Shakespeare's Second Sonnet

Here is my analysis of Shakespeare's second sonnet. 

 Shakespeare's Second Sonnet

              Shakespeare’s second sonnet describes one’s pleasant appearance, and the positives of having children, or a child, to pass on one’s youthful beauty and self.  The sonnet begins with describing how one’s appearance will fade, how one’s beauty will dissipate, over time, and will become worth very little.  Shakespeare writes:

 “When forty winters shall besiege thy brow

And dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field,

Thy youth’s proud livery, so gazed on now,

Will be a tattered weed, of small worth held:”  (2.1-2.4)

                This says, basically, that after 40 years have passed, and dug deep wrinkles in your face, your youth and virility will be not worth much, like a tattered weed.  The next part of the sonnet describes what were to happen if one were to ask one what happened to their beauty, and their youth.  Shakespeare writes:

“Then being asked where all thy beauty lies,

Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,

To say within thine own deep-sunken eyes

Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.” (2.5-2.8)

                This means that if someone were to ask whomever this is describing where their youth went, where all the benefits and treasures of one’s youth went, and they were to say that it were all written in their face, in their aged appearance, that it would be an all-consuming shame and worth no praise.  The third part of the sonnet says the following:

“How much more praise deserved thy beauty’s use

If thou couldst answer, ‘This fair child of mine

Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,’

Proving his beauty by succession thine.” (2.9-2.12)

                This says that one would be much more worthy of praise if one would have had a child to pass on your legacy, your youthful self.  You could explain where your beauty went that way, by saying that your child, and the raising of that child, is the reason your beauty has faded.  Then Shakespeare says that your child’s beauty will be an embodiment of your own.

                The final couplet reads as follows:

“This were to be new made when thou art old,

And see thy blood warm when thou feel’st it cold.” (2.13-2.14)

                This says that having a child, a new life, would be similar to being born again in old age and that the cold blood that flows in your veins will become warm again in your child’s veins.  It is clear that in this sonnet, Shakespeare wishes to describe how having a child is important, worthy of great praise, and a way to pass on yourself.  It is a way to allow your beauty to fade, and yet still be happy with it since your beauty and self has now been passed to your child.

Cosmological Project

The painting isn't quite done yet (I'll post pictures when it is) but my write up is complete, so I wanted to post it. It's my project for Cosmology.

The Universe began with an initial expansion from a singularity about 13.7 billion years ago. This singularity is predicted by general relativity, which yields a time of infinite density and temperature at a finite point in the past. This singularity is often called The Big Bang, although the whole evolution of the Universe is also referred to as the Big Bang, as well as the hot, dense phase of the early Universe that signals the formation of the Universe as we know it. The Big Bang Theory provides the soundest look at our past to date. My project provides a visual way of representing the Big Bang, the evolution of the Universe, a few key time periods in our past, and a look at one theory of the end of our universe. The equation that describes the Big Bang is as follows:

This equation provides a mathematical look at the Big Bang and provides a way of predicting the expansion of the Universe. Amusingly, if you do some math and assume that most of the matter in the Universe is galaxies it yields this result:

This is the same as the equation of motion for a particle in an attractive 1/R2 force field. I think that’s pretty entertaining. Anyway, back to my project.

The evolution of the Universe is divided into many epochs, or time periods of significance. It begins with the Planck epoch, in which all of the fundamental forces are combined into one force. This occurs up to 10-43 seconds after the Big Bang. Next is the grand unification epoch, in which gravity separates from the rest of the fundamental forces. This occurs between 10-43 and 10-36 seconds after the Big Bang. There are more epochs that follow in which all the fundamental forces separate. Following these epochs, there are ones in which certain particles obtain dominance over others for a time, ending with the photon epoch, in which photons dominate the early universe. This epoch lasts from 10 seconds to 380,000 years after the Big Bang.

