What Is a Crystal in Chemistry

A crystal is a substance in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating three-dimensional pattern. Most crystals are solids. Examples quartz rock candy halite See Also Crystal Photo Gallery

To Be or Not to Be - Hamlets Answer Essay - 1367 Words

To Be or Not to Be - Hamlets Answer As Hamlet approaches a waiting Ophelia, he begins one of the most famous soliloquies in all of literature with the immortal line: To be or not to be?that is the question (III. i. 64). Yet this obvious reference to suicide only scratches the surface of the heart-rendering conflict felt by the young Dane. Hamlets impetuous desire to take his own life is only an impassioned reaction to the heavy burden of revenge that his fathers murder has placed upon him. His greater struggle, and the focus of Hamlet itself, involves the questioning of the purpose and meaning of a life well-lived. The character of Hamlet pursues this knowledge through his manipulation of reality, his search for the courage†¦show more content†¦He becomes so proficient at manipulating the actions of others that it becomes difficult for him to clearly communicate his fears and concerns. After confronting his mother with all he knows about the murder of his father, Gertrude dismisses this information as the rantings of a madman. In a desperate attempt to be believed, Hamlet pleads, ?My pulse as yours doth temperately keep time/And makes as healthful music. It is not madness/ That I have uttered? (III. iv. 161-163). In his struggle to confront both his feelings and his responsibilities in this difficult situatio n, Hamlet first strives to understand the fine line that separates reality from illusion. Gaining control of that understanding of reality is a critical first step for Hamlet in his journey toward self-knowledge. As Hamlet strives to understand the illusory nature of his world, he also learns just how much courage is required to cope with extreme adversity. As the play opens, Hamlet is despondent over the loss of his father. He claims, if only to himself, ?How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!? (I. ii. 137-138). Not only does he lack the energy to cope with his situation, but he lacks the simple courage to choose a course of action. Even as Hamlet conceives his plan to reveal Claudius? treachery through the play, he still questions his ability to follow through with his scheme.Show MoreRelatedHamlet1304 Words   |  6 Pagesattracted to the scene because they would receive a moral insight into Hamlet’s mind, revealing his true thoughts. It also would have expanded on the theme of revenge, and how this theme would affect the final scene of the play. Finally, by focusing on the theme of morality, the soliloquy would have provided audiences wit h a thought-provoking look into their own consciences. In Shakespeare’s original version of Hamlet, Hamlet’s speech from Act IV, scene iv effectively targets the Elizabethan Era audienceRead MoreThe Characters Traits of Hamlet Essay813 Words   |  4 Pageshas many character traits which are contrasted by other figures in the play. Hamlet’s personality is especially contrasted by three other main male figures of the play being Horatio, Claudius, and Laertes. Horatio is Hamlet’s best friend in the play whom is let into the mind and secrets of Hamlet. Horatio’s other part in the play is the reader’s indication that since he and Hamlet both saw the ghost, Hamlet’s sanity isn’t in complete doubt. Horatio is a man of virtue, known as beingRead MoreQuestioning the Sanity of Hamlet in Shakespeares Hamlet, Prince of Denmark987 Words   |  4 Pagesthe other characters. Rather than stating something profound in response to when Polonius asks what Hamlet is reading, he says only the most obvious and elementary of answers possible, â€Å"words, words, words† (2.2.192). This trend between Polonius and Hamlet continues. â€Å"What is the matter my lord?† asks Polonius. Hamlet answers, â€Å"Between who?