AP Poem Practice Essay

            In Greek mythology, Sirens are often represented as birds with the heads of women. Their song is irresistibly enchanting but deadly at the same time. The Sirens’ song appears in Greek epic poetry in Homer’s Odyssey. It also appears as a modern commentary on the classical story in Margaret Atwood’s poem Siren Song. The Sirens are portrayed similarly in both texts; however, the texts differ in tone and point of view.

            The Odyssey portrays the ravishing Sirens through a frantic and restless tone. From Odysseus’ ship that “was speeding toward the Sirens’ island” (1-2) to his crew that “flung themselves at the oars and rowed on harder” (22), everything is fast-paced and hectic in The Odyssey. Odysseus feels that he must work as quickly as possible to cover his crew members’ ears and pass the Sirens’ island in order to not succumb to their trap. The Sirens are so irresistible that only speed and swiftness can defy their alluring song, not free will or self control. Margaret Atwood’s Siren Song approaches the portrayal of the Sirens with a more comical and ironic tone. In her poem the Siren is the speaker and the entire poem is essentially the Siren’s song. The light-hearted tone is evident as the Siren complains that she does not enjoy “squatting on [the] island looking picturesque and mythical with these two feathery maniacs” (14-16). The entire poem is ironic because the Siren pretends to be telling the reader the secret of the song, enticing them to read more, then at the end the Siren has succeeded in pulling the reader close enough to kill them, but not actually by singing them the Siren song.

            Both authors are successful in displaying the dangers of the Sirens, even through different points of view. Homer’s The Odyssey is seen through Odysseus’ point of view, while Atwood’s Siren Song is seen through a Siren’s point of view. Odysseus’ point of view lets the reader see how physically and mentally difficult it is so resist the Sirens. Odysseus has his men tightly tie him down to the ship so he cannot escape and turn the ship into its own demise. It is interesting to see the Siren’s point of view because it gives the reader insight into just how easy it is for the Sirens to seduce the men of the sea. The Sirens make their target feel special when they say, “I will tell the secret to you, to you, only to you” (19-20). After the Sirens make the men feel like one of a kind, a simple “come closer” (21) gets them hooked with no return. The Sirens’ power is so potent that it can be felt by the reader from a victim’s point of view and from the perpetrator’s point of view.

            Although the tones and point of views differ, both texts portray the Sirens as stunning, tempting creatures that have the ability to destroy lives through the beauty of their voices. Their ravishing voices make them irresistible to the point where no self control can be practiced by the victims. The men of the sea know of the dangers but cannot resist when tempted. Both texts are successful and accurate in their portrayals of the Sirens.

P&P: #1-5

            Just about everyone in Pride and Prejudice is proud, but almost to a fault. First and foremost is Elizabeth. Elizabeth is too proud to dance with Mr. Darcy because of his haughty disposition and Mr. Darcy is too proud to dance with, or even have a conversation with anyone who is not rich or well bred. Therefore, both of their excessive prides cause a clash in personalities. It seems as though Elizabeth has a problem with everyone she encounters; her pride causes her to dislike Bingley’s sisters and Mr. Collins. Mrs. Bennet is proud and believes her family is more propitious than the Lucas family and is visibly upset when Charlotte accepts Mr. Collins’s marriage proposal. At the moment, Mr. Bennet is the only character that does not express excessive pride; he is indifferent to all of the pretentious courting that is going on around him. The excess of pride in the characters leads to the prejudices that are demonstrated. To be accepted in this society, one must be wealthy, come from a good family, and be good looking. Once Mr. Bingley finds a more economically suitable match to marry, his sisters express their disdain towards Jane for not being of sufficient social class to marry their brother. Prejudice runs through their society with celerity, just as jealously makes them all want what they cannot have.

            Pride is evident in Mr. Collins proposal to Elizabeth. He is insincere and shallow and Elizabeth does not take it for one second. He begins by listing all of the reasons why she should marry him. Mr. Collins states, “I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness” (92). A marriage proposal is supposed to be enticing and appealing, but Mr. Collins’s is anything but tempting. He clearly values his own happiness over his future wife’s happiness and makes no mention of how this is favorable for Elizabeth. Marriage is a two-way street, but Mr. Collins is only focused on what he will gain from the arrangement. Mr. Collins ends his proposal in a manner that assumes Elizabeth has already agreed to marry him, which demonstrates his excessive pride. Of course Elizabeth rejects his proposal, as she is too proud to lower her standards. Once again excessive prides cause a clash.

AP Practice Essay

1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

            Shakespeare’s Hamlet demonstrates an appropriate ending and provides significant closure. First of all, every Shakespearean tragedy ends in death, so the four deaths that occur in Act V of the play are justified, in a literary sense. The first person to die is Queen Gertrude, who mistakenly drinks the poison that is intended to kill Hamlet. Gertrude is seen to side with her new husband, Claudius, in opposition to Hamlet. She truly believes that Hamlet has turned crazy and reprimands him for mourning the death of his father for too long. She betrays Hamlet and her deceased husband, so her incestuous tendencies validate her death. Shakespeare discretely adds purpose to Gertrude’s death, as it is not meant to be ironic. Gertrude dies mistakenly, as she is deceived and misled into thinking that the drink is safe, just as her duplicitous actions betray Hamlet throughout the play.

