Hamlet Quote Log #13

"Such a sight as this / Becomes the field but here shows much amiss / Go, bid the soldiers shoot" (5.2.447-49).

Multiple deaths have just occurred at the end of the play.  Fortinbras decides to honor the death of Hamlet by allowing the soldiers to fire guns.  Fortinbras' act of kindness demonstrates the success of these two very similar characters.  From the beginning of the play, both of these characters demonstrate the common bond of losing their father.  They both try to avenge for their father's death through in the internal and external struggles in the play.  The moment Fortinbras returns to Denmark with good news, his success reflects upon Hamlet's decision to finally kill himself.  For the whole play, Hamlet ponders on the repercussions of committing suicide.  Once he finally kills Claudius, Hamlet realizes that he has fulfilled his purpose in life, so now he can face his fears since that moment he killed Claudius has been one of the highest and happiness moments the reader has ever seen Hamlet.  The play may be a tragedy, but the fact that Hamlet and Fortinbras represent the success over the internal and external struggles, the play cannot be a true tragedy, as the ending was discreetly honorable and happy.

Hamlet Quote Log #12

“Faith, if he be not rotten before he die / (ass we have many pocky corses <nowadays> that will / scarce hold the laying in), he will last you some / eight year or nine year” (5.1.169-72).

Hamlet converses with the gravedigger and the gravedigger enlightens Hamlet with the topic of death.  The gravedigger utilizes this analogy to demonstrate how some people are rotten before the die.  Literally, the meaning of rotten is old, decaying matter.  He exemplifies the other meaning of rotten as bad personality and motives.  The gravedigger states that some people just fall apart by being so rotten, and that will end up in doom.  This foreshadows the character King Claudius.  He has been very rotten, since the beginning, by having the sole cynical intentions of desiring the queen, crown, and land.  In order to achieve those desires, he had to have killed King Hamlet.  There was no remorse from the new king, highlighting his rotten persona.  Following the gravedigger's words of wisdom, King Claudius starts to deteriorate as he is struck by the eerie words of Hamlet, as Hamlet explains how he must get his revenge.  Also, Claudius deteriorates when he cannot handle Hamlet's play, as his conscious creeps up upon him.  Finally, in Act four, the audience can see how rotten Claudius really is when he manipulates Laertes to take revenge on Hamlet, so Claudius does not have to do any work.  This foreshadowing shows how Claudius is becoming more and more rotten as the play progresses; sooner or later, he will fall apart into his own death.

Hamlet Quote Log #11

"And where th' offense is, let the great ax fall" (4.5.244).

Shakespeare gives Claudius such as simple sentence that foreshadows a deeper meaning.  Claudius converses with Laertes about getting revenge on Polonius' death.  Laertes' emotions conflict with his conscience when he decides whether or not to take revenge.  Appealing to ethos, Claudius persuades Laertes to take revenge on his father's death.  Shakespeare conveys the theme of characters being easily manipulated by their emotions into taking revenge.  This cunning, malicious act demonstrates Claudius' sinful actions, reflecting upon his murder on King Hamlet.  The analogy that Claudius displays is ironic because he is motivating Laertes to punish those who are guilty with death.  Claudius is guilty for killing Hamlet's father, and Hamlet is guilty for killing Laertes' father.  This analogy must foreshadow the death of both of these characters as for both of their actions have made them guilty, and eventually they must face the consequences.
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Hamlet Quote Log #8

"Tis meet that some more audience than a mother, / Since nature makes them partial, should o'erhear / The speech of vantage" (3.3.34-36).

King Claudius is so terrified that he can no longer watch the duration of the play as his guilt for murdering Hamlet's father catches up to him.  Polonius, the good friend that he is, decides to snoop on the conversation between Hamlet and his mother because Polonius is such a good subject of his majesty's.  Polonius stereotypes Queen Gertrude as being partial to her son because she is his mother, and females have the tendency of being more compassionate.  These characteristics lead Polonius to listen in on Hamlet and his mother's conversation.  King Claudius allows this behavior to happen, which is kind of devious of him because it demonstrates that King Claudius cannot even trust his own wife to fix this predicament.  The reoccurring theme of lacking trust is demonstrated, foreshadowing how Hamlet do not trust anyone and the people around him do not even trust the people around them.  This highlights the internal and externals struggles within the tragedy.

Hamlet Quote Log #7

"O heavens, die two / months ago, and not forgotten yet?  Then there's / hope a great man's memory may outlive his life half / a year" (3.2.138-141).

Hamlet sarcastically responds to Ophelia's questions.  As the reader, we know that Hamlet would never mock his own father.  The only thing that is keeping Hamlet sane is the memory he has of his father.  King Hamlet was noble and honorable: someone who is not easily forgotten.  The fact that Hamlet suggests that his father is not forgotten yet parallels Queen Gertrude's feelings on the matter.  She has just married King Claudius after two months of her husbands death.  Apparently, that is enough time for her to move on in her life.  Since Hamlet is mocking this situation, it shows that Hamlet is coping with his miserable life by playing along with the situation.  Hamlet loves his father, and he would not dare mock his father on purpose in any manner. 

Hamlet Quote Log #3

"Hate me to know't, that I, with wings as swift / As meditation or the thoughts of love, / May sweep to my revenge" (1.5.35-38).

