Hamlet Quotes

Act 4 Scene 5 Lines 35-45

What is a man
if his chief good and market of his time
Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.
Sure He that made us with such large discourse,
Looking before and after, gave us not
That capability and godlike reason
To fust in us unused. Now whether it be
Bestial oblivion or some craven scruple
Of thinking too precisely on th' event
(A thought which, quartered, hath but one part
wisdom...)

Act 5 Scene 1 Lines 214-224

No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither,
with modesty enough and likelihood to lead it, (as
thus:) Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander
returned to dust; the dust is earth; of earth
we make loam; and why of that loam whereto he he
was converted might they not stop a beer barrel?
Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away.
O, that that earth which kept the world in awe
Should patch a wall t' expel the winter's flaw!

"If Poisonous Minerals" by John Donne Interpretation

9.4.2012
AP Literature Assignment #3
Poetry Interpretation

How to Read a Poem

John Donne’s Holy Sonnet #9 (“If Poisonous Minerals”)

1.     The speaker of this poem seems to be a man that is very bitter or desperate for forgiveness from God and God’s mercy. He claims that it is not fair that his sins are more evil just because he possesses reason or intent. He pleads that a merciful God could overlook him this time. He even refers to the river Lethe, a river in classical mythology that makes one forget everything when touched.

2.     The speaker seems to be speaking to God, although it seems more like a one-way rant than a conversation. He seems to be vexing and taking out his thoughts and emotions to a God that doesn’t seem to answer him. He keeps arguing and seeking forgiving, and often catches the fact that he is arguing against an almighty, merciful God.

3.     John Donne lived in the era of the plague and a time when Protestants clashed with Catholics. Thus, he lived in a time of great suffering, death, and conflict. This might contribute to the fact that he says “If lecherous goats, if serpents envious cannot be damned, alas, why should I be?” An angry frustration of why the world goes unpunished when he in fact is marked a sinner.

4.     The purpose of the poem seems to be a man’s pleading for mercy towards God. He seems to beg for mercy on his case and that God just forget that he ever did anything wrong.

5.     God, who allows much more evil in this world than my sins, please have mercy and forgive me this once.

6.     He makes an allusion to the “tree whose fruit threw death on else immortal us…” probably referring to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden referred in Genesis. Also, “lecherous goats” probably refers to the biblical passage that goats and sheep will be separated. The “serpents envious” is probably an allusion to Satan, who takes the form of a serpent in Genesis. “Lethean flood” alludes to the river Lethe in classical mythology, a river that makes a person forget everything once touched.

7.     The poem follows the classic Petrarchan Sonnet structure of ABBAABBA but ends with ABBACC. It also seems to be in iambic pentameter, having ten syllables in each line.

8.     The iambic pentameter certainly does create a rhythm in the sonnet that makes it sound much more like a plea. The special ending of CC also delivers the ultimate message of the poem: have mercy.

9.     The tone of the poem is rather dark, and also very personal. It almost feels like the speaker is a child arguing with his parent about stealing a cookie. He refers to God in a very personal way because he is almost demanding mercy from him.

10. “Lecherous” and “Envious” seem to be good words that highlight the evil of the goats and serpents. “Heinous” also seems like a good word choice as it makes the speaker’s sin seem very evil. “Lethean flood” seems to be a very good choice of words because it certainly paints his picture well and was probably a familiar idea to people of his age. “Sin’s black memory” also reveals the evil of sin.

11. There are certainly images that pop up occasionally in the poem. In my opinion the image of the Lethean flood seems most powerful, and the tree whose fruit threw death is a close second.

12. There are numerous metaphors, such as lecherous goats and serpents envious referring to sin and sinners in general. Lethean flood is a metaphor for complete forgetfulness. Sin is also personified as heinous and having the ability to create memory.

13. The statement that “fruit threw death” is a bit of an overstatement, since it did not literally bring death to Adam and Eve, but a death of the soul and the eventual death of the physical body.

