Hamlet - Essential #7

1. Do you think that Hamlet has created his own insanity, or has he lost his sense of reality completely?

• Although Hamlet may appear to be insane because of his seemingly irrational responses to others, the incisiveness of his responses shows that he is far more clear-headed than any character in this play could imagine. It is clear that he has control over his insanity because even himself has declared, "I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk form a handsaw" (II.ii.402-403). This means that he is only mad at certain times - he can distinguish between things that do not resemble each other. Therefore, Hamlet's madness is just a disguise he puts on in order to distract people, especially his enemies, from his anguish and despair of losing his father and being betrayed by his friends, his lover, and his family.
• However, from another perspective, Hamlet's insanity is a display of his intense and conflicting state of mind to the utmost. The high tensity of his mind will, in the end, tip the prince over the edge of breakdown, thus leads him into real madness which could be irreversible.
  

The Pardoner's Tale - Essential #6

1. What parallels can be drawn between the Pardoner's Prologue and his tale? How is this tale different from the other two that we have studied?

• In his tale, he talked about how gluttony and drunkenness are "enemies of the cross of Christ" (246); however, in his own life, the pardoner lusts for excessive "money, wool and cheese and wheat" (244). It is also ironic that when he has finished his condemnation of swearing, he began swear himself.
  
• Different from the Knight's tale and the Miller's tale, which the storytellers' identities and beliefs can be found in their own tales, the Pardoner's tale is actually a contrast of the pardoner's identity and his way of life. All the sins the pardoner strongly opposed in his sermon - gluttony, drunkenness, gambling, and swearing - were faults that he had either proudly claimed to possess in the prologue or showed through his actions on the pilgrimage.
  
• Off the Topic: Although many people may see the pardoner as a bad person; in my opinion, the pardoner is actually an honest man, rather than a hypocrite. In the Middle Ages, the church became extremely corrupted. Therefore, it was very common for a clergy to preach one way and acts another. The pardoner was just one of the many hypocrites who use religion as a profane tool to earn money or to get other benefits: "Believe me, many a sermon or devotive exordium issues from an evil motive. Some to give pleasure by their flattery and gain promotion through hypocrisy, some out of vanity, some out of hate" (243). When everyone is doing the wrong thing, no one would judge you for doing the same thing. Therefore, the pardoner, in the eyes of the people living in the Middle Ages, did not go against the moral code for clergies - because there are no moral code for them to follow at that time. The pilgrims embraced this hypocritical pardoner because he, at least, admitted his flaws and was being very honest about himself when he was not preaching.
  

New Society - Essential #5

1. Members' Descriptions

• Johnny Depp - As one of the sexiest men alive on earth, he is unquestionably the perfect choice to be the father figure of my society. While he shows his gentleman side as romantic, caring, and intelligent in the movie Chocolate; he is much more famous for his half-villain characters such as Sweeney Todd and Captain Jack Sparrow. However, on the other hand, he can be funny as well: the goofy but warm-hearted Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
  

• Anne Hathaway - Her beauty and delightful smile will definitely give good-looking genes to the society's offspring. She is not only as smart and elegant as a princess who is adored by everyone (Mia in The Princess Diaries), but also a hard worker who has her own belief (Andrea in The Devil Wears Prada). On the other hand, her performance as Jane Austen in Becoming Jane shows that she is an intelligent and independent woman too. All in all, her optimism and courage can bring hope and energy to the society.
  

• Morgan Freeman - No one could be a better choice than he is to be God. In Bruce Almighty, he, as God, is not only intelligent but actually omniscient. On the other hand, he is also a enforcer of law because he is the righteous and fearless Detective Somerset in the movie Se7en. Last but not least, in The Shawshank Redemption, Morgan shows that he is able to take a role in society as a faithful friend and spiritual mentor.
  

• Wall·E - He is the worker, scapegoat, and faithful follower of my society. As a robot with human heart, he is not only capable for digging trash and fixing machines, but also for making the society stable and keeping the society function. Although he is simple-minded, his passion and hope for love and life made him the perfect peace-maker of my society.
  

