Tone and Mood

The tone and mood of a literary piece are quintessential in understanding the author's message. In To An Athlete Dying Young by A.E. Housman, the speaker's tone is more celebratory than mourning which helps the reader comprehend that the athlete dying young now is better than him suffering because he lived past his prime. Similarly, Maxine Kumin's poem, Woodchucks, demonstrates a light and humorous tone while describing a tragic event. Dark humor allows for the reader to reevaluate his or her views on death on a small scale (killing woodchucks) or on a grander scale (genocide). Diction contrasting with tone and mood makes the message more significant.

Diction

Diction plays a pivotal role in communicating verbally the message each character wants to convey or conceal. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses diction to portray Hamlet as a complex and mad character.  "I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” (2.2, 327-331)." Here he admits that he only acts mad in certain circumstances which can confuse and baffle the people around him because they can't understand what he really means through his choice of language. 

Figurative Language & Imagery

Figurative language and imagery work hand-in-hand to entice the reader's five senses. In the poem, "Fast Break", Edward Hirsch use of literary devices allows for one to see, hear, feel, taste, and even smell the players play a fierce game of basket ball. For example, the first line of the poem, "A hook shot kisses the rim" personifies the shot while letting the reader imagine hearing the sound the ball makes going through the hoop by using plosive language (or repetition of the k sound). Other words such as "floating, scissoring, and gliding" add a visual sense to the poem. A similar poem to "Fast Break" is Yusef Komunyakaa's poem, "Slam, Dunk, & Hook". Lines such as "Swish of strings like silk" and "All hands and feet...sprung rhythm." demonstrate how graceful and synchronized basketball can be through vivid imagery.

Poetry Sounds

The way a poem sounds has a great affect on the reader's interpretation. Through the use of sound devices, writers can manipulate how they want the feel of their poem to be. In Robert Frost's poem, "Out, Out--" words like "buzz", "snarled" and "rattled" depict an inanimate object like a buzz-saw as an uncontrollable animal. Sibilance in the line "sweet-scented stuff" adds a sinister, snake-like feel that reinforces the animalistic quality in the poem. In Yusef Komunyakaa's poem, "Slam, Dunk, & Hook", sibilance appears yet again, only this time it is used to emphasize the fast, yet smooth, pace of the basketball players: "Swish of strings like silk." The reader can fully visualize the ball swishing perfectly inside the net.

Symbolism and theme

Symbolism is used by writers to help convey their theme to the reader. In Ozymandias, for example, the king's fallen statues symbolize the frailty of mankind and how time ultimately conquers all. Even the "great" King Ozymandias can't withstand time. Piercy Shelley's symbolism in this poem helps clarify the theme of time and it's affects on life to the reader. Likewise, in Andrew Marvell's poem, To His Coy Mistress, the speaker's uses hyperbolic language symbolizing his longing for the woman. The image of dew connotes how life (especially youth) is merely temporary and that it's best to submit to temptation in regards to love and pleasure. The speaker's urgency to be with her before their time runs out is the overall theme of Marvell's poem and thanks to symbolism, the theme is easily recognizable to the reader.

Setting in Hamlet and Prufrock

Setting is used ultimately to set the mood of the story. In Hamlet, a dark and foggy night set inside a medieval castle adds a sense of mystery and unease. The fog parallels to Hamlet's obscure vision of several characters including Claudius and Ophelia.  The desolate setting in Prufrock resembles his internal feelings towards life and himself: "The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes." (Lines 14-15). Fog is used once again but this time it's personified to represent a mysterious black cat. This cat also represents Prufrock's feelings towards society because the cat at one point lingers and decides whether or not to join society or to remain separate. The cat finally chooses to remain on the outside by curling up alone: "Curled once about the house, and fell asleep." (22). The setting in both Hamlet and Prufrock can either resemble what each character feels on the inside or helps indicate the mood of the story or poem before the characters are even introduced.

