Reaction: I think that the idea of someone close to us entering a relationship too soon is a common thing. I can think of a few times in my life where I had friends who were dating and one of them began dating a new person after a short amount of time. Although you are not involved in the relationship you still feel as though they are some how betraying your friend by dating someone else too soon.
Character: Horatio is a friend of Hamlet and is fiercely loyal. I think Horatio’s character is an example of the loyalty that Hamlet has towards his family. In the first Act, when Hamlet first encounters the ghost, it is Horatio that tells Hamlet that the ghost might temp him “toward the flood” or that it might “assume some other horrible form, which might deprive your sovereignty of reason.”
Theme: I believe the theme for the first act is deception. It is the deception of Hamlets uncle that sets his plan for revenge. A few of the scenes also center on the deception created by Claudius. The first scene being when Claudius is speaking to the crowed, the second when the ghost of the king makes the deception known the Hamlet and sets in motion his plans for revenge.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Chopin Activity with comments
In the intro to the story, Mrs. Mallard is painted as a fragile and weak person. Mrs. Mallard is so weak her sister had to use “great care…to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death”, because of Mrs. Mallards heart trouble. The portrait of a fragile woman is in line with the typical view of women during that era who are depen dent on men and marriage. It is only after the death of her husband, something that is out of her control, that Mrs. Mallard is able to obtain equality and live a life where she is “body and soul free!” Kate Chopin’s construction of character in “The Story of an Hour” reinforces the author’s ideas about women’s struggle for equality during the early 1900s as well as today.
After Mrs. Mallard is notified of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard slowly becomes aware of what her new freedom means. Standing in front of her bedroom window, Mrs. Mallard observes trees “all aquiver with the new spring life.” Much in the same way the trees are reacting to the new spring, Mrs. Mallard’s “pulse beat fast” at the idea of a life where “no powerful will” will be forced upon her. The death of Mr. Mallard was in contrast to Mrs. Mallard’s excitement at a life of her own. By contrasting images of life with those of death throughout “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin highlights the struggle of a person imprisoned by societal pressures and thereby kept from fully being alive.
Your first attempt here does not actually connect to oppression in the character but moreso to the physical attributes of the character--not all women who were opressed suffered from heart conditions or were weak--that's not exactly the point. But, in your second attempt, your evidence is definitely of constrasting images of life and death However, you need to more directly explain how the author used this imagery to signify oppression (i.e.: by alternating these images, Chopin has created a confusing amalgamation of freedom and imprisonment, reflecting the character's conflicted inner state and giving the reader a glimpse into the limited choices of those who do not entirely possess their own free will.) Always explain the evidence you propose in your papers so that the reader clearly understands your point.
After Mrs. Mallard is notified of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard slowly becomes aware of what her new freedom means. Standing in front of her bedroom window, Mrs. Mallard observes trees “all aquiver with the new spring life.” Much in the same way the trees are reacting to the new spring, Mrs. Mallard’s “pulse beat fast” at the idea of a life where “no powerful will” will be forced upon her. The death of Mr. Mallard was in contrast to Mrs. Mallard’s excitement at a life of her own. By contrasting images of life with those of death throughout “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin highlights the struggle of a person imprisoned by societal pressures and thereby kept from fully being alive.
Your first attempt here does not actually connect to oppression in the character but moreso to the physical attributes of the character--not all women who were opressed suffered from heart conditions or were weak--that's not exactly the point. But, in your second attempt, your evidence is definitely of constrasting images of life and death However, you need to more directly explain how the author used this imagery to signify oppression (i.e.: by alternating these images, Chopin has created a confusing amalgamation of freedom and imprisonment, reflecting the character's conflicted inner state and giving the reader a glimpse into the limited choices of those who do not entirely possess their own free will.) Always explain the evidence you propose in your papers so that the reader clearly understands your point.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Hemmingway Ex. Credit
11) Time and distance can cause families to drift apart, especially in the early 1900’s when communication was much more difficult. Also, the type of experience can also be a factor in why someone would feel alienated. With things like war, it is difficult for those who have experienced to connect with those who haven’t. That alone can lead to a feeling of isolation and being helpless.
Walker Ex. Credit
To join this man and this woman
Yes. Join. Join forever. Bound not in love, but in necessity. To marry such a woman, woman, that is a stretch. An irresponsible child, capable only of falling victim to lust and giving birth as a result. It is that same lust that I am here today. The necessity for someone young, pretty, good to look at, to hang on my arm. She will make a good wife, she will tend to the kids, clean the house, and do what is needed of her. Just as I will work, do what is needed, to provide.
