Reverse Personification?

"They were like an ant, which can see small ojects, but not large ones." Page 93.

This quote is depersonifiying humans. The old man's facts are in fact interesting, but they are just pieces to the big picture that Winston is trying to put together. The old man keeps giving Winston scenes of a movie, instead of just the synopsis. Winston is trying to bring his memory back, and the old man is the only way in which he will be able to do so. However, as it turns out, he is not as helpful as Winston thought. All the relevant facts that Winston needs are outside the realm of the man's memory. They are details he is not able to recollect.

Beautiful Language

"The air seemed to kiss one's skin. It was the second of May. From somewhere deeper in the heart of the wood came the droning of ring doves." Page 117.

The first sentence refers to the personification of the air. When Winston goes to meet the brown-haired girl, he feels a sense of freedom about him. He can actually breathe when walking outside. He is very nervous about going to meet the girl, for it is illegal to have relationships or even marriage. However, the air is different out in the country where he is meeting her. It is free and fresh, everything that the air in the city isn't. The second sentence speaks of the droning of the ring doves. I am going to take a stab and say this implies that the ring doves are in the middle of the wood of the tree. Regardless, the langauge is beautiful and brings an element of freshness to the story as a whole. The language comes off as if Winston has a second chance at life.

Willy, Happy, Biff

These names are so immature and reveal an immense amount about the characters. Happy is a name that parents would call their children when they are little because they smile a lot. Not one that a grown boy would have. Biff on the other hand, well I do not even know how to explain this one. No wonder he has trouble excelling in his life. His name is Biff. I would be apprehensive about hiring a boy with that name as well. Willy is short for William. At some point in a boy's life he goes from being Willy to a more mature, William. Willy never made that transformation. More than just that, he also remained childish in his mannerisms and deameanor. He is trying to achieve the American dream, but just can not seem to make it work.

Flasssssshback!

The Death of Salesman makes use of flashbacks frequently throughout the text. Whenever Willy is in a serious conversation with someone in his family, he flashes back to another scene in his life where he is a different person. It is almost as if he has an alter ego that controls a portion of his life. This is sad because he is trying to live the American dream, but soon figures out that is not it is all chalked up to be. In addition, these flashbacks seem to trigger the memmory and then control how he lives his life as a family. These flashbacks also include his sons, who are defenseless in this story. It seems to me that they are begging for their father's acceptance. Willy just will not give it to them.

Drama Mamma

The Death of a Salesman is a drama. Not only is it a drama in the sense that Willy dies in the end, but also because of his family. Yes, everyone knows Willy is going to die. Hence the title. However, this is also a tragedy because of the death of his family. Willy was trying to be the traditional father figure that cares for his family; however, he fails epically. He neglects his sons in a sense. Yes, there are many flashbacks of him spending time with his sons, but that amounted to nothing. Happy is always telling his father that he is loosing weight and his father ingores him. How immature.

A dysfunctional family?

When looking at the Wingfield family as a whole, I am think that Amanda, who I cannot picture as a grown woman because that is not an adult name, spends too much time and energy picturing what she wishes her children would be instead of accepting what they are. She is the girl who has the rest of her life planned out when she is twelve years old. EVeryone knows that things never turn out the way you think they will. If Amanda would just accept the fact that she has no control of the personalities her kids have now that they are adults, then she would not be as stressed. She could then embrace them for who they are and work with them as a family to be a unit. The mothers who are the ones that believe they have complete control over what their children do and how they act and believe they can dictate who they are by restraining their actions are the ones who have children that do not follow their standards. Instead Amanda could influence her children by her own actions and leading by her example. Eventually her children will catch onto the acceptable way to behave in society. I know I am talking like her kids are little, but I just cannot picture them as being adults in my head.

Tommy boy

Tom Wingfield is the protagonist of the play. He is the one who is the bread winner of the family. The story is told through the eyes of Tom. I find Tom as an interesting character. He was forced to take over his father's role as the man of the house when he left. I do not know anyone who lives with their parent and younger sister who are in charge of making sure the electrical bill is paid. In addition, Tom was thrown into the situation of being the father figure of the family. He is the one his mother leans on when she needs support, and he is the father to his sister who does not have a father figure in her life. Throughout the entirety of the play, I was wondering when Tom would leave like his father. It seems as though he followed his father's life in every aspect up until that point, and it was inevitable he would leave in the end.

