Monday, April 14, 2014
Monday, March 31, 2014
Food Memoir: The Monkey Bread Mantra
Haley Hopkins
Ms. Nichole Wilson
AP Literature and Composition
1 April 2014
The Monkey Bread
Mantra
I hate breakfast.
My distaste for the
first meal of the day may seem strange, given my immense love of food. Perhaps
it is because even when I am not forced out of bed at ungodly hours, I cannot
bring myself to enjoy a traditional American breakfast. I am not a fan of bacon
(gasp!), orange juice makes me nauseous, and if I had to choose between having
my eggs scrambled or sunny-side-up, I would choose neither. Nine months out of
the year, though, I do not even have those options. Too often, I find myself
stumbling out the door – five minutes late – grabbing the first available
edible item on my counter.
Mornings equate to
rushing in my household. I know I am not just speaking for myself here. It is
not uncommon knowledge that Americans struggle to come together for a meal. “The
fact that American families eat together as a family much less often than those
in Europe is reflected in the difference in family solidarity in the two
cultures”(Claxton). It seems that Europeans have figured it out: bonding over a
meal leads to a more structurally sound family. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep
combined with the pressure to be punctual has left many Americans shouting
their goodbyes through a closing door, unwrapping granola bars in the silence
of their isolation, wishing for more time. I hate breakfast because I rarely
have time to enjoy it, especially with my family. After all, “eating is,
preferably, a social activity”(Cornejo Happel), but in today’s culture, our
preferences do not seem to matter in the early hours of the morning.
Maybe it is the rarity
of it all that makes the monkey bread even sweeter.
In all honesty, I would
be lying if I said my mother was handed down the monkey bread recipe, or if my
grandmother taught her how to make it. The truth, according to her, is that once
upon a time, she was looking for something sweet to eat in the morning that
could maybe, possibly force my family to sit down together and enjoy. She
browsed the internet until she found the classic monkey bread recipe. I still
remember the first morning she made it. I was not very young; at thirteen, I
was already used to dashing out the door. But on this particular morning, the
smell of vanilla wafted throughout the kitchen as my mother pulled the bundt
pan out of the oven, telling me that if I wanted to try this new recipe, I
would have to sit down with her and eat it. And so, I did; for five blissful
minutes, I allowed the savory combination of cinnamon, sugar, butter, vanilla,
and bread melt in my mouth. It was not exactly a conversation, but it was definitely
the beginning of something far more important than I had realized at the time.
My mother eventually
taught me how to make monkey bread, but she is still the one who makes it for
the family. She prepares it on random days. This is done purposefully. It is a
reminder. It forces us to ask ourselves: “Why don’t we value time as we do any
other good or service?” (Maidment). The concept of time can be tricky, but what
is commonly recognized across cultures is that time – and time spent with
family, at that – is both fleeting and valuable.
When the monkey bread
finds itself sitting on my kitchen table, my family ends up having the time we
so often find ourselves desperately craving. We use it to talk about the
upcoming day, plans for the week, or maybe even the dreams we had the night
before. It’s a short conversation – usually about ten minutes – but it is
wonderful. Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, but we
typically do not treat it as such. “You see, we often get so caught up in our
busy lives that we tend to forget just how important it is to truly live in and
experience each and every moment in its simplicity” (Peterson). Ten minutes of
simplicity, spent bonding with my family over a single dish, is all I need to
be reminded of the value of family and time. Both are priceless.
I still hate breakfast.
But I love what happens sometime around sunrise every once in a while, when the
air is sweeter and everyone is smiling, stomachs full of something that is not
quite nutritious, but fully satisfying. I love how everything slows down. When
my family sits down to share monkey bread, we are not having breakfast. We are
not rushing, scowling at the clocks we pass as we scan the pantry for the
quickest to-go option. We are valuing time; and, more importantly, the time we
are able to spend with each other.
I used to wish monkey
bread was on the kitchen table more often. But then I realized it would lose
its value. Monkey bread is not, by any means, the “glue” that holds my family together.
It is simply a reminder of the things that we tend to take for granted.
