Frankenstein: Finito

"He sprung from the cabin window, as he said this, upon the ice-raft which lay close to the vessel. He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance." (page 166)

Frankenstein did not end how I expected it to. I did expect the death of Elizabeth for sure; I thought she would be killed as soon as Victor made a comment in the beginning of his story explaining her presence. As the story continued to progress, I also figured Victor would die at the end of the novel. The internal conflict eventually caused his health to completely give up. It was foreshadowed by the affect stress had on him at the beginning of his story. In saying all of that, I did not expect the monster to ever be witnessed by anyone other than Victor. When he all of the sudden pops up in Walton's story, it took me a second to recognize what was happening and the gravity of the monster appearing. It weirded me out that the stories were intertwining; I thought the monster would just remain in Victor's story. I also felt as if the ending contained the most action which seemed pretty weird because the rest of the novel was so detailed; I think Shelley could have spent less time working up to the ending and a little more time on the conclusion since it did seem a little rushed. Although, that could be because I was definitely not expecting a few scenes as I said. But, I digress. The ending was the best part of the book, and not because it was the literal ending, but rather because of how it ended.

Frankenstein: Opinion Three

"Why did I not die? More miserable then I ever was before, why did I not sink into forgetfulness and rest?" (page 130)

Alright, heads up, this is pretty much going to be a rant about our dear friend Victor. So. Victor has definitely been the most annoying character of this entire book. Quite honestly, all he does is whine and complain about the fact that he created this monster. I understand that he is trying to warn Walton and whatnot, as well as explain his reasons for being in the middle of nowhere, but really, he doesn't need to gripe about all that has gone wrong. It's his fault, and I don't think he really, truly understands that. His characterization also shows me that he's one of those people who says he knows it's his fault but doesn't really believe it. For instance, in the scene where he claims Justine's innocence, he doesn't honestly stand up or defend her in any way; he is such a coward. He won't face things in the manner that he should which really bothers me too. Overall, I find Victor to be a man of very little honor and courage (which ironically, are virtues Walton attributes to him at the beginning of the book).

Frankenstein: Foil Characters

"But in Clerval I saw the image of my former self; he was inquisitive, and anxious to gain experience and instruction." (pg 115)

In this novel, there are instances of characters that can be considered parallel and those that can be considered foils. At the beginning of Victor's narrative, it seems that he and Henry were parallel characters. Both were young, happy and carefree; however, as the story continues, we see a shift in this because of the changing personality of Victor. Victor becomes sad, depressed, withdrawn, lonely, and cares little about his work, family, or friends. Henry, on the other hand, stays much like he was in his younger years. He is caring, intrigued by the world, and loves life. The reason for this difference is the creation. Since Victor became consumed by all things about the monster (creating it, its creation, and consequences of creation), he greatly altered his own self, as well as his relationship with Henry. In the quote above, we see that Victor recognizes this shift and it saddens him as he reflects upon it. This loss of his previous is yet another thing he blames on the monster.

Frankenstein: Conflict

"Can you wonder that such thoughts transported me with rage? I only wonder at that moment instead of venting my sensations in exclamations and agony, I did not rush among mankind, and perish in an attempt to destroy them." (page 103)

In this novel, there is a lot, a lot of conflict going on. Frankenstein contains both internal and external conflict in the multiple stories unraveling in the work. The monster has an external conflict with civilization because he does not appear the same as other living beings; this external conflict leads to his internal conflict of being depressed because he is not accepted by society. Many of Victor's internal and external conflicts arise from the creation of his monster as well. For instance, William's death occurs because of the monster (who kills William to get revenge against Victor so it's a pretty circular conflict). William's death causes Victor to become severely depressed and blame himself. This pity party leads to a conflict with his family, and the love of his life. There is so much conflict in this novel that it becomes difficult to keep it all straight; however, the myriad of conflicts create an intricate story and helps to keep the audience's attention.

