Assignment 2: Responding to Literary Criticism

QUEEN GERTRUDE: MONARCH, MOTHER, MURDERER

By: Harmonie Loberg

1.     What was your author's thesis?

“I suggest that, within this context of prevalent indirect aggression and with the aid of recent behavioral research, we need to consider anew the textual evidence that Ophelia's "drown- ing" is not the result of an accident or of suicide” (Loberg).

The author’s thesis entails that the play Hamlet presents a great deal of insight into how psychologically humans treat each other. Individuals tend to unintentionally direct forms of violence to others like framing, poisoning, spreading lies, etc. This insight has shown that the Queen had zero fingers pointed at her because she used non-aggression violence.

2. Did she provide convincing evidence to support her thesis? If yes, then provide an example and explain why it was convincing. If no, then provide an example and explain why it wasn't convincing.

Yes, Loberg did provide a significant amount of evidence that supported her thesis. The most insightful assumption was defiantly when Loberg explained how strange it was that the Queen knew about Ophelia’s death before the King. “The fact that the Queen delivers notice of Ophelia's death is highly suspicious. Given the interruption of Hamlet's letters and Claudius' words of implication, it is no wonder that the drowning report has drawn such attention —this scene seems primarily constructed to heighten suspicions of the Queen's involvement in Ophelia's death” (Loberg). It makes me wonder was there a servant that even witnessed the death of Ophelia or was the Queen just making it up. When connecting this example back to the thesis it becomes apparent that there are many underlying suspicions about the Queen that haven’t yet been answered in today’s era. Another example is when Hamlet was banished because he murdered of Polonius. The passive murders were never punished and were usually rewarded in some form. For example, after Claudius murdered King Hamlet he was rewarded with the crown. All of these examples support Loberg’s thesis that obvious aggression will most likely to face consequences.

3. Using one example, identify how the author used a direct quotation:

“According to Kaj Bjorkqvist, a pioneer in the field of human aggression, the development of social and verbal skills allows for "sophisticated strategies of aggression," "with the aggressor being able to harm a target person without even being identified: Those strategies may be referred to as indirect aggression” ("Sex Differ- ences," 179).”

a)    Is the quotation from a primary or secondary source?

This quotation is from a secondary source. “Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources”. Since this quotation is from a novel it would be considered a secondary source that could have evolved from a primary source.

b)    Is the quotation used to illustrate a point, provide clarification, or just to identify a part of the play?

I believe this quotation is placed in this reading in order to provide credible proof and clarification on human aggression.

c)    Does the author use an entire sentence, or just part of the sentence?

Loberg used an entire sentence for this instance, but in many cases, she used sentence fragments throughout the essay.

d)    Is the quotation incorporated into one of the author's sentences?

This sentence is not incorporated into the author’s sentences but is linked to the other sources before and after it.

e)    How do the parenthetical citations for Hamlet differ from those of the secondary sources?

The parenthetical citations that are seen in Hamlet are different because they have brackets at the end with the act, scene, and line(s) numbers. Whereas citations from secondary sources generally blend into the writing because it’s usually the last name of the author and the page number.

    4.   Was there anything confusing in the essay that you feel you would need additional information to understand? If so, what?

No, I found that the essay was not confusing at all. Instead, I would consider it to be very strong and easy to follow considering Hamlet is a very difficult read.    5.   Identify at least two key ideas or terms from either archetypal or feminist literary

criticism your author used.

Terms that I came across:

“Misogynistic critics”

"intelligent, penetrating, and gifted with a remarkable talent for concise and pithy speech"

"the nurtur- ing, loving, careful mother and wife—malleable, submissive, totally dependent, and solicitous of others at the expense of herself"

“The need to secure her roles as monarch, mother, and wife seems the primary catalyst in her decision.”

“Feminist”

    6.   What did this particular perspective add to your understanding of Hamlet?

I found that this essay really changed my views on Gertrude. Considering our class didn’t read through the whole play, I never came across the little hints that Gertrude could have been involved in Ophelia’s death. Additionally, I never really understand why Ophelia died. In this essay the expert theories helped me understand it was something more than an accident or suicide. I also never saw a difference in the types of aggression. Now, with the use of examples in the essay I am more aware of indirect aggression and direct aggression.