However, I am a firm believer in its mantra: family is great, time is precious,
and monkey bread is delicious.
Works Cited:
Claxton, Mervyn. N.p.. Web. 17 Mar 2014.
<http://www.normangirvan.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/culturefood-and-identity-6.pdf>.
Cornejo Happel, Claudia A.. "You
Are What You Eat." . The Ohio State University, n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2014.
<http://www.normangirvan.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/culturefood-and-identity-6.pdf>.
Maidment, Paul. "The Price Of
Time." Forbes. 29 02 2008: n. page. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/28/economics-time-price-oped-time08-cx_pm_0229maidment.html>.
Peterson, Jerrica. N.p., n. d. 17 Mar
2014. <http://thoughtcatalog.com/jerrica-peterson/2013/12/enjoy-every-moment-its-time-to-stop-taking-things-for-granted/>.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Blog Post #19 - "The Rainbow"
Part I - Original Essay:
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow," comparison/contrast combined with purposeful repetition showcases a woman's desire for something she believes is beyond the farm: knowledge.
Life on the farm is less than adequate for Mrs. Brangwen; she is through with it being "enough for the men that the earth heaved...that they helped the cow in labour..." (1-5). Nature and work on the farm are not enough for her. She yearns for "another form of life...the magic land" (21), where others have been "discovering what was beyond" (26). The men on the farm are representative of a life without true knowledge, which she believes lies in the city. However, there is someone who embodies perfection in her mind: the vicar. In contrast to her own husband, the vicar speaks "the other, magic language" and has "the other, finer bearing..." (41-42). Her husband, "in his large geniality, seemed dull and local" (51).The vicar has "power over her husband" (53-54) because he possesses knowledge beyond her own comprehension. In her mind, knowledge equates to power.
Mrs. Brangwen "craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being..."(56-57). The repetition of the word "craved" highlights her desperation for knowledge. She craved knowledge in the same way those on the farm would crave food. Even more important, however, is the repetition of the word "know." Used in many forms, it is repeated multiple times throughout the second half of the passage - it is even the final word. Mrs. Brangwen cannot seem to identify her own quest, as she asks rhetorical questions such as "...what was it?" towards the end of the passage. However, through Lawrence's purposeful repetition, her desperation for knowledge is made clear.
The quest for knowledge haunts Mrs. Brangwen, who cannot identify her own struggle, but yearns for what is not tangible. By comparing and contrasting not only life on the farm and life on the city, but Mr. Brangwen with the vicar, Lawrence shows the torn world this woman is living in; and through repetition, he is able to convey the woman's feelings of desperation for what lies both beyond and in the farm, but not in herself: knowledge.
Part II :
I gave myself a 6 on this essay. I felt that I had an adequately developed analysis, and made use of appropriate specifics of the text. I felt that my ideas were expressed with clarity, but weren’t completely and fully developed. This is what kept me out of the 7-9 range. The only element of a “6” essay I felt I surpassed was syntax and diction. I do not believe I had any errors when it came to these – but, I probably could have elevated my language. Given that I haven’t written an essay since November, though, I felt I did a decent job, and am perfectly okay with having a “6” essay as my starting point.
After researching D.H. Lawrence, I began to understand other complexities of his piece. The biggest one was probably “blood knowledge.” I noticed the word “blood” being repeated at the beginning of the passage, but could not connect it with the woman’s desire for knowledge (especially with the vicar). Had I understood it earlier, I definitely would have incorporated it into my essay. I also noted that Lawrence “believe industrial western culture was dehumanizing because it emphasized intellectual attributes to the exclusion of natural of physical instinct,” which partially confirmed my thoughts, but also elevated my understanding of the passage. I would have discussed this in my essay, too, had I previously known about it.
After reading from 5 Steps to a 5, participating in class discussions, and norming the essays, I became aware of a few things that I wished I could’ve included in my essay. The repetition of other words besides the ones discussed in my essay (ex: blood, looking) could have been helpful in my own piece, but I hadn’t been able to make strong enough connections to use them. I felt that the 8/9 essays in the packet from class were able to really “tie things together,” which I tend to do in my head, but not on paper. I would definitely find a way to do that if I had the opportunity to go back.
