Thinking Outside the Box

            Both Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and Sartre’s “No Exit” are representations of constriction, whether by an exterior or interior force. Plato’s allegory uses dialogue that tells a story to illustrate his ideas while Sartre uses conversation between the characters of the story in order to set the scene and delineate his theme.

            The “Allegory of the Cave” is all about abstractions, and the way they obscure our sense of reality. Plato uses his prisoners to show the difference between those who are enlightened on what reality really is and those who only sense it through abstractions. Plato uses the cave, the chains, and the shadows as a symbol for society and the way it constricts what people observe to be real. The escaped man serves as an example of what could be, if we were to all free ourselves from the “chains” of societal thought. Once the man was enlightened on what reality really was, Plato sent him back into the cave to tell the other prisoners of what is beyond their reality. Their killing him represented the reaction of those who are so stuck in their beliefs and opinions that they refuse to accept any different kind of reality or thought. The killing of the enlightened man, and, in a sense, a true idea of reality, could be avoided by the exposure of everyone to real reality, not just what they believe to be true.

            Sartre, however, uses his allegory of three people in hell to show that people are restricted by what their own thoughts are. In this case, it’s what their thoughts of hell are. Sartre shows that people create their own hell in how we perceive others are viewing us. The reason Garcin, Inez, and Estelle are all put in the room together is because each of them has a trait that will, in fact, torture the others. They are all worried about how others see them. Estelle, for example, has to justify her existence through the observations of others. Sartre is showing restriction of thought through the “torture” presented to the characters. Each of the characters’ thoughts are impeded by the thoughts of others around them, in a sense, creating a specific hell for each of them. Sartre, however, does present them with the option of leaving the room when the door opens, but again, the characters are restricted by their fears of what the other characters with think and say about them when they leave.

            Both Plato and Sartre express the idea of being restricted. However, Plato tells a story that presents the idea that inhibition comes from our surroundings and it is up to us to fix it. Sartre, on the other hand, displays characters that are responsible for creating their own hell and it is only them who cause the restrictions. In both cases, the characters are presented with solutions and choose to not take them, comforted by the restrictions they are experiencing.

Inversion

Inversion is a literary technique in which authors put words out of order in order to provide emphasis. My first encounter with inversion was watching Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. It's also in many different works of literature. For example:

• "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."(J.R.R. Tolkein, The Hobbit, 1937)
• "What they talked of all evening long, no one remembered next day." (Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine, 1957)
• "Not in the legions; Of horrid hell can come a devil more damned; In ills to top Macbeth." (William Shakespeare, Macbeth)

Literature Analysis #3

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

1.     1. At the beginning of this novel, a mysterious man, bandaged from head to toe arrives in the town of Iping, England. He goes to the Coach and Horse Inn, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hall, and rudely demands a room. He refuses to take off his coats and we find that his entire head is bandaged. Mrs. Hall tries to be as hospitable as possible but the stranger keeps to himself, working by himself and demanding to be left alone through the majority of his stay. The longer the bandaged man stays in Iping, the more rumors are started and spread about him. Suspicion builds of the stranger as a series of burglaries are committed around the community. One day, Mr. and Mrs. Hall pass by the bandaged man’s room to find his clothes lying around and the furniture starts moving. Mrs. Hall suspiciously confronts him later about it and he reveals his invisibility. The police tried to arrest him for the burglaries and he takes off his clothes and flees. The Invisible Man comes across a man named Marvel who he forces to be his assistant and return to Iping to take back his work. Marvel tries to turn the Invisible Man into the police and the Invisible Man threatens to kill him. Marvel hides from the Invisible Man in the town of Burdock, where the Invisible Man tries to get him, but gets shot in the process. He takes refuge in the house of Dr. Kemp, and we find that the Invisible Man is actually Griffin, a former classmate of Dr. Kemp’s. Griffin explains to Kemp that he was trying to come up with something to make people and things invisible with money stolen from his father. He made his neighbor’s cat invisible then ended up using the procedure on himself to avoid being caught. He also reveals that he is albino and his plans for a rein of terror. Kemp tells the police because he realizes Griffin’s insanity, but Griffin escapes and informs Kemp that he will be the first one killed. When Griffin goes to kill Kemp, Kemp flees to the town where the townspeople protect him and end up beating Griffin to death. Marvel is left with the invisibility procedure which he is unable to read.

