Blog #8- Tone/Mood

An important part of any work of literature, tone and mood serve to shape our whole perception of a character.  The reaction a character has is not only expressed by what he says, but also, through the tone he uses.  From this we learn more about the character, the sarcasm, anger, or sincerity in his voice painting a picture of what he is like emotionally.  Mood serves to set the general feeling for the novel, and from there, the mood expressed through the setting, objects, imagery, and word choices.  Another feature of mood is the background for the novel it creates from which we draw the context and we are able to put the story in perspective.

Blog #7- Diction

Each author has their own specific type of diction.  This diction is used to input an exact meaning into a sentence or a phrase by the author.  The authors's diction can shape tone by switching the tone from informal to formal as to introduce different characters and/or their status levels.  With imagery, the diction decides  the metaphors and use of figurative language that affects the readers ability to picture the story.  Finally, a stories sound is affected by diction when the different words the author choses words based also on the sound they make as to enhance the meaning further examples being assonance and sibilance.  The diction choices that the author makes, in this sense, dictate the word choices they make and from this, affect the tone, sound, and imagery.

Blog #3- Setting

For all the action that goes on and the conflicts that arise in almost any novel, the setting is what provided the environment and background that influenced each character's decisions.  Setting is the time period, location of the story, and everything inside where the story happens.  In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the setting of a rural England in the 19th century provides the background from which the stories characters their attitude and development of on one hand the lower country folk and the affluent city folk.  This setting drives the conflict such as with the snootiness of the Bingley sisters and also provides the conflict of the marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth in terms of social classes.

Blog #2- Character

A major part of any story is the character and any transformation or development that character undergoes. Comparing the two main or at least major characters of Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice and Hamlet from Hamlet we can analyze the major similarities in the manner of which they as a person unfold out to be in the story, following the format of a developing character.  With Elizabeth we see her development from initial naiveness and misconceptions about Mr. Darcy to her ultimate realization of Mr. Darcy's true intentions, generosity, and affection for her, while with Hamlet we see his transformation as a character as he struggles through the intense emotions of hate, revenge, madness, and depression and his quest to seek justice for his father.  This common presentation of how a character develops in both stories helps to show the effectiveness and complexity added to characters by this method.

Blog #1- Plot

As is most common, both Hamlet and Pride & Prejudice follow the conventional narrative as their way structuring there plot.  To start off both stories begin by providing an exposition as a way to give the background information of the stories characters and general setting.  In Hamlet we first here of the kings death, hamlet, king Claudius, his marriage to Gertrude, and Hamlets current doubt as to the manner of his fathers death for the conflict.  In Pride & Prejudice one by one, the members of the Bennet family are introduced to us, from mother and father to the three daughters and similarly to Hamlet, the conflict which in the case of the Bennet family is the lack of a male heir to their land and the necessity o marry off their daughters before Mr. Bennet passes away.  Next, both stories follow the step of presenting the rising action portion.  While in Hamlet we see the evolution of Hamlets plot to kill Claudius and all the obstacles he has had to surpass till he can have his final confrontation in with Claudius, we see in Pride & Prejudice the mounting tension developed by the romances between multiple characters in the story and the drama that ensues as we wait for the hopeful realization by Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet of their affection for each other.  After the climax's of both Hamlet, where Hamlet finally kills Claudius, and Pride & Prejudice, where Mr. Darcy finally properly proposes to Elizabeth and she accepts, both stories follow the format again by providing a falling action portion where the affects of the current resolution of conflict on the characters is shown and a quick denouement as a way to wrap up the story.

Compare and Contrasting Introductory Paragraph

Originating in two different time periods, the 19th century Percy Shelly's Ozymandius and the 20th century E.E. Cummings Ponder, darling, these busted statues, both explore the concept of time, it's power, and our insignificance in the entirety of the universe. On the other hand however, they contrast in multiple areas such as syntax, rhyme, scenario, and imagery. Even though each of these poems share the same idea, they present it in different perspectives, past and present, that of the worthlessness of a rulers fallen empire and that of a worthless man. These first relating ideas help establish the focus that are actions and life are meaningless while, by contrasting highlight the difference in scenario that each poem has.

Blog Assignment: Page 832 #9

Hamlet's soliloquy, in Act 3, Scene 1, Lines 56-90, starting with "To be, or not to be: that is the question;....." proves to be a climatic moment, and one of Shakespeares and Hamlets most famous scenes, through the use of vivid imagery and diction to bring the whole meaning and emotion of what Hamlet is proclaiming into full perspective for the reader.  Hamlet is questioning his very existence and his incentive to live.  Immediately Hamlet vivid comparisons and diction show the severity to which he has become invested in his revenge.  His diction is able to show us his complete feeling of what he believes has happened to the court.  In the beginning, Hamlets talks about death and smoothly speaks line to line speaking of dreams and escaping and we start to feel death as a very ideal way for Hamlet to escape and a serious possibility in his eyes.  Then he describes  his reality and the treachery that the court has become a part of.  Hamlet begins to use very aggressive words.  This switch in his pattern of speak goes along with the complexity and twisted morals of the court to articulate his true misery and dispare in living.

