Pride and Prejudice #1-5

            Based on the novel so far, “pride” and “prejudice” seem to be the driving forces in this society. Each character in his or her own way is influenced by a sense of pride. First, we have the Bennet family. Mrs. Bennet reveals her pride by drawing conversation to her daughters and their successes. After the ball, Mrs. Bennet turns the conversation to Mr. Bingley’s impression of Jane, pretending that she has not heard that Mr. Bingley called her daughter the “prettiest” in the room (18). Mrs. Bennet thinks of herself and her family very highly, and she wishes for others to notice them. Her daughters exhibit a certain degree of pride as well. Mary eagerly tries to display her talent when she decides to sing in front of company, and Elizabeth has enough self-confidence not to feel offended when Mr. Darcy initially snubs her at the ball by refusing to ask her to dance. Mr. Darcy exudes a great deal of pride, refusing to condescend to dance with anyone new at the ball or engage in conversation. His haughty manner is not well received by others in attendance, particularly Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy’s aloofness vexes Elizabeth, and she argues with him when she is staying at Netherfield. Perhaps the real cause of this vexation is the clash between two proud and self-confident people. Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth that “where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation” (50-51). Pride inevitably leads to prejudice as people think that they are above others. Miss Bingley certainly shares Mr. Darcy’s view that they are superior to the country people living nearby. She harbors a prejudice against the Bennets, thinking that they are unworthy to be associated with people of her social status. The false pretenses of her friendship with Jane are revealed when she leaves for London with the rest of the party and proceeds to ignore Jane’s attempts to meet again. Although Mr. Darcy initially comes across as extremely prejudiced against the country society, he does find himself drawn to Elizabeth Bennet. However, in order for the two of them to forge some sort of relationship, they each must overcome their prejudices and tone down their pride.

            Mr. Collins is another very proud character. He constantly seeks approbation, displaying excessive courtesy to everyone he meets. In particular, Mr. Collins is proud of his social status and relationship with Lady Catherine de Bourgh. This deference to Lady Catherine is evident in his marriage proposal to Elizabeth; indeed, he seems to mention Lady Catherine more often than Elizabeth. Mr. Collins came to Longbourn with the intent of marrying one of Mr. Bennet’s daughters, and this intention is very clear in his proposal. His first three reasons for marrying have nothing to do with Elizabeth, and he clearly formulated them before he met her. He wants to set an example for his parish, “add very greatly to [his] happiness,” and, most importantly, follow the recommendation of Lady Catherine (92). Furthermore, he decided to choose one of Mr. Bennet’s daughters because he is destined to inherit the estate upon Mr. Bennet’s death. By reminding Elizabeth of this fact during the proposal, Mr. Collins attempts to simultaneously present himself as a generous man and guilt Elizabeth into doing what is best for her family. Finally, after “flatter[ing]” himself that his motives will not “sink [him] in [her] esteem,” Mr. Collins thinks it is appropriate to actually refer to Elizabeth and his purported affection for her (93). However, he then quickly moves back to discussing the dowry in order to confirm his generosity by saying that the dowry does not matter to him. Mr. Collins is proud enough to genuinely think that Elizabeth will appreciate his efforts, and he does not consider that she may not accept his offer. He is so self-focused that he cannot see how pompous he seems to Elizabeth. Elizabeth must reject his offer multiple times before he actually begins to consider that she may be serious in her rejection. He logically pieced together the mutual benefits of their marriage, but he did not account for any emotional component when asking for, or rather assuming, her hand in marriage.

AP Practice Essay (1982)

            The seemingly arbitrary murder of the Arab in Albert Camus’s The Stranger contributes to the theme of absurdism in the novel.

            The protagonist, Meursault, is walking on the beach when an Arab confronts his friend Raymond with a knife. Convincing Raymond not to retaliate unless the Arab strikes first, Meursault does not seem inclined to commit any acts of violence against the Arab. However, shortly after this incident, Meursault comes across the Arab again. Feeling the sun pressing him onward, Meursault takes out a gun and shoots the Arab, not once, but four times when he sees the glint of the Arab’s knife in the sunlight.

            The murder of the Arab plays a significant role in the interpretation of Meursault as an absurd man. Previously, Meursault would not have been considered a violent character. Camus includes the description of Meursault cautioning Raymond against rash actions to establish that Meursault does not condone nor rashly engage in violence in moments of passion. This fact makes Meursault’s murder of the Arab seem even more confusing and unexpected. Meursault gives elaborate descriptions of the environment, such as the blazing hot sun and the sharp glint of the Arab’s knife, and explains how he feels the need to reduce the incredible pressure from the environment acting against him. Since the reader knows that Meursault is not reacting to the Arab’s actions against Raymond, the reader must conclude that the only factor influencing Meursault’s extreme act of violence is the environment.

            The murder demonstrates the effects of absurdist thinking on Meursault. Camus’s interpretation of absurdism is essentially that life has no inherent meaning, so one’s actions do not have any significant value. Thus, to Meursault, the murder should have no lasting significance other than the effect in that moment. In the moment, the murder succeeded in reducing the pressure of the environment on Meursault. For an absurdist, the meaning ends here. Meursault recognizes that he has the choice to either shoot or not shoot, but he does not consider how these choices will have drastically different consequences. If life has no meaning, then the two choices do not actually matter very much. Indeed, Meursault is remarkably indifferent after the murder, stating that it was like knocking on the door to unhappiness. One would expect a much more dramatic reaction to an act of violence such as a murder, yet Meursault does not have a typical person’s point of view. 

