It's over!

"Blasted as thou wert, my agony was still superior to thine..." (166).

Well well well, that was an interesting book. This line struck me though. The monster says that despite all that Victor went through he still had it worse than Victor. I see the monster's point though, he never had anyone in his life at all. Not only that, but he thought that Victor was going to create him a companion and in fact he didn't. This may not be the best time to say something like this but the effect of these words is strong. The ending seemed a little bit disappointing to me though. It seemed like there was a lot of conflict then all the sudden everybody just died and it was over.

Interesting. . .

"How all this will terminate, I know not; but I had rather die than return shamefully,--my purpose unfulfilled" -page 160

This was said, well, written by Walton in a letter to his sister. It seems that Walton's sense of determination is very similar to that of Victor's. Walton wanted to reach the arctic circle so badly that he was reluctant to turn back even in the most intense of conditions. Victor wouldn't rest until he sought his revenge on the monster. This is also very similar to when he created the monster. While he was in the process of creating him he neglected everything including his own health. I think that the parallels drawn between the two help point out the more important themes present in the novel.

Dynamic character

"I will exert myself; and if it is in my power to seize the monster, be assured that he shall suffer punishment proportionate to his crimes." -page 148

During the whole story, well, after he creates the monster, Victor tries to avoid him. In fact, right after he makes him he tries to sleep then upon discovering the monster looming over him, leaves his house. This is the first time that the Victor says anything about seeking out the monster. It only makes sense that he is going to try to kill him. Victor just can't stand not knowing where or when the monster is coming or what he will do next. He realizes his responsibility now. It's about time though, he created the monster and let him do so much before he finally decided to do something about it.

Plot/Foreshadowing

"You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This alone you can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede." -page 104

This is quite a predicament for Victor. Should he create a female, yielding to the monster's request in an attempt to subside his murderous ways? Or should he not do it and then? Who knows what? We can only assume that the monster would continue to kill if not kill more. In addition he probably wouldn't be too fond of Victor if he denies his request. That would put his own safety in danger. I think this could also be considered a bit of foreshadowing. He says "he must not refuse to concede." That sounds like a threat to me!

Who's the Real Monster?

"William, Justine, and Henry--they all died by my hands." -page 136

So who really killed all of theses people? Literally, or maybe a better way to put that is directly, it was the monster. But wait, who exactly is the monster? Victor said this. However, I feel like, through his creation and neglect of the monster, Victor is responsible. It actually kind of makes sense that most people think that Frankenstein is the name of the monster because when you get down to it, he really is. It just really bothers me how Victor created the monster and then completely abandoned him. It was one thing to make the monster, to experiment and discover something that had never been done, but he has to have a sense of responsibility.

Foreshadowing

"My children, my firmest hopes of future happiness were placed on the prospect of your union."

Yeah yeah. I know. We're not supposed to think it's weird but I still think it is. This is like an arranged marriage on steroids. I mean really, you adopt a daughter to marry your son? Weird. You want them to grow up together, in the same house, like brother/sister/cousins and not have problems? I mean it is inevitable, brothers and sisters fight. Its a fact of life and the idea of having two kids grow up like that then get married is just plain weird. Ok though, I got all the weird ranting out. Oh yeah and this could be foreshadowing because they might actually get married, who knows?

IRONY!

"Abhorred monster! Fiend that thou art!"

Victor is calling the monster a fiend here. Sure it's a lame insult to start with but that's not the ironic part. The ironic part is that he is the one who created him and is now calling him "abhorred" that's ridiculous! it[s fault in the first place! Oh well, beyond that I do feel bad for the monster. I think everyone does. He really gets the short end of the stick. He didn't choose to come into the world and just because he's trying to learn how to live because Victor abandoned him doesn't mean he should suffer. I don't know, I have a feeling he'll be the one either saving Victor and Victor realizes he;s a nice monster or he'll kill Victor unknowingly.

Irony

"Learn from me...how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow." -page 31

This quote is very ironic. Who would think that knowledge leads to unhappiness? Although then again there is the old saying (although maybe not older than this book) that ignorance is bliss. This also advocates not knowing the true realm of the world. It instead promotes simply knowing your own town to be the world. Interesting. In this time period it would have been much easier to be like this though. Not knowing the whole world is tough in today's world. I feel like Americans shut out the rest of the wold better than everyone else. Well or worse than everyone else depending on which way you look at it. We tend to focus on affairs here at home and we are a fairly happy nation so maybe there is some truth to this idea.

Responsibility

Be calm! I intreat you to hear me, before you give vent to your hatred on my devoted head."

