Finishing thoughts on MAAN

In Much Ado About Nothing, stereotypes play a huge role in how all the characters and plot is effected. Not only that, but the stereotypes shown throughout the entirety of the play, I believe, really do effect how the reader/watcher interprets the events that take place. Shakespeare uses multiple stereotypes between the lower and upper class. For example, Dogberry and Verges and their attempt to tell Leonato about Don John's scheme. Also, I believe that Shakespeare uses the stereotype that women are mindless and easy to win in love. For example, Claudio tells the Prince that it'll be easy for him to woo Hero for him. Also, Barachio claims that wooing Margaret will be an easy task. Lastly, Leonato rages at Hero after being falsely accused of cheating. These stereotypes portray that women are just emotional and mindless.

I believe that Shakespeare was attempting to teach his audience a lesson about misjudging others or about forcing people to conform to tradition. Throughout the whole play, Shakespeare's main illustration of stereotypes is between upper and lower class men. Dogberry and Verges are lower class men who attempt to tell Leonato about the wrong doings of Don John and his followers (Barachio and Conrade). Leonato shrugged them off even when they contained valuable information about how Don John set Barachio to have a set up affair with "Hero." Shakespeare suggests through this scene in the play that upper class men may look down upon lower class men, which is wrong. I believe that Shakespeare is trying to demonstrate to his audience/readers that one shouldn't look down upon or judge a person based on their standing in society because their motives could be just as pure and morally correct.

Lying.

Is lying ever justified? Or ever ethically correct? I guess this question will always come to mind and has throughout history. I do not believe that lying is ethically correct and one should always tell the truth. As to if it's ever justified, I believe there are some situations where one must choose to just not say everything and bite their tounge. Lying is a horrible thing and can ruin friendships, families, schools, companies... etc. Sometimes the honest truth is hard, but it seems that it's the only way to be true to yourself and others around you.

Have a great break everybody. Enjoy.

::Poetry --- YeaYea::

The poem I chose was: "I Taught Myself to Live Simply" by Anna Akhmatova

I taught myself to live simply and wisely,

to look at the sky and pray to God,

and to wander long before evening

to tire my superfluous worries.

When the burdocks rustle in the ravine

and the yellow-red rowanberry cluster droops

I compose happy verses

about life's decay, decay and beauty.

I come back. The fluffy cat

licks my palm, purrs so sweetly

and the fire flares bright

on the saw-mill turret by the lake.

Only the cry of a stork landing on the roof

occasionally breaks the silence.

If you knock on my door

I may not even hear.

Anna Akhmatova, I believe, composed a great poem portraying life with simplicity and reflection. I believe that Anna found a way to illustrate to the readers of her poem how much joy can come from the simple things in life. She also illustrates so wonderfully that reflection about life and the journey you have taken can lead to contentment with what you have.

I find this poem compelling because I really think that it can apply to anyone. I believe that in life, one has to find within themselves to just life live with what you've got and not try to over complicate things. It's easier said then done though. Life has so many stresses, so much that we put pressure on ourselves and we move further and further away from actually living life and not just going though the motions of life. I believe that one must learn to find happiness in the small things and reflect on what you have and what you can actually gain out of living in the simplest ways.

::Quater One Reflection::

During the first quarter I think that I did fairly well in the class. I actually did better then I thought I was going to do. I learned a lot more about how to write a good, solid, theme thesis statement. One of my academic skills that improved a little was not procrastinating. This is a very good thing. :D

I think that I am still struggling with sentence fluency and using good word choice. This can defiantly improve and I know that it will the more we work on our writing skills in the class. I think that the class environment is very good and open. I like that the classroom is welcoming and creates an environment where you know you can go for help. Also, the I think that our class does a really good job of being open when it comes to presenting new ideas because I know that my ideas won't be judged upon negatively.

I think I can further the learning environment by seeking out good proof reading and ideas from other classmates. During the second quarter, I think one of my goals is to be more open to criticism and allow for others to help give me good advice. If you guys could help me out with this, that would be great. Also, another goal of mine is to keep working at my bad procrastination skills. The first quarter really showed me that a long writing process is a wonderful way to help improve your paper and I hope I can put it more to use.

