The Old speare Shaking It Up

      Shakespeare's conveys his thoughts about love through the hilarious dramatic interactions between characters and the twisting plot. Through analysis of these two I concluded that Shakespeare views love as fickle, ever-changing and also based on appearances. Not only does he satire love but also at the same time expresses how fast love can grow. My own views on love are actually quite similar, even though Shakespeare is commonly criticized for his use of love at first site and ever-changing attraction. I believe love is all that Shakespeare shows it to be (fickle, ever-changing, and based on appearances); however, I disagree with his insinuation that it is not lasting. He hints at this with Olivia's switch from loving Cesario to loving Sebastian. Even though I agree that love is ever-changing I also think that there is a somewhat long period of time for that change to take place. That time period is very important because it shows exactly how deep the emotions felt between the two partners were. Because Olivia almost immediately accepts the change in her focus of attraction from Cesario to Sebastian it shows that the depth of emotion was not deep before. However, from early in the book though i would argue that it presented Olivia's attraction for more than appearance attraction; even though that is what it started with. She enjoyed his strong personality and young boyishness that was very similar to a girl's perspective. Sebastian does not have the same personality as Cesario and yet she still takes him as her husband. This I feel is an inaccurate portrayal of love because her love can not change so fast.
     In the case of Viola loving Orsino, she sticks to her love throughout the book forever remaining loyal to him, even when offered a different route out of her love triangle, by way of Olivia. Though some argue that love at first sight is not possible then I would have to wonder what type of love is truly concrete. If someone loves another for their personality what happens when another comes around with a similar personality; does that mean they switch partners every single time that happens? I would not call that love but just a deep crush or attraction. Also against the argument that someone loves another based on their appearance also has a similar result; their are so many people with the similar appearances just like with personalities. Though some say how could you believe in love at first sight when there is no time for love to grow; i feel there is another option for two souls just to be attracted to each other like in the case of Viola and Orsino. Even during the play there are hints that Orsino is also interested in Viola, through his close relationship to Cesario. Because Orsino stops liking Olivia and turns to Viola it shows how love is fickle in a sophisticated manner. His love changes quickly because there is someone to change it. My views of love are very like Shakespeare's except that my views have a more believing approach to the idea of true love. (521)

terror

      Terror. An emotion undesirable to most. A word that has a meaning so unpleasant, how did it come to be? I choose the word terror because of how powerful I know the word to be and the heavy and strong emotions that are triggered because of it, or related to it. I wondered if its origin's are exactly the same as its definition today. Or if there were events in the past that created it's meaning. Terror is a beautiful and monstrous word and I felt that it's history would have a dark and twisted past that would very much intrigue me. There are some words that relate to terror. this would be obscurity and horror. People are generally terrorized by the unknown and the obscure; the strange and the incomprehensible. Obscurity helps aid terror for when feeling terror the senses can be heightened and lets a human live at the height of emotion by awakening the body and mind. As seen in many gothic novels where terror is used so very often. For example when staying home alone and its dark outside and a person is in a old house creaks that come in moments of total silence tend to send a shiver down one's spine. Then after a person may wait for a while to hear another and when that person does an electrical shock goes through there body and they are paralyzed waiting. The person's ears are not alert and listening to everything; there listening ability will be better than normal because of the chemical in the brain that triggers the terrorized feeling. Adrenaline may pump through the body. There body may become more rigid then possible if they were comfortable. There eyes will be straining to see something in the dark. Terror was a trigger that turned them into a sort of super human. Though an annoying feeling has come to them terror has actually helped them. For without it we could not feel the heightening of our senses and awakening of our body.
      Horror comes hand and hand with terror for terror is the thing you feel before horror. for example in scary movies when the person hears footsteps they are terrorized by the sound and feel a type of dread or terror for what comes next. Then when they see Frankenstein walk through the door they are horrified. They see this horror show in front of them and experience shock or horror at what they see.
      Terror, the word, comes from old french terreur. Its simple definition is extreme fear or a thing that evokes extreme fear. it has been attributed to many events throughout history, probably the most famous uses being the reign of terror after the french revolution and the war in the middle east. The Terror, or The reign of terror after the french revolution was a periond of on going violence where different political factions would battle against each other for supremacy. The people got caught up in this and a feeling of terror, fear, and dread hovered over them like a plague, for they did not know when they would get hurt by this "war". (526)

Pardoner's tale

what, trowe ye that whiles I may preache,
And winne gold and silver for I teche,
That I wol live in poverte wilfully?
Nay, nay, I thoughte it nevere, trewely,
For I wol preche and begge in sondry landes;

My question is the meaning and need for the second and third line of this quote from the Pardoner's tale?

