Othello Journal 7

The character I thought was crucial to the dynamics of this play was Emilia. Even though it seems as though she's playing a small role as Desdemona's maid which parallels her personality as quiet and submissive. She plays her part well too, following whatever orders Iago might give which happen to include stealing the hanker chief. This ultimately helps lead to the demise of Desdemona herself and her relationship. However, its very interesting how Emilia suddenly stands up when she KNOWS something isn't right. She risks her life and ultimately dies to correct a wrong she committed. In essence I find it very interesting how quiet she is to speak up to a known wrong, but is otherwise remarkably submissive.

Othello Journal 6

Easily one of the most important symbols in Othello is the hanker chief which could represent both love and deceit. This hanker chief was given to Othello from his mother who received it from a gypsy. It said to have magical abilities to keep the spouse in love with him/her and I suppose now that I think about it it has worked. Although Desdemona dies at Othello's hand Desdemona by all appearances still loves Othello. At the beginning this item symbolizes their love for one another however, through the course of time due to jealousy its let jealousy itself represent it.

Othello Journal 5

"[Othello:] Get me some poison, Iago, this night. I'll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again. This night, Iago. [Iago:] Do it not with poison. Strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated" (179).

In this quote it appears as though all Iago's plans are beginning to wrap up and come to fulfillment. Specifically he has Othello so wrapped up in jealousy that he honestly believes that a women who loves him would and did cheat on him. Also Shakespeare here decided to include foreshadowing in how Desdemona is killed. This adds a lot of suspense to an already suspenseful play and leaves us wondering if he'll actually do it.

Othello Journal 4

For Othello I would cast Will Smith because I think he could play that noble and respectful soldier part well.
"I will round unvarnished tale deliver of my whole course of love."
"I love Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confine For the sea's worth."

For Desdemona I would cast Natalie Portman because I picture Desdemona as this beautiful girl that knows it however, she is also intelligent and uses that to accomplish what she believes is right.
"Why do you speak so faintly? Are you not well?"
"Sure there's some wonder in this hankerchief. I am most unhappy I lost it."

For Emilia I would cast Emma Watson because I think both are somewhat submissive and don't speak up as much as opposed to just following what someone tells them blindly.
"I nothing but to please his fancy."
"I am glad I have found this napkin; This was her first remembrance form the Moor."

For Iago I would cast Edward Norton for the part he played in The Italian Job. I think in the movie his character perfectly mirrors that of what I would picture Iago. Both are scheming and ironically both are motivated at least in some way by the necessity to attain more wealth.
"I am one, sir, that co mes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are making the beast with two backs"
"I remember a mass of things, but nothing distinctly"

Othello Journal 3

I think its really interesting how intelligent Iago is. For one he not only has the ability to manipulate Roderigo as seen by him totally following his every command. The other example is him being able to manipulate everyone else around him such as Brabantio, Othello, Desdemona etc. So not only does he manipulate others---He manipulates others into manipulating others. It almost seems like its "blind love" vs "guided knowledge". Iago would be the "guided knowledge" in the sense that he knows exactly what he wants and he's very smart. The blind love would be Othello and Desdemona due to their love for complete love for each other.

Othello Journal 2

Prior to the Ottoman Empire controlling Cyprus the Venetians did. However, by the  16th century the Ottomans had already attacked Nicosia with 60,000 soldiers and quickly began to gain control of other Venetian territories such as Kyrenia and Famagusta. Lala Mustafa Pasha who was the commander that led the 60,000 soldiers to victory in Nicosia was placed as governor. In 1573 the Venetians after their attempts to get rid of the Ottomans to no avail. With them left the Roman Catholic Church.

Trevors - Epilespy

Yea I wonder how the person in Othello that has epilepsy will be treated. Also really good connection to the Odyssey.

 

Rachel - Venice

Its interesting how Venice became such an important trading center but I guess it makes sense since people in that time period would have to use a ship.

 

Haley - Moors

I think its interesting how many words come from the word black but are seen in a negative way. I wonder how that times culture perceived the word Moor?

 

Maegen - Turks

Its really interesting how much land the Ottomans controlled and they almost reminds me of the Romans.