It is at about 377,000 years after the Big Bang that we can get a picture of the early universe. This has been seen through the Cosmic Background Radiation, or CBR. I have illustrated this in a recreation of a picture of the CBR. At this point in the evolution of the Universe, hydrogen and helium atoms begin to form as the density of the Universe falls. Then, the photons present at the time of decoupling (which is the moment during recombination when the rate of Compton scattering became slower than the expansion of the universe₁) are able to move freely.

There is a time after this epoch referred to as the dark ages. Most of the photons in the universe are interacting with electrons and protons in the photon–baryon fluid. Because of this, the Universe is “foggy” and hard to see. There was light, but not light we could observe through telescopes. I have shown this time period in my painting, after the illustration of the CBR.

After these epochs, structures in the Universe begin to form. It begins with reionization, which occurred 150 million to 1 billion years after the Big Bang. In this time period, the first stars and quasars form from gravitational collapse. Stars continue to form, and then relatively shortly afterward, galaxies begin to form. Gravitational attraction begins the formation of groups, clusters, and super clusters. The Universe continues to expand from here.

I have chosen an end to the Universe that is referred to as the heat death of the Universe. This would occur if the Universe continues to expand as it has been. The heat death occurs, according to the second law of thermodynamics₂, when the Universe reaches a state where all the energy is evenly distributed. There are other alternatives to the end of the Universe, including the Big Rip and the Big Crunch, but I have chosen this one because I quite like the second law of thermodynamics.

That is a description of my project, and the information I have tried to put across in my painting. The Big Bang is the most reasonable explanation of how we came to be, and a fundamental theory in modern cosmology.


1. Recombination refers to the epoch at which charged electrons and protons first became bound to form electrically neutral hydrogen atoms. Compton scattering is a type of scattering that X-rays and gamma undergo in matter.
2. The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy tends to increase in an isolated system.

Attempting to Teach Myself Calculus - Sections 5.1-5.2

I wanted to write an entry, or entries, on the things I'm teaching myself for Calculus I as a way to keep track, and as perhaps a mild source of entertainment for others. I'm starting with section 5.1, and then talking about section 5.2.

Section 5.1


The section started with the definition of an antiderivative. The definition is as follows:

The Definition of Antiderivative
A function F is an antiderivative of f on an interval I if F'(x)=f(x) for all x in I.

So, basically, a function is an antiderivative if it's derivative equals another function.

Next, it talked about Theorem 5.1, which is as follows:

Representation of Antiderivatives
If F is an antiderivative of f on an interval I, then G is an antiderivative of f on the interval I if and only if G is of the form G(x)=F(x)+C, for all x in I, where C is a constant.

When you take the derivative of a function, any stand-alone constant is written as 0. So, since you don't know whether there is a constant or not, you have to assume that there is some constant, C, that needs to be added.

Notation for Antiderivatives


The section also talked about how differentiation is the inverse of integration. So, if you have found the integral, you can use differentiation to return to the original function.

Basic Integration Rules


So what I gathered from this section is that finding antiderivatives is just like going backward from what I had been doing previously when finding derivatives, and you must add some constant, C, while figuring it ouit since you don't know whether there is some stand-alone constant or not.

Section 5.2


The section started out with an explanation of sigma (∑) notation. It says the following:

The sum of n terms a₁, a₂, a₃, . . . a_n is written as


where i is the index of summation, a_i is the ith term of the sum, and the upper and lower bounds of summation are n and 1.

Then, the book gave me summation formulas. They are as follows:


Next, they discussed the area of a plane region. In order to find the area, you separate the area you want to find into a series of rectangles. Once, with the rectangles larger than the area of what you're trying to find, and once with the rectangles smaller than the area you are trying to find. Then, you find the sum of the area of the rectangles by multiplying f(the height) times the width, and using summation to find the result. That way, you have an upper and lower bounds by which to come up with the actual area of the region.


The section said that if you find the limit as n approaches infinity (basically making the number of rectangles that separate the area up infinite) of the sum of f(m_i) (the minimum bounds) times ∆x [which is (b-a)/n] and the same of the maximum bounds, you will find that they are equal and are the area of the region.

