Short Works Edited Paragraph

Original Conclusion Paragraph:
The couple's paranoia to keep their family safe from any outside threat ends up backfiring at them. Their incentive to keep their home safe ends up dying not because of any outside threat, but because of their overprotection. Gordimer portrays the couple as cautious people that eventually become paranoid to prove her point that too much of anything is bad for you. Things are only good in moderation because if you over do, the results might be tragic.

Revised Conclusion Paragraph:
     The couple's paranoia to keep their family safe from any outside threat ends up backfiring at them. Their  main incentive to keep their home safe ends up dead, not because of any outside threat like they feared so, but due to their overprotection. Gordimer portrays the couple as cautious people that eventually become paranoid to prove her point that too much fear, especially if it is unaccounted for, can lead to tragic results, and that it is best to live in moderation. 

Branagh's Decent Portrayal of Hamlet

Kenneth Branagh's depiction of Act 1 Scene 5 of Hamlet was acceptable. Although there were many parts that ruined the mood, there were also some that I thought were true to the play.

At the very beginning of the scene, it really bothered me that the ghost of Hamlet's father scared him by coming out of nowhere and by grabbing him by the arm. In his discussion of the scene, Branagh did say that he meant for Hamlet to be scared, but it would have been a lot better if Hamlet had been scared because he was about to see a ghost, not because the ghost purposefully scared him by grabbing him. Another thing that I disliked was that throughout the entire video, the ghost was speaking in a very annoying, raspy, and whispering voice. Hamlet is hard enough to understand, and the ghost's voice made it even harder to tell what he was saying. Also, I think that throughout most of the chat with the ghost,  Hamlet had a blank expression and it was hard to tell what he was feeling. 

The best part of Branagh's portrayal of scene 5 was when they passed the background story and the recounting of events. I liked the image of the old king sleeping peacefully in his garden, although they don't provide much detail about that scene in the play, I think it was portrayed well in the video. Same goes for the poisoning of the king, it was a good touch to pass a visual of  how awful the poisoning of the king was because it made it even worse that his own brother would cause him that pain. Branagh said that he wanted Claudius to look affected by killing his brother. Although it is not mentioned how Claudius reacts in the actual play, by making Claudius look affected, Branagh made it seem like he might have regretted killing his brother.The illustration of Gertrude spending time with both the old King and Claudius added to the point that she moved on too fast, which is just how Hamlet explains it in the play. I also liked that at the end, Hamlet seemed vulnerable and showed some of his grief and affection by touching his father's ghost's hand.

The best aspects of Branagh's portrayal of Act 1 Scene 5 of Hamlet were definitely the parts that showed the illustrations of the background story. They provided insight on what Hamlet might have been imagining as his father's ghost spoke to him.Some of Branagh's choices on how to present the ghost could have been better, but overall his depiction of the scene wasn't too bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNF1MADUz2E&feature=player_embedded

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgQiHPDvpx0&feature=player_embedded

First Impression of King Claudius

       When king Claudius is introduced in Hamlet, he immediately sets off a bad impression. The first thing shakespeare lets us know about Claudius is that he marries his dead brothers wife, an action that I find very unsettling. Claudius is doing his best to demonstrate his superiority now that he is king, but in my opinion, he comes off as arrogant. I also think he serves as a bad fatherly role towards Hamlet by being insensible and inconsiderate towards his feelings.

Only one month after the death of his brother, the old king of Denmark, Claudius marries his wife. He makes it seem like he is providing a balance of emotions for himself and for the kingdom, " Have we (as 'twere with a defeated joy, /With an auspicious and a dropping eye, / With mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage, / In equal scale weighing delight and dole)" (1.2.10-13). But how can he feel both sorrow for his brother's death, and happiness for marrying his dead brothers wife? I find this balance to be unnatural and his ideas contradicting. Still, he pretends that everything is fine when it most clearly isn't.

During his speech to the court, Claudius seems insulted because Fortinbras doesn't believe in his ability as king, "Now follows that  you know. Young Fortinbras, /Holding a week supposal of our worth/ Or thinking by our late dead brothers death / Our state to be disjoint and out of frame," (1.2.17-20).  Since the kingdom is at its lowest for just losing its king, and because Fortinbras doubts the abilities of Claudius, he is ready to get back land won over by the old king. Claudius is clearly insulted by this criticism and has to show that he is worthy of the throne by resolving the problem. Claudius is proud and arrogant, and he is most likely looking to surpass the old king and be more admired than he ever was.  

