Othello 4.1 Key Passage

"Naked in bed, Iago, and not mean harm? It is hypocrisy against the devil. They that mean virtuously and yet do so, The devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt heaven." (Lines 5-8)
I chose this passage because it confused me, but it seems to pose importance to the scene. I then looked the line up on NoFearShakespeare, where I found this: "Naked in bed together, but without doing anything? Come on, Iago. That would be like playing a trick on the devil: they’d make him think they’re going to commit adultery, but then back off. Anyone who acted like that would be letting the devil tempt them, and tempting God to condemn them." This helped a lot.
In the passage, we find out Othello's passion for his hate of adultury. His connection with his god is also illustrated. It's pretty clearly stated that he's sure that cheaters go to hell. Learning how tenacious Othello is to his opinions solidify the strong image of him in his mind. He does the whole "ask a question and then answer it yourself" thing. The tone of that is particularly intimidating and makes him sound somewhat wise.

Casting Othello

I was absent on the day this was assigned.

Othello: Michael B. Jordan, who is not an athlete. He's suave, and charming, like Othello.

Iago: Sean Whalen. He has a greasy, psycho aura about him, which pleases me and is simmilar to that of Iago.

Desdemona: Ashley Greene. She's a sweetheart and charming like Desdemona. And I think she matches well with Michael B. Jordan too.

Emelia: Alison Pill. She's wonderfully amazing.

Othello: 2.1

Original Monologue (Iago):
"He takes her by the palm. Ay, well said, whisper! With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as  Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do, I will gyve thee in thine own courtship. You say true, 'Tis so, indeed.

If such tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had been better you had not kissed your three fingers so oft, which now again you are most apt to play the sir in. Very good, well kissed, and excellent courtesy! ’tis so, indeed. Yet again your fingers to your lips? Would they were clyster-pipes for your sake! The Moor! I know his trumpet."   My Interpretation:  He holds her by the hand. Real smooth! I hardly have to work at all now to catch up to Cassio. Go ahead and smile at her, I will leave you two be. If you say it is true, then it must be. If your actions cost you your job, it would've been better to not be so conceited, it's too bad you are so. Very much so! Yes. You're going to continue the behavior? Would they were clyster-pipes for your sake! The Moor! I know his call.  Sparknotes' Interpretation: He’s taking her hand. That’s right, go ahead and whisper together. This is all I need to get Cassio. Yes, keep smiling at her, Cassio. Your fine manners around women will be your downfall. Oh, I’m sure you’re saying something very clever. If you lose your job because of little flirtations like this, you’ll wish you hadn’t been so courteous with her. Oh, how nice, you’re kissing your own hand, one finger at a time? I wish those fingers were enema tubes! That’s the Moor! I recognize his trumpet.

Epilepsy in the 16th Century

Medicine in the Renaissance: Paracelcus

 (1493 - 1541): On ailments which rob us of our reason (1525)
"'And such falling sicknesses have five seats: One is in the brain, the second in the liver, the third in the heart, the fourth in the intestines, the fifth in the limbs. [...] And this is not only so in human beings but also in every living creature, in animals, which also fall down in the same form as in humans, and the earthquake also has the same origin as the falling sickness. We say that it is impossible to cure the root of the disease, but that it is possible to prevent the root from growing. "

~ http://www.authorsden.com/categories/article_top.asp?catid=16&id=19461

1494:

A handbook on witch-hunting, Malleus Maleficarum, brings a wave of persecution and torture, leading to the death of more than 200,000 women. Written by two Dominican friars under papal authority, the book identifies the presence of seizures as a characteristic of witches.

~http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/history  (I figured 1494 was close.)

   

       In Europe in the Middle Ages, epilepsy was called the falling sickness, and people looked to saints and relics for cures. The three wise men and St. Valentine were particularly important patrons of people with epilepsy. If you had epilepsy you could a special blessed ring that would help control your seizures.  This idea was still around in colonial America when George Washington's daughter Patsy had seizures and was given an iron ring by her doctor.

        During the Renaissance, people started to read ancient writings again, and the ideas of long ago came back into fashion.  Some people thought that people with epilepsy were prophets, because they could see the past, present, and future when they were unconscious during a seizure.  People with epilepsy were thought to be very smart because some very great people in the Roman empire had epilepsy, including Julius Cesar and Petrarch.  Epilepsy was still believed to be a terrible disease by the common people.

~http://library.thinkquest.org/J001619/history.html

Journal 4

OHMYGOODNESS. There was some sex jokes in the book! Wow. That is...different. I mean I always saw the characters to be not very mature but "WOW!" I think this is like a thing that should be payed attention to. It's very important that the reader notices a character's most immature side. For we all know, this piece of the story could be foreshadowing a future event that features lame pickup lines, or something.
I like how they get Lymon all snazzy and dressed up. That could mean something... I mean, like, how he's not super smart or charming or anything like that, but they can still get him to look like a million dollars.
Boy Willie likes to cheat people out of money. He's always asking to borrow money or sell people things.

I commented on Tawnie's Blog:
"I also noticed how Wining boy always tries to cheat people out of their money. Perhaps Boy Willie will learn from Wining Boy?"

Journal 3

Bernice and Boy Willie are super rude to each other. All they do is bicker and it puts a fast paced, loud mood into the text.
Sutter's ghost is gonna add a lot to the story I think. At first when it came into play I thought that Bernice was just crazy or psycho or on drugs or something. But now I realize it's actually legit.
Lymon is a sly devil. I'm pretty sure he's up to no good. I think that's why he seems to keep quiet mostly. He never talks about his own life, really, just comments on what others say, and talks about other people. And the thing with the truck, that could be foreshadowing.