2.     2. The theme of The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells is that without humanity, progressions in science, such as a process to induce invisibility, can ultimately be a danger to society.

3.     3. H.G. Wells’ tone is mysterious at the beginning then becomes more violent and excited as the action progresses.

“He caught a glimpse of a most singular thing, what seemed like a handless arm waving towards him, and a face with huge indeterminate spots on white, very like the face of a pale pansy.”

“Mr. Hall, endeavoring to act on instructions, received a sounding kick in the ribs that disposed of him for a moment…”

“Mr. Marvel, turning, saw a flint jerk up into the air, trace a complicated path, hang for a moment, and then fling at his feet with almost invisible rapidity. “ (Pun intended?)

4.   4.  Imagery- “You must picture Mr. Thomas Marvel as a person of copious, flexible visage, a nose of cylindrical protrusion, a liquorish, ample, fluctuating mouth, and a beard of bristling eccentricity.”

“Marvel’s face was astonishment.”

“Hall made gestures of silence and invitation.”

Diction (notable amount of puns)- “He scrutinized the apparently empty space keenly.”

“The feeling was a curious pressure, the grip of a heavy, firm hand, and it bore his chin irresistibly to the table.”

“’What the dooce?’ exclaimed Henfrey, sotto voce.”

Syntax- “They appear to have jumped to the impossible conclusion that this was the Invisible Man suddenly becoming visible, and set off at once along the lane in pursuit.”

“Possibly the Invisible Man’s original intention was simply to cover Marvel’s retreat with the clothes and books. But his temper, at no time very good, seems to have gone completely at some chance blow, and forthwith he set to smiting and overthrowing, for the mere satisfaction of hurting.”

“The unhappy-looking figure in the obsolete silk hat passed up the street of the little village with his burdens, and vanished into the gathering darkness beyond the lights of the windows.”

Setting- “When the dusk was gathering and Iping was just beginning to peep timorously forth again upon the shattered wreckage of its Bank Holiday, a short, thick-set man in a shabby silk hat was marching painfully through the twilight behind the beechwoods on the road to Bramblehurst.”

“It was a pleasant little room, with three windows- north, west, and south- and bookshelves covered with books and scientific publications…”

“Outside the night was very quiet and still, and the new moon was setting over the down.”

Structure- “The eighth chapter is exceedingly brief, and relates that Gibbons, the amateur naturalist of the district, while lying out on the spacious open downs without a soul within a couple miles of him, as he thought, and almost dozing, heard close to him the sound of a man coughing, sneezing, and then swearing savagely to himself; and looking, beheld nothing.”

“Now in order to clearly understand what had happened in the inn, it is necessary to go back to the moment when Mr. Marvel first came into view of Mr. Huxter’s window.”

“It is unavoidable that at this point the narrative should break off again, for a certain very painful reason that will presently be apparent.”

My Big Question

What constitutes a trend? Where do trends come from? What makes them popular and why are people so drawn to them?

Performative Utterances and "Self-Overhearing"

            Whether it’s used in writing, or appears in your own life, performative utterances have a huge impact on the character or person experiencing them, as well as surrounding people and character, and following events. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, young Hamlet finds himself out through his utterances, affecting the way he acts. I also have had revelations, and changed my thought process, as a result of “self-overhearing”, causing me to change my expectations and, as a result, my actions. Performative utterances affect those around the person or character making them, changing the way they act and following events. Performative utterances and “self-overhearing” both create a sense of memory, expectations, and real-world results.

            Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, young Prince Hamlet was conflicted, which had an affect on the plot and other characters. His apparent inability to make up his mind was actually his inability to put his thoughts into actions. His inactions and utterances drove Ophelia to madness and allowed others to believe he lacked sanity. However, Hamlet knew his duty was to kill Claudius for murdering his father, but struggled in following through with it. “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;
And now I'll do't. And so he goes to heaven;
And so am I revenged. That would be scann'd:
A villain kills my father; and for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven.” It wasn’t until he talked to himself about it, and saw Laertes’ passion for vengeance that Hamlet himself realized why he had been so inactive in pursuing his duty. In hearing himself talk about his inactivity, Hamlet realized the impact it had, and forced him to change his way of thinking and therefore his way of doing. “I do not know
Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do;'
Sith I have cause and will and strength and means
To do't.” Hamlet realized, as he overheard himself talking, that he was more than capable of his duty. This change in thought turned Hamlet into an unflappable force, full of vengeance that would stop at nothing to fulfill his duty. Hamlet’s performative utterances forced him into action because they made him realize his dormancy.

            “Self-overhearing” has had a huge impact on my life, as it did on Hamlet. In any discussion I participate in, or even when talking to myself, I pay attention to what I say and reflect on it afterward. When involved in a heated debate, I sometimes get too competitive and defensive. I say what I want, in the wrong way. When I overhear my tone and the wrong words, I stop and think about how to better form my argument. Sometimes, when I am trying to figure things out for myself verbally, I have a revelation. For example, I was really struggling with my roping and my confidence level while riding. On the way home from the ranch one day, I reviewed everything that had happened in my head, wondering why I reacted the way I did. While I discussed it with the steering wheel, I realized the simple mistakes I had made. I realized that I was a good rider and that I had no reason to be down on myself. I swore to myself I would focus on my skill more than my fears, and the next day was a success. Like Hamlet, when I “self-overhear”, I change the way I think and therefore change my actions change as well.

            In Hamlet, and in real life, “self-overhearing” results in a change of thought and a change in action. Hamlet, after many performative utterances, realizes what he must do and that he is able to do it. Although it didn’t turn out well for anyone, Hamlet’s revelations forced him to fulfill his duty. In real life, my thoughts also influence my actions. When I talk something out with myself or someone else, I realize what I need to do, and I do it.

Hamlet vs. Epic Heroes

     Hamlet is not a hero like those in epic poems. He differs in many ways from the epic heroes, but when it comes to use of language, Hamlet couldn’t be any different from them. In the epics, the antagonists don’t use their words as much as they use their actions to show what it is they are thinking or feeling. In Hamlet, however, all Hamlet has is his words to show the audience, or readers, everything. Hamlet’s use of language is a much more prominent factor of the story than the language of the heroes in the classic Epics.
     In epic poems such as Beowulf, and The Odyssey, the heroes are less talk, and more action. “Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.” Beowulf believes in acting on emotion, rather than talking it out and dwelling on it. This was after Grendel’s mother killed Hrothgar’s advisor, and Beowulf was addressing Hrothgar, telling him that his what he does has more power than just what he feels. “I know well how to handle the polished bow, and would be first to strike any man with an arrow aimed at a company of hostile men, even though many companions were standing close beside me, and all shooting with bows at the enemies.” In The Odyssey, Odysseus doesn’t talk about his feelings or ponder his thoughts out loud. He says what he means and talks more about doing than thinking. The heroes of the epics don’t use language to portray their feelings, but in order to tell what they are going to do.
     Hamlet uses language in order to express everything, but isn’t one for immediate action as a result of those thoughts, unlike the epic heroes. “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!” Hamlet is all talk and no action. He talks about his desire to kill himself and his thoughts on his inner controversy. His language serves to tell the audience what is going on inside his head, as opposed to what he is actually going to do. “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.” Hamlet doesn’t only use language to tell the audience what he’s feeling, but also to tell the audience how his thought process works. In this part of his soliloquy in Act three, Hamlet is explaining how his internal conflicts cause him to be indecisive and jumbled. “I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is
southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.” Hamlet uses language to explain his thoughts and his actions. He tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that, although he’s been acting mad, he really is completely sane and knows what he’s doing. In doing so, he is also enlightening the audience on how his mind works and reveals to the audience that he’s been sane all along.
     The use of language by the epic heroes and by Hamlet could not be any different. In Beowulf and The Oddysey, the heroes use language to provoke action from other characters as well as themselves. In Hamlet, Hamlet uses language to provide insight into his mind. Through his language, the audience further understands him as a character, whereas in the epics, the heroes’ use of language assists the reader in understanding the plot.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a term I had not heard until this year is Dr. Preston's AP English Lit Comp class. I had never understood blogging, or how to really use the internet productively, other than for research. I didn't know how extensive the internet really is, or how complex and involved it has come to be. It is important that students, and everyone for that matter, understand how the internet works. "Program or be programmed." If you don't understand the way it works, you may not be taking full advantage of the opportunities it presents, or worse, you might be taken advantage of.

