Parker Verhoeff
English 9
Mr. Salsich
1.27.09

Confined to the Island of Servitude:
An Analysis of The Tempest

In Shakespeare's, The Tempest, there is a reoccurring theme of confinement. Prospero's servant Ariel, and his slave Caliban, are both forced into confinement. They are in a similar deal with Prospero, but they have their differences as well.

Ariel, a creature with a timid demeanor-FAST, is Prospero's humble and respectful servant- s-v split appositive. Ariel was first the servant to an evil witch named Sycorax. Being too righteous-FAST and hesitant in carrying out "her grand hests", Sycorax enslaved Ariel in a pine tree for 12 years-participle phrase-opener. Until Prospero came and freed it from it's prison, but now it serves as Prospero's servant. However, Ariel is now asking for its freedom since it "done [him] worthy service; told [him] no lies, made [him] no mistakings, served without or grudge or grumblings: [he] didst promised to bate [it] a full year." Prospero reminds Ariel of how much it owes him for freeing it from the "damn'd" and "foul" witch! So Ariel has to agree and follow out the rest of Prosero's deeds. Ariel seems to be a very loyal servant, who just can't catch a break. Prospero ends up giving that break, saying: "after two days I will discharge thee." He gives Ariel one more final task, and then after two days Prospero will give it the freedom it deserves.

On the other hand, Caliban, is the unfortunate son of Sycorax. He is, as Prosepro says, a "freckled whelp hag-born--not honour'd with a human shape". Prospero keeps him as a slave because of it; because he's the son of a witch. Caliban now must tend to Prospero's needs, confined to one small cave-participle phrase-closer. He does not like this however, saying: "Drop on you both! a south-west blow on ye And blister you all o'er!"- He hopes both Prospero and Miranda will "blister" from a vigorous-FAST wind. Claiban also believes that the island is rightly his, telling Prospero that, "This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother, Which thou takest from me." Caiban goes on to say that at first, when Prospero arrived on the island, Prospero wooed him, by giving him food, and in return he showed him the island and its resources. But afterwards, Prospero took advantage of him by gaining the information that he needed, forcing him into slavery and making him live in a cave while he had the island to himself-3-action verb; thus stealing Caliban's island. Prospero did have a goon reason to though; Caliban attempted to rape Miranda, "thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else this isle with Calibans"-if Pospero didn't stop him , he would've made the island full of his children. This was the tipping point for Prospero, which intensified his hatred for Caliban even more. Prospero will never forget that and will make sure Caliban doesn't forget either, by permanently enslaving him on his own native land.

Although Ariel and Caliban are very different, they are in similar situations with Prospero. Ariel carries out Prospero's magical duties, and Caliban does manual labor. The difference is Ariel will see its freedom and Caliban will not.

Application Essay 01.27.09

James Gray
01.15.09
Question A
Instruments of Peace
An Essay on the Decisions between Violence and Nonviolence

