My Mistress' Eyes
By: William Shakespeare

In this poem, the narrator has an odd way of describing his love's beauty.  While most would assume that the woman would be receiving positive compliments, the narrator actually does the complete opposite.  "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" (Shakespeare) is the opening line of the poem.  How sweet...  In addition to this, the narrator continues on with these "compliments."  He says that her breath stinks, music is more pleasing to listen to than her voice, she treads when she walks, etc.  If I were the woman he were talking about, I would be completely insulted!  Any time he starts to say a compliment, he compares her to something else and says she is less perfect than that.  In the couplet, though, the narrator brings up an interesting point.  "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare" (Shakespeare).  Here, the narrator is claiming that his love for this woman is unique.  He says that it is so unique that it can't be compared to anyone else's love.  I find this to be very interesting, considering he basically wrote a poem of insults about her.

Barbie Doll
By: Marge Piercy

This poem was actually very depressing, in my opinion.  The girl that the poem is about was a normal, happy little girl as a child.  However, when puberty hit, a classmate told her that she had a big nose and fat legs.  Regardless of what she did and accomplished, this is all anyone would notice.  No one could see past her fat legs and big nose.  Eventually, the girl could not handle the stress of everyone's harsh judgments.  "Her good nature wore out like a fan belt" (Piercy).  This simile bears a great significance to the poem.  I had to look up what a fan belt was to understand the simile to realize this, though.  A fan belt keeps a car's engine from overheating.  If it runs out, then the engine would no longer work.  Similarly, the young girl grew tired of people judging her.  Her good nature refers to her self-confidence and motivation to ignore people's rude opinions.  She grew angry towards everyone and did not want to have to deal with the situation any longer.  As a result, she cut off her nose and legs.  The narrator describes that in her casket, she had a "turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie" (Piercy).  When everyone viewed her casket, they commented on how pretty she looked.  This was sad to me.  No one would recognize the girl's true and natural beauty.  They only saw her to be beautiful when she had a fake nose and no legs in her casket.  The final lines say "consummation at last.  To every woman a happy ending" (Piercy).  I thought that this quote was a shame.  It is basically saying that no woman ever feels happy until she is told that she is pretty.  Since no one said this about the girl until she was dead, I found this quote to be especially upsetting.

A Jury of Her Peers
By: Susan Glaspell

In this story, Martha Hale is suddenly called by her husband to a crime scene.  John Wright was murdered.  As soon as Martha learns of this, she feels a sense of guilt.  She had known Minnie (John's wife) for years and had never visited her.  Mr. Hale explains his knowledge on the situation.  He had been trying to talk John into buying a phone for awhile, so he went over to the Wright's house.  When he got there, Minnie frantically answered the door and said that John had been murdered.  She tells Mr. Hale that John had been strangled. Based on her reaction to the situation, Mr. Hale didn't suspect that Minnie would have killed her husband.  However, we soon learn that Minnie is guilty of the crime.  Her husband had killed her pet bird, so she killed him in return.  The women (Martha and the sheriff's wife) discovered the evidence that revealed this truth.  "Desperately she opened it, started to take the bird out.  But there she broke-she could not touch the bird" (Glaspell).  Martha found a box that contained the dead bird, which reveals Minnie's motive to kill John.  I think that the bird was symbolic.  Minnie said that her husband had told her that she could no longer sing, and then he killed her bird.  I think that the bird symbolized her voice as a woman.  She was upset that her husband would ban her from singing and kill her pet.  She may have felt like he was treating her as an inferior because of her gender.  Either way, I think that Minnie has some problems.  Who kills their husband over a bird?!

Hunters in the Snow
By: Tobias Wolff

In this short story, Tub, Kenny, and Frank go on a hunting trip together for the day.  It is cold and snowing outside, which is not ideal hunting weather in Tub's opinion.  Tub consistently annoys his friends with negativity and complaints.  Frank and Kenny seem to enjoy ganging up and Tub and giving him a hard time. After a few hours of hunting, the men stop to eat lunch.  Kenny and Frank eat heavily, while Tub snacks on a hard-boiled egg and a stick of celery.  Kenny and Frank tease Tub about this and his weight.  Tub snaps back and claims he has a gland issue.  After they continue hunting again, Tub ends up separated from his friends and sits down to eat again.  "He ate both the sandwiches and half the cookies, taking his own sweet time" (Wolff).  With this sentence, it became very clear the Tub was lying about his glands.  He pretends to have health issues as a way to avoid the jokes about his weight.  This is an internal conflict.  Tub is essentially living a double life.  "When I said that about my glands, that wasn't true.  The truth is I just shovel it in" (Wolff).  Tub confesses the reality of his health to Frank.  He tells his friend how difficult it is to keep up this lie.  His wife, friends, etc. all think he truly has problems with his glands.  However, Tub actually is overweight because he eats so much.  Because he basically lives two separate lives, Tub suffers from an internal conflict.  He must keep up with his lie.  If he ever wants to tell the truth, he has to build up the courage to fess up and do so. 

