Great Ending

Finally, I finished the book! Seeing as to how I had already seen the movie and read the easier adaptation of the novel, I already knew how it was going to end. Regardless, I love the ending. Throughout the whole novel, Austen gives the reader the idea that Mr. Darcy is an arrogant, prejudice, and exclusive man, but she does not allow him to share his personal view until the middle of the novel. This gave me as a reader a feeling of disgust towards Darcy. After he presents Elizabeth with the letter explaining the reasons behind his actions, which to her seemed terrible and selfish, the story changes completely. The story then becomes more of a game between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. They cross paths more than once and they constantly search for each other.

This novel had the exact storyline of a fairytale. The girl and the boy are star-crossed lovers who seem to have no way in which they would ever unite and then by a stroke of fate or luck, they end up meeting falling in love, fighting for that person, caring for that person, sweeping them off of their feet, and then finally they marry them. Its the typical princess story that every girl wants to experience as her life. As for her sister, she had the exact same ending, but without so much hardship or focus in the novel. I'm really glad Lady Catherine did not succeed in scaring Elizabeth off into not marring Darcy. I didn't like her character at all! Since the beginning i knew that she would be a snooty, mean, and selfish person who would cause much hardship in the "fairytale."

I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope we read more books with this type of storyline. Thank you Rachel for suggesting it :) .

Boys wont stop until they get what they want (no matter how they do it)

In these pages, Mr. Collins finally gives up his chase for Elizabeth, but he is not satisfied. Luckily for him, Miss Lucas came by to visit her dear friend and caught sight of him. As a woman, she is very agreeable and nice; however, she is very plain and is in the same financial state as the Bennet family. Any marriage that could provide her with a comfortable home would be a wish, or in this case, chance she would be willing to take. The fact that Mr. Collins would choose Elizabeth's best friend could only mean one of three things: 1) it was love at first sight [not likely], 2) he was so desperate to be married that he chose anyone else who was likely to have him, 3) as revenge to Elizabeth for refusing his proposal. Which of these motives led him to be with Charlotte we will never know, but we can each make inferences from the following information of the novel.

The couple united soon after Lizzy's rejection of Mr. Collins, and they married almost immediately after. Of course the whole Bennet family was invited to the wedding, but was it a slap in the face to Elizabeth that her friend was marrying the man that had proposed to her not much time before? Could they continue to have the same inseparable relationship? Im sure if Elizabeth really did not like the man, then she would have no problem with her best friend marrying him, and if she really loved her friend then she would want whats best for her which would clearly be to marry, seeing as to how she was already beginning to age.

Mrs. Bennet was furious with the matter. She felt ultimate jealousy which took over her body whenever they came to visit, "she regarded her with jealous abhorrence. Whenever Charlotte came to see them she concluded her to be anticipating the hour of possession; and whenever she spoke in a low voice to Mr. Collins, was convinced that they were talking of the Longbourne estate." The book mentions many times, and it is quite obvious by her actions, that Mrs. Bennet worries about the time of her and Mr. Bennet's death. Where would her children go? Where would they stay? Would they be ruined? Would they be married? Would they have any other chance to be married? These question would haunt her for the rest of her life until she saw each of her daughters happily married and settled.

Ohhhhh! Rejected!!

In pages 75-90, we see women in power. Men have many weaknesses. They would never admit to any of them, and they would and will do anything to fix or hide their weaknesses; however, it seems that they still haven't found a cure to one of their worst weaknesses...women. In this part of the book, Mr. Collin's nears the end of his stay at Longbourne. He feels he must act know in order to fulfill his patroness' wishes as well as his own to marry and to settle the long dispute between his family and the Bennet family. There is only one small problem; he needs to find a woman to fulfill this must. At first, he selects Jane, the eldest and most beautiful of the Bennet girls. Once he informs Mrs. Bennet of this selection, she tells him at once that Jane is very near having a proposal of her own from another admirer. He immediately takes this into consideration and opens his eyes for another woman who would be suitable to play the role of his wife, and who would satisfy Lady Catherine's judgements. Next in line came the fair Elizabeth Bennet.

Elizabeth has never been one to not follow her heart. She has a feminist attitude and cannot dream of ever making a choice, such as to marry Mr. Collins, that would effect her the rest of her life and surely make her miserable and regret her decision. The proposal came to Elizabeth, "before she had time for anything but a blush of surprise." (page 79) This only added to the graveness of her tone when she responded to his "over the top" flattery. She answered him as politely as possible saying, "you are too hasty sir, you forget that I have made no answer. Let me do it without further loss of time. Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me. I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them... you could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who would make you so." (pages 81-82) With this, Elizabeth tried to make her opinion/ refusal known, but Mr. Collins would not hear of it. He was charmed by everything about her. Her refusal only made him more persistent. Women usually have this effect on men. With the right acts and gestures, they can have men do just about anything for them.

At the end of the book, this womanly strength presents itself again. Mr. Darcy finally makes it known that he is deeply in love with Elizabeth. He even proposes to her "against his better judgement." Elizabeth; however, refuses his offer seeing as to how she cannot even imagine being with the one person who tore her sister and Mr. Bingley apart, along with destroying officer Wickham's life. The reasons were unknown to her, making her refusal as valid and agreeable to the reader as possible, but later on in the novel, Mr. Darcy provides her with a note explaining what really happened and why it occurred in that way. Being away from Elizabeth made Darcy sad, mad, and with many other mixed emotions. He felt he had to be near her in order to be happy. He did everything he could to help her family and to show Elizabeth that he could be worthy of her love if she let him. Like mentioned before, women have this effect on men. Men are very competitive. This is for the sole reason that they want to impress and win over women so that they may have a successful life and a grand partner to share it with (grand partner in each persons particular eyes.) Women will always have a leading reign on men. Men are like animals, they many times cannot control themselves when they find someone they like and might even love. This makes women on a pedestal compared to men, and it will always be like this. There is nothing in the world that could change this.

