MAAN & Stereotypes

I beleive that Shakespeare believed in the stereotypes based on gender, race and class that he placed in his play. None of the stereotypes he deliberatly incorporated in his work, "Much Ado About Nothing" were written in to teach the audience a lesson, they were added because they were part of the times. Hero is good example of a gender stereotype. She's constantly being pushed around by other men, and can barely get a word in. Like when her marriage is arranged, she seems pleased, but she hardly says anything; she hardly even accepts the marriage proposal as she only has one line in that particular scene. Also, when Claudio publicly shames her at the alter, she hardly protests, all she does is splutter and faint--- which presents another stereotype; that women are weak (weaker than men). Then Hero's own father begins ranting and insulting her, believing Claudio, that his daughter is whore; he even threatens to KILL her. Claudio contributes to some of the racial stereotypes found in this play as well. When he consents to marry Beatrice when he believes Hero is dead he remarks that he would even marry an "Ethiope" (a deragatory term for a black woman) if it would please Leonato. This comment is loaded with racial racism, and is completly inappropriate. Finally, Dogberry and the watchmen represent a class stereotype. They are of the working class, which is lower than the main characters' class, and they are portrayed as complete idiots. Dogberry is especially seen as an imbecile as he makes up words because he doesn't know the real ones, calls himself an ass, etc. Shakespeare didn't incorporate these stereotypes to teach a lesson because they just insult groups of people, which is what stereotypes do.

MAAN & Ethics

In the play, "Much Ado About Nothing," there are many examples of characters lying to eachother, some for selfish reasons, and others in the interest of friends. I believe that lying can be ethical, it just depends on the lier's intentions. For instance, when Claudio confides in the Prince of his love for Hero, the Prince wants to help him, and so he agrees to dress as Claudio at the ball and win her over for him, "I will assume thy part in some disguise/And tell fair Hero I am Claudio,/And in her bosom I'll unclasp my heart/.../Then after to her father will I break,/And the conclusion is, she shall be thine," (I. i. 259-265). Sure, this offer may seem strange, but in the end, the Prince acted with good intentions. The Prince lied to Hero to help the two fall in love, which is very noble and ethical, in opinion.

Ethical lying happens every day. For example, for my 13th birthday my best friend planned a surprise party for me at a burger joint. She had to lie to me and tell me we were just going out for lunch together to celebrate my birthday. If she had told me the truth, first of all it would have spoiled the surprise, and second of all, the party wouldn't have been as much fun or as memorable.

Although there are examples of ethical lying, people can also lie for hurtful and selfish reasons. In the play, Don John tells Claudio that his brother, the Prince, has taken Hero for his own, "Signor, you are very near my brother in his love. He is/enamored on Hero," (II. i. 134-135). Don John knows he's talking to Claudio, but pretends he's ignorant, and believes that he is speaking with Benedick. This maneuver is a twisted way for Don John to spit out this lie, and it hurts Claudio very much, although he tries to hide it. Because Don John lied to Claudio to hurt him and turn him against Don John's brother, Don John lied for selfish reasons. This proves that not all lies are ethical.

(Technically Not) My Poem

Those Winter Sundays
by Robert Hayden

Sundays too my father got up early
And put his clothes on in the blueback cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?

Analysis:
The poem, "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden compares warming a house on a cold winter day to unconditional love. It describes a father working hard for his child all week and then getting up early on Sunday to warm the house so that his kid would be comfortable. But even after all the father does, the kid still doesn't understand the love that the father is trying to convey to him. At the end of the poem, the kid is ungrateful because he doesn't understand how much his father has sacrificed and given to his kid. The kid doesn't understand the kind of unfailing love that his father has for him.

I really liked this poem because the connotation of the word choice was very colorful and gave me many clear images. For instance, when Hayden describes the cold leaving the house as he's waking up, "I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking," (6). I imagined when you pour a glass of water and then add ice, and it makes a splintering sound. Also, when the father is getting up early to warm the house, the description of the cold made it even more real to me, "...put his clothes on in the blueback cold," (2). When I read this line I thought of the color blue-- it's just a cold color. In the winter, especially at night when the temperature drops dramatically (and especially in Minnesota), the snow, the icey streets, frozen fingers and toes, chapped lips; they're all shades of blue. Hayden's description of the cold using "blueback" intensified the word "cold" even more for me. I've also just been really excited for snow and the Holidays, and reading this poem made me think of walks in the snow, laying cozy next to the fire and watching the snow fall outside, I LOVE THE SNOW!!! This poem made the cold feel really real to me, not that it's not cold outside here in Minnesota, but I felt like it was snowing in this poem. There weren't any references to it, but it just felt like it.

