Hamlet Notes

Literary Analysis 2

 

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.
 
Jane Eyre is an orphan living with Mrs. Reed and her three cousins at Gateshead Hall. She has a very hard childhood because they mistreated her, such as putting her in the "red room" which is were her uncle died. Jane is later sent to Lowood, a school for orphans. But, she doesn't have much luck there because she is also treated in a cruel matter. The only nice people there is the teacher Miss Temple and Helen her best friend. Helen dies, but soon Jane makes another friend, Mary Ann. Jane stays at Lowood until she's 16 then becomes a teacher and remains there until she's 18. She later accepts a job as a governess for Adele Varens at Thornfield. She soon meets Mr. Rochester who she has an attraction to. Jane saves Mr. Rochester's life while the sneaky Grace Poole supposedly sets his curtains on fire. After that Janes aunt gets sick and even though she treated Jane bad Jane still helps her. When Jane returns to Thornfield she decides to marry Mr.Rochester. On the day of their wedding, two men come saying Mr. Rochester is already married. They find out that his wife is Bertha Mason, the one who's been doing crazy things at night. He tells Jane to live with him in France, but they'll have to pretend to be married. She refuses to be another mistress and runs away. She moves in with the River's family and becomes a teacher. Her Uncle, Mr. Eyre, passes away and leaves his fortune to Jane. St. John tries to marry Jane, but Jane doesn't want to . She's about to say yes to St. John's marriage proposal when she apparently hears Mr. Rochester's voice calling her. The next day, she leaves and returns to Mr. Rochester. They rekindle their love and they marry .
 
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
 
I think that the novel had a lot of themes but the one that stood out to me the most would be the theme of family. Jane never really had a sense of what family really is because she was raised as an orphan.She lived with her aunt but she never really felt like she was part of the family because her aunt treated her very badly. She was always looking for a sense a belonging, when she went to school she found a teacher who she connected with and a best friend, but soon they were out of her life. That was the closest she was to finding some type of family .Then, she met Mr.Rochester who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with but once again things went wrong and she wasn't able to have the family that she always wanted. Finally, at the end of the novel she goes back with Mr.Rochester and they marry. She finally gets that sense of having a family, that for so long she was striving for.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
The author's tone is sympathetic. Through out Jane's life she has always been faced with stuggles starting at a young age. The author makes sure that the readers understands her struggles as a orphan. Jane grew up being bullied by her aunt Mrs.Reed and when she went to school the teachers also treated her badly. Janes' life was always faced with adversities and obstacles, but at the end she finally found the happiness that she had been looking for her whole life.
 
4. Describe ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthen your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone. Include three excerpts (for each element) that will help your reader understand each one.
 
Symbolism: The red-room because throughout the novel she refers to it as an emotional piece. Whenever she feels insecure about herself or a decision she's about to make, the red-room is brought up as a reminder the struggles she'll have to face to find peace within herself.
"Let her stand half an hour longer on that stool, and let no one speak to her during the ramainder of the day." That's exactly how Mrs. Reed treated her when she tried to get out of the red-room. (Mr Brocklehurst CH. 7)
Allusion: When visitor's come to Thornfield, they talk about how cruel they've been to their own governess. It's a reminder of what Jane's childhood was like under the watch of Mrs. Reed. The idea of higher class being dominate to the lower class is shown as they converse.
 
"What tricks Theodore and I used to play on our Miss Wilsons, and Mrs. Greys, and Madame Jouberts! Mary was always too sleep to join in a plot with spirit." (Blanche Eshton Ch. 17)
 
Plot Tension: The reader could tell that Jane is falling in love with Mr. Rochester, but Mr. Rochester pretends to be engaged to Miss Blanche. Jane witnesses the two as a "couple" and concludes that Jane's secrete love could never be because of their class. Tension rises as the reader picks up the two's interest for each other.
 
"He said something in praise of your eyes, did he? Blind puppy! Open their bleared lids and look on your own accursed senselessness! It does good to no women to be flattered by their superior, who cannot possibly intend to marry her, and it is madness in all women to let a secrete love kindle within them..." (Jane Eyre Ch. 16)
 
Emotional Appeal: Jane is always expressing her attitude towards Mrs. Reed, Mr. Rochester, Mrs. Fairfax, the upper class. Rejection plays a huge role in this story as well as forgiveness.
 
"I valued what was good in Mrs. Faux and what was good in Adele; but I believe in the existence of other and more vivid kinds of goodness and what I believed in I wished to behold" (Jane Eyre Ch.12)
Imagery: Helps the audience go more in dept with how Jane encounters and sees certain situations . It gives readers the ability to be creative.
 