My Movie!

Just to start off, I must inform everyone that I own and love this movie! Although, I could not understand why Mr. Tangen would only assign the first 10 minutes of the whole movie, when we are in the middle of the book. Apparently he's "cool like my juice." (people in my class would understand that statement) This movie portrays Mr. Bingley as a popular but somewhat shy man, and it certainly does not do Mr. Darcy any justice.

Before studying the book in class, I had already seen the movie and read a version of the book meant for children in middle school. Yes, it had some pictures and medium letters. With all of this, I pretty much knew the whole story by heart, but it was missing details and a few of the characters that don't come up very often in the novel. The movie portrays Darcy as prideful, but not nearly to the extent that the book depicts. This does not allow the watcher to feel the hatred for the character that Jane Austen is trying to describe. The point of the story is for the reader to loathe Mr. Darcy as deeply as Elizabeth does throughout most of the novel. Only until she reads the letter and becomes aware of many other circumstances is that supposed to change. The scene from the link shows the first impression the reader/ watcher receives when Darcy is first introduced. Pride, the definition of this age, shows itself very strongly in this character. Darcy refuses all invitations to dance and barely glances at Elizabeth, whom he says, "she is tolerable but not enough to tempt me." Ironically, Mr. Darcy is subconsciously captivated by Elizabeths grand and dark eyes. This raises the questions, "Will their be a turn in the story? Will Mr. Darcy show a side to him that is not expected?"

The character of Mr. Bingley does not have a dramatic difference from the book to the movie. In both, he is shown as a weak person who has his decisions made for him. His sisters easily convince him to leave what he loves and to move on. When someone loves something, they should be adamant about having and doing everything to have that, in this case, person. They should not be easily persuaded into leaving all behind. In the novel, due to Mr. Darcy's influence in his dear friend's life, he does end up coming back, but can barely keep his grips in the situation. He must face what he left behind without reason, and he must make amends to those whom he hurt in his absence.

It's Not What you Know; It's Who you Know.

The Bennet girls seem to be very popular in their area. They are known as pretty and intelligent. Because of the size of the towns in which they reside, everyone knows everyone. Gossip is the center of attention. Especially when new people come into town.

In chapters 12-16, a few regiments of officers come into the small town of Meryton to stay until they have to deploy again. This news, of course, travels quickly throughout all of the small towns. The youngest of the Bennet girls, Kitty and Lydia, rejoice at the news and take off at once to their uncle's house. Their uncle has great connections with the regiments; therefore, he always has part of the militia at his house for dinner. The girls spend every afternoon at their uncle's until one day, their father informs them of a special guest that would be joining them for the weekend. When he arrives, he is very polite and formal with the family. (He uses formal register... hehehe) He seems to already know plenty about the Bennet family, which makes them, especially the younger ones, feel very popular.

During the visit, the girls are bored to tears. They try to show interest in what Mr. Collins has to say, but his monotone voice and praise for his "fortunate patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh." (pg. 49) Soon enough, they persuade Mr. Collins and their parents to let them go to Meryton for the evening, and surely enough the permission is granted. Whilst in town, the girls ran into officer Denny who introduced them to officer Whickham. As this took place, Mr. Bingley, along with Mr. Darcy, rode into town. They came straight up to the girls and said hello. To this, Mr. Collins saw the Bennet girls as well connected with the higher society. He thought this as good news to bring back to his patroness. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham exchanged cold looks and then parted ways. This gave Elizabeth curiosity as to what may have happened in the past, but she did not inquire, in case it was a touchy subject.

Everywhere the girls went, men's eyes followed eagerly. They charmed all they met. Their uncle's happened to have a dinner the following evening, to which the girls were invited. Here, the girls flirted and talked to many officers who were staying in Meryton, and Elizabeth finally found out what she had been inquiring all along.

Two-Faced Bee's with Itches

Chapters 9-12 consisted of two- faced people. It began with Jane and Elizabeth staying at the Netherfield house, due to a terrible sickness that had overcome Jane. The Bingley sisters acquired this negative trait, and they used it on their guests. Jane, a very sweet girl, neglects to admit that the sisters have not been completely honest with her or her sister about their feelings of them and their family. but then again, they do not dislike Jane, just her social status and connections. They feel she can do so much better and that she deserves to be put into a higher society, but they would never say this to her face, instead they simply pretend to be her best friend and to like her family.

Elizabeth on the other hand is not so gullible. She realizes their contradicting personalities, but she does not show any retaliation, for they are caring for her beloved sister who has been very sick. She uses this time to learn the ways of "high class people" although she does not believe she will use it often. She is kind but very honest to all, even when what she has to say is a bit witty. She does not appreciate this double attitude.

I for one, hate two-faced people. I would rather a person tell me what they honestly think once so that I may change or stop being with that person, then have that person hate, mock, and have to put up with me. I feel that those kinds of people have low self esteem and need to get the attention of another person by ridiculing and mocking others around them. I would call them "bees with itches" (my mother does not let me say the real word but this kinda works) because bees are mean but they need help cuz they are itching :) hehe

The Chase is Always Better than the Catch.