Characters Darcy and the Ghost

The overall plot is an important element to every story; however, there would be no plot if it wasn't for characters in stories creating conflict with one another. Pride and Prejudice, for example, wouldn't be as interesting if Darcy and Elizabeth didn't have a love-hate relationship to spark the reader's interest. In addition, Hamlet would be dull without Claudius murdering Hamlet's father and Hamlet wanting revenge. Conflict usually arises when someone acts as a catalyst and intervenes in a negative way by talking someone else into or out of doing something, thus altering the plot. In both cases the Ghost of Hamlet's father and Darcy intervene and create conflict. The ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him and he should therefore avenge his soul. Without the ghost, Hamlet would never spend the entirety of the play seeking revenge. Darcy, on the other hand, intervenes in his friend Mr. Bingley's life by insisting he not marry Jane because she is from a lower class. Once Elizabeth discovers this, she continues despising Darcy despite his devotion to her. With negative intervening comes positive intervening. Darcy redeems himself in Elizabeth's eyes by ensuring that Wickham and Lydia marry by paying for the whole event. His good deed allows for Elizabeth to fall in love with him. Another example of a character reacting to the world around him is Prufrock. His tone is melancholy throughout his dramatic monologue. He even prefers to live a life under the sea that on land in his society: "I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas." Prufrock doesn't fit in and he believes life couldn't be any worse in the ocean as a crab than now. At least he could be left in solitude literally than amongst tons of people but still alone in the figurative sense. Someone like him could not get along with someone like Mrs. Bennet because she enjoys being around people since she's a product of her society.

Plot

Pride and Prejudice and Hamlet are conventional narratives that follow a chronological sequence. One of the most important elements of a narrative is the climax or turning point. The turning point in Pride and Prejudice is Elizabeth's realization that she cares deeply for Darcy and that she is just as prejudice as the people she looks down upon: "until then I never knew myself." The climax in Hamlet is when Hamlet 100% believes Claudius killed Hamlet Sr. after noticing his guilty disposition during the play "Murder of Gonzago".
Their plots differ, however, in terms of foreshadowing and introduction of characters. Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to hint at events that might happen later on in the play. Marcellus's quote: "something is rotten in the state of Denmark" foreshadows the death of an important character or multiple characters. Another example is the acting troupe performing "Murder of Gonzago" which foreshadows Hamlet finally getting revenge on Claudius. Pride and Prejudice isn't conventional in regards to introducing characters. Jane Austen prefers to use gossip to allow the reader to familiarize with each character before actually being introduced. This way, the reader's opinion is shaped by rumors that appear true until proven false by each character's actions.

Blogpost about Hamlet Essay

I felt that my essay needed a lot more work. My idea in my opinion was strong; however, I didn't convey my point clear enough probably due to vagueness. I think my biggest downfall has to be that I didn't follow the assignment as well as I intended. I should have answered the prompt and not twist it to make my idea work. Next time I will follow the prompt and I will be more clear on what I am trying to prove in my thesis.
I'll also work on choosing shorter quotes and expanding on my ideas.

Athlete Dying Young and Ulysses

A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In A.E. Housman’s poem To An Athlete Dying Young and Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem Ulysses, both poems demonstrate two men who are the best at what they do whether it being a top athlete or battling against Gods. While Housman's poem uses iambic tetrameter and an aa bb rhyme scheme, Tennyson's Ulysses is styled as more of a monologue in blank verse. No matter what approach each poet uses, they both portray the central theme of each of their poems: the downfall of being a hero. The speaker in To An Athlete Dying Young discusses how that it's better that the athlete died now as a hero than having to live past his prime and be forgotten. Ulysses goes further with this idea and depicts Odysseus after his adventure having nothing to do. He is forced to deal with boredom and a lack of fame for the rest of his life. Each poem has similarities in themes and imagery; however, contrast in terms of poem structure and tone make these poems unique and more memorable.

Slam, Dunk & Hook and Ulysses

The two poems I chose to analyze were Slam, Dunk & Hook by Yusef Komunyakaa and Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Slam, Dunk & Hook have a common theme of characters being superhuman due to their heroic defeats whether it be at sea or on the court. In Komunyakaa's poem, the speaker uses Greek mythological allusions to emphasize how godlike the players are during basketball: "With Mercury's Insignia on our sneakers" (Lines 1-2). Mercury was a Greek God who was infamous for being able to run incredibly fast. The basketball players are therefore quick on their feet and faster than the competition. Not only are they fast but they are dangerous. "Like storybook sea monsters" (10) is another Greek metaphor depicting them as indestructible and wicked. In the poem Ulysses, the speaker, Odysseus, reminisces about his past heroic adventures and accomplishments: "Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods." (Lines 52-53). He makes a point of stating that he fought with Gods and ended up victorious. The reader realizes that Odysseus is in fact superior to anyone around him. The reader can also understand why the speaker is so bored with his life. Odysseus was born adventurous and a fighter. Without conflict, Odysseus has nothing to do. When the speaker says, "how dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use!" (22-23), he is not only referring to his dull life but to his swords and armor losing their luster. Since he has no use for them now, Odysseus' weapons stay kept in the dark, forced to rust.

