Prompt Revisions - Feb. 17

1979. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character's actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.

Lennie Small in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is an important character who, on the basis of his actions alone might be considered evil or immoral. Steinbeck fully presents Lennie in a way, though, that makes the reader react more sympathetically than if they were going off of only actions. Steinbeck does this in order to show the importance of friendship and to dramatize the idea that the American Dream isn't always plausible. 

Steinbeck gives Lennie a mental disability in order to help the readers sympathize with Lennie's otherwise evil actions. He is a character that, on the surface, kills animals and people. Multiple times throughout the book, Lennie is seen killing a mouse or anything with fur. Without any background information, this might seem like an evil man killing innocent animals. However, since Lennie acts a lot younger than his age due to his disability, the readers don't make him responsible for his actions. When the readers don't blame him for his wrong doings, it makes it a lot easier to like his character and allows the reader to value the bond between Lennie and George. In the end the bond between the two characters ends tragically and when George must kill Lennie for his own good. Since the readers were sympathetically attached to Lennie, it drove home the importance of friendship between the two and allowed for the reader to understand that the character's dreams will not come true, thus showing that the idealistic American dream isn't guaranteed. 

Steinbeck also portrays Lennie as a kid in a man's body in order to help the readers react more sympathetically. Lennie is characterized as a big, burly man who can lift more weight than anyone his size. This ideal characteristic, though, is unimportant to him. Instead, Lennie wants a farm, a dog, and other things that make him seem childish. As time goes on, Steinbeck's descriptions and imagery allow the reader to see Lennie as a child. His dependence on George is another thing that makes him into a little kid. Since he is only "a child" his actions seem innocent and harmless even though he kills living things. Lennie is simply unaware of his true strength and doesn't understand what he is capable of doing. This, too, shows the American dream isn't always possible. No matter what Lennie wants or works for, he simply can't reach his goals. He cannot stop killing animals, he cannot stop getting in trouble, and he cannot act like an adult. Since he cannot do any of these things, it makes the dream impossible to reach. 

Through George, Steinbeck also helps the reader sympathize with Lennie. George is constantly having to deal with Lennie and get him out of all kinds of trouble. While this is hard for George, it still makes the reader cringe when George is yelling at Lennie and doesn't seem to understand that he is just a kid. Steinbeck uses George to help take care of Lennie as well, adding to his innocence. Between the two there is a bond that is unbreakable. Sadly, their friendship is put to the test when George has to kill Lennie. Though Lennie's death might look like a good thing if one were to just take into account his actions, it really is a sad moment for the reader. Steinbeck created a character that is easily loved and, when he dies, the American dream the two characters shared died as well. 

All in all, Steinbeck uses many techniques to help the readers sympathize with Lennie, a character that seems immoral on the surface. Through his mental disorder, his child-like innocence, and his best friend George, Lennie is a character that is not easily forgotten. The friendship shown and the tragic ending shows the reader that not all dreams come true. 

Course Response - Feb. 10

So far in class we have done a few things, maybe more than I had initially recognized when starting this post.

First, we have done LOTS of multiple choice practice questions. Here's what I have learned:
1. I don't like multiple choice questions on a piece of work that can be widely interpreted
2. You know those really annoying people who pick the opposite answer and your all "are you dumb?" yeah. I struggle. For some odd reason, I tend to eliminate most but sometimes think too much and don't know which extreme to choose. So... something to work on in the future.
3. I need to slow down. My normal reading pace is really fast, so I have lots of time to answer questions. But... I feel like my normal pace isn't enough, I speed up... and then I miss information. Really, there is plenty of time. No need to speed.

We have also finished Hamlet. I really liked watching all of the movies, but now I am kind of sick of it all. Which makes me liking Rozencrantz and Guildenstern so much kind of ironic. You would think even more Hamlet characters would drive me insane.

The reason I like it so much probably has to do with all of the sexual innuendos, though. Let's be honest... we all love a good joke. It's also pretty funny because Megan and I are reading the parts of Ros and Guild... and there are some similarities. I mean we are close friends and we have a lot of meaningless conversations for starters. We aren't dumb and don't encourage prostitution... but the way Holmes introduced the characters just made Megan and me chuckle.

Anyway, I look forward to finishing this play, as it might be a favorite.