Simple reflection also gave me ideas of ways I could improve my essay. I could have incorporated one more literary technique into my thesis/essay. Perhaps I could have further discussed the use of rhetorical questions and/or the tone of the passage. I also feel that I could have used more elevated language and focused on things such as juxtaposition more. My introductory paragraph was short, but it was also to the point, so I'm unsure as to whether or not it was satisfactory. In the end, though, focusing on more complex literary techniques and parts of the passage is what will really help bump my essay into the 7-9 range.
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow," comparison/contrast combined with purposeful repetition showcases a woman's desire for something she believes is beyond the farm: knowledge.
Life on the farm is less than adequate for Mrs. Brangwen; she is through with it being "enough for the men that the earth heaved...that they helped the cow in labour..." (1-5). Nature and work on the farm are not enough for her. She yearns for "another form of life...the magic land" (21), where others have been "discovering what was beyond" (26). The men on the farm are representative of a life without true knowledge, which she believes lies in the city. However, there is someone who embodies perfection in her mind: the vicar. In contrast to her own husband, the vicar speaks "the other, magic language" and has "the other, finer bearing..." (41-42). Her husband, "in his large geniality, seemed dull and local" (51).The vicar has "power over her husband" (53-54) because he possesses knowledge beyond her own comprehension. In her mind, knowledge equates to power.
Mrs. Brangwen "craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being..."(56-57). The repetition of the word "craved" highlights her desperation for knowledge. She craved knowledge in the same way those on the farm would crave food. Even more important, however, is the repetition of the word "know." Used in many forms, it is repeated multiple times throughout the second half of the passage - it is even the final word. Mrs. Brangwen cannot seem to identify her own quest, as she asks rhetorical questions such as "...what was it?" towards the end of the passage. However, through Lawrence's purposeful repetition, her desperation for knowledge is made clear.
The quest for knowledge haunts Mrs. Brangwen, who cannot identify her own struggle, but yearns for what is not tangible. By comparing and contrasting not only life on the farm and life on the city, but Mr. Brangwen with the vicar, Lawrence shows the torn world this woman is living in; and through repetition, he is able to convey the woman's feelings of desperation for what lies both beyond and in the farm, but not in herself: knowledge.
Part II :
I gave myself a 6 on this essay. I felt that I had an adequately developed analysis, and made use of appropriate specifics of the text. I felt that my ideas were expressed with clarity, but weren’t completely and fully developed. This is what kept me out of the 7-9 range. The only element of a “6” essay I felt I surpassed was syntax and diction. I do not believe I had any errors when it came to these – but, I probably could have elevated my language. Given that I haven’t written an essay since November, though, I felt I did a decent job, and am perfectly okay with having a “6” essay as my starting point.
After researching D.H. Lawrence, I began to understand other complexities of his piece. The biggest one was probably “blood knowledge.” I noticed the word “blood” being repeated at the beginning of the passage, but could not connect it with the woman’s desire for knowledge (especially with the vicar). Had I understood it earlier, I definitely would have incorporated it into my essay. I also noted that Lawrence “believe industrial western culture was dehumanizing because it emphasized intellectual attributes to the exclusion of natural of physical instinct,” which partially confirmed my thoughts, but also elevated my understanding of the passage. I would have discussed this in my essay, too, had I previously known about it.
After reading from 5 Steps to a 5, participating in class discussions, and norming the essays, I became aware of a few things that I wished I could’ve included in my essay. The repetition of other words besides the ones discussed in my essay (ex: blood, looking) could have been helpful in my own piece, but I hadn’t been able to make strong enough connections to use them. I felt that the 8/9 essays in the packet from class were able to really “tie things together,” which I tend to do in my head, but not on paper. I would definitely find a way to do that if I had the opportunity to go back.