What kind of play is this?

When evaluating the type of play this can be viewed as, I think many different ideas are possible. With the two major types being tragedy and comedy, The Glass Menagerie falls into both. It has aspects comedy, for the whole idea that Amanda is trying to seek a caller for her daughter who has quit school and this is her last alternative for being anything in like. In addition, it is filled with irony. The scene where the father's picture is lit up when they talk about being able to escape from a coffin. On the other hand, the play is a tragedy. Laura does not find a potential man to marry, and Tom ends up escaping from the house, following in the steps of his father. However, if I was FORCED to choose which one it is, I would have to say a comedy. After all the whole dynamics of the family is rather humorous.

Not too shabby

Upon starting Othello, I was apprehensive as to how I would get through this whole thing. I saw how many pages I would be reading, and how little time I had. However, once I started, I realized it wasn't too bad. I realized it was actually very funny. I realized the fact that these themes are timeless and can be applied to all walks of life, no matter what the time period. We sometimes chalk Shakespeare up to this figure we don't know who lived before us and can't relate to. However, after reading the scene about uglies and smarties, I realized this is completely untrue. In addition, I was scared to death about the language the play was written in. However, once I got into the mode and forced myself to think they way they spoke during the time period, it really wasn't all that bad.

Dead or alive?

Dramatic suspense is created best in the fifth act. Knowing the play is a tragedy assumes that everyone will die in the end. However, the order and causes of each death leaves the reader wondering how it will all go down. When Othello is in the process of killing Desdemona, Emilia walks in. This leaves the reader wondering if Des is really dead, or if she is still alive. Upon the death of Emilia by Iago, everyone is in shock as to what just happened. The reader thinks that the play is over and enough damage has done. Little do they know that Othello is about to kill himself as well.

Themeeeeeee

A theme of Othello is honesty. During this time period in history, there were no cell phones, internet connections, or instant messaging. Because of this, the only sense of communication was word of mouth. We think it is difficult at Roncalli high school to overcome rumors, but imagine how it would be with everyone talking at different times and rarely being together. Iago thoroughly believed he would get away with the whole scheme. Never did he imagine that he wouldn't. However, conscience always gets the best of everyone, and they end up getting caught in the end. No matter how hard or inconvenient it may be, honesty is always the best route.

I must admit, I laughed

I know I have discussed this scene numerous times, I feel like the scene in Act I, scene iii. This scene really made me think that Shakespeare maybe did have a sense of humor. I feel like in today's world, girls do use their blonde hair or stupidity to their advantage. Rich men will want to get them in bed. Smart women then again do the same thing- use their wit to their advantage. This also made me realize that maybe Shakespearean themes are timeless. They apply to all eras of life. This is just evidence that Shakespeare wrote for all generations, and no matter what technology may bring- girls will be girls and will never change. Pretty sad when you think about it actually.

How tragic...

Shakespeare's Othello is a tragedy, for in the end everyone will die (spoiler alert). However, there are also elements of comedy as well. Shakespeare does a phenomenal job of bringing comic relief to a plot line that would otherwise be considered dull and boring. In Act II, scene i, Iago talks about the different types of women to Dez. This added an element of disbelief to the audience. The audience was not expecting Iago to break into a speech about how all women just want to be in bed. He had a very creative response to each question he was asked. Each time another question was asked, the audience expected him to not have an answer- but he did. Each answer was surprisingly similar in its nature.

Ugly v. Pretty

In Act II, scene i, realistic conventions were portrayed to the reader. Iago was describing to Des all about how ugly, pretty, stupid, and smart women get their way in the world they live in. According to Iago, all women just want to get in bed with a man - degrading. However, in all reality this is how a substantial number of women operate these days. This is a stylized convention in the story. It was incorporated in order to show Iago's view of women. This reveals to the reader that he as an ulterior motive with his later actions (i.e. getting Cassio drunk for the sole purpose of getting him fired by Othello). The entire play is not this way, for this bit is an motive of characterization for the audience to get to know Iago better. If this scene did not exist, it would make Iago more of a sympathetic character- something Shakespeare doesn't want him to have.

