Hamlet Act III Blog

1. I do agree with the advice Hamlet gives to the actors about not being overly dramatic, but still having feeling. My favorite players were the mimes in the beginning, because I think it would have been really impressive to see them perform a murder without words, and such an impacting one to send Claudius into shock at that.

2. Hamlet confuses me. I do think he was too hard, I mean, I would never do anything like he is doing and so it's hard for me to relate to him. Overall I think he's an extremely complex character and sometimes I wish he would just wear his emotions and feelings on his sleeve and not try to act one way but feel another. I do think he was too harsh with the others. While he had every right to be angry, he took it too far, and his constant sarcasm is getting old.

3. He feels bad, but at the same time he's proud of the position he has and he doesn't want to give that up. The only way for him to be redeemed is to be verbal about his sin with the country, and take himself out of power.

4. A character flaw in Pride and Prejudice is Darcy's flaw of pride. He overcomes it by the end though, and I think that as Hamlet's anger and emotions keep building, he will stop thinking and he will just act out of feeling.

5. Yes, because Hamlet's seen it before. Plus, he just convinced the Queen that he's not crazy, so he wouldn't just pretend he was seeing a ghost.

Hamlet Act II Blog

1. Polonius is sneaky and deceptive, and he can't be trusted.

2. Hamlet believes that nothing is good or bad necessarily. It's how one conceives the matter that makes it good or bad. Hamlet has a negative veiw on most things and he considers himself a pessimist. I think I'm an optimist. Sometimes I should be more of a realist but I usually have a hard time drawing real conclusions about people, and I give most the benefit of the doubt.

3. I think he is because he's trying to help the king and his daughter knows of the scam, Hamlet is the only one who is clueless.

4. Hamlet seems to be acting a little more insane than he really is. With others he acts like a madman, but when he's alone he reveals so many complex thoughts and feelings that make it obvious that he's really not as crazy as everyone else thinks.

5. I guess it seems like Hamlet likes the fact that anything can happen in a play, and they have real feelings even if they're towards false situations. He uses the play because he wants to see if Claudius feels guilty, so that he can avenge him. I don't think he should be mad at himself, because he IS doing something, just slowly.

6. I think it's wrong for them to be spying on Hamlet, because they are his best friends. I'm sure Hamlet doesn't consider them as close anymore and doesn't want to trust them with his true feelings!

Hamlet Act I Journal

1. Hamlet Act I Scene II (79-86)

Hamlet: "Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not seems.
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected havior of the visage,
Together with all forms, modes, shapes of grief,
That can denote me truly. These indeed seem,"

I picked this passage because it is Hamlet's first real monologue, even though it's short, it depicts who he is as a character. He's saying that his mother is correct in saying that he is depressed, and he continues on with the descriptions so that she will fully understand just how much grief is upon him.

2. I guess I would consider myself a Marcellus, but I don't believe in ghosts like most believe in ghosts. I believe in demons and angels, and the battle between the two. I believe demons can possess a person, and even a house. It's just different than what most of the world things of ghosts as.

3. HAMLET
What he says/thinks: Hamlet Act I Scene IV (70-74)
Hamlet: "Why, what should be the fear?
I do not set my life at a pin's fee;
And for my soul, what can it do to that,
Being a thing immortal as itself?
It waves me forth again. I'll follow it."
Hamlet shows his bravery here, saying that he is not afraid of this ghost and he will in fact follow it. He doesn't see any reason to fear, and will follow his curiosity and find answers to his questions.

What He Does: Hamlet Act I Scene III (269-271)
Hamlet: "I will requite your loves. So, fare you well.
Upon the platform, 'twist eleven and twelve,
I'll visit you."
Hamlet visits the guards Horatio and Marcellus to see his father's ghost.

How He's Described: Hamlet Act I Scene II (95-100)
King: "To do obsequious sorrow. But to persever
In obstinate condolement is a course
Of impious stubbornness; 'tis unmanly grief;
It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,
A heart unfortified, a mind inpatient,
An understanding simple and unschool'd."
He's described as mourning too much for his father. According to the King, he needs to move on with life and forget about it already.

What Other Characters Say/Think About Him: Hamlet Act I Scene III (130-138)
Polonius: "Than a command to parley. For Lord Hamlet,
Believe so much in him, that he is young,
And with a larger tether may he walk
Than may be given you. In few, Ophelia,
do not believe his vows; for they are brokers,
Not of that dye which their investiments show,
But mere implorators of unholy suits,
Breathing like sanctified and pious bonds,
The better to beguile. This is for all:"
He considers Hamlet a threat to his daughter Ophelia. He thinks that Hamlet is using his daughter, doesn't really love her and does not mean the promises he tells her.

