1984 Reflection

I think it is safe to say that the ending of 1984 was not the most uplifting. I, myself, believed and wished for Winston to rebel and actually make some sort of change or difference in his country. I also tend to enjoy works of literature or films or music or anything artistic that tends to be authentic; it probably does not have the happiest themes or outcomes but it is honest and it does not sugarcoat anything. I think that is what I like the most about this story. Even though it takes place in a fictitious society I do find genuine themes and realistic demonstrations of society, especially for Orwell’s era in the 40s and 50s. Obviously I am not happy or content with how things played out in the end. I could almost feel the torture being put upon Winston and feel true shame on myself believing in O’Brien from the beginning. I too was mesmerized by O’Brien and was genuinely shocked to see him working for the Ministry of Love. I am a little curious as to why he waited so long to arrest Winston if he has been watching him for seven years. I understand him wanting to gather enough evidence but it never really seemed like that was how the Party handled these kinds of events especially ones dealing with thoughtcrime or hating the Party. I think a good word to summarize part three would be disturbing. From the torture, to hearing about how Parsons was arrested, to the women in his cell, the rats, comparing the Party to past totalitarian regimes, and the massive paradox of love and power. O’Brien kept saying that Winston must love Big Brother without really giving him a reason why. People need reasoning to trust something-we are not robots. It seems like that was what O’Brien was trying to say the Party was doing but making it sound like it actually benefits the people. I wish Winston could have hated Big Brother until the end. But I think I would not hold on long enough either. After all that has happened to him, Big Brother was the only thing that did not betray him, and he does not even know him.

Goldstein's Book

Goldstein’s book was very dense in terms of the amount of material but it was very interesting at the same time. While trying to decipher all of the information, I realized that the Party is doing exactly what Winston, Julia, and Goldstein thinks they are doing- manipulating the citizens. In the chapter that Winston reads titled WAR IS PEACE, Goldstein details how each of the three superpowers came to be. He also describes the theory of the lower, middle, and high classes that distinguish and categorize people based on wealth and status. The goal of the fighting was to merely distract the lower and middle classes in order to maintain power in the high classes. No two countries could take down another country or vice versa. The ongoing and never ending war is also used to keep the populations of each nation ignorant to other populations. Basically, Goldstein is describing the political themes that we know of today such as capitalism, socialism, classism etc. I also find it funny and ironic that the first few chapters that Winston reads are titled after the Party’s slogan. I do think that it was intentional for Goldstein to do that; in a way it is like he is poking fun at this slogan by then explaining each phrase and what they really mean. It is very clear that Winston is excited about obtaining the book and feels as though the rebellion is actually beginning but it seemed as though after reading one chapter he felt like it was all a little underwhelming. Goldstein was just writing facts about the past that many people do not remember given that the past is virtually destroyed. I think that information being printed and recorded is vital, but it is not anything new according to Winston. He still does not know what to do in terms of actually acting on rebelling. I still feel the same way about the Party, in terms of being very opposed to what they believe in and how they run society but, like Winston, I am unsure what Goldstein is trying to get across in his book. Luckily, there are more than just three chapters.

The Unknown Citizen Explication

               W.H. Auden creates an overall image of societal culture in his poem The Unknown Citizen. Auden’s poem is caked with subtle irony in every line that makes the reader almost miss the fact that the government is proud of this individual that they practically molded themselves. Throughout the poem there are lines like “He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be….” and “our Social Psychology workers found…” or “Our researchers into Public Opinion are content”. It reminds me a little bit of 1984 in terms of the Ministries that control different facets of life like war, media etc. The man that is described as the “unknown citizen” seems to be a perfect individual. It even states that he has everything that makes him the “Modern Man”. There are no complaints against him, everything he did was for the Greater Community (whatever that means), and always paid his dues. If he is so unknown, how, why is it that these Eugenicists and psychologists and things like Producers Research and High-Grade Living know all about this man? They talk of him in high regards because he does everything right according to their standards. The first time I read this poem through, I too thought this person seemed great and that nothing was wrong with him. However, the last line of the poem is particularly startling as well as disturbing. The last line is “Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard”. I picture this man to be Winston in my mind (except the part that says the man has 5 children) because it is this person that followed the rules but you cannot tell if he really is happy or free. To answer the poem’s questions I do not really think he is because even though it is never said, I think this man is just going through life blindly. In modern society you do not really here of the guy who supports his children’s education or the man who does well at his job-you only hear of the people who make horrible decisions and corrupt their society. At first I thought that was what this poem was doing, focusing on the good people who do not get noticed, but it is actually more of the fact that there are so many things that watch what we do and define us as people when it is up to ourselves to define who we are.

Julia in 1984

I have mixed feelings about Julia. Obviously in Book One you have this speculation about her and you are not sure you can trust her. Winston would be terrified to make eye contact with her for too long, not to mention her dedication to the Junior Anti-Sex League and her seemingly obsessive adoration for the Party. In the first chapter of Book Two, we learn that she is actually in love with Winston. All of the trepidation and uneasiness felt towards her is now suddenly vanquished with the words “I love you”.