            Laertes is a man of action whose decisions are led by his strong emotions. After hearing of his father’s death, Laertes storms the castle enraged and ready to kill his father’s murderer. He ends up dying at the hands of Hamlet during a fencing match. Laertes’s death is appropriate because it is a punishment for not being able to control his emotions. He is so infuriated that he plots with Claudius to kill Hamlet before thinking over the plan. Although is it good that he takes action, Laertes is too quick to jump into battle with Hamlet. The lack of rational thinking contributes to Laertes’s downfall. King Claudius dies shortly after Laertes. Hamlet forces Claudius to drink the poison that was intended for Hamlet’s death. Claudius is the classic Shakespearean villain; he steals the crown and manipulates his way into power. Hamlet is completely justified for killing Claudius because Claudius not only steals the crown, but he also steals Gertrude as his wife. Both Claudius’s and Laertes’s plans to kill Hamlet backfire on them. In the end, karma gets both of them and their deaths are appropriate because they never earned their power in the first place.

            Lastly, Hamlet’s hamartia is what gets him killed. He spends the entire play finding excuses not to kill Claudius, when there are actually many opportunities to easily complete the act. Hamlet tends to over think everything and cannot come to conclusions. On the rare occasion that he does make a decision to take action, he never follows through. He hesitates and contemplates for too long, and when he finally acknowledges his own cowardly uncertainty, Hamlet still cannot do the deed. Hamlet’s lack of assertiveness and inability to take action ultimately lead to his own death. Shakespeare concludes the play appropriately by having Fortinbras take over. At the end of each tragedy when all of the main characters die, someone unexpected and previously insignificant always leaps in to take over. It is fitting that Fortinbras becomes the new king because he portrays the polar opposite of Hamlet; Fortinbras knows what he wants and will do whatever it takes to get it.

Hamlet: #6

            In Act III scene iv, Hamlet enters Gertrude’s bedroom full of rage. He is mentally set on condemning his mother. He storms into the room and asks his mother why she has sent for him. She says that he has offended Claudius. He interrupts her and says that she has offended his father, King Hamlet, by marrying Claudius. Hamlet goes on to tell his mother how she has betrayed her former husband and verbally attacks her with accusations. What is interesting is that Gertrude originally sends for Hamlet so she can be stern with him, but once he enters the room she becomes a subordinate once again and relinquishes all of her power as a woman. She is so quick to adopt his point of view and says that Hamlet has turned her eyes onto her soul and that she does not like what she sees there. Hamlet is skillful enough to convince his mother that all of his madness is just an act and makes her promise not to tell Claudius. He also pleads that his mother not go to bed with Claudius. Although she thinks Hamlet is crazy when the ghost arrives, Gertrude promises to keep his secret. Gertrude has no leverage as queen. She has no power in her marriage and she has no power in her relationship with her son. Her purpose as a character in this play is to demonstrate the source of Hamlet’s madness: Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius.

Sound & Sense: Chapter 16

I Am Not Different

Why do you hate me?
I am just like every other little girl.
I go to school, I eat my vegetables,
I even do house chores!

Why do you hate me?
I am just like your daughter.
I laugh with my friends, I jump rope outside,
I run around without a care in the world.

Why do you hate me?
I am just like every other human being.
I breathe the same air, I live in the same neighborhood,
I even sing the same songs.

Why do you hate me?
Why am I hiding?
Where are my parents?
When will this end?

Oh, it's because I'm Jewish?
But we speak the same language, we have the same God.
I am you, and you are me.
But I guess that
doesn't matter
anymore...

Hamlet: #5

            Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report back to King Claudius and admit their failures in finding the cause of Hamlet’s madness. Polonius then informs Ophelia of the plan to secretly observe a meeting between her and Hamlet. Polonius tells Ophelia to pretend that she is reading a prayer book to look natural, but then he has a revelation: People act devoted to God to mask their bad deeds, and this happens all of the time. Claudius hears this and declares to himself, “Oh, ’tis too true!/ How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience!/ The harlot’s cheek, beautied with plast’ring art,/ Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it/ Than is my deed to my most painted word./ O heavy burden!” (III.i.56-62). The whore’s pockmarked cheek made pretty with make-up is just like the ugly actions Claudius committed, but Claudius is disguising the ugliness with fine words. Polonius’s words makes Claudius realize how guilty he feels. However, in this section of the text there are no clues that to point to what Claudius is referring too. Does his guilt stem from murdering King Hamlet, or from taking the throne from Hamlet, or from marrying Gertrude? One can only infer that Claudius feels guilty of killing King Hamlet because he walks out of the play in the next scene.

Hamlet: #4

“Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,/ That I, the son of a dear father murdered,/ Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,/ Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words/ And fall a-cursing like a very drab,/ A scullion! Fie upon ’t, foh!” (II.ii.611-16).

            Once Hamlet hears the actor deliver a speech, he is embarrassed to realize that he has shown less urgency to avenge his father’s murder than the actor has done in his performance. He realizes that he has been moping around long enough and it is time to take action. Although he has considered all options and weighed the consequences, Hamlet feels that his father’s murderer must be killed. However, before killing Claudius, Hamlet must make sure that Claudius is in fact the King’s killer. He devises a plan to watch Claudius during the scene that mimics his father’s murder to see if Claudius looks guilty and confesses his crime. The fact that Hamlet has hatched this elaborate plan proves that he is not crazy. He is also unlike most of Shakespeare’s villains, as in Hamlet has considered the consequences of killing the new king and is not simply acting on impulse. It is almost as if Hamlet has to be convinced and swayed by the ghost to commit the act of murder; his emotions are not strong enough by themselves to make him avenge his father’s death.