Twenty Four Hours, No TikTok

Social media is a big part of my life. Being in my generation, Gen Z, I've grown up surrounded by many media types, but social media has slowly taken over my teenage and young adult life. I've had phases of my life where I've been caught in the comparison trap of social media. I've had phases where social media has just wasted my time in general. I would argue that the most time-wasting platform for social media is TikTok. 

I remember when TikTok first emerged in the social media realm. It was a dancing app. It was almost laughable if you had the app downloaded on your phone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, TikTok especially blew up. Everyone was on it trying to feel a sense of community. We did TikTok dances to ignore the chaos of the world around us. TikTok has taken the world, and myself, by storm ever since. 

I'm not sure when, but at some point, TikTok became part of my daily routine. I'd watch TikTok videos while I got ready in the morning, while I'd eat meals, on every 10-minute work break, even waiting for two minutes for my food to come out of the microwave. TikTok has consumed my life. So, I decided to take 24 hours away from TikTok. 

At first, during this challenge, I just told myself I would just not open the app. I'd ignore it for the entire 24 hours. But I quickly realized that wouldn't work. Reflexively, my thumb would reach for the TikTok app anytime I opened my phone. I would watch a few seconds of a video before I remembered my challenge and I'd exit the app. Deleting the app from my phone was the only way to truly get a break. 

The next challenge I came across was finding myself just getting on other apps to fill my time, specifically Instagram. I'd watch Instagram reels, which is basically the same as TikTok. I realized just how much my brain craves dopamine and serotonin, and how addicted to my phone I've become. 

When nighttime came, I found myself not knowing what to do before bed. I've become so accustomed to watching TikTok videos until I fall asleep at night. I pondered a lot about my phone usage, especially TikTok. Laying in bed staring at the ceiling, I realized I needed to make a change. I need to get my brain back to normal. No more short attention span, no more craving for short-form content that brings a rush of dopamine, and no more wasting time. 

Once the challenge was over, I didn't re-download TikTok on my phone right away. I took some time to figure out what else I could do with the spare time I was spending on TikTok before. I tried reading a book, but reading isn't my thing. I watched some TV shows I've been hearing about and have wanted to watch but never did because I was spending my time on TikTok. I also went back to the gym for the first time in a while because I woke up earlier. It turns out I sleep better without watching TikTok before bed, who would've thought! 

Yes, after a couple of days, I re-downloaded the app. I'll explain why. One of my favorite things about TikTok is people reviewing or recommending certain things or products. Granted, sometimes you have to take these with a grain of salt, especially if this person is being sponsored by the company that makes the product. But if there's a product or service I'm thinking about trying, sometimes I'll search it on TikTok before I buy it to see people's reviews and if it's worth it. This of course isn't a necessary thing to have in my life, but it is nice to see normal people like me talking about things that are helpful to me. 

Overall, TikTok is a time-wasting, brain-rotting app. Do I still have it on my phone? Yes. Will I delete it again? Also probably yes. Now that I've seen what it's like not to have it, I will likely delete it again in the future, and try to get rid of it for good. But for now, the recommendations and entertainment are enough for me to keep it on my phone. 

Questions and Answers from Shakespeare's Hamlet

Hamlet
Hamlet is a play that provokes questions in the minds of its audience members and readers. Some are answered explicitly in the text, and some go unanswered, leaving the audience to ponder the true meaning for themselves. Some questions, however, have implicit answers in the text, left up for a bit of interpretation. These questions and answers will be explored here.

Question One
Does Hamlet go mad, or is he faking the entire time?

In Act 1, Scene 5, Hamlet first encounters the ghost. The ghost claims to be his father, who has been killed by his brother Claudius. He tells Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Claudius himself. Immediately after this encounter, Hamlet sees his friends Horatio and Marcellus. After just a few words are exchanged between them, Horatio says to Hamlet, “These are but wild and whirling words, my lord.” Horatio and Hamlet are close friends, so it’s interesting that Horatio would immediately be concerned by how ‘wild’ he may be acting. If anyone were to pick up on that vibe, it would be Horatio. It could be argued that anyone who has experienced what Hamlet experiences would be acting the same. Hamlet then explains to his friends not to worry about him, and that he’ll only act crazy, not actually go crazy. But his initial behavior in this scene can lead us to believe that he is mad right away. He doesn’t have to act crazy because he actually is.

Question Two
Is Hamlet a coward?

