Questions for Discussion

The basis for laertes objection is that he doesn't believe hamlet actually loves her or will necesarilly marry her because of his obligations as prince. The basis for Polonius' objection is that he doesn't want his sister to lose her virginity for no reason. Laertes argument is much more persuasive because he is not a hypocrit like Polonius. Both Laertes and Polonius treat her condesendingly.

Self-Imprisonment: Hamlet's Iron Words

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the story of a confused son's revenge is told through both plot and speech pattern. Young Hamlet, the son of former King Hamlet of Denmark, lives a perplexing lifestyle in which he juggles his ever-changing emotions with the death of his father and the marriage of his mother and uncle. Being the slightly awkward man he is, Hamlet is not very friendly with his family, and is left with his words as his comrades. Hamlet's uses his words as his sword and shield: to express himself in his soliloques and to mask his true thoughts around people. However empowering Hamlet's words might be to him, they also trap him. Being so intelligent, Hamlet over thinks every aspect of his life (like revenge) and constantly confuses himself. Therefore, although Hamlet's words are his sanctuary, they are also his prison because they depress him, cause him to be indecisive, and delay his revenge.

Mini Essay on D.W. Harding.

In "Regulated Hatred" D.W. Harding writes on author Jane Austen and her satirical technique in Pride and Prejudice. In his first point, Harding claims that her work has "non of the underlying didactic intention ordinarily attributed to the satirist". In other words, her book technically lacks the defining characteristics of satire. On this point I would have to disagree with Harding. I believe that Pride and Prejudice is a satirical masterpiece. It makes people laugh at representations of themselves without even knowing it. Furthermore, Harding also claims that Austen over exaggerates every character in her book in order to make all her readers and herself laugh at them. Austen represents people she hates as characters in her book. If she had not exaggerated them, she would not have been able to amuse herself.

To His Coy Mistress

My vegetable love should grow /  faster than empires, and more slow. Andrew Marvell uses the word vegetable in this line this line to slow the pace. When correctly pronounced, it should sound veg-eh-tah-bul. This is one of the many poetic devices that marvell uses in his poem To His Coy Mistress.