Blog Assignment: Page 830 #7, 14

#7- Hamlet tells Horatio, Marcellus, and the Ghost that after this encounter he likely to out on an antic disposition so they are aware of his plan and asks them not to draw attention, that they know.  His reaction and amount of anger grief he has and his want for revenge is a natural reaction yet his meticulous plan to put on an act of delirium to deceive the public is a bit extreme and can be considered a deliberate strategy.

#14- When Hamlet says, "Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Hamlet feels he is under constant surveillance and even suspects Guildenstern and Rosencrantz of being sent to watch, which turns out to be true.  He is saying that Denmark for them is not a prison for them because they do not question the authority and its rule, but he is questioning and thinking about what really happened concerning his father and thus he is in a way imprisoned there.  Later on he says, "I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know hawk from handsaw" in a kind of admittance way, that he is not necessarily really mad but, actually acting when the time calls for it.

All Bark, No Bite: King Claudius

Shakespeares Hamlet, set in Denmark, tells the story of Prince Hamlet journey to revenge against the newly appointed King, Uncle Claudius, after Claudius has killed his brother and Hamlets father, King Hamlet.  Even before it has been proven that Claudius has killed King Hamlet,  the reader is given clues, through speech patterns and the choice of words Claudius uses, that there is something eating away at him. Claudius even though he puts off a strong and forceful attitude, if really payed attention to, is a manipulative, but insecure-worried man.  Right from the moment we meet Claudius, his casual demeanor, lack of affection and sensitivity towards his brothers death, and quick change of topics from his brother to his new wife, his brothers old wife Gertrude, during his address to the court, proves something fishy.  A deep insite is given to the reader from Claudius speech patterns, showing his true thoughts and feelings, rather than simple text that could be a lie to show underneath Claudius's forceful exterior lies a murder and a false King that does not have the real power and true confidence to rule.

Prufrock

The lines "And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions," put together exactly the dominant feeling and attitude of T.S. Eliots poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.  From start to finish the character Prufrock in the poem constantly blurts out different ideas and emotions and seems to modify them each time as he continues.  This indecision seems to revolve around the character who constantly questions his actions and thoughts.    Prufrocks strong juxtapositions in his thought and its irregularity serve as a way to go beyond regular dialect and present a much deeper level of insight into his emotions and his inner workings.

Mini Essay: To His Coy Mistress

Andrew Marvells poem To His Coy Mistress bases itself on the idea or carpe diem, the idea of seizing the day.  This idea is expressed through vivid language and imagery Marvell uses throughout his poem to help the reader, rather than simply reading over the black and white print, become immersed in the poem.  Each metaphor or allusion giving an example for the reader to relate to the love and beauty he is describing.
Marvell takes his writing to another level by also incorporating his speed of sentences into what they are describing.  An example of this is comparing the lines "My vegetable love should grow, Vaster than empires, and more slow" were each word has a much slower feel to help articulate the complexity and large size of his love to "And your quaint honour turn to dust, And into ashes all my lust." where much shorter and direct words show the heavy passion and emotion.  Marvell use of multiple levels of communication help what would normally fly right over the readers head to really speak out and catch attention.

To His Coy Mistress

While Marvell uses many stylistic tools throughout his poem, the lines that spoke most to me were, "My vegetable love should grow; Vaster than empires, and more slow" Using this delayed sense of rhyme Marvell helps this line really communicate with what it is trying to do and what it really means to the reader. As someone goes over this line, time seems to literally slow down and emulate what he is describing in the poem giving emphasis to what Marvell actually writes. His allusion of love as vegetable helps the reader to visualize this love he speaks of, to show the growing nature of his love and while it may be slow, it is still growing, more complex and deeper as time flys by.

DW Harding

D.W. harding's paper on Jane Austen embellishes on the notion that Austen's novel was not a satire due to its disassociation with the normal way of satirizing in that time, but rather a more intensive look into the personal life of Austen. Throughout the entire paper Harding's perspective seems to be one of someone who's personally acquainted with Austen which is obliviously not the case. There is no factual information to defend his arguments and this is why I disagree with Harding. I believe Austin's novel was a satire, ridiculing the oh so common traits of people that each one of her characters represented through the use of overblown attitudes, false impressions, and foils. What else does Austen have to due to convince the reader that this a satire, that is poking fun at peoples fault in judgement and character.

