Blog Post #20: Eatonville Food Video and Memoir

I have a very large family; my father, mother, older sister, two younger brothers, and younger sister. We all have our own tastes, preferences, and personalities -- so agreeing on things is a very difficult task especially when it comes to food. When I say food, I specifically mean dessert.

Very rarely do we eat sweets in my house, health is of utmost importance to my parents and it has been that way since I can remember. Everything we ingest has some sort of ulterior motive. “Dandelion greens are high in calcium” or “raw brazilian tree nuts are full of good fats and proteins” and “We are going to eat less meat because studies show…” my mother is a health food encyclopedia.

On the rare occasion that we do make or eat desserts, it is always centered around some sort of holiday season, or birthday. Obviously, for the birthdays, that person gets to pick what we eat or make, but when it comes to holidays, there are always huge dramatic arguments.

My younger brothers and sister will eat almost everything so they really never mind what is made. The elders of the Brandon household are frequently involved in these drawn out fights. My fathers favorite cookies are oatmeal raisin, my mothers favorite cookies are chocolate chip, and my sisters favorite cookies are sugar. I don’t necessarily  have a favorite, I like brownies, so I stayed out of the argument, but being the baker and problem solver of the family, I set out to  find a solution to their constant quarrels.

I researched and looked around for a while, tried out a few recipes, but nothing was as I envisioned it, they were all missing something. I had given up on my search until I was at a friends house one day working on a project, and her mother served us these warm cookies. They were wonderful. Chewy, soft, absolutely delicious. That night I went home and tried to remember everything in the cookie, researched it some more, and stumbled upon the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. It contained oatmeal for my dad, chocolate chips, for my mom, and had a buttery softness like sugar cookies, for my sister.

The next day I recreated the cookies, served them to my family, and they were a success. Everyone was satisfied with them. Ever since then, those cookies are my most requested when I bake.

When I read We Are What We Eat by Katheryn Twiss I could relate to it on a personal level, she wrote “Food is an unusually powerful symbol of identity” and it immediately made me think of my family because the different types of food we eat reflect our personal personalities. As I said earlier, everyone in my family has different preferences.

Twiss also said “Food is commonly used to establish intrasocial cultural strata as well.” meaning food builds meaningful social and cultural relationships. My family already shares the same culture obviously, but the social aspect is often missing. As often as we can we try to all sit around the dinner table to eat but with all our conflicting schedules sometimes it just cannot happen. But as I mentioned earlier, desserts in my household mean a special event, and when we eat them, we sit around the table together and catch up on each others lives. Its a chance to all be together in once place at one time, to regroup as a family unit, and my cookies help us do so.

Blog Post #19: Prose Passage Reflection

Original Passage:

In The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence (1915), the author employs strong diction to show that contrary to popular belief, in the late 19th century, women had an advantage over men, because they were looking forwards, seeking out knowledge and worldliness, while the men remained in the past.

The diction employed throughout the entire piece wets a tone for both the men and the omen in this time. When describing the man, words such as "enough", "dull" and "local" were used. When describing the woman, words such as beyond", "active", "desired", "range", "freedom" and "knowledge" were used. This portrays the woman in a more flattering light than the mean, almost, superior to the man.

In the second paragraph when the woman i s first described, the paragraph begins with "But the woman wanted another form of life than this..." (line 15) which belittles how the man is choosing to live, as if the woman wants no part in it. The creates a separation between the two which is made larger as the piece continues.

The vicar is another force driving a separation between man and woman. It represented the woman's hopes and dreams, "both of which she could perceive, but could never attain to..." (line 42-43). The vicar is described as small but powerful, superior to man even those stronger than himself. In the fourth paragraph, it even says the woman "craved" not only what the vicar had achieved for herself, but for her children (line 56-58). Not that the man was left out of this scenario, as if she had given up on him, Lawrence writes "she knew her husband" (line 51) almost saying "she knew he could never achieve this, he could never change".

The woman is characterized as a strong, independent, forward thinking individual. She is sensible enough to know that for her and her husband, their situation will never change. They will never be worldly or have knowledge coursing through them, but she dreams. She also dreams that one day, her children can attain what she has not been able to.

In the end, the factor that separates the man from the woman and the woman from the vicar, is knowledge. "That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it?" (line 58-61). The answer is and will always be knowledge.

Reflection:

After researching D.H. Lawrence, I understood the complexities of the The Rainbow more clearly. Although in my analysis was not as thorough as it could have been, the 5 Steps chapter on prose passages says that the people who read our essays are not looking to punish us. Based off what I pulled from the passage, I would give myself a 5 because my ideas were unorganized and did not have a clear path and my thesis was lacking. I also should have taken the time to read through the piece and picked out at least one or two more literary devices to comment on. Diction is a basic literary device that can be found in every single piece of writing. Basically I chose the easiest device to comment on. In the norming packet when discussed today in class past students chose juxtaposition and paradoxical situations. I need to read the pieces more slowly and clearly in the future in order to be able to pull as much as possible out of the piece. This would therefore broaden the range of topics I could discuss which would be easier to organize in to a clear concise paper, also raising my possible score as long as I not only explain, but relate all ideas back to my original thesis.

Blog Post #18: Final Portfolio Reflection

One assignment that I was proud of was my Namesake compare and contrast paper. It was one of the papers for this class that I felt fully prepared for, in my opinion, it was well written also. It was like a milestone for my writing and if I had compared it to something I wrote at the beginning of the year or last year there would be a dramatic difference. My strengths were improving my thesis and relating all my claims back to it. My weaknesses were sometimes straying from the topic and maybe not being as concise as I could have been. I learned how to compare and contrast two things without making a laundry list of obvious facts, and to analyze subtle mice en scene elements.