When Claudius tries acting fatherly towards Hamlet, he does a pretty bad job. First of all, he steels Hamlet's throne by marrying his mother after his father's death. Then he tells Hamlet to look at him as if he were his father, when clearly Hamlet does not want his father to be replaced. Instead of being understanding towards Hamlet's feelings and providing comfort, Claudius tells him that, "But to persevere/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness. 'Tis unmanly grief. / It shows a will most incorrect to heaven," (1.2.96-99).Who wants to hear that they should man up and stop mourning when they've just lost a loved one? No one, especially not from the person that is trying to replace them. 

       So far, my first impression of king Claudius is very lousy and I'm expecting the worst from him.

Paranoia in "Once upon a Time"

Paranoia in “Once Upon a Time”

      Nadine Gordimer portrays the married couple in “Once Upon a Time” as alert and overprotective people who try to turn their home into a safer place. At first, they only seem cautious  when it comes to their security, but as the story progresses, they make more drastic changes, turning their home into an uncomfortable place. Towards the end, the couple’s need for protection makes them paranoid and causes the death of their own child.Gordimer portrays the couple as alert and overprotective to warn others against resorting to extremes because the results may be catastrophic. 
When Gordimer introduces the couple, they are aware of possible dangers, and so they have the basic means of caution. They are careful about what people they bring into their house and so they have, "a housemaid who [is] absolutely trustworthy and an itinerant gardener who [is] highly recommended by the neighbors" (Gordimer 232). These are people they can count on to contribute to the security of their home because they are not strangers that might be dangerous or have bad habits, they are people who can be trusted. In addition, Gordimer also says that the couple is, "inscribed in a medical benefit society, their pet dog [is] licensed, they [are] insured against fire, flood damage and theft , and subscribed to the local Neighborhood Watch"(Gordimer 232). The couple has medical insurance and protection against some things that they can’t control, like their dog running away or natural disasters. In addition, they volunteer to keep the surrounding neighborhood safe as well. These are all common precautions that many people take, which only makes them conscious about the dangers that surround them. 
However, as the story unfolds, Gordimer makes the couple seem more and more worried about their safety. Since the couple is afraid of housebreaking, they install burglar bars and, "from every window and door in the house where they [are] living happily ever after they now [see] the trees and sky through bars"(Gordimer 233). Gordimer makes the couple cage themselves in in order to keep the danger out. Also, in order to prevent burglaries, the couple has a security system installed which doesn't end up serving its purpose well. This happens because, "When the little boy's pet cat [tries] to climb in by the fanlight to keep him company in his little bed at night, as it customarily [has] done, it [sets] off the alarm keening through the house" (Gordimer 232). Instead of warning from attempts of breaking in, the alarm announced the whereabouts of the cat and so they get used to the sound of the alarm. Having the burglar bars and the alarm system installed makes the couple lose some of their comforts because they are bothersome mechanisms that disrupt their peace.
At the end, Gordimer makes the couple's need for protection turn into an obsession and their son suffers the consequences of their actions. Their ultimate response to acquire security is to get, "a gang of workmen [come] and [stretch] the razor-bladed coils all around the walls of the house"(Gordimer 235). The couple installs a very dangerous mechanism and it comes with dire results. While playing a game, their son gets tangled in it and," the bleeding mass of the little boy [is] hacked out of the security coil with saws, wire-cutters, choppers, and they [carry] it the man, the wife, the hysterical trusted housemaid and the weeping gardener into the house" (Gordimer 236). Instead of serving as protection from people on the outside, it turns out to be deadly for their child.
The couple's paranoia to keep their family safe from any outside threat ends up backfiring at them. Their incentive to keep their home safe ends up dying not because of any outside threat, but because of their overprotection. Gordimer portrays the couple as cautious people that eventually become paranoid to prove her point that too much of anything is bad for you. Things are only good in moderation because if you over do, the results might be tragic.