The New and Improved...?

So far, the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe has been a really interesting read,  shedding light on the single story of the African community. The people of Umofia live a very traditional life, following in the footsteps of their ancestors before them. When the missionaries come in and try to lure the Africans in to a whole new way of life, they are nothing but stunned and surprised by what has just come upon them  

Think about it. You and your family are living the cookie cutter lifestyle that all of your ancestors have followed for years and years before you. Now here comes some guy that doesn't even have the same skin color as you and he tells you that everything that you have ever believed in is false. All of your religious practices are false and mean absolutely nothing. How would you react? I know I would tell this missionary guy that he is nuts! Who does this guy think he is, barging in to my community and bashing every tradition and god that I have ever grown up believing in! 

It surprises me how relaxed the people of  Mbanta are when the Christians  arrive. For the most part, they seem very nonchalant about the whole thing and don't do that much to  stop it. Yah they give them the Evil Forest to build their church on, but you would think that they would do more. The people of Umofia are generally a more violent group so it shocks me that they didn't attack the Christians right off the bat.  I guess we will just have to see if the Mbanta people come back around to push the Christians out! 

Happy reading!!

Change Happens In the Blink of an Eye

Ric Elias is a man whose entire life flashed before his eyes as he plummeted towards the Hudson River in an airplane whose engines were shutoff. On his way down, Elias learned and thought about three things:

1. It all changes in an instant so don't postpone anything.

2. Don't let your ego get in the way, don't waste time on things that don't matter with people that do matter, and be happy not right.

3. Be a good dad.

This TED talk stood out to me because it really shows how in a matter of seconds you could be looking at your life thinking about all the things you could have done differently. Elias is put in a life threatening situation that ultimately results in him leading a better life after this experience. Elias now lives his life with out any hesitation, regrets, and as a benefit to the people around him.

I believe it is hard to feel what Elias felt on his way down in this plane without actually having been in a situation like that. That's why I loved this video so much because it really helps you realize how short life could potentially be. There is no time to procrastinate in doing what you love because who knows, you could be gone tomorrow!

One idea that stood out to me is when Elias said "Don't waste time on things that don't matter with people that do matter". Don't dwindle on the small things in life that don't mean anything with those who make an impact in your life. I feel this quote is very inspiring because it could be looked at as a way of life. As long as you look beyond the small issues of what's right in front of you and enjoy the big picture with the ones you love,  your life will be nothing but successful and happy.

Hamlet Gets Down in the Country!

What if Shakespeare's "Hamlet" took place in the countryside...

Hamlet is a young cowboy that works in the fields, feeding the cows and planting seeds. Gertrude is a stay at home mom that used to cook savory country food for her and her beloved husband Hamlet. Old Hamlet, owner of the most pristine cattle ranch in all of the country, was a loving father and husband until he was murdered by his brother. Claudius, brother and murder or Old Hamlet, lives on a farm down the ways growing and doing who knows what. He has supposedly murdered his brother by pouring toxic field fertilizer in Old Hamlets mouth while he was dozed off on a rocking chair on his porch. Then there is Polonius and his children Laertes and Ophelia. Polonius was Old Hamlets right hand man. He did whatever, whenever for Old Hamlet. Ophelia is a beautiful southern bell that Hamlets been crushing on ever since they were little kids. Polonius and his kids live in a house on the property of Old Hamlets magnificent ranch. Some of Hamlets good friends that he likes to mess around with are ol' Marcellus and Horatio. 

If "Hamlet" would have been set in the southern country side, a whole lot of southern sass and attitude would have been flying. Claudius would be some hunky cowboy that swept Gertrude off his feet and fooled everyone with his southern class and witty remarks. Hamlet would young but strong. He would escape from having to be with his mother and Claudius by riding horses and spending time in the fields with his best friends Horatio and Marcellus. He would also love to meet up with his crush Ophelia at the local saloon. This saloon is where Hamlet would reenact the murder of his father. All hell would be let loose between Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet when the details about Old Hamlets death are revealed. 