Another assignment that I was proud of was our groups American drama video. It was not an exciting or interesting play by all means and I think we managed to make it semi-interesting. Also even though the play did not hold an valuable plot points or moments of literary genius, we did the best we could with it and tried to gather as much from this text as possible. The play also contains vulgar language and mature content but our group handled those touchy subjects very well and even tried to distract from that as to not make them the focus of the presentation. Some weaknesses we struggled with were time management, and trying to make our play relate-able and exciting. I learned how to read for important facts and to skim past the trivial details, in other words to read with a discerning eye.

When it comes to the classroom aspect, this trimester I did not find myself raising my hand to often in discussion but I honestly think because I was more comfortable absorbing all the information this class requires one to have previously known. For example, when we were discussing biblical stories, I do not know the bible as well as some so I was content to remove myself and listen especially because I did not have anything valuable to contribute to the conversation.

On the home front, I was very proud of myself this trimester. Everyone has those days when they say "I'm just not going to do this homework, I don't want to". Although I had many of those thoughts, I never actually skipped a homework assignment because after just days of being in the class, I knew that if I fell behind at home, I would fall behind at school. I did not skip one. Single. Assignment. I proved my dedication to myself to do my best in this class and to improve my reading and writing skills in order to properly prepare myself for college.

I want to improve my thesis-writing skills by the time second trimester is over. I also want to  be proficient at taking the multiple choice exams so I can walk into the AP exam completely prepared for it, aiming for the five that I want. I also want improve my presentation skills because I tend to talk too quickly and to miss the important points I want to say.

If I can get those three things out of the second trimester of this course, I will be able to walk out of AP Literature and Composition proud of how far I've come.

Blog Post #17: Hamlet - Blog 6

Endya Brandon

Ms. Nichole Wilson

AP Literature and Compositon

November 14, 2013

Prompt Selection: One definition of madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it." But Emily Dickinson wrote: “Much madness is divinest/Sense-To a discerning Eye.” Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a "discerning Eye." Select a novel or play in which a character's apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the "madness" to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

I have read and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course.

Endya Joi Brandon

In the classic play Hamlet, William Shakespeare weaves an intricate web of madness throughout the plot and characters which proves to be an essential aspect of the play. As the reader follows the madness and unravels the web, they begin to realize that it spreads like a disease and affects the actions of all the characters, similar to the domino effect. It affected Ophelia most detrimentally, because all the men who were the sole reason she lived had been taken from her life in some sort of way, this led her to the decision to take her own life. Ophelia's attachment issues mimicked the ones showcased in this play which explains why the madness spread so easily for example, Hamlet and his father, the queen and her need for affection. There are also notes of  vengeance and death within the piece, it is an overarching theme shown when Hamlet tried to kill Claudius, acting on his impulsive instincts he killed Polonius instead and his vengeful action resulted in the eventual death of Ophelia.

All the madness truly started with the Hamlet's uncle Claudius. One who was mad enough to murder his own brother in such a cowardly way, while he was defenseless and sleeping. Contrary to popular belief, the madness does not begin with Hamlet himself, it is cast upon him courtesy of his father's ghost, in the very first act of the play "A serpent stung me... The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown."  (1.5.36-39) Still in utter shock and disbelief when Horatio and Marcellous catch up to him, Hamlet is essentially warning them when he says "How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself..." (1.5.171) he tells them, he is mad, or is going to "act" mad from now on to carry out what his father's ghost has asked of him; to enact revenge on his uncle for killing the king.

Even before Hamlet "went mad" people had taken notice in his odd behavior. The king and queen commented on it in the first act, as did Polonius. In a way, peoples criticisms were the driving force behind his transformation, he was not allotted the proper amount of grieving time for his father’s death -- whom he was attached to-- and his mother’s betrayal because of her need for constant attention or affection. In one instance, in front of all of Elsinore, the king accused Hamlet of "unmanly grief" (1.2.94) and shortly after everyone left the "room of state in the castle" (setting of scene II) Hamlet went into a very emotionally draining monologue where he expressed the animosity he felt towards his mother for jumping into "incestuous sheets" (1.2.157) and never truly mourning his father's death.

From that point on, Hamlet lied and schemed and fell deeper into his madness, to a point where it was not apparent whether he was faking it or not any longer. He also began to inflict his delusional attitude upon others. Hamlet could be compared to a "carrier" a term used in medicine to describe someone whom carries a disease, but is not inflicted by it. Hamlet carries an air of madness, but is not truly suffering from it at first, but he is still able to give it to others. The next to be affected were Polonius and his daughter Ophelia. Polonius catches onto Hamlets madness and sets off to catch him in the act. He uses his own daughter as bait for to catch a crazy man which directly opposes what he told Ophelia to do earlier in the play, “I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, have you so slander any moment leisure, as to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.” (1.3.132-134). Polonius is filled with this need to prove himself right at any cost, a form of madness which eventually leads to his untimely death, and his daughters spiral into hysteria.