                Winston is not stupid and knows that this could be a trap. He ultimately goes through with it and meets her in this secret location surrounded by vacant meadows and lush bushes and trees. We learn that this girl, Julia, is the exact opposite of what Winston believed she was. She even tore off her Junior Anti-Sex League sash and through it to the side. They eventually have sex in the country and she tells him that she has done this with many Party members, but not the inner Party members whom she refers to as “swine”. Winston is thrilled that she has had sex with a score of members and wishes that it had been hundreds or thousands of members. He believes that the more times she has, the greater the emphasis of rebellion. Julia is seen as this reckless and savvy and sexy character that is cunning but also incredibly smart at dodging the cameras of the Party and undermining their authority. At first I was just in complete awe of her and her courage and her ability to laugh at the society she lives in even though it is the only thing she has ever known. She is significantly younger than Winston and could have virtually been sucked in to the Party’s views easily. However even though she is able to outsmart the Party and still have all of these mature and youthful emotions inside of her, I found her to be a little cruel as well. There is a part where she mentions her first sexual affair with a 60 year old man at only 16 which she almost boasts about. The man eventually kills himself to avoid being executed by the Party, in which she feels no guilt or anger for, but only feels lucky and happy that he did not end up confessing her name. It is quickly mentioned and then she throws it away like it is some old memory from her youth. It just rubbed me the wrong way. I do not hate her knowing that, but it shows another side of her that makes you think twice about her. I definitely see her and Winston rebelling already with their affair, and they could possibly make the rebellion even bigger and beyond just sex.

H. Ingsoc Sum

H ungood/good? Kill P. Hurt mom. O selfdie. Hor friend 1. R+G exdie by H trick. H father = H too. Hdad poisendie. H kill L With swords. Hdad ghost. Talk to Hson. H sworddie. Hor storyteller. Fort. kingOceania.

Predictions for Winston

               At the end of Book One, Winston is sort of crippled against his own inhibitions. Once he gets back to his apartment, he contemplates suicide so the Party will not capture him and kill him themselves. Before he succumbs to the thought of ending his life, he remembers what O’Brien whispered to him, “We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness”. Those words are what keep Winston from going through with suicide but still makes him terrified of what could happen to him. He stares at a coin in his pocket of Big Brother and reflects on the slogan associated with him-WAR IS PEACE- FREEDOM IS SLAVERY-IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

               My predictions for Winston are that he will go through with trying to take down the Party with O’Brien and that he will do it through the Proles. Though Book One ends with an uninspiring tone, I do think that Winston has a lot of anger and oppression inside of him and holding it in will kill him, but doing something about it may bring a result of justice…and also probably kill him, though he will have changed the lives of all the people in Oceania, Eastaisa and Eurasia and the generations for years to come.  He presents himself to other characters in the book with this almost shy and cooperative demeanor but we see the world through Winston’s eyes and can tell that there is a lot more to him than how he appears to the outside world. In chapter eight, Winston takes a little walk though the Prole district and we can see his amusement and curiosity with the culture and mysteriousness of this place that seems to live under the Party’s nose. He craves information about the truth and the Revolution and keeps coming back to the place where he bought his journal. I believe that that shop will be very significant to Winston and his journey to bringing justice back to the world and possibly be his place of hiding. The last few chapters of the first book mention that having sex is frowned upon and the activity should not even be used in creating other human beings because future parents could just use artsem-artificial insemination. Winston views sexual intercourse as the ultimate act of rebellion and I think that will also come into play with his plan, especially since he desires an affair and thinks might help him escape and possibly help other people escape.

BIG BROTHER-1984 and 2013

               Orwell’s 1984 emphasizes the importance of privacy by showing how detrimental it is to have it taken away from society. Privacy is definitely viewed as a privilege in the novel, especially among the protagonist, Winston Smith. On almost every surface of every building are posters marked with the slogan “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” as a constant reminder that the Party, or government, is always monitoring what you do. The slogan is a bit sarcastic with its connotation. “BIG BROTHER” normally conjures up an image of protection or of a guardian. Using the verb “WATCH” has a kind of negative association and seeing them in all caps also gives it a harsher tone. What is particularly intrusive as well as disturbing are the telescreens. The telescreens are basically televisions that only show propaganda and are also used to have the Thought Police constantly watch and look after its citizens. The name “Thought Police” particularly troubles me because it sounds like they are not only monitoring your actions but your mind, so not even your thoughts are safe. Winston cannot even write in a diary and have anything private to him, which is not only degrading his self protection but his self as a human being.

             It makes me very weary of how the government is possibly watching us as citizens. Obviously there are no telescreens or Thought Police but I still feel as though the government wants to keep tabs on people to avoid threat or takeover or anything that could demolish their appearance as a superior. The National Security Agency is constantly discussed in the media for increasing their surveillance programs on the internet and on cell phones. People such as Edward Snowden and Julian Assange consider themselves whistleblowers and heroes to the American people for exploiting these corruptions of the government. However some people view them as criminals and traitors so it makes it confusing and hard to decipher who to root for. I understand that the government aims to protect and keep the people from harm, especially after 9/11, but many people could argue that the patriot act took it too far. The patriot act pretty much allows the government to interfere with anyone’s belongings if they deem to be a threat to the United States. The bill was even extended to include wiretaps, searching through business records, and heightened surveillance. It seems as though this is meant to keep the people safe, but it’s hard to do that if the government does not know who to look out for. Sooner or later, maybe America could be like 1984, which is a little scary to think about. Is Big Brother Really watching us?

