Blog #29: Final

I will be writing my research paper on the novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. A link to my project blog can be found here

Blog #28: Final Drama Project

Blog #26: Hamlet AP Test Prep Materials

Blog #24: Hamlet Act 4 Ophelia Literary Criticism

Dear blog followers,

I am in shock, in grief, and in madness according to Gertrude's diary (which I may or may not have read in its entirety), Well is it any wonder that I am descending into madness like my lover, Hamlet? According to Gertrude, "Laertes caution on the perils of such a relationship she had accepted with charming good humor, her father's strictures with loving and dutiful obedience." (Seng 2) Oh I hated to distrust Hamlet as my family members warned me to. Indeed, I can't help but still love him despite his brutal words of, "You should not have believed me...I loved you not" (3.1.119-121) I had been steadfast in my loyalty to Hamlet but "Nor [was] Laertes content with a mere generalized admonition in his efforts to school [me] in lack of trust" (Seng 4) I used to always believe the best in people but my father and brother were determined to pull me into their cynicism. Laertes said, "For Hamlet and the trifling of his favour, / Hold it a fashion, and a toy in blood; / A violet in the youth of primy nature," (1.3.5-7) I understand that my brother was only trying to protect me, but I feel his predictions of Hamlet's love was a self-fulfilling prophecy. My father echoed these sentiments by saying, "Think yourself a baby / That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay, / Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly" (1.3.105-107) My father advised me to not believe in Hamlet's love if only to protect my virtue, but it shocks me to find out from Gertrude's diary that he told Claudius that he would "loose" me on Hamlet to entrap him. No wonder Hamlet called me a whore and my father a fishmonger. No wonder he said, "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a / breeder of sinners?" (3.1.123-124). Gertrude believe this scheme among others is the cause of my father's death as she wrote, "Polonius is only too willing to sacrifice morals to political expediency; and it is his spying, sneaking, and eavesdropping that finally brings about his own death." (Seng 5)

At this point I cannot help my descent into madness. One tragic event after another seems to unfold. Hamlet has denied both our love and rejected any ideas of a union between the two of us. Not only this, but his hate has cost me my father as well. But what do I believe? Do I believe that my father's scheming caused his own death or do I believe that Hamlet's hate killed my father? I cannot choose because either option means smearing a man that I love. No wonder I said, "I would / give you some violets, but they withered all when / my father died." (4.5.154-156) With my father's death, mine and Hamlet's love died as well. I cannot help but think that what is there to live for now?

With love forever,
Ophelia

Blog #23: Hamlet Act 3 To Be Or Not To Be Mis En Scene

Mis En Scene Analysis:
         In its essence, this soliloquy is an argument by Hamlet addressed to Hamlet. He contemplates many things, among them: action vs. inaction, life vs. death, and endings vs. beginnings where his essential philosophical question is, "To be or not to be:" (3.1.55). However within his argument, there lies a paradox. Life is a lack of power where one is at the mercy of "outrageous fortune" (3.1.57) while death is empowering because killing oneself takes fate into their own hands, to reach death, one must take action in life. Thus his whole argument is hopeless, because one has no power in life. This hopeless argument results in Hamlet's inaction, an ironic fact that he realizes at the end of the soliloquy.
       I think Branagh recognizes this best through his portrayal of this famous soliloquy. The camera is not focused on Hamlet, but rather Hamlet's reflection, addressing himself in the mirror. This reflects Branagh's understanding that the audience of this speech is Hamlet. Furthermore, the delivery of this speech was the most accurate to what I thought the tone should be. I believe that Hamlet is very frustrated and depressed in this soliloquy. He is obviously depressed as he is contemplating suicide, but he is also very frustrated as he recognizes the oppositions in his argument and his resulting inaction and lack of power. This is emphasized by Hamlet drawing out a knife which reinforces his frustrated mindset. Furthermore I like how the camera zooms in on Hamlet as the soliloquy proceeds because just as more of Hamlet's thoughts are revealed as the speech proceeds, the camera simultaneously gives us a closer look into his mindset as time passes. In addition, I like the fact that there were no diagetic sounds and very few digressions from Hamlet's face in order to put the focus on Hamlet and Hamlet alone.