Simple reflection also gave me ideas of ways I could improve my essay. I could have incorporated one more literary technique into my thesis/essay. Perhaps I could have further discussed the use of rhetorical questions and/or the tone of the passage. I also feel that I could have used more elevated language and focused on things such as juxtaposition more. My introductory paragraph was short, but it was also to the point, so I'm unsure as to whether or not it was satisfactory. In the end, though, focusing on more complex literary techniques and parts of the passage is what will really help bump my essay into the 7-9 range.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Blog Post #18 - Final Portfolio Reflection
When I began to consider which two assignments I was most proud of, two immediately came to mind. The first was my Creative Project. I read the book Room by Emma Donoghue, and created a board game as a physical representation of Jack and Ma's escape from Room. This was my most favorite assignment/work, actually; I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and I love creating things, so putting the two together was a fun experience. I felt that both my game and explanation had their strengths. I felt that my game was neat and creative, and I hope others viewed it as such because I spent more time than I would like to admit cutting and gluing those colorful squares to the board, as well as creating the game cards. I also felt that the cards captured many of the (disturbing) elements of the novel, since many of them had specific quotes to match the examples. I was proud of my explanation, too, because I felt it showed my understanding of the novel and the darker aspects of it. To many, this novel would seem strange because it is narrated by a five year old; however, it is exactly this aspect that makes the novel all the more disturbing, because Jack's lack of knowledge about his situation is appalling. The only weakness I saw in this project is that when I actually tried to play my game, it didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. Obviously, the point of the project was not to make a perfect game, but I was hoping it would have worked out. This project taught me how to incorporate complex elements of a novel into a game; I have created things based on books before, but this novel was very complex and it forced me to really think about how I wanted to portray the themes of the novel.
The other work I am most proud of is my group's American Drama Project. The play that we read/acted out, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', was a very strange one indeed, but that proved to make the assignment all the more interesting. I felt that our acting, while certainly not Oscar-worthy, was decent given the nature of the characters we were portraying. I did my best to pretend to be a middle-aged man, and I think it worked out pretty well. Our explanation, though, was probably the better half of our project. I felt that it was very well written and hit on all of the points it was supposed to, and then some. A lot of hard work was put into this project, and I'm extremely happy with the grade that my group got, because I believe we deserved it. This project, in my mind, did not have any major weaknesses, and I would hope that our near-perfect score is enough evidence to back that claim up. If anything, I would admit that we could have done a little bit more with our video, or perhaps tried harder to make it look a little more realistic; however, I think everything else about our project made up for all of that.
In terms of participation in class, it is with a heavy heart that I admit I did not participate nearly as much as I would have liked to, especially in group projects. During this trimester, I took two other honors/AP classes, and was also participating in the longest tennis season I've had to date. That being said, I found it to be an honestly serious struggle to keep up with everything that was going on. During the first group presentations, there were many times when I came home from matches at 7, only to find that the majority of the presentation had been finished. I felt (and do still feel) awful for putting most of the work on my other group members, and I certainly do not want to make excuses, but there were days when I couldn't help that I was home late and had a lot of homework to do on top of those presentations. I truly and honestly tried my best, however, to contribute what I could and I made sure my group members knew of my situation so they didn't think I was slacking on purpose. While I'm sure they were still upset (I don't blame them at all), they were very understanding, and I'm very grateful for that.
After the tennis season ended mid-October, I found it to be much easier to participate. This was, hopefully, seen in my group's American Drama Project. I chose to take on one of the two larger roles in the play so that I could contribute more. I ended up not contributing as much to the final paper as I had liked; I typed up the scenes (dialogue) that were in the final paper, and was a part of all of the conversations about the final analysis, but the day that portion was typed up in class, I was pretty sick, so I wasn't at school. I told them that I would do anything they needed from my house, but they told me not to worry; once again, I was very grateful for their understanding, but I felt like "that person" who gets a good grade but doesn't contribute. I wanted to make sure my individual papers reflected the hard work that I do put into my writing, and I think that especially with my Hamlet essay, I did that. I am excited for third trimester, because I know I will have a lot more time to contribute, and I would really like to do that.
