Hamlet essay(finally)

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't," an excerpt from Hamlet brings out the true meaning Hamlet would like people to see him as although he really is a true genius, and mad man at the same time. He makes people see him as this crazy teenager to try and hide what he truly plans on accomplishing. Along with most teenagers, they seem to be seen as these crazy individuals with no care in the world and go freely with what they want. After what Hamlet has gone through, most people would realize why he may have become this crazy person.

In this line, spoken by Polonius, he realizes that Hamlet has gone completely insane, but still senses that there is something behind it. He thinks that maybe there is a reason that Hamlet has been acting the way he has but he has the wrong idea as to why, thinking that it is for the love Hamlet shares with his daughter, Ophelia. Seeing what Hamlet has had to go through with the whole dad dying, mom marrying uncle, uncle ending up being the murderer and all, it seems like the normal thing for Hamlet to have done to deal with his stress. Just completely go crazy because he can't seem to control his emotions. But in reality Hamlet is extremely smart and has a well thought out plan behind this all. Most people in their teenage years living through what Hamlet had to go through would probably have been in the same boat, maybe taken it at a different angle depending on person, but overall they would most likely act out and start to cause ruckus's.

Throughout the play, Hamlet has done things to set himself up to be seen as this "madman." Although he still is dealing with the atrocity in his own family and should have plenty of built up emotions and stress about it all, seen when it finally comes out when he throws it all on his mom. It is seen that Hamlet is not all mad because when he kills Polonius, he is almost distraught in finding out that it was not Claudius that he had killed and instead an innocent man. It shows he does have feelings and does have a heart and not completely insane.

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't," a pretty famous line from the play Hamlet helps to conclude on the fact that Hamlet is not all insane, just a very good actor. It helps to push along the idea that Hamlet has a purpose behind everything that he is doing, and in the end has quite a good reason to enact the revenge on his uncle/stepfather.(still the weirdest thing to think about)

Catcher in the Rye Lit Analysis

1. This is a story of a boy named Holden Caulfield. He has been kicked out of another school for failing almost all of his classes. He runs off to Manhattan early and goes to check into a hotel, at the same time he is judging everyone by the way they live their life and hold themselves. He holds a very cynical point of view. He thinks everything sucks just like every teenage person does. He likes to get strippers and hookers, mind just like a teenage boy. He is a complete dick to his former girlfriend as they go ice skating and see a play. Holden calls a ton of people, although he acts like he hates everyone.
2. The theme is that teenagers are hopeless emotional wrecks. They look at everything like life is terrible and that nothing will get better and that showing emotions are a bad idea. He's trying to say that growing up sucks and that's why he is the way he is.
3. The tone of the book is almost a monotone story being told where everything is thrown at you with no rhyme or reason really in a cynical point of view often. It doesn't technically give you an easy recognizable beginning middle end, it almost just flows through itself.
4. tone-the whole thing is told in a straight forward tone.

foreshadowing-In the beginning he has several references that lead the reader to believe he is in a mental hospital or some sort of institution.

irony-His big thing is hating all of these "phonies" yet throughout the novel he is seen lying several times leaving him to be in the category of a "phony."

metaphor-My favorite metaphor out of the book is when Holden is talking to his classmates mother on the train and he thinks to himself that the son is as sensitive as a toilet seat.

symbolism-His red hat has multiple meanings to it but one of them is that it matches the hair color of his sister, giving him something to remind him of her.

flashbacks-He thinks back to when Allie died and has an emotional breakdown within the flashback.

Prufrock

1. Time plays a role that Prufrock keeps getting older as he attempts to accomplish his goals. He keeps pushing it off as time goes on. Instead of taking the opportunity he is given he continues to push it off.

2. He references Hamlet because he is saying that he cannot be Hamlet and cannot perform like him, with his courage and integrity. He considers himself an "attendant lord" instead of being anywhere like Hamlet.

3. "I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me."

Mermaids are usually a symbol of love and beauty so he is referring to the girl he is waiting for, waiting on to make his move but he is afraid that she will not come to him or see him in a way that he would like her to.

