Hamlet-Act 1 Scene 2 Thoughts

Act 1 Scene 2 of Hamlet is an incredibly important scene in the play because it is the first time we truly get to see Hamlet for who he is and understand his inner thoughts. During this scene, Claudius (King of Denmark) is marrying Hamlet's father's former wife Gertrude in a close time span of the former king's death. Just to give a brief synopsis, during this scene Claudius sends ambassadors to Norway and urges Hamlet to stay here rather than study in Wittenberg for university.

During Claudius's soliloquy, he claims, " Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,/Thy imperial jointress to this warlike state." It is interesting to note Shakespeare's use of the word "state" throughout the text. State has a multitude of denotations which include the condition of a person or thing, rank or status, style of loving, and even the partial condition of the mind. All of these denotations can be used and applied to the sentence as if Shakespeare has meant to put that many layers within the writing of his text. For example, the warlike "state" could be a reference to the partial condition of Hamlet's mind in which he is incredibly hostile towards Claudius. Also, Claudius uses a myriad of paradoxes within this soliloquy such as "With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage". This use of paradox and contradictory structure indicates the deceptive nature of Claudius as if he is truly trying to manipulate those around him. After the King speaks with Polonius, we hear Hamlet's very first line in which he claims "A little more than kin and less than kind."This line definitely portrays Hamlet's viewpoint towards this manipulative king who seems to disdain him for taking the place of his father. Similar to the double meaning seen in word state, Gertrude claims "Do not forever with thy vailed lids/Seek for thy noble father in the dust." Dust has the denotation of human remains and the dry particles of earth. Thus, Shakespeare is yet again using this multiple meaning that could portray the deceptive nature of Gertrude. This deception is further exemplified through the theme of seeming vs. is-ing. For example, Hamlet claims "Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not seems/Tis not alone my inky cloak, (good) mother..." In this scene, I think Hamlet aptly describes a reocurring theme throughout the text which is the idea of perception versus reality or otherwise known as appearance versus truth. Even in the very structure of the Denmark throne, there seems to be some disorder and chaos because Hamlet is not chosen to take the place of his father. Yet, Claudius is still trying to those in Norway that the kingdom is stronger than ever. It is also interesting to note that Claudius allows Laertes to leave while Hamlet is not allowed to. This reveals an important character trait about Claudius in which he likes to stay in control. In a sense, he is in control of everything except Hamlet. We also notice that Hamlet worships his father as a "Hyperion" which is a sun god. In this way, we can see that Hamlet is willing to sacrifice anything in order to please his father.

Invisible Man-Chapter 1 Thoughts

Aside from the prologue, the first chapter of any piece of literary merit is important in foreshadowing some important themes and motifs that are revealed through the rest of the text. Just a brief summary of this first chapter: the narrator is supposed to be delivering a speech to the "white folk" that explains how there should be an advancement in the treatment of black Americans around the nation. To his surprise, he is told to take place in a "battle royal" type of fight in which he has to fight other black men for the entertainment of the white folk. There is also a scene in which black Americans are told to fight for fake gold coins on an electric rug in order for the white men to be entertained. The narrator does eventually give his speech, and is rewarded with a calfskin briefcase with a scholarship to a state college. 

I think the death of the narrator's grandfather is incredibly important as a foreshadow. For example, the grandfather claims, "Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome em with yeses, undermine em with grins, agree' em to death and destruction, let em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open."Throughout his life, the grandfather was incredibly meek and accepting towards the white men as if he was a "spy". This is parallel to how the narrator feels towards the white folk throughout the chapter. In fact, the grandfather seems to describe this general submissiveness as "treachery". Treachery has the denotation of a betrayal of trust as if submitting to the white men is breaking ties with the black Americans around him. One of the scenes that I think is incredibly interesting is the scene of the blonde lady dancing as a "creature [who] was completely hypnotized". Creature connotes being under the complete control of another. In this sense, she seems to be under the complete control of the white men that pedestal her as a form of entertainment. However, the difference between her and the black men is that she is white. In this way, maybe this text is not merely about the struggle of racism but rather the struggle of obtaining an egalitarian society from a pervasive standpoint. As I've started to index, I have noticed that the speaker constantly compares himself to a "drunken man". Being drunk causes one to lose the ability to control one's own behaviors, thus it seems as though the narrator is in a constant state of being drunk because he is unable to control his own behaviors with the dominancy of the white men. The speaker also claims, "The boys groped about like blind cautious crabs crouching to protect their mid-sections, their heads pulled in short against their shoulders, their arms stretched nervously before them, with their fists testing the smoke-filled air like the knobbed feelers of hypersensitive snails." Throughout this chapter, Ellison refers to most of the characters through an animalistic parallel. For example, crabs are only able to move side to side, which could indicate a sense of stagnation for the black men who are unable to progress within this society. However, it is interesting to note that both the white men and the black men are given animalistic characteristics, which could be the speaker's way of foreshadowing the eventual equality between everyone. 

