Oh, Ceremony

Leslie Marmon Silko-Anglo American, Mexican American and 1/4 Laguna Pueblo female author  who writes about the Laguna Pueblo tribe. She is well-known for her poetry and award-winning novel, Ceremony. As a younger female still bound to the rules of her parents, she wasn't allowed to particiapate in Laguna Pueblo rituals but managed to hear the traditions of her people through her grandma, aunt, and grandfather. In a interview with Alan Velvie, Silko described herself in the following: "I am of mixed-breed ancestry, but what I know is Laguna".[2]

...Wikipedia folks. Trust it.


Devices/Techniques:

Diction-Various forms of formality. At times vulgar, at times where's my dictionary, most times colloquial
Point of View-Mainly third person. Narrator sets the scene and brings us to Tayo's story.
Syntax-Sentence variation
Tone-Desperate, light(like smoke), angry, lost, remorseful, mournful.
Imagery-Descriptive. All senses tingling. Add to the intensity of  Tayo's emotions.

Symbols-
Drought-punishment
Cattle-whats been lost
Belly-stories

Setting:
-Phillipine jungles during WWII
-Veteran's Hospital
-Laguna Resvervation
-1930s-1950s?


Characters-

   Tayo-Protagonist who struggles and attempts to find a sense of community and family within his own blood relatives and the individuals who reside in the reservation. He upholds traditional Indian beliefs and senses the social imperfections and judgement of those around him, and due to  his mixed blood(White and Indian), Tayo is able to cure himself and his community from the outside world that seeks to scoff at their ancient beliefs.

   Betonie-Medicine man who leads/guides Tayo through his ceremony. Betonie is viewed as a bit eccentric and members of the reservation don't trust his methods and his communication with white people. He lives on the outside of the Navajo community and is a descendant of a  line of medicine men and women who have teamed together in a long effort to bring about a new and successful ceremony in a changing world.

   Auntie-Tayo's aunt who is a member of the Christian church. She seeks the pity and respect of her community to wear away the past gossip that surrounded her family with the betrayal of her younger siblings Laura and Josiah. Although Auntie manages as the leader of the house, she is quite proud and bitter against Tayo who she feels will never be a part of the Indian community. Her love aims straight and true for her deceased son, Rocky, who she was willing to let become more Americanized in order for success to shine down upon the family name. Her faith in the ancient ways have diminished.

   Josiah-Tayo's beloved uncle who teaches Tayo about Indian beliefs and traditions. He falls in love/has a fling with a Mexican woman named Night Swan who introduces him to change in his purchase of a herd of Mexican cattle crossbred with  Herefords(adapted to survive).

   Harley-Tayo's boisterous friend with a constant hankering for beer. Harley served as a soldier in WWII, but he returned from the war less troubled than Tayo. His only issue seems to be that he has an addiction to alcohol and can't seem to function properly enough to take care of his family's sheep. He doesn't seem to care/feel anymore.

  Rocky-Tayo's cousin and adoptive brother who  represents the loss of faith and turn of traditional Indian to one who is an  Americanized Indian integrating in to white society. As a youth, Rocky was popular and athletic. He served as a soldier in WWII but did not make it back alive.

  Grandma-Tayo's grandmother who cares little for the gossip that spreads about her family. Grandma serves as the wise voice and matriarch of the family who suggests that Tayo be visited by a medicine. At the very end, Grandma is mature enough to recognize that the story that is being told has already been told before, the names have just changed this time around.

  Night Swan-Josiah's Mexican girlfriend and former cantina dancer. Night Swan is a strong and independent women who allows for the observance of the contact that different cultures have with whites and Indians. She seduces and sleeps with Tayo near the middle or end(?) of the book to teach Tayo a lesson about change.

  Old Ku'oosh-Traditional Laguna medicine man who is unable to treat the new diseases that the Indian soldiers have acquired. Though he is incapable of inventing a new ceremony,  he has the wisdom and confidence to send Tayo to someone who might be able to cure this new world disease.

  Emo-Tayo's enemy. Emo is critical of Tayo and the color of Tayo's skin that seems to present opportunities to Tayo that are otherwise with held from Emo and the other full-blooded Indians. Emo resents Tayo's criticism and sets out to destroy Tayo. He served as a soldier in the war and developed a stronger rage toward himself for not being able to keep the attention and respect of the white people after he war. He frequents bars and drinks, reliving the glory days when white women would fawn over him and he was buddies with the white soldiers. He is a twisted character who revels in death and carries the teeth of those he has killed in a bag.

Robert-Auntie's mild mannered husband who adheres to the old ways. He is the first to tell Tayo that he is glad that he made it home from the war. Robert warns Tayo of Emo's attack even though he tends to mind his own business.

 The Woman-Sacred figure of Laguna history who is reincarnated as Ts'eh  to help Tayo progress through his ceremony.  Ts'eh helps Tayo with  the lost cattle and teaches him about wild herbs, love, and what to do about those who pursue him.

