"O! That this too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew."
In act one scene two of the play, Hamlet's utterance of the words, "O! That this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew," serves to broaden the audience's understanding as well as to expand Hamlet's own understanding. He addresses depression and anger with who he is as a person. This quote is not intended to be taken entirely literally; he wishes to die but also to become a different person and to not feel the way he does.
Hamlet feels caged inside of his skin; he does not necessarily want to die, but he can't stand his current position. This quote can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. First, Hamlet feels anchored down by his "too solid flesh." He doesn't feel free and wants to tear out of his flesh like a child tearing through a wrapped present. At one point or another every living human has wanted to change who he or she is. This could be either mentally or physically; in this instance Hamlet is clearly undergoing a mental struggle.
This quote is also a sign that Hamlet is suffering from depression. He does not enjoy his physical existence, but suffers through it. He struggles with thoughts of death and suicide, thus wishing his flesh would turn into a dew. More than the act of death, Hamlet wants to simply stop existing. He would rather his skin "resolve itself into a dew" in order for him to drift away peacefully and not be the one pressing a knife against his own throat.
Hamlet's apathy and depression show through in this quote, which shows his will to die but also his hesitation to kill himself. Much like a real person, Hamlet isn't one hundred percent sure of what he wants. He is torn between who he is and who he wants to be. The liquid dew provides a contrast to the solid flesh, representing Hamlet's inner struggle.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
LITERATURE ANALYSIS #2
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
1. Slaughterhouse-Five has an extremely non-linear narrative. Part of the story tells of Billy's time on Tralfamadore, and part tells of his time in World War II. Tralfamadore is an alien planet Billy creates in his mind after a plane crash from implied brain damage. The narrative is structured so that the timeline jumps around. Nothing is in chronological order. This serves Vonnegut's purpose in that it represents the Tralfamadorian view of time, which is that everything exists now. There is no past or future, every moment is already laid out. Billy observes this while on the planet and it helps him revisit moments he'd lived through in the war.
2. Slaughterhouse-Five deals with themes of war, humanity, and the nature of time. This novel serves a larger purpose than entertainment in that it is very anti-war; it was a platform for Vonnegut, who served in World War II, to express his stance on war. The frank scenes of the novel do nothing to glorify war. The one that repeatedly pops into mind is the post-feast prison camp American shitfest. What is so moving about this scene is that Vonnegut reveals this part of the story was based on his own war experience.
Time is addressed differently in this novel than it usually is. It is not a line with a starting point and an end, but rather resembles a deck of cards laid out on a table. All moments exist at once; past and future are inventions of men.
Humanity and its absence in time of war is also a heavy theme. The bombing of Dresden resulted in some 160,000 deaths is only an example of the careless throwing away of human lives. From the harsh, life taking conditions of trains and prisons, to the erupting violence, mankind remains merciless in war.
3. Vonnegut's tone is very bleak and, while cynical, also a bit hopeful. "On the eighth day, the forty-year-old hobo said to Billy, 'This ain't bad. I can be comfortable anywhere.' 'You can?' said Billy. On the ninth day, the hobo died. So it goes. His last words were, 'You think this is bad? This ain't bad.'" Is 'this ain't bad' a hopeful statement, or an acknowledgement that things can still get worse?
"Billy had an extremely gruesome crucifix hanging on the wall of his little bedroom in Ilium. A military surgeon would have admired the clinical fidelity of the artist's rendition of all Christ's wounds- the spear wound, the thorn wounds, the holes that were made by the iron spikes. Billy's Christ died horribly. He was pitiful." This pitiful Christ represents the victims of war; there is no glory, but only slow and bloody death. This paints Vonnegut's picture of war.
Again, Vonnegut's pitiful war, "Human beings in there were excreting into steel helmets which were passed to the people at the ventilators, who dumped them. Billy was a dumper." This matter-of-fact statement regarding Billy's status as a dumper shows the truth of the situation, no sugarcoating.
4. 1. "It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than men with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor." (Page 163). America is compared with other nations regarding its wealth gap and singled out as one of the only countries that gives no respect to its poor.
2. A reference to a painting is made to draw an image into the reader's mind. "He was the central clown in an unconscious travesty of that famous oil painting, 'The Spirit of '76.'" (Page 182).
3. "If he had been a dog in a city, a policeman would have shot him and sent his head to a laboratory, to see if he had rabies. So it goes." (Page 183). Without saying much about Lazzaro's behavior, Vonnegut gives the reader a good idea of how he's acting with this technique of comparing him to a rabid dog.
