Dis essay

Question 1

What is intro thesis statement?

Answer 1

When an individual is removed from their established world or the status quo, unexpected and transformative experiences may be thrust upon them. While sometimes confronting, such cathartic moments help them strive for vital self-actualization through a revaluation of personal values and renewed relationships with others. However, narrow minded plights such as a desires for revenge and resentment, will hinder ability to trigger rejuvenation in self and others and must be sacrificed to make way for healing and true discoveries

Question 2

Intro: the intro of the tempest:

Answer 2

The Tempest (1611), a tragicomedy written by William Shakespeare, transports respondersto a mysterious, isolated island where humanity’s flaws and qualities are intensified and where the natural order is challenged, enabling the indignant and vexed Prospero and the audience to discover the importance of compassion and reconciliation

Question 3

intro: what was shakespeare able to acknowledge in his play?

Answer 3

However, Shakespeare was able to acknowledge that humanity’s propensity for evil will never be suppressed and some may not embrace the notion of discovery

Question 4

intro: this lime tree bower my prison intro

Answer 4

. ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ (1797) by Samuel Coleridge utilises an imaginative journey, as a mechanism to discover new meaning and perspective, changing the persona’s view of life and the world around him, essential for their emancipation.

Question 5

intro: What is done within both texts?

Answer 5

Within both texts, the protagonist must undergo some sort of change both physically and spiritually in order to discover their true selves, gain spiritual freedom and reconcile past differences

Question 6

illusion and imagination: Quotes?

Answer 6

• the restoring visitation of sleep, “I wish mine eyes/Would with themselves shut up my thoughts. I find/ They are inclined to do so” (act 2 sc 1).
• the “three men of sin”
• “All three of them are desperate. Their great guilt, Like poison given to work a great time after,/Now ‘gins to bite the spirits”

Question 7

illusion and imagination: thesis sentence:

Answer 7

Delusions, illusions and dreams have the ability to challenge false or flawed assumptions and alter perspectives in positive ways, depending on the subject’s mindset and willingness to change

Question 8

illusion and imagination: who is most affected by these?

Answer 8

Alonso, the King of Naples, who believes to have lost his son, Ferdinand in the shipwreck is most affected by the strange illusions and imaginative masques, which contribute to the chastening and transformative process Prospero has planned for those who wronged him in the past.

Question 9

illusion and imagination: what compels Alonso to change mindset?

Answer 9

It is this chaos and removal from regular court life that compels him to reassess and seek redemption for the part he played in Prospero’s usurpation and attempted death by exile

Question 10

illusion and imagination: what does Alonso’s sorrow trigger?

Answer 10

Serendipitously, his inconsolable sorrow becomes the catalyst for developing the new eyes he needs for repentance, emphasized by receiving the restoring visitation of sleep, “I wish mine eyes/Would with themselves shut up my thoughts. I find/ They are inclined to do so” (act 2 sc 1).

Question 11

illusion and imagination: What does the quote of sleep represent?

Answer 11

The personification of his eyes and Sleep symbolises the healing significance associated with it bestowing it only upon those whose spiritual state is such that they can accept it such as Gonzalo and Alonso

Question 12

illusion and imagination:when does Alonso discover his wrongdoings?

Answer 12

In addition, Alonso discovers his wrong doing during the magical illusionary banquet masque in act three, scene three for the “three men of sin”, triggering his need to reconcile with Prospero

Question 13

illusion and imagination: what does Gonzalo realise from the banquet?

Answer 13

Gonzalo, a touch stone character, insightfully realizes how desperation provoked Antonio, Alonso and Sebastian to finally realize their sins, giving way to the : “All three of them are desperate. Their great guilt, Like poison given to work a great time after,/Now ‘gins to bite the spirits”

Question 14

illusion and imagination: effect of the poison, bite the spirits quote:

Answer 14

His short emotive sentence and the diction of the adjective “desperate” followed by a powerfully evocative simile and plosives sounds within the metaphor “bite the spirits”, all cumulate to produce powerful pathos which magnifies Shakespeare’s message about humanism in the play and how one can achieve spiritual perfection through embracing new outlooks.

Question 15

illusion and imagination: what is antonio like from the banquet?

Answer 15

Although Alonso seemed traumatised and extremely affected by the banquet, Antonio remains unmoved, demonstrating that those that do not atone will never change, acting as a warning to the audience that humanity will remain flawed to some extent.

