othello- 12/15

character analysis:
I think othello is an interesting character because at the beginning he seems like the most moral, heroic, strong, faithful guy. but then as the story goes on he's completely corrupted by really stupid stuff. it could be sort of a metaphor for how people aren't necesarily who we think they are. and the people who seem like they have everything together maybe don't. and then you have a character like emilia who the whole novel seems so submissive and weak and like a total pushover and then right at the end all the sudden she comes off totally strong when it really counts. she stands up for herself, she tells off iago and she tells everyone the truth. she's crucial to the plot and really kind of saves the day, in a sense. she rises to the occassion and ends up being really heartfelt and strong. i think that's interesting how those two characters contrast and what that suggests about human nature in general.

othello-12/14

One thing that Shakespeare does in the book is the assonance where all the male characters names end with o and all the female characters names end with a. i think that this affects the story in that it sort of creates a divide between male and female like two seperate groups and I think that shows up a little in the book like the difference between male and female and how one treats the other. Another thing is the sentence structure and how he has a lot of long sentences and I think this makes the book a little slower to read but everything is very flowy. and another thing I noticed is that there's a lot of references to animals and metaphors using animals. And this gives it the affect where he could be comparing how people are like animals, especially when they are taken over by certain emotions like jealousy and don't act civilized.

othello 12/13

"Is this the noble Moor whom our full Senate Call all is all sufficient? Is this the nature Whom passion could not shake? Whose solid virtue The shot of accident nor dart of chance Could neither graze nor pierce?"

Lodovico says this about Othello and I thought this was key because he's basically saying aren't you the man who we all admire? Who's strong and doesn't let anything get to him or shake his morals or faith or value. And Othello is acting so out of character and not at all how he usually is. And I think that's key because it's showing how jealousy is basically turning him into a different person. And his whole life he's never let anything get to him and all of this lies and deceit turn him into a monster who's planning to murder his innocent wife. And that's key because the turning point in Othello's character would also be the turning point in the novel where things start to get ugly.

my comment:
I think that's an interesting quote also and I wonder how Othello and the other characters will change throughout the story and if anyone will ever learn the whole truth

Cast for Othello

Othello: I'd cast Denzel Washington because he'd be good as a main character role and he looks strong and important like othello should look. I chose these two quotes because I think that they show how he is very noble and confident in himself and his feelings.
"If you do find me foul in her report, The trust, the office I do hold of you Not only take away, but let your sentence even fall upon my life"
"I love Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confine For the sea's worth."

Iago: I'd cast Vin Diesel as Iago because he looks like he could be a nice guy on the outside and he's strong so that's good for the fact that he's in the military. And Iago is very tricky so I don't think he should look too evil on the outside. I chose the first quote because the word poisonous sort of reminds me of his sinister personality and his plotting and how he can't let go of his hatred it "gnaws" at him. and the second because it describes how hes tricky and deceitful.
"the thought whereof doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my innards"
"Knavery's plain face is never seen till used"

Desdemona: I would cast Keira Knightley. I think she just looks like how I would picture desdemona. I chose the first quote because she sort of stands up for herself a little more than other women in the story she's a bit more independent and fierce. I chose the second to illustrate that she's also very loving and caring and sensitive shes very in tune to othello and his feelings and obviously cares a lot for him.
"Do not learn of him Emilia, though he be thy husband"
"Let me but bind it hard, within this hour it will be well..."