When the disease reaches Ophelia, it hits her the hardest. She is so innocent and pure, her life so simple. When her father gets into her mind and convinces her Hamlet is mad, she listens and keeps her distance. When her brother leaves for France, she reluctantly lets him go. When her father dies by the hands of her lover, that was the brink of her sanity. Ophelia fell off harder than any of the other characters. By having one of the most put together of the characters lose it all, Shakespeare was conveying that madness can take hold of anyone,  also that once innocence is lost, it cannot be found again. Ophelia was dependent upon all the male figures in her life and once they all left, her will to live left with them. Ophelia’s death was not only the result of her madness, but her madness was a consequence of Hamlets relentless thirst for revenge against his uncle.

One at a time, madness ravaged the main characters in Hamlet; the king, Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, the queen, and Hamlet himself. Not only did madness cycle through the characters, each character spiraled out of control once they caught it. If one were to break down every aspect of the play, and stop the madness at each character, they would see that if it had been contained, none of the after math would have occurred, or it would have been less devastating. Due to the characters lack of independence, the disorder spread with no limits, and had no leniency on the residents of Elsinore.

Works Cited

Jago, Carol, Renee H. Shea, Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufses. Literature & Composition: Reading, Writing, Thinking. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. Print.

Blog Post #16: Hamlet - Blog 4

Today while roaming the castle I came across a diary of sorts. I do not know to whom it belongs, but within it the owner writes of me, and of my struggles with sanity. They wrote something truly terrible about me, “For Ophelia as for Hamlet, Denmark has become a prison, and she is alone at Elsinore. It is the realization of this fact, coming on top of all the earlier horrors, that destroys her sanity” (Seng). I have not been myself lately, but I was unaware that in my short lifetime I had caused such frieght and unrest throughout Elsinore, before my untimely death, I heard the king command Horatio: “Follow her close; give her good watch” (4.5.57) because I could not be left alone or trusted. They go on to speculate as to why my mental condition was dramatically declining, “It was not Hamlet alone who sullied it. Ophelia's father and brother have had their share in the spoliation of her minds purity and her child like trust.” (Seng) Although difficult to admit, my lack of a female figure in my childhood has left me completely dependent on all the men in my life, including my father, brother, and Hamlet. Losing all three of them in such a short time period left me without purpose therefore without sanity. When my father commanded me to cease all communications with Hamlet, I tried to explain to him “My lord, he hath importun'd me with love In honourable fashion” (1.3.57) but my father would not hear of it. However, this entry reveals that prior to his death, my father admitted that “his own earlier judgement of Hamlets ‘tenders of affection’ might have been in error” (Seng) which leaves me more confused than ever. If I had not cut my ties with Hamlet, would he have gone mad? Would he have murdered my father? Would I be alive? I cannot say. As far as I can tell, the recent events of this castle have left everyone with regrets and questions. The queen even admitted indirectly to me “I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet’s wife.” (5.1.220) No one was expecting my death, or my father’s, things had gotten so out of control. The only one left of my family is my brave brother Laertes, the thought makes my heart heavy. After the queen reported the news of my death to Laertes, the king suggested “Let’s follow, Gertrude. How much I had to do to calm his rage! Now fear I this will give it start again. Therefore let’s follow.” (4.7.88-91) King Claudius feared that the news of my death would spark more fire in my brother, and his rage would control his actions “Adieu, my lord. I have a speech of fire that fain would blaze, But that this folly doubts it.” (5.1.86-88) I suppose my brother will not have to suffer the same fate that my father and I did, letting a personal flaw get the best of them. My fathers constant spying and deceit, my obsession to please, I still fear for him though, and I also fear for my dear Hamlet. When he returns home from England, I don’t know if Elsinore can take much more of his abuse.

Blog Post #15: Hamlet - Blog 3

Soliloquy Analysis

"The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No traveler returns, puzzles the will

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?" (3.1.80-83)

• In this quote Hamlet creates an image of the uncertainty of death.

"For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,

The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th' unworthy takes" (3.1.71-75)

• The negative experiences of life.

Hamlet is depressed and it grow more severe each passing day, he tries desperately to convince himself and ophelia that death is better than going on living in the cruel world they are apart of using reasoning and argument, meaning Hamlet utilized all three of the appeals.

Ethos:

"To die, to sleep—

No more—and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished!" (3.1.61-65)

• In this quote Hamlet expressed his heartache and sadness, and he -- not the first time he's done this -- says he wishes for death.

Pathos:

"ay, there’s the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause. There’s the respect

That makes calamity of so long life." (3.1.66-70)

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought" (3.1.84-86)

• Hamlets says both "we have" and "us" , as he tries to explain that there may be better opportunities waiting from them - everyone - in death. But because everyone is afraid of the unknown, they just decide to live with what they have been given. He groups the entire human race into one conventional thinking pattern.

Logos:

"For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,

The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th' unworthy takes" (3.1.71-75)

• His argument is strengthened when he adds irrefutable real world examples of the types of sufferings people are objected to, making his points not only emotional but equally logical.

Paradox (self contradictory): 

Parallelism (repetition of syntactical structure): "To be, or not to be? That is the question—

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And, by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep—

No more—and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished!" (3.1.57-65) This format is used continuously throughout the monologue, Hamlet proposes a question and answers it himself to portray his internal struggle.

The infinitive:

Synechdoche (part for a whole): " or to fight against all those troubles by simply putting an end to them once and for all?" (3.1.59-60) Later in the soliloquy Hamlet lists out the specific troubles that people go through on a daily basis, but here he shortens it for the sake of dramatics, "short and sweet" if you will.

Tone (general attitude): To be, or not to be? That is the question—

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And, by opposing, end them" (3.1.57-61) This opening sentence sets the tone of the soliloquy by establishing Hamlets view on the world, showing his internal struggle between live and death.