† (2.2.193-194). Tenney Davis responds to this by saying that Hamlet feigned his insanity convincingly by taking things too literally, which manifested inRead More Freudian Perspectives of Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1528 Words   |  7 Pagesinternal and external stimuli. The unconscious contains thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on behavior.(Weiten) The core of the Freudian perspective is centered around Hamletà ¢â‚¬â„¢s relationship with his mother, and the relationship of Hamlet and King Claudius. According to the Freudian view, Hamlet is driven by unconscious sexual desire and aggravation. This sexual aggression is directed towards his mother and Claudius. Read MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1146 Words   |  5 Pagesnot to be? That is the question.† The entire scene is about Hamlet’s uncertainty about suicide and death. The ghost is masked in uncertainty. Who is it? Is it real? Why is it around? Ophelia is constantly uncertain of Hamlet and his feelings towards her. Is she a young lady or a little girl? Does she realize the sexual connotations Hamlet makes when he speaks to her? What about Queen Gertrude? Does she know the truth about King Hamlet’s death? Does she marry his brother because she loves him, orRead MoreTragedy And Madness In Hamlet757 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet. He was faced with trials and tribulations which led to an tragic end. Was their a cause of Hamlets madness? Evidence from the play shows, Hamlet was triggered by his father’s words, For Hamlet to avenge his fathers death. For this course of action to occur Hamlet must murder his uncle Claudius, who is soon to be king . Faced with more trials after King Hamlets passing, Gertrude (Hamlets mother) is to marry Claudius. Hamlet is stumped. How is he going to murder his uncle without certaintyRead MoreHamlet’s Madness in Craft Essay868 Words   |  4 Pagesthat he coincidentally became insane after making such a vow. Hamlet’s supposed madness not only becomes his way of relating to the other characters during the majority of the play, but also that which develops his character as throughout the play. Still, the question remains: Is Hamlet really crazy or just pretending? The major conflict which seems obscures the possibility of obtaining clarity on the answer to this question is Hamlet’s inability to find any certain moral truths as he works his wayRead MoreEssay on Shakespeares Hamlet is both Madman and Genious1101 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare. Is he an insane madman or a vengeful, devious, genius? There are many contradictory ideas and theories on Hamlet’s so called psychosis, his procrastination in avenging his father’s death, and his actions towards his mother. In the first act Hamlet seems to be in a perfectly sane state of mind. It is the second scene where the reader begins to see a change in Hamlet’s character. Ophelia meets with Polonius and recalls the meeting she previously had with Hamlet. She tells her fatherRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet Essay1162 Words   |  5 Pagesmysterious questions human nature asks; finding answers to why humans suffer through life when they could simply die as well as uncovering what happens after death isn’t at all simple. However, the simplicity of the phrase â€Å"to be† creates a both incredible and powerful message through its juxtaposition of a small phrase with actual larger, complex meaning of life and death, a meaning that can barely be defined in 34 lines. In the end, it is Hamlet’s troubles in dealing with and uncovering the complexitiesRead MoreThe Struggle with Procrastination in Hamlet by William Shakespeare1002 Words   |  5 Pagesbrings ab out Hamlet’s downfall. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet is given explicit instructions by the ghost to kill his uncle/step-father Claudius to avenge his father’s murder; yet, he fails to do so. Hamlet’s inaction and hesitation to kill Claudius is justified in his own mind and to the audience. Hamlet’s initial disbelief in the reliability of the ghost’s claim, Hamlet’s belief in religion, and the fact that Hamlet is trained in thought rather than in action, all lead to Hamlet’s inaction,