Hamlet - Summary and Analysis

Hamlet

Summary:

~Author - Shakespeare
~Setting - Denmark
~Plot - So basically there is this guy named Hamlet. His father, Old Hamlet, was killed by his brother, Claudius. Now Claudius rules alongside Gertrude, who was married to Old Hamlet and is currently married to Claudius. Yes... Gertrude married her husband's brother. Hamlet didn't like this too much....
So then there's this ghost that tells Hamlet the truth about Claudius... and Hamlet doesn't like it too much. He does test the ghost's truthfulness, though, by putting on a play about... well... Claudius. When he reacts, Hamlet will know the truth.
Side note... all the while young Fortinbras is mad because Old Hamlet killed Old Fortinbras... so now Young Fortinbras wants to attack Denmark. But when his uncle puts a stop to it... Fortinbras plans to just "pass through" on his way to Poland to attack.
Back to Hamlet... he decides to play crazy and the whole play is about him deciding whether or not to kill Claudius. People die *echem Rozencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius, Ophelia...* and Hamlet is still in this whole "to be or not to be" funk.
Finally, Claudius has had enough. After one murder plan failed (Hamlet getting killed in Europe), he gets Laertes in on the job. A fencing match, he says; oh Hamlet you'll win, he says; drink when you get a hit, he says. But really, he just wants Hamlet to die.
Oh and when Hamlet refuses to drink from the cup, Gertrude does. And Claudius lets her. SHOCKER
So finally Laertes cuts Hamlet and then Hamlet does the same... so now they're both doomed. On his way to  death, he tells Horatio not to kill himself because life is too precious. Aw... good Hamlet. And then he dies and saves the kingdom from the Chaos that is his family.
Oh and Fortinbras walks in and is like...cool... I win! And he is now the ruler. He does, however, let Hamlet have a proper kings' burial.


Significant Characters:

~ Hamlet: The prince of Denmark
~ Claudius: Brother to Old Hamlet, Married to Gertrude, uncle/dad to Hamlet
~ Horatio: Hamlet's best friend, the only man Hamlet really trusts/cares about;
 ~ Ophelia: Lover to Hamlet, daughter to Polonius and sister to Laertes
~Polonius: Suck-up to Claudius, dad to Ophelia and Laertes
~Laertes: Son of Polonius
~Fortinbras: Prince of Norway
~ Rozencrantz and Guilenstern: Old friends of Hamlet, help the kind

Narrative Voice and Author's style:

~View: No narrator, nobody knows all
~ Tone: Dark, ironic, contemplative
~Imagery:
     * the palace with many places to hide and deceive parallel with the ways in which the people are able to disguise themselves
     * Images of death all throughout the play - skull, ghost, dark
~ Symbolism:
     * Ghost - the spiritual consequences of death
     * Yourick's skull - the physical consequences of death
 

Quotes
~ Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

 Marcellus says this as he and Horatio debate whether or not to follow Hamlet and the ghost into the dark night. The line refers both to the idea that the ghost is an ominous omen for Denmark and to the larger theme of the connection between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the state as a whole. The ghost is a visible symptom of the rottenness of Denmark created by Claudius’s crime.

~ To be, or not to be: that is the question

This is the beginning to Hamlet's long soliloquy basically questioning life itself. It's all about morality and suicide and weighs the consequences of living or dying. He goes on to say that not knowing what waits in the afterlife is what stops people from committing suicide. This quote plays with the themes and motifs about life and death. 

Theme: Revenge is never rewarded in life

The name of the whole work is The Tragedy of Hamlet, which, had he chosen to revenge his father, would not be fitting. Nobody would have felt bad for Hamlet had he killed Claudius and ruled, in fact we might just hate him even more. This shows that he was rewarded for his death and not seeking revenge, the people are able to feel for him and he gets a king's burial. Also take into consideration Fortinbras. He listened to his uncle, didn't seek revenge, and was rewarded with a new kingdom. Those who sought revenge, like Laertes, were faced with death and got nothing out of the deal. All of these things show that revenge not being rewarded is a key theme in Hamlet. 

Prompt Revisions - Jan. 20

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Lennie, from John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, is a character that exists in a society that renders him incapable to thrive. In this fictional society, Lennie and his mental disability are not thought of as he stumbles through life unable to stay in one place. Through the narrow-minded standards of society, Lennie is set up for failure in this life, which shows that the world can be a hard place and that not everybody has it easy. 

