Monday, April 19, 2010
Othello Act 2 Scene 3
In Act II Scene 3 of Othello, we see Iago's coniving side. Seeming very friendly and up for some fun, he convinces Cassio to drink, though Iago knows he will get violent if he drinks too much. Iago invites several rowdy soldiers up to party with them and, of course, Cassio is eventually persuaded to drink more than he can handle. Cassio does, in fact, become violent and ensues a fight against Roderigo, eventually even wounding Montano. Othello hears the ruckus of the fighting and comes to break it up. Iago tries to make Cassio look good in a move of reverse psychology but, in the end, Othello tells Cassio to leave his service. Iago's plan is swiftly put into motion by his sneaky ulterior motives and plan to get rid of Cassio. Iago plays to Cassio's weakness and by seeming very friendly and just up for a good time, subtely gets him drunk and agitated, leading to his demise.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Lion Description
His mane sticks out in all directions, just allowing for his goofy, floppy ears to poke out. His coat is still soft even after years of love and abuse. It is still somewhat shiny, asking to be held and played with. His glass eyes stare blankly ahead, his limp head resting on his paws. I can see my reflection in his unblinking eyes and I am suddenly haunted by this lovable fluff. I'm surprised to see he still has whiskers , mangled as they are. They stick out in every which direction like old abandoned road signs and complement his wild mane. His splayed limbs are just asking for a cuddle, the perfect position to be nuzzled and cradled and loved by someone. I can see the seams of where and how he's been put together; a tag advertising his origin does not go unnoticed.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Karen Camilla Cauliflower Simply Would Not Take A Shower
Karen Camilla Cauliflower
Simply would not take a shower!
In recess she'd roll around in the dirt,
Bleed on her blouse when she got hurt.
Even after baking cookies and being covered in flour,
She simply would not take a shower.
And so the dirt and grime stuck to her like glue:
Grass in her hair, under her nails, and on her shoe,
Chocolate on her elbow and on her nose
Crusted mud in between her toes.
She stank and attracted gnats,
Creepy crawlies filled her favourite hats.
Covered in sticky half-eaten candy
Adorning clean clothes was becoming less and less handy.
Bits of crumbs on her chin
Grime seeping through her shoes that were becoming quite thin.
Bits of paper and bits of glue
Even her raggedy old doll looked more new.
Paint in her hair and on her skin
The only people who'd stand her dirt were her immediate kin.
And what had become of her lovely golden locks?
Nothing but mangled, tangled dreadlocks.
Some cheerios here and there
And an old band-aid when someone hadn't played fair.
The stink and the dirt
Steadily got worse and worse
Until one day no one wanted to play
She smellt so bad that no one could bear to stay.
And finally Karen Camilla Cauliflower said
"OK I'll take a shower!"
But then, of course, it was too late…
She had fumigated the entire state,
From New York to the Golden Gate
And there, in her rot she did hate,
Poor Karen met and awful fate
That I cannot now relate
Because the hour is much to late.
But children, remember Karen Camilla Cauliflower,
And always, always, always take a shower!
Simply would not take a shower!
In recess she'd roll around in the dirt,
Bleed on her blouse when she got hurt.
Even after baking cookies and being covered in flour,
She simply would not take a shower.
And so the dirt and grime stuck to her like glue:
Grass in her hair, under her nails, and on her shoe,
Chocolate on her elbow and on her nose
Crusted mud in between her toes.
She stank and attracted gnats,
Creepy crawlies filled her favourite hats.
Covered in sticky half-eaten candy
Adorning clean clothes was becoming less and less handy.
Bits of crumbs on her chin
Grime seeping through her shoes that were becoming quite thin.
Bits of paper and bits of glue
Even her raggedy old doll looked more new.
Paint in her hair and on her skin
The only people who'd stand her dirt were her immediate kin.
And what had become of her lovely golden locks?
Nothing but mangled, tangled dreadlocks.
Some cheerios here and there
And an old band-aid when someone hadn't played fair.