Diction (word selection): "’tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished!" (3.1.64-65) The eloquent diction reveals just how badly Hamlet wishes for death, "consummation" and "devoutly" play up his dramatics.

Metaphor (comparison w/o like or as): "To die, to sleep—

No more—" (3.1.61-62) Dying and sleeping are very different things and cannot be accurately compared. One is momentary relief from the world and one is definite.

Two Main Metaphors: Dying is portrayed as sleeping which is a major metaphor because Hamlet is trying to draw parallels between the two in order to convince himself death is the answer. Dying is also portrayed as freedom from the evils of the world we live in.

"To be, or not to be?" (3.1.57)  The opening line is a comparison between the major theme of the monologue, life on earth or death? "and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to" (3.1.62-64) Here he compares afterlife to life on earth by imply the afterlife will be more pleasant, without heartache and the "shocks" that being alive comes with. "ay, there’s the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil" Humans are the root of all of Hamlets problems and he is honestly comparing them to all the flaws in the world, and as the "noise and commotion". It makes perfect sense because everything bad that has happened thus far in the story has been because of the ignorance of a human. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought" (3.1.84-86) Thoughts and over thinking are briefly connected to fear of the future, death, and the afterlife.

Oppositions: 

1. Hamlet only sees the negative in the world around him because his fathers death has cast a dark over hanging shadow over his world, his depression does not make him a reliable source for thoughts on life and death.

2. He says that the fear of the unknown beyond life frightens people so they do not consider death a happy thing, but the fear of the unknown is just as bad if not worse than the fear of the known. Essentially, Hamlet is forfeiting life because it is not going as he planned it to and he no longer possess the will to fight. 

3. Hamlet has been making very rash decisions throughout the last 3 acts of the play, and shows that he has no value in the human life, and not many of the things he has done are well thought through and he has proved that ever since he first chased after the ghost of his father.

Eternal Philosophical Questions:

• Why live in an awful lifetime when there are unknown opportunities masked by death?
• When is enough? When is it time to stop fighting?

Conclusions:

Hamlet decides that humans are weak and cruel, and that there are better opportunities awaiting him in the afterlife. He also decides not to be afraid of the unknown because those evils cannot be any worse than what he has already been put through.

Acting Analysis

WE WILL WATCH THESE IN CLASS: Analyze four depictions of this soliloquy using 

elements of mis en scene (editing, sound -- diegetic/non-diegetic, setting, props, 

costume, make-up, camera angles). 

 Write a full paragraph for each excerpt analyzing mis en scene, addressing EACH 

of the components listed. 

 Write a final paragraph or two analyzing which delivery is most effective. Why is it 

most effective? Write this analysis from the perspective of your character. 

Remember, many of them could have been watching Hamlet as he delivered the 

speech. 

 THEN . . . What would YOU have changed about any of these approaches with 

regards to mis en scene? WHY? Write at least one full "chunky" paragraph. 

Kenneth Branagh:

The room Hamlet was standing in was still and quiet, very clean with little distractions from Hamlet himself. He was standing in a mirror and the camera was shooting from behind him, this showed how Hamlet felt towards himself. He was talking to himself in the mirror and holding a knife towards the middle of the soliloquy. When the subject of "quitting" arose he slowly drug the knife across his face, proving just how easily he could end it all, he held all the power.. Hamlets make up was pale and his eyes were dark and clothes black as if to portray he was not in a healthy state mentally or physically, both very true.

Laurence Olivier:

First of all, the entire movie is in black and white adding to the authenticity of it. The scene opens up with the camera spinning and winding its way up a very tall and long staircase. When at the top of the staircase, there is a shot of the angry waters of Denmark. There was ominous music playing in the background like the crescendo of classical music, constantly rising). All you can hear after the steps have been climbed, is the waves crashing against the side of the cliff and the wind whistling. There are both digetic and non-dietetic noises involved.  As Hamlet starts talking when the waves begin, the camera swivels up to the back of his head to watch the ocean and try to be at peace with his recent decision. Hamlet has a dagger as well as a bottle  fo some sort ot drink in-case he wanted to take his own life. Hamlets is wearing old traditional dress and still mostly in all black.he's  also wearing make up that makes Hamlet look pale and washed out as if he has seen a ghost.

Mel Gibson:

The setting is very dark and the light is coming from very few candle placed around the set. There is no sound other than Hamlets voice to portray the loneliness Hamlet feels while making this decision, the same reason why Hamlet is alone in some sort of cellar or basement. The camera was from an angle of always being on Mel Gibson's left to create the illusion of deep thought and pondering. Hamlet wears dark tattered clothing fitting in perfectly withe his depression proving how much he had let go of himself.

Ethan Hawke:

This interpretation of Hamlet took a modern day perspective with colors, the setting being a blockbuster, the electronics. A head on straight camera angles even though he looks at the camera  a few times to show how serious he is about the decision he is making. Hamlet is wearing dark nice clothes, again to bring the future element into the story and the make up is dark and clean around the eyes showing displeasure and stress.

Best Devlivery:

Laurence Olivier had the most effective delivery in my eyes. He portrayed Hamlet as he really is, a grief-stricken son who misses his father, a confused man who's depression may get the best of him or even a man in the process of going mad. The Hamlet in Olivier's movie had an amazing delivery. I truly believed that all he really wants to do is die. He speaks slowly and clearly making it seem as if he has considered every other option, and there is no other choice.