Frankenstein: Allusions

"The book from which Felix instructed Safie was Volney's Ruins of Empires." (page 84)

In Frankenstein, the literary device of an allusion is often used by the creation when he is explaining his story to Victor. The allusions allow Victor (& the reader) the opportunity to understand why the creation has turned out the way he has. Additionally, it allows the monster's audience to learn a little bit about the way his mind works and the reasons to his actions. For instance, when the creation compares himself to Adam and the Fallen Angel earlier in the novel, we see that the monster is torn between two identities and ways of describing himself. The references to well-known books on page 91 also allows us to see why the creation becomes a monster; "they produced in [him] an infinity of new images and feelings, that sometimes raised me to ecstasy, but more frequently sunk me into the lowest dejection" (p 91). The books caused the creation to gain knowledge; however, with this knowledge came pain and the realization that he was lonely and terrifying. The knowledge he gained from these novels caused the chain of events leading to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding William and Justine's deaths. The creation's explanation by allusions are the causes to many of the effects in the novel.

Frankenstein: Opinion Two

"'I expected this reception,' said the daemon. 'All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us." (page 68)

When the creature started talking, I was super shocked. The typical image of Frankenstein-the-monster (depicted below) is this huge, green monster who grunts. He doesn't speak words at all. Furthermore, he doesn't speak with eloquence and diction such as the creature in the novel does. It was really interesting to me that the image of this creature has been altered so much over time. When the creature begins to enlighten Victor of his life (page 70), I was really intrigued. His first person narrative is yet another voice to be added to the many differing voices in the story. It was neat to witness the two opposing views Shelley writes regarding the creature:  Victor and the creature himself. The creature's side caused me to feel pathos for him; Shelley achieved applies this technique easily with the sad story of how the creature came to be. Reading this part of the novel regarding the monster was definitely a curveball for me because of the modern definition that I had always heard about the Frankenstein-creature.

Frankenstein: Opinion One

"Clerval then put the following letter into my hands. It was from my own Elizabeth:- My dearest cousin..." (page 40)

Alright, so far, I am not a fan of Frankenstein. There was way too much exposition for what the story needed (in my personal opinion). The sheer amount of unnecessary information is really bothering me too; I'm sorry, but I don't need to hear Walton discuss the same exact thing in fifteen different ways for three paragraphs. With that being said, I am a fan of the way this frame story it set up. I think it's really cool that we're hearing different first person accounts through letters. Walton is writing to his sister and telling her the story of Victor, who is telling Walton part of his story through letters Elizabeth wrote him. It allows for a distinct voice in each character in the story; it tends to pull the reader deeper into the story I think. I was a big fan of this style of writing when Hosseini applied it in The Kite Runner. This technique makes me focus on the story more because it felt as if the different views of multiple characters are all being expressed to me directly.

Frankenstein: Motivation

"...until from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me-a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simple, that while I became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect which it had illustrated, I was surprised, that among so many men of genius who has directed their enquiries to the same science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret." (page 31)

In the beginning of telling his story, Victor's motivation to creating the creature becomes very clear. The first thing that lead to the creature was his intense desire to learn. When Victor went away to college, he left his family and old life behind him in order to become a great scholar with vast mounts of knowledge. This incredible knowledge lead to his discovery of "the secret" (which makes me think of the book The Secret but I digress). Upon discovering this hush-hush factoid, he realizes he can create life. The passion to create a new life takes over his life and changes him. The motivation for his actions are lies within this crazy desire to be able to create a life and be the first individual to do so. The motivation behind the character's actions in this novel are blatantly stated and explained.