In chapters 6-9, Mr. Darcy begins to have a change of heart. He comments on Elizabeth's grand dark eyes and he finally asks her to dance. Her refusal only increases his attention towards her. She proves herself to be an independent woman who is not insulted easily. Elizabeth talks to her good friend, Charlotte, who explains to her that "in nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show more affection than she feels." (pg 15) With this, Charlotte tells Elizabeth that Mr. Bingley does not know Jane as they do. He does not know her disposition or the way in which she shows her feelings. Elizabeth is convinced that Bingley and Jane are in love and she refuses to do something with the advice given to her by her friend.

Mrs. Bennet, always on her toes waiting for an opportunity to unite Jane and Mr. Bingley, sends her daughters to all of the balls in the country. Here, Elizabeth finally gives Mr. Darcy a respectful taste of his own medicine. His eyes are opened to this young lady, and he begins to want to know more about her. He watches her carefully for the remainder of the evening.

This is very typical in men. With this novel, we see that men do not change throughout generations, for they still like to have to work to get what they want. They like the chase much more than the catch. A man would much rather have a woman refuse him at first and have to work in order to be noticed that to have her affections with a snap of his fingers. This is why women always tend to be so mysterious and "hard to get."

Towards and in chapter 9, Jane receives a letter from Mr. Bingley's sister, Caroline, saying that she must join them for dinner at their mannor. Mrs. Bennet does not allow Jane to take the carriage for she is quite sure that it will rain that day, making it impossible for her to return home. Ultimately Jane becomes terribly sick causing Elizabeth to walk 3 miles to where she was, and to stay with her for about a week until she got better. In this time, Elizabeth was ridiculed by the sisters for her lack of poise, art, and talent on the "pianoforte."

Is it Love or Money?

In the beginning of the novel, Pride and Prejudice, the news spreads of a rich man coming to town. Here, Jane Austen introduces the main characters. She begins with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, the parents of the Bennet family. She then introduces Mr. Bingley as a wealthy man who has come into town. He is depicted as caring, well mannered, nice and "agreeable." She introduces the rest of the Bennet family which includes Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. She gives a small introduction and description about the whole family. Mrs. Bennet is a nervous mother who's only occupation is to marry each of her five daughters as well as possible. Mr. Bennet is a clever, calm, and intelligent man who favors Elizabeth for her quickness and uniqueness. Jane is a beautiful lady who sees no fault in anyone and charms everyone she meets. Elizabeth is also a very pretty lady who is quick in mind, true to her heart, honest, quick to judge, and kind. Mary is a quiet girl who likes to read and play the piano. Kitty and Lydia are silly girls who still have much to mature and learn. They love to flirt and dance with all they meet.

The next scene is a grand ball, which was made so that the whole county could meet this new comer. During the ball, Mr. Bingley meets the Bennet family, and charmed by the eldest, Jane, he asks her to dance twice, which she willfully accepts. Here, Austen introduces two new characters, Mr. Darcy a rich, proud, and disagreeable man and Miss Bingley a well mannered woman of much achievement and social standings. As Jane, Kitty, and Lydia dance the night away, Elizabeth overhears a conversation between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, "you had much better dance..." said Mr. Bingley. (pg 7) Mr Darcy responded, "your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with." (pg 7) Mr. Bingley, insisting on finding his friend a partner replied, "there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you [Elizabeth], who is very pretty and dare i say, very agreeable." (pg 7) Again in retaliation Darcy responds, "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me;..." (pg 7) With this, the whole county became disgusted with his presence. He was seen as a conceited and proud man who happened to have a great fortune, but it was made known that he would never have a chance with any of the Bennet girls.

I most certainly agree with the Bennet girls. A man can be handsome, rich, and well mannered, but if he doesnt have the personality to match, then he is not worth being with. Looks and money come and go. A personality is what stays with you for a lifetime, that is why you should never judge a man by his looks just like you should never judge a book by its cover. You never know what the inside could look like.

Justice is Served

Act V of "Hamlet" showed the final death and revenge of the characters. At first, I had no idea that all the people in the play died, but I knew that Hamlet and the king died towards the end of the play. Some great person in my class spoiled the ending for me; therefore, I somewhat knew what was going to happen. My question is were the killings done justly or just out of pure hatred?

I analyzed each of the characters in Act V scene ii and how they died, and then I analyzed their situation they were in before this scene. I began with Laertes. His death was only somewhat just. He lost his father and sister because of Hamlet; therefore, all he wanted was to seek revenge. The king knew of this and used Laertes' anger to his advantage for he too wanted Hamlet killed. Laertes had been a good man until this tragic scene occurred. Someone had to die and it just happened to be him who died first. Then I analyzed the queen's death. The queen committed many faults during the play, but she was always good at heart, or at least that is what William Shakespeare wanted us to think when writing this play. She was gullible and a follower. She loved her son but loved her "new husband" more. "KING CLAUDIUS-Gertrude, do not drink. QUEEN GERTRUDE-I will, my lord; I pray you, pardon me. KING CLAUDIUS-[Aside] It is the poison'd cup: it is too late." (Hamlet act V scene ii) In the end she dies by a poisoned cup, which was originally intended for Hamlet. It was the one and only time she disobeys her husband. The play does not reveal why, nor does it reveal if she knew that the cup was poisoned, but we as readers infer that she did, otherwise she would not have said what she said.

