Sound and Sense 7

Question: Analyze the speaker's tone towards his recounting of being discriminated against by focusing on the use of literary devices such as point of view, and diction.

While riding in old Baltimore, the young speaker initially feels joyful and optimistic, but his feelings are quickly consumed by confusion and rejection after a scarring incident as an innocent child.

The rhyme scheme utilized in the poem demonstrates the innocence of the speaker during the incident.
"Now I was eight and very small, And he was no whit bigger, And so I smiled, but he poked out His tongue, and called me, 'Nigger.'"(5-8). The diction throughout the poem is very child-like and similar to a nursery rhyme. The speaker is only eight years old and does not see anything wrong with smiling at the Baltimorean. He was innocent and unaware of racism which was predominant even among small children during that era. The description given by the speaker shows that both the speaker and the Baltimorean are innocent children. The Baltimorean shows his tongue, which is a childish insult. This action represents the unawareness of the children who were being influenced by the adults discriminating around them.

The tone of the speaker changes dramatically from the beginning of the poem to the end, as he realizes that his initial thoughts about the Baltimorean were incorrect. The tone initializes as "heart-filled, [and] head-filled with glee" (2), and later becomes reflective as he thinks back to the incident: "Of all the things that happened there That's all that I remember" (11-12). The shift in the tone causes the last stanza to be more effective because there is an obvious change in the speaker's point of view. His contemplative outlook towards the situation insinuates disappointment and discomfort. Although the speaker was young during the incident, it was a traumatizing occurrence in the speaker's life.

Extra Credit Movie Response

Mariana Goncalves

Mr. George

AP World Literature

22 January 2014

Her Response

Prompt 2 & 5:  According to the dictionary, personhood is the state or fact of being an individual or having human characteristics and feelings. Personhood is an essential aspect of life. In the movie Her, directed by Spike Jonze, Theodore Twombly is a desensitized individual due to his lack of empathy and emotional maturity. His flaws are evident through his memories of his failed marriage. Due to the technological advancements, society has gradually become more reliant on technology, and less social. Theodore is greatly affected by the phenomenon of technology and loses his grasp of human interactions. After purchasing an operating system designed to fulfill his every need, Theodore loses himself in a false sense of reality, thus, challenging the definition of personhood.

The mere essence of human existence is interacting with other humans for one's development and growth. By interacting with others, one learns how to respond to feelings and emotions in every circumstance. Being able to empathize with others as well as being able to convey your own emotions is a key to communication. Samantha, the operating system, becomes a convenient solution to Theodore’s inner turmoil. He is able to distract himself by interacting with Samantha and projecting the feelings he yearns to have, onto her. Although she is not the appropriate recipient of his feelings, she portrays herself as such and gives him a sense of confidence. Theodore is ultimately communicating with a responsive robot; distorting his idea of a relationship because he is able to create his perfect companion.

Theodore is able to receive all of the benefits of having someone who cares and lives for him without having to reciprocate. Samantha is a computer with no flaws or real needs, whose purpose is to solely serve Theodore. Their relationship is an artificial representation of what a real relationship between two humans should consist of.  MTV runs a television show called CatFish, where they document the story of multiple people who fall in love with complete strangers online. Today, more and more people are finding it more satisfactory to interact with strangers online rather than dealing with people around them; it is easy to portray yourself as the perfect person to someone who knows nothing of your background. One’s flaws can be easily hidden online whereas they cannot be hidden from those physically present. The inability to deal with other’s emotions makes the idea of online dating more appealing.

Similar to the stories on CatFish, Theodore has found an escape through Samantha. He cannot find any flaws in her character because her very existence is to cater to his needs and present herself as a perfect companion. Theodore is confronted with his tragic flaw when his ex-wife, Katherine, exposes it. It is one of the most meaningful scenes of the film because it brings an important theme to light. As Theodore tells Katherine about his new companion, Samantha, he accentuates the fact that she has a positive outlook in life. This comment irritates Katherine because it proves Theodore’s inability to cope with the demands of a real relationship. The major theme that is presented is the reality of society today. People are less willing to interact with those around them because they do not want to put in the effort of understanding others. People are more willing to take the easy route and depend on the convenience of technology to recreate themselves into a perfect “profile”. The relationships created through this are fictitious because both people are falsely portraying themselves as exactly what the other person wants. Perfection is unattainable and unrealistic.  

   
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             



Hamlet Outline

Mariana Goncalves

Mr. George

AP World Literature

15 January 2014

Hamlet Outline: Prompt 7

Thesis:

The "To be or not to be" speech is one of the most famous in literature, yet it is deeply incongruous with the character Hamlet as it is a result of him performing for the other characters around him. This speech is not appropriate for Hamlet the character but is an excellent representation of Hamlet the text because the content can be applied to various situations rather than being a description of Hamlet’s personal experiences.