"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" Explication

               Before I start explicating this poem, I must make a disclaimer. I am not sure if this is important but I read the very first line of “To the Virgins” and knew that I had to write about it. This poem by Robert Herrick was the first poem that Professor John Keating teaches his students in Peter Weir’s film Dead Poets Society. That film is monumental to me to say the least and to see the poem in this chapter made me very motivated to explicate. Now that I got that probably useless information out there, I will actually start the assignment.

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time is a poem filled with symbolism, metaphors, and imagery all pertaining to acting on impulses in the moment. The speaker is explaining how “Old Time is still a-flying” and we must “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may”. The rosebuds create a symbol of youth and love while his statement about time could be a metaphor, stating that life will not go on forever. The two go hand in hand and one could also say the youth and love may not last forever.  He concludes the first stanza with “And this same flower that smiles today tomorrow will be dying”. It seems like Herrick is pertaining to a female in his poem because of the flower imagery. He ends the stanza almost on a depressing tone, saying that even though we keep living day by day, we are also getting closer to death and old age.

The next stanza continues with nature symbolism but this time among males. Herrick describes men as the sun getting higher and higher and then eventually setting. “The sooner will his race be run, and nearer he’s to setting”. Eventually men will pass on as well and it contributes to his point that men and women should just spend the time having sex and being adventurous before it is too late.

Age is very much emphasized, especially when the narrator talks about the impending tomorrow. He also emphasizes youth and the importances of discovering these pivotal ecstasies of life while men and women are still agile and carefree. “The age is best which is the first, when youth and blood are warmer” is how he begins his stanza and then quickly switches to a more almost ominous tone by concluding it with “Time still succeed the former”. He justifies his previous claim that even if you spend your life and adolescence doing other activities time will still be inevitable.

The last stanza sums up and reiterates what he has been trying to achieve all along in this poem. The last two lines are especially profound, “For having lost but once your prime, you may forever tarry”. These words of wisdom or perhaps a warning signal instructs to “virgins” that one must be aware of their time alive and not dwell or inhabit coy reservations. As John Keating in Dead Poets Society states, “We are food for worms, lads”. That is the overarching argument that Herrick makes and he makes it very well known among his first couple of lines. We might as well live as we want to. Carpe Diem.

Ghost of a Chance Explication

                Ghost of a Chance by Adrienne Rich uses figurative language and imagery to expose a man trying to separate himself from the world. The entire poem is relatively straight forward in terms of organization. The poet wrote her poem in chronological order and then ending in a simile of comparing the man thinking independently to a fish flopping around on the beach until the waves pull it back in. She also uses careful word choice by having the narrator address the reader in the opening line, “You see a man trying to think.” By choosing the word “you” the poet is addressing the reader and mentally placing them in the poem’s setting. In the reader’s mind they picture a man sitting by himself and not being able to think because of the constant commotion from people and surroundings from the world around him. At one point she mentions that, “the old consolations will get him at last”. The “old consolations” could be a myriad of things. The poet then starts comparing the consolations to a fish gasping for air in a rather morbid simile, “like a fish half-dead from flopping/ across the shingle, almost breathing, the raw agonizing air/ till a wave pulls it back blind into the triumphant sea”.  Consolations are usually things related to comfort, especially after an emotional loss. I found it odd that the poet would use a consolation as a metonymy to a fish desperately fighting for air. However, the fish struggling to survive could mimic the suffocating atmosphere of society and its constant intrusion on people’s lives and their desires to be different from the status quo. The sea is described by a very selective adjective, “triumphant” signifying the victory and/or chance of being individual. The title then, Ghost of a Chance, proves to be very poignant because though the poem never mentions it, it implies that the man probably never succeeded and eventually succumbed back into societal pressures. The man lost his chance and continues to be the fish along the shore. 

Famous Last Words-King Lear Act V

Cordelia: “We are not the first who with best meaning have incurred the worst. For thee oppressed King, I am cast down; myself could else outfrown false Fortune’s frown. Shall we not see these daughters and these sisters?” (V. iii. 4-8). – It is uncertain as to whether these were Cordelia’s exact last  words because it s the last time the audience sees her before she is taken away by Edmund’s orders to be executed. These last lines that Shakespeare writes for her epitomize who she was as a p-person.  Cordelia was strong-willed, independent, and loyal to her father even though he banished her. She is down on herself and upset from the loss of the war but that is to be expected and understood.

               Gloucester: “And that’s true too” (V. ii. 13). Similar to Cordelia, the audience is not certain as to whether these were Gloucester’s actual final words.  We learn from Edgar that his father eventually dies from grief and physical pain from his eyes being gouged out. His last line said in the play may appear at first as insignificant or easily missed, but examining it over, I can see some interesting meaning behind it. Gloucester responds to Edgar after he keeps persuading him to come with him to see Lear, Cordelia, and his brother Edgar. After Edmund says, “Men must endure their growing hence, even as their coming hither” Edmund wants his father to confront the problems in his life even though his life is coming to an end. These words show Gloucester’s will to keep living while he is still alive.