Other than the actor, the setting also puts Olivier's movie out in front of the others. The waves rolling in the background and the fog gathering around Hamlet as he sits on the rock pondering his actual existence, it gives off a sort of ominous feel as if Hamlet is not just being dramatic and talking about it, but like he might actually do it. The end of the scene where Hamlet travels deeper into the fog and disappears down the steps was the best of all the endings, its gives you chills, and if I didn't know Hamlet myself and know never took his life, I would have thought that is what this Hamlet was about to do.

In Branagh's, I would have made the scene darker. Hamlet standing in a brightly lit room in a mirror is no different or dramatics than the rest of the film. It didn't truly feel like at the end of his soliloquy, Hamlet wanted to die. In Hawke's version, I would not have put Hamlet in a Blockbuster video store, it made no sense and did not pertain to the monologue at all. If anything I could not take it seriously. Lastly in Gibson's, maybe I would just change this actors delivery, or put dramatic music behind it, because his words did not seem impactful enough, all the mice en scene elements were correct but it was definitely lacking

Blog Post #14: Hamlet - Blog 2

http://www.youtube.com/v/hvn8RCxGauQ?version=3&autohide=1&feature=share&showinfo=1&autohide=1&attribution_tag=1JNlXJNU7ZYFV2XIrK_i3g&autoplay=1

"John Tucker, there's only one guy out there for me, but you are not him." John Tucker Must Die is a movie about a popular high school hottie who is known for two things: his amazing skills in scoring baskets and scoring women. John is dating three different girls at the same time, his trick was to treat them differently in public than he did in private to make them feel special and secretive. The whole scheme blows up in his face when they all find out that he is lying. They all come together to plot taking down and essentially ruining John Tucker socially and emotionally. The girls are driven mad by their hate of John and their lives become centered around destroying John Tucker.
My father asked me whether Hamlet was "Mad for thy love?" (line 85) implying he may be emotionally unstable as John Tucker had been, and a woman was at fault for it. Sir Polonius later explained that 
"This is the very ecstasy of love,

Whose violent property fordoes itself

And leads the will to desperate undertakings

As oft as any passion under heaven

That does afflict our natures." (102-106)

Love can drive men crazy. Hamlet was so desperate for my affection just as John had been for the three ladies, love was a distraction of sorts from dealing with the deeper issues such as the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother to his uncle.

"I feared he did but trifle

And meant to wreck thee." (112-113)

Worried that Hamlets intentions were not entirely pure, my father forbid me from speaking to Hamlet. My father was entirely correct, Sir Hamlet did not have pure intentions for me, neither did John, he wanted one thing, and one thing only.

"You’ve probably heard about the “change” that’s come over Hamlet—that’s the only word for it, since inside and out he’s different from what he was before." (3-7)

From beginning to end, John and Hamlet both underwent a dramatic change in character, John cleaned up his act, while Hamlet only got worse.

"Which done, she took the fruits of my advice;

And he, repelled—a short tale to make—

Fell into a sadness, then into a fast,

Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness,

Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension,

Into the madness wherein now he raves

And all we mourn for." (136-142)

When all the girls started to avoid John because they found out his secret, he became confused, lonely, lost his confidence, and was desperate. Very similar to when I was banned from speaking to or seeing Hamlet, everyone thought that the loss of my was the cause of his sudden delusion.

Although both John Tucker and Hamlet were unlucky in love, John managed to turn his future around and change his attitude, only time will tell if Hamlet is able to do the same.

Blog Post #13: Hamlet - Blog 1

I do not feel it is right to abandon Hamlet in his time of need. He is obviously depressed by his fathers passing and his mothers incestuous marriage to his uncle. So many things have happened in the last few months to up root his entire life, but I would not be comfortable disobeying my father and brothers wishes either. They have my best needs at heart, but they do not know Hamlet like I do. They only see the worst in him, whereas I can see past his flaws. I love him and he loves me. He will never forgive me if I leave him, and I will never forgive myself for adding to his pain and suffering. Is it worth it to stay with Hamlet? It is not as if we would ever get married, we have no future together as far as I can tell. I seek your advice, help me make this decision for I am not strong enough to make it myself. Do I break my lovers heart or do I shame my father and brother?

Blog Post #12: Hamlet - Character Selection

I am interested in following Hamlet from Ophelia's point of view due to her innocence and air of ambiguity. Ophelia has an outsiders view into Hamlet's world which makes her extremely "social media worthy" due to the fact that she can provide a different sort of perspective than any of the men in this story can. No other characters have the same chemistry as Ophelia and Hamlet. Although Hamlet does not have an ideal relationship with his mother and is often difficult with women, they are in love and Hamlet shows a more vulnerable side with her that he is not able to show any of his other associates. Ophelia's ambiguity would also be intriguing to interpret myself rather than the other characters who's whole story is already laid out. She is a smaller character and not a lot is told about her, leaving room for the me to fill in the blanks on my blog.

Blog Post #11b: Storyboards

Blog Post #11a (Write Up)

Rationale: The prompt we selected was the 1977 prompt which entails a character looking back on their life with bitterness in order to show an overall theme. The feelings of bitterness are easily seen through all the characters and the theme is shaped with them. Through the harsh memories she comes to the realization that the greatest time in her life is when it’s all  over. This theme is presented through their bitter outlook.