How I met your mother

Plot

In regards to plot, “How I met my husband” would be similar to the film adaptation. Instead of Chris Waters flying into the city on a plane to give rides, I would have him as a temp who is working on the road in front of the house where Edie is living. She would pass him working on the road when she took the kids to school everyday for months, and then one day Chris would come up to the door and ask her if he could get some water because they ran out that day. They would lock eyes and have a “moment”. Everyone else in the community would pick up on their odd romance, for he would be a very attractive man everyone wants to talk to. The film would be similar in the fact that there would be an annoying neighbor who thinks she knows everything and always interferes. Once the man goes onto a new job, he tells Edie he will write her, and she checks the mail everyday. Like the short story, she will end up marrying the mailman.

Point of View

The Point of View would be first person. The first scene would be Edie talking to her kids as they lay in bed and she is telling them stories of how she and their father met and got married. The story will be told with all of Edie’s personality. Because of this, the viewers will get mixed feelings. What is happening on the screen (Edie and Chris falling in love) will not match the narration. For, Edie will be very apprehensive about her relationship with him and talk about how it was very innocent and she didn’t know what to expect. More emphasis will be placed on the mailman when there is a montage of her going to the mailbox everyday and not getting a letter. They will start to talk and eventually hit it off. While on screen this may be a minor scene, the narration will convey passion and love.

Characterization

The second scene of the film would be Edie at her real home and what it was like for her to grow up. She will not have a washer and dryer or dishwasher or any amenity she has at the Peebles’. This will convey her innocence and naivety. Throughout the scenes in the film, Edie will be seen encountering things like a mixer, a washing machine, and a toaster for the first time. She will not know what to do with them, and she will be fascinated. This conveys how she loves new things and experiencing new adventures. Because of these details, it will not be a surprise when she jumps onto Chris. Chris on the other hand will be this dashing man who is suave and stylish and always knows the right word to say at any given moment.

Setting

Whereas the text occurred in a small town, so too will the film. It will be in a small farm town in Bargersville, IN. The neighborhood will be an affluent one, but with a farm feeling. Whereas the text had neighbors right next door, the nearest neighbors will be our of walking distance. This fact will make it more ironic how the neighbors think the know everything about everyone. The city will be large enough to have character, but small enough for rumors to travel quickly. The road being fixed is to help allow for a huge country club that is going in down the street. This shows that it is a growing city that is fairly sizable.

Theme

Whereas the theme of the text was Edie being older and wiser now, and looking back on her mistakes and wishing she would have chosen differently. The film adaption will lead the viewers to believe that the theme is “everything happens for a reason”. In the opening scene, she will be laying in bed with her son, who is upset about his girlfriend that broke up with him. She will start the story with the intention of telling him not to worry about it. She will show him that it is important to live life without regretting things. In what she thought was going to be a small anecdote to convey her message to her son, she ends up telling him how the two of his parents met, and how they would not change their life for the world. In the end, the son will learn to be okay with their separation and pursue the girl he never thought he would be with but found they have quite a connection.

Shawshank the Movie

PLOT

In regards to plot, the movie and the book were almost exactly paralleled. Most of the time when novels are made into movies, the film makers are forced to cut out key elements to the novel. Because Shawshank was just a novella, the film makers were able to keep all information from the novella when making the film. However, there were a few subtle differences between the film and the novella. For example, the head screw in the book did not get arrested once Andy escaped. Another difference was that Worden Norton did not kill himself when the guards were trying break into his office. In the novella, he simply resigned from his position and went on about his life. My mom's favorite part, when Andy turns on the music for the entire campus to hear, was not included in the novella.

POINT OF VIEW

When talking about point of view, the two were not all that different. In the novella, Red did most of the talking and told the stories from his point of view. He often interjected into the stories that some of his stories were just hearsay, but he did get them from reliable sources. While the movie was handled the same way, Red did not interject his opinion into each matter. It was more dialogue between he and Andy than him narrating, although there was quite a bit of both. Andy never really talked in the novella, but he did talk sometimes in the film version. I personally liked how Red did gave his opinion to most of the subjects, for it gave a personal touch to the story line.

