#19: The Rainbow Reflection

Part I: 
The phrase "Knowledge is Power" is one of the most aged clichés out there. But like so many others, the cliché holds true for a reason. This is one of several themes addressed by D.H. Lawrence's 1915 Novel The Rainbow. In the novel, a woman living on a farm in rural England is fascinated by the intellect existing beyond the world she knows. In The Rainbow, D.H. Lawrence employs ironic juxtaposition and symbolism of nature and desire to underscore the paradox of the woman's ability to abandon her situation, but her inability to realize it. In this way, Lawrence highlights the woman's rebellious desire to learn of the world beyond the farm.

Most clearly in a reading of this novel, Lawrence frequently applies juxtaposition to highlight the nature of the woman through comparison to the men. The woman's negative view of her home situation is shown through her view of the men in her life, whose hands ironically create so much "warmth... pain and death." This ironic statement implies the woman's realization of the warm nurturing hands which sustain her, but in the end cause her a pain and grief that forces her to demand "another form of life than this." Paradoxically, though no indication is given to her confinements, she does not leave. People like the romanticized Vicar easily have "power over her husband," but she chooses to do nothing about her situation. In the end, her safety and comfort win over the fear of the unknown, as seen through the contrasting nature of the anaphora "it was enough" with the "pain and death" of her situation, highlighting a complacency despite the longing for something more. Through this, Lawrence implies that the work that the Brangwen men do was "enough" to keep the woman in her situation, despite her curiosity about "the active scope of man" and the knowledge laying just outside her reach.

Beyond this, the figurative language employed by Lawrence demonstrates the isolated, divergent nature of the woman in her paradoxical craving for knowledge. The woman, desireing something byond "blood-intimacy" wants to understand "the pulsing heat of creation. Through the use of Kenning in "blood-intimacy," Lawrence does two things. First, he draws imagery to the negativity and eventual death of the men. Second he shows that the woman does not want to conform to the nors of her ancestry. In this way, she is rebelling against a literal relationship with her bloodline and genetics through her unorthodox desire for knowledge. The pulsing heat of creating then refers to the intensely creative and "magic" realm of knowledge that people like the Vicar possess. Through this quote, Lawrence shows the woman as yearning for something out of her reach, something mystical and unknown to the earth she and the men know. What earies is her desire to know the world outside, opposing the Brangwen's tendency to face inwards, away from "the active scope of man." Through this figurative language of blood and creation, Lawrence establishes the dsire of the woman and her feelings of being out-of-place in her situation. Lawrence then presses the paradox through the Vicar, who has power over her husband, even while being "dark, dry, and small." This imagery paints the Vicar as insignificant, yet paradoxically huge in compariston to the woman's husband. This irony of power posits that though the woman should be able to take charge of the situation, she does not.

The paradox of knowledge is what makes The Rainbow so powerful. It shows that though we may long for something, outside factors all too often keep us from our true desires.

Part II:
                 Mohamed Elzarka was the individual to look over my AP essay. Upon conference, he said he would have given me a 5 on the essay, primarily because I did not explicate my arguments entirely through and that I used quotes slightly out of context. He also said that I should make my explanation more chronological, as my current one is very disjointed, although I believe it still gets the point across. Once, he also commented on my lack of impact. While I commend him for being as thorough as he was, I feel that compared to the essays we saw in class today, I would have given this essay a 7, Primarily because I enabled more than just a “plausible reading” of the text. I carefully controlled my thoughts and developed the thesis with decent effort, but was not overly sophisticated in my writing or analysis enough that would merit an 8 or 9.  I think that after the norming today, Mohamed would agree with me, and this has highlighted to me the issue faced by graders and why norming is so important. Qualitative measures are much more difficult to make objective.

                  Today in class, I learned a great deal about D.H. Lawrence that I did not know while writing the essay. While reading, I was convinced that Lawrence was either explicating the diminished social role of women or commenting on the need for society to modernize and face knowledge and “the active scope of man” (20-21).  I mistakenly recognized blood-intimacy as genetics rather than what Lawrence’s famous definition of Blood Intimacy truly is, the notion that instinct trumps taught intellect often times. I also recognized that there were several elements, which I missed in my reading of the passage, including the importance of the metaphor relating to war and the rhetorical question structure at the end of the piece that could have greatly enhanced my analysis.

                  On this note, I could have improved my analysis by utilizing the information on Lawrence. I would have then recognized that blood and blood-intimacy to the author was not, in fact, something to fear, but rather something to desire. With this knowledge, I would have tweaked my thesis to address Lawrence’s irony that puts the woman desiring escape from her situation, towards knowledge that ironically is less powerful and less effective than her own instinct, or “blood-intimacy” (16). This complexity is a much more accurate and skillful comprehension of the text that far outdoes my shallow irony of the woman desiring something more, but not doing anything about it. This in mind, I would also have better able to connect Lawrence’s ties to Youngian psychology in identifying the ironic shadow of knowledge in the form of the Vicar, who represents the dreaded intellect over instinct.

