Psychoanalytic Criticism - Hamlet Analysis

The latent meaning behind Hamlet’s actions in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, can be a faked madness driven by deep depression. He is, without doubt, one of the most complicated characters presented in the history of the dramatic genre. His multiple soliloquys reflecting on different matters, his metaphorical type of general expression that jars with the audience and the inactiveness of his persona, damped by his own self, automatically conduct the reader to consider the factors that might have influenced him.

The first act gives us the particular impression that Hamlet’s sorrow is deeply rooted in his father’s death. His mother marries her brother-in-law in an incestuous marriage that obliterates Hamlet’s hopes and worsens his emotional situation terribly. “O that this too sullied flesh would melt, // (…) had not fix’d // His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter.” (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 129-131) The protagonist is completely detached from the amour-propre inherent to most human individuals. The use of imagery in his speech and the way in which Shakespeare portrays his speech through an irregular iambic pentameter delivers hints about his mental state. The effect generated is that of Hamlet wanting to take his own life or sink into an internal darkness. This idea repeats itself when he mentions that he does not “…set (…) life at a pin’s fee…” (Act 1, Scene 4, line 65) and interacts with what turns out to be his father’s ghost.

The appearance of his progenitor’s spectrum definitely influences Hamlet further into his grief and it reiterates his own suspicions, justifying the hatred he feels for his uncle, King Claudius. It is around this part that Hamlet begins to develop an apparent madness. "He rais'd a sigh so piteous and profound // (...) He seem'd to find his way without his eyes..." (Act 2, Scene 1, lines 94-98) And it makes the reader wonder: Is he really crazy? It is later discovered in the play, by his own words: "I am but mad north-north west." (act 2, Scene 2, line 368), that he is lucid most of the time. This makes us believe that he is probably faking his madness. His dialogues with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern also reveal us that he has come back from England and that he considers Denmark to be a prison. This sums up to the depressive concepts we had of him: his father dies, he has to come back to Denmark and then he finds out the incestuous relationship between his mother and his uncle. As he himself mentions, he feels trapped. He needs to decide if he has to avenge his father, killing King Claudius. It is a decision that seems to be crawling on his skin and that places a lot of responsibility on him, that he probably doesn't know how to face. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Commentary on Society

Society in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is depicted, mostly, as a fragmented puzzle of opposed communities. From Maya Angelou’s side, the Negro community is united and the individuals belonging to it look after each other, share their hopes and understand their needs. They understand the segregation they suffer by the hands of the white folks and even state that God preferred white over the Negroes.

These factors model the ethics of the community differently for each “race”. Even though the Negro community respects and silently duels a wall of respect towards the white men and women, they consider that the crimes committed against them, and by the hands of Negroes, are not necessarily bad.

Both sides of the coin are shaped by the other and the black girl that Marguerite Johnson has to learn to be suffers from all the problems of being a teenager plus racism and sexism. In her character, we can appreciate how it is not only her that suffers, but also her whole community. And she becomes proud at last and has to overcome the challenges that the oppression against her people represents. 

Critical Analysis: Sympathy

The poem Sympathy presents the same rhyme scheme in the three stanzas it is composed of. The text is plethoric of imagery and rhythm, which grants it characteristics that are similar to the ones songs have. The title, Sympathy, references the point of view that the speaker has about the situation presented.

At first, the world that the bird is not able to be part of is depicted through beautiful imagery: “When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass, // And the river flows like a stream of glass…” This effect is projected through the use of alliteration. And as it can be appreciated, via the repetition of the “s” sound, onomatopoeia constructs the sound that the wind would reproduce as it whirls through the grasslands. It shows an external beauty and tranquility which the caged bird longs for, and it feels segregated from.

After understanding his desire, the will that the caged bird owns is presented full of obstinacy and persistence, and it achieves this effect on the reader through the use of a sympathetic, comprehensive tone. We can appreciate this in the following lines: “…the caged bird beats his wing // Till its blood is red on the cruel bars; // For he must fly to his perch and cling…” Sensory images predominate to portray the experience the bird goes through, these build up the tone and contribute to the purpose of the poem. This last lines use pathos to cause the reader to identify with the fowl.

