Notes from reading/in class conversations

-The story of Hamlet is sometimes described as the play about a man who cannot make up his mind

- according to deBoer, Hamletis a play about a man who could not make real what was found in his mind

- for much of the play Hamlet is able to speak but not do

- when instructing the players on how to act, Hamlet is insistent that they do not overact. He wants the passion to be smooth and sound unscripted. 

- this exemplifies the use of self performance to create a social context which supports a visage of sincerity. 

- to over do a self performance would be to undercut the socially excepted notion of a sincere emotional state, taking away your power to create a performative utterancethat relies on a context of emotional appropriateness 

- as Hamlet is instructing the players to not overact he needs to be mindful to not overact himself, as he is putting on a show of madness. According to Hamlet, madness is defined by the kind of exaggerated actions in movements associated with poor acting or overacting

- Hamlet suggests that the goal of the theater has been to "hold up a mirror to nature"

- perlocutinary= relating to an act performed by a speaker unto a listener by act of speaking

- words have the effect of force and action. 

- Hamlet is creating a reality.

- in his soliloquies, Hamlet progresses into thinking that he is not a good guy, and realizes his sins. 

- what enables him to evolve from a man seemingly incapable of giving his stated aims physical expression. 

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LITERARY FICTION AND EMPATHY

By reading literary fiction, one can experience many situations and circumstances that they would never have gotten to in their real lives. This can help them understand those around them, who may be experiences something similar, if only slightly, to a character in a novel. The article seems to focus mainly on ones ability to read facial expressions and body language, and how the skills to do that can be improved by reading certain kinds of literature. 

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 1 Notes

-Start with Francisco and Bernardo

-Bernardo relieves Francisco from his post

- Marcellus shows up with Horatio and Francisco exits.

- Ghost appears, which the men speculate to be the ghost of the former king, Hamlet. Not to be confused with his younger son, also Hamlet.

- Horatio says that the ghost is warning that the nephew of Fortinbras is looking for revenge while the kingdom seems weak, after the death of a king. Fortinbras (older) was king of Norway and was killed in battle by King Hamlet.

- The characters make an allusion to Julius Caesar, which I can't say I fully understand.
- After the ghost disappears a second time, the group decides they will bring it to the attention of Young Hamlet, whom they are confident the ghost will be willing to communicate with.

Hamlet Act I Scene II

Vocab List #3

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner
attrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction
bromide - noun any of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugs; a trite or obvious remark
chauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind
chronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
expound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; state
factionalism - noin the existence of or conflict between groups within a larger group
immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean; free from stain or blemish; without fault or error
imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation
ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"
mercurial - adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury;relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change
palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state; (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data
resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor
stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful
sub - noun a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes; a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States; verb be a substitute
rosa - noun large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses
vainglory - noun outspoken conceit
vestige - noun an indication that something has been present
volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

Vocab List #2

accoutrements - noun a piece of clothing or equipment that is used in a particular place or for a particular activity
apogee - noun apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage
apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time
bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verb argue over petty things
coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements
contretemps - noun an awkward clash
convolution - noun the action of coiling or twisting or winding together; a convex fold or elevation in the surface of the brain; the shape of something rotating rapidly
cull - noun the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; verb remove something that has been rejected; look for and gather
disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements;fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
mete - noun a line that indicates a boundary
noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health
polemic - adj. of or involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
populous - adj. densely populated
probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles
repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply
supervene - verb take place as an additional or unexpected development
truncate - adj. terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; verb make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane
unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame

Poetry #1

1. The commercial borrow's a poem called The Laughing Heart written by Charles Bukowski.
2. The use of this poem by a corporation is ironic because the purpose of the commercial is to convince you to do a certain thing, while the meaning of the poem is to have an open mind and free will.
3. I don't think the poem reflects the reputation of the author. After a good amount of research on Charles Bukowski, all I can tell is that he was a depressed drunk who wrote about alcohol, sex, and how much he hates his job. This poem, on the other hand, feels much more upbeat. I was surprised when researching Bukowski to find out how dark the majority of his works are.
4. For #1, I searched the first few words of the poem using Google. For #3, I used Google to search "Charles Bukowski." I read from Wikipedia and a site I found called Goodreads.