Ok I just want to reflect a little on whats happened and what I think is strange about it. Victor created the monster and doesn't seem to feel like he has any responsibility in keeping it under control. It seemed like he made it then just left his house and hoped it was gone when he got back. How can he do that? I think its amazing the thing survived. Obviously it wouldn't be a very good book if it hadn't but I just feel like there's something missing there. How did it survive if it was basically like a toddler at best when it was "born?"

Letters

I really like the letters. I think it's an interesting way to start the story and it gives you the same perspective that Margaret Saville had when she read them (hypothetically speaking of course).

"What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?"

Ok I'll admit, I didn't exactly come up with this quote completely on my own. I was talking to my aunt, an English teacher, about this book and she told me to pay attention to when they mention light. I figured this is a perfect example of that and when I asked her what was so important about this quote she told me it has to do with theme and a commonality between Frankenstein and Walton. She wouldn't tell me anymore but I see what she means. They both thirst for knowledge and not just learn from others but to discover. Frankenstein creates a monster out of nothing and Walton is in search of what makes the needle point north. Interesting how they parallel each other and how this quote demonstrates Waltons search for answers using the metaphor of light.

100th Blog!

First off I want to recognize that this is my hundredth blog. I'm not really sure how to feel about that since I'm fairly certain that you (Mr. Costello) are the only one who even skims my blogs and now I've written a hundred of them, kind of depressing really.

Anyway, 1984, crazy book. I thought it was. . .interesting. The idea, especially in 1948 is crazy and perplexing. However, I don't think a world like this is possible in today's society. It seems like there is no way that with the internet it would ever be possible to control people in this extreme of a manner. I think that the revolts in Egypt show this very clearly on a smaller scale. The people were suffering from the governments overwhelming control and due to the ability to unite online they revolted and overturned the government.

I do think that the quote near the end is interesting "He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." You can see just how brain washed he is. He thinks that loving big brother despite his previous feelings towards him is a victory and that is kind of sickening until you realize, oh yeah its a book. I did like the ending though, it was the only way it could really end legitimately in my opinion.

Foreshadowing!

"'Are you guilty?' said Winston.
'Of course I'm guilty!' cried Parsons with a servile glance at the telescreen. 'You don't think the Party would arrest an innocent man, do you?'" -page 233

This quote shows us just a glance about what is to become of Winston. At the time both Winston and the reader (for the most part) is unaware that this man could very well be innocent and just brainwashed by the party. He thinks that it is simply ludicrous that anyone would question the rightness of the party even though we can only assume that is exactly what Parsons did to get caught in the first place. In fact, at the time Parsons probably knew full and well that the party didn't like whatever it was he was doing but in his own conscience saw nothing wrong with it. Woah! That's exactly like Winston! So basically I think this quick little chat between Parsons and Winston is a bit of a preview of what Winston is to become!

Characterization

"O'Brien's manner became less severe. He resettled his spectacles thoughtfully, and took a pace or two up and down. When he spoke, his voice was gentle and patient." page 245

This quote provides some characterization of O'Brien. Who I didn't feel like we really knew a whole lot before we learned he would be the one torturing Winston. This scene comes right after O'Brien questions Winston for the first time. Overall Winston seems like a pushover. Although who isn't? O'Brien even caves in the end and with all of the influence from Big Brother who can blame them? I do think that O'Brien must be pretty smart. He had Winston convinced they were friends and now, without so much as the twitch of an eyebrow he is torturing him! I mean this guy really keeps work at work!

Theme!

"Their real weapon was the merciless questioning that went on and on hour after hour, tripping him up, laying traps for him, twisting everything that he said, convicting him of every step of lies and self-contradiction, until he began weeping as much from shame as from nervous fatigue" (241)

One of the major themes of this book is not only the idea of getting people to obey the Big Brother but to actually think and believe everything that the party does. Before Winston was captured he outwardly expressed his consent to the party's every whim however he never in the slightest believed it. The whole idea of thought crime is Big Brother trying to get rid of all the people that are like Winston and are not all in with the party. This quote reveals this theme effectively and demonstrates the party's willingness to go far beyond mental ways of persuading people to follow them. I guess the torture is a pretty effective way of getting people to crack!

Parallelism

"The pencil felt thick and awkward in his fingers. He began to write down the thoughts that came to his head. He wrote in large clumsy letters..." (277)

I thought this was a very obvious parallel between the first time Winston began writing and well, this time. Last time Winston wrote it said, "His pen slid voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat capitals -- DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER." That is literally the exact opposite of what Winston is doing now and I don't think for a second it was a mistake. Both of these occurrences are so drastically different because Winston is so drastically different. On page 277 Winston has given in to Big Brother. I also think that the fact that he can barely write now that he has given in to Big Brother shows just how much they have severely impacted Winston mentally. Also, this time instead of writing about his hatred for Big Brother and everything he represents he writes the 3 ideologies of the party.

