TONE/MOOD

The tone and mood of a written work directly affects the reader's interpretation of an author's work. A narrator's diction influences the tone of a poem, which therefore allows his message to be more easily exposed to the reader. In Ulysses by Tennyson , for example, Odysseus uses words like "idle" and "empty" to illustrate his unemotional and unmotivated feelings. He feels as though he no longer has a purpose in life and unravels his frustration throughout the poem. His depressing and empty words convey the tone to the reader; melancholy and sad. As a result, the tone makes the poem much stronger and much easier for one to relate to.

DICTION

Diction serves as a direct outlet for the author to describe his emotions and messages to his reader. In Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias,"the narrator illustrates the affects of Time by illustrating once beautiful and glorious objects and comparing those things with their now diminished remains; "Nothing besides remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck..."The narrator clearly juxtaposes his initial feelings of the seemingly beautiful masterpieces with his later feelings of resentment towards Time because it destroys everything in the world, both good and bad. The diction allows the reader to fully understand his frustration; "decay," shattered," and "wrinkled." These words all serve to prove to the reader that everything, even beauty, is meaningless because Time will eventually destroy it all. In addition, the narrator's soft and slow diction allows his meaning to be stated in a very delicate way. He never directly states that Time is horrible and that it destroys everything, but his descriptive diction allows the reader to completely understand and relate to the poem's meaning.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

In Andrew Marvel’s “To His Coy Mistress,” figurative language ultimately reveals the author’s tone and mood. The poem deals with a man trying to sway a woman, who he is very fond of, to make love to him. He begins the poem in a more or less passionate and delicate tone, and later shifts that feeling towards carpe diem; “…While the youthful hue sits on thy skin like a mourning dew…” The narrator is clearly implying that the woman’s beauty is like dew; in that, it is temporary. He claims that she should seize the day and loose her virginity to him right away so that Time will not diminish the “love” that they currently have. Figurative language, therefore, reveals many other messages and tones within a poem.

POETIC SOUNDS

In Tennyson's Ulysses, poetic sounds enable the poem to demonstrate a very complex contrast between Odysseus' longing for the past with his unmotivated attitude towards the present. When Odysseus talks about the past, he uses very passionate and active words; "Through scudding drifts the rainy hyades vexed with the dim sea: I am become a name." The use of "vexed" and sucdding" are both very active words which both have harsh sounds to them. This harsh noise that is made serves to reveal the narrator's tone and attitude towards his once adventurous past. In contrast, when Odysseus refers to the present, he uses very dull adjectives to describe his current life; "The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs." This line's assonance causes the reader to slow down and take his/her time to read the phrase. This, therefore, proves to underline Odysseus' resentment towards the progression of Time, and shows his slow approach towards the end of his life. Therefore, poetic sounds allow the reader to understand the narrator's tone, meaning and overall attitude through word choice and their sounds.

SYMBOL/THEME

Symbols play a huge part in a text's meaning. They can depict a scene, person, or object as innocent or tainted, and allow the reader to understand the author's true messages and feelings about a particular issue or object. As I stated in my last essay, To an Athlete Dying Young and Ulysses both utilize the symbol and theme of "Time" to describe how it ultimately destroys everything it crosses paths with;  “It withers quicker than the rose.” (Housman 12) The narrator's use of "withers" and "rose" in To an Athlete Dying Young describe his juxtaposing emotions and longing for the past. He uses lifeless words such as "withers" to depict the death of the athlete, and uses the passionate "rose" as a symbol for the athlete's once very precious and thriving life. This use of symbol, therefore , allows such a developed and detailed idea to be described in a simple and eloquent way. In addition, Ulysses by Tennyson discusses an old man's resentment towards Time. Odysseus, an old war hero, is frustrated and lonely; he feels as though he is worthless because his prime and glory days have passed him, and he is no longer the "macho man" he once was. He is now in a constant state of resentment towards Time because he feels as though it, alone, has ruined his life; " “The long day wanes; the slow moon climbs…” (Tennyson 55). The author uses words such as "long" and "slow" to clearly illustrate Odysseus' unhappiness and his unemotional outlook on life. In addition, when this line is read aloud, its assonance forces the reader to slow down the line, which, therefore, ultimately proves Odysseus' slowly-moving, unexciting life.   

SETTING

Setting not only allows the reader to put himself into a distinct era, location, and mood, but it also makes the substance of the text much more meaningful. For example, a plot can be described to the reader, but it means almost nothing if the reader is not given the setting. It allows the reader to connect aspects of a specific setting to the story; therefore giving more meaning and substance to the text. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, for example, the stuck-up, superficial society that Elizabeth is trapped in makes her story and circumstances that much more unique and different, compared to others in her town. In addition, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, portrays a very gloomy and ominous setting. This description reflects the overall plot, and therefore, strengthens the whole play’s significance. 

