Cuckoo's Nest Part One

I read the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest a couple of years ago, and I am happy that we decided to read it again as a class because when you read a book for the second time you usually see things that you once missed before, and that is what happened in my case. We are introduced to Chief Bromden at the beginning of the book, and he remains the narrator through out. Chief "Broom" is a long term patient in the ward, and is usually very quiet because he pretends to be deaf and somewhat of a push over. Nobody really takes him seriously, and they dont see him as a threat. This is why Chief Broom usually overhears everything, and knows mostly everything about everything in the ward. Chief Broom sees "fog" a lot and I would like to go into deeper explnantion of that. In the story the fog symbolizes a lack of insight, and is basicly something that allows Chief Broom to be able to run away from reality. Sometimes the fog is portrayed as scary, but Chief Broom finds the fog to be a safe place,and he feels comfortable there. He can escape from the problems in the ward. I believe the the fog is a symbol of Nurse Ratched's control over the ward, and also the treatment that she is giving them. This is why McMurphy becomes a stron character in the book because he tries to drag Chief Broom and all of the other patients in the ward out of the fog that they have been living in for a long as they have been admitted.

Hamlet: 2nd Post (Act Two)

In Act Two of Hamlet we begin to understand King Claudius's character better. I have learned that Claudius is more concerned with the well being and motives of Hamlet more that he is concerned with his own country. With Fortinbras on his tail, he still manages to ignore all major conflicts. However Claudius isnt the only one that isnt doind his job. I beliebe that Hamlet is begining to become blindsighted by love and greed. Also I believe that Hamlet is not taking his duties seriously, and he is more focused on taking down King Claudius, than dealing with things that could determine the countried future.
Another thing that draws my attention to Act Two is the :play with in a play". This reminds me of Shakespeare's other play "A Midsummers Night Dream", because that play also contained a "play with in a play". However the play presented in Hamlet, is very different than the one presented in A Midsummers Night Dream. The only reason for Hamlet putting on this play is to get under Claudius's skin about the death of his father. Hamlet believes that the King should feel as much grief as he does, and Hamlet is doing his best to make him feel giulty as well as responsible for the death of his beloved father. He put on this play to hopefully make his mother and step father realize the messege that he was trying to get across to them, rather that causing a physical confrontation. I can say that Act Two was muct more eventful and easier to read than Act One.

Hamlet: Act 1, Scenes 1 and 2

I believe that the first two scenes in Hamelt were not that interesting. To me they were more on the informative side, and I believe they did this because there is a lot of background information that is needed to be stated in order for the reader to fully understand the play. In the first two scenes there are a couple of things that did interest me though. One being Hamlet and the beilef in ghosts. Both Hamlet and the other characters in the play have no idea as to why the ghost keeps coming to vist, and the fact that he says nothing is very mysterious. When I read this it was almost like forshadowing that something important would be told by the ghost that would drive the main plot in the play. Another thing that stuck out to me in the first two scenes is Hamlets hatred twoards his mother (Queen Gertrude) and"step-father" (King Claudius). Hamlet strongly hates his mother due to the fact that he moved on from his real father so quickly, and also hates her for marrying Claudius. He does not like their marraige because Hamlet knows that Claudis's only motive is to become King, and a foolish king at that, but he is not in it for love. Hamlet believes that his mother is foolish for marrying him, and Hamlet knows that nothing good will come from it. All in all i believe that the first two scenes were used to let the readers know about the central and mini conflicts that would occur during the play.

Coledrige and Shelley Post

1) In the poen Kubla Khan imigination is exaulted, an well a many other poems written by the Romantics. The poem contains great imagrey which allows the readerto paint a picture in their mind of everything that is written. There is great imagrey as far as scene discription is concerned. Coledrige goes from expaling a beautiful place, to a dark and gloomy place. I believe that Coledrige is trying to say that your imagination can take you anywhere that you want to go. This can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Coledrige is writting to people to let them know to not let their imaginations take over them.

