Blog #11: Hamlet "Who's There?" Passage Analysis

Blog #10: "Dream Child; A Reverie" Thesis Statement Revision

Prompt: Carefully read the passage from “Dream Child; a Reverie,” paying special attention to descriptive details and sentence structure. Then, write an essay in which you analyze how Charles Lamb’s style contributes to his portrayal of his “dream children,” his grandmother, and his own childhood.

Original Thesis: Lamb utilizes repetition of simple words, such as good and religious; long, compound sentences; and allusions to the history and people of Norfolk to create a whimsical account of an otherwise average family for his children.  

ARGUMENT/FOCUS   

_No_ Does my thesis statement address each part of the essay question?

_No_ Is the point I'm making one that would generate discussion and argument, or is it one

that would leave people asking, “So what?"

_No_ Have I focused on an interesting contradiction, tension or paradox between two things?

Example: “Although the escalation of violence in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men eventually results in two deaths, it is through violence that compassion is revealed when George, in a violent but merciful act, saves Lenny from cruel mob justice.”

_Yes_ Is my thesis too vague? Too general? Should I focus on some more specific aspect of my

topic?

_Yes_ Does my thesis deal directly with the topic at hand, or is it a declaration of my personal

feelings (“I think”/ “I feel” statements)?

LANGUAGE

_Yes_ Does my thesis indicate the direction of my argument? Does it suggest a structure for

my paper?

_No_ Is the language in my thesis vivid and clear? Have I structured my sentence so that the

important information is in the main clause? Have I used subordinate clauses to

house less important information? Have I used parallelism to show the relationship

between parts of my thesis? In short, is this thesis the very best sentence that it can be?

_Yes_ Is the thesis statement written as a complex sentence?

Revised Thesis: Charles Lamb utilizes repetition of simple words, such as good and religious; long, compound sentences; and allusions to the history and people of Norfolk to create a long history of his family that is perceived as nostalgia, but shows his guilt towards the death of his grandmother and her good name, and the innocence he forces upon his "dream children", that are caused by the regret he carries when faced with his own childhood.

For my thesis revision, I added the first name of the author of the passage.  I also addressed the thesis prompt, unlike my original thesis, by adding how the style of Charles Lamb relates to the portrayal of his childhood, his grandmother, and his children.  I reflected a complex idea in my revised thesis by comparing how Charles Lamb's direct writing and his style show contradicting portrayals of his family.

Blog #9: Grammar Boot Camp

Blog #8: "Root Word" Presentation

Blog #7: Pan's Labyrinth Analysis

Mise en Scene Analysis Paragraphs

Settings and Props

The ending scene of Pan's Labyrinth begins in the middle of the labyrinth.  Ofelia and the other characters in the movie are surrounded by nature in the form of trees and grass.  Ancient, crumbling stone walls covered in moss enclose the setting.  The scene expands to show the old stone stairway leading into the abandoned, underground fortress.  The stone statue depicting a woman, a man and a child stands in the middle of a well filled with water, mixed with Ofelia's blood.  The earthy setting and ancient props used in this last scene of the movie parallel how Ofelia's dead body has become part of the earth, transforming her into her natural state of being, as the princess.  The scene also juxtaposes the kingdom that Ofelia is transported to, where intricate architecture lines the palace ballroom.  This setting includes a grand entrance, cathedral-like window panes, golden columns, and three towering thrones. The sharp contrast in setting from the labyrinth to Ofelia's kingdom shows that the child has finally transformed through the elaborate details that highlight the kingdom as the more pleasurable and comfortable place for Ofelia to exist.

Costumes, Hair and Make-up

As Ofelia continues to exist in the "real world", the costuming and makeup that the characters use shows how drab and unexciting that life has been for Ofelia.  Plain, dark clothing makes the characters look poor and dirty.  The torn, and bloody costumes demonstrate the hardships that Ofelia has overcome in her quest to return to her kingdom.  Mercedes and Ofelia's natural makeup and limp, messy hair create an eerie resemblance between the two characters, depicting, through Mercedes, the life that Ofelia would have had if she had given up her childish beliefs.  Ofelia continues to believe, however, and for this she is rewarded by the lavish robes and gowns worn by the Queen and King of the underground kingdom.  The bright colors symbolize a happiness that Ofelia never found while in her mortal state.  Light makeup and neatly curled hair show a togetherness for the young girl who has just found freedom.  Even the faun that Ofelia meets towards the beginning of the movie, has neatly straightened hair, showing that the harshness found in the world with the captain has vanished in everyone.

Facial Expressions and Body Language

Mercedes expresses worry as she walks slowly toward Ofelia's limp body.  She lightly touches the girl, leaning very close to her, which shows the personal bond that the two females shared.  Her face shows pain, as her eyes close, her eyebrows wrinkle, and her mouth turns downward.  Ofelia's body doesn't move in the labyrinth, but in her kingdom, her awe is shown by her large, darting eyes and slow breathing as she looks around to take in her new surroundings.  The Queen and King give warm looks to their long-lost daughter.  Smiles from the family shows a familiarity and happiness with the reunion, while back in the labyrinth Ofelia's mortal body changes.  Her eyes open, and her breathing is more even.  The young girl's mouth is open and relaxed.  She shows no signs terror-- it is almost a look of contentment that she displays, as though she has come to terms with her worldly death in order to regain her rightful place as the princess.

Lighting and Color

The colors found when Ofelia is in the labyrinth are dark.  It is night and light during this part of the scene is natural, coming from the full moon.  This casts shadows, making the background appear darker, and leaves only the faces of Mercedes and Ofelia illuminated, which allows their facial expressions to appear more prominent.  This light parallels the past and foreshadows the death of Ofelia's mortal body.  The stone statue is the last object illuminated before the scene fades to bright yellow.  This color change signals the return of Ofelia to her fairy tale kingdom.  The screen glows with warm colors, such as gold, red, orange, yellow, and brown.  Light here seems to come from nowhere at all--it just appears-- even though the rays of sunlight stream through the stained glass window at the back of the room.  The light reflects off the faces of Ofelia and the King and Queen, leaving them with an angelic glow.  The bright colors symbolize a change in Ofelia's life, as she begins anew as the "Master of  Two Worlds".

Behavior of Figures

The scene begins in the labyrinth.  The rebels stand in the background to provide respect and personal space as Mercedes approaches the body of the girl she vowed to protect.  The encounter between Mercedes and Ofelia is at a medium shot to capture every action that takes place.  An extreme close up of the blood dripping from Ofelia's fingers and into the well water suggests that this blood maybe an important reason as to why Ofelia is allowed to join the fairy tale world after the faun banishes her-- her innocent blood is able to reopen the portal.  The focus then turns the statue, zooming out to include the entire essence and meaning of the three people shown on the stone that Ofelia will soon join in the kingdom.  Another close up of Mercedes features her pained expression at the literal and metaphorical death of the girl who suffered so much oppression of her creativity and youthful mind.  In the beginning of the kingdom scene, close ups focus of details such as Ofelia's new shoes and the fairies that greet her to capture the awe and fresh perspective of the world she has just entered.  The shots alternate between close ups of Ofelia and medium-long distance shots of other characters to show what is taking place, and how the girl reacts to these events.  An over the shoulder shot from the perspective of the faun shows in greater detail how Ofelia is perceived in the environment she has been waiting for so long to call home.  As the kingdom fades, an extreme close up of Ofelia lingers on her facial expression of contentment.  The gleam in her eyes shows that she no longer fears the past world that she has left behind, but instead, she dwells on the thoughts of the future she will have with her new freedom.