Frankenstein: Direct Characterization

"How can I see so noble a creature destroyed by misery, without feeling the most poignant grief? He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated, and when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art, yet they flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence." (page 11)

In his letters, Walton tends to directly describe the other characters in the novel to his sister. For instance on page 5, he directly tells Margaret what kind of person the master on the ship is and provides an example in the story he writes about him as well. The individual he most directly describes in great detail at this point in the story is Victor. In the letter from August 13th, he writes and writes about Victor to Margaret, which freaked me out a little at first. However, it simply shows the parallels between the two men. It almost seemed as if he were writing out all of the qualities about Victor that he admired and saw as positives for him to be a potential friend. Directly characterizing Victor leaves the audience with little guesswork and space to draw their own conclusions about a character or the reasons for his actions. It instead lets us know exactly the kind of individual Victor is.

Frankenstein: Point of View

"I arrived here yesterday; and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare, and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking." (page 1)

On the first page of Frankenstein, we learn that this novel will be told in first person. Shelley chooses to write the first person point of view in an unique way. Her main character, Robert Walton, is the storyteller. He narrates the story by using letters to explain his trip to his sister. The letters allow him to write down all of his thoughts and experiences and pass them on to his sister; this is turn allows the reader to get inside Walton's head and understand the story from his viewpoint. Even more interesting is the fact that Margaret & us (the readers) read an additional first person point of view from Victor within Walton's letter. The first person point of view allows the reader to see the action from how the speaker is experiencing it too. The letters and Victor's story within the letters are one of the most original ways to tell a story in first person. It makes me feel as if Walton is writing to me, or I am Margaret.

The Kite Runner: Opinion Four

"I ran." (page 371)

So, to be perfectly truthful, endings such as this really bother me. I like stories to end in a way that they are wrapped up neatly and tied off with a perfect bow. When I read the last sentence, I was pretty mad at Hosseini because in my mind, ending a novel where everything isn't settled is what the author does when they're tired of writing. However, I've had some time to mull over this ending, and I have come to the conclusion that this is the best way to end The Kite Runner. The ending would be completely unfitting to the rest of the story if Hosseini would have concluded it happily; instead he ends it with a message of hope. Just as he has done a myriad of times in the book, he leaves the reader with a feeling of suspense, yet this time, it is one of positivity. It finally seems as if these characters will find some happiness in their lives. In applying this type of ending, Hosseini stays true to his writing style and the unfolding of the novel as well.

The Kite Runner: Opinion Three

"And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he'd stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor." (page 225)

When Rahim Kahn reveals to Amir that Hassan is actually Baba's illegitimate son from an affair, I was shocked. Throughout the entire novel, Hosseini kept writing in curveballs, but this one was huge. I definitely did not see it coming. However, once the secret was revealed, everything made sense: the actions of Baba, the secrecy surrounding Hassan, Ali's quiet manner, etc. I thought that Amir's reaction to the secret was written extremely well. As I read his outburst, it seemed to be incredibly realistic; the yelling and cursing on page 223 could not have been written much better. As Amir continued to digest the information in the next chapter, the rhetorical questions (pages 224-226) he asked were natural too. The revelation of Hassan as Amir's brother causes the book to progress because it gives Amir motivation and reason for finding Sohrab. It is with this revelation that the plot advances to the actual point of The Kite Runner.

The Kite Runner: Simile

"'I can wait. It's like the sour apples....One time when I was really little, I climbed a tree and ate those sour, green apples. My stomach swelled and became hard as a drum, it hurt a lot. Mother said that if I'd just waited for the apples to ripen, I wouldn't have become sick. So now, whenever I really want something, I try to remember what she said about the apples.'"

(p 340)

When Sohrab explains why he can wait to be adopted into Amir's family and taken to America, he is employing the use of a simile. The simile allows him to make both Amir and the reader understand why he can wait because of his anecdote. The comparison he makes is explicitly stated when he uses the word like. In comparing the two things (sour apples and why he can wait), we learn a little more about the characterization of Sohrab as well. It explains his personality and lets the reader know that he is intelligent for his age. This scene is important to the rest of the novel because it is one of the last moments where Sohrab is truly hopeful and happy. The simile allows him to recall a moment from his childhood and open himself up to Amir just a little bit more. In general, similes allow for the reader to have a greater understanding of a concept.

