Coded Passage -- Othello

O, beware, my lord, of jealously!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er
Who dotes, yet doubts-suspects, yet fondly loves!

Repetition: Of the word "O", in exasperation.Making sure that Othello knows how important and emotional jealousy is.

Metaphor referring to jealousy: Green is the color of envy / Iago is saying that jealousy is something to be wary of / Jealousy eats away at a person's relationship, ultimately destroying it. / Iago uses this metaphor to foreshadow the possibilities and to also create a bad mental image to go along with the thought of jealousy (specifically in Othello's head).

Strong Pathos Language: Iago uses these words to evoke an emotional response from Othello. loves not: the prospect of losing love, wronger: forces Othello to imagine Desdemona wronging him, damned: only thinking in a dark manner, and doubts-suspects: distrusting the woman he loves.

 

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1) O, beware, my lord, of jealously! = Be wary of letting jealousy overtake you.

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on. = Jealousy eats away its owner's relationship until nothing remains, all the while finding the crumbling relationship to be a 'joke'.

That cuckold lives in bliss = A man who has an adulterous wife will live a happy life-  

Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; = if they find out about the adultery and stop loving the offending wife.

But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er = But oh, the stories that the cheated-on man tells of - 

Who dotes, yet doubts-suspects, yet fondly loves! = the man who loves, doubts, suspects, and somehow still loves the woman who cheated on him.

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3) Iago is saying that jealousy is an evil beast that, if let into a relationship, will destroy it and turn it's holder into a mockery of the person they once were.

January 8th Blog Assignment -- Othello

"Racial and age differences in a marriage are easily overcome." 

 

I disagree with this statement, though I fully believe that if two people are in love, they should be allowed to marry and do whatever they so please with each other. The issue is when society enters the equation. Here in America, in the 21st century, no one keeps to their own business, especially, it seems, those who disagree with others' personal lives. In this modern age there is still so much hatred and ignorant bigotry that being anything other than a white male with a white wife and two perfect white kids in a big house with an office job is somehow a criminal offense. I believe that the two people who are in an interracial or interagecial (let's pretend that 'interagecial' is a word) relationship can easily move past their differences when on their own, and hopefully one day all of the world's population will be able to grasp and familiarize themselves with things that they do not immediately understand.

 

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1) Venice is a city on land's edge in northeastern Italy. In the 16th century, between 1575 and 1577 to be exact, the Black Death devastated Italy for its second time. In only three years it killed 50,000 people. This was the beginning of Venice's political decline, though not its artistic brilliance.Throughout the 16th century the people of Venice and Spain were in a continuous war with the Turks, this battle was the only thing keeping Venice's political will, so after it ended, Venice became a place of only art and tourism.

2) Cyprus is an island just south of Turkey and west of Syria. In the 16th century, 1571, the Ottoman empire had taken control of Cyprus, and from there sent a fleet to take Venice. The Venetians fought back and destroyed the Ottoman's entire fleet.

3) The Moors were Berber (from the Roman province of Mauritania, Northwest Africa) Muslims who inhabited Europe for hundreds of years. In the 16th century the Moors were either leaving Europe altogether or at least leaving Spain, where they were being persecuted for their race and religious views.

4) The Elizabethan people were very proud of their country and did not like foreigners nor did they trust them. Non-Christians were rare in the Catholic regions of England and therefore would be treated as extreme foreigners.

5) Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has seizures due to disturbed brain activity. The symptoms vary, but can include: staring spells, violent shaking, and loss of alertness. In the renaissance epilepsy was regarded as an awful disease, but people with epilepsy were viewed as brilliant. Epileptic people were also thought to be prophets, as they could see the past, present, and future while unconscious in a seizure. People then attempted to treat epilepsy with chemical substances such as; copper, zinc oxide, silver nitrate, mercury, bismuth and tin. In today's society, we see epilepsy through an entirely scientific eye, as a tragic mental disorder. Drug therapy and epilepsy surgery are currently the most common and successful ways of treating epilepsy.

Easter 1916: Yeats Poem

14:  We know their dream; enough
15:  To know they dreamed and are dead;
16:  And what if excess of love
17:  Bewildered them till they died?
18:  I write it out in a verse -
19:  MacDonagh and MacBride
20:  And Connolly and Pearse
21:  Now and in time to be,
22:  Wherever green is worn,
23:  Are changed, changed utterly:
24:  A terrible beauty is born. 

~

Punctuation: Lots of questions (throughout stanza) & a dash, announcing a verse.
Rhyme: ABCB, ABCB, ABAC, ABAC, ABAB, ABCB (of entire stanza)
Repetition: Of words. Specifically: death & dream.
Word Choice, and Interesting Passages:  
Repetition Throughout Poem: Change & the names of the people from Stanza 2 & the passing of time. 

~

Interesting Sentence: The people at war dieing for their dream of equality or whatever they want out of the war. The idea of love and compromise instead of war confused the attackers and they did not believe that the dispute could be settled without a war. 

 Enough: It is known what the attackers wanted out of attacking, but 'we' do not truly understand their ambition and drive towards it (their dream of what they wanted the war to change).
 Wherever green is worn: Military green? Irish green?

In this stanza the people were the things changed with the final, "changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born."