We chose the final scene of Act one as one of the scenes because it allows for a transition into the rest of the play, and is a place where you can see A’s general negativity on her life. In this scene A has a stroke, and this sets up for the rest of the play as A has an out of body experience and looks at her life from an outsiders perspective. We wanted to show how she made this transition as well as show a crucial moment from the plot. The second scene we picked because it showed how B also has a bitter perspective on the past,and also show their relationship with their son. He is framing the scene and this helps to bring him into better context. The third scene was chosen because it is the most important scene of the play. It is the final scene and the monologue that A has is very critical relating to the overall meaning of the play. It is in this scene where A becomes the most rational and concludes the play with bringing to the forefront the fact that the greatest moment is the end.

We chose to have dim lighting in many scenes to give them a darker and more negative feel in order to coincide with the bitter feelings of the characters. We also spot light the characters faces on some of the longer monologues to focus on the speeches and allow people to know the importance of what they’re saying. The focus of the play is always on the character’s speaking, not their actions, and we wanted to stay true to that in our rendition.   

• prompt

• 1977. A character’s attempt to recapture the past is important in many plays, novels, and poems. Choose a literary work in which a character views the past with such feelings as reverence, bitterness, or longing. Show with clear evidence from the work how the character’s view of the past is used to develop a theme in the work. You may base your essay on a work by one of the following authors, or you may choose a work of another author of comparable literary excellence.

• thesis
• In Three Tall Women written by Edward Albee, the oldest character, A, looks upon her past with bitterness and regret, through her past selves represented by women B and C. Albee uses a stream of consciousness style of writing and direct dialogue expressing the idea that despite the expectations of your young self, the happiest time is when it’s all over. Albee creates an out of body experience for A so she can have an objective perspective on her past.

3 Scenes

• pg. 349-351 “The things we’re able…” to “I’ll call her doctor.”
• pg. 372-374“No! How did I change?” to “Thank you”
• pg. 382-384 “Is it like this?” to end
• framework
• The son will frame the play and will give his perspective on his mother’s life. It will start with the son in a empty hospital room, or empty bedroom. “A” (his mother) will have just died and he is telling the nurse, maid, butler, etc about his mothers life.

Synopsis Sheet

A General Synopsis

Three Tall Women  by Edward Albee, tells the story of the life of a women. There are three women in the play, “A” “B” and “C”. “A” is an old women, “B” is a middle aged women, and “C” is young. Each woman represents the same person, just at different stages of her life. In Act I, A, B , and C are all separate entities who represent different people. A is an old, rich lady who own the house. She hired B to take care of her. C is there because she is from the law firm that handles all of A’s personal affairs. During this Act I, A tells the stories of her life and by the end of the Act has a stroke. Act II starts with a mannequin of A in the bed, and the three actors (A, B, and C) are all next to the bed. It is an out of body experience. During this Act, all three women represent different times in A’s life. C is the 26 year old version of herself, and is still happy and full of life. B is 52 years old and very cynical and angry with how her life is going. A is 91 (or 92) and is very close to death. During this Act they all discuss important moments in their lives. It ends with all three women stating what the happiest time of their life is.

Playwright Background Information

Edward Albee:

• Born in 1928 in Virginia
• Openly gay at 12 and a half
• Adopted parents owned theaters where he grew up
• dominant and oppressive mother, did not like the fact that her son was gay
• At 20, he left his family and moved to Greenwich Village. He never saw his father again, and wouldn’t see his mother for 17 years.
• Helped reinvent the post war american theater
• Wrote plays from 1958 to 2009 (32 plays)

Primary characters:

A: She is a very old woman in her 90s. She’s bitter, angry, forceful, and proud

B: B is A's 52 year-old version, to whom she is the hired caretaker. She’s is very cynical, but is patient and kind to A.

C: C is B's 26 year-old version. She is present on behalf of a A's law firm because A has neglected paperwork, payment, and such. She has all of youth's common self-assurance.

The Boy: The son of the three women,. He doesn’t have any lines, but is in many scenes, just standing. there. The three women talk about him, and both A and B know him personally.

Key Plot Moments

• A’s stroke allows for a transition into the second Act and starts the new scenario of the three women all being the same person
• The son walks in during the second half, and then the center of conversation revolves around him. His presence connects all three of the women.
• At the very end of the play, all three characters give their own opinion of what the happiest moments are in their lives. All their views are different because they are all at different stages of their lives.

Key Quotes

“When it’s all done. When we stop. When we can stop” (Albee 384).

“I was talking about...what:coming to the end of it;yes. So. There it is.You asked,after all. That’s the happiest moment” (Albee 384).

“No! How did I change? What happened to me!?” (Albee 372).

“You all want something;there’s nobody doesn’t want something” (Albee 322).

“God, remember the lies?” (Albee 363).

“The things we’re able to do and the things we’re not” (Albee 349).

“Double your pleasure, double your fun? Try this on for size. They lie to you” (Albee 372).

Symbols/Motifs.

C is the innocent. Has no experience in her life yet and is unaccepting of what is to come.

B is the caretaker. She takes care of “A” and helps her as she reaches the end of her life.

A is the mentor by the end of the play. She has experienced this life and can share her knowledge of it with the younger ones who are yet to experience it.

The son is a symbol not only of their disappointment, but of the author himself, Edward Albee.

The three women represent the stages of life that all women go through

Themes

Feminism, discussing the differences between why men cheat and why women cheat.

As she gets older she has a greater acceptance for death, and for the cruelties of  life.

Everyone changes throughout their life, it’s inevitable.