Question 16

illusion and imagination: what does the banquet scene highlight/ending sentence?

Answer 16

The scene highlights the belief that sinfulness will always torment those who do not repent and one may need to sacrifice their beliefs and comfort in order to realize their sins and seek forgiveness.

Question 17

imaginative journey: thesis sentence

Answer 17

Furthermore, an imaginary journey is not bound by physical barriers and obstacles, allowing one to achieve mental, spiritual and emotional freedom. It prompts discovery and transformation by distorting and challenging reality.

Question 18

imaginative journey: what does Coleridge evoke in this poem?

Answer 18

In ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’, Coleridge evokes the Romanticism’s perception of the imagination; of its power and ability to transcend and create one’s surroundings.

Question 19

imaginative journey: how is coleridge portrayed?

Answer 19

It portrays Coleridge as an ardent traveler confined under the bower tree reflecting his temporarily disabled physical state of a foot injury, where writing this poem acted as a diversion for an imaginative communion

Question 20

imaginative journey: how is his physical state represented ?

Answer 20

. This is demonstrated through the metaphor, “here I must remain,/this lime-tree bower my prison!”, which also reflects the island setting of a ‘prison-cell’ in the Tempest

Question 21

imaginative journey: how is his sense of disappointment communicated?

Answer 21

Frustrated by the verity of not being able to journey with his friends, the hyperbolic claim, “Friends, whom I may never see again” communicates his initial sense of disappointment and irritation in his immobility

Question 22

imaginative journey: when does his imagination reach a climax?

Answer 22

However, Coleridge’s imagination of his friend’s journey reaches climax when he becomes enamored with the nature around him, such as “thou glorious Sun!”, “purple heath-flowers!” and “blue Ocean”, signifying a change in his perspectives and mindset.

Question 23

imaginative journey: what does the metaphor signify?

Answer 23

His use of metaphor in “hues/As veil the Almighty Spirit” signifies the power of his imagination where his spiritual refreshment raises him above others, almost communicating with god. This sudden change in outlook allows the persona to gain spiritual freedom and triggers a catalyst for his discovery and emancipation.

Question 24

imaginative journey: the parallel for Tempest in poem?

Answer 24

The imaginative journey is reminiscent of what Prospero thrusts on his victims. He conjures a fake but symbolic storm to temporarily disrupt the chain of being and force cathartic and confronting experiences

Question 25

imaginative journey: what is the end result of his change in perspective?

Answer 25

The initial belief that the Lime Tree Bower was a symbol of confinement is replaced with enthusiasm for nature, that leads Coleridge to reach the stage of enlightenment that is described in stanza three

Question 26

imaginative journey: ending sentence

Answer 26

Imagination is a powerful force that allows the necessary introspection required for self reflection and growth that may lead to a cathartic transformation in an individual.

Question 27

imaginative journey: quotes

Answer 27

“here I must remain,/this lime-tree bower my prison!”
“Friends, whom I may never see again”
“thou glorious Sun!”, “purple heath-flowers!” and “blue Ocean
“hues/As veil the Almighty Spirit”

Question 28

compassion and reconciliation: intro line

Answer 28

Self discovery of the importance of compassion and reconciliation can offer new understanding and renewed perceptions of ourselves and others. However, Shakespeare elucidates that this may only happen after a period of hardship and desperation and may arrive at a serendipitous moment.

Question 29

compassion and reconciliation: How is Prospero’s journey to discovery reinforced?

Answer 29

Prospero’s journey to this introspective discovery is reinforced by a sense of repentant release, as he learns to express remorse regarding his past actions and perceive himself as responsible for his own demise

Question 30

compassion and reconciliation: how is his emotional turmoil and accumulation of rage represented?

Answer 30

At the beginning of the play the personification of the sun, and the nature and water motifs to describe the symbolic storm and ferociousness of Prospero’s plight for revenge: “The noontide sun, called forth the mutinous, winds,/ And ‘twixt the green sea and the azured vault/ Set roaring war- to th’ dread rattling thunder”, expresses his emotional turmoil and the accumulation of rage Prospero has directed towards his brother, Antonio.

Question 31

compassion and reconciliation: what helps prospero change?