The stink and the dirt
Steadily got worse and worse
Until one day no one wanted to play
She smellt so bad that no one could bear to stay.
And finally Karen Camilla Cauliflower said
"OK I'll take a shower!"
But then, of course, it was too late…
She had fumigated the entire state,
From New York to the Golden Gate
And there, in her rot she did hate,
Poor Karen met and awful fate
That I cannot now relate
Because the hour is much to late.
But children, remember Karen Camilla Cauliflower,
And always, always, always take a shower!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Eloquence and Invisible Man
I thought that Eloquence and Invisible Man was an interesting article that made several, very interwoven connections. Upon the first mention of 'Emerson' I obviously thought of the famous literary genius, Ralph Waldo Emerson. But, the author continues on about 'Emersonians' and their style which leads me to believe that there is a whole school of study based just on R.W. Emerson's work which I was unaware of so I thought that could've used clarity especially since the Emersonian style of writing is extremely talked about in this article. Christopher Hanlon immediately makes a connection between authors and musicians saying that words are like an author's musical instrument and that writing is an art much like the creation of music. He uses a lot of musical adjectives when describing writers and writing in general such as "symphonic" or "harmonic". What I found extremely interesting is how Hanlon went into depth about audience interaction with an orator and how the orator uses the audience's energy to create a great speech. Hanlon then went on to connect this to Invisible Man and how the main character is an orator and how he comes to deliver great speeches, especially since his first one started off kind of badly. Hanlon says that in order for a speech to be successful it has to not only be written well, but be well received by the audience as well. He compares the novel to Emersonian styles of writing, "Ellison's novel formulates its own ethos of spoken self-creation along Emersonian lines." The entire article is based on the fact that Ellison wrote following the rules of Emersonian-style of writing and about the extended metaphor of musicians and authors.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Questions on Roselily
“Roselily” Alice Walker
1)Describe the story’s point of view. How does the point of view affect your understanding of Roselily’s character and her circumstances?
The story is written in a third person perspective. Roselily talks about herself and her life but from a perspective that does not use personal pronouns. It is like an external person talking about Roselily but because everything said is so personal we know that it is actually Roselily talking about herself. The point of view made Roselily seem far away from herself, almost regretful of what had happened in her life up until this point and quite ominous about the future. Because she seems so detached from herself and from her own story it lets the reader be more critical, I think. You can read into more of the character when it’s not such a personal account. It also made me more curious about her past and what had happened up until this point. Because it’s written in such a detached manner you don’t get all the details, just kind of a stream of consciousness written in the third person, which makes the reader try to fill in the blanks and details of her life.
2)How does the first paragraph announce the nature of the story’s conflict?
The first paragraph begins with “Dearly Beloved,” which is always the beginning of either a marriage or a funeral so the reader automatically assumes it’s either a joyous occasion or a melancholy one. We are introduced immediately to what is happening and find out that it is a marriage. The nature of the story’s conflict is introduced initially by the line, “…[he] is against this standing on the front porch of her house, being married to the sound of cars whizzing by on highway 61.” So automatically we see a conflict of interests and perhaps cultural differences between the bride and groom. Since this is basically the first thing Roselily has to say we know that the rest of the prose is going to follow in the same insecure way. By saying first thing that her husband-to-be and her already don’t see eye-to-eye is a bad omen and she seems doubtful already of the marriage and where her life is going.
3)What do you think Roselily’s reflections about her fourth child reveal about her character?
Roselily reflects on how she gave her fourth child to his father to live with. She initially says she did it to save money but then we find out that his father graduated from Harvard, was from the North, and was very successful so she knew he would lead a better life if her child was allowed to live with him. She states that, “she does not forget to worry about her son among his father’s people,” which leads us to believe that she has to remind herself to remember about her other son. We also know at this point that Roselily is black so we come to the conclusion that her fourth child’s father must be white and her child is growing up in a white society. She does not seem regretful towards giving away her fourth child; in fact we find that she is actually regretful of having children at all. She seems more to dwell on the idea of the child’s father and his abandonment of her. Roselily’s character seems to be one of a lot of regrets and bitterness. She worries about her fourth son only to think if the Northern weather will agree with him and if he will be stronger than his father which brings her back to her lamentations of a choice in partner. She seems very unhappy with her life choices at this point and almost seems to think that her whole life is a mistake.