It's important that Dr. Preston is teaching us how to efficiently use the internet as a tool. Although it is constantly progressing and changing, the internet will forever be a part of our culture.

Notes on the Roy Christopher Chat

An Introduction to Roy Christopher:

• Christopher started making photo-copied magazines about motocross in the 1980's, then moved on to web design in the 1990's. "The internet is not something you can halfway do." -Roy Christopher.
• Christopher is writer. He turned his motocross website, www.frontwheeldrive.com, into a self-published book. Christopher explained the reason he published the book himself was that "interview books" don't sell well. 
• There was a late, but strong, response to the book which has now been out five years. He is currently working on another book and his PhD.
• Christopher does not even own a smart phone. 

Ideas and Thoughts:

• There is a mixing of cultures online; hip-hop is kind of like the blueprint for the twenty-first century.
• When we feel like we've lost something, we have to go pack to analog. We have to go back to our roots.
• We are not going to come up with content that surpasses the medium itself.
• "Program or be Programmed"- The more you know about how things work, the closer you are to digital maturity.
• Christopher believes there is still a divergence between mobile and home media. He also believes there are still parts of analog that have not been captured by digital media.
• Multi-tasking causes the quality of one's work to "plummet".
• The web is constantly evolving.

A Generational Gap

• A huge problem in today's society is that the older generations do not trust the younger generations. This is a problem in most media, but is extremely prevalent when it comes to technology.
• "People are smarter than we think they are."- Roy Christopher. The older generation doesn't give the younger generation enough credit for what they do know. Instead, they worry about the younger generation not knowing enough, just because the older generation doesn't know enough. "That's just people being old."- Roy Christopher.
• "I think most adults are either baffled or jealous." Ted Newcomb

Literature Analysis #2

1.     1. The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is about an African-American man who believes he is socially invisible, living underground to write his life’s story. He begins telling the audience about his time in the South at the start of the Great Depression, being humiliated in order to receive scholarships for a prestigious “black college”. The narrator tells of his experiences at college, driving a wealthy white trustee from the college around, and taking him to a bar that serves black people where they are accused of being “blind” to racial conflict after a brawl occurs. He is then expelled from the college on the grounds that he showed the trustee a less-than-ideal version of African-American life. He is sent to New York to find a job with one the trustees of the school. In Harlem, New York, he meets the son of one of the trustees, Mr. Emerson, who tells him the letter of recommendation sent from his school were the exact opposite. He helps the narrator find a low-paying job for a paint company. After being knocked unconscious and temporarily losing his memory in an accident at the factory, the white doctors perform electric shock experiments on him until his memory recovers. After collapsing on the street, the narrator is taken to the home of Mary in Harlem, who allows him to stay for free. She gives him a sense of his heritage. He is offered a position as a spokesperson for the Brotherhood, an organization that supposedly works to help oppressed people, after giving a passionate speech against eviction. The Brotherhood makes him move into a new apartment and he is placed in charge of advancing the interests of the Brotherhood in Harlem. He delivers speeches and becomes a well-known person in the multi-racial Brotherhood. He receives a racist letter from an anonymous member of the Brotherhood, telling him to remember his place as a black man. He is then suspected of selfish intentions and is moved to the women’s rights branch of the organization. After a while, he is sent back to Harlem to find that the community feels betrayed by the Brotherhood. He gets in trouble for holding a funeral for his friend without permission and has to learn the new strategies of the Brotherhood. The narrator is forced to disguise himself in order to escape the men sent to beat him up. After being told of the Brotherhood’s new intentions, the narrator decides to go against them. He gets called to Harlem, one night, to find a riot. One man, who is against the Brotherhood, orders the narrator to be hanged in the midst of the rampage. While fleeing from them, and then the police, the narrator falls down a manhole, where he has stayed since. He says he is now ready to emerge into the world again.