A Futile Task- the Catcher in the Rye free essay sample

The teenager stands on a hill in complete solitude, watching the nearby football game, and contemplating if he should say a final farewell to the school. Ambivalent, the melancholy teenager leaves himself in a confused and vulnerable position to the lonely and corrupt reality of the world. In an attempt to endure the vices that alter the blissful spirit, he feels the need to make things right by saving what little recognizable evidence of purity that the world has not already desecrated. All throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, author J. D. Salinger establishes Holden’s bizarre attraction toward particular places, objects, and experiences, past and present. The author concurrently sets out the subtle, tender concern that Holden has for the preservation of innocence and where life will ultimately end up. At essential points in the plot, Salinger embodies these two motifs, which metaphorically represent each other, in order to uncover the true sadness that lurks in an abandoned Holden. By doing this, the author reveals the greater theme that unlike artifacts of history, constrained the human spirit would severely stunt any opportunity of development for people. Salinger constantly highlights the motif of Holden’s endeavors to preserve innocence from being tainted by corruption. The author first presents this through the objects that Holden develops a bond with. To demonstrate that bond, Salinger produces a scene in which Holden visits his old teacher, Mr. Spencer, one of the few concerned about the boy. The teacher asks Holden to read his paper about Egyptian mummifying aloud. Salinger first demonstrates Holden’s obsession for the preservation of life when Holden divulges that â€Å"Modern science would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that the Egyptians used when they wrapped up dead people so that their faces would not rot for innumerable centuries† (Salinger 16). Implying the deep interest that Holden possesses for this subject, Salinger underscores that the teenager may have experienced a harrowing event relating to the matter. Because Holden would still dearly like to know the â€Å"secret† of maintaining life in such a state, the author also exposes Holden’s unawareness of the topic altogether. Leaving Holden in an unaware state, the author then inserts the minor motif of Holden’s younger brother’s baseball mitt to clear the confusion. When asked to write a composition for a classmate, of all the topics Holden decides to write about, the nostalgic adolescent distinguishes his younger brother’s baseball mitt. With this sacred object, Salinger links it to Holden’s goal for conserving the unharmed and the aesthetic, as the glove had poems scribed all over it in ink. The author represents the ink as the permanence in which the item endures. Similar to the beloved baseball mitt, Holden finds solidity in a Little Shirley Beans record that he purchases. Identifying the song eternally preserved on the record, the writer elucidates that Holden still preserves things in the state that they are left, never allowing them to change. Salinger also represents Holden’s remembrance of the innocence of childhood, the record reminding him of that period. In addition to the revered objects, the author exhibits a pattern in Holden’s experiences and anecdotes that motivate Holden in the direction of making events like those last for an eternity. One of Holden’s recollections that Salinger touches on briefly involves Holden playing checkers with a childhood friend, Jane Gallagher. At one point in the game, Jane cries, and sensing this, Holden drives his efforts to console with her, kissing her all over her face, avoiding her mouth. Symbolizing the need to protect Jane and her virginity, the author portrays Holden comforting her instead of violating her, revealing the tender empathy that Holden possesses. Prior to reflecting this memory, Holden underwent an instance of rejection at a bar, and seeing what little empathy people have, Holden tries to remember a positive memory to keep his motivation alive. One of Holden’s fondest memories stems from the remembrance of his younger brother. When given time to ruminate upon his past, Allie stands out as the ideal brother that Holden would never find in any other person. Salinger distinguishes Allie as â€Å"terrifically intelligent† and that â€Å"he was also the nicest†¦ he never got mad at anybody. People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did, and he had very red hair† (Salinger 50). Portraying Allie as the epitome of childhood innocence, the author juxtaposes this to Holden’s thoughts of preserving purity. Because his sibling passed away at an extremely young age, Holden’s sole coping strategy involves the thought of bringing back his brother, thinking that someone as magnanimous as Allie deserves to live on. Despite Holden’s naive point of view toward what troubles him, he finally begins to subtly realize something about his brother. Salinger weaves a scene of Holden conversing with Phoebe, his younger sister, and the teenager mentions that he loves Allie, thinking that he still exists. Following Phoebe’s comment that Allie is dead, Holden refuses to accept and reveals that â€Å"Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop liking them, for God’s sake—especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that’re alive an all† (Salinger 223). Salinger highlights a rare moment: someone offering guidance to Holden, accepting that he is stuck. By displaying Holden touching upon Allie, Salinger expresses the adolescent beginning to address the connection with Allie. However, Holden still possesses the unawareness to come to terms with this. Salinger effectively amplifies the essence of Holden’s being in a thought of the teenager. The author illustrates a dream of Holden desiring to catch children who accidentally fall off the ledge of a cliff in the rye field, the adolescent defining himself as a catcher in the rye. The author resembles Holden as a selfless martyr in this thought, leaving Holden in bliss that he can save people if they fall; the author makes clear that, for Holden, danger should be avoided by all means and at all costs. Salinger stems the implication from Holden’s own dealings with losses Perhaps the most important category that Holden associates with conservation and longing consists of the places that he visits. One of the first locations that Salinger introduces pertains to the museum, a site of never changing exhibits. The boy favors that all the displays stay the way they are and that things are kept in fixed positions. By symbolizing the museum as a place where nothing changes, Salinger mirrors the setting to Holden’s opposition to growing up and change. Salinger initiates the beginning of a epiphany for Holden when the teenager travels to his old elementary school to meet with Phoebe. The writer describes the school as familiar to Holden While appearing to give up hope on the world, Holden sees yet another instance of chicanery. The author depicts an obscenity on the wall that appalls Holden, and in the act he makes of rubbing it out, Salinger reiterates Holden as a savior figure and that combating all of evil can be accomplished. The author furthers the learning experience for Holden when the teenager returns to the museum. Although feeling tranquil while all alone in one of the showcases, Holden observes yet another contemptible obscenity, defacing one of the glass cases. By repeating the obscenity for Holden, Salinger starts to affirm in Holden that he cannot keep everything clean and pure but must accept events like these once in a while. Finally pivoting Holden’s vague realization to the last crucial place, Salinger fleshes out the epiphany. Accompanied by phoebe, Holden views one of the carousels nearby, his attraction to it brought on by the fact that the ride always plays the same song. Holden again clings to a familiar tangent and what comforts him. Yet, the teenager watches Phoebe go around on the carousel and sees her and other children trying to grab for the gold ring. Salinger depicts Holden as â€Å"afraid that she’d fall off† but he does not react, as Holden realizes that â€Å"If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them† (Salinger 274). Paralleling and directing opportunity and danger close together, Salinger enables acceptance in Holden that if people stay the same way, there leaves no room for development, thus rendering them static, strayed from the dynamics of change, and this time, Holden does not deny Phoebe or himself the opportunity to mature.