Othello Journal 1

Reading Othello, I found it completely confusing. The words he used I had to constantly go back and find out what they mean or just think about for a few seconds. However, despite my difficulties I think I got the essence of it. Basically Iago and Rodrigo go to Desdemona's house to lie about Othello. This begins their attempts to tear them apart.

Paper: The Piano Lesson

n The Piano Lesson, August Wilson uses Lymon’s thoughts and actions to further develop the theme of (transientness - Is this our theme?). Lymon has just returned from a saloon alone and is now talking to Berniece. Here Wilson shows Lymons true feelings to demonstrate a kind of lost individual. “Mostly they be lonely and looking for somebody to spend the night with them. Sometimes it matters who it is and sometimes it don’t. I used to be the same way. Now it got to matter."  In his discussion I believe Wilson gives us a deeper view to Lymon. Furthermore, he nearly represents polar opposite ideals to that of Boy Willie. Lymon doesn’t long for only materialistic wealth. Instead, he mainly longs for a family and a meaning-full relation. I think its ironic that the very essence of what Boy Willie strives to rid from his life is the very essence of what Lymon strives to attain.

The Piano Lesson Journal 7

I thought this section of the play was particularly intriguing due to Lymon and Bernieces apparent mutual attraction. Avery has already asked Berniece to marry him however I think she declined in a sheepish manner as to not offend him. If that is true and they don't get married I wonder if her and Lymon will get married. I believe that would significantly change the character dynamics. First of all I would think Berniece might more quickly forgive Boy Willie seeing as how Lymon was there also. But then that leads me to another thing, why does she only blame Boy Willie and not blame Lymon equally?

Austin Schrader said...

I think either Lymon will get in a relationship with Grace, girl he "didnt have a chance to get to", or Berniece. I agree that the tone has changed to a different tone and seems like the entire play is focused on relationships.

The Piano Lesson Journal 6

Easily one of the most striking things that I read in Act 2 Scene 2 takes place when Berniece is preparing to take a bath and Avery walks in. After he proposes to her and she basically shoots him down they move onto the subject of the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog. Berniece seems adamant that Boy Willie killed Sutter by pushing him down the well and that's why Sutter is "haunting" their house/the piano/Boy Willie (I'd say its still unclear as to who he's haunting if anyone). However, Avery believes that The Ghosts of the Yellow Dog are the "hand of god". I think this is an interesting interpretation on murder where its almost ok to kill someone. Maybe the point of saying this is to convey a cliche'd idea of "an eye for an eye" or something similar.

Austin Schrader said...

Yea I also found this strange and wonder if its just trying to depict the differences between the two time periods culture and how they choose a spouse.

The Piano Lesson Journal 5

One thing that I thought was very strange in this section of the play was the ghosts in general. First of all Doaker sees the ghost yet doesn't say anything. This would lead me to believe that if he had said something that the other characters would have believed him whole heartily which develops the culture or attitude of the characters towards ghosts. Building on this I found it very interesting that at first the author says that Berniece see's I ghost I myself and characters in the book questioned it. However, once Doaker said it I believed it as did the characters. The author set this up perfectly and I wonder if this isn't trying to take on sexism. I came to the conclusion based on the fact that this is only years after slavery ended where suffrage and civil rights were beginning to gain momentum.

Austin Schrader said...

Yea, I think the suit is going to play an important role or maybe it just symbolizes something else such as manipulation. And on the sexual humor I thought it not only changed the tone like you said but also developed their characters as less educated.

The Piano Lesson Journal 4

I find it interesting how often Berniece and Boy Willy are seemingly always fighting. If its not over the piano and whether to sell it or not its talking about how Boy Willy is responsible for Crawley's death.  I wonder if their fighting will be the main conflict in this play. However, the conflict also could be something else and this is just syntax. Although we're a good chunk of the way through this play I wonder if our lesson on how the climax often comes near the end of the book will fit with this piece of literature.

Austin Schrader said...

I agree that something will happen to them or the piano as the play is called The Piano Lesson however I'm not sure what. Maybe Boy Willy will take it and sell it like he's said he will do.