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2.     2. The theme of this novel is to by following the crowd and doing what others want you to do, you become “invisible” and lose sight of yourself.

3.     3. The tone of this novel is angry and reminiscent.

“I am not ashamed of my grandparents for having been slaves. I am only ashamed of myself for having at one time been ashamed.”

“If only someone who had known me at school or at home would come along and see me now. How shocked they'd be! I'd push them into a side street and smear their faces with the peel.”

“Then in my mind's eye I see the bronze statue of the college Founder, the cold Father symbol, his hands outstretched in the breathtaking gesture of lifting a veil that flutters in hard, metallic folds above the face of a kneeling slave; and I am standing puzzled, unable to decide whether the veil is really being lifted, or lowered more firmly in place; whether I am witnessing a revelation or a more efficient blinding.”

4.    4.  Symbolism- “No, I thought, shifting my body, they're the same legs on which I've come so far from home. And yet they were somehow new. The new suit imparted a newness to me. It was the clothes and the new name and the circumstances. It was a newness too subtle to put into thought, but there it was. I was becoming someone else.”

“What on earth was hiding behind the face of things? If dark glasses and a white hat could blot out my identity so quickly, who actually was who?”

“Then in my mind's eye I see the bronze statue of the college Founder, the cold Father symbol, his hands outstretched in the breathtaking gesture of lifting a veil that flutters in hard, metallic folds above the face of a kneeling slave; and I am standing puzzled, unable to decide whether the veil is really being lifted, or lowered more firmly in place; whether I am witnessing a revelation or a more efficient blinding.”

Diction-“ "They're my birthmark," I said. "I yam what I am!"

“Perhaps the part of me that observed listlessly but saw all, missing nothing, was still the malicious, arguing part; the dissenting voice, my grandfather part; the cynical, disbelieving part – the traitor self that always threatened internal discord.”

“On his deathbed he called my father to him and said, ‘Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction. 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.’”

Setting- “Why do I recall, instead of the odor of seed bursting in springtime, only the yellow contents of the cistern spread over the lawn's dead grass? Why? And how? How and why?”

“Of course I knew he was a founder, but I knew also that it was advantageous to flatter rich white folks. Perhaps he'd give me a large tip, or a suit, or a scholarship next year.”

“’You too can be truly beautiful,’ a sign proclaimed. ‘Win greater happiness with whiter complexion. Be outstanding in your social set.’”

Structure- “I didn't understand in those pre-invisible days that their hate, and mine too, was charged with fear.”

“So after years of trying to adopt the opinions of others I finally rebelled. I am an invisible man.”

“Our fate is to become one, and yet many -- This in not prophecy, but description.”

Metaphor-“ Or again, you often doubt if you really exist. You wonder whether you aren't simply a phantom in other people's minds.”

“Perhaps you'll think it strange that an invisible man should need light, desire light, love light. But maybe it is exactly because I am invisible. Light confirms my reality, gives birth to my form.”

“I had no desire to destroy myself even if it destroyed the machine; I wanted freedom, not destruction.”

In Search Of.