Stylistic Devices

• short and blunt diction
• long monologues
• Flashback
• rhetorical questions
• short sentences
• vulgar diction

Script

Title: Three Tall Women

Playwright: Edward Albee

Cast: A-Allie Specht

B-Anna Wirth

C-Endya Brandon

Boy-Jack Specht

Introduction: I am my mother’s only son, and unfortunately I have seen more than I care too have. She was always waiting for a happier time, for happier moments, but all she got were more hard times, until she slowly started to fade out. She got older, meaner, more bitter with every concern of her life. Towards the end of her life she started to have moments where she would look at her life from an outsiders perspective, she went steadily through her past. Her life is not happy, her memories are not happy, as she comes to the end, the last moments, where she has no longer has to go on, that is the best.

Scene 1: “A: (Propped up; eyes opening and closing from time to time, eyes wandering; very stream of consciousness) The things we’re able to do and the things we’re not. what we remember doing and what we’re not sure. What do I remember? I remember being tall. I remember first it making me unhappy, being taller in my class, taller than the boys. I remember, and it comes and goes. I think they’re all robbing me. I know they are, but I can’t prove it. I think I know, and then I can’t remember I know. (Cries a little.) He never comes to see me.

B: (Mildly.) Yes, he does.

A: When he has to; now and then.

B: More than most; he’s a good son.

A: (Tough.) Well, I don’t know about that. (Softer.) He brings me things; he brings me flowers-orchids, freesia, those big violets…?

B: African.

A: Yes. He brings me those, and he brings me chocolates-orange rind in chocolate, that dark chocolate I like; he does that. But he doesn’t love me.

B: Oh, now.

A: He doesn’t! He loves his...he loves his boys, those boys he has. You don’t know! He doesn’t love me and I don’t know if I love him. I can’t remember!

B: He loves you.

A: (Near tears.) I can’t remember; I can’t remember what I can’t remember. (Suddenly alert and self-mocking.) Isn’t that something!

B: (Nicely.) It certainly is.

A: (Rambling again.) There’s so much: holding on; fighting for everything; he wouldn’t do it; I had to do everything; tell him how handsome he was, clean up his blood. Everything come on me: Sis being that way, hiding her bottles in her night things where she thought I wouldn’t find them when she came to stay with me for a little; falling...falling down the way she did. Mother coming to stay, to live with us; he said she could; where else could she go? Did we like each other even? At the end? Not at the end, not when she hated me. I’m helpless, she...she screamed; I hate you! She stank; her room stank; she stank; I hate you, she screamed at me. I think they all hated me, because I was strong, because I had to be. Sis hate me; Ma hated me; all those others , they hated me; he left home; he ran away. Because I was strong. I was tall and I was strong. Somebody had to be. If I wasn’t then…(Silence; A still, eyes open. Has she shuddered a little before her silence?)

(After a bit B and C look at one another. B rises, goes to the bed, leans over, gazes at A, feels her pulse.)

C: (Looks over after a little.) Is she...oh, my God, is she dead?

B: (After a little.) No. She’s alive. I think she’s had a stroke.

C: Oh, my God!

B: You better call her son. I’ll call the doctor.

(C rises, exits right, looking at A as she exits; B strokes A’s head, exits left.)

(A alone; still; silence.)” (Albee 349-351)

Transition: When I got the call that my mother had had a stroke I felt obligated to go see her once again. Although we are no longer close I still had to go see her. She’s still my mother and despite it all I don’t want to see her dead.  I know she hates me but the feeling is mutual.

Scene 2: “C: No! How did I change?! What happened to me?!

A: (Sighs.) Oh, God.

C: (Determined.) How did I change?!

B: (Sarcasm; to the audience.) She wants to know how she changed. She wants to know how she turned into me. Next she’ll want to know how I turned into her. (Indicates A.) No; I’ll want to know that; maybe I’ll want to know that.

A: Hahh!

B: Maybe. (To C.) You want to know how I changed?

C: (Very alone.) I don’t know Do I?

B: Twenty-six to fifty-two? Double it? Double your pleasure, double your fun? Try this. Try this on for size. They lie to you. You’re growing up and they go out of their way to hedge, to qualify, to...to evade; to avoid-to lie. Never tell it how it is-how it’s going to be-when a half-truth can be go in there. Never give the alternatives to the”pleasing prospects,” the “what you have to look forward to.” God, if they did the streets’d be littered with adolescent corpses! Maybe it’s better they don’t.

A: (Mild ridicule.) They? They?

B: Parents, teachers, all the others. You lie to us. You don’t tell us things change-that Prince Charming has the morals of a sewer rat, that you’re supposed to live with that...and like it, or give the appearance of liking it. Chasing the chambermaid into closets, the kitchen maid into the root cellar, and God knows what goes on at the stag at the club! They probably nail the whores to the billiard tables for easy access. Nobody tells you any of this.

A: (Lay it on.) Poor, poor you.

...

B: (Points to him.) That?!-gets himself thrown out of every school he can find, even one or two we haven’t sent him to, sense he hates you, catch him doing it with your niece-in-law and your nephew-in-law the same week?! Start reading the letters he’s getting from-how do they call it-older friends?-telling him how to outwit you, how to survive living with the fucking crystal ashtray if he doesn’t stop getting letters, doesn’t stop saying anything, doesn’t stop...just...doesn’t...stop? And he sneers, and he says very quietly that he can have me put in jail for opening his mail. Not while while you’re a minor, I tell him; you just wait, I tell him, you just wait; I’ll have you thrown out of this house so quick it’ll make your head spin. You’re going to fire me, he says, quietly, smiling; you going to fire me too? Just like you fired him? He’s good in bed, isn’t he! Of course, you wouldn’t know about bed, he says. He gets up, stops by me, touches my hair. I thought I saw some straw, he says; sorry. And he walks out of the solarium, out of the house, out of our lives. He doesn’t say good-bye to either of us. He says good-bye to Mother, upstairs; he says good-bye to the Pekingese, too, I imagine. He packs one bag, and he leaves. (To him; rage.) Get out of my house!! (Pause; to C.) Does that tell you a little something about change? Does that tell you what you want to know?