In Of Mice and Men, people are highly regarded when they work hard without much controversy. Those who work hard, say little and follow the rules of the boss are set for life. For Lennie, this is hard. Since he is mentally unable to understand societal norms and mannerisms, he is often a target for trouble and can't understand what rules are and, if he breaks them, what he did wrong. The only thing society cares about is his strength, which is the only reason he is able to work and have any sort of life at all. These standards in society make it so that certain people thrive, but not everyone gets to have opportunities - even if it is out of their control. 

Lennie, a strong and hard worker, is hired for his strength... and nothing else. This would seem to be a grace on first glance, but when he is always jumping from town to town, readers see that he is unable to find a place to stay. Lennie tends to cause trouble, but not out of evil intent. For instance, in one place of work he grabbed a girl's skirt because it was soft; he just wanted to feel something soft and didn't understand that grabbing a woman's skirt is wrong in society. Instead, he is a simple minded man that doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong. Even though that is true, other people are unable to see that. This makes Lennie a target for misfortune and affects his everyday life. Instead of staying in one place and having a home like he wants, he is forced to the confines of his troubled world, which shows that the world is an unforgiving place and not everyone can have a good life. 

Even though Lennie does not get everything he wants and cannot seem to please anyone, that doesn't stop him. Lennie's mind is unable to see the problems. Instead, he responds with hopes and dreams to one day reach his goal to have a house and animals. These societal standards are barely shown in the way that he responds, which is part of his problem. His lack of recognition makes it even harder for others to sympathize, which leads to his ultimate downfall. Lennie never had it easy, and never will, which is shows the world isn't set up for everyone to thrive and that reality is not always good. 

In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is unable to have a good life. Even though it is not his fault, society does not recognize his mental disability. Even more, Lennie does not understand that he is causing trouble, which makes society even harsher towards him. This shows that the world is a bad place and doesn't always recognize the misfortune of others. 

Response to Course Material - Jan. 14

Since our last course material post, we have really been focusing mainly on Hamlet. Hamlet the play and different versions of Hamlet acted out. 

In the first movie, the BBC version, there was a lot more left to the viewers. The director allowed for more ambiguity and such so that it wasn't just his interpretation of the play. While I hated this version when I first watched it, now I can say it wasn't too horrible. There are a lot of different ways to go about making this play into a movie, and I kind of liked the way it stayed close to the play. The scenes and props were terrible, Hamlet overacted way too much and was a bit too angry... but I can appreciate it more after watching the other versions. 

In the next Hamlet movie, Branaugh's (?) version, I was more visually stimulated but decided less things on my own. The director really based a lot of this on his interpretation of the play, especially when he had Fortinbras invade Denmark. Overall I felt it easier to watch this version and concentrate, but there wasn't much left up to interpretation. 

In the last movie, it was a much more modern version of the play, visually at least. There are cameras, modern clothes, ect. Again, I was able to pay more attention to everything because it was visually set up very well and felt I could relate more due to the modern take. I especially like how they did the ghost, but the director made everything his interpretation. There was an emphasis on the beginning when Horatio says Hamlet is mad when he follows the ghost... and from that point on... he seems very mad. In this version, Hamlet goes crazy from the beginning, which is arguable compared to the play. 

In class we have also started mood and atmosphere practice.... which apparently I missed the best day to do this. But basically, we look at a picture and a piece of poetry or prose and write about the mood of the picture. 

Close Reading - Dec. 16

http://www.freep.com/article/20121214/OPINION05/121214069/Guest-commentary-After-Connecticut-shooting-an-attempt-at-healing-through-children-s-poetry?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Guest commentary: After Connecticut shooting, healing through children's poetry

To begin, this article is not light. Maybe I overreact, maybe I don't. But I couldn't help but wince as I was reading about hands... and all that they can do. It's enlightening, really. I don't think I've ever really paid that much attention to what is behind everything: our hands. Guns don't kill people; the hands that pull the trigger do. This article, written after the school shooting in Connecticut, uses syntax, imagery and details to portray the idea of hands; hands can love, hands can hurt, hands can hold and hands can kill. Through it all though, there is some hope and healing to be done. 