     While watching the “Ted” video, I learned that Facebook actually takes all of your information as well as what links you click on and filters what is on your news feed. Google also does the same thing with what you search. This information makes me curious about what I am missing out on thanks to these "filter bubbles". I'm also a little bit worried about what or who is using my information and to what extent. It makes me actually want to know more about what the "gatekeepers" are keeping me from seeing. It made me wonder: At some point, are all websites going to be using filter bubbles? How will the Internet change as a result? How will it affect the average web surfer? I think that in order to improve the effectiveness of your search, you should be very specific in what you search and you should "filter" each site yourself. When I redid my Shakespeare search, I looked more carefully at the sites that came up. I made sure I recognized the site as a legitimate source of information, and not just some stranger’s blog about their opinions on Shakespeare. I went to more than just the first page of links that each search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask) provided me.

Notes on Hamlet

At the beginning of reading Hamlet, I thought it was going to be just like other tragedies. I was immediately surprised by the presence of a ghost in the first scene, and that this ghost had so much influence on the plot. As we read through the tragedy, I began to identify different aspects of a classic tragedy. I noticed Prince Hamlet was extremely troubled by the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother to his father’s brother soon after. Following his troubles through the play, it became apparent that Hamlet was not crazy, as many say, but young, passionate, and vengeful after finding out it was King Claudius, his uncle, who murdered Hamlet’s father. It seems that poor Hamlet knew that the testimony of a ghost would be an absurd reason for killing his uncle, so I believe that the play-within-a-play idea was genius. It shows that Hamlet actually thought his actions through, and was not just acting on impulse the whole time, as I initially thought. So far, through this play, I have evolved my thinking of Hamlet as a crazy, impulsive, young man to thinking of him as a passionate, vengeful person, and rightly so. I have also found this play has become easier to read and understand as we have been reading it. It is the most understandable Shakespearean play I have ever read.

Who was Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare is a historic figure known, if only by name, by almost every English speaker in the world. He is known as a genius playwright and poet, coming from a middle-class family in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. His father was John Shakespeare, who was a glove-maker, landowner, and held an office equivalent to the mayor in today’s society. It is believed that Shakespeare attended a local grammar school taught by teachers with degrees from Oxford. William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer, at the age of eighteen and had three children. Shakespeare moved his family to London, where he was a successful actor and writer. He became an established poet and playwright, and a charter member of Lord Chamberlain’s Men theatrical company. He then became a partner, with James Burbage, in the Globe Theatre. He wrote plays that were performed for Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. After his creative output diminished in 1608, Shakespeare moved back to Stratford with his family and became an important member of the community until he died in 1616.

            All of this is accepted as fact about Shakespeare, but there is still a lot that is unknown about him. It is unknown exactly when he was born and what he looked like. People also question whether it was actually him who wrote such masterpieces as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet”. It is also unknown just how Shakespeare is connected to his works and how he had knowledge of court life, royalty, politics, and foreign countries when he had only lived in Stratford and London.

            Even with all of the exciting controversy over Shakespeare’s identity, students dread reading his works. They see it as a foreign language, nearly impossible to interpret and understand. Over the years, however, I have learned to appreciate the genius in his stories. Although, for the most part, I cannot understand half of what he is saying, the complexity of the characters and the plots is something that is truly amazing.  I have developed more understanding, it seems, of iambic pentameter, as well as the old English. However, sometimes it takes a few times and some discussion to completely understand what he is trying to get across.

            Even though there is controversy over whether the middle class son of an illiterate glove maker was truly the author of multiple genius poems and plays, there is no doubt that these works are a cornerstone of English literature. No matter how much high school students dread reading Shakespeare, it will ultimately give them an appreciation for English literature. Without Shakespeare’s works, who knows what novels, stories, plays, and movies would be like today?

To Facebook, or Not to Facebook?

Nearly everyone these days is on Facebook. Whether it’s for business or social purposes, Facebook has proved a very useful tool for networking. With so many obvious benefits apparent to the average user, the risks and drawbacks are often overlooked. An article by Emily Bazelon published by the New York Times discusses how Facebook can be putting the world’s youth at risk. This article makes its readers think about what Facebook is doing to us with, or without, our knowledge.