The Kite Runner: Point of View

"So eventually, I stopped going out into the city. I would spend my days in your father's house, up in the study, reading your mother's old books, listening to the news, watching communist propaganda on television" (page 203).

The Kite Runner is unique in the fact that it allows an outside opinion for a single chapter. The entire book is told as a flashback from Amir's perspective. However, chapter sixteen is told from the vantage point an elderly Rahim Kahn's. This is done because Rahim Kahn can explain what has happened in Afghanistan since Amir left, as well as what has happened to Hassan. To me, this chapter seemed to be the turning point of the story. It was in this chapter that Amir truly began down his path to redemption. Without this chapter, much of the details from the story regarding Hassan could not be shared. It was also pretty neat to see how Hosseini changed his writing style to echo the voice of Rahim Kahn, instead of continuing to write in a voice like Amir's. The chapter explained away many of the unknowns and created the opportunity for the reader to truly learn of Amir's purpose in retelling his story.

The Kite Runner: Onomatopoeia

"He killed the engine and we sat for a minute, listening to the tink-tink of the engine cooling off, neither of us saying anything" (page 273).

In The Kite Runner, the writing style is very much focused on making the reader feel as if he or she is experiencing the story just as Amir is. It is told from Amir's point of view in memory form, and the reader feels as if he/she is traveling back in time with him. The use of the literary device onomatopoeia is vital to the reader's understanding of the story because it allows the reader to hear the sounds from Amir's story. It causes the descriptions to become sharper and the story to be more interesting. The device is applied many times throughout the novel using a variety of sounds, but it is used a great deal in chapter 22. Amir describes the plink of dropping pebbles in the water well of his childhood (p 274), the riiiip of the his false beard(p 276), and the ding-ding-ding of the car waiting for him (p 292). Each time onomatopoeia is employed, there is a greater connection to the situation Amir is describing. This device caused me to pay greater attention to the story and imagine the setting Amir was in; I find it to be an important part to the style of writing Hosseini uses.

The Kite Runner: Opinion Two

"'I am moftakhir, Amir,' he said. Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look." 

(page 131)

One of the themes of the book is the relationship between father and son. In The Kite Runner, the simple, easy father and son relationship is Ali and Hassan. I realized very quickly that their relationship is one of great love, as Ali is incredibly proud of Hassan, especially since the boy is all he has. However, the audience then sees the relationship between Amir and Baba; theirs is definitely one of great complexity and cannot be so easily categorized. For instance, it seems that Amir believed throughout his childhood that he was a great disappointment to Baba; he spent his entire childhood waiting for the moment when he could say "Baba and I were finally friends" (page 85). However, when they arrived in America, it seems that Amir's relationship with Baba changed quite a bit. They became closer and Baba did not seem to be so disappointed in his son; this could just be from the maturing of Amir, but I thought it had more to do with the peace and freedom American meant for Amir. He was more comfortable in the new country, and Baba relied upon him for much. I also found it to be interesting that once cancer struck Baba, he and Amir's relationship definitely improved; I feel as if this happens most times in relationships such as this. The first half of the book caused me to recognize the importance of the father/son relationship of Amir's maturation. If Baba and Amir's relationship would have been different, Amir would be a very different individual and many of the moments that occurred in The Kite Runner would not have happened how they did.

The Kite Runner: Opinion One

"PANIC. you open your mouth. Open it wide so your jaws creak. You order your lungs to draw air, NOW, you need are, need it NOW. But your airways ignore you. They collapse, tighten, squeeze, and suddenly you're breathing through a drinking straw..." 

