1984 as a whole

     When we first began reading 1984, my dad would tell me how people were actually terrified of Big Brother and INGSOC. After reading it for myself, a huge thing that I noticed was the clever similarities to what I learned in Modern World History as a freshmen. This is what made the book much more interesting and thrilling; to be able to put yourself in the place of people reading the book in 1950.
     I can't say I'm surprised that O'Brien ended up being a spy for the Party. Throughout the entire book, there was always that hint that he would end up in that role. The way he was so openly against them and the way he would encourage Winston to act that way was always suspicious. In the end, the reader finally discovers what is behind the elusive Room 101. To my understanding, it is a room where the victims greatest fear is forced upon them, resulting in the most demeaning and degrading torture possible. In Winston's case, this would be by surrounding him with rats, which happens to be his biggest fear. O'Brien ends up sparing him, but only after Winston betrays Julia. To be honest, I expected this to happen because I didn't know how much living under the Party's extremely watchful eye Winston would be able to handle.
     When Winston meets Julia again after being relinquished, it seemed like a very bittersweet situation. They both felt as if their relationship would no longer be able to exist, but this would probably work out better considering they both admitted to betraying each other to the Party. The ending of 1984(especially the last four words) was extremely shocking! It was a complete contrast from the entire duration of the story. Winston's hatred towards Big Brother and the Party was one of if not the most crucial part of the story. However, Winston claims to feel a sense of victory and love towards Big Brother. This was a twist that I certainly did not expect.

"The Book"

     The book that was a big part of Book II, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, enforced the three most major points of the Party. This being, "Freedom is Slavery, War is Peace, and Ignorance is Strength". Winston becomes infatuated with this book. He is overjoyed to receive it first of all, and as he reads the vast array of information, the reader also gets to read what the book holds. The book shows just how intense the Party's influence is over society. They truly take control over manipulating every aspect. Whether it be war, the environment, the economy, and even more personal matters, there is a description of what the standard should be. The book must be trying to convince the people of the legitimacy of the Party, and reduce instances of rebellion.
     I think this is very representative of Orwell's criticism of many totalitarian regimes and how if they were to continue, they would destroy our country. The way they would just rewrite history, for example, the ever-shifting relationship between Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia is something noticed by Winston, infuriating him. I am sure many people in Oceania are aware of this but are overwhelmed by doublethink to even care. However, the way they would rewrite history creepily reminded me of the slideshow we looked at in the beginning of 1984, when Stalin would alter photographs and literature. I think our society would look similar to Oceania in 1984 if this had not been stopped. I think Orwell's critiques disguised in the form of 1984 are really well-written and give food for thought with "The Book".

Explication of Lady Luncheon Club by Maya Angelou

     This poem by Maya Angelou exclusively uses irony to bring upon the most valid points about sexism and gender roles in society. I picture the ladies described in this poem to be of an upper class, but to also be interested in topics such as world affairs, etc. There is a sense of irony in lines three and four. The Lady Luncheon Club is paying the guest speaker from their "petty cash account" (3), yet the woman checks her golden watch, which the reader should assume is an expensive item. There is a guest speaker at this luncheon, but it is not an established woman, for it is just a man. He is described as someone with false sincerity, and false empathy for the injustices many women have had to face. The man claims to understand the rage of biblical woman such as Eve and Delilah but I am sure most of the women at the Luncheon just laugh at this attempt at empathy.
     For each subject the guest speaker goes over, the reader sees into the minds of the esteemed women at the event. She is thinking petty thoughts like how the coffee is too strong and how the cake is much too sweet. Instead of listening to what could be very reasonable and intelligent thoughts from the guest speaker, the woman is only paying attention to obsolete aspects. I think Maya Angelou is trying to play on the degrading stereotype that women aren't good for anything except taking care of the domestic aspects of life. This is where the irony lies. Obviously, Maya Angelou would not believe these types of stereotypes but rather, she is making fun of them. These are supposed to be women that care about societal issues and worry about sophisticated world problems, but when there is someone right in front of them to inform them, they are just busy worrying about nothingness.