Descheeny-Betonie's grandfather. Began the creation of a new ceremony(Mexican woman too) to cure the world of the destruction brought on by white people and he was the first to recognize the need for  Indians and Mexicans to be able to stand together and defeat the evil of the world.

 Mexican Girl-Betonie's grandmother.Represents the interbreeding of races(Indian and white culture). Helps begin the new ceremony and raises Betonie with the information and tools to continue the ceremony.

 Hunter-Animal spirit important to Indian belief who appears as both a man and lion in front of Tayo in order to help lead Tayo to Josiah's lost cattle.

Laura-Tayo's absent/deceased mother. She couldn't handle the mixed messages and conflicting beliefs that were  presented to her at home and at school.She  is a victim of the contact between white and Indian cultures. Laura went wild, turned to alcohol and fled from her beliefs and the responsibility of raising her son.

Helen Jean-Woman Harley and Leroy pick up at a bar. She represents all the young Indian woman who went searching for identity in the white towns but were pushed into prostitution and alcoholism.


Plot-
Acknowledgements-I couldn't have done it without Sparknotes and Ana Williams
 
     *  First poem introduces Thought Women(Ts'its'tsi'nako-spider) who prepared this story for our ears. Whatever she thinks appears and brings to life this story. The narrator is preparing us and telling the audience the story Thought Women is thinking.
     *Second poem-stories are powerful(rituals/ceremonies included)
     * Third poem-"What she said" Thought Women? Brief, but message, only good cure is a ceremony.
     *Tayo is experiencing a fitful sleep. Nightmares lead him to the memories of his home and the time he       spent in the Philippines as a soldier fighting against the Japanese. He wakes up confused and his memories and thoughts are scattered. Tayo attempts to calm himself thinking about a deer but he is unable to keep the image of the deer in his mind. From his futile effort to calm his mind, Tayo remembers the jungles of the Philippines and the pained moment where he thought he saw Josiah in the face of one of the Japanese soldiers he was ordered to shoot even after Rocky rolled the dead Japanese man over.
     *Tayo eventually gets up and moves about his house, but in the kitchen he sits and misses Josiah. During this moment, the region Tayo lives in is experiencing a severe drought, similar to one that occurred in the 1920s. Tayo remembers helping Josiah hydrate the animals back with the first drought, but now with this second drought, Tayo has fewer animals and Josiah and Rocky are no longer with him.
     *Tayo spent six years at war and remembers carrying Rocky's wounded body through the rainy jungle with the help of a corporal. A flood knocked them down though and Tayo prayed and cursed against the rain that took more than it gave.
      * Tayo spent time in a Veterans' Hospital in Los Angeles after he returned from the war. Although his physical body made molds on the bed, Tayo felt invisible. Like white smoke. Whenever the doctor asked him questions, Tayo would refer to himself in  the third person. Eventually after he vomited less from his tears and began to feel less like smoke, Tayo was released from the hospital. At the train  depot, upon descending, Tayo collapses and when he revives a Japanese family hovers over him and leads Tayo to think that he is back in the Philippines. A depot man helps Tayo and explains to him that the Japanese-Americans are accepted. Times have changed. Tayo vomits once the guy leaves him.
    *Tayo remembers his childhood. Remembers the Indian stories that he was told and even after everything, he still believes them even though others have tried to convince him otherwise.
     *Harley arrives on his burro and invites Tayo for a long ride  to the reservation line and the bars. Tayo notices the differences between himself and Rocky, but also the differences. They've both been left in the desert away from their families because of their problems, but Tayo still feels even after the war.Rocky feels nothing but the desire to chug back another beer.
     * While the two men ride towards the beer, Tayo feels guilty. His aunt and grandma talk about Rocky so much that Tayo feels as if the life he breathes is a mistake and Rocky is the one who should have survived the war. He begins to cry and then lost as he is in his misery, he falls off his ride.
     *Auntie takes care of Tayo when he returns home from the hospital. Tayo is still depressed and enjoys the dark shadows of his old room that cover the mementos of Rocky's life and the permanent mold of  Rocky's body on his bed. Tayo feels sick when Auntie has him lie on Rocky's bed while she cleans Tayo's dirty one.  Grandma sits in the dark and listens to Tayo cry.
       *Tayo feels as if he is worsening and wants to go back to the hospital but Grandma claims that what he really needs is a medicine man instead. Auntie refuses because she doesn't want the rumors to start up again about their family especially after Josiah and Laura. But she agrees in the hope that she will be one day be able to say "I told you so" if the medicine man doesn't work.
       *Ku'oosh arrives and speaks in the old dialect and reminds Tayo of the sacred places on  the reservation. He explains the old ways to Tayo and alerts Tayo to the fragile intricacies of the world. Tayo is certain that he didn't kill anyone, but Ku'oosh informs Tayo that one cannot kill without knowing it. Tayo sees this thought as a deeper understanding that cannot account for modern warfare. Ku'oosh prepares Tayo for an ancient cleansing ceremony that involves a poem and is meant to be completed  after killing individuals in battle. No rituals=terrible dreams.
      *Ku'oosh warns Tayo that the old ceremonies haven't been working as well with the changing times since the white men jumped into the scene. Ku'oosh is fearful of what will happen to Tayo and the others if the ritual does not work. The medicine man leaves and Tayo sits in his bed and considers the man who cursed the rain and suffers bad dreams. Auntie comes in and feeds him blue mush(a must) and Tayo does not vomit. Tayo is indifferent to his survival and lives without truly living.
      * Tayo goes to the Dixie Tavern and discovers that alcohol dulls the pain in his belly. Stories are told.
      *Tayo flashes back to the memory of stabbing Emo in the belly...evil in Emo's belly. The stories of blood and women do not sit well with Tayo.
       *Tayo sleeps with Night Swan
       *Homeless memories of him and his mom resurface
       * Ceremony begins at Betonie's house and continues with the interactions with Ts'eh , followed by Tayo following the lovely stars  and a mountain lion to save/reclaim Josiah's lost cattle.
       *Tayo is captured by rangers in his effort to release the cattle, but the mountain lion leads Tayo back to the animals and Ts'eh and her husband. Tayo leaves but later returns for the cattle. Ts'eh and the hunter are gone.
      *Tayo volunteers to watch over the cattle in the next  spring.
      *Ts'eh returns to the mountains where Tayo is watching over the cattle. Robert comes and warns Tayo about Emo crazy antics.
      * Tayo retreats further into the mountains. Harley and Pinkie come to collect Tayo, betraying their childhood friend by getting him drunk and dropping him off abruptly. Tayo, mindful of the suspicious behavior, runs off.
      * Tayo finds water and then hears the loud drunken behavior of Emo, Pinkie, Leroy, and the shrill screaming of Harley. Emo is abusing/slicing at Harley. Tayo is frightened and frozen behind his rock. He contemplates interring for his friends beneifit but figures his intrusion on evil would be exactly what the witches want(cause more caos). Tayo remains in his hideout but later returns home. Ceremony complete.
     *Harley dies. Emo kills Pinkie. Leroy dies in a fight between him and Pinkie. Emo is shunned and forced off the reservation.
      *Grandma has heard this all before.