4. "Billy, with his memories of the future, knew that the city would be smashed to smithereens and then buried-in about thirty more days." (Page 191). Of course, one cannot have a memory of the future. This future memory is an oxymoron, used to illustrate Billy's new perception of time.
5. "'All the real soldiers are dead,' she said." (Page 203). Reinforcing his cynical tone, Vonnegut reminds the reader of the nature of war and its capacity to obliterate.
6. "She was a dull person, but a sensational invitation to make babies." (Page 217). Another way of calling someone dumb or boring but attractive.
7. "The master of ceremonies asked people to say what they thought the function of the novel might be in modern society, and one critic said, 'To provide touches of color in rooms with all-white walls.' Another one said, 'To describe blow-jobs artistically." Another one said, 'To teach wives of junior executives what to buy next and how to act in a French restaurant." (Page 263).
8. "Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops." (Page 48). This sentence is a very powerful representation of American consumerism.
9. "And Billy took a very short trip through time, made a peewee jump of only ten days, so he was still twelve, still touring the West with his family." (Page 113). Billy does not literally travel through time, but remembers the past.
10. "Billy was unconscious for two days after that, and he dreamed millions of things, some of them true. The true things were time-travel." (Page 200). These things are true because they are Billy's memories, not because he literally traveled through time while asleep.
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Direct Characterization:
1. "There, inches from the tips of Weary's combat boots, were the pitiful buttons of Billy's spine." (Page 64). Billy is clearly very skinny and weak. Vonnegut directly describes Billy lying on the floor here, his bony spine visible.
2. "And then Billy was a middle-aged optometrist again, playing hacker's golf this time- on a blazing summer Sunday morning." (Page 107). This gives a healthier view of Billy, directly describing his occupation and age.
Indirect Characterization:
1. "Billy coughed when the door was opened, and when he coughed he shit thin gruel." (Page 101). A very sickly image of Billy is conjured here by Vonnegut, though he doesn't say anything about Billy's state of health directly.
2. "Another time Billy heard Rosewater say to a psychiatrist, 'I think you guys are going to have to come up with a lot of wonderful new lies, or people just aren't going to want to go on living.'" (Page 128). Rosewater is clearly a cynical, probably depressed man. This dialogue gives the reader insight into his character.
2. Vonnegut's diction and syntax do vary depending on character. "Outside the plane, the machine named Valencia Merble Pilgrim was eating a Peter Paul Mound Bar and waving bye-bye." (Page 196). Here is an example of changing diction: Vonnegut would not use words like "bye-bye" when speaking of other characters. This is used to indirectly make Valencia seem childlike. His diction also changes when discussing the war, with more intense words used like "contempt" and "obliterated."
3. Billy is definitely a round, dynamic character. Pieces from each time period of his life are included in the novel, giving the reader a view of how the war changed Billy as an individual and damaged his mind. His characteristics change and it becomes apparent quickly that he is not a static character. He is round in that he has a wide range of emotions and reactions.
4. I felt like Billy was a real person by the end of the novel. He was a broken person who had been through hell, not a superhuman hero. He seemed very human and remained relatable to the average person the whole way through.
1. Slaughterhouse-Five has an extremely non-linear narrative. Part of the story tells of Billy's time on Tralfamadore, and part tells of his time in World War II. Tralfamadore is an alien planet Billy creates in his mind after a plane crash from implied brain damage. The narrative is structured so that the timeline jumps around. Nothing is in chronological order. This serves Vonnegut's purpose in that it represents the Tralfamadorian view of time, which is that everything exists now. There is no past or future, every moment is already laid out. Billy observes this while on the planet and it helps him revisit moments he'd lived through in the war.
2. Slaughterhouse-Five deals with themes of war, humanity, and the nature of time. This novel serves a larger purpose than entertainment in that it is very anti-war; it was a platform for Vonnegut, who served in World War II, to express his stance on war. The frank scenes of the novel do nothing to glorify war. The one that repeatedly pops into mind is the post-feast prison camp American shitfest. What is so moving about this scene is that Vonnegut reveals this part of the story was based on his own war experience.
Time is addressed differently in this novel than it usually is. It is not a line with a starting point and an end, but rather resembles a deck of cards laid out on a table. All moments exist at once; past and future are inventions of men.
Humanity and its absence in time of war is also a heavy theme. The bombing of Dresden resulted in some 160,000 deaths is only an example of the careless throwing away of human lives. From the harsh, life taking conditions of trains and prisons, to the erupting violence, mankind remains merciless in war.