Hamlet has only been talking to the ghost for a few seconds, and all of a sudden Hamlet is fumed with anger to get revenge upon someone.  He compares his celerity to revenge to be faster than the love someone can give.  The audience finds out that the ghost proclaims that King Claudius is the one who has slain Hamlet's father.  There is no proof that the ghost is real though.  Some may argue that the ghost is real because this apparition was physically seen by Marcellus, Barnardo, and Horatio in the first scene.  I believe that the ghost is not real because Hamlet is too quick in his decisions.  From previous scenes, the reader knows that Hamlet is compassionate and he honors his father.  It is a possibility that Hamlet is misusing his emotions to believe that there is a ghost, and the ghost is guiding him to do actions sub-consciously.  The ghost is not real, but Hamlet's emotions are.  In the end of the scene, Hamlet does not want anyone to know that he is talking to a ghost because it might make him seem crazy.  I feel like this foreshadows that there is no ghost, when really Hamlet is just expressing his emotions because he was not able to in front of his parents in scene two.

Hamlet Quote Log #2

"O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason / Would have mourned longer ... / It is not, nor it cannot come to good. / But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue (1.2.154-164).

The reader's first impressions about Hamlet are that he truly cares for his father and he is kind of passive.  Shakespeare highlights Hamlet's affection for his father by giving King Claudius and Queen Gertrude merciless tones.  Hamlet comments on his own mother's actions, causing him to be in great disgust.  He compares his mother's affection to be lower than one of a beast's.  Queen Gertrude marries King Claudius hastily, not considering that her husband has just died.  Regardless of Hamlet's anger for his new parents' affection, Hamlet's taciturn and diffidence behavior causes him to not be able to stand up for what he believes in.  The audience can see that Hamlet venerates his father when Hamlet banters to Horatio about that apparition Horatio saw last night.  Hamlet is a protagonist we can root for because he goes against his current family's beliefs in order to live on the legacy of his fallen father.

Last Pride and Prejudice Essay: Clash of the Classes

Richard Pho

Mr. George

Honors World Literature

18 March 2011

Clash of the Classes

            Abiding in eighteenth century hierarchical England, Jane Austen is criticized for a being a classist due to her literary works.  Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, epitomizes the effects of social hierarchy on Longbourn, England.  Austen signifies class absurdity by revealing how the novel revolves around social, moral, and economic stability.  The theme of class reflects upon the reputation of the middle and upper classes.  Though the characters and their decisions, Austen personifies social adversity as she manifests the solution to overcoming these barriers.

            Austen utilizes juxtaposing diction to convey the social classes’ personality and the reputation that follows them.  Jane Bennet is described cordially as humble, pretty, good-natured, and agreeable.  Austen implements pleasant sounding diction to validate her affection for the middle class.  These words highlight the significant difference between the middle and upper classes.  In the beginning, Mr. Darcy appears to be a bit robotic. He always has a monotone response and does not want to associate with people out of his social class.  Mr. Darcy appears programmed with certain characteristics emblematic of the upper class: a precise point that Austen endeavors to convey.  He is characterized as handsome, and the “proudest, most disagreeable man in the world” (Austen 11).  His haughty personality personifies the upper class’ stereotype of being egotistical.  Looking at the contradicting diction used to describe the two social classes, the word “handsome” is repetitively used to show a more connotative meaning about the classes.

            Austen describes people associated in each class to be “handsome”.  The denotation of the word “handsome” is “having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength” (dictionary.com).  The denotation applies to a plethora of characters in the novel.  Looking at the middle class, Jane is both beautiful on the inside and the outside.  Looking at the upper class, both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley appear to be prim and proper.  Austen wants her audience to interpret the connotation of the word “handsome” as being one of high social status.  Throughout the novel, only members of the upper class have been described to be handsome, regardless of their gender.  Mr. Darcy describes Elizabeth as one “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” (Austen 12).  Clearly, Mr. Darcy is not talking about her countenance because he could have used the word “pretty” or “attractive”.  Mr. Darcy is not tempted by Elizabeth because she belongs to a lower social class.  There is an impediment between the social classes, ultimately creating social asperity.

            The novel depicts two social classes that dispute over the concept of power.  Austen exploits different characters to convey the absurdity of this hierarchical society.  From the beginning of the novel, Charlotte Lucas and Elizabeth Bennet quarrel over the men in their society.  Charlotte views the men as power wielders. Women only achieve social recognition through the men they marry.  Charlotte believes “in nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show more affection than she feels” (20).  The emphasis on the word “more” demonstrates how women need to show affection even if they do not care for the man.  From Charlotte’s perspective, the sole goal is to marry rich: a prevalent goal of Longbourn’s women.  On the contrary, Elizabeth believes that men need to work for the women they desire to marry.  Their juxtaposing beliefs reveal Austen’s perspective on the corruption of the classes.  In this time period, the upper class males withhold all of the power because they are the only ones capable of passing on their social distinction.  The middle class wants to marry someone prestigious to increase their status.  Unfortunately, the upper class does not want to decrease their status.  Austen establishes this bitterness when Caroline Bingley persuades Mr. Bingley not to have a connection with Jane Bennet, although she has the beauty of an upper class citizen. Caroline is afraid “with such a father and mother, and such low connections, [she is] afraid there is no chance of it” (32).  The antecedent of “it” is the chance of Jane marrying and achieving social recognition.  Caroline displays a condescending tone to show that Jane may never get married in her life because of her social status.  Austen gives Caroline a condescending tone to construe the upper class’ avarice. With the fight for power, there transpires a conflict, similar to the social oligarchy depicted in George Orwell’s 1984.