Other Rankings:
I would rank Ethan Hawke's as second best. While I didn't really understand his choice to set it in a Blockbuster store, I appreciate the irony that Hamlet is walking up and down the action aisle trying to pick an action [movie]. Furthermore I like the close up shots of Hamlets face, emphasizing the focus of this soliloquy, but I was not really a fan of the digressions to the video of the explosion. I also did not really like the delivery of the soliloquy because it was very melancholic while I imagined there to be some frustration and anger present as well. I liked Laurence Olivier's the least simply because I did not like the fact that Hamlet addressed the audience, because that is not his true audience. Furthermore, while he had a knife like in Branagh's version, I did not like how he drops it into the sea at the end since the ending of the soliloquy emphasizes action over self reflection. If Hamlet is calling himself to action, why would he drop his knife, an important tool, into the sea?

Blog #22: Act 2 Revenge & Espionage

https://youtu.be/Cn3MPTo4JKk (embedding disabled by request of production company)

"The politics of "Bethlehem" are complex, but the relationship at its heart is simple: a kid who needs some kind of stability in his life, even if it comes from a most unlikely, and dangerous, place." -Bill Goodykoontz (Rotten Tomatoes critic)

Synopsis: Tells the story of the complex relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer and his teenage Palestinian informant. Shuttling back and forth between conflicting points of view, the film is a raw portrayal of characters torn apart by competing loyalties and impossible moral dilemmas, giving an unparalleled glimpse into the dark and fascinating world of human intelligence.

Quotes:

• "By indirections find directions out." (2.1.66)
• "@Laertes your old man still has some tricks up his sleeve #ooh #gottem"
• "Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth." (2.1.63)
• Fishing metaphors is a total dad move #bait #carp
• "But breathe his faults so quaintly / That they may seem the taints of liberty," (2.1.31-31)
• quaint insults are passive aggressive much?? #sneaky #thingsnotastheyappear
• "But as you did command / I did repel his letters and denied / His access to me." (2.1.108-110)
• Dang Dad back at it again with the love advice #whitevans
• "This must be known, which, being kept close, / might move / More grief to hide, than hate to utter love." (2.1.119-121)
• are we telling secrets now in Denmark?? #surprise

Dear loyal blog followers,

     It's Ophelia again. I swear, my father thinks he's in a spy movie or something. Just recently he ordered Ronaldo to spy on Laertes, instructing him to "breathe his faults so quaintly / That they may seem the taints of liberty," (2.1.31-31). This seems like an oxymoron to me, but dad seems full of them lately. He has also said, "By indirections find directions out." (2.1.66), as well as, "Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth." (2.1.63). Denmark is a confusing place nowadays where fathers spy on their sons and lovers spy on their lovers. There is something corrupt in Denmark indeed. 

     That's kind of what I'm doing to Hamlet isn't it? It almost feels like a betrayal to report on Hamlet's doings around me to my father, but what would I be without my father's misled advice? "But as [Polonius] did command / I did repel his letters and denied / His access to me." (2.1.108-110) If Denmark were a spy movie, I would be the confidential informant. 

      I have but one job, to obey my father in all thing, at least until marriage. My relationship with my father, if a little unhealthy, at least offers me stability and protection against the world's evils. My father says that what I have recently told him about Hamlet, "must be known, which, being kept close, / might move / More grief to hide, than hate to utter love." (2.1.119-121) Don't think I don't notice the irony that my father advises misdirection but then declares that it is more grief to hide information; however, whatever my father's faults, he is still my father. 

