Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Lord of the Flies Jigsaw #2

What survival techniques or strategies are used by the boys? They do not have to be only physical.


Jack: (focus more on present)
-Fear- Jack instills on littluns to respect him
-Flattery- Jack offers food and fun
-Others- Jack uses them as his minions

Ralph: (focus on future, goals)
-Conch- structure and authority
-Fire- food and rescue signal

Piggy:
-Logic

Everyone else:
-follow the grownups (Ralph or Jack)
-shows the influence of parents and authority in a structured society
-having leaders is a necessity for them, because they provide guidance, especially in their time of need.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Essential Question 10

Page 30
Jane walked into the room curious to know who could have wanted to see her. Her curiosity was lulled when she opened the door to find a man of dark appearance. Mrs. Reed sat by the fireside and introduced Jane to the man, "This is the little girl respecting whom I applied to you". The man gave her a sinister stare, and examined her from head to toe. "Her size is small: what is her age?" said the man. "Ten years," said Mrs. Reed. "Your name, little girl?" "Jane Eyre, sir." The man continued asking her questions, "Well, Jane Eyre, are you a good child?"Unfortunately, Mrs. Reed stepped and said, "Perhaps the less said on that subject the better, Mr. Brocklehurst."

This completely changes my view as a reader because with first person, I would at least know the true feelings and the actually thought of one character, but third person is less personal; therefore, it is harder to discern what Jane is thinking in between each of the questions. As of right now, my converted excerpt could express a positive connotation towards the relationship between Jane and Mr. Brocklehurst, something completely false in the actually passage.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Essential Question 9

How do Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein compare and contrast as men, scholars, and scientists?


Both Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein are restless with an intense passion for discovery and knowledge. Walton pursues a life on the seas in an attempt to find new lands, cultures, and waterways. Frankenstein focuses on natural philosophy and is curious to know the purpose and secret behind life and death. The reasons for their pursuits differ greatly. Walton is in it for the fame, but Frankenstein "was encouraged to hope [his] present attempts would at least lay the foundations of future success" (32). Both did suffer greatly in their pursuit of discovery. Walton felt lonely and had no close relationships with his crew. Frankenstein was so engrossed by his project of bringing the creature to life that he lost contact with his family and friends. He even grows ill whenever he sees something that reminds him of his work. Lastly, Frankenstein and Walton have a teacher-student relationship. Frankenstein has experienced what Walton is feeling now and does not want Walton to go down the same road as himself. He is protecting Walton from what I believe is pride, which seems to be the main reason for Frankenstein's demise.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Essential Question 8

Are Katherine and Petruchio in love?


Katherine and Petruchio's relationship is not rooted in love whatsoever. From the beginning, Petruchio was used to marry Katherine so that Gremio and Hortensio could have a chance to court Bianca. He did not care for love, but for the dowry and monetary benefits he would receive. His only problem was to tame Katherine, and did so by meeting fire with fire. By his actions, Katherine was forced into marriage with Petruchio by her father. This shows the disrespect given towards women. We still do not even know the reason for Katherine's prior aggression because none of the characters allowed Katherine to vent and explain what was on her mind. Now that she was married to Petruchio, she was held in his vise, treating her as if she was crazy or mentally deranged. Katherine was forced to submit to Petruchio's will, a similarity with Grendel's mother from Beowulf, who despised her fate. The greatest example of their relationship having no love can be seen in the final scene. Though Katherine may have been the only obedient wife, she acts this way because she has been forced to sumbit herself to Petruchio's words. As for Petruchio, one has to remember that the husbands all placed bets. As Bianca says, "The more fool you are for laying on my duty" (5.2.143). Betting on love is a complete disrespect to love itself. Petruchio shows he was only it for the money.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Essential Question 7

Do you think that Hamlet has created his own insanity, or has he lost his sense of reality completely?


Honestly, I believe Hamlet is not insane. He is only having a human reaction to the tragedy that has occurred in his family. If one's uncle were to kill one's father and marry one's mother within a month of the father's death, there is bound to be some sort of explosive response. This is what is occurring with Hamlet. His emotions have taken ahold of him, but has he not been requested to take revenge from the Ghost of his father? Hamlet grows frustrated at his progress of fulfilling King Hamlet's request. The ghost even reappears to remind Hamlet of his duty. With that in mind, the death of Polonius cannot be pinned upon Hamlet. He was acting out of anger, out of emotions, a blind rage. If anyone were to be blamed, it should be Claudius for his immoral deeds. He has fueled Hamlet's response, and created Hamlet's insanity.
Side note: Hamlet is growing similar to Edmond Dantes from Count of Monte Cristo. Dantes almost seemed mentally deranged with his persecution of those who mistreated his father and ruined his life, yet in the end, it can be understood how Dantes must have felt. Hamlet should be treated the same.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Essential Question 6

What parallels can be drawn between The Pardoner's Tale and his Prologue. How is this tale different from the other two we have studied?

Both the Pardoner's Tale and his Prologue discuss morality and vices. Both define what is wrong or sinful. However, one is described through dictation, while the other is described in a story. The Pardoner seems to be a representation of Jesus, who told crowds the word of God, but did it through parables. Another difference is that the Prologue focuses more on all types of sin, whereas the actual tale teaches not to have avarice or greed.
The Pardoner is very much a hypocrite because he tells a story with a moral that teaches others not to be greedy when he himself is hoarding money from sinners by selling forgiveness. The Pardoner's Tale is different from The Miller's Tale and The Knight's Tale because both storytellers of the other tales actually represented their stories. The Knight taught through his tale of the importance of logic and correct forms of prayer, something expected of a Knight. The Miller, a drunk, tells a tale of lust, immorality, and lechery; even the host was aware that something vulgar or wrong would come out of his mouth. However, the Pardoner, who teaches what is wrong with having greed, actually commits sin himself.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Love, War, and Chastity

Though throughout the Knight’s Tale Arcite may not have seemed an evildoer, his desire for Emily is rather vicious. He is the one that started the conflict when he falls for Emily even though Palamon saw her first. As we see through the Temple of Mars, there is also much injustice depicted on the walls of the temple, for example, Caesar’s assassination. This injustice then broods more violence as Arcite and Palamon battle for Emily’s love. Arcite also prays to win in battle for Mars is the God of War. Desiring victory had its limitations; it did not entail love. In the end, Arcite got what he asked for. He wins the battle, but the gods decide that Palamon should have Emily. If Arcite wanted to win Emily’s hand, worshipping a God whose temple depicted death and sorrow was definitely the wrong idea.

I totally believe that love and war coexist. Love is essential for war, and war is essential for love. As seen through the Knight’s Tale, the love for Emily that Palamon and Arcite express causes a disagreement that leads to violence. Without the love they had for Emily, this war would never have occurred. In the end of the story, Palamon wins the hand of Emily only after battling Arcite and the gods pushing Arcite of his horse. This violence was necessary for Palamon to win his love. One has to remember that love and war are abstract, and therefore their meanings or purposes can be complementary.