show. Temptations results from the “taints of liberty,” but loneliness can’t be solved with relations so deep - like John Smith said, “I guess that's what happens in the end, you start thinking about the beginning.” (2.1.36). My own mother and uncle have betrayed me so it seem blood has little value when it comes to trust, but I fear that my incestuous mother, like the Smiths, does not know who she is going to bed next to every night.

While Mr. and Mrs. Smith each let the other “ply his music,” this unknowingly admits that the two are in full understanding that there is information that they don’t know (2.1.81). What hypocrisy exists between a man’s expectations and his actions - I, a man of the stage and a man of mapped behavior and words, cannot allow myself to bestow the greatest of admiration in someone if I am not pure of heart enough to expect the same honesty that I provide. Although there is such a distance between the Smiths, the multi-faced nature of John Smith’s life is perfectly suited that “there is none living to whom he more adheres,” than Jane, his wife (2.2.20-21). So in this, should I expect to marry someone my equal - someone as blind to the horrors surrounding them yet so driven to meet a certain agenda? I can hardly imagine marrying my own mother, so this hardly will do. Like this wretched state to which I am bound, “there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so,” and perhaps a happy marriage is simple, is immediate, is fleeting; if I think it good, so be it, but If i think it tarnished, there must be a polish at hand (2.2.268-270). The Smiths find a marriage counselor - and a few hundred bullets - to serve as this polish, but here in the rotten state of Denmark, that which is not glimmering is even further tarnished, and I cannot see myself with a woman, be it Ophelia, and being satisfied with keeping myself from her. I may think, as my father very well had, that the act is up once I’m married, but as was said in Doug Liman’s film, “Happy endings are just stories that haven't finished yet;” hopefully this means for me that my inevitable struggles to overcome character removal are at least indicative of formerly happy times - but lo! Where are these? The daughter of “old Jephthah,” is a mocking wreck of my own lineage, but contrary to what I’ve told Polonius, I want to carry this out as best I can without “blowing my cover.” (2.2.444)

Blog Post #16: Hamlet Act One Social Media Assignment

Hamlet discussing his communication with his Father:

What horror, what alarm; the very pith and marrow of a goblin is my own father. He brings with him “airs from heaven or blasts from hell,” and I, bound to listen, hear this ghost's tale of horror, his tale of murder (1.4.45-46). At the hands of Claudius my father, King Hamlet, had fallen and now I am drawn, I am bound to avenge his “foul and most unnatural murder… [a] murder most foul.” (1.5.31-33). “The serpent that did sting [my] father’s life now wears his crown,” and I, in my distracted, worried mind, must hold onto these images, these memories, and these words of my fallen father to avenge the incestuous horrors and crimes that now plague my kin (1.5.46-47).

Oh mother! Why must the the lust for power so plague you to live in shadow and judgement of the Lord. For Claudius has made his pact clear and stands his ground - an offender to nature and to our kind. For if this is an “honest ghost,” which I know to be true, all that now surrounds us is lost to the arrant matin of the Danes (1.5.154). “Upon my sword,” I as truepenny, the unnatural, foul sins and curses against my father shall be chastened and Claudius will see a light apt to his own crimes (1.5.165).

Tweets:

“... air from heaven or blasts from hell.” (1.4.45-46)

The winds of a ghost come not from east or west, rather from sky or earth.

“... foul and unnatural murder… [A] murder most foul.” (1.5.31-33)

Murder she wrote - a murder most foul. Jessica Fletcher clearly hasn't been to Denmark.

“The serpent that did sting [my] father’s life now wears his crown,” (1.5.46-47)

From the Garden of Eden to the courts of Elsinore - temptation has followed man since the first of our tainted kind.

“Honest ghost,” (1.5.154)

Honest hearts produce honest actions; honest ghosts produce honest horror.

“Upon my sword.” (1.5.165)

As a smile is the sword of beauty, my word is the sword of sound and determined character.

Blog Post #15: Fishbowl Discussions: Comments and Feedback

Friday: Group #2 (Responding to Grace Huang [http://huanggraceapenglish2015.blogspot.com]): The extent to which people can create or recreate themselves—is identity the result of free choice or is it something determined by factors out of our control (such as race, gender, or ethnicity)?