My goals for the trimester were very broad and, as I later realized, not very good goals. I needed more short term ones. However, I am going to try and address them anyhow. One of my short-term goals was to be able to define more poetic terms and literary devices on the multiple choice tests. I also wanted to be able to "choose between A and C - and choose correctly." I think that I was definitely able to do that; my score went from a 75 to an 89 by the end of the trimester, and I am very pleased with that. I spent a lot of time after the first test looking up terms and whatnot in order to help me with corrections, but that didn't prove to be enough, as I only raised my grade about 7 percentage points. I paid more attention to terms in class throughout the trimester and studied for the final exam ahead of time. This time, my intial score wasn't much higher than my first, but with corrections, I was able to easily eliminate answers and bump it nearly 20 percent. All in all , I think I have met my short term goals, but there is still plenty of room for improvement during third trimester.
On my blog, I listed three long term goals: to earn an A in this class, to earn at least a 4 on the AP exam, and to succeed. These are all very broad goals, but I think I have done a decent job of working towards achieving them. As of now, I have an A in this class, and I truly hope it stays that way after everything is said and done. If so, then I can say I met my first goal. As for the AP exam, I obviously cannot discuss that yet, but I do feel more prepared for it now than I did 12 weeks ago. I know more literary terms, and I know how to better analyze poetry. Hopefully, I will meet that goal this spring. My third goal - and my most broad - was to succeed. I suppose I would define success as meeting my previous goals, and then feeling happy with myself at the end of it all. Feeling more prepared for college, since I am majoring in creative writing/English literature, also seems like a good definition for success. While I know that there is still plenty more to learn and achieve in this class, I still feel that I achieved some degree of success. I can't wait to see what happens third trimester; I can only go up from here.
The other work I am most proud of is my group's American Drama Project. The play that we read/acted out, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', was a very strange one indeed, but that proved to make the assignment all the more interesting. I felt that our acting, while certainly not Oscar-worthy, was decent given the nature of the characters we were portraying. I did my best to pretend to be a middle-aged man, and I think it worked out pretty well. Our explanation, though, was probably the better half of our project. I felt that it was very well written and hit on all of the points it was supposed to, and then some. A lot of hard work was put into this project, and I'm extremely happy with the grade that my group got, because I believe we deserved it. This project, in my mind, did not have any major weaknesses, and I would hope that our near-perfect score is enough evidence to back that claim up. If anything, I would admit that we could have done a little bit more with our video, or perhaps tried harder to make it look a little more realistic; however, I think everything else about our project made up for all of that.
In terms of participation in class, it is with a heavy heart that I admit I did not participate nearly as much as I would have liked to, especially in group projects. During this trimester, I took two other honors/AP classes, and was also participating in the longest tennis season I've had to date. That being said, I found it to be an honestly serious struggle to keep up with everything that was going on. During the first group presentations, there were many times when I came home from matches at 7, only to find that the majority of the presentation had been finished. I felt (and do still feel) awful for putting most of the work on my other group members, and I certainly do not want to make excuses, but there were days when I couldn't help that I was home late and had a lot of homework to do on top of those presentations. I truly and honestly tried my best, however, to contribute what I could and I made sure my group members knew of my situation so they didn't think I was slacking on purpose. While I'm sure they were still upset (I don't blame them at all), they were very understanding, and I'm very grateful for that.
After the tennis season ended mid-October, I found it to be much easier to participate. This was, hopefully, seen in my group's American Drama Project. I chose to take on one of the two larger roles in the play so that I could contribute more. I ended up not contributing as much to the final paper as I had liked; I typed up the scenes (dialogue) that were in the final paper, and was a part of all of the conversations about the final analysis, but the day that portion was typed up in class, I was pretty sick, so I wasn't at school. I told them that I would do anything they needed from my house, but they told me not to worry; once again, I was very grateful for their understanding, but I felt like "that person" who gets a good grade but doesn't contribute. I wanted to make sure my individual papers reflected the hard work that I do put into my writing, and I think that especially with my Hamlet essay, I did that. I am excited for third trimester, because I know I will have a lot more time to contribute, and I would really like to do that.