All my life, I’ve heard the calls for peace. I’ve watched acts of cruelty; seen slander splayed upon victims, and felt true pain. But even at the youngest of ages we are taught, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” This one quote is at the heart of beliefs for nonviolence and hope for a world with the recognition that we are all human beings. As a boy, I knew to think before I acted, and often, my thoughts led me to believe violence was not the right answer. Whether it was a simple sandbox scuffle or the 9/11 attacks, I had already formed the foundation that if there was a way to avoid all the pain, suffering, and inexplicable aggressions that everyday shocks the world, than that was what I believed in. Mohandas Gandhi once dreamed of a world in which people would not see violence as strength, but rather “Nonviolence [as] a weapon of the strong,” and as an inexperienced youth, I was the epitome of his vision. In the uncorrupted dream that is childhood, I experienced the calm that so many crave, and in doing so, experienced a total sense of equilibrium, of diplomacy, and sought to see these virtues throughout my lifetime.
As a young boy slowly matured into a young man, these views changed. With age, my visions of a peaceful world were clouded by the tales of bloodshed, sounds of mayhem, and my childhood intuition was replaced with knowledge. Violence became more than a decision; it became real. I had seen these things before, but as I got older I started to feel them. A devil’s advocate took voice in my mind whenever the opportunity arose to fight back or strike first; this treacherous manifestation would present some sort of justification before me such as: “[It would be wrong] for anyone being brutalized to continue to accept that brutality without doing something to defend himself.” (Malcolm X)
Throughout my life, I have dealt with the repercussions of violence, and avoided those same consequences through nonviolence. As I grow into the individual I am today, I have sought and thought immeasurably to find the compromise between these. But quite simply, violence and nonviolence are complete opposites. Yet, neither can be completely chosen over the other. Though nonviolence thrives to avoid aggression, it can eliminate opportunity. Impossible times arise in which violence is not only the answer, it’s the sensible decision, the hard choice that must be made for the greater good. And yet we are a world with an agenda, one that often rules out the greater good, looks past responsibilities of peace and only towards progress. Violence, nonviolence, knowledge, intuition, these are my tools of peace, and it is my responsibility as a human being to execute them for that greater good. And I know that neither violence nor nonviolence is equal to strength, but having the heart, mind, and determination to do what needs to be done is what true strength is all about.

Kate's post about the tempest

Kate Scott
January 29, 2009
English
Mr. Salsich

Being Trapped:
Essay Describing The Similarities and Differences of Two Characters

In The Tempest* there is a theme of being trapped. There are two characters, Ariel and Caliban, who are very different but are in the same position. They both wish to be free but they are still confined on the island with Prospero as their ruler.

In The Tempest, the character Ariel has been confined for more then 20 years. First He was a servant for Sycorax, but he was to “delicate” to do anything Sycorax asked him to do. Sycorax then locked Ariel in a pine tree and was left there after Sycorax died. He remained trapped in the tree for 12 years. When Prospero came to the island, he released Ariel from the tree but not from his freedom. He is still Prospero’s servant and wants to be free but Prospero keeps reminding Ariel of his past. Prospero has not kept Ariel as trapped as Sycorax has but has threatened him in a tree for another 12 years. Although Ariel appreciates getting set free from the tree, being set free to be a servant is not true freedom.

Another character in The Tempest* is Caliban. His mother Sycorax, who is the evil witch that used to rule the island. When Sycorax died Caliban inherited the island but Prospero then came to the island. At first Caliban and Prospero were great friends; Caliban even told Prospero “all the qualities” the island had to offer. Then Caliban took advantage of there friendship and violated “the honour of” Miranda by attempting to rape her, trying to pollute (fast) the island with people like him. Ever since then, Caliban has been treated as a slave. Caliban does not want to do what Prospero says because he believes the island belongs to him. With the magic, Prospero can always out do Caliban and can always be king of the island (opening participle).

As you can see these two characters are similar but very different. They are servants for Prospero, and they both want to be free. But they are servants for different reasons Ariel was freed by Prospero, and Caliban broke Prospero’s trust.

Kate Scott
January 8, 2009
Mr. Salsich
English
Literary Terms:
11 Sentences about The Tempest

In Act 1 Scene 2 of The Tempest, Shakespeare uses many literary terms to show the betrayal between two brothers. For example, I believe that the secret study Prospero is talking about has a deeper meaning. I feel that the studies will be brought up making the knowledge symbolism. When Prospero starts talking about how he got “rapt in secret studies” it seems that the studies became more important then the people in his city. That is what let Antonio became the duke of the city. Another literary term in the passage is alliteration. One example of this is “to my state grew stranger”. Having the same sounds made that sentence smoother or easier to read compared to some of Shakespeare lines. When I first looked at this play it seemed confusing but at a closer look I’m starting to understand the themes and literary terms Shakespeare is using.