    7.   Did you notice anything about the way in which this essay was written that

seems to contradict essay “rules” you have been taught in the past? If so,

explain.

I found that the ideas were scrambled everywhere. I found was hard to spot the specific topics/arguments because of the lack of organization. Usually, essays follow a chronological order but in this essay the ideas go from the final scene, to the murdering of King Hamlet, and then to the Queen’s involvement in Ophelia’s death. I also noticed that the author does not maintain a certain point of view. At one moment it would say “I believe in” then later it would say “In her star- tling-yet-necessary”.

Works Cited

Loberg, Harmonie. "Queen Gertrude: Monarch, Mother, Murderer." Atenea24.1 (2004): 59-71. Literary Reference Center. Web. 7 June 2017.

Primary and Secondary Sources. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2017. <https://library.ithaca.edu/sp/subjects/primary>.

Academic and Experimental Learning of the Stars

In the poem “I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman there is a dilemma between experiential learning and academic learning. According to UNESCO, “at the heart of all learning is the way we process our experiences, especially our critical reflections on our experiences [...] experiential education as a key approach to student-centred learning for a sustainable future.” Many believe that knowledge only comes from what one learns in class. The speaker expresses his boredom while a professor talks about the universe and mathematical figures. He states “When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, how soon unaccountable I became tired and sick” (Whitman 4-5). This disinterest sticks until the speaker ventures outside and looks up at the stars. He is mesmerized by the ordeal that is partaking. He specifies by saying “Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars” (Whitman 8). The speaker points out that some things can only be taught experimentally and not academically, or vice versa.

Even though the poem is relatively short, there is a strong message being presented. The settings, the lecture hall and outside, depict the different learning styles. The speaker’s opinion imposes that regardless of how “learn’d” the professor is, no lecture is greater than looking directly at the stars. I agree with the speaker; the scientific explanations can defiantly detract from the beauty of the stars. I tend to get disinterested when listening to a teacher discuss theories and mathematical equations. I believe that experiential learning applies to me since I would classify myself as a visual and hands-on learner. For example, I am currently in Grade 11 Physical Geography and there is a mix of lessons, textbook work, making models, and going on field trips. As of right now, we are learning about the Oak Ridges Moraine in class that I would consider boring. In a few weeks we will be travelling to Blue Mountain and the Scenic Caves. Experiencing these famous landforms face-to-face will impact me more than reading about it in a textbook.

      

In some cases, this is not always true. For instance, when I learned of the horrid conditions that many zoo animals are put through, it made me second guess a trip to the Toronto Zoo. When I was a kid I loved going because I didn’t know all of the facts and statistics. Now I choose not to support this unethical display of animals.

In conclusion things can seem very different when looking through either an experimental or an academic perspective. The perspective is determined by the individual and most importantly the subject.

Works Cited

"HomeTeaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future." UNESCO | Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future | Module 20: Experiential learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2017. <http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_d/mod20.html>.



Whitman, Walt. I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer. N.p.: n.p., 1865. Print.

Into Thin Air: Feminist Literary Theory

“Tears streaking my cheeks, weeping like I hadn’t wept since I was a small boy. Safe now, the crushing strain of the preceding days lifted from my shoulders, I cried for my lost companions, I cried because I was grateful to be alive, I cried because I felt terrible for having survived while others had died.”

― Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

The final chapters of Into Thin Air is where many characters’ social standing are revealed by remorse and with their interactions with the team. While viewing this novel in a feminist perspective, I quickly realized that it was written in a Phallocentric Narrative perspective. I noticed that there were many different types of character, but very few of them were female. The women that the author explains either are doctors at base camp or loved ones back at home or the one climber slowing down the rest of the team. The impression it gave to me was that women are not fit enough for the trek up Mt. Everest. The tone and the lacking presence of women almost makes it feel like women do not or have very little place on the mountain. I do not believe that the author intended for the female characters to be presented in such a negative way, instead it was just how the many events played out.