                  Lastly, proper identification of certain devices and strategies employed by Lawrence could have improved my analysis. The rhetorical questions at the end, for example, would allow me to further my analysis of the strife and discontent present within the mind of the woman in question. The metaphor to war present around line 35 and the constant repetitiveness of the words enough and strained would allow me to show the monotony of her life juxtaposed with the “magic” of knowledge. I would also be able to establish complacency through deeper analysis of the anaphora at the beginning of the text. With more time and knowledge, I believe I might have been able to better analyze the text through the scope of Lawrence. I only hope that by the time the AP exam rolls around, I will be a lot more comfortable with this.

#18: A Reflection, Of Sorts.

My Accomplishments

            One of the few assignments I am quite proud of is the archetype/fairy tale group presentation assignment from several weeks ago. This assignment specifically gives me a great deal of pride for a few reasons. Firstly, it is the culmination of the knowledge I had learned from group assignments until that point. My work relations with my group here were at an all time high. All that I had learned from the constant stream of B-pluses had been addressed. Secondly, the project gave me insight into the meanings of archetypes and just how common themes are perpetuated in every single story. It taught me that identification of the theme is key in analysis of any literary work. Lastly, this project had an analysis in which I was an integral part, as well as a creative tweet all my own. During my presentation, my analysis fell short of where I wanted it to be, and I focused too much on meaning and not enough on the topic sentence at hand. Though this was primarily for time-based reasons, this project also taught me the importance of being concise, yet deliberate with presentations. Despite this, however, this was definitely one of my best presentations in this class.

            Another assignment I took a great deal of pride in was our Independent American Drama Film Project. This was especially rewarding for a few reasons. First, I was able to pick a group of people whom I knew I could work well with, minimizing any challenge of the “forming” stage of development. In addition, the creativity aspect of the project appealed to me as an opportunity to transform some of the knowledge I had learned into a new format that was not limited to writing. In this way, I take pride in the creative liberties I allowed that conveyed the essence of the novel. For example, the framing device used that James and I came up with was perfect for the play itself, and contributed greatly to conveying the meaning of Six Degrees of Separation as a whole. Though the storyboards were off and we honestly could have been more professional about costumes, filming, and line memorization, the overall product is definitely one of my top physical achievements in this class.

My Class Involvement

            Holistically, the amount of work I put into AP English is entirely proportional to my grade. I generally prioritize AP English over many of my other classes, and I always do my best to read, annotate, and complete work assigned. I consistently am self-motivated to do the work assigned (my parents definitely do not nag me to do work) and for that reason, I am intent on improving my grade in the class and working to get a 4 or 5 on the AP exam. Being proactive in this regard, I often took point on group presentations, starting and completing my parts of the presentation early, then moving on to ensure our proper analysis. I would also help other group members when required. Another mark of this self-motivation comes in the fact that I enjoy helping my peers by reading their papers and thesis statements. It helps me to apply what I’ve learned to both assist others and strengthen my own skill in the subject matter. In these aspects, I would consider myself very involved.

On the contrary, though I know that it is in no way an excuse, with all of my other AP classes and over-involvement in extracurricular activities, I often found myself lacking time. I would be lying to you if I said that there were not late nights at 2am when it came down to reading/annotating a foster chapter versus getting an extra hour of sleep. Though I have regrettably skipped homework once in a while, I was generally successful in making it up within days following these infractions. In this regard, I would consider my participation slightly lacking. In addition, I, like many others, am guilty of occasional bouts of laziness. When I write a paper, I realize instances where I can better incorporate a quote, better word a phrase, or better perpetuate an argument. I unfortunately do not improve where there is room to improve, out of the blight of laziness more than anything else. Though this does not happen often, it (along with the other examples above) reaffirms my original claim that my grade in this class is reflective of the amount of work I put into it.

My Goals: Where are we now?

            First and foremost, I believed that the goals I set forth for myself were good ones. I still do, as they were doable and measurable. The first one I want to address is that of becoming a better test taker. I was able to achieve this by trimester’s end. I learned, both through this class and AP Physics, the importance of time when it comes to testing. I learned and utilized test-taking strategies like narrowing options and understanding when the time simply wasn’t worth answering the question. Though I did not do the ACT/SAT reading practices I had consigned myself to do, I did focus hard in studying for tests like the Unit 1 test we took many weeks ago. With the opportunity for test corrections, I made note of the mistakes I made and the vocabulary I needed help with. Following corrections, I did the necessary research and learned the terms. In my mind, I took this one step further and progressed my application of these terms in my writing and analysis. I was able to do this much before the deadline I set of the first paper by incorporating them into the literary analysis group presentations. More often than not, I learned and applied more than two devices per presentation, meeting my time-stamped goal.