CHARACTER

In both Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice, there are two round-character protagonists; Hamlet himself, and Elizabeth. The two characters are in situations that illustrate big predicaments; in Hamlet, he is contemplating on how to seek revenge on his uncle, and in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is struggling to defy societal norms and figure out if she loves Mr. Darcy. The two texts differ, in that, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice uses indirect characterization to illustrate her characters, while Shakepeare's Hamlet uses direct characterization to depict each individual character. In one, we are told what to assume and think, while in the other, we make our own conclusions and judgments of the characters through raw and un-sugar-coated conversations. In Austen's novel, Elizabeth is the uninterested, different, and intellectual woman, while her family and her peers are more self-consumed and interested in town gossip. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, however, Hamlet is a mourning and obsessive prince who must take revenge on his guilty uncle.

PLOT

The purpose of plot is to describe what happens in a narrative. Although every story has a plot, fictional and dramatic plots have their differences. For example, in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the climax is built up to take place in the last act of the play (V) when Hamlet finally takes revenge on his guilty uncle, Claudius. The whole play is centered around Hamlet taking avengence on his new father, uncle, and King, and it is all finally accomplished when Hamlet uses Claudius' poisoned sword and wine. In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, however, the protagonist, Elizabeth, experiences her own climax when Mr. Darcy writes a letter to her. Unlike Hamlet, Elizabeth's climax and epiphany takes place in the middle of the plot. She finally realizes that she, too, loves Darcy, and follows that love throughout the rest of the book.

Essay Comments

I'm very proud of my essay because I think it was well written and much better than my first one. I should have made my conclusion stronger and made it reflect to the main opening idea of the essay. I should also make more of an effort to proof read my essays multiple times to ensure that there are no careless errors or mistakes in my essay. I plan on focusing on improving my analysis, strengthening my thesis, and improving my conclusions in my next essays.

Intro Paragraph: To an Athlete Dying Young & Ulysses

To an Athelete Dying Young & Ulysses both describe the impact of "Time" on life. To an Athelete Dying Young describes the short life of a person who is missed dearly by his loved ones, while Ulysses, describes a narrator who is longing for the past because he is no longer in his prime. The two poems are different, in that, Odysseyus in Ulysses has lived too long, where the young athlete has lived too short. In addition, To an Athlete Dying Young describes the forever long glory that will follow the young athlete, while Ulysses' character is only waiting around to die; he sees nothing more to life because his heroic adventures are in the past. The two poems are similar, in that, they both deal with the advantages and disadvantages of Time, yet they are different because they deal with different views and situations due to the factor of Time. 

To an Athelete Dying Young & Ulysses

To an Athelete Dying Young & Ulysses are both poems that describe the impact of Time on life. To an Athelete Dying Young describes the short life of a person who is missed dearly by his loved ones. The poem's tone is sad and describes a longing for the past. In Ulysses, the speaker is longing for the past because he is no longer in his prime. The two poems are different, in that, Odysseyus in Ulysses has lived too long, where the young athlete has lived too short. In addition, To an Athlete Dying Young describes the forever long glory that will follow the young athlete; "Eyes the shady night has shut cannot see the record cut.." This claims that since the athlete is no longer alive, and his eyes are shut, he will, therefore, never be able to see the person who beats his record. He will always be remembered and his glory will always be with him. In comparison, Ulysses describes and old man's frustration with his old age, and his longing for his glory. He juxtaposes his longing for the past with amitious adjectives such as "smite" while the words he uses for his current age are very empty and unexcited, such as "slow." Ulysses also descrives the privilege of being young and seizing life as he had it, but is currently frustrated with his inability to do ambitious things like he used to be able to do. Now, he's just waiting for death to take him as its prisoner.

Ozymandias vs. Ponder These Bursted Statue

Ozymandias describes the serenity of time. Shelley illustrates this by characterizing time as a slow process. Life should not be rushed; rather, it should be enjoyed and taken slowly. Shelley's use of "antique land" shows her emphasis of the longing for the past and enjoyement of the time we have now. In contrast, Ponder These Bursted Statue emphasizes the idea of carpe diem, similarly illustrated in "To Hey Coy Mistress." E.E. Cummings wants to take advantage of the little time he has on earth to be with as many women as possible. He tries to persuade women to be with him by pressuring the aspect of time.