Next I analyzed Hamlet. This was a hard death. It was also only somewhat just. He wanted to take revenge for his father. He wanted nothing else but to kill the king for killing his father, taking control of the kingdom, and marrying his mother. He hated every bone in the king's body and he made several attempts previously to take away the kings life. Hamlet ended up killing the king by making him drink from his own poisoned cup, but he is also killed by a venom, which was lathered on the sword so that once it penetrated his skin it would kill him. Hamlet was also good at heart. He wanted the best for everyone around him, but he went mad. He killed other innocent people which became the cause of other deaths. Many would say that he did deserve to die, but I still cannot make up my mind. Lastly, I analyzed the king. I didn't have to go back into the play to know that his death was as just as could be. He was a terrible person, full of greed and hate. He killed his brother, married his sister-in-law, and almost killed his nephew. He made many attempts to kill Hamlet. He even involved other people so that he wouldn't have to do the "dirty work" himself.

The ending of the book fit perfectly. Everyone got the ending they deserved. Although I hate tragedies, this was a book that I could reread in the future. (believe me that is saying alot!) I'm glad to be done with this book as a class assignment, and I'm soooooooo excited to be starting Pride and Prejudice next week!

The Real You

Dreams are your sub conscience painting a picture. What builds in your sub conscience is something completely different. All experiences a person goes through, lessons he or she learns and/ or grand events that occur, have pieces that stay in your mind without you ever really thinking of them. When you later go to sleep, all that has been built up in the very backs of your brain come out and create somewhat of a movie for the dreamer. It paints a grand scenery that is not always known to the dreamer. It has people you may have seen somewhere, even if you did not really notice them or even really look at them at all. They all play an important part in the making of the dream. The dream contains deep secrets that only the wise can puzzle out. It has your true identity locked inside where only the true of heart can let it free. Overall, your sub conscience is the real you with no mask, ego, or looks.

Freud makes a connection to this with the children's story "The Emperor's New Clothes." The king contracted two men to make him a new outfit and he was fooled by the lies of someone else's personality. The king would dream about the clothes and etc. In the end, the king walked around his kingdom in nothing but his undergarments and he was silently mocked until a child spoke the words that everyone else feared to speak, "the king is not wearing any clothes." This is the catch about dreams. As grand as they may appear, as many secrets as they may contain, and as true as they may be, they can not predict the future (in most cases.)

I personally have an argument toward the last fact. I seem to have somewhat of a sixth sense when I dream and in general. When I dream about a tragedy, something terrible seems to happen within a week of when I had the dream; and when I dream about something wonderful, the same thing, but in vice-versa occurs.

Live Life to the Fullest

The last few minutes of the scene gave the message that Hamlet was not happy with the life he had led up until now. "To grunt and sweat under a weary life," (line 77) This line conveys the message literally and Hamlet then continues to explain his melancholic feelings. Having such high social class comes with many safety precautions and responsibilities. These people cannot go anywhere unprotected, they many times cannot eat certain foods, and they always have backup somewhere near. This cuts them off from doing different and adventurous things. "The undiscover'd country from whose bourne... and makes us rather bear those ills we have then to fly to others that we know not of." (lines 79-82) They cannot expand their lives without conquering the land beforehand, and they cannot run away from their problems even for a little while.

Living your life like this becomes a habit. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." (line 83) I have personal experience in this area. When I lived in the states, there was no such thing as social classes (there was but barely noticeable.) Since we were very young, everyone always told us that we were all made as equals and that everyone deserves the same respect and service as the other. This is how I lived the first 15 years of my life. Then when I moved, I remember my dad made a point of telling us that social classes were huge here. I did not understand what he meant until I was emersed into the environment. Here, everyone goes around in bulletproof cars and have super secure houses and etc. No one ever goes to places that here are considered of low class. After living here for a year, I found myself in the same mind set. I now have social class clear in my mind, while before every was equal. I subconsciously don't go anywhere that is considered low class unless I need to, and I dont feel quite as safe everywhere I go like I did in the states.

Life is tough for everyone in every social class. The only thing we can do is learn to adapt and move on. I feel that Hamlet has had enough of these restrictions and that in this scene, he explodes. He wants to live his life to the fullest, or at least to the fullest he can make it. He has had enough of his life and feels that many people are being dishonest with him, even his dear Ophelia. He wants to move on with his life and change the daily routines he lives in.

Is Suicide the Only Way Out?

The second part of the scene, which stood out to me was when Hamlet said, "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, the pangs of despised love, the law's delay... That patient merit of the unworthy takes." (lines 70-74) From this part of the text, I can infer that Hamlet is in depression. He is debating suicide which in any case is a big sign of depression. In his soliloquy he states that no one should have to bear the hardships he has had to face in his life. He cannot find any way out of his troubles other than suicide.

Another reason, which I came up with, was that Hamlet had done something which he regretted with all of his being. His conscience does not leave him alone which makes him go crazy (literally). I am not sure, but I believe that he killed someone. It may have been out of anger or rage or any strong emotion which he could not control, but nevertheless he committed the crime and now must pay the consequences that follow. Hamlet feels that suicide would be the only way out because he cannot find a way to forgive himself. This alone is a problem people cannot live with. All people can relate to this aspect of the soliloquy and the play because all people at least once in their life have felt regret for something they have done. It is something you cannot get your mind off of until a period of time has passed. If the situation is grave enough, then it is capable of making a person go crazy, as is shown in the play "Hamlet."