Syntax is a powerful thing in this article. The beginning is written in short, choppy writing to add emphasis on particular ideas and make things more dramatic. Take the beginning for example: 

~"But hands, too, can take away. Hands that hit. Hands that slap. Hands that curl into fists. Hands that pull a trigger.

Children are dead. In a school. This is not the first time. Will it be the last?

I work with children in schools. A school is not a place where children go to die."

~"The students I teach know about guns. They’ve seen guns. They’ve heard guns. Some have even held a gun in their hands.

This is Detroit. This is America. This is not some kind of bad dream."

Both of these are short, dramatic ideas that slap the reader across the face. They're not fluffy sentences that morning families are going to lightly cry about. No, they're straight, to the point and not sugar coated. But that wasn't the point, the idea was to show the harsh reality of the world and that not everything should be taken for granted, like hands. In this case, for definately follows function. Towards the end, though, sentences were lengthened and had better flow as the tone shifted to more hopeful. Through examples of poetry, the author was able to relieve the morbid topic a little. The innocence of little kids and forever-hope was paralleled with the longer and flow-y sentences. This shows that through all of the madness, there are still good things in the world. 

Imagery is another tool the author uses to dramatize the event. In the beginning, the author writes about hands and gives images to things we don't normally pay attention to. 

~A mother crosses the street with her child and lets the child go.

A father places his hand on his child’s shoulder and says, “Have a good day.”

Had you read those sentences on their own, the emphasis would not be on hands. In fact, hands would not even come to mind; it is barely mentioned. With the context though, the images playing through the minds of readers are now focused on these innocent, over-looked movement of hands. This creates the effect that people are now paying attention to things that aren't usually paid attention to. This could be both a good and bad thing, but leaves a heavy feeling on the reader as they realize the significance of everything. 

Lastly, the author uses details to pull the reader in towards a half morbid, half hopeful tone. Adding poems from well-known authors and little children adds a heavy, then innocent feeling for the reader. Whitman's idea that we are all connected was very serious and I was thinking something along the line if "true facts..." which was also very depressing. We are all connected. Shooting in one states affects all the states. One child dying is any child dying, none the less 20. But then the shift to actual elementary students was both devastating and gorgeous at the same time. I really liked reading their work. I don't know why, but it made me happy. And I don't think the author was trying to make me feel all that bad, either. The poetry is a way to cope, a way to heal. It's sad and true, but it's nice. Though it all, there is still something to be taken from all the bad. Still things to learn, still things to do, and still things to appreciate. 

Open Prompt - Dec. 9

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Lennie, from John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, is a character that exists in a society that renders him incapable to thrive. In this fictional society, Lennie and his mental disability are not thought of as he stumbles through life unable to stay in one place. This novel shows that the world can be a hard place and that not everybody has it easy. 

In Of Mice and Men, people are highly regarded that can work hard without much controversy. For Lennie, this is hard. Since he is mentally unable to understand societal norms and mannerisms, he is often a target for trouble. The only thing society cares about is his strength, which is the only reason he is able to work and have any sort of life at all. These standards in society make it so that certain people thrive, but not everyone gets to have opportunities - even if it is out of their control. 

Lennie, a strong and hard worker, is hired for his strength... and nothing else. This would seem to be a grace on first glance, but when he is always jumping from town to town, readers see that he is unable to find a place to stay. Lennie tends to cause trouble, but not out of evil intent. Instead, he is a simple minded man that doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong. Even though that is true, other people are unable to see that. This makes Lennie a target for misfortune and affects his everyday life. Instead of staying in one place and having a home like he wants, he is forced to the confines of his troubled world. 

Even though Lennie does not get everything he wants and cannot seem to please anyone, that doesn't stop him. Lennie's mind is unable to see the problems. Instead, he responds with hopes and dreams to one day reach his goal to have a house and animals. These societal standards are barely shown in the way that he responds, which is part of his problem. His lack of recognition makes it even harder for others to sympathize, which leads to his ultimate downfall. Lennie never had it easy, and never will, which is why the world can seem to be a harsh place. 

In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is unable to have a good life. Even though it is not his fault, society does not recognize his mental disability. This shows that the world is a harsh place and doesn't always recognize the misfortune of others.