(Act 1 Scene 2) 

Everyone in the small town or Elsinore, Georgia has come to hear the new cattle king speak. A small podium is set in front of about 3 dozen chairs. All these chairs are filled and there are some people that are standing in the back. Gertrude is standing next to the podium wearing a large hat and somewhat revealing dress. She doesn't look like the wife of a man who just got murdered. Claudius walks up to the podium with a cowboy hat that covers his eyes and casts a shadow over his face. He rambles about how he is going to raise these cattle and provide the best quality meat for everyone in town, even better than Old Hamlet. After his long speech, Claudius comes across Hamlet who looks everything but excited about the situation. Claudius makes some caustic remarks that fires up Hamlet and puts him at his edge. Hamlet runs off with his horse and wishes that he could just run away forever and disappear. 

"To Be or Not To Be..."

     Hamlets "To be or not to be.." soliloquy is one of the most famous and iconic parts of Shakespeare's play. In this soliloquy, Hamlet revisits the idea of suicide and its consequences. He weighs its pros and cons and discusses whether it is better to live through the suffering or die, leaving all suffering in the mortal world behind.

     Both of these videos capture Hamlet's thoughts in different ways. In the first video, it seems that all of these ideas are just casually floating through Hamlets head. He is walking around in a video store yet in the back of his mind, he is thinking about suffering and the consequences of suicide. In this interpretation, I think that Hamlets soliloquy is not as dark as Shakespeare intended it to be. Some aspects that I think make this true is the fact that Hamlet is just casually walking around in a video store. Another aspect would be that Hamlet is not speaking aloud. I think this detail makes a very large impact in the second video.

     In the second video, Hamlet's soliloquy is dark and twisted. He closes his eyes imagining what it would be like had he committed suicide. The whole scene is a lot more serious and cold. The tone in his voice represents struggle and hardship. Also, the way the scene is set up makes for a lot more serious feeling. Hamlet looks to be in a dark basement of some sorts all alone. I feel like this video is a better interpretation of how Shakespeare intended this scene to be. I do not think Hamlets thoughts were meant to be "background thoughts" but were intended to be his main focus and all he could think about.

Fix 'em up!

Original Introduction Paragraph: 

 In the poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy, Piercy uses symbols such as miniature ovens, crying babies, red lipstick, and the image of a big nose and fat legs to demonstrate how the belittling of an average girl can lead to serious unfortunate events. The fact that the girlchild grows up playing with miniature GE stoves and whining babies symbolizes how from the beginning, the girlchild is categorized into a strict, motherly class. The red lipstick plays with the idea of how the girl is trying to fit into the cookie cutter "Barbie Doll" image that she is expected to portray. The image of a big nose and fat legs is also important in helping Piercy demonstrate the environment that the girlchild grows up in, always striving to be something other than herself. In the end, all of the bullying causes the girlchild to take matters into her own hands. She ends up cutting off her legs and nose, obviously resulting in her death. It is evident that symbols are used in the poem "Barbie Doll" to help illustrate the image that young girls feel they need to fulfill in order to be socially accepted.    

Revised Introduction: 

  In the poem "Barbie Doll", Piercy uses symbols such as miniature ovens, crying babies, red lipstick, and the image of a big nose and fat legs to demonstrate how the belittling of an average girl can lead to serious unfortunate events. The fact that the girlchild grows up playing with miniature GE stoves and baby dolls symbolizes how from the beginning, the girlchild is forced to follow expectations of what a woman should be. The red lipstick plays with the idea of how the girl is trying to fit into the cookie cutter "Barbie Doll" image that she is expected to portray. The image of a big nose and fat legs is also important in helping Piercy demonstrate the environment where the girlchild grows up striving to be something other than herself. In the end, all of the criticism that the girlchild endures causes her to take matters into her own hands and cut off her nose and legs. Symbols are used in "Barbie Doll" to help illustrate the image that young girls feel they need to fulfill in order to be socially accepted. 