            That being said, I utilized only one “new” device in my first paper, so take this application with a grain of salt. Unfortunately this, along with other goals, was not met. With how busy I was this past trimester (again, my own fault) I was hardly ever able to pick up a book for pleasure. The one book I started was Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death. Though the first 25 pages have been thoroughly fascinating, I regret my lack of resolve and time to read to improve my comprehension of texts. The only saving grace is my actual annotation, though in a work of nonfiction prose like this, I’m not quite sure how much complexity and figurative language exists. So, in retrospect, I would consider two-thirds of my goals successes, and the last third a work in progress. Overall, I’m happy with the improvement in my performance in this class, one that has been rising while other classes have been falling. AP Literature this trimester began as a bit of a nightmare for me, but it transformed into a class that has taught me how to think differently and understand things more deeply. I can honestly say that I enjoy coming to class most days, and am glad I chose to take this course.

#17: Lunacy and Loss in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

#16: Hamlet Blog Post 4: Ophelia's Flowers

Having been told the most tragic news about our poor maiden Ophelia. The water of the brook that “Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay to muddy death” are cursed indeed—Nothing can be understood (4.7.179-180). She was, of course “incapable of her own distress,” Singing songs to my husband and I about such promiscuity and doling flowers of varying hues at us, but alas is tragic she is “drowned, drowned” (4.7.176). I do remember our last encounter with Ophelia before the tragedy. At the time, I had assumed her references to the “beauteous Majesty of Denmark” referred to the late Hamlet—so dearly missed—or myself (4.5.20). But after hearing news of her drowning and personals, my opinion on the matter has since shifted. It seems to me, her claims of “he is dead and gone” highlight her understanding of much greater implications (4.5.26). She is mad because of my son’s banishment to England and what I fear to be the “death of Hamlet” at the hands of my husband (4.3.67). This banishment, “The nightmare delusion which assails the poor girl’s mind is, in fact, the very reality which Claudius has intended” (Seng 219). In fact, in retrospect, even more is understood about the nature of my son’s expulsion from Denmark from Ophelia’s words. We once believed Hamlet’s actions to be in anger, anything but love. But Ophelia herself has her “true-love tears” in this act of seeming lunacy, making it clear that Hamlet must have an “equally open declaration (Seng 219-222). Was it ever the fault of mine, though? Even Laertes and Polonius feared a lack of love and one of lust—that “no one is to be taken at face value” (Seng 220). Alas, I mourn the girl’s death, though the circumstances surrounding have indeed taught me more about my son than when she was live. She, like my son, deserve not to die, and this matter of something rotten in England shall have to be examined and corrected, if necessary.

#15: Hamlet Blog Post 3: Soliloquy Analysis

#15: Hamlet Blog Post 3: Mis en Scene with Ethan Hawke and Gertrude

The first scene was that of director Kenneth Branagh’s we viewed in class. Most strikingly, the editing of this version was mostly untouched, a factor that underscores the lack of artificiality going through Hamlet’s mind at the time. In this scene, he is truly human. In a similar way, there is no music or other non-diegetic sound in the beginning of this scene—It is purely the voice of Hamlet, to establish the human nature of him. The music comes as he furthers his insight into the enigma of death, as it highlights the emotions of Hamlet. The setting of the room of mirrors holds significance as this soliloquy is really an introspective look into Hamlet’s mind and views on philosophy—His literal looking at himself underscores the metaphorical self-examination that is occurring. The use of the knife prop and modern costume both show the transcendence of these themes and allow viewers to connect with his feelings through pathos. Lastly, the zoom of the camera allows us to get closer to Hamlet’s face—The center of his emotion—as the soliloquy progresses. 

 The next scene I viewed was that of Ethan Hawke’s Hamlet. Though lacking major editing, the scene again showed the lack of artificiality. In this scene, non-diegetic music is present from the beginning, but it still instills in viewers a mood of pensive reflection. The diegetic sound of Hamlet’s voice is different than the British ones of other scenes. This, along with the use of the modern setting and costume in a video store show a transcendence of situation once more. The props of the videos, especially the violent one on TV highlights the romanticism of death that Hamlet spoke of. Lastly, the camera panning to follow his walk shows his lack of resolve to stick to one area and its cuts to violent video footage underscore the key themes of the soliloquy. 