4. I would tell someone else about it, like a mentor or a guide in my life, for more encouragement and discrimination as to whether I should follow through with the ghost's instructions or not. I would want more evidence.

Hamlet Prediscussion ?s

1. I don't believe revenge is the right way to deal with wrongdoings. Revenge only worsens the conflict and creates deeper feelings of hatred between the persons. It does not solve the problem but rather increases its intensity.

2. I think it's better to think before you act! However I am guilty of acting and then thinking afterwards. It's easy to do both. I'd say the majority of the time, one should think before they act!

3. I believe reality is reality. It's the same for every person, everyone lives and breathes and deals with conflicts and relationships and other life issues. They difference is that each person perceives the concept of "life" in their own way. Though we're essentially "all in this together" if you will, everyone lives for different purposes, therefore what happens around us all will have different meanings depending on the person.

4. The core of a good friendship is honesty. Once the truth factor is removed in a friendship, the friendship dies or is severely damaged, often beyond repair. Other qualities include loyalty, good communication, the ability to make one another smile, an over-all sense of love between friends, and the willingness to go to bat for the other.

5. Parents should try to teach their children lessons without waiting for them to make their own mistakes. If this does not work, then they should allow their children to make mistakes and learn from them. I think that once a child turns 18 they should be allowed to do what they want, and make their own mistakes to learn from them. The parents are still there as advisers, but not enforcers.

6. No, I don't think so. A lot depends on the new spouse, the situation concerning the first spouse's death and the situation concerning this new marriage. There is a lot more to consider and so I do not think that children always need to be supportive of their parents' remarriages.

7. Yes. Grieving can only go on for so long before it overtakes one's life. It's important to grieve but it can become unhealthy and the person will lose relationships and possibly their own life because of it.

Matrix Blog #2

1. He thinks that if he just knows what is going on around him, he can live peacefully. He wants to forget about the world and live as a slave in the matrix for the rest of his life. I understand where he's coming from but I don't think he should have betrayed his team like that.

2. He's not sure he's really fit for the job, he feels a little inadequate for the position. An example could be maybe Harry Potter, whose greatness was put upon him.

3. Being logical doesn't always been being perfect. Sometimes you should do things not because of the logic behind them but morality. If humans were flawless, we wouldn't need anything or anyone. We'd be self sufficient. Transformers is an example of evil in the form of technology.

Matrix Blog #1

1. When he's in the matrix, he sees that this is "real" and how "it really is". When he goes back to the world we know, he has a higher sense of understanding because he knows how "it really is" and it's different than what he thought before.

2. We use our senses to tell what is real and what is unreal. If we can see, touch, hear, smell or sense it, we assume it is real. I think reality is a definite concept measurable and quantifiable because of everything around us. What is happening now and what we see and know is reality.

3. I think our current society may parallel the world of The Matrix in some ways, like how everythnig is controlled by the technology. We're not controlled in that sense, but we kind of are because everything we know comes from the media. I think technology has mostly increased the quality of life but it definitely has lessened the quality in some ways, because it has revealed things that are not so good for us to know.

"The Cave"

1. This allegory is about wisdom. Socrates is trying to explain to Glaucon that wisdom is not something that many possess or understand. Many of us are "in the dark", or ignorant of what is really happening all around us. However, we are accustomed to living this way and think nothing of it, much like the prisoners in the cave. If we should somehow see a glimpse of wisdom and understand it, we would most likely think of it as a terrible thing. But the more one understands wisdom, the more one comes to see that it is crucial to living a healthy life and is a most beneficial characteristic to possess. Although the truth can be ugly, it is the truth; and living in the truth, however negative it may seem at times, is far better than living an ignorant life.

2. He's trying to say that truth is not easily accepted at first, but once one realizes its importance and the extent of it all, they simply cannot get enough. Unfortunately, this realization often happens later in life.

3. The "dark stage" in the cave can be perceived as young children, not enrolled in school yet. What they understand seems to be everything there is in life and they desire no more. Once they begin to learn, naturally their brain does not take it lightly. But as their education continues and intensifies, their eyes are opened up and they see what all is out there for their minds to capture, and they learn, gaining wisdom and understanding.