Well isn't this precious

"At the sight of the words I love you the desire to stay alive had welled up in him, and the taking of minor risks suddenly seemed stupid" (109).

This quote, along with what actually has happened in the book shows possible one of the main themes. Human's need to love/have another person in their life. This is not only shown by this quote but also when Winston is contemplating suicide that quickly changes when the brown haired chick gives him a note saying she loves him. Touching I know. Back to the point though, even though Winston doesn't directly say that is why he decides not to commit suicide it is painfully obvious. The novel depicts a government that has basically taken away all human emotion and therefore all human relationships. We haven't heard of anyone actually dying, it seems like everyone gets vaporized before they have the chance to die and the people aren't even aloud to talk about it! Winston also points out that he thinks the proles are the most human like out of anyone. Why is this? Simple, they still possess emotions.

Just Another to Add to the List

"Until they become conscious, they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious." page 70

This is just another paradoxicalish sentence used by good ol' George. He seems to like these. . . a lot. I kinda do to though, there interesting compared to the relatively dry plot to the rest of the book. I can't complain too much though, its not that bad. This sentence is a little different though since the two clauses are basically the same just rearranged. I'm pretty sure there is a lit term for that but I don't remember what its called and I am far too lazy to look it up. Maybe it's Antimetabole? This sentence is a reference to the proles, the only group that Winston thinks are still truly human. They won't rise up against the government because they don't think they have the power capable of such a thing even though they do. The only way they'll realize this though is by rising up so it is a vicious circle.

Nice Touch!

"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.

Someone pointed out this little passage to me and I was just struck by how good it sounds! I mean right after ol' George wrote this down he had to have thought to himself, "dang, that sounds pretty awesome." In all seriousness though it displays a great amount of control concerning the syntax. It isn't an overly complex sentence in fact its a group of 2 simple sentences and one somewhat complex. It combines the metaphor with personification of the heart of the tree. The language used also really envelops the way that Winston is feeling at this point. He has just found a bit of a new zest for life and is excited and the language makes it come off as such.

Pardoxical

"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH"
PAGE 16

This slogan seems twisted and completely backwards upon the first read but after you look into it a little bit more it makes sense. They say that War is Peace. That's not true right? Well, it's a bit of a gray area. They are quite literally constantly at war with another country however the war and common hatred for another group of people keep them united and peaceful at home. Next they say that freedom is slavery. Well this ones a bit more of a stretch but being free to make your own decisions leads to a norm that many people fail to meet and in trying to comply with this norm are enslaved by their work. All of these things are complete opposites in today's world. The Party conducts duties the complete opposite of today's world and the world when Orwell wrote the book. Thankfully, this all didn't happen in the 80's or ever. Or did it? A lot of it reminds me of the grotesquely wrong things that Hitler was able to lead the Nazi Party into during WW2.

Number 5

Certainly one of the main themes in "The Death of a Salesman" is living, or at least attempting to live, the American dream. This theme is also very prevalent in "The Glass Menagerie" and many parallels can be made. Willy is a man with a lot of pride. This pride used to be at least somewhat deserved when Willy was a successful salesman when Biff and Happy where children. However, his pride did not change when his circumstances changed and he even lied about his wages. In fact, when the Lomans did not have as much money as they used too Willy saw Linda making herself some stockings and he told her to stop because he would buy her some. This all compares well with the Glass Managerie because Tom and Laura are trapped with their unsuccessful mother with no good way out. Also the fathers are somewhat important in both stories. In The Death of a Salesman he is the spark that starts all of the drama whereas in the Glass Menagerie his picture often lights up at key moments.

Flashbacks

Throughout The Death of Salesman there are many instances where flashbacks are used. It seems like every time Will tries have a legitimate conversation with someone in his family, he recalls a memory from his life where he is a different person. It's kind of like he's scitsafrantic or something. His alter ego seems to just rip into his present reality and drag him through this memory. Willy is trying to live "the American dream" but he realizes, from these memories that he isn't cut out to live it. These flashbacks also contain Willy's sons. It seems in these flashbacks, that they are only seeking their father's approval and acceptance but Willy finds a way not to give it to them.

Who names their kid Biff?

