DRJ #4 Hamlet Act 4&5

My initial reaction to the closing acts of Hamlet was that there was  plotting by the characters and then a bunch of action happened at once, right at the end. One major story that these final acts reminded me of was "Romeo and Juliet." the poison and  general treachery at the end made me think of the end of that story. The comparison is also because of the language of Shakespeare and the general feel of his tragedies. It's hard to compare the ending acts to anything that has happened in my life. It's also hard to believe that people can act that terribly to each other.

I think a character who had a great deal to do with the final acts was Laertes. Laertes was a direct foil to Hamlet as he also lost his father and looks to avenge him as quickly as possible. Laertes does not really think about what killing Hamlet will do to everyone, or what means it will take to actually outsmart Hamlet. Laertes consults with the king which shows some of the kings faults in thinking and Laertes ends up acting hastily which then costs him his life. Even at the end he knows that he was wrong to try to kill Hamlet by poisoning him and says “I am justly killed with mine own treachery.”

The theme of revenge/forgiveness is probably more prevalent here then in the rest of the play. Hamlet finally gets his revenge although it costs him everything. Laertes at first seeks revenge from Hamlet but after sees that Hamlet was mad with the taste for revenge as well. I think the story of Hamlet shows how revenge is a vicious cycle and many people are affected by it. The way that Laertes and Hamlet both seek forgiveness shows that honor is very important to the characters. Yet it also shows that forgiveness is very tough to get and even can result in death.

DRJ#3 Hamlet Act 3

My initial reaction to the act was how much action it had compared to the previous act. With the play and Hamlet's hidden meanings within it, I felt that the Act was set up for some sort of confrontation. The whole idea of trying to get the truth out of Claudius must have been original for Shakespeare's time and has been used in literature even to this day.

The character that deserves most of the analysis this chapter is Claudius. He is really the focus on this act, the play around him and his admission to God about the murder. Claudius seems to feel guilt because of his act and because he is confessing to God, Hamlet spares his life for the moment. Claudius obviously brings this on himself as he did kill his brother just so he could be king, but some small part of me feels a little sorry for him. It's probably to Shakespeare's credit that he made a murderer have some redeeming qualities.

I'll go with the theme of Heaven/Hell as being a major theme of the Act. The very fact that Hamlet does not want to kill his uncle when he is vulnerable because he would go to Heaven changes the entire course of the story. Also since we have our first on Stage death with Polonius and Hamlet shows little to no remorse at a killing that should have never have happened. I think that this is because Hamlet is so numb to what life means at that moment and doesn't care what happens to him even after death as long as his uncle does not go to Heaven. I think that it shows Hamlet's character that even death would not be good enough for Claudius if he does not go to Hell. The total belief of Heaven/Hell makes me wonder what part the ghost fits in. Did he die and is in limbo or something like that?

DRJ #2 Hamlet Act 2

My initial reaction to Act 2 was confusion for Hamlet. It really didn't seem like Hamlet was all there while he was chasing Ophelia and just acting strange to everyone. It may be that Hamlet was faking it as we can see him faking his madness at Polonius later in the play. There have been other medias that have used the “crazy in love” idea but I liked the way it was used here. Hamlet turning into pretty much a zombie was alright as long as he was in love.

For the character analysis I chose Polonius because we get to see a lot more of him in the second act. Polonius seems like a meddling character, who cares more about other people's lives then his own. He hires people to spy on his son's life and orders his daughter to stay away from Hamlet and then not to after he thinks Hamlet is lovesick with her. I think that Polonius's flaw is that he is involved, to the point of being nosy, in other people's lives. I think that Polonius is a foil to Hamlet that can be criticized. He is old where Hamlet is young and has a relatively happy outlook on life where Hamlet does not. Hamlet criticizes Polonius and acts strangely in front of him also because he is a servant of his mother and father.

The theme of love/family/friendship is prevalent in the second act, in fact all are shown in some respect. Love is shown when Ophelia recounts her encounter with Hamlet, yet it is seen as some kind of craziness that everyone sees as strange. Also parent-child love is usually seen with a great deal of spying throughout the act. Family relationships are, as stated above, parents spying on their children and a severe lack of trust. The parents seem to think if their children are anything other than what they want them to be they are failures, perhaps that could just be attributed to the times. Hamlet seems to react negatively to this treatment but on the other hand Ophelia does not seem to care to much. This may be to show Hamlet independent attitude towards his Uncle and Mother. The friendship relationship is brought out the most in this act as Hamlet's school friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern visit. These two have been sent by Hamlet's Uncle and mother to spy on him and Hamlet figures it out quite quickly. When confronted by it the two don't really hide it showing their friendship above all else. Hamlets demeanor is also “night and day” when compared to Polonius as he seems truly happy that his friends are there.

DRJ#1 Hamlet, Act 1

My initial reaction was also a bit of anguish to the old English that accompanies Shakespeare. But having read some Shakespeare before I knew that it's not as bad once you start actually reading you just have to get in the mindset. The play reminds me of movies and books about revenge where you know it's not going to end well but have to keep watching/reading.