Quotes:
"But as long as you remember what you have seen, then nothing is gone. As long as you remember, it is part of this story we have together" (215).     Everything is connected and affecting in a twisted web that is sometimes quite incomprehensible. We are a part of the world we live in and our duty is to remember what transpires in the space around us so that life continues.

"That was the responsibility that went with being human, old Ku'oosh said, the story behind each word must be told so there could be no mistake in the meaning of what had been said; and this demanded great patience and love"(33).
      Messing up our words messes up the story.  Our lessons are born from our words and they travel as stories to give life and meaning to others.

Theme:
 In her novel, Ceremony, Silko suggests that the existence of good and evil impact everything  and when one recognizes that these aspects are meaningless classifications,  their knowledge allows them to both seek and achieve personal and commercial balance.

Sigh, Discussing the Latest on AP Education

      It's been a struggle lately, folks. I will admit this with  hunched shoulders, baggy eyes and a frightening appetite for 500 calorie candy bars. I need a break. A spa day. Something. Spring Break? Come on, I swear the week long break is some temptation that the gods are dangling in front of my face. I can't grab the days and make them come faster. Sorry. I seem to pass through all my classes in a blur and the tiny hope is that there's a reward for all this crap and homework and period of sucky grades. Well, this class I'm progressing along quite well, but still. The weight and evil of my other classes team up to conspire against me! Its a real thing. Okay, so I'm exaggerating. I'm trying to waste space. Cool it.
   
     Now for the real reason you were assigned to read this post. Course material, I do believe that's it. Well, let me tell you...we blew goodbye kisses to  Ros&Guil. Studied some lectures from some dude(dudes?). Practiced multiple choice. I apologize, I'm listing. But I'll tell you, I'm starting to improve on my multiple choice. Practice helps, hey who knew? Somewhere in this jumbled paragraph and course material timeline we read a Post Modern lecture on the way aforementioned Ros&Guil. Sitting here on my computer, looking through the annotations I suffered through(nah), the only significant thing that I am  able to pull out from the mess of my notes is that there is no dominant meaning. As long as you have the evidence, people, you can claim anything you want to, but  I already knew that. I just got a post-modernist view and they're not even positive. I love the assurance.

      Umm... we worked on "Eleven" by my girl Sandra Cisneros. I'm glad I put the final period on that doc and shared it. Wonder if we're going to continue with it later on in life? Things have a way of reappearing. It's insanely scary. Like when I have the same dream every couple of years or so. It makes me think that there's some hidden cubby  that I haven't discovered and whatever mystery that lies within it with leave me wiser if I continue to pour over it and consider the message of it. Information that we continue to expand on, we learn more from. Science. Our genetic make-up. New discovers in our epigenomes. A world that is constantly growing and learning and my laziness disables me because sometimes I'd honestly rather stare at the blankest white wall and think about nothing. As we delve back into the books we've finished( see I thought we were done) and examine them through our  critical lenses  I'm beginning to wonder and anticipate about that moment when an uncharted thought enters the circle and my class has an "ooooooohhhh" moment. I don't think we're they're yet. I did have fun with the circle-Frye's "mythoi"  but as a class we think too much and then I become confused and start counting down the time until class is over...yeah.