Proofread, proofread, proofread!!!!!

Going through Dr. Formans comments on apparently lacking essay, I've realized that proofreading makes all the difference. Line after line I see proofread, grammer, spelling, and such. I just have to many mistakes. More time needs to be taken as well to reorganize and further develop my sentences so they are clear and engaging. I feel I got the idea of the essay down, but through a reorganization of thoughts, much more proofreading, and more developed sentences I could take it to a much higher level. Thanks for the input Dr. Forman and I will be sure to take you up on the offer of help.

What Makes a Good Essay

To me there are many factors that make up a good essay..  A good essay essay first off, should have a great catchy opening sentence. A good opening sentence sets the mood for the reader to want to read the rest of the essay. Another factor an essay must have is the ability to run smoothly. B for Beatrice, my favorite essay, represents this the most clearly because, while the essay follows exactly your rubric structure, it stills moves along with out a mechanical feel. The best essays state a clear, original, and complex thesis, followed by clearly stated topics that are analyzed thoroughly from multiple standpoints and presented in a organized manner. The best essays say what they needs to say without a lot of nothing to fill them up.

Ranking 3 Sample Essays from the Red Reader #3

Out of G for Griselda, H for Helga, and I for Imelda, Imelda barely ranks top dog.  While she does bring up an interesting topic with her introduction her title is completely the wrong choice because only until halfway through the essay does she begin to touch upon that subject.  Her fancy language from her thesaurus keeps us engaged in what she is saying.  The structure though is somewhat lacking complexity, just focusing on mainly one character in each.  I found this essay okay, but I'm a sucker for fancy words so I liked this essay the most.  Griselda now, starts off with a weird titled and just seems very bland from then on.  The essay as well lacks complexity and any lengthy analyzation.  It covers a pretty common subject and doesn't say anything I haven't heard before. zzzzzz.  Helga starts off pretty boring and poorly written in the beginning like Griselda, but does gain a little steam as the essay continues. Thats it. : )

Ranking 3 Sample Essays from the Red Reader #2

After going through D for Danforth, E for Eunic, and F for Foxglove I decided that I didn't really like any of them that much.  First off, Danforths essay, while bringing up a possibly interesting topic, lacks a appealing intro.  His sentences seem to lack substance in what they're saying and his thesis is very lacking.  Throughout the essay Danforth seems to be missing in depth analyzation of what he is saying.  Also, he seems to add the authors name and the title of the book in sentences when they don't need to be there as if to just fill up space and thats how the essay comes across, just filling up space.  Eunice essay thesis was to specific in my taste, not giving her enough to write on.  The whole way through all she does is say that the whiskey priest does this and thats an example of Greene misleading you over and over again. Enough said, the author pick a subject she had not enough to say about.  Finally, Foxglove essay does cover an interesting topic, but the intro didn't seem long enough or eloquent enough.  Then it goes further down hill. Foxglove abuses the privilege of quotes basically putting quote after quote making this essay about 50% quotes and barely any analysis.

Ranking 3 Sample Essays from the Red Reader

For my three sample essays, I choose to read A for Alfi, B for Beatrice, and C for Cecilia.  Out of the three was B for Beatrice was the essay that agreed the most with me.  While the essay follows a very structured format it doesn't become to mechanical.  While she didn't give quotes Beatrice choice of words help the essay running smoothly as the reader goes on.  The content within answers her thesis and at the same time shows complexity.  The essay develops as the first paragraph is about Austen, the second one about Greene, and third puts them side  by side.  In all Beatrice while writing a exact copy structured of a rubric, keeps the feeling natural and shows development, complexity,and fluidity.  Alfi had an interesting topic, but his intro and thesis, I found lacking, not setting the stage enough.  Compared to Beatrice it had none of the smoothness or complexity and just seems to repeat itself throughout.  Finally, Cecilia was my least favorite of the three.  The essay was not extremely  well structure and was very this and that, not offerring very much complexity.

Working Thesis

Jane Austen’s, introduction of main characters in pairs of contrasting foils, serves to hyperbolizes each ones personal traits while purposely deceiving the reader to come to quick conclusions about each character that later prove false. 


Example:  Elizabeth and Jane Bennet are classified, as Jane the pretty and happy daughter while Elizabeth is the smart more intellectual sister.  At first the sisters seem to fit into these respective categories, however as the reader reads on they discover Austens use of foils is meant more as a way to exaggerate one trait while covering up others.  Elizabeth for example starts off as the smart-independent sister, but we soon see that this assumption is false and she is falls victim to pre-judgment of Darcey based on what others say.