(page 121)

At this point, I am really enjoying The Kite Runner. Yes, it is extremely depressing, and every time I think Amir's life can't get worse, somehow it does, but the novel is well-written and keeps my attention. For instance, moments such as the one above are incredibly powerful to read. I almost felt as if I were with Amir experiencing the horrifying situation of being stuck in a fuel tank. The emotions he was experiencing were almost palpable much like other moments in the book (i.e. the kite running tournament, Hassan's rape, Baba's death, his wedding, etc). In order for me to truly enjoy a book, the author must write it in such a way that I stay thoroughly intrigued. Through the last three literary terms I blogged about (foreshadowing, imagery, and vernacular), Hosseini proved to me that his novel was one worth reading. I feel as if I am in suspense on every page because I never know what to expect or what is coming next; Hosseini throws curveballs at a constant rate. I am excited to read the rest of the novel and see what other unpredictable conflicts come up. Shockingly, The Kite Runner is becoming one of those books that is difficult to put down.

The Kite Runner: Vernacular

"'Insallah,' I echoed, though the 'God willing' qualifier didn't sound as sincere coming from my lips." (page 58)

"You offered tassali, condolences, for the death of a parents, congratulated for the birth of children, and shook your head mournfully when the conversation turned to Afgahnistan and the Roussis-which it inevitably did." (page 138)

One of the most important things to realize about The Kite Runner is that the Amir often slips in the language of his childhood in the chapters. When using the Dari language in his story, Amir is employing the use of vernacular. In my opinion, this adds a sense of authenticity to the novel. Using the vernacular allows the reader to be exposed to even more of the Afghan culture, which causes their understanding of the novel to increase as a whole. Amir makes certain though, to define the Dari words he uses right after he speaks them, such as in the excerpts above. I also liked how the Dari words were italicized when used; this caused a little click in my brain realizing that another language was being used, and I needed to look for the definition. The use of the vernacular was vital in causing the reader to gain a further understanding of the importance of culture to the storyline presented in The Kite Runner. The vernacular in this case only strengthened the story and added to the impact the Afghan culture had on Amir and those around him. It caused me greater interest in the novel as a whole.

The Kite Runner: Imagery

"The poplar trees lined the redbrick driveway, which led to a pair of wrought-iron gates. They in turn opened into an extension of my father's estate. The house sat on the left of the brick path, the backyard at the end of it...A broad entryway flanked by rosebushes led to the sprawling house of marble floors and wide windows. Intricate mosaic tiles covered the floors of the four bathrooms. Gold-stitched tapestries lined the walls; a crystal chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling..." (page 4)

In The Kite Runner, imagery is definitely an important focus; the narrator explains every surrounding in great depth and detail. For instance, the above explanation of the house continues for almost two pages; he explains almost every aspect of the house in order to present the reader with an accurate view. Throughout the rest of the novel, Amir focuses intently on the use of imagery in his memories. He wants to make certain to present the reader with the ability to see the world he grew up in and the places he experienced. For me, reading about his life in Afghanistan was definitely a culture shock. I don't think by any means I am a small-town girl. Since my dad is a pilot, my family has traveled the world quite a bit. However, my impression of Afghanistan has always been that it is a war-torn country that is falling apart. Amir's description of his early childhood helped me to understand that this was not always the case; it caused me to imagine the beauty of the Afghanistan before the Taliban overtook the government. The detailed imagery in this novel is absolutely vital to understanding the story as a whole because readers can't understand a country that is worlds away. The imagery allowed me to paint a clear picture of Afghanistan in my mind as well; I hate to admit it, but before I started reading this novel, I didn't even know what to imagine as the setting, except for sand. Lots and lots of sand. And a few camels here and there. Therefore, I feel descriptive imagery is necessary for the telling of Amir's story.

