Stereotypes bind us to what we were born with. They limit our abilities and status and most of all interfere with our futurs. In the play Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare presents a few characters that are bound by the stereotypes placed on them. The first character that comes to mind is Don Jon. He is the illegitimate half brother of the Prince and so has never had any right to the throne. He has always been belittled and felt infereior to his brother. This is shown in his speech (I.1.25-35) where he says he would rather be "a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace," He is refering to how he so dislikes his brother. All of his anger is also shown when he plans to ruin Claudio's wedding. His years and years of suffering under his brother make him the villain in this play.
Another character who is bound by stereotypes is Dogberry. He has had no education and has very little charm. When he tries to tell Leonato that his daughter was 'belied', Leonato shrugs him off because Dogberry has been stereotyped to be the mindless fool of the play. Consequently, Leonato's daughter Hero is shamed and he wishes she were dead. Finally when the truth comes out, Leonato treats Dogberry with more respect but still internally mocks him for the foolish way he rambles.
I think that Shakespeare is trying to teach us a lesson when he presents to us these stereotypes. The reason that the 'good' characters suffer is that they underestimated those who were thought of as infereior.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Thursday, December 20, 2007
MAAN~What Weaves the Tangled Web
In the play, Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare creates his comedy around irony. In this story, the irony has much to do with misinterpreting of situations which is often induced by lying. My question is is lying ever an ethical thing to do? My immediate answer is no, being raised to believe that lying is wrong and one will be punished for doing so, my impulse is to say the absolute: lying is always wrong. However, in certain instances lying can be justified. As an obvious example, in the Holocaust, was it wrong to say you weren't hiding jews when they were all huddled in your basement? Of course not, you are saving a life and in cases like that, it is wrong not to lie. But in Much Ado About Nothing, there are no life threatening situations, just matters of love and wooing. In such cases, when you are lying about trivial matters such as who likes who, I believe that it is wrong to lie and that tampering with love will only bring complications to a situation that should be straightforward.
In one scene, Don Jon decides to be spiteful and tells Claudio that the Prince is actually wooing Hero for himself and will marry her that very night (2:1:134-140). This was not true, and Claudio soon found out the truth, but to tamper with Claudio's heart even for the few moments that he believed what Don Jon said made him doubt Hero and the Prince, two people whom he loves dearly. To instill such doubt in a person is like poisoning his food, it is often fatal. Had the truth not come out, Don Jon could have done some serious damage.
Another more light-hearted example is when the Prince, Claudio and Leonato fool Benedick into thinking that Beatrice is in love with him (2:2:1-125). It works. Benedick thinks that Beatrice loves him and decides to love her back. The only problem is that Beatrice has no idea of the Prince's plot and is completely baffled when Benedick starts to act like he likes her. Again, not the right thing to do. This further complicates a formerly complicated problem. If in the end, it does end out well and they marry and live happily ever after, that would have happened anyways, without the tampereing of the Prince. Let what is meant to be alone.
In one scene, Don Jon decides to be spiteful and tells Claudio that the Prince is actually wooing Hero for himself and will marry her that very night (2:1:134-140). This was not true, and Claudio soon found out the truth, but to tamper with Claudio's heart even for the few moments that he believed what Don Jon said made him doubt Hero and the Prince, two people whom he loves dearly. To instill such doubt in a person is like poisoning his food, it is often fatal. Had the truth not come out, Don Jon could have done some serious damage.
Another more light-hearted example is when the Prince, Claudio and Leonato fool Benedick into thinking that Beatrice is in love with him (2:2:1-125). It works. Benedick thinks that Beatrice loves him and decides to love her back. The only problem is that Beatrice has no idea of the Prince's plot and is completely baffled when Benedick starts to act like he likes her. Again, not the right thing to do. This further complicates a formerly complicated problem. If in the end, it does end out well and they marry and live happily ever after, that would have happened anyways, without the tampereing of the Prince. Let what is meant to be alone.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Poetry Blog Post
alright, the poem I have chosen to educate you all with is this lovely poem by my personal favorite: shel silverstien.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
Analysis:
This poem, though written in a children's poetry book can have a much deeper meaning than I understood when I first read the peom in the 20th century. When reading the poem, one almost feels as if they are leaving the world behind them to walk off the edge of the sidewalk. A sort of chasing the rainbow concept. These two children (as illustrated in the book) are following signs of their imagination where they believe the sidewalk ends. The end of the sidewalk also signifies the edge of the world. To walk of the end of the sidewalk is to step into a world unknown. A sort of inbetween step into the street and the life of an independant, one with responsibilities. "Where the chalk-white arrows go" (11), even the doodlings of toddlers point to the future.