            1984 depicts a social struggle between the proles and the inner party, similar to a struggle between the middle and upper classes of Longbourn, England.  Oceania’s hierarchical society preserves a division of power, keeping the lower class immobile to maintain supremacy and strength.  Divided by the classes’ wealth, a tension propagates between the middle and lower classes to rise and overthrow the ruling upper class: “Of the three groups, only the Low are never even temporarily successful in achieving their aims” (Orwell 202). O’Brien gives Winston a book containing the party’s three slogans.  In “Ignorance is Strength”, the lower class always attempts to achieve power.  Despite all of their arduous struggles, they are always pushed back down to the bottom through restraints such as Newspeak, doublethink, and the thought police.  Similar to 1984, the middle class must pass through the stubbornness of the upper class. Austen believes that the classist society demonstrates that the upper class embodies characters we hate because they solely care for power and wealth.  The characters we care for are at the bottom and they have difficulties rising up.  Austen conveys that the lower class need to obtain the trust of an upper class member to achieve such success or else social achievement is implacable. 

Achieving trust is a difficult task due to the prejudice that the upper class has towards their social inferiors.  Lady Catherine and Elizabeth argue over Elizabeth’s social status. Lady Catherine feels that Elizabeth is inferior because she is one out of “five daughters brought up at a home without a governess” (141).  Lady Catherine implies that the lower class is dirty because, without having a governess, Lady Catherine considers people raised unlike herself as paltry.  Through all of Lady Catherine’s impudent comments, Elizabeth is victorious in defending her honor and her family.  Though this may only be one quarrel in the novel, the concept of marriage elicits more disparity.

            The importance of marriage seems to build around the concepts of wealth and status, bringing forth proposals to improve one’s social ranking.  The first proposal was from Mr. Collins.  Mr. Collins is not a member of the upper class, but he likes to think of himself as one.  In proposing to Elizabeth, he displays characteristics not in any typical proposal.  He claims he needs a wife for his profession, because someone told him he should get a wife, and because she needs money.  Mr. Collins lacks love in his proposal.  His proposal is a bit mercenary: a characteristic of the upper class.  Mr. Collins solely wants to improve his social image by getting married, disregarding the true objectives of matrimony.  Austen utilizes marriage to convey how this is the only way one can advance in their classist society.  Austen finds this absurd because one should not feel obligated to marry in order to advance in life, especially if one does not like their significant other.  Charlotte prudently marries Mr. Collins because she knows she cannot progress in life without his social status, even though she has no emotional connection with him.  Even if there is emotion in a marriage, Austen portrays that some marriages revolve around the idea of increasing one’s reputation.  With the relationship between Lydia and Wickham, Lydia truly cares for him because he is a handsome male of the militia.  Wickham makes it seem like he likes Lydia, but his true motives are mercenary.  Regardless of whatever the marriage may be for, they all end up being related to social status.  Austen believes that the world of the protagonists may have class absurdity, but the protagonists are able to override social standards.

            Through the marriages of the protagonists, Austen proves that love and happiness overcome class adversity and prejudice.  The protagonists seem to flip the negativity of marrying for social advancement.  In result, they bring back the true meaning of marriage.  Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth, and Jane all break through their social barriers, resulting in two happy marriages.  Through the adversity of marriage, these characters persevere through the challenges to demonstrate that marriage is not solely for the purpose of recognition.  Looking at Mrs. Bennet’s senselessness, she sends Jane to trek to the Bingley’s so she would get sick and be forced to stay with the Bingleys.  Mrs. Bennet’s intentions were to get her daughter to marry a wealthy man, but she did not consider the concept of love and happiness.  With those concepts, Jane was able to marry the man of her dreams.  She did not care if he was rich or not; Jane and Bingley just seem to have an emotional connection.  Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship has been complex since the beginning, with different prejudices against one another.  In the end, these dynamic characters disregard their social labels, and look at the characteristics that brought them together.  Through the affection the protagonists have towards one another, Austen conveys how their classist society is absurd and if one were to disregard reputation and wealth, greater fortunes can be discovered.

            Although Austen displays her disdain for class absurdity, she portrays a resolution by making her protagonists excel over the social restraints.  Through Austen’s juxtaposing diction, she demonstrates a parallelism in people’s characteristics.  Words such as “handsome” convey both physique and social status.  Conflicts arise between the social classes involving power.  In order to obtain power, one must be joined through matrimony with a person of higher social status.  The world of the novel is self-absorbed in achieving recognition by disregarding the true meaning of marriage.  The protagonists take that concept of marriage and convey how true happiness and love can shatter social adversity.  Austen illustrates that classicism is making their society crazy, because they are all absorbed with obtaining wealth.  The audience can agree that wealth is the true incentive of the social classes, but only the least prejudiced people can achieve true happiness.  Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are the wealthiest characters in the novel.  Everyone knows money cannot buy happiness, but happiness can come along with money. 

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Signet, 1980. Print.

Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classic, 1950.

"Handsome | Define Handsome at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/handsome>.