  Ceremony. Alright, you punks who claim that this book is terrible. Get out! I'm enjoying this novel so far but I'm not going to get into too much detail because ahh, I need to finish my reading. Like, a lot of my reading. I do appreciate the various helpful presentations and papers we've been given to help us along this long reading journey. If  I had more time and didn't work like a slave I would read them again. I will, of course...

Oh dear, writing an open prompt response

2004-Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes’ observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

       In Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the struggle to identify oneself becomes a prominent issue for both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The question of this play seems to be "Who am I?" An identity confusion that alerts readers to the thought that life based on performing for others, strips them of  their potential to become the  individual that  they were meant to be. 

       

     From the start of this play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern confuse themselves, providing evidence of their consideration of the question "Who am I" Others in the play mix the two of them up because they are in reality forgettable characters. They can be considered as one character because they present themselves in a meaningless fashion, full of repetitive  questioning and memory loss. They're concerns are unimportant as other known characters in this play feel the right to order Rosencrantz and Guildenstern around. 

       The Player exists as the one character in Stoppard's play who has the ending figured out. He acknowledges his profession as one based on performance and the entertaining of others. He is an actor who is only defined as such when an audience is around to be influenced by his dialogue and physical actions. The Player helps to point out the differences in his character compared to that of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The Player knows he is written in a story, to perform. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are clueless and struggle with finding their own direction. They are incapable of what one would deem an easy feat. They must practice remembering  their names because they have no identity. They are merely tools that perform at the bid of the master who has control of them. They were summoned to Elsinore and they came not really knowing why they followed their summons, but agreeing all the same. 

     Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead pushes the question of identity into the  main characters of his play and his audience of readers. The question "Who am I" warns that pleasing others takes one's identity away from them because they function as an object of use for another person. An unidentifiable person is incapable of independence and must rely on the commands of others, tending to be unaware of their predicament. 

*Ahh, why do I do this to myself. I'm tired of trying and then seeing failure. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Sir Tom Stoppard(1937)-Czech playwright, and former journalist who is well known for his play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which is a text full of ambiguity, absurdest elements, and bits of existentialism.

Interesting Bits/Techniques:
Setting-Lack of a defined setting in the beginning. Depending on opinion the characters might be in a caravan the entire time. But the characters exist in the Elizabethan age(Hamlet time) and travel through the forest, to Elsinore, and near the end of the text everyone is on a boat.
Imagery-More developed when describing the ship, otherwise literary technique is used sporadically.
Diction-Formal, Colloquial, Informal. Stoppard plays around with diction depending on the character and the moment.
Tone-At times meaningless, helpless, anguished, humorous...yeah.

Symbols:
Coins-randomness/against probability, issue of balance
Boat-life, are your steering or sitting in the corner sunbathing?
Forest-Evil, mystical
England-Afterlife...form of heaven

Characters:
Rosencrantz-Childhood friend of Hamlet who is summoned along with Guildenstern by the King and Queen to determine the cause of Hamlet's madness. He considers himself a gentlemen and is recognized as a peaceful, and friendly individual who seems to be unaware of his existence and the power of fate. Remains confused about his role in this play, but  realizes in the end that he is a character.
Guildenstern-Childhood friend of Hamlet who is easily angered. He struggles to find the right words to support his theories. At times clueless, but he desires an answer for the questions he can't answer and is frightened by the idea of death.
Rosenstern-Identity confusion between main characters.Sexual oneness.
Player-Master actor who sets the action of the play and seems to be the only one who realize that he's stuck in a play.Able to predict the play's ending.
Everyone else who made an experience-Not as important. Sorry. Refer to Hamlet character list.


