Is Hamlet Insane?

     A major uncertainty in Hamlet is whether or not Hamlet has actually gone crazy or if he is faking it. In my opinion, he is not truly crazy, despite what he is going through. He is in a position in his life where it wouldn't be too surprising if he went insane. His father just recently died and his mom married his uncle only a few weeks after. In addition to that, Polonius believes that Hamlet is lovestruck for Ophelia and has gone mad from that. Because Hamlet has a lot of issues going on in his life, people would easily believe that he has gone mad from these events, so he uses this to his advantage. 

     After talking to his father's ghost, Hamlet

is dedicated to taking revenge for his father's death. He would do anything to obey his father's word and kill Claudius--even pretending that he has gone insane. By making it seem like he has gone crazy from his love for Ophelia and the terrible situations that he is going through, people will be more understanding when he kills Claudius. If people didn't think he was insane, then they would think he killed Claudius for selfish reasons like taking over the throne. Instead, Hamlet cleverly took advantage of his position in life at the moment to make killing Claudius more acceptable to his community.

Be content with your life

     Everyone seems to want a life they don't have. People would rather live in a hot climate if they currently live in a cold climate, and vice versa. If a girl has straight hair, she wishes to have curly hair. But the girl with curly hair would much rather have straight hair. No one is completely content with his/her life; there's always at least one aspect missing. For Sedaris, he had a seemingly perfect life, but he wasn't happy with it because it was missing the adventure aspect. Because he yearned for a little danger, he went to the extreme and wished to have Hugh's childhood, which was filled a little too much with abnormalities. There are millions of people who are living seemingly adventurous (but actually terrible and dangerous) lives that would love to have Sedaris' safe, normal life.

     I do see where Sedaris is coming from, though. When I look back on my childhood, the most exciting memory was a trip to Greece, so I can relate to his desire for more adventure. But that doesn't mean I can naively assume that a crazy childhood like Hugh's is only filled with fun adventures and exciting stories. His childhood was actually pretty miserable, and only people who have experienced similar things as he did would know that. This is why I constantly try to remember how blessed I am to have the life I do. You can't start wishing you had a different lifestyle, because you don't know what people in that lifestyle actually go through. So instead, it's important to be happy with the life you do have.

Take Risks with Caution

     Some great points were brought up in Chet Raymo's "A Measure of Restraint". He wants it to be known that searching for new scientific discoveries can be dangerous, so it is important to be very cautious in these situations. What Raymo wasn't trying to do was warn against taking risks; he just wants people to restrain themselves when taking these risks in order to prevent dangerous situations. In the essay, he started off by telling the story of the Brazilian kids who died and many others who got sick from playing with the blue cesium powder. There have been too many incidents where people get hurt or even die from science-related situations simply because of carelessness, so Raymo is trying to put an end to this.

     He is basically saying that we can take risks, but we can't be careless when doing so. If you want to go skydiving, you have to take the leap, but it's still important to remember the instructions and be cautious of what you're doing. Life is all about putting yourself in a position that is a little out of your comfort zone, but then restraining yourself from going too far. And by remembering this, this is how our society has come so far, not only scientifically, but in every aspect of life.

Money and Happiness

     This week we read "On the Want of Money" by William Hazlitt. This essay focused on how miserable a life in poverty is. I thought this to be a little odd because instead of saying how money shouldn't be a priority in life, Hazlitt focuses on the importance of money and says, "Literally and truly, one cannot get on well in the world without money." Although saying how crucial money is sounds a little shallow, it is very true. You can't do all the things you love without money. This made me think back to the video we watched about pursuing directions in life that you would enjoy instead of choosing a path solely for the money. To make money, you usually have to be very skilled in a certain field. And to master a skill, you have to love it and want to improve on it. If you choose to do something you enjoy and work hard at it, even if you think it will be a poor-paying job, you can become a master at it and it could end up earning you more money than you expected. And when you have more money, you can do even more things that you love and make you happy. It all loops back around and continually fills life with happiness.