My evolving impressions of Julia from 1984

     When Julia is first introduced as the youthful girl with dark hair, she has an air of mystery surrounding her. One of my first instincts as a reader is that she is a spy from the Party, a trap for Winston to fall into. However, I also see the positive sides of Julia as well. When she tells Winston she loves him, it brings a light to Winston's character that has not been seen in the previous chapters of the book. Julia is somewhat of a confusing character. One second she is the ideal party member, Junior Anti-Sex League and all, and the next second she is committing one of the most damning acts against the Party with Winston. The sexuality she exudes is something that arouses Winston in more ways than one. He evens thinks she might even be a key component in taking down the Party. However, Julia is just not as politically oriented as Winston is.
     In book two chapter four, Julia becomes disengaged and distant from Winston, which leads him to believe she may be sleeping with other men, just like she had confessed she had done in the past to him earlier. Julia and Winston are both violent-minded characters and the dwindling of their relationship makes Winston violently angry. He is definitely aware that their relationship could have them "intentionally stepping nearer to their graves" (140) but he wants nothing more than to be able to walk around town like normal and call her his wife. Julia's rule-breaking hits an all time high as she steals food, makeup, and her and Winston act like two Proles, not two high-ranking members of the Party.
     Julia seems to be one of the only positive aspects of Winston's life. Since she has been around, his varicose ulcer disappeared, his coughing subsided, and he kicked his bad gin habit. It seems as though Winston finds comfort and safety in the extreme danger his relationship with Julia puts him in.

Hamlet and King Lear "Tweets"

King Lear: 2 greedy sisters with an ungood dad ungood edm wants $ from edg and glou #fight eyes lost #luvtriangle plot discovered everyone dies #oops

Hamlet: dad dead ghost says so hamlet crazy in luv with mom and gf O. Many fights poison swords and deaths all around

Prediction of Winston's Future

     Winston seems much too smart for his own good. His intelligence seems to be at a much higher level than the rest of the population. He consistently catches Big Brother and the Party in their constant lies and in their ploys to alter history. Winston continues to write in his diary, even though he blatantly knows it would be punishable by death if he was ever caught. In chapter seven, Winston brainstorms a way to overthrow Big Brother, which would be by provoking the Proles because they make up the largest group of people in Oceania. If Winston tries to execute this plan, I believe the Thought Police could get a hold of him and could make him suffer.
     Winston's thoughts seem to destroy him more than anything. He repeatedly claims he knows the consequences of his rebellious thoughts and actions, yet he still does it regardless. He may be setting himself up for a life of danger and little to no satisfaction. If Winston does end up being confronted by the Thought Police, I wonder if he will give up and give in to the Party, or if he will try to flee the country or do something else to escape the corruption.

1984 Blog-- Ministry of Truth Reflection

     In class, we learned that the Ministry of Truth, also known as minitrue, is the ministry that is in charge of the news, entertainment, education, and fine arts. Basically, this means this group of people is in charge of molding the population's opinions and shaping the future generations thoughts and aspirations. This seems very dangerous especially because of the extreme bias displayed in favor of Big Brother and his Party. In chapter 4, it becomes Winston's job to use an old, complicated speakwrite in order to alter the original documents to make them correspond with the newer, later versions. The level of corruption is high. The Ministries changes are often what ignite the sense of doublethink in the people. The example Winston gives in the book was with the chocolate rations, and how the Ministry of Plenty tried to convince the people they were getting a greater portion, even though the amount of chocolate they received was in fact reduced. The people probably realized this, but chose not to acknowledge it at all. 

     In Oceania, they do not have a solid written constitution like we have in the United States. Here, we abide all our laws by the document written by our Founding Fathers as it sets the foundation for our entire country. But in Oceania, whenever Big Brother feels like it, they can adjust the former laws to their liking. This leaves room for corruption and space for Big Brother and his party to take complete totalitarian control. We learn that the workers in the Ministry of Truth must alter all their works to coincide with the doctrine of the party. This includes sports, astrology, short stories, literature, and even pornography; all to influence Oceania's population about the party. 

     I question the productivity and intelligence level of the people in charge of the Ministry of Truth and the party because of the comparison on page 44. There is a huge difference between Newspeak and Oldspeak. Oldspeak looks like the modern English language we read today, but the Newspeak translation looks exactly like something a young child would type up nonchalantly. I think that this even brings more of a negative connotation towards not only Big Brother and the Party but also the Ministry of Truth. 