            The conflict between an absurd man and a non-absurd society manifests itself as a key theme in the novel with the murder of the Arab as the central focal point. Society within the novel attempts to explain and rationalize the murder in his court case. There are many potential explanations, such as self-defense, yet Meursault will not recognize any motive to his action other than that he wanted to stop the pressure from the sun. His explanation sounds ridiculous, and society does not accept it. Instead, during the trial, people point to Meursault’s relationship with his mother and his reaction toward her death as justification that he is not an ethically sound person. Society wants to find a motive for the murder; people want to make sense of it based on their belief that life carries meaning. They do not accept that Meursault could murder for a random reason such as the burning sunlight. The murder of the Arab serves as an enigma that can only be reconciled by the reader accepting Meursault as acting based on an absurdist philosophy.

Hamlet #6

            Despite their obvious differences, Claudius and Hamlet both share a certain reluctance to act. After the play, Claudius has a soliloquy in which he admits to murdering King Hamlet. Claudius is aware of the severity of his actions, likening his situation to the story of Cain and Abel and noting that “It hath the primal eldest curse upon ’t” (3.3.41). Realizing that his only possible means for salvation is through repentance, Claudius desperately tries to convince himself to pray. Channeling his inner Lady Macbeth, Claudius imagines his hand coated in his brother’s blood. He asks himself, “Is there not enough rain in the sweet heavens / To wash it white as snow?” (3.3.49-50). Claudius is attempting to reconcile contradictory views about forgiveness. On the one hand (the bloody one), Claudius can point to the fact that Cain was severely punished for murdering Abel, and he can expect similar repercussions. On the other hand, the Bible promises forgiveness for those who repent their sins. Claudius asks himself questions that logically lead him to the conclusion that he should ask for forgiveness from God: “Then I’ll look up” (3.3.54). However, he immediately regresses and begins to question his ability to repent. Not only does Claudius find it difficult to ask, “Forgive me my foul murder” (3.3.56), but he also finds himself reluctant to give up the gains he has since achieved. He may desire forgiveness, but he also desires his current power. Claudius points to corruption in the world in which people do benefit from their evil actions. However, he then reminds himself that God is not fooled by evasion. Claudius seems to work himself into a frenzy as he uses short questions and exclamatory sentences to convince himself to pray. He commands, “Bow, stubborn knees, and heart with strings of steel / Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe” (3.3.74-5). Claudius wants himself to want forgiveness, but he has difficulty bringing this desire to fruition.

            Claudius’ oscillation between thought and action remind the reader of Hamlet’s struggles throughout the play. Staying true to character, Hamlet has a soliloquy immediately following Claudius’ that talks himself out of taking action. Just as he is about to stab Claudius, Hamlet realizes that by murdering Claudius in prayer, “I […] this same villain send / To heaven” (3.3.83-4). Hamlet’s logic seems to be slightly lacking. As Claudius just pointed out, Cain was punished for murdering Abel; murdering a brother is not a sin easily forgiven. Shakespeare wants the audience to recognize that Hamlet’s justification for postponing the murder is flimsy at best. Here is Hamlet with the perfect opportunity, a perfect justification, and in a perfect state of mind, and he still convinces himself not to follow through with the murder. Fittingly, at the end of the scene Claudius admits that he was unable to pray. Both characters fail to follow through with their intended actions, and, for both of them, “This physic but prolongs thy sickly days” (3.3.101).

An Ode to Emily Dickinson

An Ode to Emily Dickinson

She sits in her Room—

The birds cannot Sing in a place so

Bare, and Empty—

Confined by alabaster Walls—

All that fill the Air

Are the Ideas, the Words

And she must Catch them, quickly—before—

They leave her, and Escape—

Through the open Window

Where the World waits—

Beckoning, Singing, Calling to the

Words. But she Calls them too—

And they heed her Voice—

For her Voice sings of Mystery

And Death, and the warm Winds

Of Time and Change—

She is a Mistress of the Words—

They use her to Come into the World—

Her Key can turn the Lock, and set them Free

But she is left Behind— 

Sound & Sense chp. 16 Poem

Mirror, Mirror

Young, innocent, and free

Unblemished by the tolls of time

Eager to experience the vast world around her

Untested, untried

Blessed in naivety

Wide eyes sparking, glistening

Hands reaching, grasping

Ever leaning forward, onward

Ready as she will ever be

Always ready to explore

She is flying, she cannot fall

Seeing no obstacles on the path before her

Looking in the mirror

She sees herself

She sees herself

Looking in the mirror

Obstacles she has overcome spread behind her

Her wings are worn, she is tired

Having traveled so far

Knowing she can never be truly ready

Still leaning, shoulders hunched

Hands holding, clutching

Crinkled eyes deep, peering

Blessed in wisdom

Tested, tried

Familiar with the seemingly infinite world around her

Wizened by the tolls of time

Aged, wise, but always free.