4)Describe the groom. What kind of man is he? What sort of life is Roselily likely to have with him?
The groom is described as being of another religion, “His religion. A lifetime of black and white. Of veils. Covered head.” We know that Roselily is Christian and she also states that men and women must be separated in his place of worship so we can assume that his religion is most likely Muslim. But his character seems to be one of open-mindedness and filled with love. He is marrying her even though she lives with three children from different men. “His love of her makes her completely conscious of how unloved she was before.” She also mentions a ‘condition’ which I do not know exactly what she is talking about but I can only assume that it means her past, her children without present fathers, and her own self-doubt. And she states that he will make, “the effort…to redo her into what he truly wants.” After her marriage she is moving to Chicago where she will get a brand new start. She is likely to gain his respect in this new life of hers, he has said that she will never have to work and can stay at home and rest and that he will take care of her. It’s almost as if he wants to fix how broken she is as a person. She seems to be marrying him to catch a break in the life she has come to learn and that she doesn’t truly love him. But she will be loved, respected, and taken care of in Chicago even if it does mean giving up some things like her religion and her friends and family in the south.
5)Write a paragraph in Walker’s style written from the point of view of the groom. You may place it in the story wherever it best fits and serves to reveal something essential about his character. (Length = A polished 300 words)
Or forever hold
He loves her. He loves her so much. He wishes that he could fix her to see how wonderful she truly is. Her self-loathing is stifling. When they get to Chicago everything will be different. She won’t be forced to work long days and then come home to take care of her three bastard children. She won’t be unloved. Not any longer. Why is she so distant? He wishes that she would reach out to him, let him see into her like those snow-globes she has in her house that she keeps to remind her of another life somewhere else. But she keeps herself sealed off to the world. To him. He’s seen small glimpses, small pieces of her. He desperately wants her to let go, to hold on to him. He can help her so much. Chicago will be good for her. Chicago will open her eyes to the world. Get her out of her backyard. This rut she’s been stuck in for so long. She is so scared. So timid. He is so confident. He can lead her to happiness. He can make her happy. If she lets him, he can make her happy.
He knows she cannot love him until she embraces his religion. A lifestyle so different from her own. A lifestyle so much better for her, one she can only learn from. Anything different seems wrong to her. He wishes she were not so closed off. To him. He prays to his God to make her happy. Since her God has not. She has the potential to succeed. Together they can make a strong family. She just needs to be accepting of him and everything he has to offer. He can fix her. He can help her. He loves her. He loves her so much.
1)Describe the story’s point of view. How does the point of view affect your understanding of Roselily’s character and her circumstances?
The story is written in a third person perspective. Roselily talks about herself and her life but from a perspective that does not use personal pronouns. It is like an external person talking about Roselily but because everything said is so personal we know that it is actually Roselily talking about herself. The point of view made Roselily seem far away from herself, almost regretful of what had happened in her life up until this point and quite ominous about the future. Because she seems so detached from herself and from her own story it lets the reader be more critical, I think. You can read into more of the character when it’s not such a personal account. It also made me more curious about her past and what had happened up until this point. Because it’s written in such a detached manner you don’t get all the details, just kind of a stream of consciousness written in the third person, which makes the reader try to fill in the blanks and details of her life.
2)How does the first paragraph announce the nature of the story’s conflict?
