- I have noticed that Shakespeare's plays covered many themes that relates to real life. Even by today's standards, his work touches on things such as romance, jealousy, or betrayal (as depicted in "Julius Caesar")
- There has been many theories about Shakespeare. There has been a theory that a group of writers conceived Shakespeare's plays (names include Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Francis Bacon), saying that because he was in the lower class of society, he wasn't educated enough to write these stories. This is from an article from the University of Wisconsin.
- Another theory claimed Shakespeare to be a "secret Catholic", taking the alias of "William Shakeshafte."
- Various thoughts have been made of jobs Shakespeare has done when he left Stratford. Some say he was either a sailor, a gardener, a lawyer, and many other occupations.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Discovering Shakespeare
In class, we watched a PBS documentary featuring host Michael Woods as he travels to learn more about the well-renowned writer, William Shakespeare. As Michael has done in the documentary, I have discovered some information about the Bard myself.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
A Reader's Response: Young Goodman Brown
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" is about the strange happenings of the title character. In the story, he leaves his beloved wife, Faith, to have a meeting with a person in the woods. Faith wants Goodman to stay at home with her, but he is devoted to his trip.
When he goes into the woods and meets the person, things seem to get weird. During his conversation with the stranger, the woods seem to close in on him, seemingly without any way for Goodman to leave. In addition to that, he sees what appears to be a person that resembles him, yet older. Freaked out, Goodman Brown decides to leave, but the mysterious person wants to continue their talk-and-walk. As the person continues to chat, Goodman discovers that this man knows everyone! He mentions various people, including his grandfather, he met. This leads to Goodman's unfortunate discovery: the person is actually the devil. Getting angry, he continues his journey through the woods to investigate what is going on.
"Young Goodman Brown" is a story with a religious message. Later in the story, Goodman continues down the woods with a mysterious staff in his hand and notices a cult gathering that included Faith being in danger. He tries to save her, but unfortunately he loses Faith. As a result, Goodman has lost his faith, and died miserably.
When we read this story in class, there was a quote that relates to this story:
As people, most of us aren't great at making the right decisions, however, it's important to learn. You'll never know what consequences lies ahead. Goodman lost Faith to the devil after leaving her. Don't lose your Faith!
"
When he goes into the woods and meets the person, things seem to get weird. During his conversation with the stranger, the woods seem to close in on him, seemingly without any way for Goodman to leave. In addition to that, he sees what appears to be a person that resembles him, yet older. Freaked out, Goodman Brown decides to leave, but the mysterious person wants to continue their talk-and-walk. As the person continues to chat, Goodman discovers that this man knows everyone! He mentions various people, including his grandfather, he met. This leads to Goodman's unfortunate discovery: the person is actually the devil. Getting angry, he continues his journey through the woods to investigate what is going on.
"Young Goodman Brown" is a story with a religious message. Later in the story, Goodman continues down the woods with a mysterious staff in his hand and notices a cult gathering that included Faith being in danger. He tries to save her, but unfortunately he loses Faith. As a result, Goodman has lost his faith, and died miserably.
When we read this story in class, there was a quote that relates to this story:
When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks into you.This quote relates to the message of what Hawthorne is saying, meaning that if one follows the path of darkness and evil, you would end up being trapped inside. Dire consequences would be a result, leading to misfortune down the road, as Goodman Brown faced in this story. People who get sucked into the "abyss" would not recover. They would have a miserable life, regretting their actions, and wishing they never followed down that path.
- Neitze
As people, most of us aren't great at making the right decisions, however, it's important to learn. You'll never know what consequences lies ahead. Goodman lost Faith to the devil after leaving her. Don't lose your Faith!
"
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A Reader's Response: The Old Man From The South
Roald Dahl's "The Old Man From the South": man, what a crazy short story this one is!
The story is narrated by a man who tells about his meeting with a strange old man in Jamaica. When they notice teenagers in a pool, the old man speaks with one of them: a young man who has a lighter that, he believes, never goes out. This assumption makes the old man concoct an insane bet: if the lighter lights 10 times in a row, the young man wins the old man's Cadillac. If the lighter misses a flick, his pinky finger will be chopped off. Despite the mad nature of the bet, the young man agrees.