Quarter 1: Debrief

First quarter in EE10 wasn't so bad. I was really nervous over the summer because I thought it would be like my 9th grade Enriched English class--- when I walked into that classroom it was like I was breathing in pure, concentrated stress. Actually I learned a bunch this quarter, and it was all low stress. I learned how to look more deeply at films and analyize them, I'm learning how to write a "real" thesis statement and how to develop themes, and I learned not to save assignments in this class for last minute. :D I truly believe I'm becoming a better writer, and I enjoy writing. Next quarter I want to get a better understanding of how to write thesis statements, and I want to think even more deeply about future essay topics so that as a result, I can write a better analysis. Also, next quarter I'm going to try to speak up more in class discussions (which can benefit me, but it could also benefit my peers in sharing my ideas with the entire class).

Outside Reading #5

In the novel, "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer there is no end to the struggles Bella and Edward must face to be together even during it's final pages. Near the end, James, a vampire who enjoys the hunt, is chasing Bella, thirsting for her blood. The Cullens do everything in their power to keep the girl safe, even seperating the two lovers and flying to Pheonix. Of course, this seperation is extremely difficult for the couple, but necessary, "He set me down, still holding my face, his glorious eyes burning into mine. His eyes went blank, curiously dead, as he turned away," (Meyer 403). Edward loses a part of himself when he leaves Bella, but he must leave her to kill James to protect Bella. Poor Edward is torn, but he understands why he and Bella must seperate, and so he leaves her. Despite their efforts, James succeeds in black mailing Bella into coming straight to him; If she doesn't come he'll kill her mother. So Bella has no choice, and follows the vampire's instructions exactly so as not to alert the Cullens. In the end, James bites Bella, and she is left to writhe in agony and become a vampire (if she doesn't die first), with no one to help her. But then the Cullens suddenly arrive, Emmett and Edward kill James, and then Edward makes a dangerous decision; he decides to suck out the poison from James's bite, but that involves drinking Bella's blood, and if he losses control, he could accidentally kill the girl he loves, "I watched his eyes as the doubt was suddenly replaced with a blazing determination...Then his head bent over it, and his cold lips pressed against my skin...Then slowly my writhing calmed as my hand grew more and more numb," (Meyer 455-6). Edward loved Bella so much, and wanted to take away her pain so badly, that he sucked out the venom and calmed Bella, without losing control at all.

This book is slightly similar to, "The 400 Blows." Both Antoine and Bella rebel against their families and friends. But, the two are different because when Antoine rebels against his family and friends he tends to get punished; there are negative side-effects. For example, when he steals the typewriter to sell and get some extra money, he's caught and thrown in jail. But when Bella rebels against her friends and family there are usually positive effects. For example, when Bella doesn't tell her father that she's going hiking one afternoon with Edward, the couple finally define their relationship and express their feelings for one another. This leads to the couple falling in love and being happy.

Outside Reading #4

The novel, "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer gives us insight into what the positive and negative effects of rebellion are through Bella and Edward's relationship. Edward rebells countless times against his family to be with Bella. For example, when Edward decides to sit with Bella at lunch instead of the rest of his "family," Bella looks over at Rosalie, and she's not happy, "Suddenly Rosalie, his blond and breathtaking sister, turned to look at me. No, not to look-- to glare, with dark, cold eyes," (Meyer 245). Obviously Rosalie and the rest of Edward's family don't support Edward in loving Bella. It's hard for them to understand because Edward is a vampire and Bella is a human, their family is like a group of vegetarian vampires, and Edward is choosing to put temptation in his path. This is a negative effect of rebellion; Edward chose Bella over his family's respect.

However, there are also many positive effects of rebellion. The most obvious being Edward and Bella falling in love. When Bella and Edward finally decide to be together no matter the dangers, they are smitten with each other, " 'I love you,' I whispered. 'You are my life know,' he answered simply," (Meyer 314). The couple love each other so much, and they never would have been together if they hadn't rebelled against their families and friends. Rebellion isn't necessarily bad, it depends on the situation. Rebellion is two sided; it can have positive and negative effects on people.