Plot:
    Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sit tossing a coin in an undeveloped setting. While tossing coins Guildenstern considers probability and becomes frustrated at the predictable results. He attempts to reason with himself, but further confuses the situation. The two characters are openly confused about their whereabouts but determine that they have been summoned by a messenger for some reason. After a period of time, Ros and Guil head into the forest after hearing music and  happen upon the tragedians. The Player has his actors line up and offers them(as prostitutes are offered and sold for performance) to the unsuspecting Ros and Guil. When the offer is rejected the tragedians begin to leave, but Rosencrantz wants to see a play, leading to the tossing of a coin between the Player and Guildenstern. The coin lands on tails and the Player fulfills his end of the bet with a play. Suddenly, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are whisked into Shakespeare's Hamlet where King Claudius and Queen Gertrude greet them and order them to spy on Hamlet. Lost within Elsinore's castle walls, Ros and Guil pass the time playing a game of questions. They try to collect themselves and figure out Hamlet and the strange circumstances that are present in the royal family.Eventually, the characters witness Hamlet and Polonius conversing and near the end of act one, they are greeted by Hamlet.
   After the conversation has ended, Ros and Guil attempt to make sense of the conversation and the issue/confusion on direction comes up. Meanwhile, Hamlet suggest a play for the actors to act out-The Murder of Gonzago. Once he's left the player addresses Ros and Guil and admits to being peeved that Ros and Guil left him and the other tragedians while they were back in the forest(lacking audience-pointless, no need for a performance). A little bit later the play is performed in front of the King, followed by the death of Polonius-Hamlet's fault, and King Claudius informing Ros and Guil that  he's sending Hamlet to England and that they're to accompany him
    In the final act, Ros and Guil find themselves in bathed in darkness. They're on a boat. And as usual, the two are confused and directionless. They find Hamlet sleeping on the boat and bravely open the seal of the letter Claudius sent with them and read about Hamlet's fate once the boat reaches England. The two argue about betraying their friend, but they realize they have no power and can't save their friend. The Player and his tragedians are also found on the boat. While Ros and Guil sleeps, Hamlet switches the letters and writes of Ros and Guil's death in England and then...the boat is attacked by pirates. Hamlet escapes. Ros and Guil read the letter again and death is about to hit them. Guil is afraid and upset after the Player pretends to die. Guil believes there's more to death than a fake performance and worries about disappearing. Ros is emotional. Then they are gone as they accept they'll know better next time. The play ends similarly to Shakespeare's Hamlet with Horatio's speech. Fini.
 
Quotes:
Player: "For some of us it is performance, for others, patronage. They are two sides of the same coin, or let us say, being as there are so many of us, the same side of two coins.”(23)  Life is a performance. We're all the same in that we exist to impress others and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern exist to perform. Perform. Perform.

Guil: "All your life you live so close to truth, it becomes a permanent blur in the corner of your eye, and when something nudges it into outline it is like being ambushed by a grotesque."(39)
    The truth is not always reliable. We attempt to reach for it and make our own meanings, but we're clueless. The unknown truth shocks us the most and we eventually learn that the world is bigger than we'll ever be.

Theme:
      Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead  raises the question that  if life  is a performance then  an existence based solely on  pleasing others to obtain personal fulfillment limit's that person's  ability/opportunity  to take control of his/her own fate.
     In this play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are content to let the helm of their boat be steered by someone  else. As unknowing characters, they question themselves and are unable to escape the fate that has already been written for them. Their futile attempts to figure out their lives  and to find direction through others(the Player) appear repetitively throughout  this text. They are hopeless because as they struggle to figure their roles, they are hindered by their inability to form decisive theories and decisions. They are ordered to Elsinore. Ordered to spy on Hamlet. Ordered to take Hamlet to England. They can't decide for themselves and life becomes a continual performance that also exists within the audience. Stoppard addresses the predetermined fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern  in his title and weaves in enough intellect to allow reader's to consider their own choices and actions. Who do we perform for? We are not limited to a script. We can form our own paths and bring happiness in own on ways so that we too aren't living an absurd and cyclical life.

The Latest on Course Material

      Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Yes, it's true for those of you who slept through the reading of this book and nodded off during the viewing of the humorous  movie, they are both dead. No surprise for those individuals who read Shakespeare's Hamlet, but hey, we're not all fortunate. When we first began this book, I thought, no problem. Easy peasy, right? No. This play feels meaningless at times-theater of the absurd- yet I don't want to pick the first thought that comes to my mind. There's meaning in this play. We're all on a boat, either steering it or sitting in our own corners of the deck lost to the sway of the ocean. Some of us have free will. Some of us are controlled by others. Yippee.

      I found it interesting though, that Stoppard chose to invent the brief(more detailed) existence of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I can't say this piece is entirely original, but there's genius in what Stoppard has laid down for us.Odd sentence...He took a risk and from the chatter and analyses of  critics and AP classes, I'd say he made a great decision. However, I find this book infuriating. My mind has little minions working furiously to determine the big secret right at this moment. I want to know the meaning of this play. The grand kahuna  of meanings. I want to know it NOW!

      Recently, we read a less than interesting paper by Ian Johnston about  Ros and Guil. No lie, I could have done without reading this paper. It didn't help me one bit. Not even a little. Just like Precalculus is the dumpiest subject ever.  There's math involved, but I know how to count. I don't need to know DeMoivre's principle. Yes, this paper discusses how Rosencrantz and Guildenstern  have absurdest elements and how it shares some similarities to other works..wow. Okaaay, tell me something I don't know. At least attempt to be as elaborate as math class is . It's got the dull part down to memory though.Like a second skin. Sorry, math lovers.

