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

Starting Over Poem

Starting Over

I’ve lost what I truly held onto the most,

I’ve thrown away my only opportunity

to gain what I wanted the most.

Yet, It is at this point where you will find

Two different kinds of people.

You’ll find people that learn from their experiences.

You’ll find people that are optimistic about the future.

You’ll find people that are willing to move forward

despite the hardships they face at the moment.

All in all, you’ll find people willing to seamlessly

ride the everlasting current.

You’ll find people that make the same mistakes

over and over and over again.

You’ll find people that are pessimistic about the future.

You’ll find people that are stuck where they are,

Emotionally and physically.

All in all, you’ll find people that either refuse to move on,

or are unable to do so.

Where do I fall?

I’d say in between,

But I’m willing to start over even though I can’t.

I’m willing to be optimistic after facing what seems to be a pessimistic future.

I’m willing to move forward even though gravity is holding me back.

All in all, I’m just trying, and truthfully,

I’m trying to start over.

Hamlet's Speech Analysis (to be or not to be)

Hamlet’s speech in the middle of the play holds significance to several proportions: not only does it indicate a shift within a play, but it also focuses on Hamlet’s personal opinion of man’s significance to the external world. Hamlet describes death as an escape from the body as he states, “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause” (III.i.74-76). Hamlet’s rationalization exposes itself as he attempts to explain the significance of consciousness as compared to the physical body. According to Hamlet, the body serves as a barrier that prevents the conscious from drifting off and being free. Regardless of dealing with “outrageous fortune” (III.i.66) or “take arms against a sea of troubles” (III.i.67), Hamlet’s justification for death suits his desire “To die, to sleep— / To sleep, perchance to dream”, rather than exposing himself to the yin yang of life (III.i.72-73). One’s significance to the world is measured by a clear indifference to the hostile world along with an individualistic approach to understand one’s consciousness. Reaching this stage, according to Hamlet, is achievable through death alone since he suggests that our unconscious desires are obtained through the passage from life to death. Only in death are we able to assess ourselves while disregarding any external conflicts. 

Hamlet #4 Analysis

            Hamlet’s detracted outlook of life is evidently attributed by Claudius’s absurdity towards him. Hamlet’s father, Claudius, carries out a condescending tone towards his son after Polonius attempts to explain to Claudius the “cause of Hamlet’s lunacy” (II.ii.52). Claudius, in response, remarks, “O, speak of that! That do I long to hear” (II.ii.53) as if he is obligated to assess Hamlet’s behavior. Hamlet’s indifference to the world is made apparent when he replies with, “Into my grave?” (II.ii.225) after Polonius remarks “Will you walk out of the air, my lord?” (II.ii.224). Hamlet’s disdainful response to Polonius’s question raises the question whether or not Hamlet’s absurdist character is a product of the ghost’s influence upon him, or that his absurdist character is attributed by his father’s opposition towards him. Although he wishes to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet rationalizes this by directly correlating the devil to his father’s spirit by stating, “The spirit that I have seen / May be a (devil), and the (devil) hath power / T’assume a pleasing shape” (II.ii.627-629). At this point, Hamlet recognizes the inevitable danger with his father’s speedy marriage change of power to the throne of Denmark. However, he also recognizes the disparity in how the spirit is, in fact, a representation of the devil. This realization causes Hamlet to lose rationality within himself and forces him to remain detached to others along with himself. 

It Takes Two

It Takes Two

It takes two

to connect with one another

to appreciate one another

to understand each other.

It seemed simple enough,

Yet how did we fall apart?

We were in harmony,

Yet how did we fall apart?

We were in bliss, paradise, heaven.

Yet how did we fall apart?

We had it all, until

Everything started falling out of place.

We broke the peaceful, melodious string of harmony.

We rushed it, we forced it, and we messed up.

We were too busy thinking about the future

while we failed to appreciate the present.

How does it feel, knowing that we could have done better?

We could have remained happy.

If we were meant to be together,

Then why did we dive to the cold depths of blackness?

We had our ups and downs, but they got the best of us.

Even if you forget me, or hate me, or ignore me,

Always remember that,

It takes two.