The contest takes place in the old man's suite. With his arm tied to the table, the young man makes a successful amount of lights. Unfortunately, his 9th light is interrupted by the old man's wife. As it turns out, the old man was actually sent to the suite by her to get psychological help. Also, the guy has made the bet with other people before, and has collected each of their chopped finger.
This story shows how dangerous the art of gambling can be. For example, in today's society, there are casinos that allow people to bet their house for money! It's amazing what lengths people would do to get something, and with this story, Dahl sends the message loud and clear. The young man knew that the bet was risky, yet he put his pinky finger on the line to get a luxury car.
Some people might argue about gambling being called a sin. However, if they read this story, chances are the arguments will fade.
The story is narrated by a man who tells about his meeting with a strange old man in Jamaica. When they notice teenagers in a pool, the old man speaks with one of them: a young man who has a lighter that, he believes, never goes out. This assumption makes the old man concoct an insane bet: if the lighter lights 10 times in a row, the young man wins the old man's Cadillac. If the lighter misses a flick, his pinky finger will be chopped off. Despite the mad nature of the bet, the young man agrees.
The contest takes place in the old man's suite. With his arm tied to the table, the young man makes a successful amount of lights. Unfortunately, his 9th light is interrupted by the old man's wife. As it turns out, the old man was actually sent to the suite by her to get psychological help. Also, the guy has made the bet with other people before, and has collected each of their chopped finger.
This story shows how dangerous the art of gambling can be. For example, in today's society, there are casinos that allow people to bet their house for money! It's amazing what lengths people would do to get something, and with this story, Dahl sends the message loud and clear. The young man knew that the bet was risky, yet he put his pinky finger on the line to get a luxury car.
Some people might argue about gambling being called a sin. However, if they read this story, chances are the arguments will fade.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A Reader's Response: Ernest Hemingway's "A Clean, Well Lighted Place"
Ernest Hemingway's "A Clean, Well Lighted Place" is a great example of how an author could pack plenty of meaning into a short story. Considering that is this story is only a measly four pages, that's impressive.
The story focuses on two waiters in the bar (one young and one old), as they comment on a man who can't stop ordering liquor. The young waiter wants to leave and go home to his wife, angry that the man isn't finished drinking. The older waiter thinks the man could stay and drink.
It's understandable in this story that the older waiter can relate to the drinker. Like the man, he's lonely, and might be on his way towards the end of his life. On the other hand, the young waiter just wants to hurry home. He has a wife that he loves and wants to spend more time with. In other words, he'd rather be home than wait all night for a man to finish drinking. He doesn't know what the older waiter does. The younger waiter doesn't have the experience of the older waiter; in his eyes, he sees a drunk. In the old waiter's eyes, he sees a mirror image of himself.
The story focuses on two waiters in the bar (one young and one old), as they comment on a man who can't stop ordering liquor. The young waiter wants to leave and go home to his wife, angry that the man isn't finished drinking. The older waiter thinks the man could stay and drink.
It's understandable in this story that the older waiter can relate to the drinker. Like the man, he's lonely, and might be on his way towards the end of his life. On the other hand, the young waiter just wants to hurry home. He has a wife that he loves and wants to spend more time with. In other words, he'd rather be home than wait all night for a man to finish drinking. He doesn't know what the older waiter does. The younger waiter doesn't have the experience of the older waiter; in his eyes, he sees a drunk. In the old waiter's eyes, he sees a mirror image of himself.
A Reader's Response: Eudora Welty's A Worn Path
When I first read this story, I was a bit confused about the story. At first read, Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" seems to be about the character in the story, Phoenix Jackson, walking down a path while talking to animals and having hallucinations. Sounds strange, doesn't it?
However, when I went over the story again, there's more meaning to it. After reading, I now understand certain clues to the story.
The story's title might describe the road Phoenix walks along, but as the case with Kate Chopin's "The Storm", there's another meaning; the path of the title most likely refers to her age. Phoenix's hallucinations could be a hint made by Welty about her age, such as her confusing a scarecrow for a ghost. Also, it's subtly hinted that Phoenix isn't well educated. She speaks with bad grammar, and when the nurse spoke to her when she visited town, she didn't know when to respond. It seems the path resembles her life, as she is walking towards the end.
In addition, I discovered the path Phoenix walks on has a destination: to help her grandson.