3. Vonnegut's tone is very bleak and, while cynical, also a bit hopeful. "On the eighth day, the forty-year-old hobo said to Billy, 'This ain't bad. I can be comfortable anywhere.' 'You can?' said Billy. On the ninth day, the hobo died. So it goes. His last words were, 'You think this is bad? This ain't bad.'" Is 'this ain't bad' a hopeful statement, or an acknowledgement that things can still get worse?
"Billy had an extremely gruesome crucifix hanging on the wall of his little bedroom in Ilium. A military surgeon would have admired the clinical fidelity of the artist's rendition of all Christ's wounds- the spear wound, the thorn wounds, the holes that were made by the iron spikes. Billy's Christ died horribly. He was pitiful." This pitiful Christ represents the victims of war; there is no glory, but only slow and bloody death. This paints Vonnegut's picture of war.
Again, Vonnegut's pitiful war, "Human beings in there were excreting into steel helmets which were passed to the people at the ventilators, who dumped them. Billy was a dumper." This matter-of-fact statement regarding Billy's status as a dumper shows the truth of the situation, no sugarcoating.
4. 1. "It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than men with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor." (Page 163). America is compared with other nations regarding its wealth gap and singled out as one of the only countries that gives no respect to its poor.
2. A reference to a painting is made to draw an image into the reader's mind. "He was the central clown in an unconscious travesty of that famous oil painting, 'The Spirit of '76.'" (Page 182).
3. "If he had been a dog in a city, a policeman would have shot him and sent his head to a laboratory, to see if he had rabies. So it goes." (Page 183). Without saying much about Lazzaro's behavior, Vonnegut gives the reader a good idea of how he's acting with this technique of comparing him to a rabid dog.
4. "Billy, with his memories of the future, knew that the city would be smashed to smithereens and then buried-in about thirty more days." (Page 191). Of course, one cannot have a memory of the future. This future memory is an oxymoron, used to illustrate Billy's new perception of time.
5. "'All the real soldiers are dead,' she said." (Page 203). Reinforcing his cynical tone, Vonnegut reminds the reader of the nature of war and its capacity to obliterate.
6. "She was a dull person, but a sensational invitation to make babies." (Page 217). Another way of calling someone dumb or boring but attractive.
7. "The master of ceremonies asked people to say what they thought the function of the novel might be in modern society, and one critic said, 'To provide touches of color in rooms with all-white walls.' Another one said, 'To describe blow-jobs artistically." Another one said, 'To teach wives of junior executives what to buy next and how to act in a French restaurant." (Page 263).
8. "Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops." (Page 48). This sentence is a very powerful representation of American consumerism.
9. "And Billy took a very short trip through time, made a peewee jump of only ten days, so he was still twelve, still touring the West with his family." (Page 113). Billy does not literally travel through time, but remembers the past.
10. "Billy was unconscious for two days after that, and he dreamed millions of things, some of them true. The true things were time-travel." (Page 200). These things are true because they are Billy's memories, not because he literally traveled through time while asleep.
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Direct Characterization:
1. "There, inches from the tips of Weary's combat boots, were the pitiful buttons of Billy's spine." (Page 64). Billy is clearly very skinny and weak. Vonnegut directly describes Billy lying on the floor here, his bony spine visible.
2. "And then Billy was a middle-aged optometrist again, playing hacker's golf this time- on a blazing summer Sunday morning." (Page 107). This gives a healthier view of Billy, directly describing his occupation and age.
Indirect Characterization:
1. "Billy coughed when the door was opened, and when he coughed he shit thin gruel." (Page 101). A very sickly image of Billy is conjured here by Vonnegut, though he doesn't say anything about Billy's state of health directly.
2. "Another time Billy heard Rosewater say to a psychiatrist, 'I think you guys are going to have to come up with a lot of wonderful new lies, or people just aren't going to want to go on living.'" (Page 128). Rosewater is clearly a cynical, probably depressed man. This dialogue gives the reader insight into his character.
2. Vonnegut's diction and syntax do vary depending on character. "Outside the plane, the machine named Valencia Merble Pilgrim was eating a Peter Paul Mound Bar and waving bye-bye." (Page 196). Here is an example of changing diction: Vonnegut would not use words like "bye-bye" when speaking of other characters. This is used to indirectly make Valencia seem childlike. His diction also changes when discussing the war, with more intense words used like "contempt" and "obliterated."
3. Billy is definitely a round, dynamic character. Pieces from each time period of his life are included in the novel, giving the reader a view of how the war changed Billy as an individual and damaged his mind. His characteristics change and it becomes apparent quickly that he is not a static character. He is round in that he has a wide range of emotions and reactions.