The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock. T.S. Eliot. Read by Anthony Hopkins

Everything Is Going To Be All Right - Derek Mahon

Read by the man himself, Mr. Derek Mahon.

Poem comparison

Hamlet

                Hamlet being nuts is definitely a possibility, especially after seeing how he reacts to things. But in all senses, he really is not crazy at all. When he first saw his dad as a ghost and had a conversation with him is when he may start to be considered a little bit crazy because he is talking to a ghost and that has not been proven really that that is possible. When given the task to enact revenge on his uncle/new father, he doesn’t go out and immediately do it. He wants to plan it out and make sure it is the right way to do it, and with him wanting to do it right, it may seem that he is not the sanest person out there. He really just wants to make sure that Claudius can realize what he did wrong and also bring out the guilt in him and his mother, Gertrude.

                In the time period that Hamlet was written, it was not totally wrong that someone can kill someone, at least not as big of punishment as it would be modern-day. With Hamlet needing to enact revenge for his father’s death, it is almost alright for him to do so. Especially after finding out that Claudius, who was supposed to be his uncle at the time, murdered his own father and then goes out and marries Hamlets mom, Claudius’s sister-in-law, it seems that he should do something to show how much his father meant to him and that this kind of sick and twisted marriage scheme should not be tolerated. So no, Hamlet is not crazy, he has strong family morals and wants to preserve his fathers memory.

The cake is a lie

The art of cake making with Val and Will (and Jeff behind camera)

Hamlet notes

Unphotographable

This is a picture I did not take in a bleak room filled with seven sad people. Knowing this may be our last visit, left everyone in a deep shock. The light pounding of rain on the window and roar of thunder in the distance didn't help to brighten the mood on this dreary day. Everyone sat/stood with teary eyes and trembling lips unable to procure any words.

Remix notes

Misc notes

Green eggs & hamlet

Character study III

Canterbury tales II

Character study I

big question

I never really decided what I had actually wanted my big question to be, so I never posted it. But I think I finally narrowed it down to the one that actually intrigues me the most:
Are we really alone in this universe? We are such a small portion of it, do others know if we exist but we still are unaware of them? Or have we just not been told of anything that was found outside of our current known existence?

vocab 4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner;attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

beatitude - noun one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed); a state of supreme happiness

bete noire - noun a person or thing that one particularly dislikes

bode - verb indicate by signs

dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid

ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions

fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion

fetid - adj. offensively malodorous

gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky

heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

incubus - noun a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream

infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization

inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation

lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)

prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length

protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career

prototype - noun a standard or typical example

sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true

truckle - noun a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

vocab #3

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner

attrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction

bromide - noun any of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugs; a trite or obvious remark

chauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind

chronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering

expound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing;state

factionalism - adj. of a faction or factions; self-interested

immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean; free from stain or blemish; without fault or error

imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation

ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"

mercurial - adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury;relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change

palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state; (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data

resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor

stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful

sub - noun a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes;a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States; verb be a substitute

rosa - noun large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses

vainglory - noun outspoken conceit

vestige - noun an indication that something has been present

volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

Beowulf

            Beowulf, in its time, was considered a great epic, and still is to this day. But the story has elements that are somewhat outdated. For the most part, fighting with swords is something we just do not do much of in this day and age (except for those bitchin’ ninjas). Beowulf is considered a hero for his noble conquest on fighting the 3 monsters in order to provide a protection for those he loved and for those around him. He possessed the all-around characteristics of a hero, being a bold and chiseled young man to fulfill his characteristics of a hero. He is brave and confident, when Unferth teases him about not being able to take on Grendel and that he is no hero, he basically just laughs him off and tells him of his great feats as a hero and what he has gone through to be considered so.

            In the time, Beowulf is the precise definition of hero. But in modern day, the tables have turned and new requirements, per se, have established for heroes of this time. Although Spiderman is a fictional character, he is still considered to be a hero. His qualities of saving the citizens in his town all while remaining unknown as to who he really is, is a bold and honorable move. That is why he is known as being a hero. He didn't really choose to be bitten by a spider and become this man that saves the town, but it just happened and he applied himself to being this big hero in his story.