Hamlet asks himself this question in Act 2, Scene 2, “Am I a coward?” Throughout the play, we see Hamlet talk a lot about what he wants to do, which is to kill King Claudius. He has the opportunity to do this in Act 3, Scene 3 while Claudius is praying, but he doesn’t do it because he doesn’t want Claudius to go to heaven. Some could argue that this was just an excuse from Hamlet, and he was afraid to do it. 

But the biggest piece of evidence to show that Hamlet is a coward is the time at which he kills Claudius. In Act 5, Scene 2, Gertrude dies during the duel because she drinks the poisoned cup. She says, “O, my dear Hamlet! The drink, the drink, I am poisoned,” and then she dies. After this, Laertes tells Hamlet to take the envenomed sword and stab the king. Hamlet does and then forces the king to drink the poison, and then Claudius is dead. Hamlet only killed Claudius after his mother died. This could show that Hamlet is a coward because even when he had the opportunity to kill Claudius in private, he wouldn’t. He never tried again or devised a plan to kill Claudius until the last moments of his life when the opportunity presented itself and his mom was dead.

Question Three
In Act 1, why does the ghost tell the guys to swear on Hamlet’s sword?

After Hamlet’s encounter with the ghost in Act 1, he tells the other guys to swear on his sword that they will never reveal the things Hamlet has told them. He says, “Swear by my sword.” Then, there’s a pause because the guys don’t do anything right away. So, the ghost says,

“Swear... Swear by his sword.” This is what makes the guys swear. The ghost tells them to swear because he knows that if he scares these guys into it, they will swear on Hamlet’s sword. It also benefits the ghost if these men keep their word and don’t say anything because it means that Hamlet will have a chance to kill the King. If the wrong person were to find out about Hamlet’s plan, he could be killed before he has the chance to avenge the death of the ghost. So of course, the ghost doesn’t want this information to get out.

Question Four
Does Hamlet love Ophelia?

Hamlet and Ophelia exchange a lot of flirty lines throughout the play. It’s implied that they have a sexual relationship as well. They spend so much time together that even Ophelia’s brother Laertes is concerned for her, and he warns her to be careful and not to sleep with Hamlet. As the play progresses and Hamlet starts to act crazy, he tells Ophelia that he never loved her. He says “You should not have believed me... I loved you not.” In this scene, Hamlet is driven so mad by his encounter with the ghost and his emotions about Claudius and Gertrude being together, that he takes out these feelings on Ophelia.

After Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia also goes mad and ends up dying by drowning in a river. At this point, Hamlet has been sent to England and doesn’t know that she died. He comes back during her funeral, and when it is revealed to him that Ophelia has died, Hamlet emotionally professes his love. He says, “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?” One can believe that Hamlet didn’t love Ophelia, he loved the idea of her. He loved having her there for support during this challenging time. He also was able to use her to get his emotions out. One could argue that he acted most insane around her. This was because, to him, Ophelia was just someone to use for pleasure and as an outlet for his emotions.

Question Five
Were Claudius and Gertrude having an affair before Old Hamlet’s death?

It’s never explicitly said in the text whether or not an affair was taking place before the death of Old Hamlet. However, many instances imply that this was the case. For example, during Hamlet’s first interaction with the ghost in Act 1, the ghost refers to Claudius as “that incestuous, that adulterate beast.” The use of the word “adulterate” implies adultery, which means to have an affair. If the ghost is calling Claudius “adulterate” one can assume that there was an affair happening, and even that Old Hamlet knew about it.

The other biggest implication of an affair happens in Act 3 when Hamlet has his intense interaction with Gertrude. Hamlet is angry with his mother for her very fast marriage to Claudius after Old Hamlet was killed. He describes very intimate details about their relationship and shames her for them. In response to these things, Gertrude says, “I see such black and grained spots as will not leave their tinct. O, speak to me no more! These words like daggers enter my ears.” The guilt that Gertrude appears to feel is so strong that she describes it like black spots on her soul and daggers in her ears. This kind of guilt would only come with the guilt of something like an affair.

Question Six
Is Polonius abusive towards Ophelia? If so, in what way(s)?

Polonius and Ophelia’s relationship is complex. Some may observe this behavior and simply say that Polonius is a protective father. However, the way he speaks to Ophelia and interferes with her relationship with Hamlet suggests emotional abuse. The most evidence of this is found in Act 1, Scene 3. In her conversation with Laertes, Ophelia is very open about how she feels about Hamlet. But once Laertes leaves and she is alone with Polonius, she’s more hesitant to share things.