4. It could connect to technology today with the elderly, or adults who don't want to understand new electronical devices. They don't know what is out there and so they ignore the newest developments in technology. If they try to learn, it is so difficult that the majority of them quit. But those who keep up with it find that only the beginning is rough, and after that, they cannot get enough of the new technology out there and yearn to learn more and more.

Sentence Composing #7

Practice 2
model: visibly
When she told him, she tried to excuse herself, lamely.
Before the waves crashed, the seagulls tried to escape, unsuccessfully.

Practice 3
model: slowly and evenly
She crossed Washington Avenue, confidently and purposefully.
They crept along Hynes street, quietly cautiously.

Practice 4
1) Model: slowly
Sample: triumphantly
Near the end, she sighed, gratefully.

2) Model: quietly
Sample: dreamily
We strolled down the road, nostalgically, where the children played with an old, tattered, red ball and chased each other until dusk.

3) Model: heavily
Sample: desperately
She was sobbing, uncontrollably, among her closest friends, until a man, the the father she never had, whisked her up into his arms.

Sentence Composing #6

Practice 2
Model: Suddenly
Afterward, Jasmine, who had read the novel for over two hours, sat up in bed with her nightly snack, a mini Oreo cookie.
Slowly, Mikael, who had been listening intently for twenty minutes, fell into a light sleep with his head on an awfully hard pillow, his desk.

Practice 3
Model: Outside
Inside, the younger children were involved in games while Laura was being tutored near them by her teacher.
Outside, the older kids were playing basketball while the younger ones were being read to away from them by the mayor.

Practice 4
Model: Here
There, the water smelled like fish.

Model: Slowly, methodically, miserably
Cautiously, carefully, quietly, he aimed for his target.

Model: Very slowly and very carefully
Very loudly and very obnoxiously, he turned on the x-box and cranked the volume high, singing annoying songs while his game loaded.

Argumentative Paragraph

Women in “The Knightʼs Tale”, “The Millerʼs Tale”, and “The Wife of Bathʼs Tale”
are portrayed very differently by the different authors, as some give her power and
others object-like characteristics. In “The Knightʼs Tale”, told by the Knight of course,
the woman who seems to be at the center of attention is the fair Emily, young and
beautiful. Neither Palamon or Arcita spoke a word to her, but they both fell in love at
the sight and fought to death for her love. Without Emilyʼs consent, her brother-in-law
Theseus made a deal with the gentlemen as to how to decide who would marry Emily.
She had no voice, and was subordinated to men in her time. Then, in “The Millerʼs
Tale”, Nicholas and Absalom both covet the heart of Alison, who is already married to
John. She is viewed as a prize for the two trying to win her over, and both go to great
lengths just to get a kiss from her. Once again, the story is based on two lovers fighting
for a girl they know close to nothing about, and how one of them gets the “prize” when
itʼs all over. In “The Wife of Bathʼs Tale”, however, a woman took a chance to tell her
story and reveal her thoughts on how women were treated. A young knight rapes a
woman and is sentenced to death but pardoned on one condition, and later runs to
dancing fairies in the forest to find the answer to his question. To his dismay, all that is
left is an old hag, ugly and poor. In her grace, she gives him the answer he was
looking for. The knight returns to his queen and says, “Women desire to have the
sovereignty/As well upon their husband as their love,/And to have mastery their man
above” (pg 96, 132-134). Itʼs obvious that the wife of Bath feels like women are looked
down upon and have no power, and power over men is what she desires most.
Through all these stories, the role of a woman is somewhat provincial, like an object
with no control, however, in her own mind, she wants to be in power and have
sovereignty over men.

Sentence Composing #5: Delayed Adjectives

1. pleasant
sample: helpful
Straightening my hair is a lengthy process, often not worth the time.

2. black and cut
sample: heavy
The dusty window was older than she, very ancient and tinted with a light blue edge.

3. limp
sample: smelly
I giggled as she meandered, red as an apple, to the front of the class.

PRACTICE 5
1. exhausted
2. smashed and torn
3. tall, lean, smart and soft-spoken

Sentence Composing #5

Practice 1
1) C
2) E
3) D
4) A
5) B

Practice 2
ravenous and intent
They sang like angels, pure and sweet.
Her house smelled like garbage, dingy and dirty.

Practice 3
afraid to interfere
She knew how her sisters were feeling, happy to help.
I understood why she refused to acknowledge it, overwhelmed and disturbed.

Sentence Composing Practice 3,4,5

Practice 3)
Dark, Velvety.
Slow, weary, the cautionary of his steps was caused by the surrounding overexcited horses.
Delicate, tender, the softness of her skin was luring to her new proud parents.