 

A. Unlike Hamlet’s previous soliloquies, this one is impersonal and generalized to a degree where it could ultimately be applied to many aspects of life.

    1. “To be or not to be: that is the question” (III.i.64).

a. The soliloquy already opens with an ambiguous phrase. The vague pronoun, “that”, is not specified and the action which the phrase is referring to is not specified either. It can be interpreted in various ways.

 

B. Hamlet’s awareness that there are people spying on him causes him to hesitate and predetermine what he is saying; therefore, the speech is not a real representation of what is happening in Hamlet’s mind.

1. “The undiscover’d country from whose bourn No traveler returns” (III.i.86-87).

a. This is a contradictory line because Hamlet is saying that there is no return after death. It is obvious that he is lying because he has talked to a ghost. His entire motive has been predicated by the claims of a ghost. Since he knows that he is being spied on, Hamlet hides this aspect in order to eliminate the risk of anyone finding out.

b. Hamlet is putting on a sane façade to hide his constant inner turmoil.

 

C. The soliloquy consists of universal ideas which can relate to everyone. It is philosophical contemplation on life and morals. In retrospect, the “To Be or Not To Be” speech stands a representation of the play as a whole.

1. “The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin?” (III.i. 79-84).

    a. The complaints suggested in the speech are not specific to one character. It contains not personal pronouns or personal experiences. The topics being discussed are universal, applying to each and every character in a different way.

    b. There are no references to religion throughout the entire speech.

  

Hamlet 7

In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, Ophelia and Hamlet are foil characters based on their experiences throughout the play. Both have only one parent figure. In Hamlet's case, although Gertrude is his real mother, Claudius is the one acting as the parent. Gertrude simply goes along with everything Claudius says. In Ophelia's family, Polonius is her father; however, Laertes, her brother, takes the initiative as the father figure. Gertrude and Polonius are equal because they are both manipulated and rather clueless throughout the play. As the play opens, Hamlet is seen as insane simply because he is grieving his father's death. King Claudius constantly condemns Hamlet's actions. Similarly, King Claudius characterizes Ophelia as mad when she starts grieving for her father's death: "It springs All from her father's death, and now behold!" (IV.v.80-81). It is ironic that Ophelia becomes insane because due to Hamlet's insanity, Claudius and Polonius ask her to act in front of Hamlet in order to help them with their plan.

Hamlet 6

Although Hamlet has lost touch of his sanity, he is still able to think through his actions. Hamlet's decision to spare King Claudius' life during prayer directly parallels Hamlet's decision of sparing his own life in the first act of the play: "Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst (self-slaughter!)" (I.ii.135-136). Hamlet contemplates suicide due to the extensive grief he feels for his father's death; however, his devotion to his religion overpowers his will to die. He is aware that one who commits suicide goes to hell. Similarly, Hamlet spies on Claudius praying and draws his sword to kill him right then and there. For a quick moment, Hamlet demonstrates bravery and initiative. Shortly thereafter, Hamlet decides not to: "And so he goes to heaven, And so am I (revenged.) That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that, I his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven" (III.iii.79-83). The value that Hamlet gives to religious ideals contributes to the idea that he is a Christian. Even though he has the opportunity to kill Claudius, his sense of religion overpowers his anger because he does not want Claudius to go to heaven. 

Hamlet 5

Hamlet, the protagonist of the Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet, undergoes a dramatic change in character in the third act. Now that he has decided to act insane and crazy, Hamlet has become more outspoken and demanding. In previous scenes, he is the hopeless romantic in pursuit of Ophelia's love. During his encounter with Ophelia in act three, Hamlet says, "You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so (inoculate) our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not" (127-129). Ophelia confesses that she has been deceived by Hamlet because she believed that he loved her. Hamlet's character in act three greatly contrasts his character in the beginning of the play. When Hamlet is first introduced, he claims to be honest at all times and to never pretend. Now that he is acting insane, it is unknown as to whether his claims in the beginning of the play are lies, or whether his insanity is an act as well.

Free Response Practice

      Clarence Harvey's complex character is developed with the use of tone, point of view, and language to reveal that his uncertainty and speculative instinct towards others stems from his own doubts about his character.
      The narrator's factual tone while describing Clarence shows that there are more layers to his character which are left unseen. It can be understood that there is a sense of animosity from the narrator: "Clarence Harvey might have been more than a pleasant young man, if he had not been smitten with the desire of being thought superior" (1-3). The tone is bitter with a hint of admiration. The narrator expresses that there is potential in Clarence; however, his negative traits overshadow the potential. The narrator's paradoxical tone parallels Clarence Harvey's paradoxical feelings about himself: "when he felt himself most charmed by her powers of pleasing, he was most inclined to despise her" (51-53). Clarence develops contrasting feelings towards Belinda and projects his uncertainty onto her. His ignorance towards her charm shows that he is afraid of being manipulated by someone else because of his arrogance.