I have completed a full semester of AP Literature & Composition, and the experience was different, but enriching. Instead of constantly writing argumentative and analysis essays to practice for an AP exam's essay section, like in AP Language & Composition class, we did projects instead. We incorporated complex analysis of prose when we filmed our Greek tragedy projects, and we synthesized various sources in order to ultimately participate in a Socratic Discussion about Shakespeare's Hamlet. These experiences have not only helped me improve as an analysis writer, but have also allowed me to think more creatively when answering essay prompts.
Initially, I walked into this classroom thinking that I would already have all the resources I need to succeed in analyzing literature. However, I soon figured out that AP Literature necessitates a deeper understanding of given prompts. This class has taught me necessary skills in recognizing the underlying complexities of certain pieces, complexities that all authors of literary merit undoubtedly use. When annotating a prompt, I now easily recognize not only the literary devices that an author or poet uses, but also how the speaker incorporates the devices to give both explicit and complex implicit meanings in the text. I am also now skilled in finding binary opposites in prose and poetry passages and incorporating them into my thesis statements. Every good AP Literature essay needs to discuss the elaborate binaries present in authors' works. I have learned the importance of recognizing different forms of poetry - such as the English Sonnet and Villanelle - and also the shifts in focus and tone in these pieces. To me, finding tone shifts in passages is another good way of formulating my analysis argument, giving a clear trail of logic.
Having applied myself in this class this semester, I feel like I have learned to better appreciate and analyze the works of pronounced literary figures. Because of the skills I have acquired, I feel that I can better write a successful analysis essay analyzing the complexities of pieces. Of course, I must still learn how to better structure my essay so as not to follow the conventional five-paragraph essay. However, my newly earned skill of recognizing tone shifts can help me reach my objective of writing a better overall analysis.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Blog #12: Hamlet Social Media Blog Post
Hamlet Act 3: To Be Or Not To Be & Analysis of Form and Mis En Scene
To Be Or Not To Be Analysis
Two primary metaphors: negative life experiences as an unrelenting sea and the concept of death as both a dream and a nightmare.
In Scene 1 of Act III of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet ponders whether it is better to be alive or dead and why people continue to live despite facing hardships. Hamlet begins by comparing the negative experiences of life to the brevity and ease of death, incorporating synecdoche to describe the troubles of the world as “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (3.1.58), emphasizing the physical and emotional pains that humans face as tangibly painful objects of violence, hindering a person’s will to survive. After criticizing life itself, which Hamlet illustrates as a vast and inescapable“sea of troubles” (3.1.59) and hardships, he promotes the idea of death, a quick solution to these hardships. Using the infinitive forms of the verbs “To die, to sleep; / ...to dream” (3.1.64-65), Hamlet emphasizes not only the ubiquity of these words to describe the eventual fate of every human, but also an apparent necessity to die early when faced with too much adversity. He appeals to emotions of determination and confidence by resolutely emphasizing an end to “heartache and the thousand natural shocks” (3.1.62) that the unrelenting sea of life experiences bring.
However, the dreamlike and comforting tone of the soliloquy quickly switches to one of staunch realism, effectively eliminating any thought of himself pursuing death. He logically enumerates all of the ills that are faced daily by humans, such as “Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, the pangs of despised love, the law’s delay” (3.1.71-72). By using parallel structure to convey the numerous and various troubles, Hamlet concedes that life is difficult. However, through this same list, Hamlet emphasizes the human fear of the unknown after death, which overtakes the fear of any amount of tangible hardships faced on earth. The afterlife is an “undiscovered country” (3.1.79) that no one would want to face. The unusual paradox used earlier to describe the traditionally scary concept of death as a peaceful and cathartic dream shifts to describing the same concept of a dream as a malevolent and frightening unknown. As a human currently living in the tangible world, who has faced a death of a loved one and a corruption of his family, Hamlet resolutely rejects the contemplation of the abstract dream of death, both as a conveyor of hope and fear. Once again, he appeals to his own emotions of shame, emphasizing that contemplating death “does make cowards of us all” (3.1.83). In Hamlet’s words, the “pale cast of thought” (3.1.85) of death simply causes one to “lose the name of action” (3.1.88), which Hamlet especially cannot do, given his current turmoil with and alienation from his family. By highlighting the need to choose the difficult sea of life over swift death and reality over abstract thinking in his soliloquy, Hamlet enhances his drive for resolute action to ultimately follow through with his plan to avenge his father’s death.
Mis En Scene Analysis and Organization/Explanation
Mel Gibson’s rendition of Hamlet’s soliloquy in Scene 1 of Act III portrays Hamlet alone in in a cavernous, dungeon-esque room in the palace. Dark, spacious, and empty, this room emphasizes the loneliness that Hamlet himself faces, trying to avenge his father’s death without the help of any friends. Hamlet initially walks down a staircase lit by above-ground lights, which symbolize the reality in which Hamlet actually lives. His descent into the unlit, cavernous room parallels the scene’s own descent into the deep thoughts and motivations of Hamlet. He is accompanied solely by the sounds of the wind and his own footsteps and voice, emphasizing a loneliness and intimacy that Hamlet will soon deliver to the audience. The sole use of diegetic sounds also places emphasis on the reality of Hamlet’s mental turmoil to achieve his malevolent plot, an atmosphere and feeling that would be eliminated if external non-diegetic sounds were added. The movie’s constant use of close-up shots on Hamlet’s face presents a face and body that ironically look very unroyal, even though Hamlet was born into royalty. His hair is messy and his clothes are shabby, highlighting his own current alienation from his noble family. By depicting Hamlet as rather sloppy, Gibson stresses a disconnect between Hamlet and his new family, with Hamlet being the odd unhappy man out of a satisfied relationship between two lovers. The close-up shots also illustrate Hamlet’s changing feelings throughout his soliloquy, with a content, relaxed appearance when he fancied the thought of death and a frustrated and angry visage when he understood the necessity of being resolute to his goal. In the scene, Hamlet walks to a statue of a sleeping person while contemplating the desirability of death, before ultimately walking away from it and up the staircase after agreeing to follow through with his plan. This symbolizes a rejection for the contemplation of death in order to resolutely face his real-life destiny, as Hamlet goes from the dark cavern of his inner thoughts back up the staircase to gritty reality.
This performance of Hamlet by Mel Gibson successfully depicts Hamlet’s disconnect with his family. It clearly conveys the frustration that Hamlet feels as he tries to become more strong-willed to carry out his plan to kill Claudius, showing his rejection of bowing out by pursuing death. The expressions made by the actor successfully show the shifts present in his soliloquy as he declares one viewpoint to the next. The cadence and changing pitch of the actor’s voice also enhances the soliloquy’s dynamic changes in tone. Overall, Mel Gibson effectively portrays a burdened, yet determined Hamlet expounding upon his deepest thoughts, ultimately placing emphasis on this scene as a turning point in which Hamlet rejects failure and instead accepts pursuit of his mission.
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