               Regan: “My sickness grows upon me” (V. iii. 127). Regan comes down ill very quickly after events start becoming worse for her. Her “sickness” is a literal pain that is inside her body but it can also show her sickness as a person. Her shallowness and deviance is really what kills her in the end, along with her sister poisoning her.

               Goneril: “Ask me not what I know” (V. iii. 194). Since the first act, Goneril has always been portrayed as dramatic. Whether it was confessing her love for her father or kissing Edmund when saying goodbye to him, it is almost always apparent in every scene where she speaks. Her last line is full of histrionics as well. Upon seeing Albany hand her letter to Edmund, she becomes hysterical. Instead of confronting both her husband and Edmund about what she was intending to do with the letter, she runs away and claims to not know anything, which only magnifies her cowardice. As the scene continues, Goneril never reappears and thus never confronts anyone about anything ever again.

               Edmund: “He hath commission from thy wife and me to hang Cordelia in the prison and to lay the blame upon her own despair that she forbid herself” (V. iii. 302-305). As Edmund approaches death, he tries to make good as if to maybe save himself and renew himself as a benevolent person. His last words are especially significant because it shows how just moments before he was completely unwilling to tell anyone anything without inflicting some sort of punishment on the one who questioned him. However, as he lay powerless and inept on the floor, he surrenders his secrets to seem as though that will fix all that he has caused.

               King Lear: “And my poor fool is hanged! No, no, no life! Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life, and thou no breath at all? Thou’lt come no more, never, never, never, never, never! Pray you undo this button-Thank you, sir. Do you see this? Look on her! Look! Her lips! Look there! Look there!” (V. iii. 367-372). I felt genuine sympathy for Lear in his final moments. He may not have been the most likeable character throughout the play but he felt true sadness and grief when Cordelia died, after truly seeing how selfless and loyal she is. Lear did really love his daughter all along and seeing her executed is what really killed him. He even hallucinates at one point really believing that she was coming back to life. Maybe he was hallucinating or maybe he was seeing her talk to him again. It all depends on who reads or watches the play, but it does show that some characters did have hope.

 

              

King Lear, Myself, and Nature

            Throughout much of the turmoil of Act III, the weather plays a very important role. Goneril and Regan have refused to let their father stay with them, let alone him and fifty of his knights. Lear is losing everyone around him from his daughters to his servants and virtually has nothing left to his name. After he curses his daughters, he walks into a violent storm and refuses to retreat back to the palace or take shelter. As his daughters shut and lock the doors, Lear is alone in the storm. The storm symbolizes cruelty and madness that are common themes throughout the play. A storm in nature is uncontrollable and destructive, much like Lear’s state of being. He shouts at the storm saying irrational demands such as “all-shaking thunder, strike flat the thick rotundity o’ the world/that make ingrateful man!” (III. ii. 6-8). He wants the storm to challenge him in the most disparaging ways possible. He also feels at ease with the nature because even though thunder, fire, hurricanes, whirlpools etc are all violent forces of nature, none of them are as vengeful and terrible as his daughters. King Lear beckons to the fool, “I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness. I never gave you kingdom, called you children, you owe me no subscription.” (III. ii. 16-18). Part of the king’s outbursts and yelling can stem from madness and anger, but when he succumbs through the storm and makes comments such these and being more acceptable than his children, shows that his relationship with nature is a way for him to seek refuge and let go of feelings.

            Even though King Lear can be seen as irrational and somewhat mad throughout most of the play, I felt genuinely empathetic towards him as he began his trek through the storm. Most people find that rainy days or days that have more gloomy or dismal weather as days that are unproductive or unsatisfying. I completely disagree, perhaps I am just the opposite but I find myself much calmer and somewhat happier on those days. I think the forces of nature have ways of influencing how we feel. I am not saying that people are always happy when the sun is out and sad when it is raining. I am saying that it has a way of making us feel like the universe is somehow understanding how we feel. This may be too deep or pretentious, which is not what I am trying to do, but I find that when I am outside or looking outside there is an emotion or sentiment that is evoked in me. Maybe it is because we all come from nature or maybe it is because I am too emotional about this, but I think King Lear is on to something when he walks through the storm, and I think I would have done the same thing.   

"Bereft" Explication

               Bereft by Robert Frost contains powerful imagery and metaphors. The narrator describes a wind that is heard rather than felt. He describes the wind as like a “deeper roar” as if it were some sort of creature howling at him rather than just the wind rustling. Already, the reader can tell that the weather is harsher and perhaps a storm is coming soon or that the weather is just getting colder.  The speaker seems to be weary and nervous, especially as he stands near the door as, asking if holding the door will do anything to stop the roaring wind. He describes the door as being “restive” and the wind could be what is causing that.  It is as if he is trying to keep the destructive wind from entering the house. In the next few lines the reader has a clear image of what the season is like. He describes the shore as “frothy” and that summer has past and the day has past. The poem suddenly becomes a little eerie knowing that is colder in the year and that it also takes place in the evening. The next two lines exhibit personification when describing the clouds as “somber” and the porch as “sagging”. These words add to the glum and ghostly feeling that the Frost is evoking in his poem. In the next two lines, Frost uses metaphorical language when describing the wind. “Leaves got up in a coil and hissed, blindly struck at my knee and missed”. The wind is described as a snake getting ready to attack, meaning that the wind is so strong it is threatening. The speaker continues describing the wind as if it were talking to him. He describes the wind as having a sinister tone and told him that his “secret must be known”. The last four lines of the poem are poignant in describing his secret. The “secret” itself is not revealed but he mentions that he is alone and away from people and that it “must have gotten abroad” and delivered to other people. He makes it sound like wind was what was carrying his secret and now it is telling him he has nowhere to hide anymore. The last two lines are “Word I was in my life alone, word I had no one left but God.” Frost hints at the secret that he is all alone and has no one with him except God, but it is still mysterious as to why he is all alone and what did he do to be that way. Throughout the entire poem, the wind is a metaphor for the narrator. The secret may be compared to the wind and trying to get into his house that he has left for himself. The weather also illuminates his sadness and despair that he is currently feeling and certainly illuminates the title of the poem “Bereft” because the narrator does feel as though he is lacking something.