 In the Mel Gibson clip, camera cuts to tombs in editing demonstrates the reality of death that Hamlet speaks of. The lack of non-diegetic sound highlights the genuineness of this particular soliloquy in Hamlet’s journey to avenge his father, as only Hamlet’s voice is heard. The tomb setting again shows the actualization of death in Hamlet’s life, and the tombs influence the tone of finality present during this soliloquy. The seemingly appropriate costume puts viewers in the time of the language and better allows us to visualize exactly what Hamlet experienced. Lastly, the variable zoom camera angles allow us to closely examine Hamlet’s face at key moments during the speech.

 In Laurence Oliver’s Hamlet, the most striking occurrence in editing is the following of the stairs up and then down the cliff present at the beginning. These elements show the ambivalent nature of our opinions of death in the soliloquy. The non-diegetic sound of the music contains notes ironically happy in nature, romanticizing the idea of death that Hamlet spoke of. The slower pace of the speech itself seemed to draw out the meaning Hamlet intended of the sleep and drowsiness of death. The setting on the cliff again romanticizes death—further qualified by Hamlet’s suggestive poses and time-appropriate costume. The black and white filming, though characteristic of the time period, made the scene more dramatic and ironically two-dimensional. Lastly, the camera angle of Hamlet walking into the fog represents the emotional waywardness and confusing feelings not only in the soliloquy, but also in Hamlet’s mind. 

(Enter Gertrude)
 Were I to write of my dear son’s madness, might I too go insane? I stumbled upon him speaking to himself on matters graver than most plaguing a young prince. As ‘twere, he made residence in a video store, abandoned but for he. On walls were picture screens displaying blasts and historians—a scene which made me imagine my son both and neither in the distant past and future. He walks amongst the shelves as lost as his mind, and one can nearly imagine an orchestra lamenting at the inevitable sadness of life. He says not one word without purpose, “To be or not to be” (3.1.58). This breaks his poor mother’s heart, seeing him in this place without purpose, much as he feels his own life is—But alas, he gets to the heart of the matter—We live in hope to die, but fear it oddly enough. That which is uncertain may be all but good. 

(Exeunt Gertrude)

 If I, Vineet, could have changed the approaches of some of these scenes, firstly I would rethink the use of the fog and music in the very last one. While in some instances, exaggeration is used for effect, it felt far too overdone here. The point of the text is to subtly show the complex nature of death. I would have made the scene duller, but perhaps kept music slightly upbeat. I would have made Hamlet stand rather than lay and not disappear into the fog, but perhaps walk away from the edge of the cliff. In the Mel Gibson scene, I would have introduced non-diegetic music, as this scene was by far the dullest. By introducing music, tone would have been better conveyed and interest would be better kept. I might even change the Ethan Hawke scene to better reflect transcendence in the TV screens rather than death—It’s important to remember that death is a universal theme that cannot be attributed to a specific instant or period of time.

#14: Hamlet Blog Post 2: Django and Hamlet would have been friends.

“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Vengeance.”

Django Unchained is a film about a man seeking to wreak havoc on the man who ripped his wife away from him. After being freed from slavery, he is rescued and befriended by a man with whom he embarks on a journey to rescue his wife. He is often tested to the limits of his humanity and the quest to retrieve his wife is a bloody, expletive filled one.

Within this film, parallels exist that convey a similar message as William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. For example, the line “I'm curious what makes you so curious” (Tarantino). Directly mimics the feelings of apprehension and nervousness at the play’s beginning, with the line “Who’s there?” (1.1.1).They both demonstrate feelings of paranoia and intensity in their respective works, but the film conveys this meaning in a more explicit way than the text, which is surrounded by context and background. Another example is the line “ I don't know what 'positive' means,” whose confusion and verbal irony matches the crazy behavior Hamlet adopts when interacting, as he says such statements as “man delights not me: no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.” To Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who respond in a similarly confused way (Tarantino) (2.2.299-301).  The film establishes the same through verbal irony and the violence of the ironic positive identification of an evil slaveholder who is shot by the protagonist of the movie—creating chaos around this verbal irony.

O, sweet Hamlet how confused you must be—adrift in love or madness? Reasons exist as to why we trail you so, Your semblance changed, dear boy, “the exterior nor the inward man resembles that it was” (2.2.6-7). Suspicion runs rancid; Claudius grows weary of your “antic disposition” (1.5.73). For ‘tis this that prompts our haste; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern get along well enough—consider it leisure. May their presence and “practices be Pleasant and helpful” (2.2.37-38). My son, I only hope you liven soon. Consider them not spies, but friends. On the subject, I hear gossip of our good Lord Polonius inquiring counsel on his eldest son, Laertes. Seems he has asked a man, Reynaldo to keep his son’s “Wanton, wild and usual slips” (2.1.22). To ask another to “make inquire of … behavior” of our kin is questionable (2.1.5-6). Though I do not regret my choices, I must ask what the state of Denmark is coming to—The royal family observing on one another like spiders on the wall. There exists no wonder, then, why we all feel such paranoia.