Hi Grace! I have to say, your contributions to the fishbowl discussion - and, naturally, your dumplings -  were extremely impressive. I didn't get a chance to ask you about them, but I believe that I noticed the distinct mark of ginger in the dumplings, which, as someone extremely uneducated on Chinese cuisine, was something that I had not experienced before. To put it briefly, the "jaiozi" were amazing; but, sitting there during the fishbowl discussion and trying your dish alongside everyone else in the class really reinforced notions you brought up regarding the connections we make in preparing and eating food. Cooking and eating really are, as you put it, "place[s] where friends join together in a common pursuit..." Whether that is pursuit is eating, preparing food, relaxing, preparing to exercise, or snacking during a discussion on Their Eyes Were Watching God, there is an innate sense of togetherness that results from embracing food and embracing those with whom you embrace food. If I were to give one piece of constructive criticism - trust me, it is hard to find - I would say that when you find the discussion reaching an "awkward silence," don't be afraid to stir the pot and throw in a new point of discussion; it very well could be far off from what you were previously discussing and it may not necessarily be strictly "on point," but that is sort of the beauty of these fishbowl discussions - they are what you make of them. Again, amazing memoir, amazing discussion, amazing food.

Monday: Group #3 (Responding to Blake Nissen [http://nissenblakeapenglish2015.blogspot.com]): How power or voice (or lack of power or lack of voice) leads to the representation (or misrepresentation) of certain groups—within communities, societies, the world, etc. Various ways people use and/or abuse power—some for basic survival and others for lives of excess.

Blake, I don't understand how - possibly the craze of eating so much at once - but I didn't get a chance to try your Parmesan Risotto; after hearing about its rustic and warm appeal in your food memoir, this is something that I regret. You so perfectly hit the nail in the head with your title, "Food Doesn't Discriminate," and I completely understand the notions of being out of place or lost in your elements that you discussed. Your presence in the Fishbowl Discussion was also executed very well - in many instances you seemed to lead the discussion and take conversation down a new avenue if things started to turn a little dry. what I liked most about what you said in the discussion on the comparative "power" behind beauty and voice - specifically in Their Eyes Were Watching God. You argued that the importance of beauty over voice depends on which part of the book you are discussing; this was a very keen observation and I completely agree with you, there is a marked complexity in following Janie's growth and seeing the reliance upon beauty in her representation of a woman or of an African American lose prominence to her voice as she finds it throughout the novel. If I were to offer once piece of advice, I would suggest using more concrete examples and evidence in your discussion; you did not have weak ethos, but in these discussion situations, it is important to validate what you say and provide support for your interpretations. Very well done. 

Tuesday: Group #4 (Responding to Riddhi Chopra [http://choprariddhiapenglish2015.blogspot.com]): Divisions, conflicts, and multiple forces within the self.

Riddhi, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation and the Kheer you brought in for us to try. on your poster - very well designed, by the way - I especially liked your tweet, including the #badgirl; reading that, I can't help but imagine the MIA song "Bad Girls Do It Well" playing in the background as a young girl sneaks into the kitchen for the tempting opportunity to "sweeten [her] mouth." Your presence in the fishbowl discussion was equally impressive - I actually began the discussion taking notes on another speaker, but you were making so many thorough points that I started tracking you more than I was him. You first caught my attention when you discussed the value of the transitions in Janie's life; I had never necessarily thought about the points in her life in that context before, and doing so really allowed me to see many unique elements of her growth that I had not noticed. As readers, we often overvalue the obvious - in this case, Janie's three distinct relationships. You very clearly highlighted the importance of looking at the transitions between these relationships - times when Janie was alone - and used that new contextual lens to analyse Janie in a whole new light. From the Kheer to the Fishbowl, you performed amazingly well in these projects. 

Thursday: Group #5 (Responding to Alex Chung [http://chungalexanderenglishliterature2015.blogspot.com]): The role of performance in everyday life, particularly in the sense of taking on certain roles or disguising true personalities in order to assimilate to mainstream society.

I have to say, your food memoir was one of my favorites in the class. I know that I mention this when I edited your memoir, but your voice is so clear and so unique through the writing that it is almost like a small glimpse into the mind of Alex Chung - a nerd, loud and proud. I also have to say that, although not for the same reasons, I am most definitely a nerd too, and I think to a certain degree we are all nerds in some way or another. I did try the triple-Brewer coffee that you brought in, and even though I'm not a "coffee person," I most definitely understand why it can be addicting for some people. But, as you said, food, including coffee, can bring people together - whether it is scientists in a lab or a family or a class of AP Literature nerds, there is an innate sense of "communion," as Foster puts it, in eating and sharing food. Not only was your memoir excellent, your participation in the Fishbowl Discussion was top-notch as well. I tracked you in the discussion, so you already have my comments, but to be brief, I was very impressed by your bringing up the Great Gatsby and the notion of the "unreliable narrator." That really was taking source synthesization to a whole new level. Very well done in both the memoir and the Fishbowl discussion. 