Goneral, Regan, and Cordelia

Goneril: In the very first scene, Goneril makes a horrible first impression, at least to me. It is ridiculous that a father would ask his daughters to elaborate on how much they love him in front of a court in return for his wealth and property. It is cruel, unreasonable, but mostly egotistical. The way that Goneril does not even think twice about her father’s request and says very passionately and outlandishly how much she loves her father makes her look desperate and petty. “Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter;[…] No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, or honor” (I. i. 56-57 & 60). I am not saying that she does not love her father but it definitely seems like she is trying too hard.  At the end of the Act I she continues scheming with her sister, Regan, and even when her father stays with her palace. In Act III she openly talks about how King Lear’s knights are annoying and that her own father is intolerable. Instead of confronting them and telling them how she feels, she plans to have her severs behave badly towards her father and his knights. I do not understand why she cannot confront people in her own home, especially when it is her father. Even when her father finds out, she still pursues getting him to leave.  It is concerning.

Regan: Regan is very much like her sister Goneril, however it is difficult because she is not mentioned too much in the first Act, primarily only in the first scene.  She, like her sister, fervently professes her love and admiration towards her father in a manner that is full of histrionics. She states, “I am made of that self metal as my sister, and prize me at her worth” (I. i. 72-74). However she quickly interjects her appreciation for her sister and then claims that her sister fell short of honoring and loving their father, even though Goneril used words like “beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;” (I. i. 59). She clearly has many of the same attributes as her older sister but it is easy to detest Goneril more due to more examples of sly trickery.

Cordelia: Out of all three siblings, it is easiest to claim that Cordelia is the most likeable and amusing. She immediately finds her father’s request humiliating and distasteful and already knows what she is going to say when her father calls upon her. Upon her father’s request she replies, “Nothing, my lord” (I. i. 92).  Her answer is humorous but also inspiring in a sense that she does not succumb to her sister’s petty attempt at gaining higher recognition in their already high status. She seems the most stubborn out of the three of them but I see it as also being intelligent. She is knowledgeable in the sense that she knows how ridiculous the request is and knows that it is logical and right for her to do the most justifiable thing that is righteous for the situation. She becomes disowned and loses everything from her class to her property. It is ironic that several times she is mentioned as the “favorite daughter” among the three and King Lear so quickly gets rid of her. It is also quite interesting that the Duke of Burgundy wants nothing to do with her anymore now that she has so little status but the King of France reveres her for her nobility. I think it shows that people like her father and her sisters admire her stubbornness and intelligence but at the same time are jealous of it. 

"The Man with Night Sweats" by Thom Gunn- Explication

The poem begins with tactile imagery. The man wakes up feeling cold yet that feeling is juxtaposed with heat which he says come from his dreams. His describes his dreams as “dreams of heat” which creates images of passion and anguish and thus allow the reader to imagine their own ideas of what the dreams could be about. The man awakens to sweat drenched in his sheets and still holding on to his bed. The first stanza exhibits a tone of uneasiness due to the man’s apparent nature from awakening from a tumultuous dream.

                The second stanza describes his flesh as a shield that was penetrated by the sweats brought on by his dreams. The difference between his skin and a shield is that his skin can heal itself thus he can heal himself.  In the third stanza, he talks about his growth through trusting his body even while participating in risky behaviors that made him feel strong or “robust”. These images of gnashed skin and risky feelings along with night sweats from the first stanza could mean that the voice of the poem is experiencing a debilitating disease against the body.

                The next two stanzas continue to discuss the skin, this time referring to challenges that come across the skin. These “challenges” could be rashes, sores, or lesions. He also mentions that he cannot apologize for what has happened to him. His flesh is withering away along with his mind and overall being. 

                In the next stanza he states “I have to change the bed, but catch myself instead.” This line is poignant because he is saying that he is tired and needs to fix himself before fixing his bed. The last six lines encapsulate what the man is thinking and feeling all through imagery. He recalls hugging his own body as means to get rid of the pain his body is giving him, the pain he compares to an avalanche. When I first read this poem I was confused as to why night sweats upset this man so much and thinking that maybe his dreams caused the change of temperature and homeostasis in his body. Now reading over and over it is clear to me that it could be much more than just night sweats and that the pain through the imagery is what explained it to me. 

