Sirens Practice AP Essay

            Both passages deal with the deathly temptation Sirens portray; however, the first passage portrays Sirens as a protagonist struggling with himself in order to resist a temptation whereas the second passage recollects the seductiveness of temptation from a Siren’s point of view.   

            Sirens are mythological creatures whose sole purpose is to seduce sailors at sea. The first passage portrays Sirens as dangerous creatures. The fact that the speaker “stopped the ears of [his] comrades one by one” (Homer 7) and is “lashed by ropes to the mast” (Homer 9) demonstrates the sailor approaching the island in a cautious manner. By approaching the Siren’s island this way, the sailors, including the speaker, brace themselves to the power of seduction and temptation. The speaker even goes to the extreme of tying himself to the mast in order to prevent the Siren’s seductive song to force him to escape. The purpose of the speaker tied to the mast is so that he is physically constrained from escaping and being tempted to the Sirens’ call. Contrastingly, the second passage portrays Sirens by illustrating a first-person account of a Siren’s seductive nature rather than demonstrating a visual example to a Siren’s deadly shrill.

            The second passage illustrates a first-person account in order to visualize the harmful natures of seduction and temptation. Lines 10-27 of the second passage portray Sirens from a viewpoint of a Siren itself; by doing so, Atwood is able to accurately describe the origin of a Siren’s motive behind their seductive song. As the poem progresses, the seduction exponentially increases until the end, where the speaker states, “Alas / it is a boring song / but it works every time” (Atwood 25-27). The fact a Siren’s song “works every time” suggests the unavoidable seductiveness Sirens portray to sailors lost at sea. By proposing the question, “Shall I tell you the secret / and if I do, will you get me / out of this bird suit?” (Atwood 10-13), the speaker initiates a seductive call to an audience, which is similar to how a lost sailor manages to hear a Siren in the distance. Throughout the poem, the speaker increasingly seduces its audience to think that the speaker actually is calling for help. Similarly, a Siren will continuously call for help and call for an individual that has unfortunately seduced into temptation.

            Both passages tap into how Sirens are capable of being inescapably seductive. However, there is a clear distinction between the two; the first passage reflects upon a story in the Odyssey¸ an epic poem, and the second passage reflects upon a first-person recollection of a Siren’s inevitable call. A siren’s call is based on how temptation and resistance coincide with each other. Both passages portray how Sirens are discreetly dangerous. Though the two passages approach the portrayal of Sirens in different ways, the concepts of temptation and seductiveness are still achieved.

            

P&P #9 Analysis

            Jane Austen deliberately shifts Elizabeth’s character from the beginning of the novel to the point where she visits Darcy’s estate. Originally, she views Darcy as an “arrogant” man and perceives him as dislikable in society; however, she begins to realize that she has simply misunderstood Darcy’s character as a whole. What begins to convince Elizabeth that Darcy is a good man after all is the fact that he has specifically set up rooms to please his sister, Georgiana. After she encounters Darcy at the entrance, Elizabeth’s thoughts begin to race as she wonders what Darcy has been thinking ever since his absence in Longborough. Coming from a person who is sincerely pragmatic, Elizabeth rationalizes to herself that Mr. Darcy’s change of mood could be based off her comments during their random interaction at the estate. Elizabeth also realizes that, unlike her previous misconception, the people around Darcy’s estate favor his character. Contrastingly, Darcy is unfavorable in Longborough, and it is this misconception that has followed Elizabeth for the duration of the novel. Also, the fact that Mr. Darcy continuously denies to talk unfavorably to Elizabeth shows his affection towards her, which ultimately influences Elizabeth to consider Darcy’s affection. Despite Miss Bingley’s constant dislike towards Elizabeth and the Bennets, Elizabeth and Darcy manage to indirectly appreciate each other. 

P&P #8 Analysis

            Both Jane and Elizabeth experience an emotional decline when their realizations of marriage continuously diminish. Elizabeth has shown interest in Mr. Wickham, however, his relation with Mr. Darcy skews creates a cognitive dissonance: she originally admires him, but she questions whether or not she should reveal Wickham’s unpleasant character. Similarly, Jane still shows affection for Mr. Bingley even he leaves Longborough. He decides to leave Jane for another woman, and that action should spark jealousy or hatred; but to Jane, she still regards Mr. Bingley with affection. Also, Elizabeth is upset with her good friend, Charlotte, being able to inherit the estate at Longborough once Mr. Bennet passes away. Elizabeth talks favorable of Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam as a form of abhorring Mr. Wickham’s disdainful personality. As a result, Wickham is enraged. Evidently, both Elizabeth and Jane experience downfalls in relationships with men in society. They both cope with their relationships declining by rationally approaching their problem rather than emotionally reacting. However, Elizabeth approaches emotionally when she attempts to deceive Mr. Wickham into thinking that she shows affection for both Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam.  