The first paragraph begins with “Dearly Beloved,” which is always the beginning of either a marriage or a funeral so the reader automatically assumes it’s either a joyous occasion or a melancholy one. We are introduced immediately to what is happening and find out that it is a marriage. The nature of the story’s conflict is introduced initially by the line, “…[he] is against this standing on the front porch of her house, being married to the sound of cars whizzing by on highway 61.” So automatically we see a conflict of interests and perhaps cultural differences between the bride and groom. Since this is basically the first thing Roselily has to say we know that the rest of the prose is going to follow in the same insecure way. By saying first thing that her husband-to-be and her already don’t see eye-to-eye is a bad omen and she seems doubtful already of the marriage and where her life is going.
3)What do you think Roselily’s reflections about her fourth child reveal about her character?
Roselily reflects on how she gave her fourth child to his father to live with. She initially says she did it to save money but then we find out that his father graduated from Harvard, was from the North, and was very successful so she knew he would lead a better life if her child was allowed to live with him. She states that, “she does not forget to worry about her son among his father’s people,” which leads us to believe that she has to remind herself to remember about her other son. We also know at this point that Roselily is black so we come to the conclusion that her fourth child’s father must be white and her child is growing up in a white society. She does not seem regretful towards giving away her fourth child; in fact we find that she is actually regretful of having children at all. She seems more to dwell on the idea of the child’s father and his abandonment of her. Roselily’s character seems to be one of a lot of regrets and bitterness. She worries about her fourth son only to think if the Northern weather will agree with him and if he will be stronger than his father which brings her back to her lamentations of a choice in partner. She seems very unhappy with her life choices at this point and almost seems to think that her whole life is a mistake.
4)Describe the groom. What kind of man is he? What sort of life is Roselily likely to have with him?
The groom is described as being of another religion, “His religion. A lifetime of black and white. Of veils. Covered head.” We know that Roselily is Christian and she also states that men and women must be separated in his place of worship so we can assume that his religion is most likely Muslim. But his character seems to be one of open-mindedness and filled with love. He is marrying her even though she lives with three children from different men. “His love of her makes her completely conscious of how unloved she was before.” She also mentions a ‘condition’ which I do not know exactly what she is talking about but I can only assume that it means her past, her children without present fathers, and her own self-doubt. And she states that he will make, “the effort…to redo her into what he truly wants.” After her marriage she is moving to Chicago where she will get a brand new start. She is likely to gain his respect in this new life of hers, he has said that she will never have to work and can stay at home and rest and that he will take care of her. It’s almost as if he wants to fix how broken she is as a person. She seems to be marrying him to catch a break in the life she has come to learn and that she doesn’t truly love him. But she will be loved, respected, and taken care of in Chicago even if it does mean giving up some things like her religion and her friends and family in the south.
5)Write a paragraph in Walker’s style written from the point of view of the groom. You may place it in the story wherever it best fits and serves to reveal something essential about his character. (Length = A polished 300 words)
Or forever hold
He loves her. He loves her so much. He wishes that he could fix her to see how wonderful she truly is. Her self-loathing is stifling. When they get to Chicago everything will be different. She won’t be forced to work long days and then come home to take care of her three bastard children. She won’t be unloved. Not any longer. Why is she so distant? He wishes that she would reach out to him, let him see into her like those snow-globes she has in her house that she keeps to remind her of another life somewhere else. But she keeps herself sealed off to the world. To him. He’s seen small glimpses, small pieces of her. He desperately wants her to let go, to hold on to him. He can help her so much. Chicago will be good for her. Chicago will open her eyes to the world. Get her out of her backyard. This rut she’s been stuck in for so long. She is so scared. So timid. He is so confident. He can lead her to happiness. He can make her happy. If she lets him, he can make her happy.
He knows she cannot love him until she embraces his religion. A lifestyle so different from her own. A lifestyle so much better for her, one she can only learn from. Anything different seems wrong to her. He wishes she were not so closed off. To him. He prays to his God to make her happy. Since her God has not. She has the potential to succeed. Together they can make a strong family. She just needs to be accepting of him and everything he has to offer. He can fix her. He can help her. He loves her. He loves her so much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)