Othello (Blog 8)
By: William Shakespeare

Well, this play definitely fits in the category of a tragedy!  Knowing how Shakespeare's tragedies always end, I knew that at least one of the characters was going to die.  In Act V, Scene 2, Othello kills Desdemona in the bed.  She begs him not to, and she even tells him that she and Cassio never slept together.  Despite his wife's desperate pleas, Othello stabs Desdemona.  Before she dies, Desdemona tells Emilia that she killed herself.  "Nobody, I myself.  Farewell.  Commend me to my kind lord.  Oh farewell!" (V.ii.122-123).  I think that this proves that Desdemona truly loved Othello, and she didn't want anyone to know that he killed her over a rumor that wasn't even true.  When Emilia shows up after Othello stabbed his wife, she tells Othello that Cassio is alive and he killed Roderigo.  In addition, Iago kills Emilia when the truth comes out to reveal that he is a villain.  As Emilia is dying, she tells Othello that Desdemona had remained faithful to him.  "Moor, she was chaste.  She loved thee, cruel Moor..." (V.ii.248-249).  After realizing that he murdered his wife for no reason at all, Othello stabs himself so that he falls back and dies on the bed next to Desdemona's body.  "I kissed thee ere I killed thee.  No way but this, killing myself, to die upon a kiss" (V.ii.356-357).  All of these deaths make the end of the play very depressing, making it fit the category of a tragedy perfectly.  It's a shame that all of these characters died due to the lies and deceit of Iago, whom ended up living in the end.

Othello (Blog 7)
By: William Shakespeare

At one point in Act IV of the play, Desdemona sings the "Willow" song as she gets ready for bed.  This song is about a woman that gets betrayed by her lover.  "I called my love false love, but what said he then?  Sing willow, willow, willow.  If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men" (IV.iii.53-55).  When Desdemona sings it in Act IV, she is just singing it because she remembers learning it from one of her mother's maids.  However, this song ends up bearing a great deal of symbolism in Act V.  In this scene, Othello's plan to kill Desdemona is executed.  He wakes Desdemona and tells her to prepare to die.  "Well, do it, and be brief.  I will walk by.  I would not kill thy unprepared spirit.  No, Heaven forfend!  I would not kill thy soul" (V.ii.30-32).  Othello does actually end up killing his once-beloved wife.  The song is symbolic of this.  Desdemona was betrayed by her own husband.  He killed her, even when she tried to explain to him that she and Cassio never slept with each other.

Othello (Blog 6)

By: William Shakespeare

 In Act IV, Scene 2, readers can better-understand the external conflict between Roderigo and Iago.  Apparently, Roderigo has been giving jewels to Iago to give to Desdemona.  "I tell you 'tis not very well.  I will make myself known to Desdemona.  If she will return me my jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my unlawful solicitation.  If not, assure yourself I will seek satisfaction of you" (IV.ii.194-197).  Roderigo tells Iago that if he finds out that he hasn't been giving the jewels to Desdemona, he is going to go after him.  At first, Roderigo was under the impression that he and Iago were working together.  Now, he realizes that Iago really might not be helping him at all.  This is how the external conflict developed.  Roderigo appears to be the first character to recognize Iago and his evil ways.  Iago only wants to benefit himself, but he pretends to help others to gain more for himself.  This scene left me curious.  Is Roderigo going to end up going after Iago?  Will Roderigo's threat stop Iago from continuing his plan?

Othello (Blog 5)
By: William Shakespeare

In Act IV, Scene 1, Iago further proves that he is a round character.  Although it has already been very evident throughout the entirety of the play, this scene includes Iago the whole time, and readers can see how he acts differently towards everyone- Othello, Cassio, and the audience.  Iago comes up with a plan to have Othello listen in on a conversation with Cassio, causing him to think that Cassio is bragging about his "affair" with Desdemona.  When Iago is talking with Othello, he acts like he is a concerned friend.  He pretends to be upset about Desdemona sleeping with Cassio, so he tries to comfort Othello and give him advice.  Iago acts very different when he talks to Cassio; he laughs and encourages Cassio to tell him about Bianca.  When Iago begins to talk to Cassio (while Othello is listening while in hiding), he quietly brings up Bianca.  While Cassio laughs about it, Othello thinks that he is talking about Desdemona.  "So, so, so, so.  They laugh at that win" (IV.i.119).  This quote shows that Othello is bothered by Cassio laughing, even though he doesn't know that Cassio is actually laughing about Bianca.  Lastly, when Iago speaks to the audience, his evil side is revealed.  He tells us his evil plans to ruin the lives of Othello, Desdemona, and Cassio.

