Final Portfolio Reflection

The two assignments that I am most proud of are the creative project and the comparison/contrast summer reading paper. I’m very proud of these two pieces because they were my favorite ones to complete and they both show evidence of my best work and most effort.

The Swimming Home assignment was a favorite of mine because it gave me a chance to dive into the complexity and thoroughly analyze a book I had read and enjoyed. Initially, the book was confusing for me, but by the end I discovered details and meanings of the work. I was very proud of the creative aspect of the assignment and had a great time contemplating items of loss in the book and relating it to water with the fishbowl and items. My strength through this project was deciding meaning of the book to the chosen prompt and coming up with and creating a project. My weakness was, like always, coming up with the perfect thesis statement. I tend to want to use run-on sentences but had to limit myself to short, simple, and straightforward statements. This assignment was very helpful for me with regard to writing and interpreting meaning and thesis statement.

The comparison/contrast summer reading was my other favorite assignment because of very similar reasons. Like the creative project, I was given the opportunity to dive into the complexity and analyze a book I had read and enjoyed. I was very interested about learning mis en scene and picking a scene and comparing the book and movie. My strengths throughout this project were connecting the meaning of the book to a certain event as described in the prompt. My weaknesses were tackling and comparing the en scene since it was a whole new assignment to me. I worked really hard at learning, though, and came out of the assignment understanding elements of mis en scene and with new knowledge and skills for comparing and interpreting meaning of books and movies.

My participation in regard to this class has varied over assignments given throughout the course of this past trimester. In terms of participation in class, I’ve come to class everyday prepared with the materials necessary and have frequently given and asked for help among my peers. With this class I have learned what determines self-motivation for me. If I am given an assignment I’m excited about, believe I can accomplish successfully, and believe I have enough time to do it, my self-motivation and determination will be very high. Whereas, If I am given an assignment that does not interest me, that I don’t believe I can accomplish successfully, and/or don’t have enough time, I’ll psych myself out and have very little motivation to do my best work.

In terms of my participation for individual assignments, such as papers and collaborative group assignments, my self-motivation varies as well. I find myself putting in the most effort when it comes to my individual work because I know that the grade I receive is all on me. I also prefer the challenge to learn and produce on my own because it gives me the opportunity to grow as a student. When it comes to group work, my motivation is half and half. I do my best to contribute and offer my vision and ideas but most of the time I find that another member of the group has a better idea than mine. Although this is a frequent occurrence for me, I always find a way to compromise and work with the group so that we all end up doing an equal amount of the work. Knowing that there are people relying on me to finish an assignment motivates me to make sure the work I’m assigned gets completed and no one is let down.

Taking the AP level of English IV pointed out my strengths and weaknesses better than any other regular and Honors English class I have taken in the past. I have learned many things about myself and my abilities that will help me to improve and succeed in the future. I was surprised to learn that I do not know nearly as much about literature and writing as I originally thought I did. This was evident when I took my first AP literature practice exam the first week of the trimester. I could hardly recognize or define most, if not all, of the literary terms and devices or various types of poetry, sentence structure, etc. Along with those struggles, another major struggle I encountered was that I did not understand how to dig into the deeper complexity and overall meaning of a piece. I also found that I had trouble with completing poem analysis with the amount of time I was given.

For the future, and more specifically before the end of my high school career, I’m going to make it a goal to familiarize myself with and memorize literary devices, different types of poetry, and sentence structure before my second trimester of English.  I will also continue to practice my time management skills when taking a test with practice exams and, of course, tests taken during the school year.

Comparison/Contrast Summer Reading Paper

Hamlet Essay Assignment #6

Hamlet Assignment #4

Yesterday morning I was reading the news when I came across an intriguing article, by Peter J. Seng, that discusses the possible meaning of Ophelia’s words that she sang and how they could possibly connect to her deranged mind. It could easily be inferred that Ophelia’s songs are not sung because she has a memory to the songs but it so happens that Ophelia is trying to carry messages with hidden meanings with these songs. I believe Seng is correct in that he states that Ophelia’s songs allude to past conversations and current resolutions. Given this I believe that Ophelia’s songs are connected to the actions performed of Prince Hamlet and Laertes.