4. I felt like Billy was a real person by the end of the novel. He was a broken person who had been through hell, not a superhuman hero. He seemed very human and remained relatable to the average person the whole way through.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
LOCKDOWN
Holy shit, I really hate humans. Especially the kind who cannot handle high school fights and feel the need to consistently institute lockdowns, which are supposed to be for emergencies. There are already police on campus- what purpose do they serve? Why are they here if they're just going to call the rest of the department over when a fight or anything similar occurs? Not only is having a lockdown incredibly irresponsible of the Righetti staff, it's fucking stupid. It's a waste of resources, time, and energy.
It already bothers me that we have cops with guns on campus. I was lucky enough to have left before the lockdown, but one of my friends told me one of the many cops on campus was carrying a bean bag shotgun. This pisses me off quite a bit. Guns (pistols as well as nonlethal ones) should not be the response to high school kids acting out.
I can't wrap my head around how the dipshits in office think lockdowns are appropriate responses to bullshit fighting. In my opinion this is more irresponsible than a stupid kid pulling a fire alarm. Keeping students locked in caused more chaos than dealing with the issue like responsible school officials. It seems at the very least a few additional units could have been called in quietly to deal with it.
I am sick of, as a student, being treated as guilty until proven innocent. I cannot express my anger with everything this administration is, but here are some words I've got to describe them: incompetent assholes, idiots, dickheads, douchebags, pieces of shit, self-righteous fucks, scumbags.
All we can do it seems is complain, and they'll never care enough to listen. I am sick of this kind of shit.
I have never seen a weapon on school grounds except for those carried by the police. I do not feel protected.
It already bothers me that we have cops with guns on campus. I was lucky enough to have left before the lockdown, but one of my friends told me one of the many cops on campus was carrying a bean bag shotgun. This pisses me off quite a bit. Guns (pistols as well as nonlethal ones) should not be the response to high school kids acting out.
I can't wrap my head around how the dipshits in office think lockdowns are appropriate responses to bullshit fighting. In my opinion this is more irresponsible than a stupid kid pulling a fire alarm. Keeping students locked in caused more chaos than dealing with the issue like responsible school officials. It seems at the very least a few additional units could have been called in quietly to deal with it.
I am sick of, as a student, being treated as guilty until proven innocent. I cannot express my anger with everything this administration is, but here are some words I've got to describe them: incompetent assholes, idiots, dickheads, douchebags, pieces of shit, self-righteous fucks, scumbags.
All we can do it seems is complain, and they'll never care enough to listen. I am sick of this kind of shit.
I have never seen a weapon on school grounds except for those carried by the police. I do not feel protected.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Hamlet Essay - Prompt #1
Past a point words seamlessly transcend paper and become action. Hamlet's speech throughout the play is action in itself; it stirs him and other characters into taking further action and frames their next movements. His soliloquies alone give the reader or viewer of the play a sense of Hamlet's own "self-overhearing." The way human beings speak of things- or think of them- affects the actions we take next. The very concept of memory is a reflection upon past events, and speech often keeps these events alive.
Hamlet's melodramatic "To be or not to be..." soliloquy transports the viewer of the play inside of his mind, a feat that is difficult to visualize. It changes the viewers' expectations of Hamlet, and of his following actions. Hamlet is very passionate and clearly upset in this soliloquy. It is equivalent to action in that it shows the viewer the emotional turmoil he is enduring. It often takes action for one to understand something like that, so the fact that speech is capable of the same is usually overlooked or ignored.
The plot of "Hamlet" relies upon this concept. Were speech incapable of constituting action, Hamlet's supremely famous "To be or not to be..." would not exist, or at the very least would not be appreciated. There are many occurrences in which speech changes the reality around it in the play. For example, when Hamlet verbally goes on the attack against his mother, his tirade is changing the characters' actions. Hamlet's mother feels the words like "daggers"; she is physically moved by his violent language.
As an individual, self-overhearing plays a part in everyday life for me as well. At the end of the day, as I review the choices I have made, I change the choices I will make the next day to at least a small degree. I have constantly changing expectations- a constantly changing view of the human race as a whole. This type of "self-overhearing" is what goes through Hamlet's mind. It is at times a form of self-analysis and at others a simple self-observance. Ultimately, speech is more than what we consider dialogue. It is its own form of action; a force that creates a measurable push.
Hamlet's melodramatic "To be or not to be..." soliloquy transports the viewer of the play inside of his mind, a feat that is difficult to visualize. It changes the viewers' expectations of Hamlet, and of his following actions. Hamlet is very passionate and clearly upset in this soliloquy. It is equivalent to action in that it shows the viewer the emotional turmoil he is enduring. It often takes action for one to understand something like that, so the fact that speech is capable of the same is usually overlooked or ignored.
