Ap Prep

Hamlet
Settings-
Denmark
Elsinore Castle
Poland/ England
Major characters-
Hamlet- Prince of Denmark " To be or not to be", victim/ hero
Claudius- villain, killed old king Hamlet
Polonius- Ophelia's father " take each man's censure , but reserve thy judgement."
Horatio- Hamlet's best friend
Laertes- Polonius' son, wants revenge
Minor characters-
Gertrude- Hamlet's mother
Ophelia- Hamlet's lover
The Ghost- Hamlet's dead father
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- Hamlet's manipulative friends
Tone-
Irony- Hamlet accidentally killing Polonius, though thought to be Claudius
Contemplative- to be or not to be
Instructive- Polonius fatherly speech to Laertes
Catch 22-
Settings-
Europe
World War 2
Military camp
Major characters-
Yossarian- "running away to save my life" "man is garbage", crazy, wants to live
Milo- " everyone has a share", runs black market syndicate
Orr- Yossarian's roommate, always manages to survive, disappears, resurrects Yossarian's hope after thought to be still alive
Snowden- died, traumatized Yossarian
Colonel Cathcart- keeps raising numbers of missions
Chaplain- loses faith
General Dreedle and General Peckem- rivals
Captain black- hates Major Major for stolen job position
Tone- Satire/ Satiric tone- ridicules man is garbage (imagery)
Caustic- criticizes superiors as corrupt- Milo and Colonel Cathcart
Ironic- Doc Daneeka's mistaken death, 2 contradicting letters
Major events
Yossarian pretends to be crazy to avoid war, even messes with missions- maps/ intercom
Orr disappears
McWatt accidentally kills Kid Sampson, then flies into mountain to commit suicide
Snowden's death
Nately's death, his girlfriend wants to kill Yossarian
Yossarian given a catch 22 deal- ground him, promoted major, support colonels, takes deal safe takes deal sells out/ betrays soldier mates, doesn't has to keep flying missions, risk. Finds loophole and runs away instead.

Realization

Section 2 Passage-pg 32
This passage I chose, because Marlow sees something in the natives. Marlow sees a surface-truth.
  "The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there -- there you could look at a thing monstrous and free. It was unearthly, and the men were -- No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it -- this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity -- like yours -- the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly. Yes, it was ugly enough; but if you were man enough you would admit to yourself that there was in you just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you -- you so remote from the night of first ages -- could comprehend. And why not? The mind of man is capable of anything -- because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there after all? Joy, fear, sorrow, devotion, valour, rage -- who can tell? -- but truth -- truth stripped of its cloak of time. Let the fool gape and shudder -- the man knows, and can look on without a wink. But he must at least be as much of a man as these on the shore. He must meet that truth with his own true stuff -- with his own in-born strength. Principles won't do. Acquisitions, clothes, pretty rags -- rags that would fly off at the first good shake. No; you want a deliberate belief. An appeal to me in this fiendish row -- is there? Very well; I hear; I admit, but I have a voice, too, and for good or evil mine is the speech that cannot be silenced. Of course, a fool, what with sheer fright and fine sentiments, is always safe. Who's that grunting? You wonder I didn't go ashore for a howl and a dance? Well, no -- I didn't. Fine sentiments, you say? Fine sentiments, be hanged! I had no time. I had to mess about with white-lead and strips of woolen blanket helping to put bandages on those leaky steam-pipes -- I tell you. I had to watch the steering, and circumvent those snags, and get the tin-pot along by hook or by crook. There was surface-truth enough in these things to save a wiser man."

Cruel

"Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair. Another mine on the cliff went off, followed by a slight shudder of the soil under my feet. The work was going on. The work! And this was the place where some of the helpers had withdrawn to die.

   "They were dying slowly -- it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now -- nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom....The man seemed young -- almost a boy. 
Cruelty at its peak, if there's such a saying. In Heart of Darkness, slaves were brutally taken advantage of for their labor and left to die. To the oppressor the slaves were easily replaced, just transactions. What makes an individual to have no source of remorse, empathy, or sympathy? Is it the hunger of and for power? Some believe that humanity is only bad at the core, but there is still always some small amount of good even in the worst of people. Growing up in different places, observing individuals who all come from different and diverse walks of life proves there is still good in the bad, no matter how bad. Sometimes the bad may outnumbers the good, but the good always outweighs the bad it just takes a watchful eye to notice and acknowledge the reason for one's motives.

Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad has recurring themes of light versus dark, civilized verses savagery. So far the story of Heart of Darkness seems to expand of the topic of overpowering and overtaking; corruption at the core of power seems to surface on the several few pages of Heart of Darkness. Charlie Marlow, a character in Heart of Darkness, states "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much." Throughout history this concept and the concept of overtaking in order to obtain selfish gain has been self-evident not only in territory but resources as well. Native Americans and their land. Chinese laborers and railroads. Africans as field laborers. Spanish enslaving Filipinos and Mexicans. North Korea verses South Korea. Pakistan verses India. Mongolia versus China. Nazi Germans against the European Jewish Community. Some overtaking even occurs withing aspects of religion or social status/classes. The list of victims and underminers and overtakers goes on. The concept of in order to become great and build ourselves up, we have to knock down and undermine. This concept is cowardly but for some terrifying reason this has reoccurred throughout history. This has always been the way things have been done. But there is always a chance to improve and change the future after all things do always get worse before they get better, all it takes is dedication for the determination of change.

Week 11- Africa

Africa

Thus she had lain
sugercane sweet
deserts her hair
golden her feet
mountains her breasts
two Niles her tears.
Thus she has lain
Black through the years.
Over the white seas
rime white and cold
brigands ungentled
icicle bold
took her young daughters
sold her strong sons
churched her with Jesus
bled her with guns.
Thus she has lain.

Now she is rising
remember her pain
remember the losses
her screams loud and vain
remember her riches
her history slain
now she is striding
although she has lain.

Written by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou speaks of her country abused. She speaks and perceives the tribulations and hardships of Africa and its brutal history. Not only has Africa been historically tormented, but several countries as well. Behind every country, there is a series for brutality and oppression that only the soil of the country can recollect. The soil, the land has its abundance of secrets and harsh truth. Just like a wall has seen many unspoken matters, so has the land of a country, struggling or striving. To try to persevere and preserve a broken culture and shattered generation is a difficult and strenuous task but it is possible. Throughout history, several cultures and countries have received demeaning oppression, but because a culture has been broken does not mean it cannot be mended. There are millions still paying for the consequences of history, but they are not eternally shattered. Hope and optimism still lives in them. Belief in a better day, keeps several individuals to not give up. Yes, there is a lot of bad still in this world, but there is still a lot of good left and replenishing within this world.

Week 10- 1984 Galore

Character Analysis- Part 3 Ch. 2-3- Winston

Throughout the second and third chapters of part 3 Winston is brutally interrogated and tortured. Although Winston was physically, mentally, and emotionally tormented harshly and was drained of his determination to persevere, Winston still had an ounce of courage still within him. Throughout Winston’s interrogation where he confessed to several “real and imaginary crimes” that he did not commit, Winston told himself “I will confess, but not yet. I must hold out till the pain becomes unbearable. Three more kicks, two more kicks, and then I will tell them what they want.” Winston’s statement reveals his persistence and perseverance even when there is physical pain. His statement shows his willingness not to fight back but to show he still has some “fight” left in him, no matter the damage. As O’Brien strives to make a point of power being the overall goal of the Party and revealing the importance of control of mental intake and capacity, Winston denies the motives of the controlling party by a statement of “It is impossible to found civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure.”  “Moreover he was in dread that if he persisted in his disagreement O'Brien would twist the dial again. And yet he could not keep silent.” Winston denials emphasize acts of defiance and rebellion against the Party and Big Brother implicitly meaning that Winston has fortitude in determination and willpower within intellectually and mentally. Through continuous torment, Winston still had conviction of bravery which revealed independent mentality, despite Big Brother’s power for intellect bondage.

Week 9- Character Analysis

Character Analysis – Part 3, Chapter VI- Julia

Julia portrays Winston’s rebellious love interest. Throughout the story of 1984, Julia revealed being defiant in her risky ways was an act of nonconformity towards the Party and Big Brother. But in Part 3, Chapter 6 Julia surrenders her defiant methods to secure her own safety and not Winston’s implicitly revealing Julia’s detached and selfish character.  Julia’s cruel hardship revealed her dark character. Julia states “You think there's no other way of saving yourself, and you're quite ready to save yourself that way. You want it to happen to the other person. You don't give a damn what they suffer. All you care about is yourself.” Julia’s statement emphasizes indirectly her lack of sacrifice to save her own will above others. Within her lines Julia reveals her threatening character of “true colors”. “She made no response whatever to the clasp of his arm; she did not even try to disengage herself. He knew now what had changed in her. Her face was sallower, and there was a long scar, partly hidden by the hair, across her forehead and temple; but that was not the change… She did not actually try to shake him off, but walked at just such a speed as to prevent his keeping abreast of her.” Julia’s brutal torment and misery uncovered a sense of emotional detachment; a detachment away from Winston. Julia’s characterization emphasizes torment can refine a person negatively.