14. Again, lecherous goats and serpents seem to be a symbol for evil, and Lethean flood for complete loss of memory. Although the overall poem does not seem allegorical, it certain does contain bits of allegory.

15. Several examples of alliteration such as “dare dispute” and “that thou”. No specific significance noted.

16. The poem is very successful in highlighting the anger and frustration that many Christians feel towards God who claims to be merciful but chooses to punish their sins. It also highlights the Christians frustration at an evil world going unpunished while they are constantly driven by guilt of sin. 

Beowulf Blog Post #1

8.19.2012
AP Literature Assignment #2
What makes an Anglo-Saxon hero?

Heroes can represent very different characteristics, fight for different principles, and embody different morals. Heroes in Asia might strike one in Europe as odd, and of course, heroes in Europe might be repulsive to one in Asia. As such, the Anglo Saxon representation of a hero is unique in its own light.

Beowulf is a legendary warrior from Geat, a country that neighbors the Danish people. Beowulf seems to be the representation of everything that makes a hero during the Anglo Saxon era. One of the most important traits that an Anglo Saxon seems to consider in a hero is the hero’s awesome strength. Constantly the epic mentions the incredible strength of Beowulf. Hrothgar describes Beowulf as, “a thane, with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand.” (Lines 380-381) Even Beowulf himself acknowledges his strength by telling Hrothgar, “So every elder and experienced councilman among my people supported my resolve to come here to you, King Hrothgar, because all knew of my awesome strength.” (Lines 415-418) The fact that the elders chose Beowulf because of his strength makes it clear the importance of strength in deciding a hero. Another trait that seems important for an Anglo Saxon hero is the trait of courage. The epic describes Beowulf as, “the man whose name was known for courage…” (Line 340) The fact that Beowulf was known for courage over other traits highlights the fact that courage plays an important role, and is valued among the Anglo Saxon society. Beowulf demonstrates his bravery with speeches such as, “And I shall fulfill that purpose, prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead-hall.” (Lines 636-638) It is also interesting to consider the importance of generosity and manners in a hero as well. Although unnaturally boastful, Beowulf in essence is a very mannered man, as seen by his introduction: “If your lord and master, the most renowned son of Halfdane, will hear me out and graciously allow me to greet him in person, I am ready and willing to report my errand.” (Lines 344-347) Beowulf’s formalities are also observed throughout the epic. Hrothgar praises Beowulf not only for his strength but because he knows how to respect and speak formally: “You are strong in body and mature in mind, impressive in speech.” (Lines 1844-1845)

To summarize, this quote alone seems to summarize everything that makes Beowulf such a great hero, and all the traits that the Anglo-Saxon’s seem to think vital for a hero. “He was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour and took no advantage; never cut down a comrade who was drunk, kept his temper and, warrior that he was, watched and controlled his God-sent strength and his outstanding natural powers.  (Lines 2178-2183) Brave. Powerful. Honorable.

Personal Reflections

Personally, the character of Beowulf was a bit shocking for me at first. My culture and my family have always emphasized the importance and the need for humility. However, Beowulf is a master in announcing his amazing traits. When he throws around words like, “I was the strongest swimmer of all,” (Line 534) it was hard for me to look at him in a good light. However, I think the beautiful thing about Beowulf is that he isn’t simply boasting, he is actually telling the truth. He “talks the talk and walks the walk”, which makes Beowulf impossible to hate. If I killed two great stalkers of darkness and slew a dragon, I too would probably make known my awesome strength. Plus, he doesn’t boast to make another feel less of himself, but boasts to reassure someone that he can help – a boast that works to help others. Ultimately, I think that culture also plays an important part. I’m sure that during Anglo-Saxon England, it was considered heroic to be able to boast, and that people encouraged others to boast if they had something to boast about. Undeniably, Beowulf did have something to boast about. No argument about that.

All hail Beowulf, the awesome warrior. 