            Beowulf and Spiderman are both heroes, but considered heroes in different time periods. All while in their respected time periods, they are both holding qualities pertained to a big hero. Beowulf being a hero in a less modern, but a little manlier (in a sense) way because he really physically fights through monsters to help serve those in need and provide his protection; and Spiderman, still fighting people in the hopes of gaining a better town with less ‘evil’ in it, all for the purpose of protecting the citizens for which he lives around without needing a huge display of attention because he does it out of pure heart.

            Upon searching ‘hero definition’ in a Google search, the definition of “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities” comes up. Right there it already states that a ‘hero’ is typically a MAN. It is already being put into the category that women don’t have what it takes to be a hero, but that is just morally wrong. Women should not be clubbed into dank submission and not be allowed to be a hero in any form. Most people see firefighters as heroes, and yes even women can become firefighters. Women have gone from having basically no rights, to fighting their way into the right to vote, own land, etc. Women can possess all of the qualities of being a hero and having the definition online for anyone to see that a hero is 'typically a man' will just allow for more fighting for women to prove that women and men can all pertain to the same qualities, although in some subjects not all will have the same physical strength a man may possess, but can still put in the same amount of work any man that is considered a hero can.

reality

Will study for food.

After spending tons of my time with Mr. VanPatten discussing college plans and plans for my future(which I had been very oblivious of before speaking with him), he had showed me a scholarship program, the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, which gives a student in California an opportunity to go to a college in the other qualifying states with a reduced tuition rate of 150% resident rate. At the University of Wyoming, there is no minimum required GPA or SAT/ACT scores required for it but all are evaluated, and in the end still most likely used to pick the students who receive the scholarship.
If anyone wanted more information on applying for this scholarship and/or if the institution they were looking at uses this scholarship, info can be found here: http://www.wiche.edu/wue

Vocab #2

accoutrements - noun 1. personal clothing, accessories,etc. 2. the equipment, excluding weapons and clothing, of a soldier.
apogee - noun apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage
apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time
bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verbargue over petty things
coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together;mix together different elements
contretemps - noun an awkward clash
convolution - noun the action of coiling or twisting or winding together; a convex fold or elevation in the surface of the brain; the shape of something rotating rapidly
cull - noun the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; verb remove something that has been rejected; look for and gather
disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements; fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
mete - noun a line that indicates a boundary
noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health
polemic - adj. of or involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
populous - adj. densely populated
probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles
repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply
supervene - verb take place as an additional or unexpected development
truncate - adj. terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; verb make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane
unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame

1987 AP Exam essay prompt

Vocabulary #1

adumbrate - verb give to understand; describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of

apotheosis - noun the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god); model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal

ascetic - adj. practicing great self-denial; pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline; noun someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline

bauble - noun a mock scepter carried by a court jester; cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing

beguile - verb attract; cause to be enamored; influence by slyness

burgeon - verb grow and flourish

complement - noun something added to complete or make perfect; either of two parts that mutually complete each other; a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction;number needed to make up a whole force; a complete number or quantity; one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response; verb make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to

contumacious - adj. wilfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient

curmudgeon - noun a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas

didactic - adj. instructive (especially excessively)

disingenuous - adj. not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness

exculpate - verb pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

faux - adj. not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article

pas - noun (ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)

fulminate - noun a salt or ester of fulminic acid; verb cause to explode violently and with loud noise; come on suddenly and intensely; criticize severely

fustian - noun a strong cotton and linen fabric with a slight nap;pompous or pretentious talk or writing

hauteur - noun overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors

inhibit - verb limit the range or extent of; to put down by force or authority

jeremiad - noun a long and mournful complaint

opportunist - adj. taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit; noun a person who places expediency above principle

unconscionable - adj. greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; lacking a conscience

Reflections on Week 1

1. The only thing that may affect my participation in class would be playing sports and missing due to that. And also limited time at night after practice to do some work.
2. I don't really have a 'best ever' learning experience but I do have an overall great learning experience going through Mrs. Byrne's honors english class. I felt that year I had a major break-through in my not only my writing but in the way I prepared myself for assignments/tests.
3. I am excited to be able to experience this new form of teaching because I have never been opened to it before and it really intrigues me. I think that it will help me to be more open about what I will and will not post on the internet and help me to advance my peer to peer interactions about my work.

