DJR #4

Blake Ellis

DRJ #4

Initial reaction: I wonder why Othello consulted only one man once he heard what Iago had to say about Desdamona and Cassio. He would have been better off if he had the council of many rather than of just one. Surely someone would have knocked some sense into him. It’s hard to believe that someone of such high rank and many skills could be such a poor judge of character. It’s a very sad ending and it makes you feel as if Iago accomplished everything he set out to do.

Character Analysis: Iago is very talented at deceiving and keeping the truth from everyone. He seems like the most trustworthy of friends when face to face, but behind the scene he is restlessly plotting to do the worst. He reminds me of an angel of death. On the outside he is beautiful, convincing, more sincere than anyone else around, he is trustworthy and gracious. The truth however is that he is none of these things. He is the complete opposite. He is out to kill, still, and destroy! He finds the weaknesses of his victims and exploits them relentlessly.

Theme Analysis: Iago proves in the end to be untrustworthy. Emilia sheds light on the situation when they are all present in his bed room. Among discovering the death and murder of Desdamona everyone instantly realizes what has happened. They had all confided in Iago, they all (except Emilia) trusted Iago. He proved to be a monster who was out for some revenge of his own. Weather it was for prejudice or jealously of Cassio or Othello, or weather it was because of ambition, or even if it was out of pure revenge, we will never clearly know his reasons. Based on the text I believe the answer is all of the above.

DRJ #3

Blake Ellis

DRJ # 3

Initial Reaction: Act 3 is where it begins to heat up. Iago easily convinces Othello that his wife is having unfaithful relations with Cassio. This is where the story lost me and why I don’t like dramas. I guess you hear about these things in the news, but its just plain silly to me. How could Othello go from one extreme to another so quickly? And all his information coming from the same source (Iago).

Character Analysis: I think Othello is the interesting character in act three. Obviously he had an unhealthy relationship with Desdamona. He had trust issues with her from the beginning of the story. I think the fact that he brings her off to war with him is a major red flag, he should have left her home where she would be safe. It is tough for Othello to let his prize possession go, he seems to be a control freak who was more obsessed with Desdamona than in love with her. What was he to do with his obsession when rumors of unfaithfulness came up? It immediately bothered him, to the point that he could not sleep and was even feeling sick. Instead of confronting her or Cassio he decides to contemplate the situation over and over again until it drives him mad.

Theme Analysis: Othello wants revenge and he wastes no time preparing for it. As a military leader I imagine Othello being a fierce, vengeful fighter, and merciless. He had to of been to be in such an important position. I believe his past played a big role in his unstable present. After winning a major victory without a fight you think all would be well with Othello, but that is not the case. The news of his wife possibly cheating on him instantly brings to the surface feelings of Hate and instant revenge. He begins planning her death instead of handling the situation in a peaceful was displaying wisdom in action and thought.

Popular Mechanics

The minimalism of the setting helps the tone in that it gets right to the important issue of the story, which is the tone of the feelings between the couple. The story is set on a bleak winter night in which it is dark not only outside but also inside. That description helped set the tone for the rest of the conflict between the husband and wife. It’s not really important to know much more about the couple of the setting.

Streaks of snow running down the windows of the cars outside, the window that allowed no light, the darkness inside the house, and the near-dark of the kitchen in the house. All of these little descriptions are foreshadowing of the ultimate tragedy that happened in that house.

We are not exactly sure why they are splitting up, but we do know that he did something wrong because she is the one expressing much anger and hurt towards him and he is motionless and quiet until she take the picture of the baby. I’m not sure it matters that much why they split. The fact that he cant even look her in the face shows that he is guilty of a crime worth splitting up over. She wants him out! The irony to me is in the end of the story when he states that, “the issue was decided”. He uses sarcasm to express the stupidity of the struggle between the couple that ultimately ended in disaster that could have easily been avoided.

Love in L.A.