"To Be or Not To Be."

The scene began with a soliloquy done by Hamlet in a room by himself. He begins with the simple words, "To be or not to be: that is the question." (line 56) Because he used a grave tone while saying this, we can infer that this line and scene is important. This line is actually quite popular. Before beginning the play, "Hamlet," I had heard this saying many times, but to be honest, I had no idea what it meant or where it came from. Now I am aware, but i'm still not quite sure what it means. While saying this line, Hamlet also annunciates and speaks very slowly as if he is trying to portray and express the importance of what is going on. He seems confused and has a decision to make. A decision which will change the path of his life, or in this case, the play. A decision of life or death. After watching a certain amount of the video, I decided to look up possible meanings to the line on google. The first website I found was extremely helpful. It had different interpretations of the line from different people along with an explanation as to why they interpreted it that way. The interpretation I agreed with, was one that basically described the soliloquy as a debate between life or death. In my interpretation, Hamlet thought that he had two options: death or life. Death would be a one-way ticket out of the hardships of life, but there was no telling if death if what came after death would be worse. No one can ever return once they choose that path; therefore, we dont have any documents or proof of what the afterlife will be like.

Another thing which helped prove my point and interpretation, is the camera position and angle. During the soliloquy, the camera has a close-up shot of David Tennant's (Hamlet's) face. it is also looking up toward him. These two things show that the person speaking is superior (hight of the camera in regards to the person) and the director wants you to listen and pay attention to what the actor is saying which would most likely be important (angle of the camera).

active/ passive voice

1. The statue is being visited by hundreds of tourists every year.

-Hundreds of tourists visit the statue every year.

2. My books were stolen by someone yesterday.

-Someone stole my books yesterday.

3. These books had been left in the classroom by a careless student.

-A careless student left these books in the classroom.

4. Coffee is raised in many parts of Hawaii by plantation workers.

-Plantation workers raise coffee in many parts of Hawaii

5. The house had been broken into by someone while the owners were on vacation.

-Someone broke into the house while the owners were on vacation.

6. A woman was being carried downstairs by a very strong firefighter.

-A very strong firefighter carried a woman down the stairs.

7. The streets around the fire had been blocked off by the police.

-The police blocked off the streets around the fire.

8. Have you seen the new movie that was directed by Ron Howard?

-Have you seen the new movie that Ron Howard directed?

9. My car is in the garage being fixed by a dubious mechanic.

-A dubious mechanic, in the garage, is fixing my car.

10. A great deal of our oil will have been exported to other countries by our government.

-Our government will have exported a great deal of our oil to other countries.

The Thought of Prisons Makes Me Sad

To be honest, I did not listen to the full hour of the recording. It was too long! I had hot chocolate waiting for me! but I did listen for a good while and I believe I got the point. First of all, thinking of people in prison makes me sad. Why are they there, How long will it be until they can reunite with their loved ones, how is this affecting their children or wives or close relatives if any, will their futures be ruined forever? So many questions, which I fear all have terrible answers.

I started the recording and listened for about 10min. Then I stopped it and went to go drink my hot chocolate. It was soooooo good by the way. before going back to the recording I started thinking why would they put a bunch of criminals to act out Hamlet? Does Hamlet have a relationship to crazy people who do much harm to others? Then I thought, "well no-duh Vanessa!" Hamlet is full of murderers, people who have the gaul or downright desperation that they need to marry their in-laws about a month after their husband dies! The play is simply full of people with psychological problems. The thought of having a prison act it out was genius!

The sadness and madness could be felt through the actors (prisoners) words! Maybe it was just my imagination and pity that I was hearing but I could feel the anger and revenge felt and being portrayed. I felt the desperation and despair in the scenes. I think that this maybe the approach I will take when I perform my version of the scene with my group.

Using my own Knowledge and Experience

To begin, I am so glad that we are finally touching a subject in class, which I can relate to very much! The play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, has so many small qualities that a normal person watching the play does not notice; therefore, he/ she cannot appreciate them. On the other hand, having danced and performed in front of big audiences since I was 4 allows me to have a different perspective and insight when it come to the fine arts.

The first scene, David Tennant's version of Act 2 scene 2, shows much more acting than in Kenneth Branagh's version of Act 1 scene 2. This for a play or a performance of any kind is vital. An artist (not the literal painting type) must be able to make what he/ she is doing look easy even if it is dancing on pointe for 3 hours straight without a break, or performing a play with 23874029384092384029384 lines like in a soliloquey. They must be able to convey their love for what they are doing. This is the beginning of how to connect with an audience. As if that were not enough, an artist must also adapt a separate feeling (the feeling being portrayed in the script, or in my case the dance) and express it so well, that the audience feels that feeling while they are watching. This, I feel, is the hardest part of being an artist. you must maintain your character at all times. You cannot take a break and slouch for a second or lose your smile when supposedly something great has happened to you in the play.

David Tennant did a very good job with this in his version. He not only showed the emotion he was supposed to be feeling, but he also knew how to use his stage. The emotions I felt while watching were confusion, frustration, and anger. His facial expressions never took a break. They continued to change with every knew emotion or question he asked/ felt. He paced constantly, which is what people tend to do when they are frustrated. He even threw himself onto the floor at one point which only made him captivate the audience even more! Overall, I felt that this version was very well done; but of course, this is from a performers point of view.