In Seng’s criticism, When Ophelia sings about her love life and how that one true love is song, Seng claims that Ophelia is referring to Gertrude who used to be the Wife of King Hamlet. “He is dead and gone,/at his heels a stone.” (4.5.25-28). With these words, Ophelia is referring to pointing to Gertrude and is disgusted with her for forgetting about her Husband whom once was her true love before his death. This is evident when Seng states that “negative chives foe Gertrude’s faults for her inadequate mourning of King Hamlet and perhaps for worse offenses as well” (Seng 218). This is inferring that Ophelia goes insane as she sings and that she is afraid to clarify to the King. Gertrude cuts off Ophelia during song with a simple “Nay” (4.5.29).

It wasn’t very hard for me to believe that Ophelia was insane when I first came across the news. From what I’ve seen, any woman who is willing to let a man in and control the better parts of their life will end up that way. I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes many times. Though, what is still hard for me to wrap my mind around is how Polonius and Laertes could have played a role in the breaking of her sanity. In Seng’s criticism, we says that both of these men tried their best to talk Ophelia out of falling in love and trusting Hamlet with her heart. That it would be a mistake because we would never love her the way she loved him and that Hamlet would only use her. In a song, Ophelia sings “Then up he rose, and donned his clothes, and dumped the chamber door” (4.5.36-37).

With these lines she is talking about Hamlet and how because she had listened to and valued what Polonius and Laertes had said to her, Hamlet had left her. Ophelia’s love for all three people and her desire to please each of then leaves her in a battle with herself. Because of Ophelia’s weak and dependent state, she goes insane. Seng suggests that the “distorted vision” of a reality that Polonius and Laertes had imposed on Ophelia is what indeed triggered her “tragedy” (Seng 222).

Ophelia also sings another song represents the anguish regarding the death of her father and also as a warning for Laertes to stay clear of Prince Hamlet. She says that Laertes “fails to recall that it was just such false lovers that he had once warned against” (Seng 223). Laertes takes is persistent with his revenge and tries so hard that he eventually drives himself insane as well. He states that “thought and affliction, passion, hell itself, she turns to favor and to prettiness” (4.5.158-159). Seng reveals that these ballads appear to others as being unimportant and as just another love song sung by an unstable young girl. But there is more to them than the average person can see. There are meanings and emotions she tries to revel to people by singing her songs. People just do not look close enough.

Hamlet Assignment #3

Mis En Scene Analysis

Kenneth Branagh: In Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet's soliloquy, the diagetic sound of the scene is just Hamlet speaking in his soliloquy, and there is no non-diagetic sound. This is done in order to ensure the audience focuses on the important speech that Hamlet is making. The setting of this scene is Hamlet in the palace talking to himself in a full-size mirror in order to draw a parallel to the two options Hamlet speaks of in his soliloquy: to be  alive and suffer for no reason or to die a noble death. Hamlet's costume is a black suit. The color is black to show the gloom and despair of Hamlet's speech, as black is a color that represents darkness. The make up is done so that Hamlet's face looks dark instead of lit up. The main camera angle of this scene is a view from behind Hamlet where the audience sees the back of Hamlet's head and part of his shoulder while also seeing his reflection in the mirror, which again parallels Hamlet's two options he contemplates for human life. The camera angle also closes in and gets a closer closeup on Hamlet's face in the mirror as the scene and soliloquy intensifies, which emphasizes the intensity and importance of the second part of Hamlet's soliloquy.

Laurence Oliver: In Laurence Oliver's version of Hamlet's soliloquy, the diagetic sound is originally some creepy music and then it transfers over to Hamlet speaking in his soliloquy, and the non-diagetic sound during the soliloquy is the same gloomy, creepy music. This is done to emphasize the despair of Hamlet's words. The setting of this scene is Hamlet sitting on rock on a cliff overlooking the ocean. This is done in order to show how Hamlet is contemplating suicide in parts of the speech, and how he could jump off the cliff any second but as he contemplates he decides not to. The cliff also shows the difference between life and death. Hamlet's costume is black, again showing the gloom and despair of his soliloquy and the scene in general. The make up is done so that Hamlet's face is lighter than the rest of the scene, and this is done in order to emphasize his soliloquy. The camera angle starts off at the back of his head and the audience can see the ocean in front of his face. It then zooms in on his head, and the audience goes inside his brain as the soliloquy starts. Then, it pans out to a medium shot of a front view of Hamlet and stays there for most of the rest of the scene, with an occasional closeup of Hamlet's face. This emphasizes the intensity of the scene.

