Thinking v Doing

Throughout the play, Hamlet is given choices on which he must eventually act upon. It became an obvious trend that Hamlet would spend quite a while making these decisions. The ghost presents itself very early on in the play and Hamlet spends a very long time grappling the ghost’s request. Hamlet finally acts on this except accidentally kills Polonious rather than Claudius. Hamlet spent so long debating his decision that I believe he over thought it. Over thinking is something I believe I do very often. During soccer though, this has easily become my biggest fault. I become so concerned with all the little complications that I often miss the big picture of getting the ball to another teammate. Hamlet has done just this, he spent so long thinking about it that I became a weight on his shoulder. He felt so badly he needed to get rid of it that he kills polonious. Being a thinker and a doer each have their benefits, but doing too much of either creates bad situations. Outside of soccer, I see myself as a doer. One of my biggest pet peeves is when trying to make plans with friends they bring in so many small issues and complications. I think it is fun to do things on a whim occasionally, it keeps life interesting. When it comes to school, I see myself as a doer as well. Although I plan out some of my work, I am able to get it all done without a strict plan laid out for me every night. But, being a doer is not always fun. Often times I make decisions and do not think of the consequences. I am easily upset or offended by things without truly thinking “is it worth it to get mad?” These little things easily get in the way of my life and make me wish I could maybe think a little harder at times. 

Explication of "The Mirror" by Sylvia Plath

In the poem “The Mirror” Sylvia Plath uses a mirror to symbolize the way perceptions change over time, specifically those of a woman. At the beginning, Plath makes the point the mirror is “exact” and “truthful.” She does this to emphasize the point that perceptions are what change, not the actual reflection. It is how the person sees this reflection that is constantly changing. To further prove this point, the author uses many different types of mirrors like a lake or candle light. The author implies that no matter what the mirror may be, it will always give back a truthful reflection. The mirror is unlike a person in many ways. The mirror has no “preconceptions” or judgments.

The poem takes the reader through the life of a woman, at the beginning she is a little girl. This is inferred when the author speaks of “pink” and “speckles” creating the image of a young child. She also says that the speckles and pink have become “part of [her] heart” implying that her inner child will always exist. The speaker grows in age throughout the poem and in the end is an “old woman.” But, the middle phase is the lake. Here, the speaker of the poem seems to be in a much darker place than the previously mentioned speckles and pink. The lake seems to be the place where the speaker is looking for herself. This is because the speaker must “bend over” to see her reflection, while as a child the mirror was just always there. The bending over suggests some sort of struggle and effort that must be in to see herself clearly. The lake becomes almost upset with the speaker when she turns to other mirrors. As the speaker ages, she seems to be upset with it and views it as closer and closer to death rather than a celebration of longevity. The mirror compares the speaker to a “terrible fish,” which becomes smellier and smellier with each day. 

To run or not run that is the question?
As I sprint by my track coach, I wonder if it is pleasure or disapproval in his eyes
As they glaze by me, panting and fatigued.
But hey, I just ran a mile
To run should be pleasing
Yet uncomfortable and challenging all the while
My feet hit the pavement, I feel the pounding reverberate throughout my body
My shin splints make their final call for help as I round the last 400 meters
Should one push through this pain? All for what?
For the feeling at the end? When you know you did the best that you could?
But, for times when you do poorly this running, this last push feels truly frivolous
As I see the clock move past 5 minutes on my last 400, I know this feeling at the end will not come
So then I ask myself again; to run or not to run?

As the school year comes to an end I begin to ask myself, will I train for soccer this summer?
Will I put myself through the grueling sprints every single day
In the
Heat
Rain
Thunder
Lightening
Am I willing to prove to my coach that, yes I am fit
To run is to show effort, perseverance, commitment, and dedication
To run is to take time and effort, it is to get sick because I ran too much, it is to be angry because I let the girl next to me beat me
Not to run is an extra hour in the day, an extra hour to write my college essay, an extra hour to watch TV, and extra hour to have all to myself to do whatever I please
Not to run is to show I do not care about soccer or track or even my own health
So, which shall be the nobler option? To push or not to push? To prevail or not?

Act 1, Scenes 4-5

     In these 2 scenes, Hamlet finally speaks with the ghost and then speaks with his friends about his recent encounter. At the very beginning of scene 4, Hamlet stands alongside his friends while Claudius takes part in a boisterous and drunken celebration. Despite the danish tradition of drinking, Hamlet is embarrassed of Claudius's behavior. His feelings towards Claudius seem very normal. First, Claudius had just recently told him that the death of his father was something he had to accept and get over. This advice is not only harsh, but the fact that it is coming from the man now replacing his father is definitely upsetting to hear. 

       For some reason, I found myself rooting for the Hamlet men here, dead or alive. The way the ghost is portrayed makes it hard to view Hamlet as crazy. Usually, when I'm reading there's an image in mind. While reading Hamlets conversation with the ghost, it was not a ghost I imagined, but just a king. It just shows that if it was this easy for the reader to be swayed by this ghost, it must of been much easier for Hamlet.The ghost's realness made me want him to seek vengeance on Claudius. I thought it was strange that Hamlet's friends were so against him initially following the ghost, but when he returns they are dying to hear the news. I don't know why I personally feel the ghost is so credulous. It also struck me how quick Hamlet was to follow the ghost. With everything he delays decisions, but follows the ghost immediately and against the request of his friends. Right after his return though, he spends a great deal of time and detail in making his friends swear on his sword to keep quiet about the ghost. He treats his friends almost in a childish manner by talking down to them and repeating himself. 

Initial Impressions on Hamlet

       My initial impressions on the play as a whole are that it seems very dark and deceiving. When we filled out that packet, I said I would do nothing about my suspicions of my uncle, but after reading the first 3 scenes my opinion has changed. King Claudius appears sketchy right off the bat. If Hamlet was written today, King Claudius would be the bully of the book. He is very sly in his mistreatment of Hamlet. He does not come off as an honest good person, and this is most apparent in his decision to marry Queen Gertrude. To me, it was suspicious how excited King Claudius became when Hamlet listened to his mother and decided to stay. It reminded me of a similar scenario in many movies and TV shows; when the bully gets the victim to give in, they appear to be elated. But, I think he is so happy because he may have plans to hurt Hamlet. Queen Claudia seems that she will play out to be a static character. I do not believe she will change or really have an impact because of the way she does what she is told. When Hamlet speaks of his father, it seems that he truly loved Claudia. It is strange that Claudia was able to move on so quickly and I did question whether or not she was forced into this marriage with King Claudius for there is power involved. Hamlet is clearly very depressed about his father. This is apparent when he talks to himself and wishes he could die. This also becomes apparent when he somewhat easily believes Horatio's ghost story. He still hangs on to his father and wishes he was there. Although 2 months is a very short time to move on from the loss of a loved one, it seems that this was the expectation during that time period so it is strange that Hamlet still wears grieving clothes. He is told by Claudia to stop wearing black, but unlike his orders to stay put, he does not listen to Claudia. Hamlet is already starting the book as crazy and it easy to imagine his downfalls in the play.