Answer 31

However, Miranda’s innocent compassion when she first saw Ferdinand, and their love for each other deepened by the trials to which Prospero has put her, acts as a catalyst for Prospero to realize that human connection is vital.

Question 32

compassion and reconciliation: what does he realise from this change in perspective?

Answer 32

It leads him to realise that his actions towards Caliban as cruel and exploitive exacerbated Caliban’s predisposition for evil, and he even connects Caliban’s darkness to his own – “this thing of darkness/ I acknowledge mine.”

Question 33

compassion and reconciliation: who does prospero forgive?

Answer 33

Acknowledging the impact of grief on Alonso, Prospero forgives him for his part in the usurpation and even begrudgingly forgives his brother realizing that “the rarer action is/In virtue than in vengeance…”.

Question 34

compassion and reconciliation: what does P abandon?

Answer 34

Prospero abandons his feelings of revenge, to look forward to a harmony that the long and bitter experience has gained, “Let us not burthen our remembrances with/A heaviness that’s gone.”.

Question 35

compassion and reconciliation: what is his final soliloquy?

Answer 35

His final soliloquy is his most self-reflective moment where he seeks forgiveness and liberty from the audience “Let your indulgence set me free”, using imperatives and metaphor “release me from my bands”.

Question 36

compassion and reconciliation: how does Shakespeare demonstrate his willingness to abrogate his power?

Answer 36

Shakespeare demonstrates Prospero’s willingness to abrogate his magical powers by using the water motif and visions of figurative depths in the hyperbolic metaphor ”I’ll break my staff, Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, And deeper than did ever plummet sound, Ill drown my book.” to demonstrate the transformative nature of his retrospective and introspective discoveries

Question 37

compassion and reconciliation: what does the audience learn? final sentences

Answer 37

The audience infers that forgiveness and compassion are far more powerful than the acquisition of power. That changing your mindset can lead to unexpected enlightenment and revelations which could otherwise be not be attained.

Question 38

setting confinement: thesis statement

Answer 38

Physical and mental confinement can sometimes act as a catalyst towards individual self-assessment and ultimately shift values and perspectives, causing change to spiritual self and others

Question 39

setting confinement: when does Coleridge’s imaginative journey become transformative?

Answer 39

The imaginative journey Coleridge experiences becomes transformative when he and the responder discovers the importance of compassion and reconciliation with friends.

Question 40

setting confinement: what happens after journey?

Answer 40

After his imaginative journey, Coleridge reaches a stage of enlightenment and emancipation where he returns to the the lime tree bower with a new perception of his surroundings, as Prospero is due to do when venturing back to Milan.

Question 41

setting confinement: what exemplifies this moment of anagnorisi?

Answer 41

The metaphor, “A delight/Comes sudden on my heart” exemplifies his moment of anagnorisis, contrasting to that at the start of the poem.

Question 42

setting confinement: how does he show change in self?

Answer 42

Coleridge uses the motif of the rook to represent his old self, flying away in the distance, “its black wing now a dim speck, now vanishing in light”. It shows the progress he made in his imaginative journey, highlighting the cleansing of his old self and a birth of a new person through the symbolic “black wing”, as seen in Prospero when he discovers the true importance of forgiveness and human connection.

Question 43

setting confinement: what has changed for coleridge?

Answer 43

Although Coleridge has not physically changed, he now sees the world in a different perspective like Prospero. This journey brought him closer to his friends and taught him to appreciate nature

Question 44

setting confinement: what does he achieve

Answer 44

Coleridge achieves emancipation that may not have been possible within the confines of the city, similarly with the isolated setting of the island in The Tempest.

Question 45

setting confinement: final sentence

Answer 45

The setting and mindset of an individual plays a significant role in determining whether one may achieve self-discovery through introspection

Question 46

Conclusion: 1 sentence

Answer 46

Discoveries, although confronting and complex, are important to gain self knowledge that will trigger one’s self awareness and help reconcile their past and heal vital relationships

Question 47

Conlusion:

Answer 47

The Tempest and ‘This Lime Tree Bower my Prison’ have successfully portrayed the importance of one’s willingness to abandon established ways of thinking in order to embrace new outlooks, which in turn will lead to self discovery and reconciliation. To be able to discover, we must first overcome the challenges and barriers inflicted upon us both internally and externally to discover acceptance and forgiveness within others and ourselves