It is summed up in this:
Defintion of the Area of a Region in the Plane
Let f be continuous and nonnegative on the interval [a, b]. The area of the region bounded by the graph of f, the x-axis, and the vertical lines x=a and x=b is

where ∆x = (b-a)/n.


That's basically it from those sections. I'll write again on sections 5.3-5.7 when I get there.

My "beast" friends.

Being sick.

I've managed to work myself much, much too hard and now I am very sick.

I studied for my Calculus I test all day last Tuesday. I woke up at 0600 to study on Wednesday. I even studied on the bus on the way to school. I understood the material, and I breezed through the review, although when I got to class, and looked at the test, I choked. I couldn't get half the questions to give me answers. I began hallucinating, both auditory and visual. Now, I hallucinate visually normally and I find it easy enough to handle. This, though, became extremely overwhelming. Once it began, I couldn't successfully finish my test. I tried, hard, and got frustrated and gave up. It's hard to concentrate when you're seeing things that aren't there, and hearing voices in your head.

After my test, I decided it would be best I went home. I missed Cosmology. I've had the same professor for 4 classes (Astronomy, Physics I, Physics II, and now Cosmology) and that was the first time I ever missed one of his classes. I felt bad, because I love being there.

I wasn't feeling any better on Thursday, and then I still wasn't feeling any better on Friday, so I e-mailed my professors. I was worried I may have to drop. My calculus professor said this:

"OMG, don't drop! You have been doing so well. I will work with you."

And then she told me to give her a call next week to work things out. I suggested to her many options for me finishing the semester successfully. I'm fairly confident I can learn the rest of the material on my own, and I can come in to take quizzes before class, and come in on test days and test in the ASC, and get her to take pictures of the notes to e-mail to me, and she can also e-mail me the worksheets from class.

I haven't heard back from my other professor, and I won't until at least Monday. Everyone I talk to seem fairly certain my other professor will be willing to work with me so that I can finish the semester from home. I mean, my project is 90% done. My sky journal is done. I've already done my group project.
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And there's always the extra credit questions if I need to make up points.

Side story- My group project for Cosmology was hell to put together. Everyone waited until the very last minute to get everything done. I don't know why I always put myself in charge, when I hate doing it.

There were several questions I had to answer for the project, since I chose that part to be my part. Here they are:

My professor said my answers were spot on and nicely done. I had tons of fun answering them, especially the lunar observatory question.


Anyway, back to what I was talking about.

My professor posted the grades for our test that I was certain I failed. I did much better than I thought I did. I got 63%. My professor said since the test was a little rough, she's going to replace our lowest test grade with our average from the final. Even with that 63%, I'm still at a 93% in the class. It doesn't matter, though, because it will be replaced by my final grade. I'll still get an A in Calculus I.

I'm hanging in there, although it's hard to focus on anything. I have great support from friends and family.

Speaking of support, I figured I'd mention this:
When I joined the Triple Nine Society, I had no idea that I'd be making supportive connections like I have. I'm not sure what I expected to happen when I joined, or what I would do with my membership, but I wasn't expecting an extension of my support network. It's an odd, yet pleasant, surprise.

That's all for now. I'm sure I'll be writing here a lot since I'm finishing the semester from home.

Hello, my name is Kat.

Hello, my name is Kat. I am 23 years old. I am currently a student at Oakland Community College, and at the end of this semester I'll have an associates of science degree. I recently got accepted into MSU for my bachelors in astrophysics.

Growing up, I began as a stellar student. It was clear that I was smarter than average, and in elementary school I was even in the advanced math group. Starting in 5th grade, things went downhill. I decided I didn't want to do homework or busy work. What started to be repeated by teachers was "She's so smart, she just won't do the work."

