Shakespeare Commentary

Fong Vang

Ms.Peifer

English 10 IB

February 23, 2009

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;

But you shall shine more bright in these contents

Than unswept stone besmear’d with sluttish time.

When wasteful war shall statues overturn,

And broils root out the work of masonry,

Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn

The living record of your memory

‘Gainst death and all-obvious enmity

Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room

Even in the eyes of all posterity

That wear this world out to the ending doom.

So, till the judgment that yourself arise,

You life in this, and dwell in lover’s eyes.

Sonnet 55

The theme of this sonnet was to show how love is beautiful. How love can never be destroyed over time. Love is something that lives forever.
According to Shakespeare love is something that can last till the end of all humanity. Shakespeare also uses the literary devices like rhyme, and mood.
Time will never effect how love feels to Shakespeare. 

Shakespeare talks about how beautiful love is and it can never die out. In his sonnet he says “Not marble, nor the gilded monuments

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;” (Shakespeare 1-2). Shakespeare compares his sonnet with marbles and monuments, on how it will live as long as humanity lives, and how love is stronger then anything. Shakespeare uses an iambic pentameter through the entire sonnet. Shakespeare reinforces himself by saying “Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn, The living record of your memory.”(Shakespeare 7-8). In here he talks about how no man, fire or even the god of mars can destroy love because no matter what, love is to powerful.

Shakespeare is a man of words; he uses rhyme and mood in his sonnet to keep the reader interested. Rhyme made his sonnet easier to read, more simple and basic. With mood he can suddenly change one persons thought and convince one to change emotions. Also he presented rhyme scheme in his sonnet because that’s how it’s suppose to be written, with the basic rhythm of AB, AB, CD, CD, EF, EF, GG.

“So, till the judgment that yourself arise, You live in this, and dwell in lover’s eyes.”(Shakespeare 13-14). In his last lines he talks about how until you rise, love will always be with you. He makes it rhyme because of the rhyme scheme, and also his last words make you remember the about how strong, beautiful, powerful love truly is. Throughout the sonnet he uses mood to smooth things around, he doesn’t express any madness, or publicity. He makes the reader feel welcome that love is beautiful, telling them that it will be with them eternally never leaving your side. This brings back Shakespeare’s main theme of his sonnet, which love is beautiful, powerful and strong.

Overall the main theme of this whole sonnet was love. Shakespeare says that love is beautiful. Not even wars and destruction can bring an end to love. Love is something that cannot be controlled because it's a special feeling that only lovers share. Shakespeare’s true meaning of his sonnet was to say that love is forever lasting. Not even time itself can stop love, because no matter where you’re at or live, love will always be there. “Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room, Even in the eyes of all posterity” (Shakespeare 10-11). In this quote Shakespeare is saying even if you pace yourself moving forward, no matter what you still find yourself in a room with love.

Lastly Shakespeare achieves his main purpose by letting all readers know that love is something that would never die out. Also that love is more powerful then any person or thing out there. He also believes that no matter where you are love is never far away.

Blogger

This week has been slow because no excitement had happen yet. Monday was just plain boring, Its been the usual. Now its Thursday we're in the computer lab typing our blogs. I hope this week could just go faster because its really boring. Things would be even better if summer was here making things warmer and better. Well this is all I got thanks for reading.

The Inferno Commentary

Fong Vang
Peifer
10 IB
9 January 2009

The light was departing. The brown air drew down
all the earth’s creatures, calling them to rest
from their day-roving, as I, one man alone,
Prepared myself to face the double war
of the journey and the pity, which memory
shall here set down, nor hesitate, nor err.
O Muses! O High Genius! Be my aid!
O Memory, recorder of the vision,
Here shall your true nobility be displayed!
Thus I began: “Poet, you who must guide me,
before you trust me to that arduous passage,
look to me and look through me-can I be worthy?
You sang how the father of Sylvius, while still
in corruptible flesh won to that other world,
crossing with mortal sense the immortal sill. (Dante Canto 2, lines 1-15)

This passage is significant because it talks about a character named Dante, on his descent to hell. The theme is that he doubts himself of making it out of hell, it supports the theme because Dante denies all of the help that he is getting. The emotional component is that Dante is rather confused and suicidal because he said to Virgil is he worthy of getting out of hell. ”Before you trust me to that arduous passage, look to me and look through me-can I be worthy?”(Dante, 11-12).

An Important literary device used in the lines was conflict. Dante is in a conflict between himself, because he is in denial. “As I, one man alone, prepared myself to face the double war of the journey and the pity, which memory shall here set down, nor hesitate, nor err.” (Dante, 3-6). Also another literary device is Point of view because the author is telling it in third person omniscient. The most effective literary device being use it point of view, because it’s basically the author telling the characters point of view by using feelings and thoughts of the character.