CHARACTERIZATION

The first thing I noticed when watching the film version last night with by bestie Keaton McCoy was how violent the guards were when interacting with the prisoners. It caught me by surprise actually. In the text version, the "screws" kept them in line but never really physically abused him. This was the complete opposite in the film. Matter of fact, it made my heart hurt when I watched how they treated them. In addition, Red made the "screws" in the novella out like they were the scums who were dirty and didn't really care about life. The way in which the "screws" dressed made them portrayed as more sophisticated.

SETTING

When I pictured the prison Red portrayed in the novella, I pictured somewhat of a rundown shack that they lived in. I never imagined the castle-like prison that was used in the movie. I felt the prison used in the movie lacked the "hard" look that the one in the book had. However, once Andy escaped from his cell, the images of him escaping were exactly what I expected. The human waste exploding from the pipes and Andy climbing through them was almost more than I could handle. Once Andy has completely escaped from the jail, the image of him tearing off his clothes, was amazing and made me cry. The vivid images of the movie brought the entire morale of the story home to me.

THEME

When talking about theme, the novella and the movie were very similar. Everyone knew that Andy did not belong in prison. Even when he was there, he acted as if he wasn't even incarcerated at Shawshank. Everyone held Andy to a higher regard than the other prisoners, even the screws did. The warden made it his prerogative to make certain Andy didn't get the best of him. However, the warden let him do just that. Some people just don't belong behind bars, and the same is true with life. Some people are meant to be free spirits and just can't be held captive. This was Andy, he took his time in Shawshank to formulate his plan, and in a sense make his life better because of it.

The downfall of our society

I am a firm belivever of the coherence of the family. I believe that familes with a father and mother are more effective and will ultimately lead a more fulfulling life. When I read this story, my first reaction was this poor child. From the beginning, he is torn between who wants him because the two people that made him no longer want to be together in raising him. I feel like I could see him in ten years when he does not have a father and is living his life on the edge and his mother has no control of him. It makes me sad. I think our society can learn from this short story by learning to make better decisions about who we will marry and who to have children with. After all, no one is imagining their relationship will end that way when the deed is done.

The Drunkard

All I have to say is the little boy's mother respones way differently than my mother would have if I had come home drunk. First of all, I feel it was very disrespectful for him to do it. I am not fully convinced that he did it to be the brake for his father's drinking. I fell that he may have just wanted to see what it tasted and felt like to be able to act like his father. If I were his father, I would not have allowed him to act like that in the street. Yes, he may have been drunk, but he did not drink so much alcohol that he was trashed beyond his mind. He was just putting on a show in order to get attention and to make everyone else look at him. In fact, he may have been doing this so that his father could have seen what he looks like when he comes home drunk all the time. I am not sure what is true, for this is just one odd story!

Zoe is wierd

The whole story is an example of situational irony. Throughout the entire story, Zoe talks about how she is always getting in trouble for saying her jokes in her class at the university. However, she is also making a living off of her book about humor. Zoe felt that her expertise of humor would stay strictly to her business life and stay out of her life in the personal sense. However, she is proved wrong when Earl thinks she is downright odd when she starts cracking her jokes at the end of the story. Zoe is just wierd and a social misfit. Why would anyone in their right mind want to move to the midwest in a little town by Terre Haute. First of all, the only thing that happens there is extensive drug use. This means that Zoe isn't really that good of a history teacher and instead just settles for teaching US history in a small town at the local college.

Lottery of Death

The point of view of this story was crucial to the overall meaning of the work. Having a third person omnipotent view allows the reader to make his own decisions about the process as a whole. It also allows the reader to realize the tone of the lottery as well. Up until the end of the story, the reader has no idea what the lottery is actually conducted for. If the nararrator would have hinted at this throughout the story, then the reader would not have the surprise element at the end of the story. The POV shows that the community really does not care about what happens in the society. The fact that the little children were throwing stones at their mother adds an element of surprise that would not be revealed with a limited nararrator. The story would not be what it is without that element.