The first line I can understand to mean in a sort of translation; "believe what you want while I preach." I also believe this is what the sentence means because the lines before this 149 and 150 can loosely translate to; "ignorant people love tales which they can repeat and remember." Lines 4 and 5 of the quote I also believe mean "no, no, I never truly intended that I preach and beg in sundry lands". I understand the meaning of the third line but do not get how it connects to the second line of the qoute; the third line means; "you think i live in poverty willfully?" Really the second line is the most confusing  for I do not understand if he is implying that his company is dining in luxurious whilst he lives poorly, which really does not connect nor make sense; or that he gets luxurious because he preaches and gives his sermons, but that also would not make sense because he follows up with the question of do you think I live in poverty willfully? My guess would be that he is saying even though he preaches and dines in luxury he is actually poor, and that he never expected this type of job(illustrated in lines 4 and 5 of quote).

Wiglaf's perspective

     My king had fallen and I knew that major troubles lay ahead. In this land that perpetuates the cycle of revenge now it was our people's turn to receive its sharp sting. We would be attacked by all our enemies now that Beowulf was gone and it was my job to protect my people. I will not let them done and repeat such cowardly and unfavorable acts as was just created a few hours ago by Beowulf''s men; for I will rather die in honor on the battlefield and return with my body on my shield then run from cowardliness and return without honor.
     I am sad that my king has died, no one could match him in this living world, not his bravery nor his strength. He was the greatest shield to protect our people and now that he is gone could I possibly be a shield as strong as he was? Can I be as tough as the strongest metal and shine like the clearest gold? I will strive for excellence until the day I can. I will gather the strength I had in battle when fighting with Beowulf against the dragon, and use it to defend my people.
     I am sad that my king died this way, for such a foul beast to take the breath away from such a noble creature is an unthinkable wrong. My king need not to have suffered the way he did. Maybe if I had jumped in and helped sooner. It would have been better if I could have been bitten instead of him. Maybe if is men had not run away from the dragon, but if we had all faced him together maybe we could have succeed in defeating the beast with no casualties. The betrayal of the men a person trusts the most really is the most dangerous. I must make sure no such thing happens again. So that not another man as noble and honorable as Beowulf dies. A man above the lure of simple temptations, exemplified even in his last breath's wish, should not die like this again. For a man to die with his most trusted gone, for his strongest ties to be cut in a matter of minutes at his death bed and know that only one has been loyal to him is too sad a death for any man to go through yet a king. However, I acclaim and will forever revel in the greatness of my king because he never gave up,even at the last hour when he was not sure he would live, he kept of fighting for his honor, courage, people, and himself. If only man was not as selfish, to want to save himself so he runs from aiding his brother. or to want to take all the glory himself so he dives into battle alone, head first. I will try to learn from the mistakes of my brothers so that I can create a company that will work hard together and make a greater outcome that way. I will not let the legacy of my shield go to waste but expand on it so that the kindest of kings can be proud of those he left behind.(540)

Beowulf

     The style of language used in the epic story of Beowulf is very unique in its own. Reminiscent of other epic narratives, such as The Aeneid and Odysseus, it projects grandeur and valor in each page. The style of the language is a big component of putting across the noble images this epic tale conveys. An important part of the language of Beowulf is the alliteration. Having similar sounds in each sentence is a common theme in Beowulf and is a nice tool to emphasizing a certain thing. For example, "He was a weary seafarer, far from home," (Norton 69) is a great example of alliteration setting the tone and emphasizing a certain thing. In this line the words far, from, and seafarer all have a prominent F which makes this sentence soft and light. By adding the word weary the sentence gets a little of a depressed mood and drags down, especially with the pronunciation of the Y at the end. Also the many R's and M's help to make a more rounded voice. Without even knowing the meanings of the words a reader can get a feel for the sentence by the way it sounds. Alliteration is a key component to the composition of Beowulf, along with word choice.
     Another characteristic of the language of Beowulf is the combination of words and how they affected the subject they are describing. Throughout the story there are many words that are put together to create an affect or to simply describe a thing. With these combination of words the book creates its own language that the reader must decipher to fully grasp the full meaning of a story. For example "Ring-Danes's country" (Norton 68) or "shield-clash" (Norton 74) or "battle-famed"  or "gold-chased" or "gem-studded" (Norton 77). The combination of words can produce a completely different meaning then before. For example with the first example talking about the "Ring-Danes's country," the two words separated mean a completely different thing then with them together, where they actually stand for a person. Also with the second example, it provides for a more detailed account of what occurred then simply saying battle. Also it is part of the book's own vocabulary which helps us identify with it. The combination of words in this epic story helps create a more personal connection with the book and also is used as a more descriptive and creative way to describe something, or name it.
     The style of the language used in Beowulf is very important for it gives you the whole feeling of the book. It helps convey the emotions correctly and the scenes correctly. Because of the use of this unique style  the experience of reading Beowulf greatly improves. (450)

