DRJ #4 Act 4&5- Othello

In these acts Iago just seems to be to good at his plans. The whole story just seems to flow because of him. His plan is what ties everyone together and gets us fascinated by how well he is able to pull it off. I think we have all known a person like Iago who has been involved in our lives. For this reason Shakespeare is able to create a great story because we are able to connect to the characters.
Shakespeare uses Emilias character to show that trusting the wrong person can lead to a bad outcome. Desdemona thinks she is taking good care of her yet she takes the handkerchief and gives it to Iago so he can go forth with his plan. She also gives her bad advice and Desdemona is to gullible and listens to her without disagreeing with her. Emilia tells her that its ok to sleep around with other guys, she says that she does it herself. It seems like Desdemona wants to take her advice because she doesn't really argue against her.
Shakespeare keeps using the characters to deliver his message about jealousy. He uses Othello's reactions to demonstrate how not taking the time to think things through can lead to destruction. It was obvious at the end of the story that things did not end up well. Maybe if Othello had taken the time to talk to Desdemona things would have been different at the end.

DRJ #3 Act 3-Othello

In act 3 of this story we Iago continues to go forward with his evil plan. He begins to make Othello think that Desdemona and Cassio have a thing going on. This makes Othello doubt his trust for Desdemona. My initial reaction to Othello's thinking about the situation was that he was weak minded. Even though he was a warrior he still had insecurities.

 From this act, I realized that Iago was a genius at deceiving people. He obviously got Othello to doubt his trust in himself and Desdemona. This begins to destroy their relationship and makes Othello think that Iago just wants to open his eyes to the truth. Iago's simple plan with the handkerchief works out as planned and is enough for Othello to not even bother to ask Desdemona if she was the one who gave it to Cassio. I think that if Othello really had a good relationship with Desdemona he would have talked to her first before believing anyone else.

Shakespeare uses symbolism to show how a simple object can have a great effect and in this case he uses the handkerchief. The handkerchief represents a lot to Othello because it was like a symbol that represented his love. When Desdemona lost it it foreshadowed her losing Othello's love. Shakespeare could have chosen to use something else but he purposely used the handkerchief for this purpose. 

BEC CCTWQ #8 Alice Walker, Roselily

It is done, the ceremony has gone through and he feels relieved and unsure at the same time. It is just an opportunity in his life to begin a new life. He will give her the freedom she has always wanted, he hopes. He will provide her with everything she needs and she will not have to worry about a thing. He will do what ever he can to make her happy and hopes she will do the same for her. She is from a different religion but that shouldn't stop this marriage because he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He hopes these types of differences will not create tension in the relationship. He thinks he shouldn't be thinking about these things right now, after all they just got married. He just wants to keep positive thoughts and not doubt their love. Let's make the best out of this new start!

SSRJ #2: "How to Tell a True War Story" by Tim O'Brien

When i read "How to Tell a True War Story" by Tim O'Brien my moods changed throughout the story. The narrator started by telling a story about certain soldier who died a certain way and then changing it and adding more to the story he was telling. This made the soldier who died in the incident seem like he was being stupid horsing around. It almost gave me a sense of being mad at him, but then towards the end the author changed the story enough so that i got a different feeling. I felt bad and almost proud because the soldier gave his life away to save his comrades. The story seemed a little complex for me and I'm still trying to dig for the deep message the author is trying to say. So far i think the author was trying to say that a war isn't always the same for every person who is involved, everyone sees it in a different way but it does tend to leave a scar that may be hard to deal with afterwards. The more universal way i would look at it would be that the only way we move on from something that drags you down is by understanding yourself. By looking at the experience on the good side.
What do you guys think the message was? I could use the feedback :) Also why do you guys think he used the story about the soldier who died and told it in different ways? Thanks!

Chopin Thesis Activity

 Thesis #2: By contrasting images of life with those of death throughout "The Story of an Hour," Kate Chopin highlights the struggle of a person imprisoned by societal pressures and thereby kept from fully being alive.

The author intentionally mentions an open window where Louise can look out from when she locks herself in the room.  When she looks out, Chopin uses the "patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds" that gives a sense that those blue patches are openings to a new life. She also adds how the clouds came and piled on one another, which represented her struggles and yet there was still those patches of blue sky. Suggesting she could almost fly through them to free herself from that prison room she had shared with her supposedly dead husband.

Thesis #3: Through the use of structure in her intentionally short story "The Story of an Hour," Kate Chopin ingeniously exposes the larger and more complex problem of oppression that can still be felt in our society today.

Kate Chopin uses the death of the husband efficiently since she mentions it in the beginning of the story. She does this so we can expect Louise to be sad about the situation. We begin to see the opposite, we can see that Louise felt oppressed by her husband . The author mentions "There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it" which keeps the story moving on towards the end where she awaits her new life. This is when Chopin brings the husband back and kills Louise's hopes literally and proving the point of her oppression.

SSRJ#1:"A Rose for Emily" by Faulkner

My initial response to "A Rose for Emily" made me feel sorry for her. Especially, after finding out what Emily had done to Homer at the end of the story. It was actually a little creepy at first but then felt sorry for her afterwards. She would lay next to Homer's dead body to feel loved and that was kinda sad to me. She couldn't watch him walk away so she murdered him so she could keep him with her. I think this was probably the most interesting and intense part of the story to me. Her pain reminded me of a recent break-up in a way. I know what it feels like to know someone loved you once but tell you they don't anymore. You're stuck with the feelings for them but it seems like there is nothing you can do to stop them from walking away. Emily didn't have many people who could give her love so she couldn't handle it when Homer was about to leave her. She was probably overwhelmed with all the harsh feelings, she probably felt scared and though she would remain alone for the rest of her life. This probably led her to murder Holmes so she could keep him next to her, literally. In "A Rose to Emily," William Faulkner uses character, plot, and setting to point out that we all need love because the lack of it in our lives can destroy us. Faulkner uses the character element by using the people who Emily though of as lower to her to basically tell the story through their eyes. He messes with the plot to grab our attention and leads us to the end so we can understand the message. The setting delivers a sense of loneliness and rejection. The big old lonely house where Emily spent most of her life and ended up dying in.
Did anyone get a different message from this story?

Six-Word Stories

You Love something? Never give up!

Introduction

Hello, my name is Angel. I have never used blogger before but it seems simple. I just wanna let everyone know that i am willing to help and work together with who ever wants to, I look forward to getting at least a B in this class. Don't really know what else to say for now, thanks.