Mel Gibson: In Mel Gibson's interpretation of Hamlet's soliloquy, the diagetic sound is Hamlet speaking and there is no non-diagetic sound except for the occasional sound of Hamlet's footsteps. This is done in order to have the audience focus on the despair of Hamlet's soliloquy. The setting of this scene looks to be an underground cemetery or 

graveyard. Hamlet walks down the stairs during his soliloquy to a coffin that he then hugs and looks at it with a mournful expression. The scene is set here in order to emphasize the important death aspect of Hamlet's soliloquy.Hamlet's costume is a black cloak and black pants, in which the black again represents the darkness of the soliloquy. The cloak also represents the darkness because a cloak is a piece of clothing used to cover a person, and can sometimes imply hiding all of your secrets. Hamlet does not wear a lot of makeup in this scene. The main camera angles of this scene are a close up of Hamlet’s

 face at the beginning of the soliloquy, a long shot of the coffin, and a long shot of Hamlet hugging the coffin and speaking the soliloquy to it. This is done in order to emphasize the uncertainty of death aspect of Hamlet's speech. 

Ethan Hawkes: In Ethan Hawkes' version of Hamlet's soliloquy, the diagetic sound is a voiceover of the soliloquy.The non-diagetic sound is gloomy music, Hamlet's footsteps, and the sound from the movies playing on the TV screens. The setting of the scene is a Blockbuster movie rental store. This is done to help modernize the scene as the

 words that Hamlet is saying are Shakespeare words that aren't modern. Hamlet's costume in this scene is kind of a frumpy hat, a black blazer, and black pants. Again, the black emphasizes the gloom and despair of the solilquoy as

 black represents darkness. The hat and blazer help to also modernize this version of the Hamlet's speech. The props used in this scene are a bunch of TVs that are playing a movie. Hamlet wears very little make up in this scene in order

 to make him appear has modern as possible. The camera angles of this version are a medium shot of Hamlet from his back, a closeup of Hamlet's face as he walks through the Blockbuster, and another medium shot of Hamlet, but looking at his front side. These medium shots are done in order to show the modern aspects of the setting of the scene

as well as his costume.

The delivery that I think is the most effective is the Ethan Hawkes version because the modernization of the scene appeals to a broader audience and also helps the audience understand and connect with Hamlet more. 

I would change the Laurence Oliver approach. I don’t like how how Hamlet is placed on a rock overlooking an ocean because it seems as though he is going to choose suicide over living by the end of his speech. I would change it by placing Hamlet on a beach pondering his thoughts while looking at the ocean because it wouldn’t make the audience automatically jump to the conclusion of suicide.

Hamlet Assignment #3

SOLILOQUY ANALYSIS:
Imagery that refers to the uncertainty of death- "To be, or not to be? That is the
 question-"(3.1.57).

Imagery referring to the negative experiences of life-"The heart-ache and the thousand 
natural shocks"(3.1.63).
Appeals:

Logos: "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous
 fortune"(3.1.59).

Pathos: "The grant and sweat under a weary life" (3.1.80). "Thus conscious does make 
cowards of us all"(3.1.86).

Literary Devices:

-Paradox: Paradox implies that Hamlet's conclusion about life and death is senseless

-Synecdoche: Helps to emphasis the protagonist (Hamlet)'s thoughts and emotions in the 
soliloquy

-Tone: The tone of the soliloquy is serious and full of despair. Hamlet isn't contemplating 
suicide, instead he 
philosophically ponders the purpose of life for a human being in general

-Diction: The choice of serious words and phrases such as 'pangs' and 'despised' in the 
soliloquy emphasizes the
 despair of the scene and also Hamlet's philosophical thoughts on the purpose of a human 
being's life

-Metaphor: Helps the audience make connections and understand what Hamlet is talking 
about and the meaning 
of his speech-----"Or to take arms against a sea of troubles" (3.1.60), "The slings and arrows 
of outrageous fortune" (3.1.59).

Comparisons:

Life on earth: "The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns"(3.1.67).

-After life: "But that the dread of something after death"(3.1.81).

-Death: "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come" (3.1.68).

-Human: "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all" (3.1.86).

-Thinking: "Must give us pause. There's the respect that makes calamity of so long life”
 (3.1.70-71).

Eternal philosophical question Hamlet ponders: The purpose of life for a human being
 "To be, or not to be?
That is the question-"(3.1.57).

Conclusion: "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, and thus the native hue of
 resolution is sicklied 

o'er with the pith cost of thought" (3.1.84-86).