Piano Lesson, Journal 2

They use the N-word a lot. Im slightly appauled by it. It makes me uncomfortable.
And also, they like to argue so much. There's almost no agreeing.
I'd like to ask, is it weird that the spent that long at the uncle's house?
And also, were watermelons like not very common then because nowadays they are super cheap, and they're EVERYWHERE.

I commented "I like how you pointed out that the grammar was wrong haha." on Shelby Marquez's blog.

One Un-Named Character- "The Girl"

The un-named character I have chosen for this entry is "the girl", Absalom's wife. I believe that Alan Paton has chosen not to name her to sort of set a distance between her and the reader, as a character in the book would feel. It seems like the women have a sense about them that they are not quite looked down upon, but known to be lesser than the men. It also almost feels like the male character's have a bit more depth and are more emphasized than the female characters. Males seem to have more developed characteristics, while women are kind of blunt. By calling Absalom's wife "the girl", Paton generalizes the young female demographic into one person.

OPRESSION

1. Okay. This video is disgusting. It's violent and nasty but it gets the point across VERY well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4&feature=player_embedded

2. I'm a huge believer and activist for gay rights, and I am part of the GSA at Tigard high. So this naturally means a lot to me.
 http://www.socialistalternative.org/news/article18.php?id=1159

CTBC: Gender Characterization

FEMALES- Usually referred to as "she", "her", etc. rather than their names. (ex. "I am anxious to hear about my sister.")
BOTH- Spoken to with much respect.
MALES- Names are usually mentioned. (ex. "Perhaps it is my brother John.")
SIGNIFICANCY- Sets the audience further apart from the story. Leaves a sense of mystery. Lets us know about prejudice and segregation. Informs us about culture.

p.s. Who ever named the valley of Lufafa is my new favorite.

Cry, The Beloved Country: 4 Passages

1: SETTING- The entire first chapter tells about the setting. The mood shifts from nice and calm at the beginning to sad, almost urgent at the end. We are told about how the land is grassy and lush and beautiful, until the hills swoop down into a canyon that is infertile and dry and coarse. It makes us think of a frightening place surrounded by beautiful land.
2: LANGUAGE- The characters use use quite a lot of dialogue on the first page of chapter two. They address each other a lot, "I bring a letter, umfundisi" ... "Where did you get it, my child?" ... "The store, umfundisi." ... "Go well, small one". "You might be hungry, small one"... "Not very hungry, umfundisi" ... "a little hungry, umfundisi" ... "thank you, umfundisi". Could this be telling us that people in this land are very respectful to eachother?
3: NARRATIVE- The style of writing when characters are talking is a little bit different and seems to set distance between the reader and the characters. I notice this when newly named Stephen and his wife begin to look at the letter. Quotation marks are not used. It particularly made me think in this sentence: "She mustered up her courage, and said, is it not from our son.". Quotation marks are not placed where they should be, and a question mark is not used at the end of her question. Yet some how the un-grammatically-correct-ness of it has a bit of brilliance.
4: CHARACTER- Stephen is introduced in chapter two. The fact that the author didn't introduce him to the second chapter gives an ominous feel. I like the word umfundisi. Perhaps Stephen is a large man, since the little girl  is referred to many times as a small child.Or maybe the girl is just really tiny. I'm thinking that the fact that the girl is not referred to as a "girl" but as "child" in the first few pages of chapter two has some relevance (even though they use the word "she").

LOTF Theme: 2 ways W.G. explored it

The theme I chose: “Under critical circumstances, people will lose their innocence much too quick for their own good.” 
Way of exploration 1: Ralph's grey shirt.  It is mentioned in the very beginning, and becomes gross  with time. It is a symbol for innocence and childhood, because as the shirt becomes increasingly disgusting, the boys' innocence slips further and further away. 
Way of exploration 2: Ralph's dream. Ralph dreams of home and feeding his horse. This gives a sense that time has passed. He's dreaming of better times as if they were "back in the day".

William Golding's potential decisions: What about girls?

If girls had been included in the children stranded on the island in Lord of the Flies, W.G. would have to make a many different decisions. He could have decided to make the children older, and add some sort of romance? The girls could be tough, or turn tough, because of all the ruckus caused by the boys. Or perhaps the girls could be frail and weak, protected by the strong boy-men. The boys also could not really run around naked, as they did in the book. That would be pretty awkward. The girls could be gatherers, and be the ones watching the fire, so that all or most of the boys could hunt. There could be less conflict if there were girls (less conflict about hunting?), or, on the other end, more conflict (girl-fights and fights over girls?).

LOTF first page analysis: 2 of Golding's decisions

1. One decision W.G. had to make was when Piggy shouted out loud, and his voice was referred to as "it". "'Hi!' it said. 'Wait a minute!'" This could be referring to how Ralph things that Piggy is unimportant. Also, how everyone treats him like dirt. Ralph never does what piggy asks. For instance, when Piggy specifically told Ralph to not tell anyone about his nickname, and he goes right ahead and does. This makes the poor boy feel mistreated and disrespected. Also by using the word "it:", the voice could be male or female. We have not yet been informed that there are only boys on the island. "It" also does not specify species, which could foreshadow that there isn't just humans on the island. "It" could be anything, and the word gives a sense of suspense and mystery.

2. Another decision made by W.G. is to associate Ralph with school. This makes Ralph relatable to children and gives him a bit of normalcy. It also brings out the fact that he is naive and childish. At the beginning of the book that fact that the boys were in school is mentioned quite a few times, to get the point across that they are young. When they take off their school clothes, it is almost the first step of growing up, stripping themselves of things related to childhood.