Explication of Peace by George Herbert

     Immediately, I noticed that the main point this poem is attempting to bring across is how allusive and hard to achieve the concept of peace truly is. Around the world, diplomats, politicians, and scholars have been tentatively working on a plan for peace, yet it is seemingly impossible. Many people often find it hard to connect with their personal inner peace as well. The author of this poem uses a set of seven different journeys or mini-anecdotes to emphasize how hard peace is to come across.
     The more I read this poem, I believe the author is talking about their efforts to achieve inner peace. The author utilizes the literary technique of enjambment in the first three stanzas to make us think she possibly might come across the peace she is looking for but repeatedly, the answer is no. In the last four stanzas, the author of the poem tells the tale that she was told when she met a reverend while on her personal path to peace. The reverend tells the story of a prince who lived a sweet, wholesome life and after he died, there were twelve stalks of wheat that grew out of his grave. This was a strange occurrence but this wheat spread throughout the earth and was a source of nutrients and peace for the people. In chapter six, a symbol was explained as a very well-known technique in figurative language and in this poem, I believe the wheat was meant to represent peace.
     Earlier, the author referred to a time they were searching for peace in the Crown Imperial, a beautiful, bright flower. A flower that is almost completely opposite of a crop like wheat. The moral that is trying to be brought across is that peace is not going to be found in the most glamorous routes or "the most traveled down paths". Peace is going to be found where it is least expected, in a solution that not many people would choose.

Explication of Metaphors by Sylvia Plath

     Chapter five's topic revolves around all different types of figurative language. This includes similes, metaphors, and how poetry's language is almost always figurative, not literal. The poem Metaphors by Sylvia Plath begins with the line, "I'm a riddle in nine syllables" and the rest of the poem stays true to the word "riddle" as it was a list of what I  first thought were irrelevant metaphors. Plath names off all sorts of things that I believed had no meaning such as, "an elephant, a ponderous horse", "this loaf's big with it's yeasty rising", and "O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!" However, when I googled this poem, I discovered some interesting analyses. There are nine lines in the poem, each line containing nine syllables, to represent the nine months of pregnancy. After I discovered this, the poem began to make much more sense to me. Plath is using what seems to be unrelated metaphors, to describe her experience as a pregnant woman, making these metaphors suddenly make sense.
     The line about the melon and two tendrils creates the image in the reader's mind of a woman with a large, round belly, far along in her pregnancy, with two little legs sticking out. When she talks about a loaf growing bigger with it's yeasty rising, this could come to symbolize a child, growing in the womb, becoming bigger and bigger each day, almost like how a piece of bread dough expands with the presence of yeast. Plath's last line is "Boarded the train there's no getting off". I think she has finally come to the realization that pregnancy leads to parenthood, and that's a journey that there is no escaping from. Usually, pregnancy is discussed in a light that is glamorous, beautiful, and rewarding, but this is not how pregnancy is discussed by Sylvia Plath. She describes her experience as something she takes with a grain of salt, and not favorably but acceptably.

The most villainous character of King Lear

     I believe Edmund is the most villainous character in King Lear. Personally, I think one of the worst and most evil things a person can do is to deceive their family. Edmund continually does this and more. He feels neglected and ostracized because of his status as an illegitimate child so I can see how one may feel empathy and sympathy for his situation, but Edmund takes it to a whole other level. He turns his father, Gloucester against Edgar, who happens to be the "legitimate" son. I definitely sense major jealousy coming from Edmund. Then, just when he has the trust and love that he always wanted from his father, he turns around and betrays his father as well. Edmund is the reason that the Duke of Cornwall and Gloucester get into an argument where they both end up scathed. If Edmund was around during the days of modern psychology, he would definitely be classified as a sociopath.
     Not only does Edmund figuratively stab his family members in the back, he interferes with relationships as well. Both Goneril and Regan are married, yet they fawn over Edmund. This causes tension between these two sisters because Regan, recently widowed, wants to already remarry Edmund. On the other hand, Goneril, with no reservations about the Duke of Albany, wishes to claim Edmund and be his mistress. This is a complete lack of respect on Edmund's behalf as well, more reinforcing his status as the most villainous character in King Lear. Edmund almost seems too smart for his own good. During these times, bastard children were probably criticized for not only being borne out of wedlock, but for their mental and physical capabilities too. Edmund clearly disproves this because of his scheming tactics that he masterminds all on his own. I am curious to see what will happen to Edmund in the last act of the play because I have a feeling that other characters will catch onto his wrongdoings and make him face some sort of repentance.