When she visits the nurse at the small town, Phoenix states that he has a condition in which his throat closes up, leaving him unable to breathe. There was a hint in the story in which she imagined a boy giving her a piece of cake. The boy was most likely her grandson. This could be a sign that she cares for her grandson dearly, and would help him in anyway possible. When Phoenix meets a hunter during her trip, he drops a nickel, which leads to Phoenix picking it up without him noticing. With that nickel, she purchased medicine for her grandson.
In addition, there was another piece of the puzzle. The setting was around Christmastime. This meant that Phoenix braved the long path to give the grandson medicine as a gift to him.
"A Worn Path" may seem odd at first read, but if you carefully watch for clues of meaning and symbolism that Welty places along the story, you'll find a better understanding.
However, when I went over the story again, there's more meaning to it. After reading, I now understand certain clues to the story.
The story's title might describe the road Phoenix walks along, but as the case with Kate Chopin's "The Storm", there's another meaning; the path of the title most likely refers to her age. Phoenix's hallucinations could be a hint made by Welty about her age, such as her confusing a scarecrow for a ghost. Also, it's subtly hinted that Phoenix isn't well educated. She speaks with bad grammar, and when the nurse spoke to her when she visited town, she didn't know when to respond. It seems the path resembles her life, as she is walking towards the end.
In addition, I discovered the path Phoenix walks on has a destination: to help her grandson.
When she visits the nurse at the small town, Phoenix states that he has a condition in which his throat closes up, leaving him unable to breathe. There was a hint in the story in which she imagined a boy giving her a piece of cake. The boy was most likely her grandson. This could be a sign that she cares for her grandson dearly, and would help him in anyway possible. When Phoenix meets a hunter during her trip, he drops a nickel, which leads to Phoenix picking it up without him noticing. With that nickel, she purchased medicine for her grandson.
In addition, there was another piece of the puzzle. The setting was around Christmastime. This meant that Phoenix braved the long path to give the grandson medicine as a gift to him.
"A Worn Path" may seem odd at first read, but if you carefully watch for clues of meaning and symbolism that Welty places along the story, you'll find a better understanding.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Reader's Response: The Storm
Kate Chopin's "The Storm" was an interesting story that was somewhat different to her other short story, "The Story of an Hour."
In "The Story of an Hour," the female character felt relieved that she was free from her marriage (although she really wasn't). However, "The Storm" sees the character Calixta somewhat yearning for affection and sexual satisfaction, even though she was already married to Bobinot. When her old flame Alcee visited the house during the stormy weather, they began to reminisce about the days they were together. This led to them growing more passionate with one another and, as a result, they had sex during the storm, while Bobinot and Bibi were stuck at the store.
Another certain element of "The Storm" was the metaphorical aspect. Sure, the story's title refers to the actual weather event that is going on in nearly the whole story, but it also refers to the relationships between Alcee and Calixta. From the story, it's easy to see that Calixta would rather be with Alcee, but she's stuck in the marriage. Also, the storm might have contained a major danger of the marriage breaking apart due to her affairs with Alcee. Alcee is putting himself in danger as well. At the end of the story, he writes a letter to his wife asking her to stay longer in Biloxi, a key indicator that Alcee really wants to be with Calixta.
Both of these characters are affectionate for each other, but the storm was a sign for things to come, and chances are hearts would be broken and relationships will be bumpy.
Forwarned is forarmed.
In "The Story of an Hour," the female character felt relieved that she was free from her marriage (although she really wasn't). However, "The Storm" sees the character Calixta somewhat yearning for affection and sexual satisfaction, even though she was already married to Bobinot. When her old flame Alcee visited the house during the stormy weather, they began to reminisce about the days they were together. This led to them growing more passionate with one another and, as a result, they had sex during the storm, while Bobinot and Bibi were stuck at the store.
Another certain element of "The Storm" was the metaphorical aspect. Sure, the story's title refers to the actual weather event that is going on in nearly the whole story, but it also refers to the relationships between Alcee and Calixta. From the story, it's easy to see that Calixta would rather be with Alcee, but she's stuck in the marriage. Also, the storm might have contained a major danger of the marriage breaking apart due to her affairs with Alcee. Alcee is putting himself in danger as well. At the end of the story, he writes a letter to his wife asking her to stay longer in Biloxi, a key indicator that Alcee really wants to be with Calixta.
Both of these characters are affectionate for each other, but the storm was a sign for things to come, and chances are hearts would be broken and relationships will be bumpy.
Forwarned is forarmed.
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