Hamlet Act II Summary

In Act II, Polonius orders Reynaldo to spy on Laertes while he is in France. Polonius ordered Reynaldo to spread rumors about Laertes in order to find out if they are true or not. Ophelia enters upset. She tells Polonius that Hamlet entered her room unkempt and did not speak to her. Polonius tells her that he must be madly in love. In the following scene, Claudius and Gertrude welcome Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The king and queen ask them to spy on Hamlet because he has been acting strange. Polonius enters, and proposes a plan to test if Hamlet's strangeness is due to he love for Ophelia. Everyone exits, except for Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Hamlet joins them and ask them why they have come. Sheepishly, the men confess the truth. Hamlet explains to them that they were sent because he has lost all joy in which everyone appears worthless. The trumpet sounds, announcing the arrival of the actors. Hamlet tell his friends that they are welcome to stay. Two quotes I found intriguing are "Doubt truth to be a liar;/ But never doubt I love" and "For murder, though it have not tongue, will speak/ with most miraculous organ."

Hamlet Act 1 Summary

The play begins with Officers switching positions. Both men are frightened when they hear footsteps. For the past couple nights, the men have been seeing the ghost of ex-king, Hamlet. At first, Horatio doesn't believe the men until he is bombarded when he sees the ghost. Horatio warns them that the ghost is impending misfortunes. Inside the castle, King Claudius explains to his guardsmen that he is now married to Gertrude, his brother's widow. Hamlet is still mourning his father's death, and receives advice from Claudius. Once everyone leaves, Hamlet exclaims that he wishes he could die. As Laertes is preparing to leave for France, his father Polonius advises him on to behave with integrity and practicality. Laertes and Polonius lecture Ophelia about Hamlet's love for her. A while later, Hamlet sees the ghost of his father and follows it. his companions urge him not, but after a moment, Horatio and Marcellus follow after Hamlet and the ghost. The ghost speaks to Hamlet and reveals that King Claudius murdered him with poison and has corrupted Denmark and Gertrude. The ghost urges Hamlet to seek revenge on Claudius, not Gertrude.

Is Hamlet being overdramatic?

In his speech, Hamlet's soul is weighed down by choosing to live or to die. He reminisces between the fear of the afterlife and our thoughts preventing us from acting out; all of which, rationalize his thoughts in his mind to continue to live. Throughout his soliloquy, Hamlet is talking to himself, and expresses how tormented and morbid his thoughts are. Hamlet is a very conflicted being. After all, he continues to see apparitions of his dead father, who asks Hamlet to avenge his death. Furthermore, Hamlet's mother married his father's murderer, Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. He is also torn between the responsibilities of his position in Denmark and showing affection to his loved ones. In this soliloquy, Hamlet enumerates some of the negative aspects of human existence. The "proud man's contumely" or the "flesh to heir", for instance, are prominent negative aspects in his life. Hamlet dwells on life after death, and establishes that human beings are comfortable with the known and fear the unknown. Moreover, his dead father's commentary about life after death has taken a toll on Hamlet. Shakespeare displays Hamlet as a darkened soul, desperate to be released, which reflects the overall tone of the speech. To conclude his soliloquy, Hamlet discusses how our conscience makes us cowards; it is our thoughts which cast us from great things and makes one "lose the name of action." After the speech, Hamlet speaks with Ophelia.

Why does Trump want to build a wall? Is it worth?

Recently, President Trump signed a bill averting government shutdown. Moreover, he also declared a national emergency to obtain funds for his long-promised border wall. In opting to declare a national emergency, Trump would seek to access funds for the wall that Congress had not explicitly authorized for the purpose. Previously, Trump demanded 5.7 billion dollars in funding for the border wall. However, in signing the bill, he agreed on 1.375 billion dollars.

But what are the perks in building a wall? According to Trump, by building a wall on the border, it will keep out low-wage workers and, thereby, raise the wages of U.S. workers, and reduce illegal immigration. A wall will probably open the door to reaching a broad agreement on immigration policy. However, the inflow of undocumented Mexican immigrants is slowing and perhaps even reversing. A 2015
Pew study found that the number of undocumented Mexicans in the United States had dropped by 140,000 between 2009 and 2014. Moreover, the southern border isn't the only way people become illegal immigrants. Many arrive illegally and overstay their visas. According to a study in the Journal on Migration and Human Security, these immigrants now outnumber those breaching the southern border. Thus, the question is, is building a wall really worth it? Based on factual evidence, no it's not.

Education Current Event

Title: “New York Joins Movement to Abandon Use of Student Tests in Teacher Evaluations”

Published: February 1st, 2019

    Four years ago, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo vowed that half of a teacher’s rating would be determined by student results on standardized exams. However, teacher unions and parents, especially those in New York’s wealthy suburbs and progressive urban pockets, resisted his plan. They protested on the basis that it would place undue stress on teachers and children, whose test scores are used for high-stakes admissions decisions and academic tracking. As a result, with Mr. Cuomo’s assent, the evaluation system was suspended only months after it had been adopted. Local school districts and teachers’ unions in New York will now officially be allowed to decide together how educators should be evaluated, with some oversight from the state Education Department, and no requirement that standardized tests must play a role. “Do student test scores actually indicate teacher performance? I’m not convinced,” said John Liu, a newly elected Democratic state senator. “An overreliance on testing can result in perverse incentives. The best evidence is teaching to the test.” The same situation was occuring in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, the city’s school district agreed to create a plan that would significantly reduce the use of standardized tests in schools. Furthermore, Michael Mulgrew, president of the city-based United Federation of Teachers, said Mr. Cuomo, “now understands what standardized tests are, and their limitations, and I give him credit for that.”

HSF Scholarship

Prompt: Describe yourself in 280 words or less.

As a person of character, I can confidently call myself responsible. Responsibility has come naturally to me because I have always been dependent and willing to overcome any obstacle. With lack of parental guidance from my parents, I have found myself responsible for guiding my younger siblings and I through daily life struggles. Unexpectedly, Child Protective Services removed my siblings and I from our home. Being the oldest, I watched over my siblings and comforted them in this crucial time. In turn, I became a mother figure to them.  My primary goal during this time was to encourage myself and my siblings to focus on our education. My leadership role inspired and motivated my siblings to endure even the most difficult hardships. Although I was young, I built up strength to demonstrate that no task is impossible if you support one another.

Being responsible is a characteristic I strive to teach my younger siblings and eventually implement in my future career as a Clinical Psychologist. The ability to easily problem-solve in stressful situations has bolstered my career path to becoming a Clinical Psychologist. Becoming a clinical psychologist will allow me to specialize in physical health concerns and help patients to manage stress or chronic illnesses. Furthermore, my kindness and empathy inclines me to work with others and help them overcome hardships. I have always been highly motivated to improve and better the lives of others. In addition, I challenge myself frequently by taking AP and honors courses. Thus, I will be prepared for college and will have developed strong academic skills.