The intention of the text exposes symbolic characteristics that could be connected with the context the poem was written in. “I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, // When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,- // When he beats his bars and he would be free…” If we connect the fact that the author was an Afro-American poet and writer from the late 19^th and 20^th century to the poem, we can recognize an allegory when the will and intentions of the caged bird are discussed. It could be linked to the Afro-American situation of that time, the way in which they were oppressed and they sang songs as prayers and a symbol of strength.  


Sources:

University of Dayton. (2003) The Life of Paul Laurence Dunbar . Retrieved from: http://www.dunbarsite.org/biopld.asp

Introduction to Maya Angelou

a) When and where was she born?

Maya Angelous was born on April 4th , 1928, in St. Louis (United States of America) and was raised in segregated rural Arkansas.

b) What is her birth name?

Her birth name is Marguerite Johnson.

c) What was the inspiration for the title of her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?

She wrote a poem called Caged Bird, and her autobiography's title and that poem have their bases on Sir Lawrence Dunbar's text Sympathy. Which itself talks about a caged bird and why it sings. We learn that the author, Maya Angelou, has felt like a caged bird some times in her life and that she can relate and feel empathy towards the bird. Hence, we can understand her choice of title. 

d) In her opinion, what is the most important virtue and why does she believe that?

For her, the most important virtue is courage. Because without it, all the other values that can be cultivated individually cannot be consistent.

e) What position did Angelou hold in the 1960s and who asked her to take on that role?

In that time she was appointed as the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as requested by Martin Luther King Jr. 

f) How many other influential posts has she held?

She became part of the National Comission on the Observance of International Year and also part of the American Revolutionary Bicentennial Advisory Council.

g) Find two notable ‘firsts’ that Angelou has achieved in her lifetime.

• She became one of the first afro-american women whose book reached the best-sellers.
• Her screenplay, Georgia, was the first one written by an afro-american woman to be filmed.

h) Locate some of Angelou’s poetry or notable quotes online. Find a line, image or quote that you like and describe why it appeals to you.

"The ancestors remind us, despite the history of pain
We are a going-on people who will rise again.And still we rise. "

MIllion Man March Poem, Maya Angelou.

I like this fragment from Angelou's poem because it conveys a message of hope and faith for people. It invites us to look back into our pasts, the history that directly, or indirectly, has influenced our existance. 

It portrays our ability to overcome difficulties and to be human, as she writes in other of her texts.
i) Write one thing you have discovered that has surprised you, and one question you have about Maya Angelou.

It surprised me that she turned out to be such a multi-faceted person. Well-rounded being, incredibly 'human', that even participated in activist movements for human rights. 

• What inspires her to write a poem?

The Village of Umuofia

We had the opportunity to take part in a roleplay that was situated in the village of Umuofia. We were supposed to engage a discussion and appeal in favor of the point of view of the character we represented. It was an interesting, definitely enriching and didactic activity that allowed us to connect a little bit more with the characters of the book.

The system had three different types of 'speech' from which you could choose to either say, emote or (and I didn't really understand how to use the last one) normal. Most people stayed in character and permitted an adequate development of ideas, but others spoke hardly anything or stated things that were completely out of context.

Overall, it was a nice experience.

Mr. Brown's Diary

XX/XX/XXXX

From a humble servant of God,

The mission of preaching our religion in this land, swollen with impurity and disbelief, is more important than anyone could believe. These men that seem so unnatural to our fellow messengers of the queen are very similar to us, and an excess of zealotry or fanaticism is not going to help us purge their sins. We must be humble servants of god and not impose our religion with a frontal attack, like an army of heavily armed knights with sharp spears and swords, but shall we be patient and bring a small doses of our Father’s panacea every day, and we will see the change take place.