I've been through a lot in my life. When I was 15, I attempted suicide and was put in a psychiatric hospital. That was when they diagnosed me as schizoaffective disorder bipolar type. My diagnosis would later be changed to paranoid schizophrenic. When I was 17, I got caught with marijuana at school and got suspended and received my first conviction. Also when I was 17, I tried cocaine for the first time, not knowing I'd soon become addicted. I would spend the next two years experimenting with all kinds of drugs, and getting two more convictions. When I was 18, I was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but only served 2 months due to overcrowding. I've spent some time in low places, and had things happen to me that I wouldn't wish for anyone to experience. I've lost friends to overdoses and suicide. I've stolen things from family members, and excessively from stores. I even overdosed and had my heart stop, causing me to spend a week in the hospital. I also spent some more time in psychiatric hospitals. At 19, I finally stopped experimenting excessively with drugs and got myself off of cocaine (with help, of course). I also got married at 19, after having been with him since I was 15.

All throughout this time, I failed classes. I would have had to go to highschool for another year in order to graduate. I decided against that, and wanted to get my GED instead. I took the GED and got surprisingly high scores.

At first, I wanted to be a graphic and web designer. I attended OCC to do that, but I was still unmotivated. My grades were less than stellar. I had a few jobs doing web and graphic design professionally, since I had already taught myself many of the things I needed to know. I then spent some time in cosmetology school, but quickly stopped with that.

I decided, when I was 22, to finally pursue my dreams. I have to admit, one of my reasons for deciding this was because I had my IQ tested. When I got my score (151 on the WAIS), I thought that my now passionate hobby could, possibly, become what I do for the rest of my life. I wanted a Ph.D. in astrophysics. The first step would to be to prove myself to a university by getting a degree, and I moved toward getting an associates of science. I actually started trying in school. My F's that I had been getting previously turned into A's (and an A- or two). I began to excell at everything I attempted. School, which I had previously hated, became my very reason for being. I developed a passion for the accumulation of knowledge.

Now, I am happier than I've ever been. My GPA is high, MSU wants me to pursue astrophysics there, I'm happily married, and I have great friends and family.

It hasn't come easy. I've worked very, very hard. I couldn't have done it without the support of my friends and family, either.

I've done many things in my life that are regrettable. I regret none of it. Every mistake I've made is worth the lesson I learned from it. Everything I've done has shaped who I am today, and I am stronger because of it all. I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything, no matter how terrible some might be.

So, remember this: If you are struggling, you always have the ability to change. If you know who you want to be, you can become that person. If you regret nothing, you will always value your past.

I'm going to keep moving forward, keep pushing my limits, and we'll see where I end up.

An Update.

Many things have happened since I last updated. I figured I ought to write an entry about those things so everyone's not left in the dark.

I'm doing well in Calculus I. I got my most recent test back, and I got 96%. I took another test just yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I got close to 100%. I didn't run into any problems while I was taking it. I was the second person done with the test, but the first person done finished about 10-15 minutes before I did, and I completed the test in about 45 minutes, so I'm thinking he didn't know half of the test.

I really like related rates. I loved doing the homework for it. It was some of the most fun I've had doing math. I love word problems, so that section was perfect for me. I could do related rates problems all day.

I do have bigger, more important news. I got into MSU!



If you haven't read my answer to the personal statement question that got me in, you can read it here. You can see the details of the astrophysics program I'm going into here. I'm beyond excited. Look at all the awesome classes I'll get to take!

I attempted to make a pie for the first time. I made a rhubarb pie. I wanted to make a pie for my professor to thank him for the letter of recommendation, and it was also Pi Day yesterday. His favorite pie is rhubarb. He'll be eating it today, so I'll find out how it is later. I should say I tried to make a pie. He said it was the thought that counted, but I hope the thought still outweighs the quality of the pie once it's been consumed.

I'm pretty sure my calculus professor likes me. I'm allowed to take the quizzes before class so I don't have to deal with nicotine withdrawal at the end of class when we normally have the quizzes. I had made two mistakes on my quiz the first time I took it, but I corrected them the second time I took it. (I take it during class, also, so no one knows I've already taken it.) She gave me the points back! I was not expecting that. I guess I would like anyone who is excited about my class.

I suppose that's about all. I have homework to do.