Ranking Characters in Hamlet

Hamlet Characters in Order of Defiance

1.       Hamlet: It is no secret that Hamlet is bold and defiant. The title of the play is his name after all. In the first act alone, Hamlet sits outside with Horatio and talks about how he thinks his stepfather is a fool and his mother is wrong for rushing to marry her dead husbands bother. From there, Hamlet’s whole motivation is to devoid anything anyone asks of him and to negate or completely ignore peoples wishes or commands. He also plots the entire play to kill Claudius, completely defying his superior.

2.       Polonius: Polonius really does not listen to anyone in the play. He orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch over his son while he has at school-going so far as to spread lies about him and see if he is actually doing those things. He also makes Ophelia not go through with being with Hamlet. He makes people do what he wants them to do and will not let people be defiant of him, only he himself is allowed to be.

3.       The Ghost: The Ghost really does not have a huge role except when he comes in contact with Hamlet. He is defying the supernatural forces in visiting his son and instructing him to murder and avenge Claudius. It is still unclear as to whether the apparition is real or just Hamlet’s imagination, but either it way its powers are very present.

4.       Fortinbras: Even though Fortinbras is the pit of jokes, he is clearly defiant of Hamlet’s kingdom. He is vengeful of his father’s death and wants to get back at King Hamlet and take the throne of Denmark. He takes his army up to the Hamlet’s castle to fight a bloody war over a name of a country and not even the throne, that was another part of his plan.

5.       Laertes: Though Laertes complies with the orders of his father when going off to school, he is so willing fully ready to defy the throne in killing whoever killed his father Polonius. This revenge is caused by honest disdain and remorse and may not be his original goal in the beginning of the play.

6.       Claudius: Claudius is defiant mainly to Hamlet and the throne of Denmark. He knows that he can take the throne and royally goes against the proper conformity associated with the Denmark monarchy. His defiance is more internal and not as profound and prominent as Hamlet’s or Polonius.

7.       Ophelia: Like her brother, Ophelia is mostly defiant after her father dies. She is still innocent and obedient both before and after his death. She defies Gertrude when she tries to figure out what is wrong with her and trying to make her feel better.  It is unclear whether it is defiance or just sheer sadness.

8.       Gertrude: Gertrude complies with the social conformity that is around her. She follows what she believes is right as a queen, as a mother, and as a wife. She really wants to fix things that go wrong on the play and pretty much wants to please everyone which in the end does not fix anything.

9.       Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: The two comrades are the most loyal characters probably throughout the play. Their willingness to follow orders inevitably leads to their own demise.

10.   Horatio: Horatio is also the most loyal and obedient character although he does not receive anything in return. He eventually tells Fortinbras about his new role in Denmark and is satisfied with his order from his late friend, Hamlet. 

"Desert Places" Explication

            In Robert Frost’s Desert Places, there is constant imagery. The first stanza describes snow falling in the nighttime and how the ground is almost completely enveloped in snow except for small stubbles of grass that poke through at the top. The denotation of snow is a kind of crystallized precipitation that occurs in the winter time. The connotation of snow could mean both joyful and melancholy. When snow falls, it can mean a sign of elation or happiness or a reminder of holidays or possibly new beginnings. It could also bring youthfulness and feelings of innocence. On the contrary, it could also be a meaning of loss, as in the decay and death and nature surrounding a person. It could mean cold, both in the literal tactile sense and in being harsh and unforgiving. Depending on who could read this poem may interpret the first stanza differently. Personally, I imagine a gloomy picture of the snow falling because of Frost also mentioning that it is nighttime, which could also enforce the feeling of a more bitter cold. 

            The poet describes the forest as having “it” in the first line of the second stanza and that the “it” is all theirs. As the animals stay in the lairs and the narrator is too “absent-spirited” to count them all. The “it” could be defined as loneliness, as in stanza four Frost writes “The loneliness includes me unawares”. This enhances the harsh feeling of snow falling in the forest adding the word loneliness. The meaning of “it” could in fact be loneliness. The animals themselves could also be alone. By using the word “lairs” instead of “home” or “burrow”, it creates an image of a darker place because a lair could conjure up an image of a hiding place or a place of solitude and it does not sound as comforting.  The loneliness is so powerful that it takes the narrator without them being aware of it happening. They even describe themselves as being too “absented-spirited” to notice; literally feeling devoid of their soul.

            The end of the third stanza describes the snow falling as “with no expression, with nothing to express”. This directly correlates with the connotation of snow as snow being seen as devoid of life or blank or empty. This could enhance the feeling that the narrator is trying to evoke throughout the poem-the ever increasing loneliness of the environment around them.

            The narrator tries to prove that he is not affected by the loneliness. Frost writes, “They cannot scare me with their empty spaces”. This proposes questions such who are “They”? and what “empty spaces” are the narrator referring to? “They” could be the loneliness and how it is evoked through nature.  Loneliness can be connected to feeling empty so that could be a further connotation of the word “loneliness”. The last three lines are especially potent because of what Frost is saying. The point that loneliness is so much closer to home than the “desert places” he is surrounded with. When one thinks of a desert, one does not picture snow or trees, but the feeling of emptiness is still apparent and Frost is trying to say that the feeling lies within our minds and that you simply cannot walk away from them.