            I, personally, am an avid Facebook user, as I’m sure most teenagers are. I love the feeling of being connected with all of my friends nearly all the time. I also use it as a place to share my thoughts, pictures, and experiences with the world. Everybody that uses Facebook on a regular basis knows that great feeling when they log on and find their friends have messaged them, posted on their wall, or liked something they have posted. Facebook users feel more connected to their world and their friends than previous generations. Facebook is also a great tool for staying touch with friends who have never lived close or have just moved away. I met a ton of wonderful people at the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. last year and, thanks to Facebook, I still talk to many of them.

            Facebook is also useful from a business standpoint. I know many small business owners, as well as larger companies, that use Facebook in order to stay connected to their customers. My favorite little store, owned by family friend, uses their Facebook page to make announcements about drawings, sales, and new merchandise.  Larger companies use their Facebook pages in a similar way, informing customers of new items just released, as well as about different events their company is affiliated with. This not only increases their sales, but it allows Facebook users to know what is happening in their communities.

            As beneficial as Facebook seems to be, it also comes with risks. When you sign up for Facebook, you are giving them permission to have and use the information you put on your page. You are also, whether you know it or not, making it possible for their advertisers to target you specifically. As Emily Bazelon’s article, “Why Facebook is After Your Kids”, points out, “What is clear is that Facebook thinks it needs access to kids’ lives in order to continue to dominate its industry.” Facebook is dependent on the information supplied by kids in order to stay on top. This means that they can get to any information you have on the site. In that sense, even if your page is set to “private” so only your friends, or friends of your friends, can see it, it really isn’t private. There are ways for just about anyone to view, and use, your information.

            With so many benefits, and an almost equal amount of risks, people need to think about what they are putting on Facebook, or any other website for that matter. Even after reading Bazelon’s article, I’m still going to use Facebook just as much as I always have. However, reading that article and knowing just how public even “private” information on Facebook is, I am definitely going to be more careful about what I post and the information I make available. While you shouldn’t let the risks completely scare you away from social networking, you should always have them in mind when you are posting, commenting, liking, or poking on Facebook.

(Don't) Be Hamlet

            Throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a young man is forced to face adversity within his family and himself. Young Hamlet has to deal not only with the death of his father, but also with the fact that it was his father’s brother who was the murderer. In addition to this, he must face his uncle everyday as his mother’s new husband. In his soliloquy, Hamlet is trying to figure out just how he should handle this situation. “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.” He has to take into consideration his royal stature, his personal morals, and his religious beliefs before he can make the decision whether to face the problems in his life or end his life.

            As a prince, Hamlet is in the spotlight of his country, forced to think of his reputation before himself. “To die, to sleep--No more--and by a sleep to say we end;

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks; That flesh is heir to.” If Hamlet were to commit suicide, as he is considering, his troubles may be over, but his reputation would be forever tarnished by his inability to handle adversity. He would also force his mother to handle the social scorn of his actions. She would be forced to live with the embarrassment and grief of her son committing suicide.

            In his own mind, Hamlet is conflicted. He is not sure whether life itself, with all its troubles and challenges, is worse than death. “But that the dread of something after death,; The undiscovered country, from whose bourn; No traveler returns, puzzles the will,; And makes us rather bear those ills we have; Than fly to others that we know not of?” Hamlet cannot decide if what is unknown beyond the grave would be an improvement from his wretched life. The thought of the unknown scares him, but he isn’t sure if it scares him more than his life troubles him.

            There are also the religious conflicts Hamlet must face while dealing with this dilemma.  “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,; And thus the native hue of resolution; Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,; And enterprise of great pitch and moment; With this regard their currents turn awry; And lose the name of action.” Hamlet, being brought up in a religious family, knows that suicide is a sin and if he were to commit it, he would go to Hell. He also knows his entire country would see him as a sinner, which relates to his first conflict.