2) There are three main speakers in the poem of Ozymandias. These speakers are : the main narrator of the poem, the traveler, and Ozymandias himself. The first speaker i would consider to be a historian because he talks about the historical aspects. I believe that the traveler is more of an observer of some kind, and he takes in everything around him. He also works close with the main narrator of the poem. Last, I believe Ozymandias is a leader, due to his personality and words. He wants to rule the correct way, unlike how the other rulers are ruling their kingdoms.

1984 Final Writing Assignment

In the doctrine that Obrien procliams to Winston, reiinforces the idea that the party has the unlimate say in everything, even when it comes down to a persons fate. Obriens purpose for stating this to Winston I believe is to let Winston completly get rid of all the thoughts of rebellion that he has had in his mind. Obrien is an absolute believer of the fact that INGSOC controls Oceania, and it's people. He explains to Winston that "you would not make the act of submission which is the price of sanity. You preferred to be a lunatic, a minority of one. Only the disciplined mind can see reality, Winston". This is Obriens reason of to why Winston is in the prediciment that he is in. Obrien trys to explain that if Winston had not questioned INGSOC, and finally accpted The Party and all of their beliefs that Winston would have been better off. As we all know Winston chose to to not be submissive, and this caused him to become an "lunatic".This is how INGSOC keeps their control over Oceania going. By keeping the people ignorant so that they will follow the doctrine as if there is nothing wrong with it. This is why the rest of the people of Oceania are considered to be "sane", and the only reason behind that is because they have been brainwashed from the time that they were born.
Obrien states indirectly that the party will be the death of him if he dosent submit to their laws and their way of thinking. Obrien states what Winston is doing to be "self destrictive". Obrien's statement predicted what Winston would be like after he is realeased. Winston lets go of all his previous beliefs that he has had throught the party, and finally admits his undying love for Big Brother. Winston finally becomes "sane" in the eyes of The Party.

William Blake: The Chimney Sweeper

1) I believe that the poems by Blake do promote social change. Blake wrote two different poems, but both of the poems stimulate emotion and appeal to imagination. The poem "The Chimney Sweeper" deals with the lives of prro povershied people. The tone of the poem is very dark. The main messege the Blake is trying to get across is the fact that poor, uneducated and poverty stricken people only death to look foreward to because death would bring them to a better place. The poem "Songs of Experience" focuses around children in poverty stricken areas, and how they are sent to work. I believe that Blake is trying to promote social change because he wants these people to not be so closed minded but more optimistic twoards life.

2) I believe that the suthors included this document to show how a real worker went about his life during the time whcih Blake is describing. This is one of the few documents that actually goes into description about the reality of poverty and how it affects families and children. This document most definately aided in Blakes writing of his poems.
After reading the primary course document i came to the conclusion that it didn't alter my original thoughts twoards Blakes poems. The document gave be a better understanding of the horrific things that children had to go through

Swift Prep Work

a) The questions I decided to discuss are the following: How did Gulliver come across Lilliput?, Why didnt Gulliver attempt to escape?, Why were the Lilliputians show so much hospitality to Gulliver?, and What is the parralell between Lilliputian politics and the politics of the British government?. I predicted that the hardest question to answer would be the one about the parallel that is drawn between the Lilliputian polotics and the British politics. I believe that the students do not have that much background knowladge to answer the question, nor have the ability to draw a clear paralell to the British government.

b) I believe that working in the teacher group had its ups and its downs. I believe that my group worked well together in pulling out the main events of the story. On the otherhand it was somewhat hard to come up with questions that we all agreed on, and that we all thought would be "teachable". Also it was kind of hard because the questions that we came up with we didnt know the answers to them ourself. So we tried the best we could to figure out answers to go on when we present our chart.

c) I believe that we have made progress as a group and we are becoming more aware of eachothers teaching methods as well as how we all think. Our best idea as of how to teach the class is basicly to present our questions, quotes and our explnations and compare them to the answers that we get from our fellow classmates to try to get a feel as to what everybody is thinking. I hope to take away information that i didnt know myself because as we all know teaching is a learning experience.