Explication of Bereft by Robert Frost

     The first thing I noticed about the poem Bereft, by Robert Frost was the rhyme scheme. It looks something like this: AAAAABBACCDDDEDDE. I don't know what poem this qualifies as but this is something unusual and interesting. Robert Frost gives the wind and it's actions animalistic qualities and even personifies. The wind blowing through a pile of leaves is compared to a snake, "Leaves got up in a coil and hissed, Blindly struck at my knee and missed". The wind is described early in the play like a lion, "Change like this to a deeper roar". This imagery can even make the reader recognize and hear the strong and vicious wind; it is not just a brisk breeze. When commenting on the auditory aspects of the wind, he says "Something sinister in the tone/Told me my secret must be known". There is personification in giving the wind a personality that is somewhat malicious.
     I looked up the word "bereft" and dictionary.com told me that it could mean "suffering the death of a loved one, bereaved". At the end of the poem Frost says, "Word I was in my life alone, Word I have no one left but God". There must have been a death and the wind is the symbolic of the messenger delivering that awfully painful message. This poem carries similarities to King Lear in the fact that both pieces of writing believe in the fact that nature carries messages. In King Lear and in this poem, the nature is not peaceful and romantic, it is vengeful and ferocious. Frost says in the first line of the poem, "Where had I heard this wind before". This implies to the reader that this is not the speaker's first time dealing with a death, which is where this somber tone begins.

Both King Lear and my relationship with nature

     King Lear and I are extremely similar in the fact that we are not exactly "one with nature". When talking to Kent, the gentlemen describes King Lear's difficult time, "Contending with the fretful elements". He also considers King Lear to be overwhelmed by the wind and rain. I'm inferring this conversation to mean that King Lear probably has not spent most of his life "roughing it" outdoors. As a royal, he probably spends a majority if not all of his time sitting upon a throne in luxury. I think it is safe to say King Lear is very stubborn because he would rather stand out in a raging storm than forgive his daughters when clearly him and nature do not go together in harmony. He almost blames nature for his daughters' wrath against him (and takes their side), and firmly believes the bad weather is just another aspect of his life that is out to get him. 

     I have always considered myself more of an indoor person rather than an outdoor person. For one thing, I have had terribly awful outdoor allergies my entire life, so the days of Spring and Fall are mostly filled with drowsiness, tissues, and Claritin. Just like King Lear, I am sure if we were ever stranded in the wilderness, we would be absolutely clueless. In scene 2 of Act 2, King Lear claims that the storms will be a good thing, bringing any enemy lurking in the dark into the light, "Let the great gods/That keep this dreadful pudder o'er our heads/Find out their enemies now". I think that during this day and age, nature had an element of revelation and had an ability that humans did not have to be able to bring truth. With my modern (but often times cynical) look on things, I just see weather as weather. I don't seem to find a redeeming quality in it to be frank. 

Edmund's Deceit

     From what we've seen of Edmund so far, he is definitely one of the most conniving characters in King Lear. Edmund is the illegitimate son of Gloucester, but in Act I has already begun to plan a conspiracy to turn his father against his brother (and Gloucester's legitimate son) Edgar, which would hand all of Gloucester's inheritance over to Edmund. I think Edmund is doing this because he is sick of all the flack that he catches for being a "bastard" child. He showed anger knowing he would ultimately receive nothing from his father's death. Not only is he tired of being ostracized, but he has a very greedy heart. I am not sure how difficult it would have been in the Neolithic time period (where King Lear takes place) to form a relationship with his father, but it almost seems like it would be an easier task for Edmund to form a sneaky venture rather than form ties and be on good terms with his father. I have no doubt that Edmund is an extremely money-hungry. I predict that his scheming tactics may catch up with him in the end, and Gloucester and Edgar could quite possibly turn on him.
     I think Edgar is much too gullible for his own good. All of a sudden, he believes these random accusations that Edmund makes up about Gloucester and switches his entire life around in such a short matter of time. I think that either Edgar will soon catch on to what Edmund is up to, or he will go mad (as do many of Shakespeare's characters usually do). Edmund really just seems to have no respect for humanity and is motivated by possessions, which is why he is so deceitful. This could be because of his upbringing, which I'm assuming was not very ideal.