Kenneth Branagh Act 1 Scene 5: The book is ALWAYS better than the movie

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The portrayal of Act 1 Scene 5 is not at all what I expected of the scene. I envisioned Hamlet as being startled and scared but at the same time overwhelmed with feelings. I mean imagine if you had lost your father with out any warning like say a chronic disease would have had. Now all of the sudden the ghost of your father just shows up and starts talking to you. I mean would you really just stand there staring at him with your eyes glazed over? No! You would probably start crying or asking a bunch of questions.  I know I would. For Hamlet, not only is it a chance to say goodbye, but King Hamlet is giving him insight into his fathers murder! He is telling him how to proceed. All Hamlet does in this scene is stand there with absolutely know emotion. Did he not just find out that his uncle just killed his father and is now in bed with his mother!? I don't know about you, but if I was Hamlet, I would pay close attention to what my father was telling me to do and obey his wishes word by word.

As for the interpretation of the scene by Kenneth Branagh, I completely agree with all of his views. Hamlet in this scene looks almost fake. He makes a good point that as an actor it is hard to portray a character going through this type of revelation without having gone through it yourself. That being said, Hamlet still does not look convincible what so ever. Kenneth also mentions how he feels Hamlet should have acted in response to seeing the ghost of his father. He says that he wishes the ghost would have frightened Hamlet more. I mean it is a ghost right? At least for me they are pretty scary. Lastly, I agree with what Kenneth has to say about the way Hamlet reacts to the news that his uncle murdered his father. Branagh describes how he knows Hamlet is moved and upset by the news but does not show it emotionally. I feel Kenneth Branagh makes a lot of strong points that would have further improved the movie in depicting Shakespeare's original feelings about Hamlet.

Oh Gertrude...

Oh Gertrude...

Gertrude is the beautiful Queen of Denmark and has recently recieved the title of widow, being that her husband has just passed away. Her husband, the King of Denmark was a powerful, all knowing man that possessed a strong hold amongst his kingdom. Hamlet, their son, raves about how much they loved each other and what a good marriage they had. Well then why has Gertrude moved on so fast!?

As a queen, Gertrude is coming off as weak with no back bone. It has been a mere two months since her husbands death and she has let King Claudius take over Denmark in his place. He announces for her "Have we.../...With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage/In equal scale weighing delight and dole/ Taken to wife" (1.2. 10-14) Here the King announce the marriage for the both of them. For all we know, the queen could be off in the corner regretting her decision to ever agree in marriage to her brother in law. She appears to have no say in what is going on and just following the footsteps of her new husband to be, King Claudius. If I were a citizen in Denmark, I would have felt awful for the queen being that her husband had just passed but still would have wanted to see the queen regain her confidence and authority and take control of her kingdom.

So now Gertrude is a widow. What an awful title to have! Being married to someone so amazing and powerful and then suddenly having that all taken away. In my opinion, she is acting kind of selfless. The only sign that appears to be the queen caring about her son is when she says "Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet./I pray thee, stay with us. Go not to Wittenberg" (1.2 122-123) Instead of taking the time to mourn and then rise back to power again, representing her husband, she falls to an ultimate low and lets her brother in law take control.

I know this is kind of harsh, but I think Gertrude isn't being a very good mom. Does she not realize that the father of her son has just died? That is extremely hard for a boy, being that their father is who they look up to, a strong male figure. Hamlet says "And yet, within a month/ (Let me not think on't; frailty, thy name is woman!)/ A little month, or ere those shoes were old/ With which she followed my poor father's body" (1.2 149-152) From the text, you can see that Gertrude is being very inconsiderate. She is not being a good, loving mother by comforting her son in this hard time and telling him that everything is going to be okay. Instead, she goes off and marries her brother in law! I mean thats pretty messed up. It makes me think that they might have had an affair before her husband had died... Thats something to think about. I guess we will find out soon!