The Piano Lesson Journal 3

One thing I thought that was interesting in this portion of the play was the fact that the author decides to include descriptions of many of characters past now. To name a few we learned that Berniece believes Boy Willie to be responsible for her husbands death, the reason why she doesn't want him to sell the piano, a more in depth background on Winning Boy and a lot more about the Ghost of the Yellow Dogs. I what the author hopes to accomplish by letting us develop judgments and feelings about characters with half truths only later telling us the other half.

Austin Schrader said...

I agree about the difficulty to read the book and where some characters will have a solid block of dialogue that seems a bit more like an essay. I wonder if Winning Boy will have something to do with the "Piano lesson". Maybe he instructs Maretha?

The Piano Lesson Journal 2

One thing I've noticed so far is the speed that this play moves out compared to other books such as Cry, the Beloved Country and Lord of the Flies. Just in act 1 family members are accusing other family members of stealing trucks, watermelons, murdering Sutter, seeing his ghost and the Ghost of the Yellow Dog. Its clear this is not only a fast moving book but instead of having a chapter to introduce like you would expect most literature to this just throws you right in the middle of a fast moving drama.

Austin Schrader said...

I agree, I didn't really notice that before. I wonder whether the author intentionally decided to not include some facts about the setting or if its more a product of the fact that its a play instead of a novel. Maybe that's something that is just lost in this type of literature.

The Piano Lesson Journal 1

This book I believe is much like the cover, abstract to say the least. The book starts off with this quaint, fractured characters who are almost all relatives of each other. This might be foreshadowing, albeit oddly placed, of the fractured family itself. By just a few pages in we have a rough idea of what the family dynamic looks like. Its clear in my mind that a majority of this book will have something to do with this family and the same structure will continue throughout, just with more details about them.

Austin Schrader said...

I agree that the words the author chooses to use such as "stillness" "coming together" etc seem to be foreshadowing something. Also it seems clear that on top of personification the author chose to include night vs dark in the quote - "The dawn is beginning to announce itself, but there is something in the air that belongs to the night"

2 things I tabbed on

The first thing I tabbed on was the fact that at nearly the beginning of Chapter 32 Alan Paton decides to have Stephen receive a letter telling him about the fact that Absalom will soon be executed. I think this is ironic because this story begins with Kumalo receiving a letter and because of that letter he goes out searching for his son. The letter both leads to Absalom but also drives him apart from him.

The second thing I tabbed on was the "red blood of the earth". I tabbed it because I'm certain this is a motif and its Paton's attempt to at first glance emphasize the destruction of the earth, however, I believe the setting represents something else. Such as last night when we blogged it represented Kumalo and Arthurs families and could represent the entire society itself.

Land parallel

One major way that the setting parallels Kumalo and his family is the destruction of both. On the very first page we learned about the beautiful, thriving setting only to see it later destroyed. This is pretty much what happened to Kumalo's family which was "destroyed" when Gertrude became a liquor making prostitute in Johannesburg, Kumalo's brother basically renounces his faith and his son is executed for the murder of Arthur Jarvis

Ashoka Fellows

Asad Danish is trying to build peace in the war zone of Afghanistan. He works to build libraries or supply existing ones with books including dictionaries, books translated into the peoples native language.

Reza Deghati works to help build a new, democratic Afghanistan by the training of a new generation of journalists. He does this primarily by focusing on training youths and women to fight oppression.

Diego Carvajal main goal is to help consumers and businesses alike become more socially responsible. To do this his organization, Interruption, created Business Social Responsibility Index which measures things from labor conditions to product management.

No named character

One character I noticed that didn't have a name was Gertrude son. I think that possibly the fact that they don't have a name is because they're actions are almost unfairly being tied to someone else. There are examples of this throughout the book and leads me to believe its a motif. First we learn about Gertrude's and all we can think about of him is that Gertrude is a liquor dealing prostitute. Then we have Absalom's wife who now will only be remembered by "the wife of the murder". And finally there's the bigger term "natives". In this culture the white class think of all the natives as savages however, this obviously isn't true. But despite the fact that the natives might not all be bad; it doesn't matter. It didn't matter for Gertrude's son, Absalom's just like it doesn't matter for the natives.