Gilb

The author sets up a typical day in the commuting life of a Los Angles resident. With the “motionless traffic” and the “Grey of concrete, and smog” we get an picture of the bumper to bumper traffic that so vividly represents L.A. Gilb’s use of tone and the atmosphere that surrounds the protagonist (Jake) sets the stage for the reader to better understand Jake’s wishful day dreaming. He was caught up in his idea of what life could or should be like. He dreamed a lot about the things that he wanted in life. The “exotic colognes, plush, dark nightclubs.” He imagined so many different possibilities but didn’t have the motivation or really any idea of how to get there. He was a dreamer and wanted to be something he was not. He also does not seem found of work, but knows it is important.

Jakes ’58 Buick with no radio and no flashy velvet interior, absent of electronic controls, and no heater or A/C for his comfort. This represents the way his life is going. Out of order. Marianas Toyota was new and fragile. It had barely been broken in. Just like her, young and naïve.

The Story of an Hour: Thesis #4

The internal struggle Mrs. Mallard was "powerless" against and "fearful" of was the conflict between grieving the death of her husband and the reborn childlike freedom, no longer having a "powerful will bending hers". By looking past the "bitter moments" of her present situation of death and the loss of a loved one, she looks ahead with "triumph in her eyes" like someone who was just released from prison, an internal prison. Everything comes full circle though. from "afflicted" to "free! body and soul free!" to literal death at the climax of the story. The sight of Brently was to much for her own heart to take. She died of an overload of emotional joy and grief that was more than her heart could bear. As a "goddess" she gained a Major "victory" in her life over oppression and death, which here husband represented. The complete victory came when she was coming down the stairs with Josephine. upon seeing Brently she had a heart attack caused by joy quickly robbed. She would rather die free than live imprisoned.

The Story of an Hour: Thesis #2

The tactile imagery used by Chopin in The Story of an Hour can best be summed up by the "monstrous joy that held her". Although she felt brief pain over the loss of her husband "she had loved - Sometimes", she looked "beyond that bitter moment" to the days that would "belong to her absolutely". Her marriage was dark and dry and the death of Brently brought about "patches of blue sky's" that she could not keep away, and a "delicious breath" of life that could not be resisted. Mrs. Mallard was completely powerless to the freedom that was approaching her, and it was not until she "abandoned herself" that she had gained her freedom of body and soul. The author sheds light on the affliction of will the woman during this time period were experiencing in relation to their husbands. She was free to taste of the "elixir of life" she thought she never again would, an elixir of "joy" that Killed.

Soldier's Home

Soldiers Home, by Ernest Hemingway

Krebs left his simple life in Oklahoma and joined the Marines as a young man. The horrors of war shaped him in a way that made his return home much difficult. He had a tough time settling down to the slow paced, hard working, God fearing life that he had grown up in. the troubles of adjusting were to overwhelming for him. He wanted to live alone without consequences.

I think he was still experiencing a little aftershock from the war. I know his thoughts on war, politics, religion, and relationship changed much upon his return and that he had seen many terrible thing, but after that initial shock (however long) he would recover and eventually adjust to life as it is. For just a time he needed to soak it in. Weather for good or worse he did his best to escape complication and responsibility. Krebs was fed up with the norms all around him.

Krebs’s home seems to be a happy home. One that would be pleasant to live in. His parents are people of faith, especially his mother, and his father is a hard working real estate representative. She seems to really care about him. Krebs is turned off by his familys way of life. He finally gets a job to appease his family but it is not enough to give him peace of mind. The story ends but it left me hoping that he would one day find peace and comfort in his life.

A Sorrowful Woman

A Sorrowful Woman, by Gail Godwin

I am concerned for the husband in the story. I believe he is the one ultimately responsible for the death of his wife. He did everything he could to keep her from getting the help she really needed, like a practicing physician, or new environment. I was thinking she really needed a vacation from her problems, similar to that of Bob Wiley from the movie What About Bob? Whatever the answer, he didn't provide the correct solution to her problem.

although she struggled with a serious mental disorder, i don't believe it was long term and I believe that she could have recieved help given the proper care. She was sick of his gentleness, so sick she wanted nothing to do with either one of them. She hit the child, but only when the husband was looking, it was premeditated. She Fired the girl for no apparent reason. She locked herself in a room brushing her hair and writing all day long and through it all her husband was understanding.

Their son is the one who suffers from his mothers condition and his fathers inability to make a loving decision for his wife. His unbelieveable decisions should make the reader question his own mental stability and further his responsibility as a husband and a father.