The Joy Luck Club Lit Analysis

     The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan was a book about life's hardships shaping the person you are. It reviews the stories of a group of young women and the struggles that formed their personalities, then it recites the heart-shattering recollections of their mothers. All stories weave together to make a quilt of obstacles, destiny, and the will to overcome.
     Each mother originated in Asia and each one tells the story of how they ended up in America. Each mother holds secrets of their past close, and each has a very traditional approach to parenting for a Chinese woman. The daughters of these inspiring women have their own struggles in life, but theirs may be much more relatable and modern to the average American. The mothers had to endure war, arranged marriage, and traditional Chinese customs; the daughters faced different distractions such as divorce, college, and jobs. This all presents the theme: even family can often misunderstand another because they have not experience life the same way another did.
     The tone of the novel took on a sympathetic but prideful tone; the reader had no choice but to ache over the hardships of these women, but the women always carried a very proud demeanor. The story itself leaned toward the melancholy side; encouraging, in the end, to all readers.  An example of his pride would be on page 224 stating, "satisfied she had put him in his place."
     Amy Tan uses foreshadowing when June received the letter from her half-sisters inquiring about their mother. In her mother's story she left two twins on the side of the road in a desperate attempt keep herself and them alive, because of this letter the reader's inferred that the twins were June's sisters and that they had obviously made it out of the war alive. She also use allusion in plenty of the mother's stories to tie the war and the dynasty rulers into the novel. Tan used cacophony when telling Lena's story of how her mother lost her baby at birth. She also uses a euphemism in this story when Lena described her mother as having gone crazy instead of a medical term for mentally insane. This whole novel is made up of flashbacks from eight different women.
     Amy Tan had a pattern to which she used direct characterization when a daughter described her mother, but tended use indirect characterization to develop the mother's character in her own story. She often changes diction and syntax throughout each individual story to mirror the personality and characteristics of that individual character. Each main character, the eight women, are round characters; they develop throughout their stories, especially from the mother's story through the daughter's. After reading this book I felt like I had heard each story by the women themselves, the alternating diction and syntax played a great role in this, I believe.
    

Poetry

    
     Both Out Beyond Ideas and Where The Sidewalk Ends are compelling pieces of poetry that creates a strong relationship with the words written. Both have numerous attributes that earns recommendation,  but both earn it for very different reasons.
     Out Beyond Ideas by Rumi is a poem grasping the idea that we are always trying but can never fully wrap our heads around the world. I related to this because often my mind wanders to this place of absolute, where the world is just too big and too full to even be able to imagine or know. This poem excited me because Rumi completely caught that feeling and emotion into  words.
     Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein was a whole separate piece of beautiful. This poem was written about the magical quality oneself connects with the untamed outdoors. Silverstein describes the magnetic pull children seem to have to it, they always know where to find the magic.
     Both these poems are very different because one connects to the deep conscience that can't quite reach the full grasp on life, while the other plays on the innocent relation a child has with the outdoors; one an adult would long for. Though they are written on ultimately different subjects, both poems call to the nagging feeling you've forgotten you hid in the back of your mind.

Hamlet Essay: "To be or not to be"

          "To be or not to be"; probably the most recognizable quote from Hamlet, perhaps even of Shakespeare entirely. This quote is as credible to the central message of Hamlet as it is recognizable. The entire play thrives off of conflict, whether it be internal or external, and this quote defines conflict.

 

            "To be or not to be" is begging the question whether a plan should be executed or not. Should Hamlet avenge his father's death by killing Claudius? Should Claudius risk suffering from guilt by killing Hamlet and not being able to fully enjoy his gain? Should Queen Gertrude stand by her own son or flatter her new, unconventional husband? This quote outlines the theme of every major point in the plot because every major point in the plot is clear cut conflict.