           

Pride and Prejudice #15

"Lady Catherine was extremely indignant on the marriage of her nephew; and as she gave way to all the genuine frankness of her character, in her reply to the letter which announced its arrangement, she sent him language so very abusive, especially of Elizabeth, that for some time all intercourse was at an end" (Austen 326).

Earlier in the novel, the audience is fastidious to how Austen describes Lady Catherine.  Lady Catherine is this upper class snob that is overly protective of her status and social class.  One would think that Lady Catherine would be vexed by Darcy and Elizabeth's recent elopement.  Lady Catherine symbolizes the last obstacle for Darcy and Elizabeth's marriage.  The final chapter depicts an approbation about the marriage from Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, the Bennet sisters, and the Bingleys.  The final encounter with Lady Catherine highlights the differences in social classes beginning to intertwine.  Austen utilizes words, such as "gave away" and "end", to demonstrate Lady Catherine digressing from her old personality of being a upper class snob.  She realizes that her nephew and Elizabeth make a good couple, regardless of Elizabeth's social class.  On the levels of a romantic story arc, one can argue that Lady Catherine has finally become a round character because she disregards social adversities when it comes to her nephew's felicity.

Pride and Prejudice #14

"You have no regard, then, for the honour and credit of my nephew!  Unfeeling, selfish girl! Do you not consider that a connection with you must disgrace him in the eyes of everyone?" (Austen 300).

Compared to herself, Lady Catherine affronts Elizabeth as if she were a simpleton.  Elizabeth is odious in the eyes of Lady Catherine because Lady Catherine believes if Elizabeth and Darcy were to get married, his reputation will cease to subsist because her family's poor status will bring them both.  From the text, the audience knows that Mr. Darcy has proposed to Elizabeth once before.  The dramatic irony between the audience and the characters exemplifies the characters' personalities.  Lady Catherine is this snobbish upper class gentlewoman that has no alacrity for people beneath herself.  Lady Catherine begins to disdain Elizabeth, trashing on her family and her status.  Lady Catherine believes Elizabeth would only want to marry Mr. Darcy to bring her social status up: a selfish act on Elizabeth's part.  Verbally assaulting Elizabeth is the defense mechanism Lady Catherine utilizes in order to keep these two people apart.  The condescending question Lady Catherine concludes with sets off a malicious tone.  Regardless of Lady Catherine's portentous warnings, Elizabeth preserves through the insults, highlighting Elizabeth's independent, quick-witted personality.

Pride and Prejudice #13

"But you know married women have never much time for writing.  My sisters may write to me.  They will have nothing else to do" (Austen 276).

Ever since Lydia's elopement to Mr. Wickham, she has demonstrated an insolent behavior.  She believes that just because she is married to someone, she has a higher social class than most people.  In this case, being married is an approbation  for increasing a female's social status.  Lydia's haughtiness strikes as condescending, saying that she is too busy to write to her own family.  The task of writing is a languor.  To deride her sisters to write to Lydia is not only mocking, but disrespectful to her family.  Before her marriage, Lydia was taciturn.  It goes to show that marriage makes the difference in a female's life.  Looking at the relationship between Lydia and Mr. Wickham, they appear to have swapped personalities.  From previous knowledge, we know Mr. Wickham has no probity for his actions to Mr. Darcy.  On the other hand, Lydia was this affable daughter of the Bennets.  Looking at this specific passage, "Mr.Wickham's adieus were much more affectionate than his wife's" (276).  Lydia is so caught up on the fact that she is married that she has become pompous, rubbing off characteristics from her husband.

Pride and Prejudice: A Perfect "Ten" Love Story

Richard Pho

Mr. George

Honors World Literature

2 March 2011

A Perfect “Ten” Love Story

            Does society measure love by rating males and females on a scale from one to ten?  What really makes a love story is the conflict between two people, trying to resolve their differences for love.  The 2010 romantic comedy, She’s Out of My League, depicts an average man meeting a perfect female.  The diffident protagonist, Kirk, listens to his friends and family for advice.  Unknowingly, the female, Molly, mimics his actions.  Through the love story, two very different people gradually develop a relationship through social adversity.

            In order for a relationship to occur, Kirk and Molly need to overcome their differences.  Kirk is an average “five” male that works in an airport, has a psycho ex-girlfriend, and a crazy family.  Molly is a hard “ten” female that works as an event planner, is rich, and appears to be perfect.  The film commences with Molly falling for the average man, Kirk.  To his astonishment, he cannot comprehend why someone like Molly would like him.  In fact, everyone is baffled by their liaison.  One would not suspect a relationship because of society’s supposition of Kirk and Molly,.  Kirk’s low self-esteem aids him in creating many scenarios about why this relationship would not work out.  He constantly talks to his friends about the implacable situation he is in.   Kirk does not think a relationship between them could ever work because she exceeds his own expectations.  From Molly’s perspective, Kirk is perfect.  Coming out of an awful relationship with her ex-boyfriend Cam, she does not want to experience emotional pain ever again.  From her exterior, everyone would not believe Molly and Kirk are meant to be.  She must proves her true personality, so people do not judge her as a stereotype that only dates men that are rated a “nine” or “ten”.   Both Kirk and Molly resemble flat characters, seeing as they must overcome each others’ differences in order to develop true personas. 