Hamlet Assignment #2

http://youtu.be/vjPmaneLadQ
"Leave the gun, take the cannoli"-Clemenza 
The Film The Godfather, "Don" Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia "family", oversees his daughter's wedding with his wife Wendy. His beloved son Michael has just come home from the war, but does not intend to become part of his father's business. And just like Hamlet, The Godfather has the key aspects of Revenge and family.Through Michael's life the nature of the family business becomes clear. The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family. Don Vito lives his life in the way of the old country, but times are changing and some don't want to follow the old ways and look out for community and "family". An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways will demand a terrible price, especially from Michael, all for the sake of the family.Don reminds me of Horatio in that he controls and runs the situations; is the helping hand. 
Horatio: I seem to be the only one with common sense anymore. The only one with eyes that see, the ears that hear. Everyone seems to be missing the value of family and instead of recognizing the value, they betray each other. I am in fact witnessing it right now with Polonius. He has a spy following his own son “By indirections find directions out. So by my former lecture and advice shall you my son.” (2.2.66-68). 
As stated before, in The Godfather, The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family."A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."(The Godfather). In Hamlet, Horatio is considered the watcher and the controller "Th' observ'd of all observers" (2.2.70). In The Godfather, Don considers himself just this "Today I settled all Family business, so don't tell me you're innocent, Carlo."(The Godfather). Don is torn between trying to get out of the mafia and the fact that his family keeps pulling him back in, it's a drama. Horatio is stuck as a helper for Hamlet more than a friend "What is 't, my lord? we will." (1.5.45). This also comes out with "Or then, or then; with such, or such; and, as you say," (2.1.48). If the focus was simply on revenge, i think that the protagonists in both are driven by the need to honor their family "Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever." (The Godfather). "More than his father's death, that thus hath put him so much from th' understanding of himself" (2.1.48).

If the focus was simply on revenge, I think that the protagonists in both are driven by the need to honor their family - See more at: http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-modern-day-movie-can-compared-hamlet-405194#sthash.04nLTsYY.dpuf

If the focus was simply on revenge, I think that the protagonists in both are driven by the need to honor their family - See more at: http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-modern-day-movie-can-compared-hamlet-405194#sthash.04nLTsYY.dpuf

If the focus was simply on revenge, I think that the protagonists in both are driven by the need to honor their family - See more at: http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-modern-day-movie-can-compared-hamlet-405194#sthash.04nLTsYY.dpuf

Hamlet Assignment #1

I am not one to believe in supernatural events or spirits. I consider myself to be stubbornly realistic. Though, events that I have been witnessing are toying around with what I believe. He rose out of the ground. My eyes refusing to accept what they were seeing. I was with my fellow guards Marcellus and Bernardo. What we all witnessed "sent shivers down my back" (1.l.57). It was he, the King of Denmark who appeared before us. I tried to speak with the King. I called out "speak!" (1.l.30). The spirit of the dead King did not respond to my request, only disappeared. I still like to think of that night as a dream. I do not know what to believe.

Hamlet Character Perspective

Assignment: Write one chunky paragraph about the character you’ve chosen to focus on for your blog, and why you’ve selected this character. What is interesting, engaging, and “social media” worthy about this character?

 The character I have chosen to focus on for my blog is Horatio. Horatio is the close friend of the central character of the play, Hamlet. I chose to go with Hamlet’s close friend because, to me, the friends of the main character are often essential to the story. Their roles help the main character develop in the story and they normally have qualities of importance that may go unnoticed. These types of characters spark my interest. Horatio seems to be loyal and a very helpful character to Hamlet. I get this impression because he is described as “the harbinger of truth” (Mabillard). Horatio is interesting, engaging, and social media worthy because he is a character to which everyone can relate. Most of us have been part of a friendship where we feel like we are the backbone for that person or the one that keeps them grounded. “If Horatio were not there, Hamlet’s sanity would truly be in doubt” (Mabillard). “It is through Horatio that the actions taken by Hamlet and other characters gain credibility” (Mabillard). It appears to me that Horatio is going to turn out to be every bit as interesting as Hamlet and I am looking forward to reading about how his character develops.

Works cited:

Mabillard, Amanda. Horatio. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet/horatiocharacter.html >.

Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams

Synopsis:

               The Glass Menagerie takes place in 1944 and is a play told through memories. The Wingfield family lives in small apartment that can only be entered and exited by a fire escape. Single mother Amanda lives with her son Tom and crippled daughter Laura. After their father left them, Tom took a full time job working at a warehouse to support the family. After Laura drops out of Business College due to her social anxiety, Amanda turns all her focus to finding a gentleman caller, or husband, for Laura. However, due to her anxiety, Laura has no interest in marrying and spends all her time collecting glass animals. Hoping to find a husband for Laura, Tom brings home his friend Jim from work who was an acquaintance to Laura in high school. After a few hours of conversation, Jim begins to break down the barrier Laura has created between herself and society. However, as Jim and Laura are dancing, Jim accidently bumps into Laura’s glass unicorn, breaking the horn and causing it to become as ordinary as any other horse. Laura’s hopes quickly become as shattered as her glass unicorn when Jim tells her that he is to be married.

Play Background

.                   Debuted in Chicago in 1944

         Characters and story based on experiences of author Tennessee Williams

         Character Laura based on William’s sister, Rose

Primary Characters

         Amanda Wingfield

         Tom Wingfield

         Laura Wingfield

         Jim O’Connor

Setting

         St. Louis in 1944. The Wingfield apartment

Key Plot Moments

         Beginning: Laura dropping out Business College: Viewer first insight into Laura’s personality and internal struggles.

         Middle: The shattering of the glass unicorn: Laura’s major characterization shift

         End: Laura blowing out the candle: ending of the play and final downfall of hope

Key Quotes

         “The scene is memory and is therefore non-realistic. Memory takes a lot of poetic licence. It omits some details; others are exaggerated, according to the emotional value of the articles it touches, for memory is seated predominantly in the heart” (Williams5-10)

         “A little physical defect is what you have. Hardly noticeable even! Magnified thousands of times by imagination! You know what my strong advice to you is? Think of yourself as superior in some way!” (Williams 37-41).

         “Now it is just like all the other horses” (Williams 89).

Symbols:

Glass Menagerie: Laura’s collection of little glass animals represents her fragile mental state and personality. The glass is very delicate and unique like Laura’s personality.

Fire Escape: The only way to enter and exit the Wingfield apartment us through a worn-down fire escape. This represents the difficulty that the family has escaping the despairs and struggles of reality.

Glass Unicorn: The glass unicorn is the most intricate and fragile animal in Laura’s collection. The glass unicorn represents Laura’s unique personality and inner beauty. The unicorn breaking and it becoming an average horse represents Laura’s snap to reality and Jim stealing Laura’s individuality.

Blowing out the candle: While Jim at the WIngfield’s, the apartment loses power due to Tom’s inability to pay the electric bill. Laura and Jim light candles in the living room. The candles being lit represent the hope Laura feels while growing closer to Jim. At the very end of the play, Laura blows out the candle. This represents Laura’s lose of hope after she finds out that Jim is to be married.  

Motifs:

Laura’s defect: Foster Chapter 24, ...And Rarely Just Illness, suggests that when a character has a specific illness or defect it represents something about the time period or who the character is as a person. One of Laura’s leg is shorter than the other causing her to wear a brace on one leg. This makes Laura different from everyone else and represents her individuality.

Paradise Dance Hall: Paradise is a biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden. While Laura and Jim are talking, they hear music from Paradise Dance Hall across the street. The Garden of Eden is originally a beautiful and perfect place but eventually falls due to Adam and Eve’s lack of responsibility. This relates to Laura because she feels as though she is so close to paradise when she is with Jim but loses it all when she finds out that Jim is engaged.

Themes:

Escape:  Amanda, Laura, and Tom struggle with the weight of reality. Escape is an important theme in the play because each character has a way of escaping reality and going to their own mental happiness since reality is not enough. Amanda remonises from her days as a southern belle and dreams about gentleman callers, Laura spends her time with her glass menagerie, and Tom goes to the movies to escape reality.

Individualism: A main theme in the play is the rareness of individuality.  Even though awkward and antisocial, Laura has a unique personality despite the pressure to conform in high school. The glass unicorn, which symbolizes Laura, represents this theme because it is the most individual animal is Laura’s collection before it is broken.  

Stylistic Devices:

Music: The Glass Menagerie is a play told through memories. Music is used throughout the script and our video to connect different parts of the story. Music that is played at a certain point in one part of the script and is the played again later on is used to bring the viewer back to other points in the play and connect them.