Blog Post #14: Fish Bowl Presentations: Food Memoir and Discussion Menu

Fish Bowl "The Fish Hopper" Discussion Menu: Food Memoir Material:

Blog Post #13: Semester One Reflection

Cumulative AP English Literature Semester One Reflection:

In this first semester of AP English Literature, we practiced, revised, and reviewed specific elements that will be on the AP Exam. These included the Prose Passage Essay, the Poetry Passage Essay, and the Open Essay. I set individual goals for each of these three essays after our first experiences with them, but all three lined up in that I set a goal for myself to consistently score at least sevens on the essays by this point in the year - the end of semester one. Hopefully, along this same path of improvement, I would be scoring sevens, eights, or nines consistently through the rest of the year, with my own "average" essays still falling in this upper-range area.

Although I have not yet reached my goal, I know that I have made significant improvements on my writing and my approach to the essays. More specifically, our work on the thesis statements this semester has allowed me to better understand how the thoughts, arguments, and notions put forth in an essay should be organized and related. A strong AP Literature essay does not hit on imagery, diction, and tone in a five-paragraph essay format - it can, but by no means does that make a strong essay. A strong essay is supported not only by a depth of analysis and understanding of the text and/or prompt, but also by the complexities that are addressed in the thesis and in the rest of the essay. Now, it seems easy enough to say "find the complexities in the text," but this is no easy task. Understanding in depth what it is that makes everything the writer does - figurative language, rhetorical devices, attitude towards the subject, etc - more than what it is; in other terms, finding this complexity means understanding what it is that these choices do to add to the unique, complex, and nuanced nature of the text and argument of the author. My essays, including my most recent "paired-poetry" essay from the Poetry test, have improved; each thesis I write grows a little more nuanced, a little more aware of the complexities in the text, and a little shorter - which, for me, is a good thing.

Looking back at what I've produced this semester, I would not say that I am disappointed in myself. I would not say that I have missed the mark (even though I didn't quite reach my goal), and I would not say that I have missed the opportunity to learn from my past essays. I would, though, say that I have grown as a writer. Although my most recent essay from the poetry test scored only a 5.5, I know that it is significantly better than the essays I was putting out at the beginning of the semester. Looking back at my blog, I almost have difficulty recognizing some of my writing; while this is true, I can still say that my mark as a writer hasn't been lost and my voice hasn't been distorted, just refined and improved. Ultimately, I would call this semester a success; there is, however, much more room for improvement, and I want to make use of the second semester to further refine my writing in these essays as much as possible. I am holding myself to the same goals I initially set, but I am adding one more: I want to go above and beyond the call of the classroom in improving my writing and preparing for this exam. I plan to find old AP prompts for the open, poetry, and prose essays and practice, on my own, writing in appropriate testing conditions. I would say that one of my greatest challenges in writing is time, and I have all the resources I need already available to me to prepare even further for the second semester and for the AP Exam.

Blog Post #12: "Five Flights Up" and "Five AM"

Paired Poetry Essay: “Five Flights Up” and “Five AM”

While Elizabeth Bishop and William Stafford both personify the harbingers of morning in their poems “Five Flights Up” and “Five AM,” the two poets discuss the morning from very different perspectives. Bishop’s use of antithesis, which ironically plays on her envious attitude towards morning, and personification contrasts Stafford’s pairing of personification with enjambment, which illustrates his beloved unfamiliarity with his surroundings. Stafford discusses the rejuvenating properties of morning, while Bishop’s frustrated attitude towards the morning marks the persistence of her troubles through the morning's dew.