Othello (Blog 4)
By: William Shakespeare

When we were introduced to this play in class, we were told to pay close attention to the mention of a handkerchief.  I thought it had been mentioned and I had missed it, but it finally appears in Act III!  I think that the handkerchief bears a great amount of symbolism.  Othello gave Desdemona a handkerchief as a symbol of his love.  This shows that its first meaning is the love that Othello has for Desdemona.  Unlike Brabantio's assumptions, he truly cares about Desdemona.  Later in Act III, though, Iago begins his cruel task to break up Othello and Desdemona.  He begins to tell Othello that he heard that Desdemona has had an affair with Cassio.  Unfortunately, Othello believes this lie.  When Desdemona drops the handkerchief, Emilia steals it to give to her husband.  Iago plans to use it by putting it in Cassio's house to make Othello jealous.  "I will in Cassio's lodging lose this napkin, and let him find it.  Trifles light as air are to the jealous confirmations strong as proofs of Holy Writ" (III.iii.322-325).  I think that the handkerchief is going to also symbolize the love that is probably going to be lost between Othello and Desdemona if Iago's plan executes properly.  Iago certainly proves that he is purely evil in this scene.  

Othello (Blog 3)
By: William Shakespeare

As Act II opens, it is described that the Turkish fleet was separated and even possibly wrecked.  The waves were rough, and the fleet could not stay together.  When Michael Cassio arrives, he explains that he and Othello were separated.  He is unsure as to where his friend is.  Desdemona arrives much earlier than expected, and Cassio is shocked.  He lies about not knowing where her husband is.  Desdemona still is worried, but these worries are relieved when Othello shows up later in Scene 1.  I think that his arrival is proof that he and Desdemona truly love each other.  In Act I, Brabantio feared that Othello forced or tricked his beloved daughter into marriage.  However, the two seem to be very happy as a married couple.  Othello expresses how overjoyed he is to see that his wife has arrived early.  Desdemona responds to this by saying, "the heavens forbid but that our loves and comforts should increase, even as our days do grow" (II.i.178-180).  She is saying that even though their love is forbidden (by Brabantio and others), the love that they share will only grow as they grow older together.

Othello (Blog 2)
By: William Shakespeare

Just after reading Act I, I was already able to tell that Iago is a very fake person.  He is extremely two-faced.  He speaks to people very differently.  Sometimes he uses prose, and other times he uses poetry (iambic pentameter).  For example, shortly after Act I opens, Iago speaking with Brabantio.  Iago is speaking in iambic pentameter here.

"It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place,

To be produced-as if I stay I shall-

Against the Moor..." (I.i.144-146).

This quote shows how Iago spoke to Brabantio in iambic pentameter.  However, we see that he talks in prose with people like Roderigo.  For example, when Iago is talking Roderigo out of committing suicide, he is speaking in prose (I.iii.326-347).  This quote isn't an example of him being two-faced, but it definitely proves that he talks differently to various people.  It seems like he uses prose to talk to people that he is comfortable with and knows well.  On the other hand, when he needs to seem respectful or professional to someone, he uses poetry.

Othello (Blog 1)
By: William Shakespeare

Shakespeare features a great use of characterization in Act I of this play.  It is used in a negative manner, though.  This is because it is racist towards Othello, the Moor.  Some of the characters characterize Othello as an animal, as well as someone that only lusts.  For example, Iago says that "an old black ram is tupping your white ewe" (I.i.88-89).  This quote describes Othello as "an old black ram."  This is because he is African American and is pretty old.  However, this quote is racist for two reasons.  It compares Othello to an animal, which implies that he is inferior to others because of his race.  Also, it says that the ram is "tupping your white ewe."  This implies that Othello is like an animal.  He doesn't know how to truly love; he just uses women for sex.  This is an unfair and rude assumption.  Another example of this characterization is when Iago tells Brabantio that he will have his "nephews neigh" to him (I.i.111).  This implies that if Desdemona and Othello have children together, the children will be animals because of their African American father.  Overall, many of the characters have negative views towards African Americans, and this is proven in the manner that they speak of Othello.