Sunday, October 24, 2010

Intro Paragraph for Laertes Essay

An actor must take responsibility for what each audience member hears through the language, conveying the story and characters of a playwright; specifically, an actor may further enable the audience to distinguish certain objectives and thoughts by emphasizing the playwright’s diction. Unlike most writers, William Shakespeare thoroughly dictates the illustrious language of his tragedies and comedies by implementing specific sounds, tones, and accents in order to reveal a character’s strategy. However, Shakespeare also manifests a character’s identity to help the audience realize, judge, or accept a certain conflict in the story. Furthermore, although each of his tragedies analyzes a different emotional topic of moral conviction, Shakespeare generally implements a similar set of characters in order to easily distinguish the exact plight at the core of a scene. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark provides a potent example. Specifically, like Hamlet whose father has recently died, Laertes finds himself distraught over the eventual death of his father, Polonius, questioning the power of the government in a chaotic Denmark. However, clouded by King Claudius’ offer of revenge, Laertes is forced to struggle with an inner conflict that has the capability to inflict irreparable damage. Similar to The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet’s Tybalt, Laertes finds himself preemptively misjudged as the anti-hero because of his reserved intelligence and strikingly hot-temper. Consequently, Shakespeare depicts Laertes’ personality by juxtaposing harshly plosive articulation with eloquently calming phrases, furthering the audience’s perception of Laertes’ conflict. By submitting to Claudius’ demands, Laertes reveals his doubtful confidence in avenging his family because he struggles to find his true purpose. Therefore, Shakespeare manipulates the audience’s perception of heroism by exploiting Laertes’ actions as impetuous, when in fact Laertes struggles to accept murder as an appropriate response because of his shared grief with Hamlet over the loss of each of their fathers, as well as his expectations for a glorified, successful, and hopeful Denmark.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Prufrock: Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?

T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock analyzes the frailty of an erratic, love-torn man who dehumanizes himself by doubting his significance. Specifically, the line "Do I dare disturb the universe" unquestionably reveals the narrator's inability to grasp his potentially grand life. Moreover, much like that of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the narrator questions the standards, ideals, and praises of man in comparison to his own fears; in fact, the narrator doubts that his existence has any meaning in the complicated world he abides by. The narrator's ironic comparison to Hamlet reveals an emotionally distraught character who is directed by his own doubts. Therefore, although he ultimately understands a greater meaning to the power of love within his world, the narrator consistently reveals a self-conscious state of unparalleled fear, which also congruently displays the narrator's confusion on living in general.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

To His Coy Mistress Mini-Essay: Make Love, Not War

In Marvell's To His Coy Mistress, the narrator implicitly criticizes the standards of sexually-repressed society through an urgently decisive tone. Specifically, through a three paragraph structure, the narrator provides time in order to lure his mistress with pastoral and reassuring writing; however, the narrator does so in order to reenforce his true feelings with the (later) more urgent, demanding paragraphs. In addition, despite his unbound love, the narrator demonstrates his sense of urgency through harsh, less colloquial, shorter-phrased language , full of harsh and plosive diction. By doing so, the narrator reveals his anxious desire to seize the moment or Carpe Diem. Essentially, the narrator believes in the importance of both physical and emotional investment in a relationship and, although he truly loves his mistress, believes in investing in sexual desire rather than rejecting it. Marvell, through the narrator, illustrates the importance of an individualistic sense of self-reliance and self-respect by succumbing to one's own fantasies, desires, and dreams rather than suppressing one's own honest passion. Therefore, the narrator's provocative diction in the last paragraph characterizes the truth of individual creation and opinion. Marvell believes natural thought, rather than conformity, exemplifies true beauty.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Had We But World Enough, And Time.

In To His Coy Mistress, Andrew Marvell's narrator suggests the importance of seizing the moment over monotonous manners. Specifically, the line "Had we but world enough, and time" illustrates the significance of Carpe Diem. Marvell poignantly depicts an eternal love in order to juxtapose a woman's ideal with more realistic truth. Moreover, 'but' re-emphasizes the narrator's belief into succumbing to one's own desires rather than shunning honest emotion in favor of idealistic standards. Evidently, Marvell suggests that people take advantage of love for life and time always fade away quicker than expected. Consequently, the narrator's persuasive tone in the first paragraph excels because he establishes an illusion of false hope. In the end, however, the narrator demands true love, including physical.