Two Poems

Percy Shelley's poem Ozymandias strikes me as being ironic in lines 11-13. The plaque first reads that Ozymandias is the king of kings and his work will speak for itself; however, the next line disputes all of that by saying nothing remains. This proves that Ozymandias wasn't that great of a king as he claims because he couldn't withstand time.
Time is a theme evident in both Ozymandias and Ponder These Busted Statues. Here, time is personified in line 11: "Them Greediest Paws of careful time." "Greediest paws" refers to time as being devious and working against him and his lover. The speaker in Ponder These Busted Statues uses time as an argument to persuade the object of his affection to have sex with him but in a satirical manner. Cummings' poem is a parody of To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell. 

Performance choices

My performance choices for my scene were to act very inquisitive and noisy towards Ophelia (Gauri) in order to draw out information about Hamlet that I (Polonius) can use against him. By feigning interest in what Ophelia has to say, she does in fact open up about Hamlet's madness. My tone is inquisitive throughout while lacking sympathy.

Alternatively I could play Polonius as maybe deeply concerned about Ophelia and her being sad. I'm not sure if that's how Shakespeare would have wanted it performed but maybe showing him as a loving father would make his murder much more piteous. 

p.832 #9

Hamlet’s soliloquy in (I.ii. 129-59) depicts him as suicidal and misogynistic. The image of his skin melting away adds to his grief he feels towards his father passing demonstrating his suicidal tendencies. The angrier Hamlet becomes through his speech, the more violent his words become: “…that everlasting had not fix’d his canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!” (I.ii. 131-32). He also uses different allusions including Niobe & Hercules. Hamlet’s misogyny is apparent when he releases his frustration about his mother and his uncle marrying right after his father died: “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (146). He believes that all women are weak and need a man to look after them. He loves his mother (maybe a little bit too much) and doesn’t want to her to remarry.

p830 #7 + 14

Hamlet tells his companions he is likely to put on an "antic disposition" in order to gain their trust and respect. That way he has people who he can confide in without worrying whether or not they believe a word he says due to his "antic disposition". Moreover, Hamlet remains somewhat sane because he has companions whom he can be himself around.
Hamlet's behavior is a deliberate strategy because his true motive is to expose Claudius as a murderer and he can only do that if Claudius believes that Hamlet is so stricken from grief he's gone mad and can't possibly conceive a plan for revenge.

Hamlet's response, "...for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so," demonstrates how actions have no meaning until moral beliefs come into play. I agree with what he says because it's our opinion that determines whether or not something we do is moral or immoral.
Hamlet's next quote, "I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw" refers to how he is only somewhat mad. If north symbolizes a straight path (being normal) then Hamlet being north-west means he sometimes veers off of the path (demonstrating his moderately crazed demeanor). The "wind is southerly" statement suggests that Hamlet will sometimes go in the opposite direction of the path or that he is opposing the norms of society. His madness is purely an act because a true insane person wouldn't realize or admit that he is insane. Hamlet is saying all of this just to get a reaction and to follow through with his overall plan.

[Insert a Good Title Here]

In Shakespeare's infamous play Hamlet, Shakespeare use of language through the characters Claudius and Hamlet demonstrates how complex they both are. Claudius pretends to act genuine and sincere in regards to the death of his dear brother; however, that is all a façade. There's a deeper, figurative meaning behind most things he says. Moreover, Hamlet is like Claudius based on his two-sided nature. He only speaks his true, honest feelings in asides to the audience; therefore, making it hard for the audience to understand how Hamlet feels until he is alone with his own thoughts. Together, Claudius and Hamlet create an interesting and elaborate dynamic through their dialogues amongst other characters and through their soliloquies which allows the audience to decipher between their public and private demeanor.

