The Search for Motive: Crime and Punishment

Raskolnikov battles between his belief that murder is acceptable in certain situations versus Russian, and even international, societal beliefs. This puts him in a position where he himself questions whether or not his actions were indeed just. The thought of his actions makes him sick, as he experiences hallucinations and an overload of stress. When questioned by Porfiry Petrovich, Roskolnikov is asked about an essay that he had written about murder, in which he states that there are certain exceptions in some cases. The founding of this, along with the contrasting beliefs of Petrovich, insures Raskolnikov that he is indeed a suspect. The motive of the crime, Raskolnikov determines, for killing Alyona Ivanovna, is to establish his theorized superiority, which would then grant him the social allowance to commit murder. Yet, his search for motive is still undetermined to himself because of the environment around him.

Lazy or Busy?

This is sad. I'm going to be posting 3 blogs tomorrow, I have been sooooooo overloaded with school work and adjusting to this new house. I just got internet today so I will be trying to put it to good use. 

This week in AP-Lit has been pretty exciting, especially our discussion on Allen Ginsberg. I can't wait to publish a post tomorrow all about it. But it's 12:36 A.M. and I'm getting sleepy. 

Nightmares

Well, I was originally going to write my Crime and Punishment blog but I left my notebook at school the Thursday before vacation and have not been to school since, so I am unaware of the topics for the graded blog post!  However, I need to start writing every day again and so I will make it a top priority.

My vacation's been going pretty well, despite being sick. I have had the flu, bronchitis and the common cold that has been going around. 

I can't stop having nightmares about school. I've never had an argument with a teacher, nor do I ever intend to, but I keep having the strangest dreams where I end up swearing and using language that I would never use in harsh tones and being completely rebellious; throwing chairs, smashing lab equipment... 

All of this poetry has brought me back to thinking deeper about everything around me. Our Harry Potter discussion yesterday led into these different views of different novels and how they are differently interpreted in foreign places, as well as the criticism that they execute on one another. The other night I just happened to be thinking about what everyone's purpose is, what the government's purpose is, communities - small and large. Why do people mind each other's business? When we drive in cars we are separated from those around us, although they, too, are there. Yet, we have to put titles on ourselves and argue about whether or not abortion should be legal, whether or not gays should be allowed to marry, and whether or not certain drugs are should actually be banned, or if they should be accepted as harmless natural herbs. Why criticize all of these things if they are not specifically pertained to every human? Isn't life about living in the moment? When living in the moment, what is contained in the moment is the only thing that matters. If you cannot remain inside of this present notion, then what is the purpose of this world? 

Just a thought... 

Sonnet

Be honest, this might just be the worst sonnet ever written:

There's no such thing as total perfection,

We all strive to be as good as neighbors,

This whole thing is a pointless collection, 

All that is wanted from us are labors. 

Define what is right, what is accepted,

Corruption has lingered in this grey place

And the man may never be contested 

Because the things we the people embrace

Are only valuable to ourselves

And what is vital to him is central

For now I will dangle this from the shelves

Until the issue meets its funeral

And everyone must understand this

Because nothing even truly exists. 

King:Lear - A Madman?

A general theme in literature is the growth, or development, of a character. In Shakespeare's "King Lear," Lear proves himself to be very arrogant and self-centered. In the beginning of the play, he proves to be the superior character after firing Kent and manipulating his daughters into separated speeches of their extensive love for him as a father. After Cordelia's refusal, Lear instantaneously evolves into a character of great insecurity and insanity. The final blows to his demolishing self occur after his own daughters refuse to give assistance to their needy father. The storm then symbolizes both the defeat of himself and the beginning of his downward slope towards lunacy. That is not to say that he doesn't learn from his past mistakes, because he does. The fact that his faults could have been so easily avoided only drags him down further. The clever Fool only contradicts Lear's reputation, making Lear the actual "fool" until the end of the play.