I'm going to write about Hamlet as the first character as he is the main character and I feel we know about more about him at this point than any other characters. I think one of the more interesting aspects about Hamlet is how he is both impulsive yet slow and plotting with his actions. The fact that he cannot use both to decide his actions is a flaw in his character. I think he fits the role of Greek tragic hero because he is headstrong and just about everyone around him ends up dying.

I will talk more about death and life that the first act presents to us. The first time that the guards see the ghost they are frightened of him and take it as an omen that more death is coming because of rumors of wars. Aside from the ghost Hamlet is still in mourning over his father's death longer than it seems was acceptable at the time. The wedding and the white that accompanies it contrasts with the dark clothes that Hamlet wears. Claudius tries to console Hamlet by saying all fathers die in his quote “But you must know your father lost a father, That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound In filial obligation for some term To do obsequious sorrow” Claudius and Hamlet's views on death may be contrasting because of the age difference, and how the death transpired of course.

Choppin Support for Thesis Activity

Thesis #1:

Chopin makes the point that Mrs. Mallard was oppressed by her husband like many of the woman of the era. Mrs. Mallard was excited that she would finally “live for herself” after her husband died. She also states that she would live “a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely,” more specifically, not with her husband.

Thesis #2

While Mrs. Mallard stared out the window she saw an image of life that contrasted with her own room. Chopin shows this by describing outside using phrases like “new spring life” and when Mrs. Mallard tells her sister “'I am not making myself ill.' No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.” Whereas, when Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard sitting in the armchair he describes her as being “pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.”

SSRJ #4 Minot

Because I did not particularly care for Carver's short story, I'll share my views on Minot's "Lust." Seeing as I'm one of the only males commenting on the story, I'm thinking that it is a tough story for males to connect to. Mirroring what others thought, this was a story that was tough to get into. The way it was presented seemed like diary entries of a teenage girl, maybe that was Minot's intention but regardless I didn't like it. The story itself made me feel bad for the girl, she acted like she needed male companionship even though she seemed to hate herself for it. This is a prevailing theme with most addicts, addicts usually share the feeling that even if they do not want to do something they have to, even if they feel terrible afterwords.
I thought it was somewhat ironic that even though sex was supposed to be a loving experience it just made her feel worse. This reflects on the title and how she never really cared too much for any of the people who she had a relationship with. Another key point was how she used comparisons to animals quite a bit. Sheep, squirrels and shrimp are all used to describe the narrator at different points. This shows how insignificant the narrator feels after sex with these boys and how much power they have over her. One last thing I wanted to point out is that Minot makes both teenage boys and girls look bad in different ways, yet I don't think one is worse than the other. At first you may question me, saying "all the boys seem to be machines with one thing on their mind and after that dump the girl to the side with no remorse." Yet Minot portrays the girl as weak, powerless, and unable to function if she does not have the constant pursuit of the male, which in some ways is worse. Now, keep in mind, while there is the few people who fit these descriptions, I find both of these to be tremendous stereotypes of both sexes. But Minot wanted to make her point, and maybe tell the sad story of a young girl's chase for something that she may never find; or maybe doesn't want to find.
My final question is what made me write on this story. Does your own sex change the way you interpreted and/or connect with the story?

SSRJ D. Walker

The story I Am the Grass was the story that fascinated me the most. The way the author started by contrasting the narrators family life and the violent time in the war showed me that the character has grown through his experiences but is still quite haunted by them. After the author's first paragraph you are hooked into the story to see what happens next. When he decides to take the trip to Vietnam he may be wanting to find closure, to help what he had once damaged and also to make peace with himself. The narrator sees the base, or lack thereof, that he was once stationed at and feels a sense of sadness knowing that there is nothing there to connect him to the land. Seeing the base reminds him with the poem by Sandburg which fits really well into the story and gives the reader a clue as to how the story continues on with it's theme of forgiveness.

Another part of the story that i particularly enjoyed was the character of Dinh. Dinh creates a complex relationship for the narrator since he once was one of the North Vietnamese that the narrator fought against but now is a doctor that must work together with him. I believe Dinh is much more than just a foil as he is much too similar to the main character and that is why he is so unique and keeps the story as interesting as it became. The fact that Dinh asked a person who he once fought so hard against, who he would have every reason to hate, to try to do the toe/finger transplant shows a great deal of trust and understanding to do. Eventually the main character returns that understanding that they are not so different and really wants to help him. It was both moving then saddening to read on where the doctor tries very hard to succeed, yet upon seeing the results, is sincerely distraught with the procedure failing.

Now this may be a bit of a reach, but I felt that Dinh's hand was symbolic for the memories they had about the war. A scar that really should not have happened but did because of other people. They both tried to ignore it but it was always still there, and finally no matter how much we try to fix it always ends up the same as before. If I did have a question it would have to be why didn't Dinh come to the airport? Was he just to disappointed in the procedure or was it something else?