"Love sees sharply, hatred sees even more sharply, but jealousy sees the sharpest for it is love and hate all at the same time." This quote describes Othello great. The whole play is about people being manipulated, and a whole bunch of jealousy. Throughout the play, Othello is lied to by one of his good friends, Iago. Iago told Othello that his best friend Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona.
The music video and the song "Mr. Brightside" shows perfectly what goes on in the play and the lyrics are perfect as well. At one point in the song he sings "Now they're going to bed, and my stomach is sick. And it's all in my head..." This is referring to Cassio hooking up with Desdemona, but in reality it is all in his head because it is not true. Also, throughout the song it says "It was only a kiss, why did it end up like this?" This is saying that even though Othello thinks they hooked up, he knows it was not anything serious, and everyone exaggerated the truth, and now everyone is dead.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Trifles Video
Sometimes it is easier to understand literature not just by reading it, but by actually watching and observing it. The play "Trifles" was not that difficult to understand, but by watching a quick clip on it, you can better understand it. It is easier to pick up on the mood and the tone, which both have a creepy feeling to it. From the video you get the full effect of what the characters are actually doing, what they are feeling, and there expressions.
For the actors and actresses to act out the video, they have to be able to understand the play fully, otherwise it would make for a bad video and sometimes it almost is like you are watching and reading two different pieces of literature. From the short clip, you can tell that the actors had a good understanding of what was going on in the play, and how it was supposed to be portrayed.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
"Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa
The Vietnam War was the longest war in American history. It ranged from 1968 to 1975, and there were over 60,000 American deaths. People today still ask if the Vietnam War was actually necessary or just a good gesture.
"Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa describes a Vietnam soldier that returns to a memorial several years after the war. He had prepared himself to see the memorial, “I said I wouldn’t, dammit: No tears. I’m stone. I’m flesh,” and yet he was not as prepared as he thought he would be. As he is standing there he describes a flash back of a friend who passed during the war. He describes a struggle he faces not only now but during the war; race. He leaves us with an open question of if he was white, would he have been treated differently during war, or took a different look upon it. Maybe his name would have been on the memorial.
"Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa describes a Vietnam soldier that returns to a memorial several years after the war. He had prepared himself to see the memorial, “I said I wouldn’t, dammit: No tears. I’m stone. I’m flesh,” and yet he was not as prepared as he thought he would be. As he is standing there he describes a flash back of a friend who passed during the war. He describes a struggle he faces not only now but during the war; race. He leaves us with an open question of if he was white, would he have been treated differently during war, or took a different look upon it. Maybe his name would have been on the memorial.
Revision
Unfortunately there are certain things that happen in life that we can not do anything about. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, either way people have to learn to deal with the realities of life. In the poem "Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath she uses a riddle to describe an event that is occurring in her life that she can not do anything about, "Boarded the train there's no getting off." The tone of this poem is a little silly. She uses very figurative language, and metaphors. What ever she is describing is either big, or is growing because of the words she is using (elephant, melon, etc.). She also makes statements like, "This loaf's big with its yeasty rising." Maybe she is having a baby, or taking care of a pet?
Sometimes, people do things, and others take it the wrong way. In Stevie Smith's poem "Not Waving but Drowning," an old man had been at sea for a while. Every time he called for help everyone had mistaken his helpful wave for a friendly wave. This poem has a more serious, and sad tone. Everyone in the town thought they knew about the man, but they really had no idea. The people in the town said "Poor chap, he always loved larking." but the old man replies "Oh, no no no, it was too cold always." proving that they were wrong. The tone is sad because his whole life the man was lost looking for direction but no one ever stopped to help.