Snow Falling On Cedars ~ Post 4

Hello. Again. Whoopwhoop 4th post. I'm almost done with the book! Very exciting. The book has actually been better then I expected... but anyway...

In the past few chapters, the whole trail case had begun to untwist and reveal what actually happened the night of Carl Heine's death. Also, the author has slowly revealed more about each individual character's past and the events that happened right before Carl's death. As I've learned so far, many fingers throughout the book have been pointed at Kabuo for being guilty because evidence such as the blood found on Kabuo's gaff was type B positive and could possibly match Carl'sone of the mooring ropes found on Carl's boat didn't match his other ones but matched Kabuos, and Kabuo was trained in kendo which could be used to injure another man. I'm excited to still see Kabuo's side of the story which I havn't read yet. I think that these pieces of evidence will become clear one I hear his testimony.

Secondly, one character I haven't mentioned in my posts is Ishmael who is writting a story for his newspaper. We learn that when Ishmael and Hatsue (Kabuo's wife) were teenagers, they had a little romance. After Hatsue left Ismael, (because they went their separate ways after Ismael went to war and Hatsue entered Manzanar), he was still in love with her and has carried this pain with him up until the trial. Ishmael runs into Hatsue and she complains to him that he needs to defend Kabuo in his newspaper. Hatue states, "People don't have to be unfair, do they" (Guterson 258)? Hatsue wants people to see that her husband is innocent and justice needs to be found.

Ishmael, in the book, is now trying to decide whether or not to bring a new piece of evidence to court concerning the night of Carl's death. Since Ishmael is still dealing with his grief over Hatsue and memories of World War II, he is struggling as to whether or not he should turn the trial around. Ishmael is a very interesting character that I believe does know that injustice is wrong, but stuggles to apply that to his own life because he is carrying his past with him. I think that Ishmael will show this new evidence that a huge freighter could have possibly made large enough waves to push Carl out of his boat.

Well, now I'm very excited to see if Kabuo will be sentenced guilty or innocent... and I think it all lays to in Ishmael's hands....

Snow Falling On Cedars ~ Post 3

In these last few chapters that I have read, Kabuo reflects on how much he has missed since he has been in jail. He misses the seasonal change of autumn and wishes he wasn't stuck in his cell. He remembers how he fell in love with Hatsue, his wife, and remembers his argument with her about him leaving to fight in World War II. He realizes how much the war effected him as a person when he begins to look into his cell mirror. The Narrator states that, "He [Kabuo] face had been molded by his experiences as a soldier, and he appeared to the world seized up inside precisely because this was how he felt" (Guterson 154). This feeling of being seized up is paralleled to how Kabuo thinks that he has no chance in winning the court case. Kabuo wants to demonstrate his innocence to the jurors and when in his cell, the narrator states that Kabuo, "Sat upright in the hope that his desperate composure might reflect the shape of his soul" (Guterson 154).

In the past few chapters, this has really just stuck out to me because I was thinking about what it would be like to be in Kabuo's place. Kabuo is stuck in a world of suffering, racism and hate. Yet, through it all, Kabuo seems to manage to grasp clarity on the divine reasonings of life and how interconnected everything is. Time can only lead to his liberation. (I've included a quote down below...) Kabuo sees through the black and white world around him and finds the color of justice and equality. When it comes down to it, we're all human. Kabuo is a very interesting character because even though he seems to determine that yes, he probably will be sentenced as guilty, he contradicts himself in thinking that he will be liberated. This also often leads me into thinking that if I was in his spot, well, I don't know what I would do... But I'd defiantly not be thinking about how life was all worked out for a specific purpose.

This book so far has actually been quite interesting, and I'm still looking forward to what's next!!

Oh, I also thought I would throw in this interesting quote from the book...

"What a mystery life was! ... Impermanence, cause and effect, suffering, desire, the precious nature of life... time and clarity about suffering only to embark on the upward path of liberation" (Guterson 169).

PHOTOGRAPHHHH!