Book 2: Cry, The Beloved Country

The main reason why I believe Paton chose to split Cry, The Beloved Country into two books is to show a different perspective. More than doing something original to keep the reader interested its also interesting. It for one, can illustrates how two people can have completely different views of the same thing. In this case the central idea will still probably be racism. Furthermore it illustrates how lives can overlap and effect each other.

Cry Journal 4

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-women-managers-20100928,0,1131366.story

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usinternetcrimegaysuiciderights

October 1 Journal (Cry #3)

One phrase I thought continually repeated and was very significant was that "All roads lead to Johannesburg" (Page 83). This quote is sad and depressing. Its revealed by chapter 9 that Absamol has stolen stuff and was kicked out of where he was staying, Gertrude is a prostitute and the priests brother has left the church. By all these examples about people that have went to Johannesburg I would say it strips people of their the "culture". More so I would say Paton is trying to say that the entire nation is losing their culture with places like Johannesburg that lure the young.

A reoccurring imagine that is extremely important in this book is landscape. The entire first chapter and countless lines throughout the book are devoted to setting. Paton first described a spectacular landscape only to tell us how it has been destroyed by man. I believe both the destruction of the natural setting and the destruction of the natives culture goes hand in hand.

A concept I believe is important and saw throughout the book while reading is "being lost at home". When Stephen is on the train going to Johannesburg he mistakes a smaller town for it many times. Then when he arrives and he's looking for his relatives he talks about it like its a foreign land. I think this is Paton trying to show how much the culture and the nation itself has changed. While Stephen has been in Ndotsheni his home country has changed so much he doesn't even recognize it when he comes home.

Cry, The Beloved Country

The first thing I tabbed was almost the entire first chapter, but more specifically where he talks about the "grass-covered and rolling" (Page 33) hills. He spends 2 pages and the very start of the novel describing nothing but grassy hills which I believe is done to foreshadow among other things. He talks about this place making it sound beautiful only to tell us that its been destroyed. This might be a bigger symbol for the book itself.

Another thing I tabbed in the authors choice of vocabulary leading up to opening the letter in page 36. Before they open it Paton makes it sound sad, but exciting with words like "dirty, doubt, courage". I believe he does this to try and establish a tone of anticipation or anxiety.

Again on page 44 Paton talks heavily about fear. This makes the tone seem a lot more somber with words like "fear back again, the fear of the unknown, the fear of the great city" (Page 44). Maybe more than just the tone he is trying to setup a theme which is related to his seemingly excessive use of "fear" or its synonyms.

The last thing I tabbed was on page 46 where randomly dialogue starts. Whoever is talking however almost sounds primitive talking about how the "white men blow it out with the fire-sticks" (Page 46). I think this is the author trying to show to the reader that maybe the natives aren't as advanced as the Europeans. This could effect how we perceive the Europeans and whether they're a negative effect on the natives culture.

Lord of the Flies Theme

The theme I chose is that mankind can't survive unless it works together. One way Golding introduced and developed this plot was with the use of completely different characters. In The Lord of the Flies everyone needs everyone else to survive with Jack, Ralph and Piggy being key characters. However even though we know they need each other and they might as well know they need each other they still can't resolve there differences and Jack is overcome with human instinct over intelligence. The second way I believe Golding helped developed this theme is with the use of setting. The characters on a deserted island so they have to work together but they choose not to. The abandoned island, I believe, helps expedite their feelings and their human inability to work together eventually causing their characters to clash.

LOTF Journal

Rereading the first page of the book, one of the first things I noticed was the contrast between the sweater and the jungle. "Thought he had taken off his school sweater...the jungle was a bath of heat" (Page 1). The sweater would seem to symbolize civilization while the jungle represents savagery which I believe is a main theme in the book. The author has clearly chosen to put this motif into the book; probably to help us better understand it. However, a sweater is completely useless in the use it was made for in a jungle so maybe William Golding is trying to say that civilization or pieces of it is worthless in the jungle and instead you need human instincts to survive.


The second thing I noticed was the fact that Golding decides not to include any names on the first page, not even in the dialogue between Ralph and Piggy. I believe this is the authors attempt to make sure the reader realizes that its not particularly about the characters themselves instead what they embody and symbolize. This can be shown in the section where Piggy's glasses are introduced which play a crucial role of starting the fire later on in the book.