Practice 4)
1. Wordless, Wet
Laughing, we were on our way.
2. Cold, dark, windowless. Hot, humid, muddy.
Crisp, cool and cutting, the air stood still on the bright Sunday morning.
3. Afraid, happy
Anticipating the next evening with anxious hearts full of joy and exuberance, they lay awake.

Practice 5)
1. Carefully
2. Shivering and shaking,
3. Helpful and hopeful

Beowulf Essay

In the book “Beowulf”, some readers may see Beowulf as prideful and arrogant, however, Beowulf has earned the right to boast of his victories. Beowulf has battled many creatures of all kinds through the years and is very credible when he speaks of his triumphs. Clearly, he is prepared to face the mighty and ferocious Grendel, along with his mother. There are many references in the book to Beowulf being a credible warrior. For instance, in book 8, Unferth speaks harshly to Beowulf and stretches the truth about his encounter with Brecca. He says that Beowulf lost the battle because he wasn’t strong enough, but Beowulf comes back and tells the real story of his battle with sea monsters. Another example is found in book 10. Beowulf makes the public decision to defeat Grendel weaponless, using only the strength in his bare hands. Some may consider this a foolish thought. Once again, Beowulf proves his strength by defeating Grendel in the next book with no other weapon than his robust hands. At this point even more than before, he has the right to boast of his strength. Then, in book 21, Beowulf makes a daring promise. He tells King Hrothgar and the Danes that he will kill Grendel’s mother, and he only needs one day. If broken, this promise would have let down the entire kingdom. The Danes had no need to worry. Beowulf defeats Grendel’s malicious mother, vicious and vindictive, on his own after one day. Through all of these triumphs, it is obvious that Beowulf was not an arrogant warrior. He understood his strength, and assured the people he served that he would take care of them.

Sentence Composing #4

Practice 1
1. E, Frantic, never turning my head-because the water buffalo had started his charge
2. D, Able to move now
3. A, Alive
4. C, Lonesome
5. B, Hot and justy and over-wearied

Practice 2
A) SPEECHLESS, Bryson scanned the small living room, frantically.
B) Uncomfortable, Kendra spotted the soft inviting sofa, hopefully.
C) Breathless, Nathan reached the end of the football field, gloriously.

Sentence Composing #3

1. Laughing and yelling and celebrating, the winning team cavorted inside the locker room.

Ticking and tocking and chiming, the grandfather clock sounded within the haunted house.

2. She raced back determined, her lungs bursting.

He lie down weeping, his heart in pieces.

3. Afraid, Clark walked down the alley and hoped that he was alone there.

Famished, the little boy sprinted towards his grandmother's house and knew that he would soon be dining.

4. The arena was full, a huge cavern filled with fans, bright lights, and exciting music.

Her bedroom was luring, a small haven of spring tulips, soft lights, and open windows.

Sentence Composing #2

1. Mall strolling is recreational activity, sometimes quite costly.

2. Behind the pool, zigzagging in back of the cabana, was a skittering gecko.

3. After the cartoons and previews, the kids were just becoming interested when the fire alarm sounded.

4. On that aisle, the tempting, brightly colored candies and lifesavers, sweet and tasty, were beckoning to children in their kiddie seats within their mom's grocery carts.

Anglo-Saxon/Old English Blog

After studying the Anglo-Saxon language and way of life, I've run into both similarities and differences between their culture and ours. The Anglo-Saxons demanded loyalty towards the chief of their tribe. Tribal leaders were respected by all. Today, not everyone in our culture necessarily likes our leaders, such as the president. They aren't forced to like him, either. Despite this difference, I don't think the two cultures are totally alien to each other. I have no doubt that our culture received many of its ways from the Anglo-Saxons. The concept of unity within the communities in that time was key. That has been passed down to our culture today. When studying the language, I found many words that are similar to the words we use today, such as "efyle" and "evil", also "faeder" and "father". However, listening to the language being spoken, it's no mistake that it is not the English spoken in our culture. Some words have been changed so drastically that they're not recognizable in the Old English text.

After watching the YouTube video "The Worst Jobs in History- Part 1", I learned that there were different levels at which the Anglo-Saxons were placed, such as the Kings, Warriors, and Peasants. The Peasant's only job was to keep his family alive. Anglo-Saxons had a much simpler way of life compared to the Romans, living in houses made of mud and straw and using plows pulled by oxen.