My goals for the trimester were very broad and, as I later realized, not very good goals. I needed more short term ones. However, I am going to try and address them anyhow. One of my short-term goals was to be able to define more poetic terms and literary devices on the multiple choice tests. I also wanted to be able to "choose between A and C - and choose correctly." I think that I was definitely able to do that; my score went from a 75 to an 89 by the end of the trimester, and I am very pleased with that. I spent a lot of time after the first test looking up terms and whatnot in order to help me with corrections, but that didn't prove to be enough, as I only raised my grade about 7 percentage points. I paid more attention to terms in class throughout the trimester and studied for the final exam ahead of time. This time, my intial score wasn't much higher than my first, but with corrections, I was able to easily eliminate answers and bump it nearly 20 percent. All in all , I think I have met my short term goals, but there is still plenty of room for improvement during third trimester.
On my blog, I listed three long term goals: to earn an A in this class, to earn at least a 4 on the AP exam, and to succeed. These are all very broad goals, but I think I have done a decent job of working towards achieving them. As of now, I have an A in this class, and I truly hope it stays that way after everything is said and done. If so, then I can say I met my first goal. As for the AP exam, I obviously cannot discuss that yet, but I do feel more prepared for it now than I did 12 weeks ago. I know more literary terms, and I know how to better analyze poetry. Hopefully, I will meet that goal this spring. My third goal - and my most broad - was to succeed. I suppose I would define success as meeting my previous goals, and then feeling happy with myself at the end of it all. Feeling more prepared for college, since I am majoring in creative writing/English literature, also seems like a good definition for success. While I know that there is still plenty more to learn and achieve in this class, I still feel that I achieved some degree of success. I can't wait to see what happens third trimester; I can only go up from here.
Blog Post #17 - Hamlet Blog 6: Literary Analysis Essay
Haley Hopkins
Ms. Nichole Wilson
AP Literature and
Composition
14 November 2013
Hamlet Literary
Analysis: “Words, Words, Words…”
One definition of
madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from
it." But Emily Dickinson wrote: “Much madness is divinest/Sense-To a
discerning Eye.” Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a
"discerning Eye." Select a novel or play in which a character's
apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a
well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric
behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the
significance of the "madness" to the work as a whole. Do not merely
summarize the plot.
I have read and understand
the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's
Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my
paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of
completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did
take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences
of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an
"F" as a final grade in the course.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet puts on an “antic
disposition,” supposedly to aid him in the quest to avenge the death of his
father. However, this façade eventually leads to Hamlet’s true insanity, which
can be seen through the disintegration of his relationships with his mother and
Ophelia, and in his impulsive murder of Polonius. It is this true insanity that
causes other characters in the play to seek vengeance and, eventually, leads to
their demises.
Hamlet is emotionally unstable due
to the loss of his father and the betrayal of his mother; therefore, it seems
reasonable that he makes the decision to feign insanity in an attempt to avoid
suspicion during his quest to avenge his father (Musick). The first time Hamlet
admits his façade is when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern visit Elsinore at the
request of not only Claudius, but the queen, who fears for her “too much
changed son” (1.1.36). Hamlet reveals that he is simply pretending to be mad in
front of his mother and uncle. He says to his friends, “my uncle-father and
aunt-mother are deceived” (2.2327-328). When asked how they are being tricked,
Hamlet responds by saying, “I am but mad north-north west…” (2.2.330). Essentially,
Hamlet is only acting mad when he is in front of those who might suspect him of
wrongdoing. After making this
confession, Hamlet learns that a group of travelling actors will also be in
Elsinore. It is this news that allows Hamlet to formulate a plan when he is
alone. In a rage, he swears to bring Claudius to justice by showing him a play
that depicts the murderous acts he committed.
“The play’s the thing,” he says, “wherein I’ll catch the conscience of
the king” (2.2.523-533). Now that Hamlet has a plan to avenge his father, he
must keep up his façade so that nobody questions his motives for creating the
play. With this information, some may argue that Hamlet is sane because he is
aware of his deception and has a plan in mind; however, as his relationships
with his mother and Ophelia begin to deteriorate, it becomes apparent that he
is not.