     During this period, we also  learned more about the structure of the open prompt. The day in the library was...oh the horrors. Let's just say I'm a little rusty on the open prompt. I need help. Much more help than one stressed hour in the computer lab. How about, twenty-four seven practice with an expert  kind of help. Ehh, maybe not that extreme. But I'm sure the practice will do me good. When I was younger I used to hate reading because well, I couldn't read. There were tantrums and moments where the snot and the tears were mixing...gross. But the lesson is that I practiced( my mom made me) and now I'm an avid reader. So, open prompts, you know where to stick it!

A Second Chance with the Open Prompt 2

2003-Select a novel or in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon by others by that tragic figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.

    There's danger in that one character who brings about the deaths of others. Danger, but on a larger scale  there is meaning and truth  to support his/her victimizing of these characters and their bitter endings. In Shakespeare's tragedy of Hamlet, the instigator of  the suffering of others befalls on the head of the Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark . Throughout this complex play,  the moral corruption and self doubt plaguing Hamlet lead to his subversion of providence,  which then  allows for the diminished  relationships with those around him,  ultimately leading to everyone's death.

    From the beginning of Act One, the state of Denmark, as one realizes, is rotten and full of corruption. As a young man Hamlet is locked in a imaginary prison behind the dark walls of Elsinore, a small world  that other's would  consider their home.But in truth, Elsinore is closed off from the rest of the state leaving Hamlet,who is  stuck a midst  self-serving court figures to  fight back against the  judgement, suspicion, and disloyalty that desire to touch him. Matters are  worsened  further with the death of his father Old Hamlet, which is then followed by  his mother, the queen's haste marriage to his Uncle Claudius. In a state of mourning and betrayal, Hamlet sinks deeper within himself and allows his depression to allow him to consider suicide.  And then to stir the plot even more,  the spirit of his father Old Hamlet beckons him and provides him with the astounding truth that his father had  been murdered by the deceiving hands of the present king, King Claudius. Filled with the desire to avenge his father, Hamlet starts to close himself off from others, but he wars with himself and doubts the truth of the Ghost and questions his power in comparison to that of God's.
 
  Although Hamlet fails to act against Claudius for a  considerable amount of the play, he does act against those around him. His one time  love Ophelia, he ends up snubbing, but one can reason that he pushes her away because of his distrusting nature. Those in Elsinore have eyes on everyone and Hamlet is distrusting of those around him, as he should be considering that Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern are bent on determining the matter that disturbs him. As Hamlet becomes more and more aware of his inability to act, he finally learns that Claudius is guilty of murder from the acting  out of The Death of Gonzago. But once again, his hesitation to kill Claudius results when he finds Claudius praying in  "guilty submission" to God. Hamlet recognizes Claudius' corruption, but he can't kill a figure bent in prayer and he is uncertain of God's hand in Claudius's death. Later he accidentally kills Polonius, who was in an unlucky position. This death  results in the madness of Ophelia, who ends up drowning herself from her sorrow over her father's death and then from Hamlet's unfaithfulness to her. From there the number of death's rise as Hamlet snatches God's power to purposefully eliminate  Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Claudius. Unfortunately, Gertrude is caught by the  poisoned goblet in her effort to save Hamlet, and  Laertes receives a poisoned slice of the blade, even though he's fighting with a genuine desire to avenge his father's death .

    Hamlet's struggle with self doubt and moral corruption lead to his stealing of God's power to wreck havoc on the royal live's of Denmark in this tragic play. Hamlet, stuck in a rotten state deals  with the uncertainty of the loyalties of others and his own, creating a number of pressures that work little by little to break his character. And in order to protect himself, he pushes his loved ones away, and focuses his rage and betrayal on the need to avenge his father. Because of his issue to remain in God's sovereignty, Hamlet takes matters into his own hands and brings unwanted death's into the plot. Shakespeare's Hamlet argues that outside forces and the hesitations of one's thoughts can upset higher powers and result in the tragedies of others from one character's inability to play by the rules.

*Oh...I don't even know. I kind of want to puke from the horror of this essay. I've run out of time...over time.

Hamlet

      William Shakespeare: Famous English  playwright, actor, and poet responsible for numerous plays, sonnets, and poems. His most  recognized plays perhaps are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Macbeth. Shakespeare's works are translated in hundreds of languages and to this day are embraced and interpreted by a number of cultures.

Characters:

Hamlet: The play's protagonist and also the Prince of Denmark. Hamlet is about 30 years old and is the son of Old Hamlet(dead) and Queen Gertrude. He struggles with  depression, and has a bitter attitude toward life. His hatred for  King Claudius stems from the mystery of his father's death-later discovered to be a murder by the King's hand-and the betraying marriage of  his mother Gertrude to Claudius. Throughout the play young Hamlet displays moments of thoughtfulness, but these  moments are quickly followed by varying emotions where Hamlet wars with himself and the  powers around him that succeed to initiate his impulsive and indecisive sides.

Claudius: A power hungry politician who murders his brother Old Hamlet in order to seat himself on the throne of Denmark and to at long last feed his desire to marry Old Hamlet's beautiful wife Gertrude. As the play's antagonist, Claudius works as the puppet handler in the play to see his demands completed. Although a strong king, Claudius expertly hides his true from those close to him but in the end, his plotting and scheming get the better of him.