Ok so the whole time we've been talking about this story I, and I'm sure many others have all been thinking the same thing. . . who on earth names their kids Biff and Happy? I mean maybe they named one and didn't realize how horrible of a name it was then when the other came along they didn't want to give him a better name so they went with Biff. Which segways nicely into my next point which is that Biff is a foil character to Willy and Happy. This is pretty apparent but I thought maybe I should find out what a "biff" is, so I pulled up dictionary.com and low and behold it is a noun or verb that means "To strike or punch." This seems like it might be an odd coincidence but oh no, this is a drama, there are no coincidences. While Willy (willing) and Happy (happy) carry a more positive connotation, Biff means to hit or punch. This difference is made real in the play because unlike Willy and Happy, Biff is actually trying to go somewhere, he wants to reconcile his mistakes and make something of his life and Willy makes a lot of jabs or punches, if you will, at Biff for his unsuccessfulness.

The Glass Menagerie

Amanda is definitely an overbearing parent if I've ever seen one. I thought it was funny right after her and Tom's argument when they made up and then immediately she went right back to correcting every little thing he did with the way he ate his food and they got right back into their argument again. That is also something about the play that seems fairly realistic. I'm pretty sure I've seen the exact same thing happen in real life. Throughout a lot of the play though really she seems to make little pokes at Tom and his imperfections, she says things like "...Tom is a total loss when it comes to mechanics" or "I don't know why my son is so stand-offish." On the other side there's the way that Amanda deals with Laura, at first she seems to defend Laura whenever possible like when she tells Tom not to call her "crippled." However, later, she goes on to warn Laura that she is the prettiest she'll ever look which is kind of a backhanded compliment really if not just an insult.

#6 How do stage directions/music/descriptions reinforce the play's meaning and emotions?

The stage directions in this play are extremely precise and leave nothing to interpretation. This leaves very little freedom for the actor and the director however that is probably the way that it is intended to be. When he was writing this he had an image in his head and instead of just putting the text and minor direction he decided to include an overwhelming amount of detail in order to produce exactly the play he wanted every time. I think that all of this extreme detail also is a way to make the play as realistic as possible. I really wanna hear this "Glass Menagerie" music though since it comes on so much. For some reason I'm picturing it being like the twilight zone music even though that wouldn't fit the situation.

Realistic vs. non realistic

This play is full of things that are both realistic and non realistic its just important to be able to distinguish between the two. Originally i was using non realistic and unrealistic as synonyms and I thought that it was unrealistic that Tom would go to the movies every night since they don't release movies that often. Because of this I assumed that Tom was lying about what he did when he went out at night and that was a poor assumption. I feel like all the details in the stage directions make the play more more realistic. The setting seems very appropriate for the time period. Also I think that the family's situation is fairly realistic with the dad leaving and Laura's disability. The narrator is really one of the only non realistic things that jumps out at me. Obviously no one walks around narrating their life and in addition to this Toms "memories" include scenes that he isn't even in so how does he remember that?

Othello, The movie!

Well I was browsing netflix and I found this movie! "O" was by mail only and I don't think I'm going to mail away for it so i started watching this one. So far it is really well made and very accurate. They even speak in the same text as the play. I would strongly suggest you look into it if you haven't already seen it. I've only gotten to watch about the first 15 minutes of it but so far it has really helped me put names to faces and keep the characters all straight. That is always one of my problems when I read plays. The way the movie is though its almost like the play verbatim however I do think I noticed a few differences with some of the spoken word. The only possible drawback is it's length, it's about 2 hours long.

Question 4

In my opinion a lot of the suspense and some hostility is created by Iago and the fact that he is very open about his plan and all of his thoughts. Iago is pretty blunt and so his openness can create some tension when what he says isn't something that you would expect someone to say. As an audience member, it's nice knowing all of Iago's thoughts because it seems to me like they're probably the most interesting anyway. Most of the suspense stems from whether or not all of Iago's master plan is really going to flesh out the way he wants. Through all of Iago's thoughts and his interactions with other characters, we, as the audience, get to decide if we really think that everything he thinks is going to happen is and essentially whether or not what we think will happen or not creates suspense because we want to know if were right. It is kind of odd how so far the least informed character is Othello, the protagonist. I'm guessing that will change if not soon, eventually.

Question 3

In the play "Othello", it seems fairly obvious that Othello is the protagonist. The first hint might be the fact that the entire play is named after him. Beyond that thought it seems like a lot of people know and recognize Othello's leadership. Early in the play Iago says, "For I do know the state cannot with safety cast him, for he's embarked with such loud reason to the Cyprus wars that, for their souls, another of his fathom they have none to lead their business." (Act I, i, 150ish) This is essentially saying that there is no one better for the job than Othello and the fact that other people recognize this says a lot for Othello's abilities. I'm pretty sure that Iago is the antagonist. He really likes to play tricks on people, or more specifically, he expounds on deceit and trickery. He shows Othello respect when he's around but as soon as he's gone he talks about him behind his back. All of theses characters play a part in Othello's plan to get revenge and obtain the position in the military that he wants.