When looking closer at Krakauer’s relationships throughout the novel, it is apparent that he bonds more with his fellow male climbers. Krakauer considers Rob Hall, Scott Fischer, Doug Hansen and Andy Harris as role models. The author explains the masculinity and heroism of many of the male characters. For example, “Fischer saw no reason to waste cash on medical treatment for such a minor injury, so he climbed for the next six months with an open, suppurating wound” (Krakauer 87). Krakauer seems to be profoundly drawn towards Fischer’s “raw and emotional, disinclined toward introspection, he had the kind of gregarious, magnetic personality that instantly won him friends for life; hundreds of individuals – including some he’d met just once or twice – considered him a bosom buddy” (Krakauer 88). During the weeks leading up to reaching the summit he becomes very close with Andy. Krakauer states “Andy, who revealed himself to be a gifted, extremely patient teacher- and who, as the junior guide, had been assigned to climb with the slowest clients, at the rear” (Krakauer 104). Krakauer only talked positively about his fellow male climbers, so when many of them died he felt guilty and the burden of carrying the rest of the team down to safety. I noticed that Krakauer has opposite views, considering that there are very few sections that are dedicated to positively representing Sandy and Yasuko.

Highlighted individuals lost in 1996 disaster: Doug Hansen, Andy Harris, Rob Hall, and Yasuko Namba

The two women that Krakauer continuously mentions are Yasuko Namba and Sandy Hill Pittman. These women are very opposite from each other. Sandy comes from power and money back in the US, she uses this power to try and control what happens on the mountain. “Her name was Sandy Hill Pittman, and nobody on the mountain cut a higher profile or generated as much gossip” (Krakauer 164). Beck boldly remembers how needy Sandy was on their ascent of Vinson Massif in Antarctica. He states “She brought this humongous duffel bag full of gourmet food that took about four people to even lift. She also brought a portable television and video player so she could watch movies in her tent” (Krakauer 168). Krakauer and the other climbers are aware that Sandy lacks the skill and strength to reach the peak. That is why she orders Lopsang, a Sherpa, to carry her eighty pounds of satellite equipment, so she can broadcast from the peak. This selfishness reminds me of the movie, Dr. Seuss ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’. When the Grinch steals the presents from the people of Whoville, he makes his dog Max drag the shield full of presents and countless times it nearly runs him over. Lopsang was already exhausted from hauling up the heavy equipment, so when he “towed Pittman on a short-rope for five or six hours” he nearly collapsed (Krakauer 201). Not only is she unqualified, she also has been putting a burden on her team’s progress up Everest. Later on in the novel Krakauer expresses how timing is everything. When an individual like Sandy slows down the team the consequences can be deadly. In this case, it was running into the deadly storm. Krakauer strongly stated that if the snowstorm came “two hours later, it is likely nobody would have died”. On the other hand, if the storm came earlier there was a chance that more people would have died. The role of Sandy is still unclear, but her oppression makes the team suffer in the end.

Sandy Pittman on Everest

            Yasuko Namba was another female present during the expedition. She had more skill and strength than Sandy Pittman. She did not play the typical female role at home, “An accomplished business women employed by Federal Express in Tokyo, Yasuko didn’t fit the meek, deferential stereotype of a middle-aged Japanese woman. At home, she’d told me with a laugh, her husband did all the cooking and cleaning” (Krakauer 199). Yasuko was the second Japanese woman to arrive at top of all seven summits. Her endurance made her well respected in the climbing field. She was able to carry her own weight, only relying on the guides for direction. As the team neared the summit Yasuko grew as more of a liability to the team rather than an asset. Her mask ran out of oxygen and she started hallucinating. Krakauer expresses how obvious it was that she was struggling, “Namba’s oxygen ran out, and the diminutive Japanese woman sat down, refusing to move. When I tried to take her oxygen mask off so she could breathe more easily [...] that mask was actually suffocating her” (Krakauer 226). These events accounted for the delay in time, making the team get caught in the eye of the storm. It was shocking how the novel ended with the deaths of many, including Namba.

The fact that the less skilled Sandy Pittman survived and Namba died. Krakauer is not trying to negatively depict women, he is indicating how no one is free from danger on Everest. “In fact, over the past 30 years there have been 418 women who have successfully reached the summit, according to the Himalayan Database. They have been from a wide variety of backgrounds, with different ages, nationalities, socioeconomic status, and reasons for attempting this incredibly dangerous feat” (Funk). Fifty women have finished all the Seven Summits which is an incredible accomplishment of women.