Explication of A Man With Night Sweats

    Chapter 4 explains the rhetorical device of Imagery to the reader and I thought the set of poems they provided as examples was very interesting and insightful. The speaker is describing the uncomfortability and weirdness he feels by experiencing these night sweats. The narrator compares his skin breaking a sweat to a shield being cracked and broken. I did some research and the night sweats this poem describes is very similar to the symptoms of a person infected with HIV/AIDS. I see how this poem follows almost the breakdown of a person, and the suffering that comes with this illness. Not only is it physically debilitating, it is mentally debilitating, "My mind reduced to hurry, My flesh reduced and wrecked". He compares his life crumbling down on him, to an avalanche. An avalanche he wishes his hands were strong enough to hold back, yet his body is becoming weaker and weaker each night he fights through these night sweats.

Rating the characters of Hamlet by their appreciativeness

     All of the characters in the Shakespearean play Hamlet live a very privileged life. A vast majority of the characters are living under royal circumstances, with plentiful food, an abundance of liquor (especially in Claudius' case), and even a jester to amuse them from time to time! Anyone remember Yorick? (R.I.P.) Although these characters tend to have the "upper hand" in life, they spend their time being dramatic, unhappy, and unfazed by the events in their inner circle.
     The least appreciative of the characters has to Claudius. As if his life was not perfect enough living as the brother of King Hamlet, he had to go and kill his own brother. Claudius could have been a source of comfort for the people of Denmark during a time of tragedy and unrest, but selfishly assumes his own power. He consumes mass amounts of alcohol according to Hamlet, who accuses him of being an awful drunk. Claudius is even unappreciative of his wife, whom he swiped from his own brother, by ordering her around constantly.
     Next would have to be Gertrude. Although she is such a passive character, I am confused as to why she felt the need to marry her brother-in-law just a short period of time after her first husband passed. Was her prior fortune not enough? I am not sure what would happen to her if she had not re-married after King Hamlet died, but I'm sure she would not be thriving in wealth. Not only is she unappreciative of her possessions, she is unappreciative of her own son, Hamlet. He often cries out for her attention and the sympathy of his mother, yet she simply denies him and devotes her life to her sinful husband, Claudius.
     Prince Hamlet has experienced many difficult circumstances within the span of the play, but I still think he still comes off as unappreciative many times in the story. His constant anger shows the disrespect and how ungrateful he is towards the people who provide everything for him.
     Here's hoping that after all the deaths at the end of the play, Horatio becomes very appreciative of his own life!

Explication of 35/10 by Sharon Olds

     The poem, 35/10, by Sharon Olds, unveils a mother's thoughts about aging and growing up as she combs through the hair of her adolescent daughter. The speaker is the mother, who questions the aging process just as much as every woman on the planet. Instead of embracing the positive effects of growing old, the speaker chooses to highlight the most unfavorable parts, comparing them to the youthful qualities of her own daughter. I believe that while the narrator is thinking about what she has become, she is also reminiscing on the time when she was once the young girl sitting in the chair having her mother brush her hair. The speaker uses a choice of words that glorify her daughter, but downplay her own physical qualities. For example, she discusses "Brushing out our daughter's brown silken hair," but describes herself as "the silver-haired servant behind her". Yes, the mother was literally standing behind her combing her hair, but this also could have an alternate meaning about the mother always putting her child's needs before her own needs, wants, and appearances.
     I imagine that the mother must be talking to her spouse, because she uses the words "our daughter" in the first line of the poem. She asks the question, "Why is it just as we begin to go they begin to arrive?" wondering why youth is unable to be a quality that both mother and daughter could share. Although this process is fairly new for the woman to experience, it is not something unexpected or original, "It's an old story--the oldest we have on our planet".  This poem utilizes many similes and metaphors to describe humans to nature, "As my skin shows its dry pitting, she opens like a moist precise flower on the tip of a cactus".There was once a time where being able to bear a child was a woman's most prized quality. I am not sure when this was written but if this was taking place in the mid-1900's, I could imagine the mother's hidden jealousy for her daughter as she is gaining this ability, while the mother is losing it.

Thinker Or Doer?

Over the course of the Shakespearean play, Hamlet, we notice that one of the main characters, Hamlet is often very apprehensive and pensive. He often refers to the anger he feels inside about Gertrude and Claudius especially. Hamlet always verbalizes his desire to murder Claudius, yet he never acts on his plans. All through Act III and Act IV, Hamlet has had significant opportunities to execute Claudius' murder, but instead solidifies his standing as a thinker, not a doer.