The Kite Runner: Foreshadowing

"I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today." (page 2)

From the very first chapter of The Kite Runner, I was able to recognize Hosseini's love of using foreshadowing; although he begins his novel with a line of foreshadowing, I felt that the one with the most gravity is the last sentence in the first chapter. Throughout the entire first half of the novel, Hosseini writes using this technique in order to keep the reader in great suspense, such as the above excerpt. He ends the chapter with this phrase and piques the reader's interest as to what the narrator is referring to. When I read this line, I knew that the this change would be a drastic one for the narrator because of the dark way the sentence is written. It caused me much intrigue and made me want to keep reading to discover what had changed for the narrator. Employing the use of foreshadowing causes The Kite Runner to move quickly; Hosseini writes with the intent of causing this suspense at the end of nearly every chapter, and oftentimes, he uses it in the middle of chapters too. Amir doles out bits and pieces of information about himself that the reader begins to put together to answer the questions that were formed in their minds by this very first statement. The foreshadowing technique creates an opportunity to keep the audience in the dark, but cause them to remain very interested at the same time.

A Raisin in the Sun-- Opinion

In "A Raisin in the Sun," Beneatha is a character that I believe deserves a major amount of recognition for her ambition. Out of anyone in the entire family, I think Beneatha is the most hard-working individual with the greatest amount of ambition. She is to be admired because she is the only legitimately one working toward attaining her dream. Mama and Ruth have been handed their dream because of "a great big old check" (pg 43). Subsequently, Walter acts as if he is entitled to being handed his dream on a silver platter. Travis is too young to have a true dream. Beneatha is working hard to get through college and not let anything or anyone stand in her way of her dream. She is young, independent, and full of motivation; this is something all readers should admire. Beneatha's ambition and motivation also make her a foil character to her brother Walter, who has a massive lack of desire to do anything. She is also a foil to Ruth regarding the men department; Ruth has married a man who has made her dependent and worn-out. Beneatha is the character who has the most potential and desire in the play, and therefore, I admire her character for this.

A Raisin in the Sun-- Question One

In Hansberry's play, she employs realistic conventions which strengthens the message. It makes it much easier for the audience to connect and feel the main points of the play. The realism forces the audience to empathize with a family struggling to attain the American dream. The bickering between Ruth and Walter (such as on pgs 26-29) is easily recognized as two people who have grown apart because of struggle. Those with an insatiable desire can easily identify with Bennie's incredible dream "to become a doctor" (pg 36). Individuals with a maternal instinct can feel Mama's deep love for her family. And still, others are able to identify with Travis' innocent, almost idolizing, belief in his family. Hansberry's characters reach across all levels of society to touch all people; this is what makes it so realistic. The entire play seems realistic; there aren't any breaks from realism. The actions, people, and speeches are realistic...even the 'time' that passes between events is realistic. The play is based on the ability to be realistic in its message.

A Raisin in the Sun-- Question Five

In "A Raisin in the Sun," there are three main themes presented. Author Lorraine Hansberry carefully crafts the portrait of a family fighting for three main things. These are: the gravity of dreams, the struggle of African-American society, and the value in a close-knit family. On page 94, Mama speaks to Walter & her lines wrap up these three themes into one address. She says, "I just seen my family fallin' apart today...just fallin' to pieces in front of my eyes...We couldn't of go on like we was today. We was goin' backwards instead of forwards...When it gets like that in life-you just gotta do something different, push on and do something bigger." Mama is the force behind holding the family together, fighting for their future, and attempting to reach their dreams.  These themes are responsible for the drama in the play; without them, there is no suspense or purpose to the plot. They strengthen the tones of heartache and courage in the play. There is no doubt that these are incredibly powerful themes that all individuals can associate with in some form or another (i.e. dreams, struggle, family, hope). I think that the play was dead on in presenting human concerns; it was sufficiently didactic.

The Glass Menagerie Opinion

Before I started reading "The Glass Menagerie," I was slightly excited when I found out it was written by Tennessee Williams. See, my great-aunt is a book critic, and Tennessee Williams is her favorite author (with the exception of her main man... Jack London of course). She always tries to make me read Williams' books, but I never really had the desire. However, with this assignment, I was forced into reading his work. I have to say, she was right; I like his writing style. Once I started reading, I found myself easily concentrating on the story at hand. Even though the play is a bit depressing, it is well-written. The dialogue between the characters is something I really enjoy; I really like how Amanda cuts off her children throughout the novel, such as on pg 1246. This is one aspect I think plays sometimes have difficulty with; in life, people cut one another off, especially in families, and plays often do not reflect this. For me, this was definitely one of the parts that kept my interest in reading and caused me to enjoy the story.