With love,

Ophelia

Blog #21: Act 1 Social Media Assignment

Quote: "Best safety lies in fear" (1.3.43)
Tweet: My brother is such a wimp #subtweet #thnx4theadvice #NOT

Quote: "His greatness weighed, his will is not his own, / For he himself is subject to his birth." (1.3.17-18)
Tweet: Hamlet may be heir to the throne, but my horoscope says I'll run into a huge fortune this week sooooo #awk #virgo #PrinceOfDenmark

Quote: "If with too credent ear you list his songs, / Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open / To his unmastered importunity." (1.3.30)
Tweet: No loss, no gain amiright? #ToLoveOrNotToLove #majorgainz

Quote: "Think yourself a baby / That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay, / Which are not sterling." (1.3.105-107)
Tweet: I'm totally such a baby about making hard decisions #Daddy'sLittleGirl #TotalDadMove

Quote: "Believe so much in him that he is young, / And with a larger tether may he walk / Than may be given to you." (1.3.124-126)
Tweet: Sexism is still a thing? It's like the 17th century?? #breaktheglassceiling #menknowbest #hahajk

Ophelia's Blog
Dear loyal blog followers,

          Anyone care to give me love advice? My brother advises that "Best safety lies in fear" (1.3.43). He's scared that I will fall prey to Hamlet's loving advances. Laertes says "If with too credent ear you list his songs, / Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open / To his unmastered importunity." (1.3.30) My virtue is all that I have to give, but I wonder if there is some truth in my brother's fears. I fear falling in love with Hamlet as his life is not his own. He is a slave to fate and to his country. My brother agrees. In his opinion, "His greatness weighed, his will is not his own, / For he himself is subject to his birth." (1.3.17-18) My brother's advice left me so conflicted. Do I follow my head or my heart? Do I trust in Hamlet's love?
           My father says, "Believe so much in him that he is young, / And with a larger tether may he walk / Than may be given to you." (1.3.124-126) I have so much less room to err than Hamlet! My mistakes will not be forgiven as easily as his, but at the same time, I want to be young and foolish, to love unequivocally. Maybe this is why I need my father's guidance. He advised that, "Think yourself a baby / That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay, / Which are not sterling." (1.3.105-107) I am wholly dependent on my family. If my wise father believes that Hamlet's intentions do not run true, then who am I to question him? After all, blood runs thicker than water. Hamlet may have a duty to Denmark, but I have a duty to my family. To each his own.

With love,
Ophelia

Blog #20: TEWWG Fishbowl Discussion Feedback

Topic 1:

http://woodruffaustinapenglishlit2016.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-post-14-fish-bowl-presentations.html?showComment=1453680750236#c3917176226163740300

I thought you did a really good job of making your Spoken Dish video symbolic of your food memoir as well as making it a very nice tribute to your grandmother! The bright colors and the loopy font on your poster also nicely enforced the overall positive theme of your memoir. Furthermore, I thought you did a good job in the fishbowl discussion, oftentimes leading the conversation. In particular, you made a good point about the origin of power and the consequences of sacrifice. To improve moving on, I feel as if you could synthesize more sources besides TEWWG as well as focus more on the topic at hand as I felt that conversation strayed from the topic at times.

Topic 2:

N/A (my group)

Topic 3:

http://mccalmontkylie2015.blogspot.com/2016/01/food-memoir-presentation.html

Hi Kylie! I thought you had excellent cinematography in your food memoir video, and I really liked the fact that you and your mom worked together to make a dish that your grandmother normally cooked for your family. You did an excellent job in the fishbowl discussion by asking a lot of thoughtful questions that led to good conversation. I especially liked your question asking about which husband gave Janie the most power. Your opinion that Jody simultaneously gave and took away the most power from Jody made me see Jody in a whole new light. One piece of constructive criticism would be to allow more conversation to take place before changing the topic with another question, But overall, really good discussion!

Topic 4:

http://grollmusjordan2016.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-17-food-memoir.html?showComment=1453852205601#c4348215576771235542

I really liked how your story was centered around both loving and hating your sibling (something we can all relate to) and your muffins were delicious! In the fishbowl discussion, you did a good job of both asking and answering questions thoughtfully. I especially liked your comment that all of Janie's marriages were of equal importance because they all developed the character in some way. I thought this was interesting because I ranked her marriages based on love, but they played a more important role in growing and developing Janie. Although you did great, one small suggestion would be to speak up louder so that people in the back of the classroom can hear.