Yes. Join. Join forever. Bound not in love, but in necessity. To marry such a woman, woman, that is a stretch. An irresponsible child, capable only of falling victim to lust and giving birth as a result. It is that same lust that I am here today. The necessity for someone young, pretty, good to look at, to hang on my arm. She will make a good wife, she will tend to the kids, clean the house, and do what is needed of her. Just as I will work, do what is needed, to provide.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
SSRJ#4 - Carver
This piece was great, well not great as far as the context by great as far as how the writer wrote it. While I was reading it I had pictures of king Solomon in my head wanting to saw the baby in half. Although, the difference being that in the tale of king Solomon, the true mother of the child did want to harm her child. In Popular Mechanics, both parents were so concerned over who was to blame or who was right, they didn’t care about the welfare of the child. The parents were so heated that they got into what was basically a tug-o-war with the child in the middle, completely oblivious to the fact that the child was in pain.
To me the writer used theme and setting to convey his message. The use of setting, to me was apparent in the first paragraph when the author describes how “cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside too.” The use of symbolism was also apparent in the first paragraph. The sentence “the snow was melting into dirty water” is symbolic of something pure, like the snow, transforming into something dirty. The snow melting into dirty water is similar to how the harmonious family structure inside the house is also breaking down into something dirty.
To me the writer used theme and setting to convey his message. The use of setting, to me was apparent in the first paragraph when the author describes how “cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside too.” The use of symbolism was also apparent in the first paragraph. The sentence “the snow was melting into dirty water” is symbolic of something pure, like the snow, transforming into something dirty. The snow melting into dirty water is similar to how the harmonious family structure inside the house is also breaking down into something dirty.
Friday, February 5, 2010
SSRJ #3 Colette
This piece was a little weird to me. It started off really normal, a newlywed couple on their honeymoon, and then developed into something more. I have seen it time and time again with friends that are just starting off in a new relationship. Everything the person they are with does is either adorable or awesome. Then, as time goes on, the same things that were either adorable or awesome before become annoying or bothersome. That is what this story reminded me of. The woman started off with this view of the hand as being strong and masculine. Then as she observed the hand for a period of time, the hand began to transform into this terrible grotesque monster, almost the exact opposite of her initial view of it.
The writer made great use of symbolism during the story. The wife’s view of her husband started off as rather normal. Initially, the wife had nothing but good things to say about her husband, but her views quickly began to change when she noticed her husband’s hand. Initially, she views the hand as strong and masculine, but that changes. In the wife’s’ eyes, the hand begins to take on a more grotesque form, lurching around and reacting to her displeasure with it. I do not believe that the wife actually thinks the hand is alive or that is becoming evil. This is where the writers symbolism comes in. I think that the writer is used symbolism to show the wife falling out of infatuation with her husband. During the initial parts of a relationship, couples generally think everything about their partner is cute or attractive. Over time, the infatuation fades and things that we once saw as cute, become annoying or perhaps terrifying in some cases. The wifes changing view of her husbands hand is symbolic of this change. Since she has only known her husband for a short amount of time, she is uncertain about him. Her eventual view of the hand illustrates how not only her view of her husband changed, but her distrust of their extremely new relationship.
One question I have comes from the questions we had to answer at the end of the story. One of the questions mentioned “why do you think the author mentioned the husband was newly widowed.” My answer was along the lines of since we don’t know the man, and the wife doesn’t know him, using newly widowed adds a certain distrust for the man and how he became windowed. What did everyone else think?
The writer made great use of symbolism during the story. The wife’s view of her husband started off as rather normal. Initially, the wife had nothing but good things to say about her husband, but her views quickly began to change when she noticed her husband’s hand. Initially, she views the hand as strong and masculine, but that changes. In the wife’s’ eyes, the hand begins to take on a more grotesque form, lurching around and reacting to her displeasure with it. I do not believe that the wife actually thinks the hand is alive or that is becoming evil. This is where the writers symbolism comes in. I think that the writer is used symbolism to show the wife falling out of infatuation with her husband. During the initial parts of a relationship, couples generally think everything about their partner is cute or attractive. Over time, the infatuation fades and things that we once saw as cute, become annoying or perhaps terrifying in some cases. The wifes changing view of her husbands hand is symbolic of this change. Since she has only known her husband for a short amount of time, she is uncertain about him. Her eventual view of the hand illustrates how not only her view of her husband changed, but her distrust of their extremely new relationship.
One question I have comes from the questions we had to answer at the end of the story. One of the questions mentioned “why do you think the author mentioned the husband was newly widowed.” My answer was along the lines of since we don’t know the man, and the wife doesn’t know him, using newly widowed adds a certain distrust for the man and how he became windowed. What did everyone else think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)