Central High School - Mirror Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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The True Character of Hamlet With Ins wonderful power of inter preting human life. Shakespeare gave to the world in the character of I lamlet a true and eternal type of man. In him we find many of the grandest qualities of manhood. Then, too. the faults, often more glaring than the virtues, wait to strike the sympathetic vibration of a kindred string in every heart. We see at once the sad conscientious, oftentimes brilliant, son of a murdered king trying with all his concentrated power to revenge a fatner’s murder, and the self-centered, introspective scholar who is miserable because he loves no mortal better than himself. The first quality of manhood that impresses us in the character of Hamlet is his brilliant intellect, lie displays the powers of his mind oftenest in outbursts of genuine wit. For the crafty politician. Polonius. he always has a racy reply, while he never fails to baffle Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in their attempts to wring from him his secrets. Many soliloquies show the working of his mind and his depth of thought, lie speaks for all people and for all ages when he says. “Tims conscience doth make cowards of us all; and thus the native hue of resolution is sickbed o’er with the pale cast of thought. In this as well as in other soliloquies he goes to the very bottom of the question in his mind and then collects his thoughts and forms his plans. With a mind very thoroughly trained in the great University of Wittenberg. he could not be satisfied with those qualities which the depth and keenness of self-analvsis showed to be inherent in his nature. Next to the intellectual, the emotional side of Hamlet’s nature is most thoroughly developed. From the moment of the awakening of the “desire for revenge in the “prophetic soul of the son by the visit of the ghost of the murdered king, Hamlet was true to the promise to “Remember thee! Ay thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seat in this distracted globe. He could hardly refrain from gratifying his longing for revenge when he found the king praying. He did not refrain from striking when he thought the king was con-cealed behind the arras in the queen’s room. It seems to be a contradiction that so selfish a person as Hamlet should have such a loving, appealing heart. This is his redeeming virtue-Though it is impossible to love him be cause of his intense self-interest, yet we can not help sympathizing with him because in him we find our traits of character reflected. The attitude of so sterling a character as Horatio toward Hamlet as well as Hamlet’s own feeling toward his mother reveal his inmost heart. The deepest strain of emotional appeal rings through his talk with his mother. In this splendid pouring out of his noble sentiments, the respect and love which he felt for his dead father and his reverence for the highest and best in life are fervently expressed. His “good night, and when you are desirous to be blessed I'll blessing beg of you voices his longing and approval of the “Everlasting God. Will power, that mighty foundation of the immovable man. is the element of character which is visibly lacking in Hamlet. I le is an excellent example of the forger of the chain of habit held powerless within its grasp. His aptitude for planning and the irresolution which permitted the intention to escape in words and not in deeds, made so deep a furrow in his brain that his inclination could not choose but follow it. It is a psychological fact that weakness in any one of the three primary elements of character, will power, emotions or intellect tends to unbalance

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A Heroic Act “Buddy. come tell me a storv ' pleaded mv little sister. ‘Ts so tired of rid-in' on the choo-choo. But I told her to leave me alone, for 1 had something very important to think about. She kept hogging me, however, until Mother said, “Come here. Baby, I 'll read to you. Then 1 was a little ashamed of myself, for 1 knew how tired mother was. I hated to see her look that way. So I sat there and thought how 1 should like to do something for her, to prove my devotion. Few little people have their desires realized as I did then. As I was gazing out of the window I noticed that the trees seemed to he going by faster and faster. There was a peculiar noise coming from the engine. I sat up straight to listen. 1 had been studying machinery lately, so I recognized that sound. It showed that there was no one at the throttle. I was aghast. Something must have happened to the engineer. I knew I must do something. I walked into the next car looking for the conductor but he was not there. 1 went on into the next car. and the next, and on to the baggage car. but no official was to be seen Then 1 knew that I myself must go on and run the engine or we should all be lost. I seized hold of an iron rod and began climbing over the baggage car, for theic was no door. It was the only possible way. Slowly I drew my feet up while the swiftly moving car swayed from side to side. But the dangerous part was to crawl along the ridge on top of the car. We were moving at the rate of about seventy miles per hour already and increasing every minute. I dared not look on either side, I could only creep on and on. It seemed an eternity before 1 reached the end of the car. 1 prayed that 1 might be allowed to save the passengers, especially my mother and little sister. Suddenly my foot slipped and I shot down the side of the car. But instead of falling off. as I expected. my clothes caught in a large iron hook on the side of the car. and I hung there unable to move, looking down at the flying rocks and bushes. The train was going at a terrific pace. I wondered what would happen. I knew my clothes would not hold me long and I thought that perhaps as 1 dropped 1 might cry loud enough to warn my fellow passengers. Ye were gtiing over a deep ravine, and I felt mv clothes slipping, slipping. ()ne more rip and my mangled body would 1 e lying on the rocks far below. Split! I was dropping, dropping, dropping. I gave up hope and let myself go. Crash! 1 opened my eyes and saw all the passengers gazing with smiling faces at me. I had fallen off the sea‘ into the middle of the aisle. My little sister was tugging at my sleeve “Come play with me now. Buddy. she plead ed. “Oh. I had so much rather save your life. I answered. Hugenia Blount, ii.

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the entire character. Hamlet is a pitiable demonstration of this fact. Notwithstanding the deficiencies in Hamlet’s character, there is so much of the human and pathetic in his life that he teaches a powerful lesson to every student of mankind. The notes of unspoken grief that we hear only when the thoughts find words in solitude shed a solemnity about a life totally without sympathy. His realization of his habit of allowing his plans to go unexecuted calls forth a volley of self-reproach which will not be hushed by the reasons that his judgment offers to justify his irresolution. He goes on. however, without sympathy and in the face of self-reproach to be faithful to his duty at any cost to himself, know- ing all the while that he must fall with the wicked king, he remains steadfast in his purpose of revenge and readily accepts the treacherous challenge because he knows it is his duty. It is not merely his condition in life which he accepts but the appeal of duty to the strong sense of justice inherited from ancestors in the north land that takes possession of him and ordains him a minister of revenge. It is this urgent appeal of duty that calls into play his brilliant intellect, his power of deep and logical thought, and his profound emotions. It is this also that lays bare the lack of will power in the insufficient man and draws us near in sympathy to a very pathetic life. Sal lie Mac Wade. Ti. JOY There’s morning, morning everywhere. In earth and sky and me. There’s morning, morning everywhere, From the mountain to the sea. There’s spring, there's spring in everything. In bird and clod and flower. There’s spring, there's spring in everything. In palace, cot and tower. There’s music, music everywhere. In every tender breeze; There’s music, music everywhere, In birds and honey bees. There’s color, color everywhere. In skies at eve and morn: There’s color, color everywhere, ()n roses and on thorn. There’s youth, there’s youth in everything. In weed and blade of grass: There’s youth, there's youth in everything. In all the world’s great mass. There's promise, promise everywhere. In wood and valley and plain : There’s promise, promise everywhere. In sunshine and in rain. There’s love, there's love in everything. in manhood and bird and beast: There's love, there’s love in everything. The highest and the least. There’s Clod, there's God in everything. In moon and sun on high : There’s God. there’s God in everything, ()n earth and in the sky. Anita Waldhorst. 'i i.