Topic 5:

http://chungalexanderenglishliterature2015.blogspot.com/

Hi Alex! I really enjoyed your food memoir (I am also a coffee fanatic). I liked how you allowed your personality to not only shine through your words but also you video. (In particular, I'm talking about the very funny scene when you put your face next to the coffee maker.) You also did a good job in the fishbowl discussion. Your questions were all very thought provoking, and I especially liked your point that Janie never really "majorly screwed up", a characteristic that departs from the journeys of many other heroes. Overall, very nice job!

Blog #19: Food Memoir, Poster, & Video

Blog #18: Food Memoir Rough Draft

Blog #17: TEWWG Fishbowl Discussions

Blog #15: Final Three-Paragraph Reflection

           We started this semester by writing benchmark essays for each of the three types of essays. We then explored symbolism, complexity, and the three-sentence thesis structure by doing presentations to analyze poems.
            This semester, I've learned how irony and binary opposition build complexity. Furthermore, I've learned how literary devices such as diction, syntax, and imagery contribute to meaning in pieces of literature. Some of the goals I set for myself this semester was to find 1 or 2 pieces of complexity is each piece of literature, to learn more literary devices, and to improve my writing by not following the rigid 5 paragraph structure. I am definitely learning to see complexity in everything I read, by finding ironic contrasts. This has made finding complexity much easier. Furthermore, while I have not learned that many new literary devices, I have a solid foundation in the most basic ones that I can use to analyze literature. I am still working on not following the 5 paragraph structure because its been something that I've been conditioned to do all my writing career.
             Going into second semester, I want to continue to working on the organization of my writing. I think I will try to separate my paragraphs by ideas the author conveys or by tone shifts instead of literary devices. Furthermore, I want to improve my thesis statements by making them more concise. And as always, I will continue my search for complexity and binary opposition.

Blog #14: Paired Poems Group Presentation

Blog #13: Paired Poems Revision (Chimney Sweeper)

             In two poems, both titled "The Chimney Sweeper", William Blake critiques the depraved conditions of life as a chimney sweep. Despite the similar names, Blake contrasts innocence with the disillusionment of a higher power through the two essays. Utilizing religious diction, similar rhyme schemes,and heartbreaking imagery, Blake draws a parallelism between the two poems that he ultimately shatters by revealing the loss of innocence of the chimney sweeps.
              In "The Chimney Sweeper" written in 1789, Blake keeps a consistent rhyme scheme of AABB throughout compared to "The Chimney Sweeper" written in 1794 which switches from an AABB rhyme scheme to a CACADEDE after the first stanza. The consistent rhyme scheme in the 1789 version represents the sense of innocence that pervades the whole poem. Meanwhile the inconsistent rhyme scheme of the 1794 versions represents the disillusionment that the narrator experiences throughout the poem. Furthermore, Blake repeats the ending of the first two lines of the poem, but puts them in a different rhyme scheme in the second stanza. "Crying...in notes of woe" is juxtaposed with "taught me to sing the notes of woe" indicating the tone shift that has occurred between the two stanzas. The narrator is no longer desolate in his conditions but has learned to accept his horrible fate, an indication of his disillusionment and the hopelessness he feels.
             The narrator is not only disillusioned with his occupation but also with a higher power. He no longer feels that God will take him out of his misery as he says, "praise God....who make up a heaven of our misery". The contrast between heaven and misery in this line indicates that the narrator no longer believes there is a heaven to be found as his heaven, or the place he will eventually end up is only a place of misery. Meanwhile, in the 1789 version, "little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head...was shav'd" shifts from despondent to hopeful after he dreamt that "Angel told [him]...he'd have God for his father & never want joy." This displays Tom's hopeful innocence. He believes that a higher power will rescue him from his current situation. He has not accepted his misery as he thinks that there is an escape, that there is a father figure looking out for his orphaned soul. It is this sense of hope that Blake brings to the 1789 version of his poem that the audience does not see in the 1794 poem.
            Despite the differences in the two poems, the same author wrote both and that same author plays on the sentiments of the reader in order to draw their sympathies towards the desolate conditions of life as a chimney sweep. With the line "weep! weep!" repeated in both poems, Blake draws attention to the young age of these miserable workers as he depicts their feeble attempt at pronouncing "sweep" with their lisps. This repeated line in both poems illustrates that despite differences in tone and diction, Blake wrote both poems with one ultimate goal: to invoke pity for these poor chimney sweeps.