The Glass Menagerie--Question Two

"The Glass Menagerie" can be considered a tragedy. From the very beginning of the play when the characters are being described, the reader realizes the sad situation of the Wingfield family. As the play begins, the depressing situation is expanded upon in the description of the setting. We learn that the "audience is faced with the dark, grim rear wall of the Wngfield tenement" and on either side are "dark, narrow alleys" (scene one, pg 1235). The thorough description of the setting allows for the reader to perfectly imagine the dreary world in which the Wingfields live. As the play continues, we learn of the even more unhappiness because Mr. Wingfield abandoned the family long ago (pg 1237), Laura is crippled and lives in a make believe world with her glass figurines (pg 1240-1244), and Tom hates his job(pg 1247). The family is barely clinging to the real world; Amanda already lives in the past and cannot be bothered with the real problems of the present. The family draws the audience into their disappointment in life, causing the play to be classified as a tragedy.

The Glass Menagerie--Question One

Tennessee William's play, "The Glass Menagerie," seems to be more realistic than nonrealistic to me. In the play, the main events could happen in real life; there are overbearing mothers (like Amanda), men whom are unhappy in their jobs (like Tom), young women who have poor self-esteem (like Laura), and "players" (like Jim). The development of the characters is done in a realistic style. There are a few moments where the play can be seen as nonrealistic, such as the time in scene one on pg 1235: now and the past. Not only is this nonrealistic, but it is also impossible to be in two times at once. Even though there are a select number of moments such as this that can be considered nonrealistic, the play seems realistic to me. Therefore, I would place this play leaning more toward realism on a spectrum. Regarding breaking the norm established in the play, I believe that Williams does not do this. He writes the play so that Amanda is stuck in the past, and her children are somewhat stuck in this too; Williams sticks much to this norm he has created.

Othello Opinion Two

I figured in this blog I'd focus on the character of Emilia. Although she is not one of the main characters, I think she has a strong influence on each of the more central characters. She has greatly differing relationships with each; she is Desdemona's attendant, Iago's wife, and Othello's wife's attendant. With Desdemona, I see Emilia obviously as her foil character, but also as the person who attempts to teach Desdemona from her mistakes (IV.iii.49-81). Emilia can be seen as having much wisdom because of these mistakes that she's had to learn from, and the hardships that she's gone through in her life. The relationship between Iago and Emilia is one that makes me infuriated every time I read their interactions. It annoys me that Emilia won't stand up for herself (even though yes, I know this was the 17th century). She lets her husband walk all over her; with Iago, we see Emilia as a different person, one who lets men walk all over her. However, with Othello, she attempts to tell him the truth about Desdemona. Emilia proclaims Desdemona to be "honest, chaste, and true" (IV.ii.18). With Othello, Emilia tries to defend Desdemona; this shows strong character coming from her. It also shows the foil between Emilia and Iago. I took this part as one of the few times Emilia was defiant to her husband even though she doesn't know it. In my opinion, Emilia is a character to admire and respect.

Othello--Question One

The main idea behind "Othello" seems pretty realistic to me: manipulative man plots to attain a better status and get revenge for another man supposedly having an affair with his wife. There definitely are people as manipulative and emotionless as Iago; men consumed by jealously like Othello; minions who do as their manipulator says like Rodergio; and innocent people such as Emilia, Desdemona, and Cassio that become pawns in the game. The themes also aid in the realistic portrayal of the story; the jealousy Othello displays when he first truly begins to believe Desdemona is cheating on him is much like that of any jealous husband (III.iii.452-460). However, even though much of this play is realistic, it does get slightly over the top at times. For instance, Cassio getting so drunk off of two glasses of wine that he cannot even remember things is a little ridiculous (II.iii.25-28). Moments like this occur throughout "Othello" in order to speed up the play and create the drama necessary for the action to happen, as well as cause the audience to become intrigued. I don't really think there are breaks from conventions established as the norm in the play.