I think Mr. Kiaga would agree with me, I have visited his little church in Mbanta and he seems to be taking it through a good pathway. He is strong and resilient to the adverse tempest winds that are presented against him...

XX/XX/XXXX

May the will of the Lord lie in our hearts,

I cannot explain the reason behind the clan’s action, but I may say I suspect they have begun respecting me to some point. They even presented me a carved elephant tusk! It is supposed to be a very noble symbol to them... I try my best to follow God’s word and keep our devotees in line. A couple of them have incredible ideas, but they may bring trouble with the tribes and I am meant to prevent that as much as it is in my power.

I dialogue with important figures of the tribe, and I think I have made a significant progress with my idea of founding a school. Some of them seemed to be reluctant at first, but step by step, they are turning out to be a great acquisition to the converting power!

Today I maintained incredibly interesting and fructiferous conversation with the great man Akunna. I have received knowledge about their religion copiously, and although it does not convince me completely... It does have its basics on a similar logic as ours.

XX/XX/XXXX

Joyful days will come to us,

Indeed, they have started heading our way. Change in the hearts of these people has begun sprouting and now it can be respected as completely noticeable. The villagers have started considering the schools I founded important! I suspect they see how it brings peace to the mind and bliss to the soul, apart from some interesting job positions! Haha!

I know that time runs through the veins as poisonous as spider venom, and it is getting to me little by little, but I shall not let this feeling of uncertainty in my bones get to my heart! I shall serve the Lord until the end of my days...Although the time foreseen of heading back to England draws near. I feel responsible and blissful for the effectiveness of the religion in this land. We still have some problems, but they will solve over time.

As I always preached, the small doses of our God’s will have converted the villagers and I think they are beginning to understand the supremacy of our Lord. 

Village of Umuofia: Virtual Visit

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology (AKA internet), we have been able to take a closer look of how the parts of Umuofia actually look like in this literary world site:

http://www.literaryworlds.wmich.edu/umuofia/

It presented images on an ordered, very structured manner that demands the use of a map to get to fixed locations. It uses hyperlinks to travel from one part of Umuofia to the other one, which seems kind of concrete and reduces the experience a little bit. It is interesting how it gives individual descriptions of everything you can find in the zone you are located in, such as, Kola Nuts or a particular character.

I decided to take a route from the Village Square to visit the town of Mbanta, which is very important in the Second Part, it is amazing how the site even reproduces typical music of the area. This detail (which I didn't notice the first time I explored the village) is a really effective mood settler.

The pictures, even if they are in black and white, give us an overview of how the things I imagined in the book looked like. The journey to Mbanta was planned through the use of the map, because almost every place you need to go through has deviations to other areas.

I adored the music, as I have mentioned before, especially the one in the cave area. Where objects, such as a mask, could be appreciated. Summing up, the experience was pretty interesting, and more importantly, positive to our learning experience.

Things Fall Apart: Part Two

1. How is Okonkwo affected by his exile?

Okonkwo is given a piece of land to work in his motherland, although he doesn’t seem to be as enthusiastic as he would have been when he worked on land when he was younger. “But it was like beginning life anew without the vigour and enthusiasm of youth, like learning to become left-handed in old age.” (p.96) It is possible to appreciate that Okonkwo starts to feel powerless and tired, because his life doesn’t have a real purpose now. He had to start over from zero, and he does manage to achieve it through the help of his kinsmen and family.

After his exile, we can infer that he feels useless and unmotivated, because everything he had worked for up to now. “That had been his life-spring. (…) He had been cast out of his clan like a fish on to a dry, sandy beach…”(p.96) Through the use of a simile, we can observe how alienated the protagonist feels by having to live in his mother’s land. He feels that he doesn’t belong there, maybe because of its connection to a feminine side of him that, up to that moment, he did not want to accept.