This passage is really emotional on how the character feels and thinks. He is under a very confusing moment where Dante thinks that he deserves to be in hell because he done something bad, and he tells Virgil that can he be worthy of getting out. So he is lost and confused. Also that when Dante was talking that he is facing a double war, he talks as if his other thoughts are against him and that he don’t know what to do.

Works Cited:
MacAllister, Archibald T. Inferno. Trans. John Ciardi. New York: Signet Classics, 2001.

Beowolf LRJ #2

Fong Vang
Peifer
10 IB hr5
4 December 2008

The values in the story Beowolf were trust, because they trusted Beowolf on slaying the monster "Now help depends again on you and on you alone" (Heaney, 1376). Also Friendship was a value in Beowolf "Aeschere was everything the world admires in a wise man and a friend, then this roaming killer came in a fury and slaughter him in Heorot" (Heaney, 1328).

The unrealistic part of this story is when Beowulf is fighting Grendel's mother underwater. It is impossible for someone to breath that long underwater. They should have already drown if being underwater for that long. "Watching the lake water, saw a heave-up and surge of waves and blood in the backwash." (Heaney, 1592). This maybe unrealistic but it sure makes the story more dramatic, with its every word it should make you imagine yourself visualizing what is happening. Also demons and ghost are also unrealistic. They were added to show that Grendel's ancestry came from them on how he came from beasts!

The quotes most interesting and the ones that catches my eyes are the one with action. "Meanwhile, the sword began to wilt into gory icicles, to slather and thaw." (Heaney,1606).
This just shows me how much effect was being added, on how the sword made so much drama. "He died in battle, paid with his life; now this powerful other one arrives." (Heaney, 1337). Now this one was also my favorite, because he tells the Beowolf how Grendel died and now they are to pay because another one has arrived to savage their city.

Antigone Paper

Fong Vang
Peifer
10 IB
11/26/08

Antigone- guilty or innocent

In the Greek play of Antigone, Antigone the daughter of Oedipus and sister of Ismene. Was found guilty for breaking one of Creon’s fierce laws. “Yes. I’ll do my duty to my brother—and yours as well, if you’re not prepared to. I won’t be caught betraying him”(Sophocles, 56-58). In this quote Antigone wishes to break one of Creon’s rule without him knowing. Also by burying her brother that has betrayed our country just to be king, she intends to give Polyneices a proper burial even though Creon noted to not bury him, and anyone who dare break his rule shall be punished. “Anyone who acts against the order
will be stoned to death before the city”(Sophocles, 43-44). She even persuaded her only family member left to help her do her doings. “Will you help these hands take up Polyneices’ corpse and bury it?”(Sophocles, 55-56). She tells her sister to help her, knowing that probably if both of them did it there will be less consequences. But on the other hand Ismene rejects the offer and rather follow the rule. Antigone will do what is right for herself rather then follow the rules that apply to all mankind. She thinks of respect but why doesn’t she respect others? All that is being done here is making her more known, she is one of the most respected but yet hated. Antigone is guilty of burying her brother and breaking a law, we have proof of her being caught “This here’s the one who carried out the act. We caught her as she was burying the corpse. Where’s Creon?”(Sophocles, 432-434). This surely proves Antigone guilty of breaking the laws that Creon has made. There for Antigone daughter of Oedipus, sister of Ismene is guilty of breaking Creon’s laws of justice.

Work Cited

Sophocles. "Antigone" The Internet Classics Archive. Trans. R.C. Jebb. 04 Oct. 2000. classics.mit.edu 25 Nov 2008

LRJ Blog

Dear Sister,
I am very sorry that I did not help you bury Polyniecies. I am ashamed of how I acted to the burial rights. I was scared of the punishment I would get if i was caught, have you seen the consequences we get if we do not follow Creon's law. You acted on self respect for Polyneices and I myself did not respect you for doing that. Finally I come to my senses and say this, I am your only sibling that is apparently left I feel shame for not being at the burial. But now if you are to get caught I shall be there to help you and take blame. If Creon do give you a harsh punishment I shall stand strong with you and not fail. I know that when you asked me to bury father. I gave you a look like if you was a bad person, I do regret how I did not help you bury our dear beloved father. But I feel like I've done something worst to you, but I seem to not be able to tell you. How I wish I was with you when you went to bury father.For if you are to get arrested I will not have anyone left to be with me. I hope you understand my feelings. I shall love you forever even if death takes us apart, no one will stand between us.

Blahhh,Technology

My first blog for once, not much of a blogger. Technology right now is to high tech, at times I wonder what am I doing? how do you do this?

I wonder to myself am I ever going to catch up with this technology? But on random times I just go listen to music and type or write raps.