Summer Reading Essay

8.17.2012

AP Literature Assignment #1.
Summer Reading Essay.

“Last of all came Adah the monster, Quasimodo, dragging her right side behind her left in her body’s permanent step song sing: left… behind, left… behind.”

“Now she understood that Anna could not have been in lilac, that her loveliness consisted precisely in always standing out from what she wore, that what she wore was never seen on her. And the black dress with luxurious lace was not seen on her; it was just a frame, and only she was seen—simple, natural, graceful, and at the same time gay and animated.”

            The two quotes describe two individuals who are very contrasting in physical appearance, but represent the same idea of “change” in an individual. The first quote describes Adah Price, one of the twin daughters of the Price family from Kingsolver’s novel, The Poisonwood Bible. The second quote describes Anna Karenina, the beautiful lady of Tolstoy’s grand novel, Anna Karenina.

           

            The differences between these two characters are very easy to spot. First, one will realize that while Adah is not physically attractive due to her disability (she has to drag her right side due to a brain dysfunction), as attested by the quote above, Anna Karenina almost epitomizes physical beauty. The quote above is how Kitty describes Anna’s unmatched beauty – her beauty is so great that everything she wore, no matter how luxurious or lavish, simply vanished under her aura of beauty. Second, Adah is a very independent person, not relying on anyone’s attention or help, although her disease makes it difficult for her to be dependent. She claims that “silence has many advantages,” and spends most of her hours reading and lost in thought. On the other hand Anna is a woman who desperately needs the attention of another being, especially her lover. This insecurity of Anna eventually drives her mad to the point that she declares that her lover, Vronsky, “had not simply cooled towards her, he hated her, because he loved another woman…” Lastly, it is important to note that Adah, despite her disadvantages and hardships clings on to life. During a catastrophe in the village, when millions of ants attack, Adah tries desperately to save herself although she does not know why she did so. She states, “the wonder to me now is that I thought myself worth saving. But I did. I did, oho, did I!” Anna Karenina, on the other hand, despite her advantages and beauty, flings herself towards death because of a momentary hatred of Vronsky. This fact that Anna eventually falls do death and Adah to life brings one to realize, ironically, the similarity between the two characters.

           

            The trait that Adah and Anna share, despite all their differences, is the fact that they both go through a major, life-changing transformation. Adah, in the beginning of the novel, as described earlier, was the quite, disabled girl that no one seemed to care about, even to the point that her own mother chose to save Ruth May, her younger sister, while leaving Adah to fend on her own. However, her hardships actually lead her to a breathtakingly beautiful transformation. She becomes a doctor and a prominent researcher in the United States, and even her physical disabilities heal after time. Most importantly her relationship with her mother is changed. Constantly plagued by the fact that her mother did not choose to save her and that she would choose to save another again, she confronts her mother, to learn that her mother only chose her (after Ruth May’s death and during the escape out of the village) because she was the second youngest after Ruth May. Though to many this may be a devastating answer, she learns to accept it and just live. Gradually, Adah becomes the daughter that ends up with her mother – realizing that the love her mother held towards her could not be expressed in words, but expressed in their life of living together. On the other hand, Anna Karenina goes through a transformation that leads to her death. Anna, who was so beautiful and charming in the beginning of the novel, loses everything when she decides to have an affair with Vronsky. She loses her standing in society. She loses her husband and her beloved son. And in the end, she loses the inner beauty that made her so charming. She began to see everything as vile and disgusting, as it is made clear when she describes a couple: “Anna saw clearly how sick they were of each other and how they hated each other. And it was impossible not to hate such pathetically ugly people.” This gradual degradation of her soul ultimately leads to her death.

            Anna and Adah are two very different individuals. Yet the fact that both characters represent “change” in their respective novels unites the two characters together. Adah, ugly and disabled, finds healing and learns the importance of life. Anna, beautiful and charming, loses the joy of life and loses all hope, leading to death.

            In short, the ultimate example of salvation and the ultimate example of destruction.