 

             Many readers seem to come to the conclusion that Hamlet can't make up his mind, that he's suicidal, that he's a dramatic teenager; however, this is not so. As described in Deboer's paper, Hamlet initially lacks the perlocutionary force (following through) to actually send his locutionary force (understanding he has to kill Claudius) into action; he understand his locutionary force because of the illocutionary force (his father's ghost telling him to kill Claudius). "To be or not to be" represents this development of Hamlet's character throughout the play because the reader is invited to forever wonder whether Hamlet will enact his perlocutionary force, Hamlet himself is left to wonder if he has the mind to do it.

 

 

           In conclusion, each "To be or not to be" had a consequence which results in yet another "To be or not to be". This quote fell hand in hand with every conflict of the play, which were abundant. In regard to Hamlet's shaky perlocutionary force, the answer is "to be".  

Hamlet: Madman?

         
This is only an overview of my essay, I got stuck and decided to write down my ideas and come back to it after a night's sleep.



          A killer, a ghost-whisperer, a quick-witted, conflicted teenager; a madman? All signs and characteristics seem to illustrate a perfect Psychopath, but I do not think Hamlet is insane. Hamlet has recently gone through the tragedy of losing both his father to murder, and his mother to the murderer. The grief that has stricken Hamlet is causing him to see the ghost of his father in his mind, which in turn opens his eyes to the truth about his death. Once he sees this truth he is moved to put an end to his pain by avenging his father and is too blinded by sadness to see through this temporary insanity. I do believe his rage will pass once all deeds are done and he will carry regret with him for the rest of his life, however long that may be. As for his quick-witted responses and sarcastic tone, he was born with it.

Masterpiece Cookbook

I've changed my masterpiece. Last year I was diagnosed with Autoimmune disease, and evidence is pointing to Lupus. I've had a lot of life changes because of this but one of the major ones is my diet. I cannot eat gluten, dairy, or white table sugar. I also have to avoid potatoes and tomatoes; under no circumstance am I allowed sulfur dioxide (used for freshness). So I've begun to create a cookbook since you can hardly find any recipes with all these restrictions accounted for. I've learned to alter and create recipes and have come up with some excellent ones; approved by my family. I've already started to put together my cookbook and am quite enthusiastic about it!

Unphotographable Moment

A man of many years stood leaning against a worn fence post, Staring intensely into the lust demanding field beyond him. The look of undeniable defeat in his eyes. A "NO TRESPASSING" sign faced him obstructively; staring back at him. This man had journeyed as far as he could reach, taking no obstacle impossible; now had met he trip's demise. This man was filled with woe, for he was so involved with this new depressor that he had not turned to notice the heavenly fire-lit expanse of sky on the path he left behind him.

Hamlet notes

Claudius poured poison into king hamlets ear.

Gertrude left king hamlet for Claudius before he died. 

"I have sworn it." Hamlet is resolved. 

"Something is rotten in the State of Denmark." 

"There are more things in heaven and earth, horatio, than are dreamt in your philosophy." 

"The time is out of joint: O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!" Hamlet thinks he was born to avenge his father. 

"By in directions, find directions out." Polonius's way of getting info out of people with little lies... 

Hamlet startles Ophelia with his actions( good he faking) for Polonius to hear. Ophelia loves him and Polonius forbides her from seeing him. Hamlet may love her or be making a scene(acting weird) to plant a seed in Polonius's head.

"Brevity is the soul of wit" Polonius, because the news is good it confirms Claudius and his own righteousness. He uses that to call hamlet mad since Claudius is happy and secure at the moment. 

Gertrude understood why hamlet is upset but then second-guessed herself when Polonius presented a love letter from hamlet to Ophelia.

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in it." Polonius 

Hamlet is acting mad towards Polonius, claiming not to know him. 

"For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" hamlet 

"What a piece of work is a man!" Hamlet

Hamlet is suspicious of rodencrantz and guildenburt coming to him. He knows they were sent my Claudius and gert 

"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscious of the king." Hamlet 

"I'll have these players play something like the murder iof my father before mine uncle" hamlet, the play within the play. 

"Alas poor yorick! I knew him, horatio:a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy." Hamlet 

The dog will have his day.