Gertrude: The Queen of Denmark, who blindly seeks love and affection from Claudius and is unaware of his true nature. In fact one might say that her weak nature prevents her from being overly concerned with the truth. But in a more positive light , Gertrude truly loves her son and in the end when all the ugly truth has been bared, she chooses her Hamlet.

Polonius: The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. He is conniving and has complete authority over his children, which does not stop him from being an opinionated old man who must know everything. 

Horatio: Hamlet's closest friend and confident. Horatio is loyal and is the one survivor her remains after the bloody battle to retell Hamlet's story.

Ophelia: Hamlet's scorned lover. She is a young beauty thought to be innocent,but her obedience to her father and brother lead her to spying on Hamlet, which then leads to his rejection of her love and the love he claims he never felt for her. Her innocence is shattered and further disintegrates after the death of her father, which then leads to her own death by drowning.

Laertes: Hamlet's foil and the son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia. Laertes spends most of his time in France but rushes home in a mad fit after hearing about the death of his father. Laertes teams up with Claudius and together they plot to rid Denmark of Hamlet.

Fortinbras: Possibly another foil for Hamlet. Fortinbras is the Prince of Norway and wishes to avenge his father's honor(killed by Old Hamlet) and to claim the lands of Denmark from young Hamlet.

The Ghost: Claims to be the spirit of Hamlet's dead father. He confesses with great sadness that the murderer is Claudius and urges Hamlet to man up and avenge his death. But is the spirit heaven or hell bound? This is a question that Hamlet struggles to answer as he does not A.Want to be deceived by the devil and B. Leave a murderer roaming free.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Hamlet's "friends" from Wittenberg, who are summoned by King Claudius and Queen Gertrude to spy on Hamlet and learn the reasons for his odd behaviors.

Setting: Denmark but more closely within the castle of Elsinore around the 13th century.

Key Events/Plot Summary(from the collaborative review plus motifs)

• Act 1
• Scene 1
• Horatio is told that the Ghost of the old king of Denmark, Hamlet, has been seen
• Horatio sees the Ghost and attempts to talk to it, but it does not answer Horatio.
• King Hamlet led a conquest against old Fortinbras

• Scene 2
• Claudius is introduced and makes a speech about his marriage and how young Fortinbras demands the lands taken by King Hamlet. Claudius sends ambassadors to stop an attack.
• Laertes is given leave to go to France, with permission of Polonius.
• Hamlet is introduced and is mourning his father, Claudius and Gertrude tell him to get over his father’s death.
• Hamlet is not given permission to leave and go back to Wittenberg.
• Hamlet is forced to stay in Denmark. He is upset about his mother’s marriage to his uncle. (Took place “within a month”)
• Horatio and friends tell Hamlet about the Ghost and he agrees to join them.
• Scene 3/4/5
• Laertes (leaving for France) warns Ophelia not to fall for Hamlet and not to trust him.
• Polonius says the same thing and orders her not to see Hamlet.
• Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus are visited by the Ghost.
• The Ghost wants to only speak to Hamlet.
• The Ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius. The Ghost tells Hamlet to avenge his murder.
• Hamlet makes his friends swear to secrecy.
• Act 2
• Scene 1
• Polonius does not trust Laertes in France and sends someone there.
• Ophelia was visited by Hamlet, who seemed crazy.
• Polonius thinks that Hamlet is crazy because Ophelia will not see him.
• Scene 2
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent to spy on Hamlet by Gertrude and Claudius.
• Polonius tells Claudius that Hamlet is crazy with love for Ophelia. They go to spy on Hamlet.
• Hamlet knows that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are spying for Claudius.
• Hamlet decides to prove his uncle’s guilt by staging a play, The Murder of Gonzago.
• Act 3
• Scene 1-To Be or Not To Be
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern cannot find why Hamlet is mad.
• Polonius makes Ophelia to find out about Hamlet’s madness and goes to spy with Claudius.
• Hamlet sees Ophelia and is nice, but then he changes his attitude.
• Hamlet says he never loved her.
• After Hamlet leaves Claudius does not think that love is the cause of his madness. He decides to send Hamlet to England.
• Polonius says not to and wait until Gertrude talks to him.
• Scene 2
• The play occurs. Hamlet and Horatio watch for a reaction from Claudius.
• The Player King is killed by having poison poured in his ear.
• Claudius gets upset and leaves.
• Hamlet is asked to go see Gertrude.
• Scene 3
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are ordered to take Hamlet to England.
• Polonius plans to spy on Hamlet and Gertrude.
• Claudius starts to pray and Hamlet wants to kill him there, but cannot because then Claudius would go to Heaven.
• Scene 4
• Polonius hides behind a tapestry in Gertrude’s room.
• Hamlet enters and scares Gertrude, who calls for help. Polonius then calls for help.
• Hamlet, thinking that Polonius is Claudius, stabs the tapestry.
• Hamlet is then upset at Gertrude for marrying Claudius, when the Ghost appears and he is the only one to see. Gertrude thinks he is mad.
• The Ghost reminds Hamlet to avenge King Hamlet’s death.
• Act 4
• Gertrude tells Claudius that Polonius is dead. Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find Hamlet, and the body.
• Hamlet does not say where he put the body.
• Claudius orders Hamlet to leave immediately for England. Claudius tells the audience he plans to have Hamlet killed in England.
• Hamlet sees Fortinbras and his army.