Parker Verhoeff
English 9
Mr. Salsich
8 January 2009
Brotherly Tension
An Analysis of a passage from Shakespeare’s The Tempest
In Act 1, Scene 2 of The Tempest, Prospero profoundly explains to Miranda how evil his brother, Antonio is, and why it was okay to inflict a horrible storm on his ship. Prospero doesn’t know how “a brother [could] be so perfidious!”-how someone from his own kin could overthrow his Dukedom is beyond him. In turn, he sinks Antonio’s ship and watches him and the ship’s men perish along with it. Prospero refers to Antonio as his “false brother” and tells Miranda he’s her “false uncle”; “In my false brother awaked an evil nature” he says. He can not believe, since Antonio has done all of these things, that Antonio is actually his brother. Prospero trusted him, but Antonio took that trust and crushed it with his greed and jealousy. Miranda is still distraught about the whole thing, but then Prospero lashes back at her and tells her to “mark his condition and the event; then tell me if this might be a brother.” Prospero says to really think about what Antonio did, and then tell him whether or not this heartless thing is capable of being a brother. Thus, Prospero believes he is not capable of it, saying he’s not even his brother. Prospero defended his case well, on whether or not it was right to deliberately kill his own brother; Antonio would have done the same to him.

Scarlet's Essay

Scarlet Caruso
An Essay on The Tempest
English 9
Mr. Salsich
15 January 2009



TS: In Shakespeare’s The Tempest Prospero, a wizard that was once a duke, explains to his daughter why they are on the abandoned island. SD: Prospero got so caught up in his studying that he did not realize what was happening around him. CM: “In dignity, and for the liberal arts” Prospero worked hard to learn but was too busy to notice his dukedom slowly being stolen from him. CM: It seems that when you are trying to learn you do not notice much else around you. SD: Prospero being, “all dedicated to closeness and the betttering of [his] mind” quickly lost sight of his duties. CM: With the duke focused on studying, Prospero’s brother, Antonio, made the people of the dukedom learn to love him instead. CM: This goes to show how easy it is to do something behind another’s back when they are distracted. SD: Lastly, when Prospero was so focused on getting an education, he did not really see his true brother. CM: Prospero thought that he could trust “in [his] false brother”. CM: When you are putting a large responsilbity on someone’s shoulders, you should focus on them and make sure they are not doing anything wrong. CS: Consequently, Prospero and his daughter would not be on that island if Prospero had only been focused on the more important issue at the time.

The Frisbee Effect

Kimo Gray
1.08.09
Hamilton Salsich
English 9


In Act 1, Scene 2 of The Tempest, there is a theme of “What goes around, comes around,” through the conflict between Prospero, and his brother, Antonio. It has always been said that good will come to those who wait, and Prospero has been waiting 12 years with his daughter on an uncharted Island. His life has been filled with nothing but bad luck: his brother overthrew his dukedom, his daughter thinks no more of him as a worthless fool, and he is physically trapped on this island of his. This all started when Antonio took on the responsibilities Prospero gave him so devotedly, that finally “To credit his own lie, he did believe, He was indeed the duke.” But though Prospero may have been trapped in body, he was in no way trapped in mind. Before and over the course of his exile, he has become a scholar of magic, so much so that before he was cast out of his dukedom, “[As his]state grew stranger, being transported And rapt in secret studies.” Though Prospero may have found strength in that horrid island he and his daughter were forced to call home, he still had no way to utilize it or to ensure their freedom. Finally, it was by pure chance that the paths of Prospero, the rightful duke, and Alonso, the power-hungry brother crossed by means of a ship. Recognizing Alonso’s presence on the ship, Prospero uses his magic to shipwreck the ship and to bring the passengers to shore. The theory of Karma states that for all the good energy you put out in life, the more good you’ll get back, similarly with evil. Prospero’s been on a losing streak, but now he has the chance to confront Antonio, “He whom next thyself of all the world I loved,” and to finally complete that time-old pattern of wrongdoing and making right.