Kenneth Branagh also did a good job performing his scene. He showed anger and disappointment because of the recent events which had happened. He moved around his stage and used it to his advantage, but not as much as the previous scene. He annunciated every word as if he wanted the audience to feel and connect to his anger and fury. This scene was also much less modern. While watching the play, I imagined that this must have been what it looked like back in those times. The props and setting used helped the play in the sense that it helped the audience connect to the time period in which this play was taking place. This scene was also very well done but I liked the first scene much more.

Routines

In Krapp's Last Tape, I also noticed another factor that seemed small and insignificant at first, but then it made another portion make sense. This piece of evidence came after I had already made my previous inferences of mental disorder or alcohol. The only thing different about this, is that this piece of evidence led me to eliminate the thought of mental disorder as a whole.

During the tape, Krapp showed another trait that most people have. He showed many signs of routines. First, he ate a banana. Then he ate another banana in the same way as the first. Then he went to the back room to bring the books. Again he did the same thing in the same way. This was the first time i thought of this coincidence. Lastly, when he played the recorder, it was his voice. The voice was telling him of what he was doing. It told of his habits, what he ate, what he did, and etc. This is what made me come to my conclusion that his routine of alcohol is what made him such a drunk in the film.

Mental Disorder or Alcohol?

While watching "Krapp's Last Tape," I felt very awkward and confused. This elderly man seemed to be suffering either from a mental disorder or from the influence of alcohol. In the beginning, he tries to eat two bananas but becomes frustrated with himself at how hard it is for him. This was the first piece of evidence that led me to those conclusions. Later, he began to make multiple trips from a back room, and he brought curious items to a table.

The man opened one of the books and began to read aloud what it had written inside. It had a set of directions. Another clue that led me to these inferences was how he read the directions. He showed difficulty in reading and pronunciation. He slurred words and read at a very slow pace. This is often times a symptom of alcohol, but it also could simply be a medical condition of the mind. This was not the last sign of brain troubles shown in the clip. The next sign came after he pressed the play button on a recorder for the first time. My guess is that the noise from the recorder was so load that it scared him or caused him to react violently by throwing all that was on the table onto the floor.

After this, I knew forsure that he had to suffer from some sort of brain damage. A person simply does not act this way normally. While the tape played, I noticed that it said something about wine which confirmed my hypothesis about alcohol.

5 Points for Victor!

After reading Victor's essay, I wanted to sit down and cry. Five points for Victor! The terminology used was very advanced and is the kind of vocabulary that should be used in an AP course. I fail to use such words that enhance my vocabulary, but I will try in my future papers to use bigger words and to sound more intelligent. I also liked his use of symbolism. I felt that he adapted it well to the books and explained them thoroughly. He made clear connections and did not use fluff to fill up the essay. He also completed the quota on quotes :P Overall, I thought it was a very good essay.

Pre-Hamlet

In the introduction we were asked to watch, Kenneth Branagh tells of his love for the story Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. He tells that since he was young, he had a deep love for stories full of drama and especially written by Shakespeare. I find Shakespeare hard to read at times. I read "Romeo and Juliet" in my freshman year back at my old high school in Florida. I loved the play and understood it quite easily. In addition to reading it, we also saw the movie in class and had each small part explained to us. Then we were tested on it which I wasn't so fond of.Last year, we read "Macbeth." This piece of literature was very difficult for me to read and understand. Only after watching the film, and after multiple classes discussing the play, did I come to an understanding of the play.

"Hamlet" is known to be a very long play, and I, personally, am not very good with literature. I also know that it is difficult and confusing because my older sister studied it last year, and I remember watching her night after night studying. My father, who is a genius when it comes to history and literature, can tell us any story "in a nutshell," which helps incredibly when you are trying to find the main idea of the story, or in this case play. With reading "Hamlet" I hope that we watch a film. But I hope we watch it without interruptions, because otherwise it is very confusing and difficult to understand. I also hope that we have many discussions in class so that in case if while reading i did not understand, maybe someone else did and they can explain it to me.

In regards to performing the play, I am not sure whether we are going to be performing the whole play or if we will split the book into parts like we did with "Macbeth" and then each perform our small scenes. Being an experienced dancer, i know that we will need much rehearsal time, and in order to act your part well, you will need a good understanding of the whole plot, characters, and background. Overall, I am excited to begin this piece and to perform it with my classmates.

Different Opinions

After reading this excerpt, I realized that some people had a completely different view about the book than I did. At first I too dreaded having to read a book during my vacation and have to write a summary on my own so that I would remember what I read when school began. The beginning I found boring, which didn't help the fact that I didn't want to read the book in the first place. And I have a small confession to make... after reading the first five pages, I skipped the rest of the first chapter and continued on chapter two.

At this point, the book started to interest me. I love stories that include drama, love, and suspense. I, personally, am like a little girl who loves to hear about grand parties, romance, and happily ever afters. The Great Gatsby began to depict these things and I began to read further and further into the book. On the other hand, Sonya Chung thought that the book was boring and caused her to "fall asleep" while reading it. I felt this way about the previous novel I read, The Road. Some people appreciate the difficulties of life and enjoy reading about the hardships of others, but I like to hear about fairytales.

I loved reading The Great Gatsby, and I think we should read more books like that one. Sonya Chung had a different view point which I respect but do not agree with. I know many people who had the same opinions as Sonya and I also know people who prefer fairytales to depression stories, but to each his own.