The plot of "Hamlet" relies upon this concept. Were speech incapable of constituting action, Hamlet's supremely famous "To be or not to be..." would not exist, or at the very least would not be appreciated. There are many occurrences in which speech changes the reality around it in the play. For example, when Hamlet verbally goes on the attack against his mother, his tirade is changing the characters' actions. Hamlet's mother feels the words like "daggers"; she is physically moved by his violent language.
As an individual, self-overhearing plays a part in everyday life for me as well. At the end of the day, as I review the choices I have made, I change the choices I will make the next day to at least a small degree. I have constantly changing expectations- a constantly changing view of the human race as a whole. This type of "self-overhearing" is what goes through Hamlet's mind. It is at times a form of self-analysis and at others a simple self-observance. Ultimately, speech is more than what we consider dialogue. It is its own form of action; a force that creates a measurable push.
Hamlet Essay - Prompt #2
Madness is a theme that runs throughout Hamlet, though there is no proof that the title character himself is mad. Hamlet is an adolescent male; he is still growing and has not yet come to terms with himself. He is not insane: this so-called insanity is entirely an act that Hamlet uses to achieve his ends. At this point in his life he is overwhelmed and feels helpless, but he is entirely in control of his mind and actions. Hamlet is an actor. Elements like the ghost and the fishmonger conversation are used to support this theory of Hamlet's madness, but they can be interpreted in multiple ways.
His ability to see the ghost serves the story and can be taken in one of two ways: Hamlet is insane and seeing things, or the ghost of his father really is present. It is up to the viewer or reader of the play to make the final decision as to whether Hamlet is mad or not. The appearance ghost is often used as evidence of this madness, but this is not necessarily true. The ghost is not just a character but a plot devise used to bring confirmation that Claudius is the murderer of Hamlet Senior.
Hamlet's supposed insanity is addressed in other situations, like when he calls Polonius a fishmonger, apparently pretending he doesn't know him. Hamlet appears to not know Polonius and to think he's a fishmonger, though he has obviously known Polonius for quite some time. This is a moment in which Hamlet is pretending to be insane in order to gain an upper hand in the situation. If people think he's insane, he can get away with more and he can creatively use it to his advantage.
This state of borderline insanity that people believe Hamlet is in is not an unusual way to behave for anyone whose father was unjustly killed. Hamlet is already in a state of mourning. The combination of this and his extreme anger with Claudius created not a true insanity, but a need for revenge. This then led to Hamlet feigning insanity. Not only this, but Hamlet is also scared by the thought of having to kill Claudius, which adds an edge to him and his feelings.
Were Hamlet alive in the modern world, whether or not he is insane would still be up for debate. In the hundreds of years since Shakespeare, humans have made many further medical advancements but still do not fully understand insanity. Still, Hamlet's behavior would mirror that of a modern teenager going through the ups and downs of daily life. Hamlet's anger is very human and very relatable- revenge is not an abnormal wish.
His ability to see the ghost serves the story and can be taken in one of two ways: Hamlet is insane and seeing things, or the ghost of his father really is present. It is up to the viewer or reader of the play to make the final decision as to whether Hamlet is mad or not. The appearance ghost is often used as evidence of this madness, but this is not necessarily true. The ghost is not just a character but a plot devise used to bring confirmation that Claudius is the murderer of Hamlet Senior.
Hamlet's supposed insanity is addressed in other situations, like when he calls Polonius a fishmonger, apparently pretending he doesn't know him. Hamlet appears to not know Polonius and to think he's a fishmonger, though he has obviously known Polonius for quite some time. This is a moment in which Hamlet is pretending to be insane in order to gain an upper hand in the situation. If people think he's insane, he can get away with more and he can creatively use it to his advantage.
This state of borderline insanity that people believe Hamlet is in is not an unusual way to behave for anyone whose father was unjustly killed. Hamlet is already in a state of mourning. The combination of this and his extreme anger with Claudius created not a true insanity, but a need for revenge. This then led to Hamlet feigning insanity. Not only this, but Hamlet is also scared by the thought of having to kill Claudius, which adds an edge to him and his feelings.
Were Hamlet alive in the modern world, whether or not he is insane would still be up for debate. In the hundreds of years since Shakespeare, humans have made many further medical advancements but still do not fully understand insanity. Still, Hamlet's behavior would mirror that of a modern teenager going through the ups and downs of daily life. Hamlet's anger is very human and very relatable- revenge is not an abnormal wish.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Off With Their Heads - In Desolation
I deeply love this album- it's become more than music to me. Any music that means something to you personally shows the connection we have between speech and action.
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