A daunting future it would seem, "And we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow"(16). The measured years of the lives of children pass very slowly, but eventually, the path will lead you to the end of the sidewalk. This poem was placed as the very last poem in the book. Once you finish the book, you are at the edge of the sidewalk and street and should be ready to cross onto the tar to finish your life as a child (or so shel thinks). But by walking off the end of the sidewalk, one "leaves this place where the smoke blows black/And the dark street winds and bends" (7). The ignorance of childhood can finally be left behind when one takes the tiny step onto the street.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
Analysis:
This poem, though written in a children's poetry book can have a much deeper meaning than I understood when I first read the peom in the 20th century. When reading the poem, one almost feels as if they are leaving the world behind them to walk off the edge of the sidewalk. A sort of chasing the rainbow concept. These two children (as illustrated in the book) are following signs of their imagination where they believe the sidewalk ends. The end of the sidewalk also signifies the edge of the world. To walk of the end of the sidewalk is to step into a world unknown. A sort of inbetween step into the street and the life of an independant, one with responsibilities. "Where the chalk-white arrows go" (11), even the doodlings of toddlers point to the future.
A daunting future it would seem, "And we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow"(16). The measured years of the lives of children pass very slowly, but eventually, the path will lead you to the end of the sidewalk. This poem was placed as the very last poem in the book. Once you finish the book, you are at the edge of the sidewalk and street and should be ready to cross onto the tar to finish your life as a child (or so shel thinks). But by walking off the end of the sidewalk, one "leaves this place where the smoke blows black/And the dark street winds and bends" (7). The ignorance of childhood can finally be left behind when one takes the tiny step onto the street.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Quarter 1 post
Finally, quarter 1 is done.
I did well in this class and am proud of my grade, I learned a lot about writing effective thesises and how to successfully support them in my essays. I also learned a lot about movie direction and how to analyze photographs. That was very interresting. I am still struggling on how to organize a body paragraph and how to write topic sentances that aren't repetitive. The class environment is excellent. It's fun and the way the desks are set, you can see everyone. To further stregnthen my learning in class, I can get more effective peer reviewing and actually listen to thier advice to improve my writing. For quarter 2 I want to get a perfects score on my essay and and make my thesises less listy.
Overall, things went pretty well. During the first few days of school I was a wee bit overwhelmed by my lack of knowledge on essay writing and the expectations that Mrs. Froehlich had, but now that my skills have improved I am ready to write the 12 paragraph essay that is due next quarter.
I did well in this class and am proud of my grade, I learned a lot about writing effective thesises and how to successfully support them in my essays. I also learned a lot about movie direction and how to analyze photographs. That was very interresting. I am still struggling on how to organize a body paragraph and how to write topic sentances that aren't repetitive. The class environment is excellent. It's fun and the way the desks are set, you can see everyone. To further stregnthen my learning in class, I can get more effective peer reviewing and actually listen to thier advice to improve my writing. For quarter 2 I want to get a perfects score on my essay and and make my thesises less listy.
Overall, things went pretty well. During the first few days of school I was a wee bit overwhelmed by my lack of knowledge on essay writing and the expectations that Mrs. Froehlich had, but now that my skills have improved I am ready to write the 12 paragraph essay that is due next quarter.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Fifth Outside Quarter Reading Post
I have recently finished my book and the last 50 pages or so have completely changed the story.