In the Room the Women Come and Go Talking of Michelangelo

T.S. Eliot's poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is anything but romantic. Prufrock takes the reader on a visual journey through the streets of a retched part of town. He enjoys comparing something beautiful to that of something scientific and medical. An important idea that Prufrock mentions is the superficiality of society. "In the room the women come and go talking of Michelangelo." (13-14). The women briefly walk in and out of rooms (possibly rooms in an art gallery) briefly looking around but not actually taking the time to appreciate the artwork. These women, like people in society, believe that throwing out famous artist names like Michelangelo makes them an aficionado of the arts and allows them to seem highly educated amongst their peers. Prufrock denounces their pretentiousness subtly by purposely indicating their behavior two times in the poem. Maybe the reason Prufrock chooses to be alone is he can't find a woman who is as intellectually deep as him. The women he sees are all the same: fixated on the trivial aspects of life (i.e. fitting into society) and lack the time to stop and admire the significance of what the world truly has to offer.

Mini Essay: To His Coy Mistress

In Andrew Marvell’s poem, To His Coy Mistress, the speaker uses the idea of time fleeting in order to mask his sexual passion for the woman. The poem is written in the style of an argument; the speaker’s main goal is to convince his mistress that she needs to seize the moment and allow her emotions to take control. Even though the speaker appears to have the young woman’s interests at heart when he warns her that once her beauty fades due to old age no man will want her, what he really wants is to have sex with her. And through this poem, the reader can see that he will go to great lengths in order to have her. Hyperbole is used frequently in Marvell’s poem. The speaker loves to exaggerate his feelings for her to further his argument: “An hundred years should go to praise thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze ; Two hundred to adore each breast, But thirty thousand to the rest” (Lines 13-16). The speaker objectifies the woman by commenting solely on her appearance and not her personality. He is physically attracted to her and wants nothing more than a passionate fling than a long-term relationship. He does not once mention the possibility of getting married at all in the poem. In the last stanza, the mood shifts to a more serious and passionate tone. Sexual and violent imagery is used to tempt and persuade the woman into complying to his demands: “Now let us sport us while we may, And now, like amorous birds of prey, Rather at once our time devour, Than languish in his slow-chapt power.” (Lines 37-38). The phrase “amorous birds of prey” connotes that their love for each other is wild, passionate and even volatile. He suggests that they take advantage of the time they have together before time takes advantage of them. From his compelling argument, the speaker demonstrates that his lust for the mistress is strong and unyielding; however, the reader is left wondering whether or not the woman is tempted into surrendering her virginity to him.

To His Coy Mistress

Andrew Marvell's poem To His Coy Mistress, the line "And your quaint honour turn to dust" refers to the mistress of whom the speaker is romantically interested in. He adopts a persuasive tone to convince this woman to refrain from being coy and instead to act on the love that they both share. The term "quaint" next to honour makes the woman's values of abstinence appear old-fashioned and unusual according to the speaker. If she continues to deny herself of any temptations, later on in life, she will have problems with finding a suitor because her beauty has "turn to dust." The speaker's argument compels her to reexamine her morals by taking into consideration that her youth is fleeting and that time doesn't last forever.

Collins: Comic Relief or Literature's Worst Nightmare?

Collins is a laughable character based on the underline message that the majority of Austens characters are products of their society. Austen uses satire to make them seem less diabolical and more ignorant. The reader is more likely to laugh along with and forgive the absurdities of a character like Collins because he is so outrageous and self-involved. The reader is more likely to pity Mr. Collins than think he's a nightmare because he is so ignorant.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Well, there are some minor errors in my essay that I could have easily avoided. I should have put my header in the upper left corner (I'll never make that mistake again!). I also put the name of the chapter instead of the page number for one of my quotes.
My main strength in this particular essay was being able to make a claim and backing it up with evidence. I referred back to the main point of my essay a few times so that the reader could easily understand what I was trying to prove.
Also, having a good title made my essay more interesting for the reader to read.
I pretty much need help in structuring my sentences. I should work on my verb tenses because I tend to mess that up a lot when I'm writing. I think this essay is one of my better ones; however, I'm afraid the frequent mistakes I made during 9th, 10th, & 11th grade might come back to haunt me during  my 4th year in an English class at Buckley.