Thinker vs. Doer

            I think many people can relate to Hamlet in the last two sense of Act III. I am not saying that people second guess killing their uncle/stepfather’s and then murdering a lover’s father through a tapestry because of impulse (though I am sure something along these lines might have happened once). I think that people cannot be just a thinker or just a doer.  In Hamlet’s example, he refrains from stabbing Claudius as he is trying to pray yet does not even hesitate when he hears another voice in the room with his mother. A person can be more of a thinker but from time to time but occasionally act on impulse and vice versa with a doer who occasionally sits back and ponders their decisions. It is human nature for people to behave that way. I think there are also reasons behind whether people are thinkers or doers. I understand that it could be one’s general personality or experiences; either way I find that those personal attributes can define our lives.  

I consider myself a thinker because I take a very long time making decisions about anything. I hesitate a lot of the time and become timid when I have to act on something. I do not know if that is Hamlet’s case, but I think other factors determine one’s actions.  Whether we think or do, what we ultimately act upon can really alter everything around us. It is harrowing to think about and I think that is why I take so long to make a decision and constantly think. I do not believe that people who just act or do are not intelligent, rather they just know what they want in that moment. I feel that impulse at times but the fear of the outcome or the unknown is what stops me. Thought this does not seem to apply to Hamlet, it certainly draws certain parallels. In conclusion, whether one is a thinker or doer, they will always determine their changes. 

"There's been a Death, in the Opposite House" Explication

The very first line sets the tone for the rest of the poem. Same as the title, “There’s been a Death, in the Opposite House,” introduces a dark and ominous image. The imagery of the house is particularly potent because of how it is descried. The house is described as having a “numb look”. Numbness is associated with lacking sensation or a dead-like state of being. The diction Dickinson uses helps create an image of what the house looks like but also what it feels like in the neighborhood after someone dies.  Though a death occurs that day, people still run errands in and out of their homes and the doctor leaves and goes back to his other work. Though there is no specific language that says this, the narrative structure helps infer that these events happen and also makes it sound like it happens all the time or at least very frequently.

An action interrupts the second stanza with a window opening “Abrupt-mechanically” the dash marks between words have repeated between different words throughout the entire poem, almost like an interjection. The dash serves as a pause in the narration as if the speaker was taking a moment to reflect on what they just said or to digest what they just said. However, they continue on with the series of events which includes throwing away a mattress that may have belonged to or touched the corpse. Children run away and wonder about the mattress. There is an ambiguous pronoun reference in line three in stanza four, “They wonder if it died there-on that-“the corpse is referred to as “it” making it seem though it really is not anything anymore. The whole time one reads the poem they imagine a dead person, where in reality they do not know because the poet makes it vague and uncertain. It also presents and interesting question as to whether it was actually or a person or, possibly, after we die, are we not considered people anymore?

Dickinson has a very peculiar line in which she writes, “I used to-when a Boy” it brings an image or a feeling of a flashback that the narrator has. The line comes right after the children wonder who or what might have died on the mattress. It enhances the eerie tone of the story and makes the reader wonder if maybe the “boy” the narrator is speaking of had died in the neighborhood previously. The vague statement allows the reader to wonder and even fear what the narrator means. The narrative structure continues with the arrival of the minister in the home and making his presence known, “As if the house were His-And He owned all the Mourners.” The second part of the phrase is in active voice in saying the minister “owned” the Mourners almost making people in grief and sadness his property and his job to take care of. It is an odd way of phrasing it considering ministers are supposed to be seen as comforting figures.  Nevertheless, the structure continues with the milliner coming with new black mourning hats and people coming to measure the house to make sure the coffin fits; all usual necessities for when someone has died. The narrator has almost an inclusive knowledge of how someone dies works, more so than how other people would.

There is one single line in which the poet writes “There’ll be that Dark Parade-“ The way she presents the line makes it stand out not only because it stands on its own but because it creates a symbol that obviously means something to the narrator. They continue to describe the parade and what it entails and concludes the poem with “The Intuition of the News-In just a Country Town”. The last line is poignant and direct in analyzing its way of handling morbid issues like death.  The overall syntax was also important throughout the poem and helped enhance the overall mood the story evokes. 

To Feel or Not to Feel

To feel or not to feel-that is the question:

To allow one to succumb to another in binding

Or to wallow in the proud and humble honor of one’s own independence.

The ability to let go and let down is supposedly effortless

But is it really?

The feeling of having another close and near is comforting

But at the same time suffocating

At the same time blissful

At the same time terrifying.

Why should one focus on all that can go wrong, when there is so much that can go right.

Loving is free and in everlasting abundance

The cheery smiles and copious amounts of laughter

Knowing that someone is there and ready to catch you.

Feeling the warmth and security of human contact and

The little moments that make everything seem alright.

How then, do people become afraid?

The ones that hide and match the wallpaper in their homes

Or the ones that don’t want to be held or even touched.

Walking alone and seeming to enjoy their solitude,

Maybe they do, and maybe they enjoy and value their independence.

How then can one decipher what is better?

It all depends on the individual, as some might say

Or maybe it depends on what really is going on.

The universe is a tricky and confusing place.

There are billions of souls all walking around and waiting

And wanting, and feeling, even if they don’t want to.

Though we all feel, it is hard to let ourselves do it.

It can be intimidating and harrowing in some cases,

But it also can be rewarding and fulfilling. It is never really right or wrong,

But it is also never safe.