1987 AP Exam

1.C

2.C A

3.C

4.E

5.D

6.D

7.E

8.B

9.A E

10.C

11.D

12.B

13.D B

14.C

15.A

16.A B

17.C

18.E

19.B A

20.B

21.E

22.D E

23.A

24.A

25.E C

26.E

27.D

28.C

29.E A

30.B

31.D

32.B

47.B

50.D

51.B C

52.B

53.E

54.B

55.B A

56.A B

57.C

58.D

59.D E

60.C B

61.C A

The vocabulary was the hardest struggle for me, some of them contained words that I have never heard before and couldn't really piece together what they might mean.

I Can Read!

Fox in Socks by the one and only, Dr. Seuss. I had about 11 mistakes and wow is that a huge tongue twister when trying to read fast. It took me 4:51 to read whereas Dr. Preston took around 4:30.

poetry #1

1. The Levi’s Go Forth campaign uses Charles Bukowski poem, "The Laughing Heart."

2. It is ironic because it talks about not giving into submission when the point of the commercial is to buy Levi’s jeans from them. Which in the end, it is quite ironic.

3. It reflects Bukowski’s reputation in the sense that he writes about being free in the poem and that’s how he has lived his life, not really caring what others think of him and doing what he wants to do.

4. To find out my answers, I simply did an easy google search of the first line of the video and up came Bukowski’s poem, so there I knew who the author was. I then did another search to research briefly on Bukowski’s background.

Open Source Learning

At first, Open Source Learning seemed odd, but mostly because I have never been opened up to teaching like that before. From the get-go I thought that I probably wouldn't like it, but after thinking about it for some time, I realized that I will in the end regret thinking that I wouldn't because why make up my mind on something that I haven't given a shot yet? I like the fact that its not looked down upon to use the internet as our source of study because in this day and age, everything is ran by technology and we need to start taking advantage of it. It is also a burden to lug around a huge textbook when most of us have a 5 ounce computer in our pockets that can research way more than most textbooks can give us. I am pleased to be a part of the class and to be a part of Open Source Learning. Lets see where this year takes us!

Essay #1

            I, along with probably most of the class, blew off most of the summer homework until the last minute. But in truth, I mostly blew the entire thing off. I know my mind set is better than to just completely ignore a task, but I chose to do so anyway. In return I regret it due to the fact that I now have less time to complete my work than I would have if I attempted to do so during the summer. I kept putting it off until the last moment and had to choose which of the assignments I would end up actually trying to do, and I chose to read Pride and Prejudice because the other two just did not peak my interest to indulge into. That may also be a reason why I chose not to do my work, because the readings did not seem to be of something I would find enjoyable to read, but I understand my responsibility was to get those done and I highly regret it now and will do my best to catch up to where the rest of the class is. But for now, I will write my essay on something I am familiar with, The Odyssey.

            Being alienated from a place you once called home, whether it be forever or a short amount of time, will always be a big struggle for the person doing the leaving. In the Odyssey, being an ancient Greek epic, the main character, Odysseus, is lost on his journey back to his home in Ithaca. Odysseus is stuck with this long journey ahead of him to return to the place he once called home and to his wife and son.

            Odysseus’s journey leaves him struggling on the path to find his way back to his home. He encounters numerous complications throughout this journey but never once has the urge to give up and keeps on fighting through everything he faces. Being stranded from your home for over ten years in different desolate places would probably lead most people to give up and try and live on with what they now have, but not with Odysseus’s struggles. Odysseus’s story can be taken as a life lesson for anyone interested enough to listen about it because Odysseus faced some tough challenges like when he visits the kingdom and retells his story of what he went through and having to fight the Cyclops and the sea monster, all while still not giving up on his hopes to return home, is a perfect example for a story to be told over and over to inspire people to do what they can to achieve something and even if they don’t to keep fighting for it too. Even when Odysseus does make it back to his home of Ithaca, he still has to deal with the suitors to fight; luckily he is alongside his son with that battle.