Sometimes, people do things, and others take it the wrong way. In Stevie Smith's poem "Not Waving but Drowning," an old man had been at sea for a while. Every time he called for help everyone had mistaken his helpful wave for a friendly wave. This poem has a more serious, and sad tone. Everyone in the town thought they knew about the man, but they really had no idea. The people in the town said "Poor chap, he always loved larking." but the old man replies "Oh, no no no, it was too cold always." proving that they were wrong. The tone is sad because his whole life the man was lost looking for direction but no one ever stopped to help.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
"Metaphors" & "Not Waving But Drowning"
There are certain things in life that happen, and you can not do anything about it. Unfortunately that is just the way life goes, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose; either way, people have to learn to deal with the realities of life. In the poem "Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath she write a riddle to something that is occurring in her life that she can not do anything about, "Boarded the train there's no getting off." The tone of this poem is a little silly. She uses very figurative language, and metaphors. What ever she is describing is either big, or is growing because of the metaphors she is using, for example she uses words such as elephant, melon, and makes statements like, "This loaf's big with its yeasty rising." Maybe she is having a baby, or taking care of a pet?
Sometimes, people do things, and others take it the wrong way. In Stevie Smith's poem "Not Waving but Drowning," an old man had been at sea for a while, and every time he called for help everyone had mistaken his helpful wave, for a friendly wave. This poem has a more serious, and sad tone. Everyone in the town thought they knew about the man, but they really had no idea. The people in the town said "Poor chap, he always loved larking." but the old man replies "Oh, no no no, it was too cold always." proving that they were wrong. The tone is sad because his whole life the man was lost looking for direction but no one ever stopped to help.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Langston Hughes
The 1920’s were a great time in history. It was a time when people listened to the best music, went to the greatest parties, and wore the best fashions. Unfortunately in the late 20's there was a drastic change in the way things were; there was a depression. I feel like Langston Hughes's poem "The Weary Blues" was written during this time.
When the depression hit, people wrote poetry and sang to blues music to express the way they felt. People are enjoying the music, but they may not be listening to what he is saying. The man in the poem is singing about how he is actually depressed and how he is "Happy no more," and how he "Wishes he was dead." The man singing is probably upset with his life because of his race. He mentions that he is a black man, and blacks during this time had few rights.
This poem is kind of similar to Hughes's "Ballad Of The Landlord." The African American in this poem is clearly treated unfair and when he tries to get his way, he is sentenced to 90 days in jail. Meanwhile, the landlord who is probably white is refusing to fix any of the broken things in his house.
When the depression hit, people wrote poetry and sang to blues music to express the way they felt. People are enjoying the music, but they may not be listening to what he is saying. The man in the poem is singing about how he is actually depressed and how he is "Happy no more," and how he "Wishes he was dead." The man singing is probably upset with his life because of his race. He mentions that he is a black man, and blacks during this time had few rights.
This poem is kind of similar to Hughes's "Ballad Of The Landlord." The African American in this poem is clearly treated unfair and when he tries to get his way, he is sentenced to 90 days in jail. Meanwhile, the landlord who is probably white is refusing to fix any of the broken things in his house.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Rebellious Poems
Two poems that are rebellious are "Homage to my hips" by Lucille Clifton, and "Cinderella" by Anne Sexton. In "Homage to my hips," at first you may not think it is very rebellious, but she says some things that make you realize that she is a little rebellious. For example, she says, "these hips don't like to be held back...they go where they want to go, they do what they want to do." People, who do what they want, when they want, are usually considered rebellious. She is saying that she is her own person, and does not let any one hold her back from doing what she wants to do.
When I started to read "Cinderella," I assumed that it was going to be like the original story. Anne Sexton uses the original idea, but puts her own twists in to it. Instead of a fairy god mother, she has a dove, when the prince goes to find whose foot the slipper fits, the sisters cut off a part of their foot; not the typical Cinderella as we know. This story is rebellious because Cinderella went to the ball for three days when she was not even allowed to go for one. The tone of the story is a little sarcastic which makes the story seem a little more rebellious.
When I started to read "Cinderella," I assumed that it was going to be like the original story. Anne Sexton uses the original idea, but puts her own twists in to it. Instead of a fairy god mother, she has a dove, when the prince goes to find whose foot the slipper fits, the sisters cut off a part of their foot; not the typical Cinderella as we know. This story is rebellious because Cinderella went to the ball for three days when she was not even allowed to go for one. The tone of the story is a little sarcastic which makes the story seem a little more rebellious.
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