            Overall, it isn’t in Hamlet’s best interest to commit suicide.  He would ultimately bring shame to himself and his family in the eyes of his country. He would be perceived as weak and incapable of handling troublesome times. Even in his own mind, he isn’t sure if it’s the best idea, and suicide is a decision you must be completely sure about. If in his own mind, Hamlet isn’t sure if death would be better than his life, he should not commit suicide. Religiously, Hamlet knows it’s wrong. If it is a sin, like he has always been taught, he has no interest in committing suicide because Hell couldn’t possibly be any better than his life is.

Literature Analysis

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.

The first “day” of the novel, April 7, 1928, is the day of the memories of Benjy Compson, the mentally challenged youngest son of a wealthy Southern family. It is also his thirty-third birthday. These memories range anywhere from delivering love notes to his uncle’s mistress with his sister, Caddy, to his memory of the night Caddy lost her virginity. Each of his memories involves Caddy, showing that Benjy and her are very close. His memories range anywhere from 1898 to 1913 and each one gives a little glimpse into his growing up misunderstood, in a dysfunctional, wealthy family.

         The next chapter of the novel is on June 2, 1910, and is from Quentin Compson’s point of view. Now going to Harvard, paying tuition with the money made by selling Benjy’s favorite pasture, Quentin is depressed (suicidal?). Quentin has memories of falsely admitting of committing incest with his sister Caddy to their father and that he was the father of her illegitimate child (later to be named Quentin as well). Quentin breaks, out of resent, the face of a watch his father gave him. We find he is depressed about being a virgin. He buys weights and sends letters to his roommate and his father, then takes a train ride and a trolley ride. He thinks more about his sister and his parents and gets into a fight with a friend of his.

         The third chapter is on April 6,1928, from the point of view of bitter and angry Jason Compson. The chapter opens with Jason fighting with his mother and niece, Caddy’s illegitimate daughter Miss Quentin. We also see that Jason resents his sister and her daughter for ruining his chances at a good job. He keeps the money that Caddy sends him to take care of their mother and gambles. Jason nearly beats Miss Quentin, then goes back to his dead end job that he hates so much. There, he sees Miss Quentin with a man. Again, at dinner, there  is arguing between Jason, his mother, and Miss Quentin.

         The last chapter of this novel is on April 8,1928, is Easter Sunday. Jason discovers Miss Quentin is gone and has taken his money. Dilsey, Luster, Frony, and Benjy all go to the local black church for Easter service while Jason is refused help by the Sheriff. We find that Jason has issues with women as he drives to track down Miss Quentin. The novel closes with Jason coming across Luster and an upset Benjy, who was taken off of his usual route to the cemetery. Jason disciplines Luster, who takes Benjy back of his usual route. All is calm.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

         The theme of this novel is that all families, no matter how rich or how high their social status is, are dysfunctional and have issues.

3. Describe the author's tone.  Include three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

         In Benjy’s chapter, the author’s tone is scattered and unclear, much as Benjy’s thoughts are. Caddy smelled like trees and like when she says we were asleep.”

            In Quentin’s chapter, the tone is sad and regretful. “

            In Jason’s chapter, the tone is angry and resentful. “Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say.”Like Father said down the long and lonely light-rays you might see Jesus walking, like. And the good Saint Francis that said Little Sister Death, that never had a sister.”

4. Describe five literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone.  Include three excerpts that will help your reader understand each one.

Faulkner uses symbolism to represent the themes of this novel “Roses. Not virgins like dogwood, milkweed. I said I have committed incest, Father I said. Roses.”

His diction and syntax both help the reader understand the characters involved in and telling the story. "They aint no luck going be on no place where one of they own chillen's name aint never spoke."

The structure Faulkner uses also adds to the understanding of his themes.

Faulkner’s varying tones also added to the idea of different people adding different perspectives to the story. “I couldn't feel the gate at all, but I could smell the bright cold.” –Benjy

Literature Analysis