~

The terrible beauty is the Easter Rising itself, which serves as a specific example for all uprisings, revolts, etc. These events are being referred to as 'terrible beauties' because in the moment, they seem awful. People dieing, killing, and doing evil deeds. But in the end, someone revolting may bring their group equality and peace. Whereas beforehand they were not treated equally by a higher group or leader.

 ~

The theme: No matter what one does, believes, fights for, or ignores, things around one will change. And if one is to participate, or ignore, or not even notice, one will change from the event as well.

Weekend Questions

1) What do you think "the piano lesson" is?

I think that the piano lesson is a metaphor for what each member of the family learns throughout the novel. Each person learns a life lesson from their own experience with the piano. For example Boy Willie learns that ancestry and family history is more important than he originally thought it was. Berniece learned the opposite, that sometimes holding onto your past can hold you back from your personal potential. So by learning their own piano lessons, each person has found a medium for their beliefs.

2) Why did August Wilson choose this title?

I think that Wilson chose the title because it tries together all of the book's conflicts. Everyone learned a lesson because of the piano, Boy Willie and Berniece fought about the piano, Sutter's ghost haunted the piano, Avery wanted the piano, etc. The piano is the main focus point in the entire novel and the book ends when  Berniece learns her lesson of what to value in life, and how strongly to value those things. The title also sticks with you throughout reading the book, the curiosity of what it means. 

3) How is it that Boy Willie comes to understand the importance of the piano in the final scene of the play?

In the final scene Boy Willie sees the power that Berniece playing the piano holds. He sees the importance of family history and ancestry, as that is what the piano symbolizes. Without Berniece harnessing her ability to emote and connect to her past, Sutter's ghost could have haunted the house forever, and Boy Willie sees the connection and its power. He hadn't connected to his past because it had not been tangible, like money and land are, but seeing up-close the actual power of ancestral connection, he understands the necessary balance of spiritual and physical. 

 4) What is significant about her calling out the names of her dead family members?

Berniece calling out their names is how she finally lets them go. It is how she gives herself, being so afraid of the piano and its history, up. She is announcing them without fear or hatred, just as fact. Those are their names and they no longer mean anything to her personal life. She will always honor and respect them, but no longer fear their very presence in her mind. 

5) What purpose does this serve?

By finally letting them go, Berniece is allowing herself a happier life. She is, as Avery said, finally leaving her stones on the side of the road. No longer dragging them along in her life and weighing herself down with them. Now, without the burden of so many  lives, Berniece can go on to live her own. She can make her own footprint in the world and be her own person. Maybe even marry Avery. Wilson has Berniece do this for a reason, to show all the readers to let go of our faults and our parents' faults. It does not matter what has happened to us in the past. It can strengthen us and propel us forward, or drag us down and take away our opportunities. Whichever one we choose.

Weekend Article

Why does Zakaria think that social mobility is going down in the United States? What do you think about his conclusions?

He thinks that social mobility is going down in America because Americans are only funding institutions for the wealthy. The wealthy in America are only funding the wealthy, and the poor have no money to help their children succeed without a healthy welfare program. Which America does not have.    I agree with most of his conclusions, although I do not think that the poor should get anymore money than they already do solely through welfare. 

What is the biggest factor for getting the US back on track with the American Dream and social mobility? Why?

The biggest change that has to be made in America is a country wide public school system that is not only welcoming of all people, but also funded well. With a school system that has generous opportunities for all students and a well-equipped staff, all students will be equal, regardless of family history. 

Piano Lesson Act 1

1. Who are the ghosts of the Yellow Dog?

They are the ghosts of the people Sutter burned alive in a box car called Yellow Dog after one of them, Boy Willie's father, stole his piano.

2. How is the "n word" used so far?

In a friendly kind of familial manner, like calling someone 'bro'.

3. What is the Irene Kauffman Settlement House?

A house in a poor area where working class and upper class were brought together, in the 1880's.

4. What is Parchman Farm a historical reference to?

A maximum security prison, the Mississippi State Penitentiary, where Boy Willie has been jailed before the book begins. 

(I was absent and was allowed an extra day for this :) thank you)

Coding Assignment

The forest near them burst into uproar. Demoniac figures with faces of white and red and green rushed out howling, so that the littluns fled screaming. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ralph saw Piggy running. Two figures rushed at the fire and he prepared to defend himself but they grabbed half-burnt branches and raced away along the beach. The three others stood still, watching Ralph; and he saw that the tallest of them, stark naked save for the paint and a belt, was Jack.

TH -- Repetition
S -- Alliteration
Rushed -- Repetition
Word Choice -- Use of dark and frantic language

     No sounds or letters repeat in the first half of this paragraph, it's just frantic language and tone changes.In the last two sentences almost every word has a repeating sound. The point of this is that in the beginning everything is frantic and scary and jolting, so the language resembles that. Near the end everything has settled, everyone is standing still, and the chaos has ended. The last two sentences move freely and with a certain suavity that the beginning lacks. And at the very end, where the savage is revealed as Jack, the words suddenly stop flowing, fitting with Ralph's shock of recognizing the painted boy as his old friend. This passage is silently showing Ralph's reactions to the situation, from terror and panic to calm and slow to absolute shock.