            Throughout the film, Molly take numerous risks to induce a relationship.  Stainer and Patty are respectively Kirk and Molly’s best friends.  Stainer and Patty give each of their friends the same advice.  Stainer tells Kirk that he cannot be with Molly because socially, she trumps him.  Patty tells Molly that she cannot be with Kirk because she is just using him to not feel hurt again.  While shopping for new clothes, Patty questions Molly about her decision to go on a date with Kirk.  During the date, Patty calls Molly, but Molly does not answer; regardless of Molly’s perfect “ten” ex-boyfriend showing up, she still likes Kirk.  Molly demonstrates to society, and the audience, that she can like whomever she desires.  Just because she is highly attractive does not mean she cannot still fall for the average male. 

Regardless of Molly’s disposition toward Kirk, Kirk pushes her away, allowing Molly to demonstrate her true feelings for him.  Cam and Kirk both work in the airline business, except Kirk is paltry compared to Cam because Cam is a pilot, whereas Kirk solely works as a luggage inspector. Their corresponding occupations parallel their social statuses.  Kirk’s diffidence kicks in as he infuriates Molly.  Near the end, Kirk attempts to find flaws with Molly, knowing that she is self-conscious about her appearance.  Molly’s true colors show as she tells Kirk that he is a perfect “ten” in her eyes, and that should be all that matters.  The flat characters seem to always be pushing the other away, but in the end, they end up being together.

            The climax of a love story always resolves a predicament, causing the reader to feel good in the end.  Kirk’s married friend, Devon, laconically gives Kirk advice: “So, Kirky, let me tell you something, if Molly is the right girl, that's all that matters. You just, you stand up. You stand up. You get in front of her. You get right in her grill and you say, ‘Hey, I am Kirk Kettner, and I am right here, standing in front of you... right here. Here I am.’” (She’s Out of My League).  Devon penetrates through Kirk’s low self-esteem, causing Kirk to realize that he is a great person, and he should be with someone that he deserves.  When Kirk gets back with Marnie, Stainer and Patty realize that they have been pushing away a great relationship between Kirk and Molly.  They end up working together to get Kirk and Molly back together. The audience feels good in the end because Kirk and Molly end up being together, and realizing they are perfect “tens” in each others’ eyes.  The good people end up being rewarded, leaving the bad people with nothing.  In the end, Marnie is screwed because she does not have Kirk or her ex-boyfriend.  Through all of their differences, Kirk and Molly end up being perfect for each other.

Resembling the outline of a romance, two flat characters overcome their differences and create a relationship that the audience assents to.  The flat characters, Kirk and Molly, oscillate back and forth between each other, until they are brought together by their common misunderstanding.  The whole movie revolves around the idea of rating people on a scale of one through ten.  Society can deduct as many points as it wants, but all that matters is that Kirk and Molly attain felicity with one another.  Just like all romances, society would give that a perfect “ten”.

Pride and Prejudice #12

"Ah! Jane, I take your place now, and you must go lower, because I am a married woman" (Austen 265).

Ever since Lydia's elopement to Wickham, she has become very narcissistic.  Returning home to talk to her family,  every word out of Lydia's mouth has the word "I" in it.  The repetition of the word "I" makes her seem like she is above everyone else.  The more Lydia talks to family about her marriage, their vexation increases, regarding Mrs. Bennet.  Mrs. Bennet is ignorant enough to disregard the words coming out of her daughter's mouth.  Mrs. Bennet's felicity is due to her daughter's marriage, a concept Mrs. Bennet promotes as propitious.  Regarding Mrs. Bennet, because she is crazy, Lydia appears a bit haughty.  Previously, her father "lifted up his eyes [and] Jane was distressed" (264).  Lydia is one of the youngest Bennet sisters.  She has the audacity to speak to her oldest sister in a such a non-amiable manner.  The fact that she calls Jane lower than herself is not only condescending, but Lydia demonstrates the significance of marriage in the world of the novel.  Marriage is essential to the women for their social status and wealth

Pride and Prejudice: Importance of Marriage

Richard Pho

Mr. George

Honors World Literature

14 February 2011

The Importance of Marriage

            In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen construes the importance of marriage for the women of Longbourn.  Women focus solely on marriage due to the society they abide in.  These women look for wealthy men that have high social status, disregarding the true objectives of a marriage.  Through the marriages and relationships in the novel, Austen demonstrates the juxtaposing reasons for these commitments; love versus wealth.

            For most women, marriage was a task of gaining social benefits.  The novel commences with the importance of marriage from society’s point of view: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in a want of a wife” (Austen 5).  The reader is acquainted with marriage as a process of increasing social status and financial benefits.  After Mr. Collins’ terrible proposal to Elizabeth, Mr. Collins ends up marrying Charlotte Lucas.  Charlotte marries Mr. Collins in order to attain financial and social security.  Women feel the need to marry any gentleman they see to achieve social status.  Women were nothing without a male figure to support and protect them.  They heavily stressed marriage because without it, they were lost in society.  Women took extreme measures no matter the consequences.

            Following the ordeals of society, marriages do not end up reflecting their denotation.  A marriage is a commitment between two people due to a certain bond and connection.  Looking at the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, they appear to have married for incorrect reasons. Their relationship consists of agitation and insanity. Mr. Bennet has a witty sense of humor that irritates his wife. This is the only enjoyment he gains from Mrs. Bennet.  Mrs. Bennet devises insane plans for her daughters to get married.  Her insanity annoys Mr. Bennet.  The flaws in their marriage augment as they progress through their lives: “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance” (21).  Through societal constraints, women solely search for a significant other, disregarding key components such as happiness and love.  Austen utilizes Elizabeth to highlight the importance of marrying for love instead of wealth.