• Tigger -The entertainer who will keep the society energetic. Tigger is not only a faithful friend (to Winnie the Pooh) but also a caring big brother (to Roo). Therefore, he would be the perfect babysitter to help taking care of Anne Hathaway and Johnny Depp's babies.
  

2. Structure of Society:

• It is a democratic society. Under the supervision and mercy of Morgan Freeman, the God and leader, the rest members of the society is equally treated and has their specialized jobs and social responsibilities to shoulder.
  

3. Cons:

• Tigger's role is kind of pointless in a sense.
  
• This society lacks an educator and operator.
• This society is not diverse enough: there are only black and white people.

Sir Gawain & the Green Knight - Essential #4

1. How does "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" follow the archetype of an Old English poem?

• Both works follow the pattern of Old English poems. They were written to serve a symbolic or religious purpose - often associated with human's dependence on God. A hero, no matter how valorous he might be, must always "pray with all his might that Mary may be his guide till a dwelling comes in sight" (736-739). These stories show us that even heroes need to follow and knee down to God; therefore, ordinary people like us should have no question about serving God. The rich religious undertones of these poems made them religious propagandas of the Church before the Middle Ages.
• On the other hand, we can still feel the sense of male superiority in the described society of these poems. Women were portrayed as beautiful and juicy creatures for men to chase and hunt down. Their identities are pertained to their husbands or sons: from "Grendel's mother" to "his fair lady" (933), women's names are not important at all, compared to their marital or maternal relationships with the male characters.
  

• Side note: Although, for the most part, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows the archetype of Old English poems, there is still one significant difference between these two. In Beowulf, the hero has a static characteristic, which means the character's personality remain the same from the beginning to the end; however, on the other hand, Sir Gawain's characteristic is dynamic - the character's personality develops at some point of the story. Beowulf is a hero, and remains as the hero, throughout the poem; while Gawain experienced a development of personality and enhance of conscientiousness during his adventure.
  

The Ten Commandments For Love - Essential #3

1. "Thou shalt have no other girls before me."

• We can make an exception for your mom.
  

2. "Thou shalt not make yourself an idol."

• Because I should be the one you adore.

3. "Thou shalt not make wrongful use of the name of your girlfriend."

• I am not a cool and pretty thing you use to show off to your friends.

4. "Remember our anniversary, and keep it holy."

• It's much more important than your birthday.
  

5. "Honor my father and mother."

• They brought me to this world, so who else should you appreciate more?
  

6. "Thou shalt not murder."

• If someday I break up with you, you are not allowed to kill me or have these kind of thoughts.
  

7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

• Enough said.
  

8. "Thou shalt not steal (again)."

• You stole my heart in my unawareness, so I want you to love me back in return.
  

9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against our relationship."

• Be honest to me, to yourself, and to our relationship.
  

10. "Thou shalt not covet anything that belongs to your friends."

• Especially their girlfriends.
  

Beowulf - Essential #2

1. Discuss the role of women in Beowulf. How do Wealtheow and Grendel's mother compare and contrast in their roles?

• Wealtheow and Grendel's mother live in an era of absolute male domination. Women like them, no matter how noble or, on the contrary, depraved, are born to be the sacrifices of male chauvinism. Wealtheow, queen of the Scyldings, the noblest among all women, entered the story with the following description: "adorned with gold, that proud woman greeted the men in the hall, offered the cup" (606-670). Rather than depicting her inner qualities, the author chose to just superficially describe how beautiful she looks with her jewelries and how well she serves her husband - this is a neglect of human characters. Another obvious evidence for women's low social status is the nameless Grendel's mother - she does not even have a name throughout the poem! Women, at that period of time, are gorgeous creatures to entertain men or docile wives to serve their husbands. If a woman is neither gorgeous nor docile, she will be despite and alienated like Grendel's mother.
• Grendel's mother is a devilish monster. As a mourner of her only offspring's death, her heart is filled with hatred and vengeance. However, Wealtheow, the beautiful and noble queen of Scyldings, in this case, is a contrary to Grendel's mother. Wealtheow is not only graceful, but thankful for everything that was given by God. She praises the heroes while Grendel's mother fights and kills them.