Othello--Question Four

In my opinion, Shakespeare creates dramatic suspense mainly through Iago. Throughout the entire novel, he reveals only bits and pieces of Iago's plan at a time. The overriding goal is apparent to the audience in the first scene of the first act when we learn that Iago is angry that Cassio was made lieutenant, and he was passed over. The audience gets a sense here that Iago wants to be higher up in command (I.1.1-60). As the play continues, we learn that Iago also wants to get back at Othello for supposedly sleeping with his wife (I.iii.322-325). We know that Iago has these plans, but Shakespeare takes time in allowing them to unfold; he saves the action packed part of the play for the final act. Additionally, the audience knows much, much more than the individual characters on stage. We are lucky enough to witness every single thing that occurs during the play, whereas characters such as Cassio do not know that the handkerchief was planted in his room. Aiding the audience's understanding are the amount of asides spoken by characters, mainly Iago. These allow us to look directly into Iago's true intentions and desires. The play is such a success because of this irony; there would be no plot if the characters knew all that the audience did.

Othello Opinion

At this point, I am actually enjoying "Othello." Usually, I am not a fan of Shakespeare; not because I have a difficult time reading the text, but because I honestly do not believe him to be that entertaining or captivating. I have never been a fan of his plots, crude humor, nor his embellished language. His writing style has always bothered me the most; it takes him line after line to say what honestly only should take a sentence. But, with "Othello" I feel there is a difference (at this point). The characters are more interesting, as is the plot. I find myself actually focusing on what I am reading, instead of simply moving my eyes across the page. Iago is villainous in such a way that intrigues me & causes me curiosity regarding his next move. Othello seems realistic to me in the sticks & stones way he handles the racial slurs; he is captivating enough in himself without everyone's judgement. I hope that the rest of the play continues in this manner. If so, I might have to cut Shakespeare a little slack.

Othello--Question Three

In "Othello," the protagonist is without question Othello. The entire story revolves around him; Shakespeare even named his play after Othello, which leads the reader to immediately know that this character is important. The antagonist in this play is Iago. It is clear from the very beginning of the play that Iago has a hatred for Othello. We learn the major motivator behind his hatred is not only racism, but also because Iago believes that Othello slept with his wife (I.iii.366-367). Iago is sneaky and very carefully plots his revenge against Othello; he is always respectful of Othello to his face. We experience Iago two-faced qualities firsthand in reading his interactions between himself & minor characters, such as Roderigo or Brabantino. Characters such as these are necessary in advancing the plot; they add complications and motives that allow for Iago's scheme to work. These characters also show us the strengths of Othello and his heroic being.

Othello--Question Two

Shakespeare's play "Othello" can be categorized as a tragedy. It is considered a tragedy because it tells a sad, complex story with deeper themes such as racism, jealousy, and greed. These themes are clearly visible in the first scene of the first act. We quickly see Iago's jealousy of Othello; he is angry because Othello did not choose him for second in command (I.i.7-17) & is jealous of the man chosen who has "never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of battle knows more than the spinster...mere prattle without practice" (I.i.21-26). Racism is blatant in Brabantio's speech to Othello about him using black magic to steal his daughter; he makes racist comments, such as the one about his "sooty bosom" (I.ii.70). Greed is apparent throughout the entire first act in Iago because he is clearly full of trickery and plotting in order to gain whatever he wants. These themes are able to easily classify "Othello" as one of Shakespeare's tragedies. It is vital that the audience understand & feel these themes to help them in realizing that this play is a tragedy.