Emilia: For Emilia I would cast Zooey Deschanel because I think Emilia would have kind of dark hair and she should be sort of quiet and I think you could give her sort of a plain look. I chose the first quote to show that she is very submissive and not a very strong personality so far and the second to show that although she kind of goes along with Iago and she's a pushover she's not really an evil person.
"I nothing but to please his fancy"
"if it not be for some purpose of import, givet me again. Poor lady, she'll run mad when she shall lack it"

Othello-Journal Response 2

It was interesting how Cassio and Desdemona are just talking and being friendly and Iago, in an aside, he mentions how he's happy about that and he's going to use all their friendliness and their so-called politeness to make it even easier to frame Cassio. When Iago and Roderigo are having their exchange, Iago tells him how he is supposed to do something to upset or annoy Cassio. And he is just manipulating everyone because Iago knows that Desdemona and Cassio's exchange is totally innocent and Roderigo tells him that but Iago twists it all around to convince Roderigo. And I think it was interesting how Iago says "Knavery's plain face is never seen 'till used" at the end of the scene. I think what he's saying is that evil and trickery and deceit are often right in front of you but you don't see them. Like how Iago is right under Othello's nose and is someone he trusts but he has no idea that Iago is plotting against him.

16th century cyprus

Cyprus is a small island located in the eastern part of the medditerranian sea about 30 miles from turkey. The ottomans were a turkish tribe and in 1570 they attacked cyprus who was having a lot of issues with their government. Cyprus got their weapons from the venitians but the ottomans sent in 60,000 troops and took over the island and a lot of people died and they changed the government and stuff.

my comments:

on Moors:

Olivia said...

I wonder who they lost their land to in Africa? and also what was there religon that they were forced to hide? on epilepsy:

Olivia said...

it's interesting how epilepsy was viewed differently at different times. I wonder why they were so fascinated by this disease as opposed to any of the other diseases?

Othello-1

Tonight's reading was not too bad. I'm glad that we got an overview of the play today in class so I already understand who the characters are which makes it a lot easier to read. And the action is pretty fast paced so even if I don't understand all the words it's not too difficult to get the basic idea of what's happening.

piano lesson paper paragraph

Berniece is keeping the history of the piano from Maretha in order to keep her from becoming burdened by the past. Maretha has nothing to do with the piano, or with any of her family’s history. This innocence Maretha carries is good and bad. “I got Maretha playing on it. She don’t know nothing about it. Let her go on and be a schoolteacher or something. She don’t have to carry all that with her. She got a chance I didn’t have. I ain’t gonna burden her with that piano”. Berniece thinks she is helping Maretha by not telling her the history about her ancestors, but Maretha has no sense of where she comes from. Maretha’s innocence can be a burden just like the piano because she doesn’t know where she comes from or the past of her relatives and how her family came into the possession of the piano.

piano lesson journal 6

I liked how Doaker tries to be a leader but he doesn't do it in a rude and obnoxious way. He tries to lead by example and be sort of a silent, but powerful leader. A lot of times Boy Willie just blows and Wining Boy and the other characters just blow him off and treat him like he's a pushover because he isn't as loud and rude as the rest of them. And you can tell he struggles with the way he thinks is appropriate to act, and his feelings towards the other characters and his need to be heard. I think people can relate to how doaker feels trying to get others to listen to him.

my comment:

1 comments:

Olivia said...

I agree that certain things show that this play takes place awhile ago but i don't agree that it's because of their attitudes towards women. Treating women like objects and womens rights is a very modern and current problem in many other parts of the world, and there are plenty of men who act like that today in our society. (* note: i was absent for a few days so that's why my journals are out of order) 

piano lesson journal 5

I noticed that Berniece is a strong character with a strong personality. And even though she has some issues and she can't let go of the past and there are a lot of negative things, I think that she is a good symbol for women. And I really like the part where she is speaking to Avery and she talks about how men always go around and say yeah it's ok if i'm single and they think it's good cause they're men but when a women is single people are like oh how are you going to get by without a man to take care of you. And I love Berniece's attitude when she basically tells Avery off and says that she doesn't need some man to take care of her, she can take care of herself and she'll get married when she's good and ready. it's my favorite part so far.

my comment:

Olivia said...