memorable books

The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen
     This is a book that I read in elementary school. I chose this because when I was younger it was my favorite book, and even though I hardly remember the story now, it is one of my most memorable because I can still see images from the book in my mind's eye.

The House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
     This is also a book that I read in elementary school. I remember this book more clearly because it intrigued me; the main boy was a clone in a country called opium and was treated harshly by a serious of scenarios and used by others for their own gains; another reason this book is so memorable to me is because of the social injustice in the storyline; it was one of the first books that made me aware of such things.

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber
     One of the first vampire novels that I read. It started my on a vampire novel phase, during which I would only read vampire books; this eventually led me to the book Twilight.

Candide by Voltaire
     Candide is my favorite classical novel. I remember this book as being a very pleasant read and one of the funniest satires I have ever read; it is an ingenious book till the very end and discusses some philosophy that makes a reader think more about the world.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
     This book was more explicit then the books I was used to. Because of this book I ventured more into the perverse and the world of the insane; books that had an asylum particularly caught my eye.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
     I liked this book because it was a gothic novel. I read it during a phase where I loved all things haunted and dark, it was a nice mix of romance and mystery; pleasant.

PostSecret by Frank Warren
     This book connects a person to the troubles of random strangers around the world. When reading the personal secrets of others I felt connected, sympathetic, and aware; the most moving book I have ever read and the most profound.

clockwork orange

     A Clockwork Orange has many different aspects to it that sets it apart from other novels of its time.  Through Anthony Burgess's use of language, irony, and imagination he was able to create a new strange world that mirrored problems in our world.
     First, the language used in the novel is probably one of the most significant differences in Burgess's novel. Burgess entertains his readers by having the main character speak a futuristic slang. It is nasdat slang, a slang language only teens would use. In the beginning of the book these slang words can be a problem for the reader, for when reading the story a person becomes very uncertain of what the author is actually saying. Many of the sentences, for instance, "there was no law against prodding some of the new veshches which they used to  put into the old moloko, so you could peet it with vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom or one or two other veshches which would give you a nice quiet horrorshow..." could have many different meanings and are so jampacked with nasdat slang words that it is hard to decipher each words meaning. However, as the story progresses a reader can understand the nasdat slang better because of its usage and context.
     Burgess's use of language makes for a more enjoyable read because of his construction of new words. The words are spelled and pronounced in a funny way. Also, it is sort of like a game, having to figure out the meaning of each word. Finally, towards the end of the novel a reader may find themselves using the slang words unconsciously in their day-to-day life or when contemplating the book, as was my experience. When added to the style in which the other speaks in the novel, the slang words spice up the book even more.
     Another aspect of A Clockwork Orange that affects the reader is the story. It starts with a fifteen-year-old boy who is part of a small gang. He and his group of friends go around wrecking having, sort of like a profession. They first go to a bar, then they always buy drinks for some old laddies so that the laddies and create alibis for them. Then after they go to different houses and people on the street, stealing money, vandalizing property, beating up people, and rapping women. One of the most surprising things in this novel is how the main character, Alex, a regular boy who goes to school during the day looks upon what he does with not a shred of guilt. Even at the end of the book where he returns to his habits, he does not retire form his midnight shenanigans because they are making him feel guilty but rather because he is bored of them and wants a family. Because of this a conflict can take place within a reader, between wanting to follow the story and support and sympathize with the protagonist, or understanding the crimes the protagonist has committed and wondering if he got what he deserved.