One should never let the fear take over, but they should also never give in to pressure.

The world may never change, but the ways in which we chose to live in it can.

As long as we feel that we can. 

Acts IV and V Opinion of Hamlet

            The character of Prince Hamlet is very authentic in terms of struggle and strife among human beings. Throughout the first act, readers see him as a lonely and miserable man. After losing his father and gaining a new one in a matter of months along with very little to contact with Ophelia, Hamlet has every right to feel the way he does. When he is sitting outside with Marcellus and Horatio, he becomes embarrassed of the sound of roaring trumpets and partying that Claudius is having back at the castle. Hamlet remarks that this Danish custom does not even really seem like a tradition but just makes him look like a fool in front of rulers in other nations. Hamlet seems as though he is slightly more mature than his father or at least not amused by public celebrations and finds them trivial. I think he may also still feel distraught about his father’s death and irritated by his new stepfather’s “words of wisdom” describing how sons must lose their fathers and move on. Either way, they are both justifiable reasons for feeling the way he feels and any person could feel that way.

            Something that is also interesting about Hamlet is his willingness to follow his father’s apparition. I find it a very human attribute to want to do that. Some or perhaps most may argue that it is not healthy and that Hamlet could be putting his life in danger, even Marcellus and Horatio think so. One could also say that he is also suicidal to begin with and this will only make his health worse. I do not disagree with those statements but I find that his wanting to follow something that actually gives him some sort of hope or expectations is utterly understandable and any person in a similar situation would do or feel the same way. I think that is why I like Hamlet. He is not outlandish or ecstatic. He may not be the most optimistic or jolly person, but he seems like a very relatable human being. 

Poem Explication-Kitchenette Building

The first line of Kitchenette Building sets the tone for the rest of the poem. In a short statement, it proclaims how we as people succumb and adhere to the monotonous and tedious days that consume our existence. We are merely game pieces the systematic board of life. We naturally stick to what each hour of the day consists. The action of dreaming is not even fathomable; it can be a whimsical thought, but definitely not more pertinent than paying mortgage or being a supportive housewife. The attitude the poet exhibits is a dull and miserable mood that somehow becomes illuminated with the thought of a dream. Could a dream possibly evade the consistent problems that arise in existence? Imagery is expressed when describing how a dream could spread through the components of everyday living, such as “onion fumes […] fight with fried potatoes, and yesterday’s garbage ripening in the hall” (Brooks, 4-6). The next stanza imposes a rhetorical question: can we let dreams begin? Brooks examines the idea of actually acting on ones ambitions and almost personifying it, “Even if we were willing to let it in, Had time to warm it, keep it very clean,” (Brooks, 8-9). By personifying our dreams, it makes them that more real and possible. The elated mood quickly switches back into reality with the climax of the poem. In the midst of admiring and fantasizing, readers are soon interrupted by yet another occurrence of the daily being. The conclusion of the poem exhibits the more pressing issues in living such as getting into the bathroom when there are more people living in the house than you can count on one hand. The voice of this poem is particularly important because the narration is perceived as the typical member of society that is only thinking about how to survive physically, but not mentally.

First Impressions of Hamlet's Family

My first impression of King Claudius is that he is rather shallow. Though his brother had just passed away, within two months he marries his brothers widow, Queen Gertrude. The very first time the readers meet Claudius, he is giving a speech about how he misses his brother, but decides not to mourn but to celebrate something happy instead. It is interesting that he is so dissmissive of his late brother's end, but not of his own new beginning. I also find him quite inconsiderate. He is dumbfounded as to why Hamlet, his nephew, would still be wearing black mourning clothes. Claudius tells Hamlet that all sons must lose their fathers and that it is a natural process of life. As truthful as that is, Claudius' blunt statment is very rude because he does not put into account what it actually feels like for Hamlet. I am curious to know how Claudius felt when his father died, not that I root for his saddness, I guess I am just curious. He also does not want Hamlet to return to school and insists that he stay with his mother during this time. It is strange that Claudius feels sorrow and grief for Gertrudes pain, but when it comes to Hamlet's he is dissmissive.

Queen Gertrude is another odd character to me. Though she cares for her son, Hamlet, and wants him close to her during this mourning period, she still goes off to marry her deceased husbands brother. I am still unsure on what her motives are. In a way I think it is her method of coping with the stress and saddness that comes with the death of her first husband. I dont think it is healthy to fill the void left behind to feel complete again but it is reasonable. I think Gertrude is a genuine person. Hamlet recalls how loving she was with his father which makes it that more confusing as to why she remarried so quickly, unless we assume that she was trying to fill the void. Though she is genuine, I do believe there is some sort of saddness that has overcome her but she covers it up so well that no one can tell.

Prince Hamlet might be the most level headed person in the play so far. He struggles so much with the loss of his father as any son would. He continually wears black clothes and cries for days and gets told by his new step father that it is unmanly and weak to be mourning this way and for so long. It does not fix the situation Hamlet is already in nor does it improve it. He also openily admits that his mother is insane for getting married so soon after the passing of his father. I think Hamlet may also be insecure becuase when Claudius tells him to stay home from school, he listens even though he does not respect Claudius. Hamlet could agree to Claudius' request because he wants to be there for his mother, but it still struck me as odd.