I agree that their perspectives about women seem different and the place of a women and womens rights could contribute to a theme later on (* note: i was absent for a few days so that's why my posts are out of order) 

piano lesson journal 4

I thought it was interesting how they talk about the history of the piano from slave times and that a lot of the characters like Berniece and Boy Willie are named after some of their ancestors. Maybe the author did this to try and get across a theme that history repeats itself? and he's comparing the characters in the current story to characters from slaves times. And it might highlight the ways that society and the family has changed, but also the ways that they haven't and they repeat their same mistakes.

my comment:
I'm not sure that Lymon really loves Berniece, I think he was just dissapointed about his night and that it wasn't fun like Boy Willie's and he just wanted someone to be with.


(* note: i was absent for a few days, so that's why my journals are out of order) 

piano lesson journal 7

I thought that it was interesting how Lymon is interested in Berniece since he came with Boy Willie and they don't get along very well. But you can also tell that Lymon's character is different from Boy Willie and he's trying to do the right thing more by how he talks about getting a job and staying in the north. There wasn't a lot of characters in this scene and it was pretty short. It mostly revolved around Berniece and Boy Willie and Lymon. I think it's interesting how Maretha is there and she's a child but a lot of adult problems are going on and we hardly ever hear from her so I wonder if she will become important later or if, in those days the children were supposed to mostly stay quiet.

my comment:

Olivia said...

I agree with the part about Berniece. I don't think she will end up with either one of those guys. I like what she was saying to Avery when she was talking about being independent and how a woman doesn't need a man to get by. And i think that's more of her character.

piano lesson journal 3

Today I thought the reading went kind of slow, it's difficult to follow all the dialouge. I found it interesting how doaker seems kind of upset that all these family members are just coming into his house and eating his food and all that without ever paying him and I agree that that would be annoying. And also it's interesting how Wining Boy says he gave up playing piano and I wonder how music will be important later on in the story.

(my comment)

Olivia said...

I agree with the fact about women. I thought it was interesting how they kept talking about how they'd been married but then those women were just gone?

November 18, 2010 8:59 PM

piano lesson journal 2

Today's reading went better than yesterday's reading, I think the story becomes easier to read as you get used to the language and context. One thing that I noticed was how little the setting is described. Since this is written to be preformed as a play the audience would simply see the setting. Whereas in a novel the author typically goes into great deal about the setting and that often plays a huge role in the meaning of the story. So I find it harder with this story because we know so little about the setting it's hard to picture it. It's more telling and less showing.

(my comment)

Olivia said...

Good insight. I wonder if we will learn more about Berniece and Boy Willie's history as to why they fight so much and i also wonder if other siblings will come into play?

cry the beloved country

1. The first thing I tabbed was on page 275 he said "...clouds, for it was exciting to see them after weeks of pitiless sun." And I tabbed it because of the "pitiless sun" that phrase has been repeated a bunch of times and it just keeps coming up so I think it is a symbol. it's also personification because he's saying the sun has no pity and maybe it ties in with the fact that there seems to be no mercy and there's no mercy for absalom in his case.
2. Another thing I tabbed was page 279 he says that "...sound, of streams and rivers, all red with the blood of the earth" and then a couple sentences later he says "That evening they all came out in the pale red light of sunset, ..." And I thought it was interesting how he keeps using the color red, and I know I've heard that other places in the book as well so I thought it was another interesting repetition that he has this color of red as a symbol. It's kind of a powerful color so that's interesting. I think maybe he uses words like red and blood to evoke an image of like war and pain and suffering because that's going on a lot. And also maybe heat because of the pitiless sun he keeps describing as well.

cry the beloved country

The land parallels the Kumalo's lives because it's getting older and worn down so it kind of represents their tribe that is broken and how they used to be this strong family but now Stephen and his wife are getting older and their son has all his problems and could possibly be executed so like everything is breaking down and there's not really a lot of hope left, He says that "They were feeding an old man milk and pretending that he would one day grow into a boy" which is like saying that obviously their tribe is old and they can't just pretend that it's all new. and the fact that they don't have any milk in their town like that everything is so dry and barren it could be like a symbol for hope and how their hope has run dry. So then when the boy brings the milk to them maybe that will start like a spark of hope that they haven't had in awhile.