"Something creaked: it was a door ajar, and that door was Mr. Rochester's, and the smoke rushed in a cloud from thence. I thought no more of Mrs. Fairfax I thought no more of Grace Poole or the laugh; in an instant, I was within the chamber. Tongues of flame darted around the bed: the curtains were on fire. In the midst of blaze and vapour, Mr. Rochester lay stretched motionless, in deep sleep." (Jane Eyre Ch. 15)
 
Foreshadowing: The novel’s main instances of foreshadowing focus on Jane’s eventual inheritance (Chapter 33) from her uncle John Eyre. In Chapter 3, Jane tells Mr. Lloyd that her aunt has told her of some “poor, low relations called Eyre,” but she knows nothing more about them.
 
Syntax: Syntax and style of the sentences are complex; phrases and clauses are elaborately interwoven, but still feel balanced and exact. For example, at the very beginning of the novel Jane tells us that she’s glad she can’t take a walk with her cousins: "I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed"

Irony: At first Jane needed Rochester, she had no money and no family, he was rich, but in the end Rochester was alone and blind and Jane was independent, suddenly Rochester needed Jane- the one thing i'll always remember about Jane Eyre.

Diction: The diction in Jane Eyre is chosen to add to the overall dark and foreboding mood of the novel. This masterful use of diction enriches the experience of the reader as the book progresses. When Jane first meets Mr. Rochester, he is described using words such as "dark," "stern," "ireful," and "thwarted."
 
CHARACTERIZATION
 
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
·         Examples of direct characterization:
o    "John had not much affection for his mother and sisters, and an antipathy to me." (Ch. 1)
o    "John Reed was a schoolboy of fourteen years old; four years older than I, for I was but ten" (Ch. 1)
 
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
·         The author's diction does change when she focuses on people like Bertha and Mr. Rochester. Through the diction the author shows their personality. For example for those two characters through the diction is shown to be cruel and aggressive. 
 
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
·         Jane Eyre is the protagonist and I feel she's a dynamic character. She changes from this shy abused girl to a strong independent young lady.
o    "While arranging my hair, I looked at my face in the glass, and felt it was no longer plain: there was hope in its aspect and life in its color; and my eyes seems as if they had beheld the fount of fruition, and borrowed beams from the lustrous ripple." (Chapter 24)
·         Jane Eyre is a round character because she changed personalities within the novel. She overcame the hardships at Gateshead Hall, Lowood and Thornfield by herself. She faced abandonment, neglection and imprisonment her entire life, but faced her problems and learned from her experiences.
 
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
 
After reading the book I learned that Jane is a very strong person because since a child she had to go through a lot of adversities. At the end she found happiness but it never came easy for her.

"Tools That Change the Way We Think."

Extensive internet media/technology changes the way I think in the way that I don't have to put much thought in what I have to research because more often than not google gives me the answer I need. Since the Internet limits the amount of thinking that I have to do, I tend to forget very quickly the information that I had just researched. In the old era, they didn't have internet so many great writers and philosophers were established. Don't get me wrong I think that the internet is a great source for information, but we shouldn't end it there. We need to think out of the box and actually take the information into our brains. We have to also be very careful with all the distractions on the internet.

Notes on Hamlet

At the begining of Hamlet, I felt bad for Hamlet because all of a sudden he had to deal with a lot of family drama. His dad died and his mother remarried his uncle, this is definitely something very difficult to deal with. After Hamlet killed Polonious I had a different view on him because he didn't even seem to care. After feeling bad for him, I felt angry at him because killing someone is a big deal and he didn't care at all because all he is focused on is killing Claudius. I think Hamlet is actually becoming crazy and he is not pretending this time.

Who Was Shakespeare?

"Little is actually known for sure about the man we call William Shakespeare, although his is a name familiar to nearly every English speaking person. His birthday is a guess, and just what he looked like is a mystery. Even his identity itself is sometimes disputed. But most people today consider Shakespeare the greatest of all dramatists. His plays demonstrate a profound understanding of the nature of humanity. His skill with language and his ability to construct a story through dramatic and poetic means is unequaled.

The generally accepted facts are as follows: Shakespeare was born in 1564, the third child and first son of John Shakespeare and his wife Mary Arden, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. John Shakespeare was a landowner, a merchant, a glovemaker, and a man on a political track. In 1567 he became "high bailiff," the highest elected office in Stratford, equivalent to a mayor today.