Bishop creates a quietly distant interplay with the morning in “Five Flights Up.” In discussing the morning as an uninvolved, removed observer, a clear distance is created between her and what lay outside her window, perhaps from “five flights up.” Bishop’s distinct use of personification creates this “distance,” allowing everything that she sees outside to act in an understandable, human way. After recognizing the distant question of the bird and of the dog, Bishop personifies the coming day which possibly answers these questions, “simply/by day itself.” (ll. 8-9) In allowing the day , not herself, to take action in answering the questions of the morning, Bishop further removes herself from the events unfolding before her, from the events she has difficulty relating to; she is almost jealous of the simple beauty of morning, a simplicity she doesn't feel in her own life, self-sufficient and sure of itself. The bird that Bishop watches from afar, and “unknown” bird, “sits on his usual branch.” (L. 2) Bishop’s use of antithesis here reinforces her removal from the morning. Bishop recognizes that this spot is frequented by a bird, but it isn’t until this moment that she questions “who” the bird is; although she sees him time and time again in his “usual” spot, Bishop observes this bird from afar, and all it ever can be to her is a discernible stranger. Just as she knows the morning is answering the questions of the bird and dog, but fails to understand the answer, Bishop’s unfamiliar familiarity with this bird further removes her from her observations. Though the morning is so simple, so honest, so rejuvenating for the bird, Bishop can’t escape the troubles of yesterday from five flights up.

In “Five AM,” William Stafford takes a clearly different attitude towards the morning. His use of personification is limited to the opening and closing of his poem where he describes the rain touching his face and “the early morning breath[ing].” (L. 1) Between these distant, removed observations, though, Stafford contrasts Bishop by stepping back from his observations and generally discussing humanity. His observations of the morning are more concrete, more significant than Bishop’s distanced encapsulation in her observations; this allows Bishop to divert from his immediate surroundings and contemplate their relevance, their significant in the world beyond his scope, the world beyond Five AM. Staffords use of enjambment adds to this contemplative attitude towards morning; by stopping mid-line in the middle of his poem with lines like, “People in every country who never…” allows for breaks in his pacing (L. 9). This pacing, which like Bishop’s is slow, includes breaks, pauses, which suggest a turn in Stafford’s thought from the immediate to the worldly. Clearly, Stafford’s attitude towards the morning is more interested, involved, and contemplative.

While Bishop envies the simple, routine morning from her place of grief, Stafford contemplates the overarching significance of morning, Bishop looks at what morning is while Stafford considers what it means.  

Blog Post #11: Compare and Contrast Poetry Essay

William Blake's Poems "The Chimney Sweeper," convey an augmentation in the speaker's, a young chimney sweep, understanding of his parents' betrayal. Blake traces the boy's growth out of innocence and into a ",'heaven of [his] misery.'" in his use of lists and counter-point discussion of light and dark, black and white. This listing and reliance on binary oppositions, which demarcate a transition from immaturity to sobering maturation, illustrate Blake's increasingly bitter attitude towards the chimney sweep's situation.

Both Blake's 1794 and 1789 poems "The Chimney Sweeper," demonstrate a natural organization and trail of logic, following a path very similar to that of unfettered human thought. The tone behind this organization, seen clearly in Blake's lists, however, is drastically different between the two poems. The 1789 poem structures lists in an expected manner - point one, point two, and point three - which is very similar to the type of speech used when speaking to other people, people like "Dick,  Joe, Ned, and Jack," (11). The expected, calculated speech reinforces Blake's notion that the boy's are disillusioned in thinking that "if all do their duty, they need not fear harm." (24) The 1794, in contrast, is less measured and more emotionally driven. In describing the parents' false sense of reassurance, the boys cries, "[they] are gone to praise God & his Priest & King," (11) Blake's use of polysyndeton at this point in the poem illustrates the boy's bitter frustration about his parents' own disillusioned thoughts of innocence. The transition from the 1789 poem to the 1794 poem clearly marks a growth in the boys thinking, an evolution from innocence into understanding.

The binary opposition between the colors black and white is present in both of Blake's poems, but their connotations are vastly different. In the 1789 poem, the color white is clearly symbolic of hope, rebirth, and cleanliness; the words "naked and white," are the two most pertinent examples of this notion (17). The Angle is described as being a "bright," figure who come to tell they chimney sweeps of all there is that lies for them beyond the pains and labors that they face in the "dark" world they live in (13). This is a clear slight towards truth, however, the honest realization that the boy comes to is not quite as bright. (STOP)

Paired Poem Essay Reflection:

This prompt was our first exposure to a poetry compare and contrast essay, and it was not as intimidating as I thought it would be. Reading pages 41 through 57 before writing this essay was helpful in understanding how to organize my thoughts and approach the paired poetry essay, specifically regarding the writing of the thesis. When this type of essay was introduced, I was worried that it would be fat too easy to fall into the trap of working just with surface features and basic details without elaboration; especially when the amount of material we are working with doubles in quantity, it can be significantly more difficult to pull out and original, nuanced argument. While originality isn't necessarily immediately aligned with success on these essays - I'm sure they have been many original responses to this prompt that couldn't have scored higher than a two - it is always reassuring to feel like you are solving a puzzle when writing an essay; putting together the hidden, nuanced parts of an argument is really almost like a game, with time, your own knowledge, and your preparedness competing against you. Specifically, on my first draft of this essay, I did not win the battle against time. Unfortunately, this immediately drags down the value of my writing; although I felt confident in the thoughts I had and the way I was going to relate them, by not finishing, my trail of logic was hazy and my support was severely lacking. This mistake would likely result in my essay scoring a two. The first body paragraph still provides some support for my argument, but it is incomplete which significantly hurts the value of my writing. One significant goal that I need to set for myself is regarding time; I've noticed that, even though I now better understand what an effective, efficient thesis looks like, I spend too long on this part of the essay, trying to perfect it to set the right initial impression of my writing. In the future, I need to spend no more than five minutes writing this part of the essay so that I can move on and actually write an entire essay in the time provided. I know that once I address my time-management problems, it will be much easier to break into the 7-9 essay score range. Hopefully, my revision of this essay will allow me to tie together the thoughts and evidence that I was unable to work with because of time constraints.

Paired Poem Essay Revision:

William Blake's Poems "The Chimney Sweeper," convey an augmentation in the speaker's, a young chimney sweep, understanding of his parents' betrayal. Blake traces the boy's growth out of innocence and into a ",'heaven of [his] misery.'" in his use of lists and counter-point discussion of light and dark, black and white. This listing and reliance on binary oppositions, which demarcate a transition from immaturity to sobering maturation, illustrate Blake's increasingly bitter attitude towards the chimney sweep's situation.

Both Blake's 1794 and 1789 poems "The Chimney Sweeper," demonstrate a natural organization and trail of logic, following a path very similar to that of unfettered human thought. The tone behind this organization, seen clearly in Blake's lists, however, is drastically different between the two poems. The 1789 poem structures lists in an expected manner - point one, point two, and point three - which is very similar to the type of speech used when speaking to other people, people like "Dick,  Joe, Ned, and Jack," (11). The expected, calculated speech reinforces Blake's notion that the boy's are disillusioned in thinking that "if all do their duty, they need not fear harm." (24) The 1794, in contrast, is less measured and more emotionally driven. In describing the parents' false sense of reassurance, the boys cries, "[they] are gone to praise God & his Priest & King," (11) Blake's use of polysyndeton at this point in the poem illustrates the boy's bitter frustration about his parents' own disillusioned thoughts of innocence. The transition from the 1789 poem to the 1794 poem clearly marks a growth in the boys thinking, an evolution from innocence into understanding.

The binary opposition between the colors black and white is present in both of Blake's poems, but their connotations are vastly different. In the 1789 poem, the color white is clearly symbolic of hope, rebirth, and cleanliness; the words "naked and white," are the two most pertinent examples of this notion (17). The Angel is described as being a "bright," figure who comes to tell the chimney sweeps of all there is that lies for them beyond the pains and labors that they face in the "dark" world they live in (13). This is a clear slight towards truth, however, the honest realization that the boy comes to is not quite as bright. Blake's 1794 poem contrasts the white of the cold, winter snow with the the chimney sweep, a "little black thing," dressed in the garments of death (1). Although pure and fair in contrast to the suit-stained sweep, this bright snow does not yield the joyous, enlightening truth that the first poem seemed to promise; the blinding white of the snow is more reminiscent of "a heaven of [the sweeps'] misery." (12) The boy, here, is implicating God in his suffering, tainting the purity and promise that the color white carried in Blake's 1789 poem. When the sweep was young, too young to even speak his own trade, "'weep! 'weep," he saw the world through suit-stained rose colored glasses (3); the transition, then, into the 1794 poem clearly delineates his stark realization that he has lost his faith.

In the 1789 and 1794 poems "The Chimney Sweeper," a young sweep, disillusioned by the thought that work will equate to safety, "Arbeit macht Frei," serves as a mouthpiece through which author William Blake demonstrates his bitterly resentful attitude towards the decrepit situation for young chimney sweepers in the 18th century. Blake's contrasting somber and bitter tones between the two poems illustrate the boy's transition from vain hopefulness to resignative animosity.