Ashoka

One fellow is named Rosanne Haggerty and she is part of a pitch for something called "supportive housing" in major cities which is basically like a cheap place where homeless people can live that has certain benefits for them.

Another person is Lynn Price and she helped set up a service that reunites siblings that were seperated when put into foster care and she's trying to change the way that foster kids are supported by their foster parents.

Another one is Marc Freedman he created something called Life Options which is a service thing that helps people who are retired stay involved in and be useful members of their community still

CTBC "nameless characteres"

One character that alan paton does not name is the little boy, Gertrude's son. One reason that he may not have named the boy is because he is just a young child and he doesn't speak ever so maybe his name isn't really important because he doesn't have his own ideas or opinion really. I also think it might represent innocence, the fact that he doesn't have a name because everything to him is new and he hasn't made his mark or has regrets yet like he has sort of a clean slate, so i think it's a symbol of his innocence that he doesn't have a name and so it's sort of like representing all little kids before they become someone.

Cry Journal 5

Cry, the beloved country is set into different books for the obvious reason that it switches to the narrator focusing on a different character. I think that the author chose to do this because he wants the reader to feel what it was like in South Africa during this time and it wouldn't be fair to just choose one type of person's perspective. In order to get a real look at this you have to see from different sides. If you only talk about one time of person everything is shaded a certain way and there really isn't much room for discussion, disagreement or controversy. But since South Africa's government was controversial and people did disagree, the book has to show all of those sides in order to model that.

Opression Links

Cambodia Genocide: http://www.articlesbase.com/news-and-society-articles/cambodia-genocide-what-happened-then-1949984.html
Native American Oppression: http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/nhhs/project/totears.htm

Cry Journal 3

One image that repeats is one of roads and traveling. A lot of times in the book he makes references to travel, like there's a lot of busses and walking and talk about cities and roads and description of setting. I feel like they always talk about the roads. I think that the author may have chosen that because the road is like a symbol for a journey and new places and the book is all about change so it's kind of like the journey of the country.

One phrase that's repeated is at the end of chapter 7 when they are talking to Kumalo's brother. He is talking about Johannesburg and he keeps saying "something new is happening here" and again he says "something is happening here". They keep repeating this phrase that new things are happening in Johannesburg. I think the effect this has on the novel is that it kind of builds up apprehension and intensity. Like something new, something exciting is coming and you can sort of feel the excitement start to build.

One line that is repeated is towards the end of chapter nine where they're talking about Shanty Town. And there is a sick child and he writes "The child coughs badly." and he says it again just a couple sentences later. And I think he did this because when you think about a cough it kind of keeps coming and coming and if you're listening to a person cough it's repetetive. So saying more than once kind of imitates the way a cough is.

Cry Journal 2

Mostly in the story he is characterizing men because the main character is a man but you do get a few tastes of women in this culture. There's a little bit of difference like how the woman are cooking and stuff but actually there's a lot less than I thought there would be. It might change later on in the book though. But right now, surprisingly it seems like men and women are pretty equal. You might expect in a foreign place like fifty years ago that women would be treated differently but it seems like they really aren't. Like in the beginning of the book, when he's opening the letter with his wife, she seems very strong and she even opens it. And also kumalo listens to her and seems to really respect her opinon.

Cry Journal

One thing I tabbed was the very beginning, I put it under plot structure. And I tabbed it because the author chooses to introduce the story with a bunch of description about the setting and it's usually important to note how the author begins the novel. I think he probably chose the setting because it's really important in this book because its all about culture and its in Africa so he kind of paints the picture of where you're at and what's going on.

Another thing I tabbed was under the category of narrative I noted that he chose to tell this in third person. I can't tell yet whether its limited or omniscient but it's third person. And that's important because he probably did that maybe to distance the reader a little bit because its a different culture so he wanted a more broad perspective.