            The reader views the world of the novel through Elizabeth’s perspective in order to understand the absurdity of marrying for reasons other than love.  All the women obsess over marriage, but Elizabeth refuses to marry any gentleman she has no feelings for.  After Mr. Collins’ proposal, she reacts in a manner reflecting her independent persona: “Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me.  I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them" (93).  It may seem foolish of Elizabeth to refuse an offer from a gentleman of such social status.  Any other woman would take Mr. Collins for herself.  Elizabeth juxtaposes societal standards.  Even though Elizabeth is alone, she is happy with her life because she can refuse her the standards of marrying for social status and wealth, rather searching for her true love and happiness.

            Women find marriage essential in order to achieve social status and wealth, disregarding the true objective of their happiness and love.  Most of the women have a mind frame of marrying a gentleman at a higher social class than themselves, in order to move their family and progeny forward.  These marriages may have their benefits, but they do not necessarily have happiness and love.  Those two characteristics usually come in chance when marrying in the world of the novel.  Elizabeth avoids that chance, and exemplifies the true objective of marriage.  Ignoring the pressures to marry for social status that society presented her, Elizabeth marries for the real reason: love.

Pride and Prejudice #10

"Be assured, my dear sir, that Mrs. Collins and myself sincerely sympathize with you ... no arguments shall be wanting my part that can alleviate so severe a misfortune ... the death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison to this ... throw your unworthy child from your affection forever, and leave her to reap the fruit of her own heinous offense" (Austen 248).

This is only a glimpse of the horrendous letter Mr. Collins sends to Elizabeth.  As a reader, I am vexed by Mr. Collins' audacity.  His regretful tone comes across as a stab in the back.  He utilizes words such as misfortune and reap to demonstrate the faults of Lydia.  Who is he to judge one of the Bennet daughters?  His celerity  in making such judgments makes him appear like a fool.  The fact that Mr. Collins and his wife sympathize for Elizabeth is a condescending statement.  He affronts her by demonstrating that he is married, while Elizabeth is not.  It does not matter because he married prudently, while Elizabeth wants to marry for love.  When Mr. Collins says "no arguments shall be made", he surmises that the Bennet family is totally chaotic and out of control.  The Bennets get into too many arguments, which is why they cannot even control one of their daughters.  Mr. Collins accosts the Bennets by bringing death into the situation.  Comparing death as an appropriate option to the current situation is not only drastic, but iniquitous.  To conclude my hatred for Mr. Collins,  he ends the letter by having the audacity to speak about Lydia in such a manner.   This is coming from the man that got rejected by Elizabeth, so he married her best friend instead.  Mr. Collins is odious because he does not have the right to speak about Lydia like that.  No matter her actions, his letter goes against the social etiquette because he disrespects all of the Bennets.

Pride and Prejudice #8

"It is natural that obligation should be felt, and if I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you.  But I cannot - I have never desired your good opinion, and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly.  I am sorry to have occasioned pain to anyone.  It has been most unconsciously done, however, and I hope will be of short duration" (Austen 161-62).

Elizabeth's reaction to Mr.Darcy's propensity reflects her personality.  She is vexed by how Mr.Darcy would propose to her by talking about the inferiority between them, such as their social status.  His action parallels the actions of the upper class, similarly to Lady Catherine and her snobbish persona.  Elizabeth becomes odious because this is the second time she has been proposed to in a manner she is not fond of.  Elizabeth is the protagonist searching for true love and felicity.  Comparing the awful proposal of Mr.Collins to the awful proposal of Mr.Darcy, they both are paltry in the eyes of Elizabeth.  Looking at Austen's syntax, she has straight forward simple sentences to demonstrate Elizabeth being one sides with her anger.  Looking at the verb tense being used, there is a play on conditional versus reality.  Elizabeth thinks of what she should say, but in the moment, she does the opposite.  Many of the verbs are in the negative to demonstrate her resentment and anger for Mr.Darcy, which foreshadows her anger for him when he admits to ruining her sister's relationship with Mr.Bingley.

Pride and Prejudice #7

The reader becomes acquainted with the apex of social status.  Lady Catherine "was a tall, large woman, with strongly-marked features, which might once have been handsome." (Austen 139).  Austen does not randomly choose these words for no apparent reason.  Austen utilizes masculine diction in order to demonstrate the power Lady Catherine wields.  Words such as tall and large give the reader a physical and analytical image of Lady Catherine being socially above everyone else.  The reader must be fastidious in Lady Catherine's description because she is the second woman in the novel to be brought upon as handsome.  Previously, Elizabeth is professed by Darcy to be "tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt [himself]" (12).  The word handsome implies a connotation of not one’s physique, but one's social status.  In chapter three, Darcy is not tempted by Elizabeth because his robotic persona categorizes Elizabeth by her social status, one below his own.  Looking at Lady Catherine, her social status parallels her characteristic of being handsome.   Lady Catherine is nothing close from being obsequious; she reflects her social class by being insolent.  When she converses with Elizabeth about Elizabeth's misfortune, Lady Catherine discreetly displays her iniquity: "Your father's estate is entailed on Mr.Collins ... I see no occasion for entailing estates from the female line.  It was not thought necessary in Sir Lewis de Bourgh's family" (140-41).  Lady Catherine affronts the Bennet family by speaking down upon their social class.  Lady Catherine would never dream of losing her property to another person, and risk degrading her own status.