2. How is Nwoye affected?

Nwoye decides to join the missionaries, brought to this land by the white men. When the evangelist talks to the tribe about Catholicism and its beliefs, everyone burst into laughter and felt deceived, but Okonkwo’s son was captivated. “He felt a relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul.”(p.108) Nwoye is hungry for answers, he starts to feel that this new religion is going to be able to fix him and that it will answer the questions he couldn’t find the answer to. 

3. How does their relationship change?

The relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye is obviously affected by the fact that his son has, basically, betrayed his own culture and joined the missionaries and their new religion, adoring their new God. When Okonkwo is asked about his son, he doesn’t seem to want to mention him at all, allowing us to recognize the confinement that the protagonist has submitted his son to. They become more split and distant, even more than what they were after Okonkwo had taken part in Ikemefuna’s death.

When Nwoye starts to frequent the church that had been built in the Evil Forest, Okonkwo finds out and he harms his son, demanding answers from him. This event acts as the final distancing between Okonkwo and Nwoye, because the latter leaves to a school somewhere in Umuofia to learn how to write and read. 

4. Predict the end of the book.

It is possible that when Okonkwo returns to his village, something similar to what happened to the Abame tribe occurs to the Igbo tribe. Since there has been a gradual, but significant, increase in the people converted to catholicism, it could be some kind of foreshadowing of an invasion lead by the white men.

1. Consider gender roles in the Igbo community and discuss the status & expectations of women and men / 2. How does the novel meet the author's aim of portraying a pre-colonial Nigeria?

1.

There is a perceivable difference between what is expected of women in the Igbo tribe from what it is expected by men. While the society is centered on the masculine figure, women are secluded to the home and taking care of internal family issues. The Ibo is a polygamous culture, where a man is permitted to live with more than one wife.

The feminine presence is completely eclipsed by the patriarch of the family. Even when the narrator tells us about one of Okonkwo’s wives, she refers to it through him “…asked his second wife…” (p.22) or through the name of his son “…Nwoye’s mother took Ikemefuna…” (p.12) This allows us to appreciate a reification of the figure of women, at least coming from the protagonist’s point of view.

They fulfill the role of developing activities that seem to be exclusive to women, like cooking. While men wrestle and take care of the external ambit, women are in charge of taking care of the younger girls and teach them the household arts. “ ‘Father will you go see the wrestling ? ‘(…) …she said: ‘Can I bring your chair for you?’ ‘No, that is a boy’s job.’” (p.33) The girls are limited to some special jobs and are preferred to do house jobs.

Even if the women are secluded to the home and have a lesser importance in society than men, the culture protects them and their transcendence for the tribe. “ ‘ Your wife was at fault, but even if you came into your obi and found her lover on top of her, you would still have committed a great evil to beat her.’ “ (p.23) The priest of the earth goddess, Ani, defends the position of Okonkwo’s wife  when she had committed a mistake because the community and traditions of the tribe consider that beating a woman is extremely inappropriate and could affect the whole clan. 

Reading Journal: Things Fall Apart , Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Things Fall Apart presents an omniscient narrator that start to describe the main character of the text, Okonkwo. We learn about his past, how he had beaten he who was said to be the strongest wrestler, unbeaten for seven years, Amalinze the Cat. This allows us to infer and create a vision of who the protagonist is, the power he has and his status quo.

Through the use of an inner description, we learn about Okonkwo’s character and how he reacts to people. “He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists. He had no patience with unsuccessful men.” (p.3) We can conclude though this quote that his close-minded and unstable nature might be a source of problems later on in the story.

There is a contrast shown between the way the protagonist leads his own life and how his own father did. It shows us a flashback, making us realize the importance of Unoka’s (Okonkow’s father) failure in building his own destiny and how that influenced Okonkwo. “He had no patience with his father.” (p.3) His father had died ten years ago and he (Okonkwo) had to build a name for himself.

At the end of the chapter is presents us what might be a future conflict, the appearance of someone called Ikemafuna, who is only mentioned, but it is said that the protagonist had to come and look after him.