She tells Polonius that Hamlet is being affectionate towards her and she thinks he cares about her. In response to this, Polonius says, “Affection, puh! You speak like a green girl unsifted in such perilous circumstance.” He’s saying that Ophelia is just a child who doesn’t understand the world. He continues with this when he says, “Think yourself a baby that you have ta’en these tenders for true pay.” The argument that he is being protective is understandable here, but the way he talks down to her could be seen as emotional and verbal abuse. Especially when we see her submissive response, “I shall obey, my lord.”

Question Seven
Was Gertrude involved in the murder of Old Hamlet?

The audience knows that Claudius is the one who killed Old Hamlet. However, it is never explicitly said if Gertrude was involved, or even knew about the murder. Some may assume that because they may have been sleeping together before the death of Old Hamlet, this means they were involved together in the murder. But when the ghost is talking to Hamlet, he says this about Gertrude, “Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and sting her.” The ghost tells Hamlet to leave his mother alone. He doesn’t want to get any revenge on Gertrude, thus implying that she is innocent of the murder. When he talks about the thorns in her bosom, he could be referring to the guilt she potentially feels because of the incest and potential infidelity before his death, not his murder.

Question Eight
Why doesn’t the ghost want Gertrude to see him?

The ghost allows Hamlet to see him, as well as Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo. The ghost speaks to Hamlet face to face, and he tells the other guys to swear on Hamlet’s sword not to reveal what they’ve seen. But when the ghost appears to Hamlet during his altercation with Gertrude, she can’t see or hear the ghost. One can assume that this is because the ghost is trying to protect Gertrude. During Hamlet’s initial interaction with the ghost, he says this about Gertrude, “Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven and to those thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and sting her.” The ghost wants Hamlet to leave Gertrude alone, and to focus on avenging his death by killing Claudius.

This is also apparent when the ghost appears to Hamlet during Act 3 when he’s talking to Gertrude. He tells Hamlet, “Do not forget. This visitation is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose. But look, amazement on thy mother sits. O, step between her and her fighting soul.” The ghost seems to be trying to project Gertrude here. It’s almost like he’s telling Hamlet to stop scaring her. He also tells Hamlet to ‘not forget.’ The ghost's goal is not to threaten or harm Gertrude, he just wants Hamlet to avenge his death and kill Claudius. He can accomplish this without Gertrude seeing him.

The many questions that Hamlet provokes cannot be answered simply. Some require further analysis of the text, and some don’t have a certain answer. As we read or watch Hamlet, we must question everything. We must question people’s motives, behavior, and what they say. As we do this, we understand each character more. Questioning helps us gain more from our experience with the play, even though there are some things we will never know for certain. In the mind of Shakespeare, anything is possible. 

Analyzing Antigone Using Aristotle's Poetics

Antigone

Sophocles’ Antigone is a Greek tragedy that explores many themes. Two of these themes are the meaning of life and death, and loyalty. Each character in this play has their motivations based on how they view their life, how they feel about death, and where their loyalties lie. We see Antigone loyal to the gods' laws, so much so that she ultimately gives her life to fulfill their wishes. On the contrary, we see Creon hungry for power, and the laws of the land and man are more important to him. Each supporting character is loyal to one or the other, and some of them even change their actions as the play progresses based on the actions and fate of others. This play makes the audience question the character's motives, and wonder who is right and who is wrong. We also see each of Aristotle’s poetics throughout the play: spectacle, song, diction, plot, character, and theme.

Aristotle may not view Antigone as the perfect tragedy, but he would consider it a tragedy nonetheless. His definition of a tragedy is “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude, in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, through pity and fear affecting the proper purgation of these emotions.” This play is about the characters, the actions they take, and the consequences of those actions. Aristotle says that for a story to be tragic, the good people must have a sad ending, and the bad people must not have a sad ending. The antagonist doesn’t meet a bad fate in this story, but the protagonists all die. Creon is seen as the antagonist because he doesn’t follow the gods’ laws. He causes one death which inadvertantly leads to two others. He does whatever he feels necessary to lead the city and further his own agenda. Above all other character’s deaths, Haemon’s death is the most tragic. In this play, Haemon is completely innocent. He isn’t the traitor, Antigone is. But because he loves Antigone he decides to join her in death. Creon’s response to Haemon’s death is, “Dead, dead—and the living are guilty of their death!... Haemon’s gone, his blood spilled by the very hand—His own...raging mad with his father for the death [of Antigone].” Haemon’s death was no one’s fault but Creon’s own, but Creon is still alive at the end of the play. These actions also invite catharsis for the audience, making us feel sad for Haemon and Antigone, and even pity Creon a little. Aristotle’s definition of tragedy is apparent in this play, and all six of Aristotle’s poetics are used heavily throughout the play.