Amir and Baba leave for America because the Russians are invading Afgahnistan. Hassan and Ali are living in a remote village faraway and have no more contact with Amir and his father. Amir gets married to Soraya (he lives in California now) becomes a published author and his father dies of lung cancer. Amir gets a call from Afgahnistan and hears that Rahim Kahn is dying and he wants to see him. Amir goes to Rahim. Rahim tells him that his father had an affair with Ali's wife and that Hassan is his half brother. Amir ends up searching for Hassan's orphaned son (Hassan was killed by the Taliban). Assef became part of the Taliban and has Hassan as his slave. Assef comes very close to killing Amir but them Sohrab (Hassan's son) saves him with his sling shot (Hosseini 289). Amir tries now to get custody of Sohrab and to take him to America, the only way he can do that is if he puts Sohrab in another orphanage temporarily. Sohrab then attempts suicide. Amir finds him, takes him to the hospital and eventually back to America (Amir was going to tell Hassan he didn't need to go back to an orphanage when he found him almost dead). Sohrab doesn't talk for the rest of the book. The last scene is Sohrab and Amir running a kite together in California and Sohrab smiles for the first time. (324).
When Amir finds out that Hassan is his half brother, he flies into a rage and yells at Rahim. Understandably so, he now understands why his father paid so much attention to Hassan. In teh book it says that Amir was the "sociably acceptable son". If people had known about Baba's affair with Ali's wife, he would have lost his reputation and Ali would have been incredibly hurt. Amir now can relate to Baba a little bit. Baba had also hurt his best friend, how could he live with him now and know that he has hurt him so much? Amir's guilt drove Hassan away, but Baba kept Ali around as a reminder of the wrong he did. This was most likely the motivation for all the good things that Baba did in Afgahnistan, like build the orphanage. Amir feels even guiltier for what he did to Hassan now that he knows he did it to his own brother. When Rahim tells Amir that Hassan had a son who is still out there and suffering, Amir was cowardly at first and didn't want to have to remember all that he did, he thought that it was all in the past. When he finally relizes that this is the way to redeem for himself and honor Hassan, he knows he must rescue Hassan from his Taliban captors.
Amir and Baba leave for America because the Russians are invading Afgahnistan. Hassan and Ali are living in a remote village faraway and have no more contact with Amir and his father. Amir gets married to Soraya (he lives in California now) becomes a published author and his father dies of lung cancer. Amir gets a call from Afgahnistan and hears that Rahim Kahn is dying and he wants to see him. Amir goes to Rahim. Rahim tells him that his father had an affair with Ali's wife and that Hassan is his half brother. Amir ends up searching for Hassan's orphaned son (Hassan was killed by the Taliban). Assef became part of the Taliban and has Hassan as his slave. Assef comes very close to killing Amir but them Sohrab (Hassan's son) saves him with his sling shot (Hosseini 289). Amir tries now to get custody of Sohrab and to take him to America, the only way he can do that is if he puts Sohrab in another orphanage temporarily. Sohrab then attempts suicide. Amir finds him, takes him to the hospital and eventually back to America (Amir was going to tell Hassan he didn't need to go back to an orphanage when he found him almost dead). Sohrab doesn't talk for the rest of the book. The last scene is Sohrab and Amir running a kite together in California and Sohrab smiles for the first time. (324).
When Amir finds out that Hassan is his half brother, he flies into a rage and yells at Rahim. Understandably so, he now understands why his father paid so much attention to Hassan. In teh book it says that Amir was the "sociably acceptable son". If people had known about Baba's affair with Ali's wife, he would have lost his reputation and Ali would have been incredibly hurt. Amir now can relate to Baba a little bit. Baba had also hurt his best friend, how could he live with him now and know that he has hurt him so much? Amir's guilt drove Hassan away, but Baba kept Ali around as a reminder of the wrong he did. This was most likely the motivation for all the good things that Baba did in Afgahnistan, like build the orphanage. Amir feels even guiltier for what he did to Hassan now that he knows he did it to his own brother. When Rahim tells Amir that Hassan had a son who is still out there and suffering, Amir was cowardly at first and didn't want to have to remember all that he did, he thought that it was all in the past. When he finally relizes that this is the way to redeem for himself and honor Hassan, he knows he must rescue Hassan from his Taliban captors.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Fourth Outside Quarter Reading Post
Here is another question about my book:
How is this novel similar to other pieces of literature that we have studied in class?
This novel, although being completely new to me, is similar to American classics in many ways. First of all, it is mainly about a boy who struggles with friendship and guilt. This reminds me of the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In that book, George cannot deal with Lenny sometimes. He gets on his nerves and causes trouble for him, but in the end they are still brothers (sort of) and need each other. It is like this in The Kite Runner. Hassan and Amir are extremely close and lean upon each other for everything. Amir is always struggling with his father (Hosseini 34) and how he is disappointed in him, but Hassan is always there to serve him and help him cheer up again.