Performance Choices

Allison and I plan to perform Hamlet and Horatio's conversation that takes place right after Hamlet's first soliloquy. As we practiced in class, we realized the importance of not only reading the text, but also putting certain emphasis on words or phrases to convey the actual meaning of the words. I found that particular movements, such as hand gestures, and tone allow the audience to understand and engage in the scene much more than if the text was read with no excitement or emphasis. For example, when Hamlet says, "I prithee thee, do not mock me, fellow-student; I think it was to see my mother's wedding," (I.ii.176-77) his tonal shift from friendly to defensive illustrates his bitterness towards Horatio for coming to his mother's wedding, rather than his father's funeral. In addition, this scene reveals much of Hamlet's ability to quickly switch his persona from very depressed to cheerful and social (once Horatio appears). We thought that this scene would, therefore, be challenging but fun to perform because of its significance and complexity.

Appearance vs. Reality

Appearance vs. reality plays a big role in Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet is trying to express his pain and sorrow because of his father's death to his mother, but she does not seem to believe him; "Why seems it so particular with thee? Seems, madam! nay, it is; I know not "seems."...solemn black...shapes of grief...a man might play..." (I.ii.75-84). This conversation between the Queen and Hamlet directly illustrates the theme of appearance vs. reality because it shows the Queen's doubt of Hamlet's "depression," and Hamlet's frustration with his mother's inability to believe him. Hamlet is actually sad and trying to confront his mother, but King Claudius, once again, tries to make Hamlet move on from his grief and forget about it all. Hamlet's use of "seem" and "play" represents how he presents himself vs. how he really is/feels.

Concealing & Revealing

Concealing and revealing is a major conflict in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hamlet, in particular, after finding out that Claudius murdered his father, begins to conceal his true actions and ambitions by pretending to be crazy. As Hamlet starts to form his plan of revenge again Claudius, he only reveals to his friends that his actions are nothing more than an act; "I am but mad north-north west: when this wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw." (II.ii.330-31). This clearly proves that Hamlet is not actually crazy because he explicitly says that he can decide when and how to act like a mad man. In addition, King Claudius proves to be a very deceptive character because he conceals his true ambitions and identity; "That we with wisest sorrow think on him, together with remembrance of ourselves." (I.ii.6-7). This clearly shows Claudius' hidden feelings and agenda because he obviously has no remorse or pitty on the former King's recent death. Following this act, Claudius begins to reveal his true ambitions to the audience and begins to show his apathetic nature towards everyone that stands in his way of being King.

Hamlet's Four Soliloquies

Hamlet's first soliloquy allowed him to finally feel his oppressed emotions over his father's recent death. His diction reveals his frustration and his sadness. In addition, this is the first time that the audience witnesses Hamlet's internal depression and frustration with himself; "How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable...this world!" (I.ii.133-34). In addition, "Fie on't! ah fie!" (I.ii.135) demonstrates Hamlet's long-overdue expression of his emotions. It is almost like a vomiting of emotions, which show his vulnerability and his pure frustration and sadness. In this soliloquy, Hamlet is truly exposed and ripped apart by finally admitting and acknowledging his feelings. Near the end of his soliloquy, Hamlet's speech begins to be more flustered and fragmented (in discussing his frustration of his mother's new marriage to King Claudius, therefore showing his disapprovement and anger.)

Questions 7 & 14

Question #7: Hamlet expresses that he is likely to put on an “antic disposition” (I.v.172) because he is planning on seeking revenge on King Claudius. Hamlet’s behavior is obviously a deliberate strategy, although he has demonstrated much anger and grief due to his father’s recent death. Hamlet has portrayed himself as unstable and vulnerable, but the one thing that he is not is a fool. He is certainly aware of what he is achieving through his slightly manic behavior; his desires of getting revenge on Claudius quickly become his ambition.

Question #14: Hamlet’s assertion that “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” proves his act of vulnerability and weakness that he is putting on infront of everyone. He is intentionally trying to portray himself as down and depressed, when he is really only thinking about having revenge on Claudius. In addition, Hamlet says “I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw” (II.ii.330-31) which, also, clearly demonstrates the few hints that he is not actually mad. Someone who is actually mentally ill does not have the ability to decide what time of the day or week he or she will be mad. Hamlet is definitely acting so that when he takes revenge on Claudius, he will not have seen it coming. 