Dream Proposal

If the lady of my dreams were to propose to me, I would want the moment to be special.  There has to be the "je ne sais quoi" factor, something significant about our relationship.  The event leading up to the proposal does not have to be exquisite or cliche.  All that matters is the significance of the relationship, something out of true love.  A proposal that I love dearly is the proposal of my father to my mother.  It was in the 1980s and in Cambodia.  My dad was madly in love with my mother, and she returned the same affection.  Time went by and simplistically, my father let out the question "Will you marry me?"  In awe, my mother consented on one condition, that she would marry him once she finished school.  He consented to her request.  Unfortunately, this was the time period of the Khmer Rouge.  My father and mother were exported to America separately; my father landing in Massachusetts and my mother landing in New York.  Coming to a new land, they did not know the language.  Both of them tried to research on each others whereabouts.  Writing letters became the only possible way of communication.  My father found out that she lived in New York, but he needed to find out where.  Both of my parents decided to get a college degree.  My dad graduated first.  He decided to take a trip to New York as a reward for graduating.  Coincidentally, he recognized a face in the distance.  It was my mother.  It took a moment, but she started to realize that it was my dad.  They kept their promise and got married.  This story always gets me because something as simple as a proposal could result in a journey to be treasured forever.

Pride and Prejudice #4

"You forget that I have made no answer.  Let me do it without farther loss of time.  Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me.  I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them" (Austen 93).

Mr. Collins' celerity catches Elizabeth by surprise.  By proposing marriage to this young woman, Mr. Collins is rejected by Elizabeth in the most amiable fashion.  Even though Elizabeth utilizes words such as impossible and forget, she responds to Mr.Collins with respectful diction such as compliment and honor.  Her cordial acknowledgment to his actions demonstrates that she understands that he is a rich individual that any lady like herself would die for.   The only problem is that she does not feel a connection; Elizabeth is the type that looks for a love marriage rather than a mercenary marriage.  Due to society's standards, Elizabeth and her sisters feel constrained to create connections with any gentleman of high caliber.  Unfortunately, Elizabeth has a mother than continuously pesters her on marriage.  Looking at the relationship between mother and daughter, they are foils in their beliefs on the types of marriage, mercenary versus love.

Pride and Prejudice #2

"I never saw such a woman.  I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance as you describe, united" (Austen 35).

As Mr. Darcy expresses his ideal characteristics of a woman, Elizabeth is vexed by his speech.  She proclaims that she has never seen a woman that meets his requirements.  His assertion demonstrates that Mr. Darcy has high expectations for women.  Austen utilizes the repetition of "I never saw" to demonstrate Elizabeth's disgust towards Mr.Darcy.  She symbolizes women in general, showing how she does not agree with these characteristics because she exceeds them.  The reader can assent that the emphasis on the word "I" shows the banter between a female and a male. Women were thought to be taciturn and laconic because they were basically bound to their fathers and husbands.  Women had to put a lot of effort in order to get society's respect.  The fact that Elizabeth quarrels with Mr.Darcy shows that she can overcome society's prejudice and speak up for herself.  She knows that Mr.Darcy's list means nothing to her; all that matters is her own thought on what makes a perfect woman.

The Alchemist Essay

Richard Pho

Mr. George

Honors World Literature

5 January 2011

Topic: Explain the correlation between the prologue and the overarching theme of personal legends

Inner Reflections

            The fictional novel, The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, focuses on Santiago’s journey of unraveling his Personal Legend.  Along his exploration, Santiago displays selfishness and greed, characteristics acquainted with the prologue.  Shifting from the fable of Narcissus to the journey of a shepherd, Paulo Coelho demonstrates a parallelism between these two works of literature.  Uniquely, Coelho does not commence the book describing Santiago, rather introducing the novel with the fable.  Coelho intentionally initiates the novel with the fable to explain how the two stories correlate, revealing Santiago’s vicissitude in maturity and his recognition of his Personal Legend.

            Beginning the novel with two different stories foreshadows Santiago’s maturity and pursuit of his Personal Legend.  With the first few words of the prologue, the fable conveys powerful elements that coincide with the whole novel.  Simplistically, “[An] alchemist picked up a book … leafing through the pages, [when] he found a story about Narcissus” (Coelho xiii).  The fact that an alchemist opens a book demonstrates an aspect from the beginning of the story changing at the end.  That aspect is Santiago.  The definition of an alchemist is someone who converts a common substance into a substance of greater value.  The prologue presages Santiago gradually changing as the book progresses.  At the start of the actual novel, Coelho introduces the setting to further adumbrate Santiago’s life: “An enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood” (3).  The syntax demonstrates the actions of the sacristy and the sycamore in the past tense.  Symbolically, Santiago’s desire for religion is in his past.  Now, he can flourish like a sycamore, going through life to determine what he truly desires.  Coelho’s descriptive diction of the sycamore shows that Santiago will change immensely.  The sycamore represents life and a new beginning; it first starts off as a seed, slowly growing upwards and then branching out.  Santiago resembles a seed.  He still needs to grow and move forward, following his Personal Legend.   Not until he branches out to see the many aspects of life will he be able to determine his true desires.  As Santiago quits his former passion of religion, he explores life, going through its ups and downs, to determine what his purpose is.  Both stories begin the novel with a sense of what will eventually happen to the protagonist.    