Invisible Man-Prologue Thoughts

For starters, the very first line of the prologue is “I am an invisible man” (Ellison 3). Invisible has the denotation of treated as if unable to be seen and ignored or not taken into consideration. This is exactly how the narrator seems to feel. He is the product of an environment that doesn’t seem to accept him because of the people around him who refuse to. One of the scenes that truly got me interested in this book is when the narrarator decides not to murder the man who insulted him because of a realization that he is still invisible. It is hard to tell what the exact meaning of this scene is right now; however, I did notice some very contradictory aspects of it. For example, the violent brutality of the scene takes place “beneath the lamplight” during the night. Generally, the light shining on something in the space of darkness indicates some sort of holiness. We’ll have to read more through the text to figure out what makes this act so holy and justifiable considering that it is so brutal and horrific. It is also interesting to note that the nararrator is described as a “phantom”” (Ellison 5). One of the interesting denotations of this word is a financial arrangement or transaction that has been invented for fraudulent purposes but that does not really exist. I believe that this definition is very interesting in laying out the truth about our nararrator. Is he so invisible that he is nothing but a fake in the eyes of the society around him? The word transaction also reminds me of the sort of a sort of slave trade that might play relevance towards the identity of our main character. I also think it is very relevant to notice his living condition right now. For example, he claims, “I love rent free in a building rented strictly to whites, in a section of the building that was shut off and forgotten during the nineteenth century” (Ellison 6). I think it is so interesting that his own living conditions shows the superiority of white in that society considering that he is located in a “hole” below them. However, his hole is filled with over a thousand lights, which indicates the same holiness described earlier even though the light is taken unfairly from the Monopolated Light and Power Company. In addition, by trying to take as much light from the company as he can, the narrarator seems to be displaying a propensity to revolt against the social norms of his environment. I also thought that the quote paralleling the main character to a bear was quite interesting. For example, he claims, “ I am neither dead nor in a state of suspended animation. Call me Jack-the Bear for I am in a state of hibernation” (Ellison 6). It is kind of scary to think of this almost stagnated state of mind in which one rests up, but upon wakening enters the world filled with energy and ready to “make overt change”.

"Leda and the Swan" by William Butler Yeats

Leda and the Swan William Butler Yeats A sudden blow: the great wings beating still Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, He holds her helpless breast upon his breast. How can those terrified vague fingers push The feathered glory from her loosening thighs? And how can body, laid in that white rush, But feel the strange heart beating where it lies? A shudder in the loins engenders there The broken wall, the burning roof and tower And Agamemnon dead. Being so caught up, So mastered by the brute blood of the air, Did she put on his knowledge with his power Before the indifferent beak could let her drop? "Leda and the Swan" is a poem that centers and almost retells the story of the rape of Leda from Greek mythology in which a swan is disguised as Zeus. From the very beginning, we see that Yeats uses a synechdoche to illustrate the almost god like perspective of the swan. For example, "great wings" is a part of the swan that represents the whole. Not only this, we see another part representing a whole when Yeats claims "her thighs caressed/By the dark webs". The "dark webs" are representative of the swan's feet, and can be further connoted negatively because of the darkness description. It is also interesting to note the brutality of the rape when Yeats claims "helpless breast, yet it is still quite a seductive. Moving on to the next stanza, we see that the speaker describes Leda's fingers as "terrified". This is a prime example of personification used to emphasize the brutality of the rape in this greek mythology. In the very next line, the speaker uses the phrase "feathered glory". First of all, this can be seen as an allusion to the godliness of Zeus within the mythology. This is further exemplified through the denotation of "glory" which is a luminous ring or halo that could indicate an omnipotent figure. Moving on to the next line, the "white rush" represents the forced nature of the sexual act of the swan; however, Yeats seems to be sending us to different messages. White has the connotation of purity and holiness, yet the swan is preforming an horrific act. In addition, Leda seems to be able to "feel the strange heart beating" which indicates the feelings of excitement or mystery.It is also interesting to note that the speaker claims "And how can body..." not feel the way described above. The fact that Yeats is referring to any "body" shows the equality between man, women, or animal and the inability to stand against God. The next line describes a "shudder in the loins", which indicates the completion of such a sexual act and the impregnation of Leda. The baby that Leda eventually gives birth to is Troy, so it makes sense that Yeats speaks about the "the burning roof and tower" to allude to the eventual Trojan War. At the end of the poem, we find out that the swan is actually Zeus and that some of his knowledge might have been transferred to Leda through the sexual act.