     Going into senior year, I have to make decisions pretty soon on what I want to do the rest of my life.  For so long, I've wanted to become an architect because it is a field that I've always really loved. Lately, I've been thinking about the money aspect of it; architecture is not usually a job that earns a ton of money. I started questioning if I still wanted to do it and started considering pharmacy, but that is something I know I'd not enjoy doing my whole life. I am now back to architecture, and who knows? Maybe I'll become a famous architect and earn 5 times as much money as pharmacy could ever earn me.

Your Safety or Making no Judgements?

     Brent Staples' essay, "Black Men and Public Space", is one of the most relatable pieces we've read so far, in my opinion. I don't exactly relate to Staples in many ways, but I, as sad as it is, can relate to the white people who get nervous around him. This is such a great example of how stereotypical and judgemental our society is, despite how much we say that everyone is treated equally. In class, so many of us brought up how we tend to get nervous for our safety around "creepy" older men or homeless people sitting on the street. But why do we judge someone so quickly just by looking at him/her and automatically assume we aren't safe near that person? All we know about this person, who we are making a huge assumption about, is what they look like. How do we know that this person could put us in danger if we know nothing about their past or their personality? Staples gave many examples of people assuming, based on his appearance, that he is a burglar or that he will harm them, when, in reality, he is timid, gentle, very educated, and a successful writer.

     The reason we tend to make these judgements is because we, as humans, have a natural tendency to protect ourselves. We have experienced and heard multiple stories of homeless people pickpocketing, girls getting assaulted by older men on dark streets, or black men robbing a bank. Because we know what could happen, we take more precautions so nothing bad will happen. And because we want to remain safe, we make quick judgements. So what is more important? Your own safety or not making assumptions based on appearance or stories you've heard? I want to say the second option because it is the more selfless of the two, but it is something our whole society needs to work toward.

Different, but the Same

     "Shooting Dad" by Sarah Vowell was all about the major differences and surprising similarities between Vowell and her dad. You would think that a gun-loving Republican and an art-loving Democrat would have no similarities, and that is what Vowell assumed, too. She spent most of her life arguing with her dad, so she was convinced that they would never have anything in common. It wasn't until she made an effort to appreciate her dad's differences and put herself in his shoes that she found how much alike they actually were. They are both "smart-alecky loners with goofy projects and weird equipment," but they just have different types of projects and equipment. This relationship proves that two completely different people can be essentially the same. The essay assures people that there is the possiblility of finding a similarity in one of their own incompatible relationships.
     When reading this essay, it reminded me of the movie, The Parent Trap, in which a pair of twins who were separated at birth reunite at summer camp. Hallie and Annie have completely different personalities, live across the world from each other, and have different interests. They even dislike each other at first and try to get under each others' skin, just like Vowell and her dad. Eventually, Hallie and Annie get to know each other and decide to switch places when they go back home. It wasn't until they put themselves in each others' shoes and make an effort to learn more about each other that they get along with each other and find how similar they are. Therefore, if one ever finds himself in a relationship where everything clashes, it is important to step in the other's place, because there is assuredly a similarity that can be found.

Appreciation

     Reading "Arm Wrestling with My Father" by Brad Manning, it really got me thinking about how important it is to appreciate family relationships. As a kid, Manning never really understood the way that his father showed his love to him. When he was finally strong enough to beat his dad in the arm wrestling match, he realized that he didn't want to see his dad lose because that would mean he's getting old and losing strength. That was the moment he fully realized how much his father has done for him, such as carry him upstairs when he had mono, and, at that moment, he found how much appreciation he had for his father.
     As everyone's lives get busier and busier, it becomes harder to always remember to appreciate everything your parents do for you. I am so fortunate to have such caring and supportive parents, but not everyone is, and I've realized that I take them for granted a lot of times. Even if they get mad at me or I get frustrated with them, I've learned how important it is to give them my full appreciation because everyone shows love in different ways. Manning's father showed his love in a more physical manner, whereas one of the ways my parents show their love is by being very concerned about my future. There is not one way to love, so I know it is crucial to appreciate every version of love my parents show me.