Also like in Of Mice and Men, George ends up killing Lenny because Lenny had compromised thier position in the workforce and would most likely be sent to jail. Amir backhandedly killed Hassan when he didn't save him from Assef (Hosseini 154). If Amir had done something, Hassan would never had left their household and would have come to America with Amir and Baba, saving him from the Taliban.Of Mice and Men and The Kite Runner are similar in that here are two men with companions and best friends who end up murdering them for completely different reasons. They both deal with guilt and despair and must move on in their lives to survive.
How is this novel similar to other pieces of literature that we have studied in class?
This novel, although being completely new to me, is similar to American classics in many ways. First of all, it is mainly about a boy who struggles with friendship and guilt. This reminds me of the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In that book, George cannot deal with Lenny sometimes. He gets on his nerves and causes trouble for him, but in the end they are still brothers (sort of) and need each other. It is like this in The Kite Runner. Hassan and Amir are extremely close and lean upon each other for everything. Amir is always struggling with his father (Hosseini 34) and how he is disappointed in him, but Hassan is always there to serve him and help him cheer up again.
Also like in Of Mice and Men, George ends up killing Lenny because Lenny had compromised thier position in the workforce and would most likely be sent to jail. Amir backhandedly killed Hassan when he didn't save him from Assef (Hosseini 154). If Amir had done something, Hassan would never had left their household and would have come to America with Amir and Baba, saving him from the Taliban.Of Mice and Men and The Kite Runner are similar in that here are two men with companions and best friends who end up murdering them for completely different reasons. They both deal with guilt and despair and must move on in their lives to survive.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Third Outside Quarter Reading Post
Hi! Another question about my book is:
What are the major struggles and conflicts your character encouters?
How do the characters face the conflicts and how does going through these conflicts herlp the characters to learn more about themselves?
In my book, The Kite Runner, the main character Amir is ridden with conflicts. The main conflict in the book is between him and his guilt. When he was about 10 years old he watched his best friend getting raped and did nothing about it. He ran away and acted like it never happened. He felt so guilty, he couldn't keep seeing his friend Hassan every day and be reminded of what he did. He ignored Hassan and was cruel to him, eventually he put a large amount of money under his bed so that his father would think that Hassan had stolen it. It is Amir's fault that Ali and Hassan left, breaking a 30 year relationship between Ali and Baba (Hosseini 241). For the rest of his life, images of Hassan's face haunted him at night and when was as if Baba was stabbing him in the heart every time he wished that Hassan had been with them.
His guilt worsens when he finds out that his father's friend Khalid knows about what happened to Hassan. Khalid then tells him that Hassan was his half brother after Baba had an affair with Ali's wife (Hosseini 325).
This conflict taught him that he can't sit back and watch anymore. He showed that he had learned his lesson when he went back to Afghanistan to get Hassan's orphaned child. He fights on of the Taliban members and is horribly injured but finally feels like he has proved his loyalty to Hassan.
What are the major struggles and conflicts your character encouters?
How do the characters face the conflicts and how does going through these conflicts herlp the characters to learn more about themselves?
In my book, The Kite Runner, the main character Amir is ridden with conflicts. The main conflict in the book is between him and his guilt. When he was about 10 years old he watched his best friend getting raped and did nothing about it. He ran away and acted like it never happened. He felt so guilty, he couldn't keep seeing his friend Hassan every day and be reminded of what he did. He ignored Hassan and was cruel to him, eventually he put a large amount of money under his bed so that his father would think that Hassan had stolen it. It is Amir's fault that Ali and Hassan left, breaking a 30 year relationship between Ali and Baba (Hosseini 241). For the rest of his life, images of Hassan's face haunted him at night and when was as if Baba was stabbing him in the heart every time he wished that Hassan had been with them.
His guilt worsens when he finds out that his father's friend Khalid knows about what happened to Hassan. Khalid then tells him that Hassan was his half brother after Baba had an affair with Ali's wife (Hosseini 325).
This conflict taught him that he can't sit back and watch anymore. He showed that he had learned his lesson when he went back to Afghanistan to get Hassan's orphaned child. He fights on of the Taliban members and is horribly injured but finally feels like he has proved his loyalty to Hassan.
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