I think that I am a thinker, but not in a negative way. I feel that I have a very wise moral compass, so I may have big and bold ideas, but I may be slightly hesitant and cautious as to how to make these ideas happen. There are some people that find it very easy to come up with an idea and make a final product from that idea with barely any thought, but I don't exactly operate that way. If I wish to make something happen, I take lots of time to methodically plan each aspect and make sure it will be perfect. Sometimes, it ends up not being the perfect idea I had hoped for, so I may abort the idea all together. I've noticed a lot of times that people who are "doers" will have a grand plan that contains many errors. As I am a perfectionist, I would definitely consider myself a thinker.

Explication of Ethics by Linda Pastan

     The poem Ethics by Linda Pastan features one narrator telling the story of her ethics class and a specific question that was asked which seemed to challenge the narrator's moral compass. There is a stream-of-consciousness-like aspect to this poem as we are hearing the narrator's continual thoughts. There is a narrative structure as the woman telling the story is almost giving a flashback as a young child in the beginning of the poem, and later returns to the present as an elderly lady. Each year in this ethics class, she would go back and forth with her answers half-heartedly as she claims, and as a reader, I noticed the change in maturity with her answers throughout the years.
     There is beautiful imagery beginning in line 19, describing the Rembrandt poem that the narrator has the opportunity to see many years later, "The colors within this frame are darker than autumn, darker even than winter--the browns of earth, though earth's most radiant elements burn through the canvas". The way the poet compares the colors of the painting to different seasons of the year was very interesting to me and created an element of conceit.
     As an old woman viewing a Rembrandt painting, she contemplates the question she had once debated with many years prior as a child. She realizes that as a child, if there happened to be a fire in a museum, she would have probably been incapable of saving either the old woman or the painting anyways. There is an element of irony and somewhat comedy in this revelation. This raises a common moral issue of value. What is more valuable? A possession or a life? 

My Take On "To be or not to be"

To online shop or to not online shop--that is the question.

Will it be more beneficial to my bank account to save my money or better for my reputation to have an astounding closet?

A credit card--spending--my own credit card would be just a dream as long as I had the money to fund it.

There is the catch right there-- I must have my own money before I navigate the dozens of websites and fill my virtual closet with my wants and needs. 

This makes me worry--I must consider finding a job despite the fact that it might make this addiction much more severe. 

Regardless, who would rather have an empty closet of dull outfits, or live without the excitement you get from receiving a package on the front steps of your house, or let your dream dress become sold out, when you can simply ask your parents for the 16 digit code on that shiny piece of plastic? 

Who would choose to live a life of t-shirts and sweatpants when you can wear cashmere sweaters, blouses, and jeans from various clothing sites?

The fear of overdrawing your credit card can be debilitating, and our longing eyes can be a dangerous mixture with the thousands of apparel thumbnails. 

Oh no! My parents are coming. I better minimize the J.Crew website and open up my Word document!

(This is a satire of some sorts, Mr. Hogan)

My Opinions On Parental Surveillance (inspired by Hamlet)

     In the beginning of Act II, Polonius hires his servant to spy on his son Laertes. Polonius requests that Reynaldo inquire about Laertes' private life and behavior. I think that Polonius seems very manipulative and I wonder what Laertes did or even what happened to Polonius to make him so overprotective and overbearing. 

     Personally, I think that parents spying on their children shows an extreme lack of trust. If they truly had faith in the way their child was raised I don't think there would be any reason to look into text messages, emails, Facebook accounts, etc. I've experienced my parents reading my text messages before and I think that it was a complete invasion of privacy. However, I think it is one thing to openly spy, but for Polonius to hire someone to befriend Laertes to get inside knowledge on what is happening while Polonius is not physically there is extremely scheming. 

     On line 25 to line 30, Polonius and Reynaldo clarify what exactly he is supposed to be looking for while on surveillance. Polonius says, "Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, Quarreling, drabbing-- you may go so far" (II.i.28-29). Here, I can slightly understand where Polonius is coming from because he only wants to hold Laertes to the highest of standards and wants to confirm that he is acting esteemed. 