One of the least prioritized of Aristotle’s poetics in this play is spectacle. One use of spectacle in Antigone is the dead bodies onstage at the end. Towards the end of the play, Haemon and Eurydice’s bodies are on the stage. Seeing these bodies on the stage causes catharsis for the audience and is something spectacular to see. The other use of spectacle would be the description of the deaths, especially Haemon’s graphic death. When the messenger comes to tell of Haemon’s death, he describes it as follows, “Haemon lunged and missed!--- and then, doomed, desperate with himself, suddenly leaning his full weight on the blade, he buried it in his body, halfway to the hilt. And still in his senses, pouring his arms around her, he embraced the girl and breathing hard, released a quick rush of blood, bright red on her cheek glistening white.” Though the audience doesn’t see the death take place, reading or listening to the description of Haemon’s death makes the reader or watcher picture what this would look like. The picture that is created in one's mind could be seen as spectacle because each audience member or reader imagines the blood, the sword, and the graphic nature of it all.

Aristotle’s poetic, song, also plays a role in Antigone. The chorus is integral to the play, and the words they speak and sing help the story move along and bring the audience into the play even more. However, the way they sing it or the melodies themselves aren’t prioritized. Their reactions to the events make the audience think and imagine what these events would be like. One of the chorus’ best lines is the very last stanza of the play. They say, “Wisdom is by far the greatest part of joy, and reverence toward the gods must be safeguarded. The mighty words of the proud are paid in full with mighty blows of fate, and at long last those blows will teach us wisdom.” These final words summarize one of the themes of this play: reverence towards the gods is more important than the laws of the city, and wisdom is a gift of life. We must learn from our experiences and mistakes. This line, among others, demonstrates the role that song plays in Antigone.

Diction is even more apparent than the previously discussed poetics in this play. The way that each line is delivered is important to the story and draws emotions out of the readers. There are also some idioms in the play that help the audience understand the characters and what they actually mean by the things they say. One example of this is something that Antigone says to Creon when she is confronted for burying Polynices. Creon says that the citizens wouldn’t support her actions, but in response, she says, “They see it that just that way but defer to you and keep their tongues in leash.” The idiom here is ‘keep their tongues in leash.’ This clearly shows that the members of this city feel trapped by Creon, and that they can’t express their true feelings. They feel held back and stuck, in the way that a leash makes a dog feel. Diction is also very important in the scene between Creon and Haemon when Haemon finds out what Creon has done to Antigone. At the beginning of this interaction, Haemon declares his loyalty to his father by saying “I obey you. No marriage could ever mean more to me than you.” But as the conversation progresses, Haemon gets increasingly angry, and towards the end, he says “If you weren’t my father, I’d say you were insane.” Haemon doesn’t agree with his father’s actions, and the way these lines slowly transition from respect to anger shows the effect that Creon has on the people around him. The actor who plays Haemon must deliver these lines in such a way that the audience sees this slow transition. That is where diction comes into play in Antigone.

The next most prioritized of Aristotle’s poetics in Antigone is the plot. The story has an obvious beginning, middle, and end. In Backwards and Forwards, David Ball writes, “Only when we look at events in reverse order can we see, with certainty, how the dominoes fell, which fell against which.” In this play, it’s very obvious which events lead to the next, especially as we analyze the events in reverse order. For example, Antigone kills herself. This happens as a result of Creon placing her in the cave to die. Creon places her in the cave because Antigone breaks the law by burying her brother Polynices. She buries him because she believes in the laws of the gods and wants to give her brother the proper and respectful burial she thinks he deserves. We can see exactly which actions happen and what action precedes it to make it happen. Another element of the plot is the fact that the play takes place over one day, creating the dramatic unity and flow that Aristotle appreciated.

Character plays a huge role in Antigone. Two of the main characters, Antigone and Creon, are essential to the story. One trait that Antigone possesses is bravery. She displayed this bravery because she will do whatever it takes to do what she believes is right. The most apparent example of just how brave Antigone proves to be is in the scene where she is

confronted by Creon. When he gives her the chance to deny what she’s done and save herself she says, “I did it. I don’t deny a thing.” She even says to Creon later on, “If my present actions strike you as foolish, let’s just say I’ve been accused of folly by a fool.” Antigone’s words result in her death, but she’s brave. She’s especially brave considering the time that this play was written. A woman saying these things to a man during this period in time is significant to the story. Some may argue that Antigone isn’t brave, that she’s just stupid. But seeing her as the brave protagonist makes her death even more tragic, especially because her death leads to two more. Antigone’s character is so important to the play that it’s named after her.