Hamlet’s loyalty to his elaborate
façade forces him to put on his “antic disposition” (1.5.173) around Ophelia,
which eventually causes their relationship to crumble. When Ophelia returns the
gifts he had given her, Hamlet states, “No, not I; I never gave you aught”
(3.1.95-96). He is pretending that he never gave Ophelia anything, which in
turn makes it seem as though he never had feelings for her. Hamlet then further
adds to the confusion as he first proclaims “I did love you once”
(3.1.112-113), but follows up with “I loved you not” (3.1.116). Ophelia is
hurt, admitting that she was deceived by him, and he quickly flies into a rage.
He tells her to “get…to a nunnery” rather than “be a breeder of sinners”
(3.1.118). His madness builds with his rage as he begins to denounce women in
general. Ophelia is appalled by Hamlet’s words; after he leaves, she mourns the
loss of a man with “a noble mind” and “the courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s,
eye, tongue, sword…” (3.1.140-141). After this encounter, it is apparent that
Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship will never be the beauty it once was; and it
is not the only relationship at jeopardy.
Hamlet’s harbored internal anger,
when coupled with his acts of deception, not only ruin his relationship with
his mother, but could also be argued as the cause of Polonius’ death. Gertrude
calls Hamlet into her room to chastise him for his recent behavior; what she
doesn’t expect, however, are his responses. “Mother, you have my father much
offended,” (3.4.9) he tells her – a clear expression of his distaste of her
hasty marriage to his uncle. The two argue until Gertrude fears for her safety
and calls out for help. Polonius, who has, as usual, been spying, follows suit.
Hamlet believes it is Claudius who is behind the curtain, though, and
impulsively kills him. This is what could be argued as Hamlet’s transition from
feigned insanity to true insanity; his decision to kill who he thought was the
king was a rash one, and it is acts like those that define the term “insanity.”
Hamlet’s actions toward his mother seemed to be a mix of true anger and his
façade – and these lead to her cries for help, and therefore, Polonius’
death. The theme of vengeance and death
is also presented; Hamlet’s quest to avenge his father has now caused the death
of Ophelia’s father, and it does indeed lead to major consequences.
The death of Polonius proves to be
the turning point of Hamlet, as it
continues to support the theme of vengeance and death through the demises of
the rest of the characters. The domino effect is seen clearly in the final acts
of the play: Ophelia descends into madness and eventually dies, and in the
ultimate depiction of vengeance, Hamlet, Laertes, Claudius, and Gertrude all
meet their demises. All of the men in this final act are seeking some sort of
revenge. Hamlet’s final act of vengeance – the murder of Claudius- is simply
his way of bringing his father’s murderer to justice. Even Laertes says that
the king is “justly serv’d” (5.2.291). Therefore, his actions could be
justifiable, because he wants to fulfill his father’s wishes by getting rid of
the man who shouldn’t have come to power in the first place. He is also,
arguably, in a state of true insanity, brought about by spending far too much
time pretending to be mentally ill (Mohamedali). The gruesome scene that
Fortinbras ends up discovering was brought about by vengeance – first Hamlet’s,
and then Claudius’ and Laertes’. Their
madness encompassed them, overtook them, and eventually, killed them.
Hamlet’s “antic disposition” may
have started out as simple deception, but it proved to be much deadlier. Fueled
by his desire to avenge his father, Hamlet committed impulsive and deceptive
acts that not only ruined the only stable relationships he had, but led to
multiple deaths – including his own. Hamlet’s transition from feigned to real
madness proved that seeking vengeance can only ever lead to your demise.
Works Cited
Mohamedali,
Yasyf. "Something Rotten? An Analysis Of Hamlet's Antic Disposition."
Yasyf Mohamedali. VanIsland Sites, 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Musick, Erich. “Antic Disposition.” ErichMusick.com. Erich
Musick, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.
<http://erichmusick.com/writings/03/antic_disposition.html>.
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