Advising Ophelia

Laertes and Polonius both strongly object to Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet because of two reasons. Laertes feels that Hamlet's "love" for Ophelia could potentially be superficial and not at all reality. He goes along lecturing her about staying away from Hamlet and that she should not be fooled by his words or charms. Polonius' objection stems from his fear that Ophelia will be walked all over by Hamlet and that she will, inevitably, get hurt. Laertes' argument seems more fair than that of Polonius because he is not as assertive and over-protective as Polonius. Laertes' 'argument' seems more like brotherly, concerned advice. Polonius, on the other hand, is much too headstrong and does not really 'advise' Ophelia, he, rather, demands her to stop talking to Hamlet and does not seem to care about her personal feelings over his demand. In addition, their treatment of Ophelia reveals their lack of respect for women, and their almost automatic superiority over her. Class functions in both Polonius and Laertes' arguments because they both make the claim that Hamlet's supposed "love" for Ophelia could be questionable because of his royalty and loyalty to the throne and his country.

Desires Reached by Deception: King Claudius and Hamlet's Differing Personas

In William Shakepear’s Hamlet, King Claudius and Hamlet’s use of language and speech patterns hinder their true emotions. The two men, who are both undergoing a drastic change in their lives, explain their frustration and even ‘hidden-agendas’ through their speech. Hamlet’s sudden loss of his father, and Claudius’ greatest desire of becoming King both allow the two main characters to explore their emotions through pure bursts of emotion, and even deceptive and fake speeches. Shakespeare purposely illustrates the two men as contrasts and, even more so, as foils.  Hamlet and King Claudius’ differences in speech patterns serve to prove to the reader each character’s beliefs, emotions, and motives. Hamlet’s humorous and yet serious character is contrasted with Claudius’ condescending and deceptive persona. Through Claudius and Hamlet’s differing speech patters, the reader witnesses the conflicting emotions between Hamlet’s mental instability as a result of his father’s sudden death, and Claudius’ indifferent and selfish attitude in order to finally be the powerful King of Denmark.

T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," mainly deals with a man's insecurities in modern society and his struggle to fit in. As the poem reaches an end, the man is exhausted and overwhelmed with his anxiety and internal conflicts, "At times, indeed, almost ridiculous--Almost, at times, the Fool." This reveals the man's constant and uneasy feelings of anxiety and insecurity. T.S. Eliot's usage of the "--" impacts the reader so that he or she fully understands the man's emotional struggle. His sudden bursts of language demonstrate his hesitant, emotional, and almost apologetic feelings of his failure in society and in his life as a whole. The man's emotions are a direct parallel to those of Hamlets in Act I, Scene ii; "--why she, even she--O God!...married with my uncle..." This part of Hamlet's solliloquy reveals his frustration, confusion, and inibility to process his father's death, in addition to his mother's marriage to Cornelius. In both situations, the outburts of pure emotion show the pain and sorrow that both men are going through. These randomly spread out interjections also interrupt the complex syntax, and serve to demonstrate two men's feeling of either failure, insecurity, or sorrow.

Mini-Essay: To His Coy Mistress

Andrew Marvel's "To His Coy Mistress" reveals a man's constant struggle to be with his desired lady. Marvel divides his poem into three stanzas; all exerting different tones and feelings towards life and the beautiful woman. The first stanza he describes how much he would love her, no matter how much time they have together. The following stanza's mood and tone shift to a more frightful and intimidating one. Marvel tries to pressure the woman into being with him; "Nor in thy marble vault shall sound." This serves as a metaphor that if the woman does not decide to be with Marvel, she will die lonely and as a virgin. He progressively becomes much more emotional throughout the poem, in that, he becomes much more passionate and 'rallied up' about his relationship with the woman. Marvel's shift in his third stanza takes a completely different approach than was previously made throughout the poem. He begins the stanza with, unlike the normal conditional statement used in the previous stanzas, "Now." This reveals his whole tone that is permeated throughout this particular stanza. His mindset of being completely in the present and 'seizing the day' all influence him to urge the woman to listen and, finally, be with him. He claims that life is much to precious and unpredictable to waste and that it is too short to not fulfill our desires. "Now, therefore, while the youthful hue sits on thy skin like morning dew..." Marvel further reveals his newfound ideology of living life to the fullest while we have it. He also claims that beauty is like dew; it's completely temporary and perishes after some time, so they should seize the day while they have it (and before it is too late.)
Marvel goes through a whole cycle; he starts off slowly and hesitant as he describes his desires for love and the extension of time given to live and love, then becomes intimidating, in describing his sexual and emotional frustration, and then becomes obsessed with the idea of "carpe diem." Through his poem, Marvel reveals to himself and the reader that life and everything in it is completely temporary. Everything has an expiration date, so humans must take advantage of everything that they are presented with.