• Act 5
• Scene 1
• Two clowns (gravediggers) dig up poor Yorick’s bones to make room for Ophelia.
• Scene 2
• Hamlet has his “fall of the sparrow” speech.
• He then duels with Laertes, is mortally wounded, kills Claudius, then relinquishes his control to Fortinbras

Other Important Areas

The play functions through the dialogue of the characters through prose. Point of View is told more through the emotions the play's protagonist- Hamlet, that is when Hamlet is riled up over some issue or when he is dealing with a fit of despair. Hamlet has two different sides, his sane and mad sides. Whenever he is around Horatio, Hamlet is quite honest and comfortable allowing his diction to lose some of it's pomposity and become more fluid/ easily comprehensible(colloquial) for readers. When Hamlet is graced with the company of other members of the court, his word choice flows in a maddeningly formal way and this is further helped with syntax techniques such as sentence length, parallelism, and punctuation, which all help him prove his madness as his talk often contains meaninglessness or insults. Informal diction is also added in the play with the grave diggers to add a bit of comedy to a tragic situation. The tone of the play shifts depending on the emotions of Hamlet. It is at times disparaging, hopeful, incensed, friendly, tearful, pained, and humorous(low-comedy with the grave diggers). Imagery throughout this text is abundant, more so when the passing of a character needs to be described(Old Hamlet-play and Ophelia). But, most of the lines in Hamlet are descriptive and pleasing to the imagination.

Symbols:

Yorick's skull-Hamlet's realization that in death we are the same. No status.No rich existence in death. 

Our skin decomposes and earthly positions no longer matter. With the skull Hamlet is able to lose his  

ignorance and see death in it's reality.

Flowers-Distribution of flowers to different characters by Ophelia and they symbolize her sadness.  
rosemary-remembrance, pansies-thoughts,fennel-flattery,columbine-unfaithfulness, daisy-  
innocence,violets-faithfulness.

Poison-The state of corruption in Denmark brought on by Claudius allowing for the secluded, self-  
focused, and suspicious world of Elsinore.

The Ghost-Either heaven or hell sent symbolizes revenge

Memorable Quotes:

" Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."(1.4 67)
 
Speaks of the corrupted state of Denmark as a whole. This self-serving and sick state influences the actions of Hamlet and identifies how unhealthy circumstances around us can influence our ways of thinking to the point where the corrupted pieces start to be identified.

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. (3.1 64-69)

Addresses Hamlet's contemplation of suicide in a painful world. As humans we experience different levels of grief and react individually of each other, but as a whole we abide by moral codes and the rightness of suicide stumps us even when we too are in the same depressive boat. To be brave, living yet suffering for a period or to be free, dead, and considered weak. The truth is hard to come by.

Motifs(from the collaborative review):

• Ambiguity
• Insularity

• Incest
• Identity
• Providence
• Revenge
• Control
• Religion
• Duality (Natural vs. Unnatural, identity vs. public appearance, father & son, light vs. day, pure vs. impure)
• Death
• Surveillance
• Misogyny
• Ears & hearing
• Synecdoche
• Fortune/luck
• Lack of trust
• Mystery of death- afterlife
• Nation as a poisoned body
• Putting on persons- inner vs. outer self
• Lies
• Groups of 3
• Madness

Theme:

 Shakespeare’s Hamlet cautions that self doubt paired with moral corruption can lead to the subversion of providence.

With the help of setting, plot, characters, and symbolism:

 

The area in which the play is targeted is Denmark.Denmark, defiled Denmark. Strange occurrences of the spiritual world and plenty of suspicion in this region lead to Hamlet's self doubt and eventual determination that he is the all powerful slayer. The individuals around him, more specifically King Claudius and the Ghost , play a big hand in planting the seeds of rage and self-doubt.For instance, King Claudius with his use of poison. The poison of his mouth and of his actions against Old Hamlet that lead to a dishonest court. And the Ghost as the symbol of revenge with his accusations against Claudius that call on Hamlet to murder. Because of these issues, Hamlet must battle internally to discover the truth and the sign from God that gives him the okay to eliminate Claudius without overstepping himself. As the plot progresses, it is evident within the plot that Hamlet continues to struggle with self-doubt because although he speaks of action, he fails in his hesitation to fulfill the Ghost's request. Once the first kill is accomplished though, Hamlet's act of madness has him sent away and then all too soon Hamlet has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed(their betrayal points back to Claudius), which was far from the original plan to kill one man. And in conclusion, Hamlet has subverted providence for a brief period of time.