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.