I also tabbed on pages 36-37 when they are talking about the letter, I tabbed it because of the mood. Since you don't know what's in the letter there's anticipation and anxiety but you can tell that it isnt like happy anticipation it's this sort of sad almost dreading anxiety and tension which is important to note.

I tabbed pages 48-49 where he gets robbed I thought that passage was important because he's telling a lot about the character so that probably falls under the category of characterization. You see how naive and innocent the man is. And also how he is so trusting and faithful. that's important because first it tells you about the main character and also about the culture and town he comes from. 

One theme that I picked out from Lord of the Flies was that it's difficult to be a leader. One way that Golding develops this theme is through his characters. Mainly, we see it through Ralph since he is chosen to be cheif. At first, it works and there is some sense of order on the island. But pretty soon Jack starts to get jealous and he tries to use his own force to throw Ralph out and become a leader himself. It shows that many people are selfish and if they don't like the way you lead, and you don't have the authority over them, they will just decide not to listen to you.

A second way that Golding develops the theme of the challenge of leadership is through the setting. On a deserted island, its a little bit cliche because there's lots of stories where people end up on a deserted island, stranded. There's almost always some type of leader elected or something. I think humans crave leadership and some sort of order of importance or authority. However, it takes a special kind of person to be able to hold authority over people. One of the main reasons Ralph couldn't was because there were no consequences. No one likes consequences but without them, people wouldn't follow the rules. For awhile they might, just like Jack did, but then eventually they realize that they have just as much power as anyone and they often turn to voilence. This is exactly what happened to Jack.

Lord of the Flies; Journal 2

Lord of the Flies would be a lot more complicated if it included female characters. The author would have to decide what types of personalities the girls would have and also the relationships between the male and female characters in the novel. He would have to decide whether or not the girls would resort to as much violence as the boys, and I'm guessing the girls would not want to be involved in the violence. Female characters might stay civilized for longer than the boys did and it may have been a lot less dangerous. However on the other hand, girls can tend to be cliquey and the tribe may have fallen apart faster if it had been females. They could have been meaner to each other and a little less easy going than the boys. Female characters also would have added another dimension if any of them had relationships with the boys on the island. I think that female characters could have provided a more motherly, nurturing figure that helped the boys to stay more in control. At any rate, adding female characters would have completely changed the story and I think it is better with only boys.

Homework Paragraphs 9/12/10

One of the decisions that the author made was to introduce the first two characters without names. He introduces Ralph as just "the boy with fair hair". I think one the reasons that the author chose to do this is because it creates interest. The reader is more intrigued and wants to continue the story because they aren't quite sure what is going on or who these boys are. The boys were on a plane that crashed on the island but he starts the story where they've already crashed, so he begins kind of in the middle of things. I think he wants to set an adventurous tone and sort of mysterious. By not naming either of the boys I think the effect that not naming the boys has on this writing is that it gives it more mystery and helps with the whole sort of foreboding feel that you get. But most likely his main reason for not naming them was just to make it more interesting and exciting.

Another decision that the author made on the first page of the novel was his description of Piggy. The author bluntly states that Piggy is "very fat". He also where's glasses, he's short and is described as kind of dorky looking. I think that the author chose to have Piggy's physical appearance be like this specifically. In the novel, Piggy seems to represent the knowledgeable, cautious, safe and logical side of people. He's very level-headed and always thinks before he acts. I think that a lot of times we don't really like to be logical and cautious and that's often a less attractive option. It's always a lot more cool and fun to take risks and to do things we want to do without thinking them through. The other boys on the island make fun of Piggy and don't really like him very much and tease him for being fat. The author probably choose to make Piggy unattractive to represent how we often times disregard or dislike the logical side of things. And how we act like it's uncool to be safe and cautious. Also, a good effect that making Piggy fat has on the book is that it makes it very easy to relate to cause we can all picture that one sort of chubby, nerdy kid. So it makes it seem more realistic.