The Stranger #3

I think that the punishment the protagonist received was very extreme and unfitting of his crime. However, he did not do much to help his case. There were many points where he could have interjected and saved his fate. Yet, lying is not in his character, he was unwilling to stretch the truth even a little to help his case. The prosecutor is able to completely spin the protagonist's story to paint him as a cruel and heartless villain. The prosecutor disassociates himself with the protagonist's fate and just focused on winning the case rather than delving into what actually happened. The protagonist ends the novel with an insight into his thoughts and feelings on life with fervent emotion. He grabs the Chaplain and yells: "I started yelling at the top of my lungs and I insulted him and told him not to waste his prayers on me.... I was pouring out on him everything that was in my heart, cries of anger and cries of joy. He seemed so certain about everything, didn't he? And yet none of his certainties was worth one hair of a woman's head. He wasn't even sure he was alive, because he was living like a deadman... but I was sure about me, about everything, surer than he could ever be" (Camus 120). The protagonist shows more emotion than he has in these few lines than he did in the entire novel. He brings up the point of certainty and how religion is just merely based on faith. He criticizes the chaplain saying that he couldn't possibly be certain about anything. But the protagonist will have one thing when he dies and that is certainty, he is certain that his life will come to an end and that is all he has.

The Stranger #2

The protagonist's response to his jail time and the questioning process is unusual just like his response to many events. He is a truthful and simple man which does not necessarily work in his favor because the justice system is complex. He has trouble adjusting to the fact that he is being charged as a criminal. When Marie comes to visit him he seems insensitive and indifferent to her presence. He focuses more on the sounds and details of the visiting room rather than his actual conversation with Marie or her appearance: "I was feeling a little sick and I'd have liked to leave. The noise was getting painful. But on the other hand I wanted to make the most of Marie's being there. I don't know how much time went by" (Camus 75). Although he says he wanted to make the most of their time together, he seems to pay more attention the conversations going on around him than he does to his and Marie's conversation. He says he would like to leave because he was feeling ill. It is odd that he would like to leave when this is the only time Marie will be able to visit him in prison. He seems insensitive and uncaring. Despite Marie's constant smiling and joyful demeanor, he does not return the same emotional response. The protagonist never responds to situations in the manner that I would assume a person would.

The Stranger, Book one

The beginning of The Stranger is odd. The syntax and language is very simple and straight forward. The protagonist is a curious man, his actions at his mother's funeral reflect someone who is attending a boring play or movie rather than the burial of a loved one. The protagonist's emotions seem to diluted as if he is holding back something. His outward behavior seems directly related to the physical state of his body not driven by emotion. He often describes physical feelings such as being tired, hungry, aching, cold, hot, craving coffee, cigarettes, etc. yet he does not really describe how he is feeling emotionally at Maman's funeral. He seemed distant and unaffected by this event. The protagonist is very passive and aggressive which is apparent in his relationship with Marie: "That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn't make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to" (Camus 41). His response is odd and unemotional. He seems to really enjoy Marie, yet he is completely unemotional when she mentions getting married. He does not respond with a passionate yes or a fervent no, just sure if you want to. His persistent passive and unemotional behavior makes the end of book one very strange. He kills a man with seemingly little to no motivation. However, he is a man who responds more physically than emotionally. His delirium could be attributed to the overwhelming heat and he lost himself for the moment.

Claudius Straight Up Guilty--Hamlet #5

Claudius is guilty and the ghost was right all along. Hamlet makes reference to a chameleon in the beginning of Act 3, Scene 2 which I thought was very appropriate: "Excellent, i' faith, of the chameleon’s dish. I eat the air, promise-crammed. You cannot feed capons so" (3.2.86-87). Hamlet blends into the environment while keeping his true motive concealed. Even before the play, he maintained the facade of a mad man in order to carry out his plot against Claudius. Hamlet's plan goes surprisingly well and Claudius's guilt is exposed when he orders the play to cease. Once Hamlet has been figured out, Rosencrantz delivers the Queen's message: "Then thus she says: your behavior hath struck her into amazement and admiration" (3.2.) I thought that this was ironic considering the fact that the Queen has not been the most admirable person herself. Hamlet's behavior is more admirable because he has a noble cause to his plan, exposing the truth. 

Dalton Trumbo (recipient of the best name ever)'s excerpt

The young man and his father have come to a turning point in their relationship, a tense tone is created by the author through his use of short, simple sentences and lack of commas, mirroring the internal struggle of the boy. Trumbo does not use one comma throughout the entire excerpt, this syntactical choice creates tense and nervous feeling, paralleling the boy's sentiments towards a changing relationship with his father. At the beginning of the excerpt there are many lines spent specifically describing small details about their camping trip, demonstrating how important and familiar it is with both the father and son. The son's wish to go fishing with another boy is something completely new which he fears will disturb a routine that has lasted for many years. The speaker states the boy, "knew that it was an ending and a beginning" (25-26). The boy knows that this situation is bittersweet and he is afraid of his father's response. There is a clear lack of communication between the father and son. Little words are exchanged when the father hears out his son's request. However, the father lets the son take his extremely special fishing rod, signifying an acceptance towards their changing relationship: "His father's rod was a very valuable one. It was perhaps the only extravagance his father had in his whole life" (44-46). The father gives up this prized possession as a sign of respect and acceptance for his son's growth, although it does hurt him that he is forced to watch his son move on.

Hamlet #4

Hamlet is able to perpetuate his facade as a madman and devise a plan to see whether or not Claudius is the real murderer of King Hamlet. No one suspects Hamlet of doing anything wrong which allows him to pursue his plot. His plot revolves around a certain play:"the play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king" (2.2.606-607). Hamlet cannot decide whether or not to trust the ghost of the king and the play seems to be the answer. Hamlet wishes to take justice in his own hands and expose King Claudius for his true identity, a murderer 

Letter

Em,
I am so proud of you and I know that if your mother was there to watch you graduate, she would be overflowing with pride as well. Now that you are going off to college in just a few months, I would just like to remind you that education is the key to success in this world. However you classify success (material, financial, personal growth), education is what opens the doors to a brighter future. That being said, emphasis should be put on your education rather than your social life. I'm not saying that your social life is not important but, when it comes to decision making, education should come first. You aren't paying thousands of dollars to smoke joints and chill out with your friends. You are going to college to expand your breadth of knowledge to better yourself. Oh and that reminds me, if there is one thing that life has taught me over and over again, it's that there are never any good stories that come from the use of drugs. My brother being the prime example, a heroin addict, who's addiction eventually led to his death. Len Bias! Signed a multi-million dollar contract with the Celtics, dies that night from cocaine. I know you're smart but these are just reminders. You shouldn't let experimentation get the best of you. The only experiments I want you conducting are in a science lab, okay? I know you are a big hippy-dippy but use that to fight Monsanto and Halliburton. Not smoke pot and do drugs. I love you and you are very bright girl so I want you to continue to make good decisions when I send you off on your own. I know that there are big things ahead Em.

Dad