Blog #12: Paired Poems Benchmark Essay & Reflection (Chimney Sweeper)

              In two poems, both titled "The Chimney Sweeper", William Blake depicts the depraved conditions of life as a chimney sweep. Despite the similar names, Blake contrasts innocence with the disillusionment of a higher power through the two essays. Utilizing religious imagery and similar rhyme schemes, Blake draws a parallelism that he ultimately shatters by revealing the loss of innocence of the chimney sweeps.
              In "The Chimney Sweeper" written in 1789, Blake keeps a consistent rhyme scheme of AABBCC...KKLL throughout compared to "The Chimney Sweeper" written in 1794 which switches from an AABB rhyme scheme to a CACADEDE after the first stanza. The consistent rhyme scheme in the 1789 version represents the sense of innocence that pervades the whole poem. Meanwhile the inconsistent rhyme scheme of the 1794 versions represents the disillusionment that the narrator experiences throughout the poem. Furthermore, Blake repeats the ending of the first two lines of the poem, but puts them in a different rhyme scheme in the second stanza. "Crying...in notes of woe" is juxtaposed with "taught me to sing the notes of woe" indicating the tone shift that has occurred between the two stanzas. The narrator is no longer desolate in his conditions but has learned to accept his horrible fate, an indication of his disillusionment and the hopelessness he feels.
             The narrator is not only disillusioned with his occupation but also with a higher power. He no longer feels that God will take him out of his misery as he says, "praise God....who make up a heaven of our misery". The contrast between heaven and misery in this line indicates that the narrator no longer believes there is a heaven to be found as his heaven, or the place he will eventually end up is only a place of misery. Meanwhile, in the 1789 version, "little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head...was shav'd" shifts from despondent to hopeful after he dreamt that "Angel told [him]...he'd have God for his father & never want joy." This displays Tom's hopeful innocence. He believes that a higher power will rescue him from his current situation. He has not accepted his misery as he thinks that there is an escape, that there is a father figure looking out for his orphaned soul. It is this sense of hope that Blake brings to the 1789 version of his poem that the audience does not see in the 1794 poem.
         
Reflection:
In class, we were given the task to write a compare and contrast essay analyzing two poems both titled "The Chimney Sweep". We were also told to read pages in our Literature and Composition textbooks the night before in preparation. The main takeaway I got from the reading was to make a chart contrasting the poetic devices and their effects in order to develop a more insightful analysis; however, I do need to review the pages again to see how the textbook structured their example essay. At times, I felt my wording was very awkward because I didn't know how to transition between talking about the two poems, especially because they both had the same title. I would give myself a 6 on this essay because my analysis was not fully developed as my essay was very very short. I did not time myself well because I spent the majority of my time prewriting and therefore only had about 20 minutes to write my essay. My analysis was adequate but I was very repetitive in my continual use of the words "innocence" and "disillusionment". I could've developed more complexity in my analysis which is why my essay did not merit a higher score. Moving forward, I will reread the textbook pages to get a better sense on how to organize a compare and contrast essay and watch my time more closely in order to leave myself 30 minutes to write.

Blog #11: Mythological Allusion Poetry PowerPoint

Blog #10: Fairy Tale Allusion Poetry PowerPoint

Blog #9: Poetry Forms PPT

Reflection

For our poetry presentation, my group was assigned the villanelle form and the poem "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop. After finishing our poetry presentation in class today, I was very satisfied with the end product.     The video turned out more nicely than we expected due to our poor lack of editing skills. Surprisingly, it didn't take long to film either. Initially I was also worried that our creative choices weren't too evident in the video, but presenting our choices before the video really helped people to better see the mis en scene choices we made. If I were able to do this again, I would go more in depth with the analysis of the poem because there were so many subtle nuances that I didn't have time to talk about. Moving forward, I have definitely learned the value of pacing yourself. Because we finished almost everything in class, we only had to get together twice to film and I didn't have homework all that week. Overall, I learned a lot about the villanelle form, and what is expected of group presentations in the future.

Blog #8: Group Introduction PPT

Blog #7: Summer Reading Creative Project