Creon’s character is endlessly interesting. He values money and power, he has poor judgment, and he is prideful. Referring to his lack of judgment, the Sentry says “Oh it’s terrible when the one who does the judging judges things all wrong.” Regarding Creon’s poor judgment the messenger comments “Creon shows the world that of all the ills afflicting men the worst is lack of judgment.” We see Creon’s poor judgment throughout Antigone, and this is ultimately what leads to the deaths in the play. Another interesting thing about Creon is that he only takes advice from others, or follows the laws of the gods when it aligns with his agenda. We see this when Tiresias comes in and tries to talk Creon out of these decisions he’s making. When their conversation first starts, Creon says to Tiresias, “I’ve never wavered from your advice before.” But by the end of the conversation he says, “This slander of yours–are you aware you’re speaking to the king?... You–you have your skills, old seer, but you lust for injustice.” Creon doesn’t like to be told that he’s doing something wrong, no matter who corrects him. However, we see Creon slightly develop as a character as he humbles himself just enough to decide to let Antigone out of the cave. He initially is very reluctant to consider releasing Antigone, and when contemplating what he should do about her he says, “It’s a dreadful thing to yield...but resist now? Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin? That’s dreadful too.” He doesn’t want to give up his pride and admit that he may have been wrong. But after a little more time, he decides to release Antigone. About this decision he says, “Oh it’s hard, giving up the heart’s desire... but I will do it–no more fighting a losing battle with necessity.” Creon gives up his desire to keep Antigone locked away and ends the losing battle he is fighting. But when he arrives at the cave, he finds his son also dead with Antigone and he exclaims, “Ohhh, my crimes, so senseless, so insane, my stubborn, deadly–Look at us, the killer, the killed, father and son, the same blood–the misery!” Creon finally admits that he is in the wrong because he realizes the magnitude of his decisions.

Through the actions of the characters, we see the most prioritized of Aristotle’s poetics in Antigone, and that is theme. Among many themes, the overall theme of this play is loyalty. It begs the question, where do our loyalties lie? It shows us what happens when we are too loyal to one entity, or not loyal enough to another. Each character makes certain decisions based on where their own loyalties lie. Creon is loyal to himself and the city he leads. The choices he makes are based on how the result will benefit him and his city. There’s a moment in the play when Creon talks to Haemon about Antigone and how he thinks people would view him if he made a certain choice. He says, “I caught her in naked rebellion, the traitor, the only one in the whole city. I’m not about to prove myself a liar, not to my people, no, I’m going to kill her!” Creon fears that if he doesn’t kill Antigone, his citizens will view him as a liar. So to avoid this, he decides to kill her.

Haemon on the other hand, is loyal to Antigone, and by default, he’s loyal to the gods because that’s who Antigone is most loyal to. Ismene is also loyal to Antigone, but she still fears authority and the possibility of punishment. To Antigone, she says, “Remember, we are women, we’re not born to contend with men...I must obey the ones who stand in power. Why rush to extremes? It’s madness, madness.” Ismene doesn’t want to cause any trouble. She is more loyal to herself in this way, worried about potential consequences, and loyal to man’s law and the way their society functions. But later in the play, she volunteers to die with Antigone even though she had nothing to do with the burial of Polynices. Antigone is loyal to the gods, so much so that she breaks man’s law to keep the laws of the gods. Before she buries Polynices, she says to Ismene, “I will bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory. I will lie with the one I love and loved by him–an outrage sacred to the gods! I have longer to please the dead than please the living here: in the kingdom down below I’ll lie forever. Do as you like, dishonor the laws the gods hold in honor.” Antigone is loyal to the gods because she views her current life as something temporary, but she knows that she will be with the gods forever when she dies. So to her, pleasing the gods is more important than pleasing man. Each of these characters shows us to whom they are most loyal.

Antigone ends with this line from the chorus, “We must deal with all that lies before us. The future rests with the ones who tend the future.” Creon has the power to ‘tend the future’ of the city. He can change the way that people are treated and how the laws of the gods are viewed and upheld. The chorus also says “The mighty words of the proud are paid in full with mighty blows of fate, and at long last those blows will teach us wisdom.” These phrases from the chorus sum up the play beautifully. Creon’s pride and lack of judgment cost him three lives of citizens of his city, two of which were his own family. But hopefully, Creon learns from these experiences, gains wisdom, and leads his city to be more loyal to god’s laws than man’s. Seeing these characters' actions and their consequence should give the audience the idea that the decisions they make and the consequences that follow are directly tied to whomever or whatever they are most loyal to. So we must be careful in deciding where to place our own loyalty.