We Need Better Books

So I finished the book. I did not like it one bit. The beginning was so confusing I had to talk to other people so that they could explain to me what was going on. I made my mother read it so that she could explain everything i did not understand. (My mother is a genius at everything, especially literature.)

The fact that the father died at the end was terrible! I loved the father! He was all that the little boy had! He taught the boy everything he knew and protected and provided for him throughout the entire journey. Everything he went through for that boy and for himself just came to an end within 30 seconds. I personally thought that this book was depressing and not a good read for teeanagers who are stressing about grades, college, and just life in general.

I think for our next read we should read something with love, romance, comedy, fairies, unicorns, and etc. I liked The Canterbury Tales for that reason. Something with a nice ending in which I can go to sleep and not worry about having nightmares related to it.

Memories

Almost done with the novel, I began thinking about the next blog I had to write to please dear Mr. Tangen. The idea of having to write again and have him check scared me so I began. For this blog I did not have an idea of what to write. I was not inspired at the time I wrote it so I started looking at other people's blogs and then I took many ideas and formed it into one. B y looking at one of my classmates blogs, I saw how memories were used and I agreed and thought it was the closest idea to what I had while I was reading The Road.

In the novel, the father had lived a normal life for most of his lifetime. He had a mother, a father and a normal home. It was only until after he had gotten married and had the little boy that things started to change. People began to die off and suffer tremendously from the changes, but there was nothing anyone could do about it. (The book does not specify what exactly happened that wiped out all of the people, but we can infer that there was much suffering and change occurring.) The mother shot herself because she could not handle or adapt to the harsh changes occurring in the environment. The father on the other hand, took the boy as his life and guarded him as so.

Later in the book, the father makes references to his past life and memories in subtle ways.

seeing places and having flashbacks of how they used to be and the effects those places had on the father as a person was one of the hardest things he had to cope with. When he gives his son a coke, which he found in an abandoned vending machine, he thinks that "this is what I had in my time, but you will probably never have ever again and you will never fully appreciate it the way I do." When they went to places of the father's past, he thought, "you will never know this place to be what it was, but it kills me to see it so barren and deserted."

The father's past allows him to continue and be successful in his future. He knows about things that the little boy will never know about. He has experienced things and the company of other people, which have gone and will never return. He has lived a life that no one can ever match up with.

Life on The Road is Tough.

As I continued reading through the novel, I saw how hard living your life on the road would be. I relate it to camping. I think living on a road such as the one in the novel would be the same as a camping trip with just one other person. There are no other people there to bother you about anything. Life like that would be difficult. You start off with a surplus of food, but you do not know how much you need to save daily so that it reaches the end of the time period in which you will be nomadic.

Food would not be the only stress. You would also have to worry about safety. In the novel, the little boy and his father sleep in deserted places where they think no one will find them. When camping, you must pick a location in which you also know you will not be robbed by humans and by the more common criminals, raccoons and other animals. You would need a way to protect yourself from anything that comes your way.

Aside from these two factors, like in the novel, you must always worry about the other people whom you are with. The father in the book spends many sleepless nights watching for animals and other people who might come around and try to harm them. He many times gave his food to the child so that he could have more. You have to always be sure that the people who are accompanying you are ok.

The book stresses the love the father had for his son. In this time where they had nothing and no one else but each other, they took care of each other and kept each other company. Again I realize that this book is nothing like the poem I mentioned in the previous blog.

Always Judge A Book By its Cover!

When I got the book, The Road, I did not even want to open the book. I thought the novel would have some relation to the poem I read and had to recite in midde school called "The Road Not Taken", by Robert Frost. The cover seemed sad and colorless. To be honest, it reminded me of an old person's book, that would most likely have a huge life lesson that they could relate to,or something like that. Because in the assignment I had to read the book, I got over my laziness and began.

The beginning of the book was very confusing for me. I could not understand why everything seemed to be so empty. The author, Cormac McCarthy, describes everything as gloomy, dark, full of ashes, and lifeless; although, he does not mention why everything appears to be this way. My guesses are wars, a huge fire that wiped out the area they are in, or possibly, but with much doubt, the end of the world. Whatever really happened got exterminated all the people in the world, or most of the people, but then possessed the rest of the people still living in the world. After reading the first few pages of the book, I realized the novel had absolutely nothing to do with the poem by Frost.

McCarthy also mentioned that the two main people in the book were a little boy and his father. Where was the boy's mother? Why was she gone? Was this all of what was left of the human race after whatever happened? I continued to read and the book explained about the shooting scene and why the mother had suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. personally, I could never make a decision like that. I naturally am a very maternal person. I take care of all of my things, I am always watching over my little sister, and I am a neat freak when it comes to my personal belongings. These are all characteristics of being a mother. I have a farm in La Calera, in which my family owns many animals. We have sheep, cows, geese, turkeys, chickens, horses and rabbits. Of these many animals, I personally own one of the bunnies and one of the horses, but I do not pay to feed them, or keep them in a sheltered home (that is what my father does.) With my animals, I always make sure they have enough food for the time I am gone, I make sure that their homes are sturdy and good enough for them to live comfortably. I also do not let them get into situations where they could easily get in danger's way. If a nuclear bomb went down or something, I could never shoot any of my animals, or shoot myself... 1) because I would be too scared to actually shoot myself, and 2) because I would always want to know that my babies are safe and ok.