It's All About the Thesis

The most important aspect of a strong essay is a strong thesis and evidence that proves your thesis. Your thesis is the backbone to any essay you write; therefore, if the thesis is weak, the essay is probably weak too. With any thesis you need examples to explain why your claim is true. Too much textual evidence might overwhelm the reader or the reader could potentially miss the point to your essay. On the other hand, using very little examples can unravel your thesis and can let the reader think the reason why there's a lack of evidence is because your claim is weak and must be false. D2's thesis, for example, is not only strong but complex when discussing Mr. Hurst as being the "epitome of the triviality of Austen's society's class-conscious aristocracy" despite his status as a minor character.

X Marks the Spot? Eh, Not So Much.

I had the pleasure of reading X for Xander, B2, D2. Xander's title was the main reason why I stopped flipping through the pages of my Sample Essay booklet and decided to read it. His use of descriptive adjective helped paint a vivid picture of the setting Greene uses in his novel thus adding to Xander's claim that the environment plays a role in introducing characters. The big problem I had with his introductory paragraph has to be the use of a quote. He should save his examples for the body paragraphs instead of throwing it into his intro. *cough*rookie mistake*cough* Regarding the essay as a whole I thought it was lacking in some areas; however his central idea was strong. Another observation I had was that Mr. Xander didn't have a conclusion per say he just mentioned another idea that related to his title but then he didn't insert any textual evidence so the essay ended on a weird note for me. After finishing that...interesting piece of work I moved onto a better essay. Author B2's title was also eye catching. I liked the use of alliteration for Characters and Collaboration. In her actual essay she had thorough analysis and a great thesis. I enjoyed reading it and B2's essay was easy to understand and follow. The last essay I read was D2 and boy was I surprised. She chose to focus on a minor character, Mr. Hurst, instead of any of the major characters. Right off the bat, I wanted to learn more about Mr. Hurst through the writer's eyes. In my opinion, the thesis was a tad bit on the wordy side; however, it showed complexity which is nice to see. The remainder of her essay was insightful and wonderfully written. I applaud D2 for taking a risk and writing about a minor character. Therefore, I have decided that D2 wins the honor of having the best essay with Tallulah's coming in a close second.

This Ukulele Needs Some Fine Tuning; It's Still Pitchy

The three essays I chose to read this time were T for Tallulah, U for Ukulele, and Y for Yolanda. I thought Tallulah had an interesting title that quickly grasped my attention. I felt that her first sentence would have been better suited as a thesis statement rather than an introductory sentence. It even showed complexity. Other than that, the rest of the intro paragraph was great. The sentences flowed together and didn't have an excess of fluff which can often bore the reader. All of her points were concise and easy to follow. U for Ukulele's intro paragraph was lacking for me. He could have talked a little bit more about the two books before slamming down a claim after three sentences that basically stated the same thing.  Plus the thesis was vague in regards to the "what ends they use their characters" part.  Plus he didn't expand on his idea that different literary devices were used to help introduce characters. The last essay I read, Yolanda's, had an interesting title that hooked me at "Judgement Day and For Love or Money" but then fell short for me after the semi colon. In my opinion titles should be a little shorter and shouldn't need an explanation. I liked her approach of posing a question to the reader. I felt it quite engaging because her essay seemed more conversational. The rest of the essay was great. My only other complaint was that her quotes were a tad bit on the long side, but that's because I'm nitpicky. My favorite essay of all the ones I've read has to be Tallulah's because I could understand what she was trying to communicate to her audience and how she backed up her claim was strong.

Read and Review Three Essays

The three sample essays I chose to read were Conflicting First Impressions; Austen's Misleading Character Introductions and How They Affect the Reader, Character Introduction Through Bias or Subtlety and Freethinking: In Austen and Greene, and Finding Purpose in Character Introduction with Austen and Greene. The first one I read made a great and understandable claim that gossip and misleading first impressions are how Austen introduces her characters. I feel like the writer backed up his thesis with strong quotes and thorough analysis.  In the second essay the title appeared too wordy; however, in the essay itself was fairly good. The essay showed complexity between authors Austen and Greene. The reader can easily differentiate between the two authors' styles of writing. In the last essay, the thesis was basic and lacked complexity. The essay was great overall despite the simple title. The writer's points were pretty good especially when she mentions how Austen uses gossip almost as an independent, unseen character. My favorite essay so far has to be the first one because this essay was easy to read and yet made you think after reading it.

Mrs. Bennet: Miss Understood

Although Mrs. Bennet's actions appear drastic, her heart is in the right place as she strives for her daughters to live financially secured lives.