Both stories display a sense of arrogance and selfishness, demonstrating Santiago’s clouded beliefs about his true aspirations.  Even though he was very audacious, Narcissus is described to be this prodigious, ideal human being: “He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell into the lake and drowned” (xiii).  Narcissus’ egotistical and pompous personality allows the lake to discover its own image and individuality.  Because of Narcissus’ beauty, everyone aspires to have a certain thing.  Thing is subjective to the owner.  In the fable, everyone desires Narcissus’ beauty.  In the novel, Santiago searches for that desire.  In a sense, the lake displays its selfishness.  The lake opposes the traditional views of selfishness because, when Narcissus drowned, the lake contained his essence.  The lake took his beauty, an aspect the goddess of the forest craved.  The lake’s selfishness allowed it to self-reflect, to determine its identity.   Santiago becomes selfish once he is free from his sixteen years of religious studies: “Here I am, between my flock and my treasure … There was also the merchant’s daughter, but she wasn’t as important as his flock because she didn’t depend on him” (27).  Santiago desires three things: women, money, and traveling.  Santiago’s father gives him three gold coins to travel and discover his Personal Legend.  Santiago is distracted by these materialistic items, simply depending on them, when he should be depending on himself.  The whole point of a Personal Legend is to determine one’s identity.  At this point, Santiago has a juvenile mindset, not looking at what life has to offer, rather yearning for his current desires.

As the novel progresses, Santiago becomes more engulfed with his narcissistic lifestyle, disregarding the purpose in discovering his Personal Legend.  Just like the fable, the goddess of the forest converses with the lake about Narcissus’ excellence: “For though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand” (xiii).  The goddess of the forest has been trying to obtain Narcissus for the longest time.  His beauty represents a certain ambition, paralleling Santiago’s pilgrimage of receiving the pyramids’ treasure.  Throughout the book, Santiago has always wanted the treasure.  Loitering in the desert, Santiago converses with the alchemist about his belongings: “I have a camel, I have my money from the crystal shop, and I have fifty gold pieces.  In my own country, I would be a rich man” (115).  Even though Santiago is at the highest point of his life, he is compelled to continue his journey and achieve more.  At this point, Santiago’s greed administers his decisions. Instead of the self-rewarding gifts, Santiago’s quest for tangible items, such as gold, perseveres.  His maturity resembles a child wishing for toys.  Children expect certain rewards, rather than working for the satisfaction of accomplishment. 

Due to his ignorance, Santiago begins to grieve over not noticing the significance of his journey.  The lake’s response to Narcissus’ beauty parallels Santiago’s bewilderment.  In the lake’s perspective, “I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful” (xiv).  Even though Narcissus visits the lake everyday, the lake has never noticed his beauty.  With the lake’s selfishness, the lake is one-minded.  By only looking at one perspective, other perspectives are not perceived.  Both the lake and Santiago share this characteristic.  Santiago worries too much about discovering his treasure; he disregards all of the obstacles he faced in the process.  Similar to the wise man’s proverb: “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon” (32).  The wise man enlightens the boy about his surroundings. Some people spend their lives not looking at others' perspectives, resulting in one view of life.  Santiago has been focusing on one aspect the whole time, treasure, which is tangible.  Instead, Santiago should recognize the bigger picture, looking at the experience of his journey and his accomplishments.  The second time bandits stole from Santiago; he shows that his maturity increases by recognizing the value of his journey.
            At the end of the novel, Santiago reminiscences about his travels, determining his true Personal Legend to be dependant on one’s self.  Looking back at the prologue, the lake consoles itself: “I weep because … ,in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected” (xiv).  The lake recognizes its beauty because beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  The lake can only see its splendor reflected in Narcissus’ eyes because he was beautiful.  The lake possesses inner beauty.  This parallels Santiago discovering the beauty of life.  Even when times are rough, life will continue to be great.  The lake relies on itself because it can only see itself.  This highlights Santiago forgetting his selfishness and seeing that the actual journey of his Personal Legend is just as good as achieving it.  He looks back at the pyramids to see that “they seemed to laugh at him, and he laughed back, his heart bursting with joy.  Because now his heart was bursting with joy” (163).   He looks back at the situation and sees that he was foolish to not realize that his journey was a success because even though he did not acquire the treasure of the pyramids, he learns to appreciate life.  His gratitude displays maturity.  No matter the current circumstances, he is proud of his accomplishment in discovering that he recognizes who he is as a person, and no longer needs to depend on others.

The parallelism between the fable and the novel depicts the progressive alteration of Santiago’s maturity, as he embarks upon his Personal Legend.  Looking at the fable, the lake never recognizes the beauty of Narcissus.  Until he drowns within the lake, the lake is able to utilize selfishness to its advantage.  Throughout the novel, Santiago displays his selfishness by embarking on a journey and desiring a supposed treasure.  Through his selfishness, he is able to part from depending on others.  He becomes one with himself, showing his mental maturity augment throughout his journey.  A Personal Legend can only be achieved by one’s self.  Only until one is fully mature will the universe conspire to help.