William was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564. The exact date is known from town records. He most likely attended the local grammar school, the King's New School, where his teachers held Oxford degrees and taught a rigorous program of study.

In 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer from the nearby village of Shottery. In 1583, they had a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith, in 1585. (Hamnet died at age eleven).

Around 1588 Shakespeare and his family moved to London and within a few years he had achieved some success as an actor, a poet and a playwright. The Sonnets especially established his reputation as a gifted and popular poet, but it is the 38 plays he wrote or collaborated on that have firmly established his reputation as the greatest dramatist who ever lived.

Shakespeare became a charter member of a theatrical company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, in 1594. He first worked in theatres owned by James Burbage northeast of London, the Theatre and the Curtain. In 1598 Burbage moved to Bankside, along the Thames River, and built the Globe Theatre. As a partner in the Globe, (and later the Blackfriars Theatre, acquired in 1608), Shakespeare profited from its success. His plays were performed at the courts of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, who became sponsor of his theatrical troupe in 1603. Its name was changed to the King's Men"

.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/merchant/shakespeare.html

To Facebook or Not To Facebook

At first I thought of Facebook as a way to socialize with other and to catch up on all the latest gossip. I still see Facebook as the same way as before but now I also see it as dangerous. On Facebook you have no privacy at all because anyone can see your information. You have no power in deciding who sees your information because even though you may have it private your name can still show up somewhere on facebook. It is so bad to the point that I once saw a picture on myself on google that was originally on facebook, CREEPY!!! Basicly, now I don't think facebook is as safe as I thought it was. We need to be very careful.

Vocabulary list #9

Abortive: failing to produce the intended result
Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely
Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior
Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle
Ensconce: establish or settle
Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions
In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning
Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict
Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy
Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on
Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
Prescience: the power to foresee the future
Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something
Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down
Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry
Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized
Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma
Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of.
Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner

ReplyDelete

Autopsy

Did you do as well as you expected/hoped? To what do you attribute the outcome? How can you improve for the final?

I think I did very well on my midterm. I studied every night for thirty minutes and that was very helpful because I never stressed about the midterm. I am hoping that the final will have the same turn out, but basketball season is coming up soon so that means that I won't have that much time anymore to study every night.

Hamlet Remix

Hamlet literally has "I HATE MY LIFE" written all over his face. You can also see this emotion through his facial expressions.His mom is blinded by her love for Claudius and Claudius is just evil.

VOCABULARY LIST #8

Abeyance-(N.) A state of temporary disuse or suspension.

Ambivalent- (Adj.) Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Beleaguer- (V.) Beset with difficulties

Carte blanche- (N.) Complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best.

Cataclysm- (N.) A sudden violent upheaval, esp. in a political or social context

Debauch- (V.) Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.
(N.) A bout of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, esp. eating and drinking

éclat- (N.) brilliant or conspicuous success

Fastidious- (Adj.) Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Gambol- (V.) Run or jump about playfully

Imbue- (V.) Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality: "imbued with deep piety".

Inchoate- (Adj.) Just begun and so not fully formed or developed

Lampoon- (V.) Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule or sarcasm.
(N.) A speech or text criticizing someone or something in this way

Malleable- (Adj.) Easily influenced; pliable

Nemesis- (N.) The inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall

Opt- (V.) Make a choice from a range of
possibilities

Philistine- (N.) A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them

Picaresque- (Adj.) Of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

Queasy- (Adj.) Nauseated; feeling sick

Refractory- (Adj.) Stubborn or unmanageable

Savoir-faire- (N.) The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations.

Reflection on Midterm

a) What went well?
I think overall everything went well. I didnt stress at all because I started to study a week in advance ,so that made it very easy for me.
  b) What didn't go well?
In part three of the test, there were some words that I wasn't so sure about, therefore I felt like I needed more time in that part.
  c) How much of the content will stick with you? 
I'm hoping that all the content sticks with me, but I'm going to be realistic maybe about 75% will.
d) What can you learn from the experience to improve for next time?
I think next time when I'm studying I should spend more time on the words that I don't know and just put the words that I do know aside.

Dear Ophelia

This is a very difficult situiation because it feels like you have to choose your family or your love of your life, though choice right? My suggestion is to try to talk to your father and brother and explain to them that there is more to the prince than what they see. The next step is to prove them wrong, if the prince really loves you he will work hard for your families approval and he will show your family that you and him are meant for each other. Remember, actions speak louder than words. Don't ever give up on what you love, there is always ways around it, so  don't feel like you have to choose one over the other. The main thing here is to help your family see what you see in him, it is definitely a challenge but it is possible.

Best of Luck.