C: (Pause; softly.) Yes. Thank you.” (Albee 372-374)       

Transition: My mother’s life was not a happy one. It was filled with regrets and she was bitter and it just got worse as things went on. I saw the progression, that’s why I had to leave. As she got older, she became worse. I don’t know if she’ll ever truly see things how they should be seen.

Scene 3: “C: Is it like this? What about the happy times...the happiest moments? I haven’t had them yet, have I? All done at twenty-six? I can’t imagine that...I get to the point I can begin to think about looking back without feeling silly, though God knows when that will be!-not feeling silly-if ever. Confirmation, for example, that wonderful time: the white dress Mother made, Sis all jealous and excited, jumping up and down and sulking at the same time. But even now, you see, I’m remembering, and what I’m remembering doesn’t have to do with what I felt, but what I remember. They say you can’t remember pain. Well, maybe you can’t remember pleasure, either-in the same way, I mean, in the way you can’t remember pain. Maybe all you can remember is the memory of it...remembering, remembering it. I know my best times-what is it? happiest?-haven’t happened yet. They’re to come. Aren’t they? Please? And...and whatever evil comes, whatever loss and taking away comes, won’t it all be balanced out? Please? I’m not a fool, but there is a lot of happiness along the way. Isn’t there?! And isn’t it always ahead? Aren’t I right? Aren’t I? I mean…all along the way? No? Please?

B: (Comes downstage to where C is not-either right or left, leaving center open free for A later. Shakes her head to C, not unkindly.) Silly, silly girl; silly baby. The happiest time? Now; now...always. This must be the happiest time: half of being adult done, the rest ahead of me. Old enough to be a little wise, past being really dumb…(An aside to C.) No offense.

C: (Looking forward: tight smile.) None taken.

B: Enough shit gone through to have a sense of the shit that’s ahead, but way past sitting and playing in it. This has to be the happiest time-in theory, anyway. Things nibble away, of course; your job is to know that, too. The wood may be rotten under your feet-your nicely spread legs-and you’ll be up to your ass in sawdust and dry rot before you know it, before you know it, before you can say, This is the happiest time. Well, I can live with that, die with that. I mean, these things happen, but what I like most about being where I am-and fifty is a peak, in the sense of a mountain.

C: (An aside.) Fifty-two.

B: Yes, I know, thank you. What I like most about being where I am is that there’s a lot I don’t have to go through anymore, and that doesn’t mean closing down-for me, at any rate. It opens up whole vistas-of decline, of obsolescence, peculiarity, but really interesting! Standing up here right on top of the middle of it has to be the happiest time. I mean, it’s the only time you get a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view-see in all directions. Wow! What a view!

(A moves downstage center, B and C stay where they are.)

A: (Shakes her head; chuckles; to B and C.) You’re both such children. The happiest moment of all? Really? The happiest moment? (To the audience now.) Coming to the end of it, I think, when all the waves cause the greatest woes to subside, leaving breathing space, time to concentrate on the greatest woe of all-that blessed one-the end of it. Going through the whole thing and coming out...not out beyond it, of course, but sort of to...one side. None of the “further shore” nonsense, but to the point where you can think about yourself in the third person without being crazy. I’ve waked up in the morning, and I’ve thought, well, now, she’s waking up, and now she’s going to see what works-the eyes, for example. Can she see? She can? Well, good, I suppose; so much for that. Now she’s going to test all the other stuff-the joints, the inside of the mouth, and now she’s going to have to pee. What’s she going to do-go for the walker? Lurch from chair to chair-pillar to post? Is she going to call for somebody-anybody...the tiniest thought there might be nobody there, that she’s not making a sound, that maybe she’s not alive-so’s anybody’d notice, that is? I can do that. I can think about myself that way I’m living-beside myself, to one side. Is that what they mean by that?-I’m beside myself? I don’t think so. I think they’re talking about another kind of joy. There’s a difference between knowing you’re going to die and knowing you’re going to die. The second is better; it moves away from the theoretical. I’m rambling, aren’t I?

B: (Gently; face forward.) A little.

A: (To B.) Well, we do that at ninety, or whatever I’m supposed to be. I mean, give a girl a break! (To the audience again now.) Sometimes when I wake up and start thinking about myself like that-like I was watching-I really get the feeling that I am dead, but going on at the same time, and I wonder if she can talk and fear and...and then I wonder which has died-me, or the one I think about. It’s a fairly confusing business. I’m rambling. (A gesture to stop B.) Yes; I know! (To the audience.) I was talking about...what: coming to the end of it. yes. So. There it is. You asked after all. That’s the happiest moment. (A looks to C and B, puts her hand out takes theirs.) When it’s all done. When we stop. When we can stop.”(Albee 382-384)  

Conclusion: The end, the end is the only enjoyment, the end, when everything is over, there is nothing else to worry about, nothing else to reflect badly upon, there is nothing more. When there is nothing, when it all stops, that’s the greatest moment.