Explication of the poem "Ballad Of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall

     This poem was written based on the bombing of a church in the city of Birmingham in 1963. The 60's were an extreme time of tribulation and triumph for the Civil Rights Movement. This poem is a conversation between a fearful mother and an ambitious child. I think this poem was intended to inform everyone about what everyday life was like in Birmingham, AL. The constant oppression and terror of living in one of the most segregated cities in the country during this time period, was certainly implied and represented in this poem. I am sure, from my knowledge of U.S. History, that the destruction of places where African Americans sought comfort was all too common. The mother openly expresses her fear in letting her young daughter roam the Freedom March, but allows her daughter to travel to the local church. Little did the mother know that the church would be the next target of the people who were pro-segregation. I believe the central focus of this poem is to expose the atrocities that happened extremely often during the Civil Rights Movement and to make the reader feel empathetic and to tear at the heartstrings. 

     In the fifth stanza, the extensive use of color-related diction creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind. For example, “night-dark hair” (17), “rose petal sweet” (18), “white gloves…shoes” (19-20), and “small brown hands” (19). Each line of this poem brings the reader along a story, and is not filled with ambiguous language, but instead takes advantage of descriptive and colloquial language. The mother in this poem repeatedly refers to her daughter as her “baby”, which I inferred as the mother still seeing her daughter as the light of her life, and childlike, even though we are unsure how old she is.

       In stanza number six, the quotation, “The mother smiled to know her child Was in the sacred place” (21-22). This showcases irony because the mother is relieved that her daughter is at church instead of at the Freedom March, but the church was a place of danger it turns out as well. 

First Opinions of Hamlet--Act I Scenes i-iii

       The first thing I noticed about King Claudius is that he acts quite condescending towards Prince Hamlet and the other characters in the scene ii. In the King’s monologue in scene ii, he mentions his late brother, but almost acts as if though he is benefitting from the death, “To our most valiant brother—so much for him” (I.ii.25). Queen Gertrude acts very passive and submissive towards King Claudius and agrees with all his rash statements in the first act. I begin to feel bad for Hamlet and remain that way through the excerpts we were assigned to read. The King and Queen Gertude almost begin to berate and condemn Hamlet for taking his time mourning the loss of his father saying, “’Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to your father. But you must know your father lost a father, That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound” (I.ii.90-94). No one in these excerpts seem empathetic to Hamlet’s situation. First, he loses his beloved father. Next, he must deal with the extremely odd situation that is his uncle marrying his own mother.

       Then, King Claudius, his uncle, is trying to prevent Prince Hamlet from going back to school. I am assuming this is a place Hamlet enjoyed going, so he must have felt upset. His life was turned upside down by the tragic death of his father, triggering the sympathy in the reader. Hamlet contemplating suicide was not particularly surprising to me because I predicted this. However, in scene iii, Hamlet begins to confuse me because I am unsure of whether he will be a protagonist or more of a scheming character. I am curious about what will happen with Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship because it seems as though not many people approve of their love. 

Goals For Senior Year

McKenzie Connors

Mr. Hogan

AP English Language and Literature

29 August 2013

My Goals For Senior Year

    

     When you are in middle school, being a senior in high school seems like it is an

eternity away. I have had many dreams and goals for a long time and it is finally time to

actually turn them into reality. My number one goal this year is to be granted admission

to my top college. This process is tedious, but I hope to be successful! My grades are

also of the utmost importance right next to getting into college because most schools take

 a mid-year and final year report into consideration. I want to maintain a high grade point

 average. This will be a challenge because I am taking more AP classes than I ever have

before, including AP Statistics, and math is not usually my strong suit. One action I am

taking to achieve this goal is hiring a tutor for help after school and I am going to be

more proactive about staying after school with not just my math teacher, but all of them.

I am on the Varsity swim team here at Framingham High School, and with that comes

many goals. The qualifying time for backstroke in the State championship meet is around

1 minute and 6 seconds. Yet, my lifetime best time for the 100 backstroke is 1 minute

and 7 seconds. This year, I will train harder than ever in order to accomplish this goal.

      Joining the Debate Team is something that I have wanted to do since I have been a

student in the high school, but I never found the time and I have always been too nervous

 and fearful to get up in front of a large group of people and speak my personal opinions.

 Although the Debate Team meets during my demanding swim season, I want to make

time in my schedule to at least go to a few meetings.

     With all these goals for my senior year, I will definitely be exhausted! However, I

know it will be worth it when I am successful.