In conclusion, I saw that my gut feeling was right. The cover of the book told me as a reader that the book would be weird and hard to understand. there would be many hidden meanings that only people who are prepared to teach the book would know of and understand.

Interview: Life on The Road

For how long have you been on this journey?

Did you have any companions with you?

I have been on this road for a long time.

I don't recall if I was born before,

but if not, then I was born on the road.

I can only remember my father.

He was always on the journey with me.

my mommy died when I was very young,

so I do not remember her at all.

Was the journey fun, hard, or horrific?

what did you miss the most while you traveled?

The journey was difficult to handle,

but there were also parts that I enjoyed.

As a child I enjoyed playing outside.

I loved going on adventures all day.

I also liked spending time with my dad.

The hard parts were the cold nights and scarce food.

While traveling I missed the thought of home.

I wish I would have had some company.

Was there anything that frightened you guys?

Being small, I was ignorant,

but now i'm aware of my surroundings.

My only worries were to eat and sleep.

My dad spent many night pacing around,

and always thought of continuing south.

I thought we were playing a long, hard game;

but we were actually running south.

Is there anything else you want to add?

Who else can i talk to about my trip,

if my father was the only one there.

Birds of Death

In Edgar Allen Poe's, "The Raven," he talks about the pain that comes after losing someone you love; in his case, Lenore. "Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow. From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore— For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-Nameless here for evermore." (lines 7-12) He begins by describing the solitude felt when a person has left you. Then he tells of the great pain that takes over your body. You find a million things to do to take your mind off of the tragedy, but nothing seems to be enough, or nothing seems to distract you enough so that you may be happy.

I cannot relate to the loss of a family member, but i can relate to the loss of my dog. I remember that the pain was devastating. The whole family cried and mourned for her, because she was a very important family member to us. Loneliness was felt all over the house at all times, especially when we got home from school. There was no tail wagging excitement to greet us after a long day at school. We did many things so not to be locked up in the house where her presence was the strongest, but nothing seemed to be enough.

Later in the poem, Poe brings in the symbolism of the raven. A raven is a very old literary symbol for death or darkness. When Poe depicts the raven to be on his chamber door, he means that there has recently been a death in that place. The raven seems to be mocking him in his mourning. He seems to be looking searching for another prey, which he can feed off of his or her misery. The raven says "nevermore" as if to be speaking about Lenore's return. Is this true? Could it be Poe going mad? This is a normal symptom for people who have suffered such grand tragedies. The pain they undergo is too much for them to bear; therefore, their minds play tricks on them.

Greed: The Source of All Sin

In the "Pardoner's Tale," the pardoner, begins by asking the host to provide him with food and drink before he begins his tale. Once full, he begins his introduction by talking about himself. Because of the food and wine, he began to tell about himself, and he probably told more then he would have wanted to had he been sober. He tells the people of his occupation and reveals his falsity and tricks, which he uses on the people of his hometown.

"By this gaude have I wonne, yeer by yeer,

An hundred mark sith I was pardoner.

I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulped...

And whan the lewed peple is doun yset

I preche so as ye han herd bifoore

And telle an hundred false japes moore." (lines 389-394 Canterbury Tales) This is how he makes a living and lives such a comfortable life. Before the pilgrims could show their outrage from such hypocrisy, the pardoner continues with his tale.

He starts by talking about sins. He categorizes and talks about the sins and which he believes are the worst, the most common, and the ones that have been made up by other people. He emphasizes greed as being the source of all evil. He tells the pilgrims that greed is the cause of most sins and is the sin with the worst consequences.

After he preached about greed and all of the other sins, he continued with his story. Because of his relation to alcohol, he begins his story with three rich men who sit and drink until the are drunk. While in this condition, they run into their servant who they see had been crying.

"Sire," quod this boy, "it nedeth never-a-deel;

It was me toold er ye cam heer two houres.

He was, pardee, an old felawe of youres,

And sodeynly he was yslayn to-nyght..

Ther cam a privee theef men clepeth Deeth,

That in this contree al the peple sleeth,

And with his spere he smoot his herte atwo,

And wente his wey withouten wordes mo.

He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence." (lines 670-679) With this, the servant left them.

The alcohol had impaired their judgement and had left them with crazy thoughts about the killing and the so called thief named "Death." The three brother set out to go and seek this thief, so that they could get revenge for the poor people back in the village. While on the road, the brother run into an old man. They ask him if he knew where we could find Death. He answered that it had been under the oak tree not too far from where they were standing. When the arrive at the tree, all they saw was eight bushels of gold coins gathered ontop of the roots. Was money the Death everyone had been referring too? Could this have another meaning? Had they simply not found Death yet?

The brothers knew that they could only carry the gold by night because otherwise they would be accused of being theives; therefore, they send the smallest of the brothers to the village to buy some bread and wine so they would not starve as they waited for night to come. While he was out, the two older brothers schemed to kill the younger brother when he arrived from the village. This would allow them to have more money which would soon become more land. Coincidentally, the younger brother was scheming the same plan but with a different process. He planned to poison the two older brothers and then take all of the money for himself.

Night came and the two older brothers killed the younger one before he could poison them, but in victory, the two brothers opened the poisoned wine bottles and drank the poisoned wine until they fell over dead. They had finally united with Death, but not in the way they had expected. Death had found a way to trick the boys and use their own greed against them until they killed each other on their own. The money was simply a symbol and example of greed. The brothers were the ones who finished the task, themselves.