To His Coy Mistress

"Now, therefore, while the youthful hue sits on thy skin like morning dew..."
This shows the poems shifting tone of "carpe diem." Marvel claims that life is short and precious, so they should be together as much as they can. Beauty is like the dew--it's temporary and expires, so they should seize the day while they have it, and before it's all gone and too late. The poet goes through a whole cycle--he starts off slowly and hesitant, then he tries to pressure and scare the beautiful woman into 'declaring her love for him,' and then, he finally reaches the point wehre he feels as though they need to seize the day and be together. Her beauty and everything around them is completerly temporary; there's a sense of urgency and immediacy permeated throughout the whole poem.

Blog about DW Harding

In reading DW Harding's article about Pride & Prejudice, Harding challenges many of Austen's intentions and motives throughout her novel. Particularly, he points out Austen's characterization of Mrs. Bennett. He claims that Austen uses her as a meaningless comic relief, or as her personal attack on society. I, personally, think that Austen uses Mrs. Bennett as a direct attack on society because Austen wants to convey a message, being that society is ridiculous in caring so much about appearance and what others think. In addition, Austen may be utilizing Mrs. Bennett as an her own emotional outlet describing her emotions and wish to have had a person in her life who cares as much as Mrs. Bennett cares about her daughters and family (no matter how foolish she portrays herself to be.)

Pride & Prejudice Essay Critique

I found the comments on my essay very helpful. I've realized that I need to proof read multiple times to make sure that my punctuation is correct and that my sentences are clear and consice. I see that my claims and ideas can be overshadowed and not understood due to some wordiness and unclarity. In addition, my thesis claim needs to be more in depth and have more of a narrow concept to tackle throughout my essay. I do, however, think that my paragraphs stayed on track in reguard to keeping a narrow focus and that my analysis proved to support my claims.

Monday, September 20

The most important aspect of a well-written essay is its introduction paragraph. Although the introduction paragraph is not filled with the most depth and analysis of the given topic, it sets up the essay. The thesis statement and claims made in the introduction show the reader where the essay is going and how the writer's claims will be analyzed throughout the rest of its body paragraphs. I thought that "G for Griselda" set up a straight-forward explanation as to what will be argued and revealed throughout the essay without being too repetitive or vague. The writer clearly explains that Greene and Austen differ, in that, Greene "Allows the reader to grasp their own opinions about each character" whereas Austen hints the nature of each one of her characters to her reader.

F for Floxglove, J for Joseph & I for Imelda

I read F for Floxglove, J for Joseph, and I for Imelda. My favorite out of the three is I for Imelda because it addresses a different point of view than previous essays have addressed. The writer's decison to analyze Elizabeth's standards for marriage and her belief in love engages the reader to a new point of view. Unlike the other two essays which are not strongly constructed, this one is laid out and set up so that the reader knows what will be discussed throughout the essay. The writer's point that "Austen is bale to convince those who do not share Elizabeth's opinion that marriage should be based on love..." sheds a new light on the subject as well as raises a new perception. In addition, the writer's usage of demonstrating Elizabeth's point of view through Mr. Darcy and Wickham show how other characters help reveal Elizabeth's true character. In relation to the college-rubrics, this essay demonstrates a strong analysis and good evidence.

Danforth, Eunice & Griselda

Tonight, I read "D for Danforth," "E for Eunice," and "G for Griselda," my favorite of the three being "G for Griselda." This essay, compared to the other two, clearly addresses its claim in its introduction paragraph. The writer sets up a straight-forward explanation as to what will be argued and revealed throughout the essay without being too repetitive or vague. He or she clearly explains that Greene and Austen differ, in that, Greene "allows the reader to grasp their (*should be his or her*) own opinions about each character" and Austen hints the nature of each one of her characters to her reader. The writer, however, tends to get a bit off topic throughout the course of her essay and makes some random claims for her analysis without any explanations. As stated by Princeton's Kerry Walk, a "B range" paper includes a thesis, evidence, analysis, and structure as contributions of an essay which are said, but not fully developed.

Sample Student Essays Feedback

I read "A for Alfi," "B for Beatrice," & "C for Cecilia." My favorite of the three was "B for Beatrice" because she exercised complexity through her opposing viewpoints between Austen and Greene. She identifies their two huge differences, being that, Greene provides physical descriptions of her characters to "add depth," while Austen leaves no room for objection when describing her characters and defines them by their social rank in society. As stated by Princeton's Kerry Walk, one's analysis should be insightful and have depth to what is being claimed. In addition, B for Beatrice's writing-style conveys "clear and conversational yet sophisticated" language and allows the reader to relate to all aspects of the writer's claims. 

Mr. Bingley & Mr. Darcy; the wealthy victims of gossip

Austen uses indirect characterization, through Mr. Darcy & Mr. Bingley, to employ society's eagerness to judge based off of wealth and good-looks, and its overall thirst for gossip.