P&P #1-7 Analysis

            The reoccurring theme of pride dominates Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as materialistic and personal values of marriage regulate society. The novel begins with a direct statement regarding the societal requirements of marriage: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen 5). According to Mrs. Bennet, she makes the assertion that marriage and material worth coincide with each other. The more money individuals inherit, the better the chances are for these individuals to marry. The fact that she responds with “A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!” (Austen 6) accentuates how materialistic worth is the defining concept of marriage. Later in the novel, Elizabeth remarks that “I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve [love] entirely away” (Austen 45). Throughout the beginning of the novel, marriage has been solely defined by inheritance. The interest in materialistic worth exceeds the interest for sheer love, even though Charlotte explains that “there are a very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement” (Austen 22-23). In a society that seeks out materialistic worth, men are only allowed to gain access to marriage if they posses high materialistic worth. Pride, a result from high social status, is the result of favorableness among individuals in society. The characters throughout then novel exhibit pride in the sense that the amount of pride an individual has defines what their social status is as seen in Elizabeth’s remark to Mr. Darcy, “I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine” (Austen 21). Pride, social status, and materialistic wealth all come into play in terms of marriage. Though Elizabeth proclaims that her pride is crushed since she overheard Mr. Darcy saying that she does not please him, pride plays a crucial role in being accepted into society. As Mary states, “Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity to what we would have others to think of us” (Austen 21). Elizabeth’s pride is lost, and as a result, her social standing is crumbed based on her own opinion of herself. To others, she still remains a possibility for a suitable marriage. Marriage, as a whole, is dictated by internal assessments along with an individual’s materialistic wealth. 

1994 Essay Prompt

Prathit Kadam

Mr. George

AP English Composition and Literature

11 April 2013

1994 Essay Prompt

            The brief appearance of characters signifies an important presence in some works of literature. In relation to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Ghost is a textbook example of a character that barely appears in the text yet holds a firm, significant position. The Ghost’s short-lived appearance in Hamlet provides an external influence to Hamlet’s antic disposition throughout the text.

            The Ghost’s brief appearance within the text is deliberately placed in order to alleviate the theme of madness. At first, the Ghost notifies Hamlet about Claudius murdering Hamlet’s father for the throne of Denmark. By doing so, the Ghost influences Hamlet to conflict with his own thoughts. This cognitive dissonance that Hamlet experiences directly relates to the Ghost’s sudden appearance in the beginning of the text.  The disharmony between subjectivity and reality is one of the few influences the Ghost imposes on Hamlet’s interpretation of madness. Hamlet is unable to distinguish the Ghost’s presence as either real or subjective. By unable to distinguish the Ghost’s influence, Hamlet resorts to an antic disposition that convinces other characters, like Polonius and Claudius, that Hamlet’s madness is internally driven. However, Hamlet’s antic disposition creates a feigned madness; he convinces others that his madness is internally driven where in reality, it is actually externally motivated.

            The theme of madness is one of the few dominant themes within the text. The Ghost’s short-lived appearance in the beginning of the text provokes Hamlet to over-think the rationality of the Ghost’s deliverance. Prior to encountering the Ghost, Hamlet is retracted into a solemn state where he mourns about his father’s death. Once he realizes the legitimacy of the Ghost’s words, Hamlet is thrust into a position where he is unable to balance rationality versus irrationality and logic versus excessive emotion. Since one of the few predominant themes deals with madness, the appearance of the Ghost initiates this whole whirlpool of madness and confusion that floats in the text.  Although the Ghost does not appear as much as the other characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, his brief appearance yields significance. The Ghost’s appearance, in a way, jumpstarts the theme of madness by forcing Hamlet into an antic disposition where he convinces others that he is internally mad. By doing this, the Ghost is able to extenuate a great influence over Hamlet based on such a short-lived appearance. 

Interaction Between Hamlet and Gertrude (III. iv.)

            The interaction between Hamlet and his mother, Gertrude, exhibits polar extremes between the two: Hamlet attempts to justify his madness whereas Gertrude reactions emotionally to Hamlet’s madness.. Hamlet misinterprets Polonius’ voice as the King’s for when Polonius exclaims, “What ho! Help!” (III.iv.27) and proceeds to slay him while certain that Claudius is behind the tapestry. In response to Gertrude’s shock, Hamlet comments on his action by deliberating comparing it to the heaviness of Claudius’s marriage to Gertrude. In doing so, he explains, “A bloody deed—almost as bad, good mother, / As kill a king and marry with his brother”, as a justification for why he mistakenly killed Polonius instead of his intended target, Claudius.  He justifies his thoughts as a warning towards Gertrude, explaining to Gertrude, “Confess yourself to heaven, / Repent what’s past, avoid what is to come, / And do not spread the compost on the weeds / To make them ranker” (III.iv.170-173). Hamlet can be seen as someone who is protecting his mother from the malevolent claws of Claudius. He, rather than revenging against Gertrude, attempts to warn her from the “compost of weeds”. Unfortunately, Gertrude reacts emotionally rather than cognitively to Hamlet’s justification for his action, where she states, “O Hamlet, speak no more!” (III.iv.99) and “Alas, he’s mad” (III.iv.121). In doing so, Gertrude does not give Hamlet the chance to justify for his jagged reasoning behind his task to kill Claudius. 

Time

Time

You.

Were born

To fulfill destiny.

The stars mark the

journey you take in life.

Take, into account, all your choices

that will map out how you live.

Make the best out of all upcoming opportunities,

and let all everlasting experiences move you forward.

Time will always run its course against you,

despite your attempts to slow it down

when you are feeling incredibly overwhelmed.

When you slowly fade away,

When time fails itself

while beside you,

You are

Lost