Im thankful for...

I am thankful for Natalie Zajak because she is awesome.  Everyday she sits in front of me in class and is so funny.  She balances out our group of four (I have no idea what I would do if I was only with John Brown and Nathan.)  That's a joke... When we were writing our first narrative in the tech labs, Natalie started writing her paper about a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.  That is pretty wacky.  Natalie brings a breath of fresh air to our class and I can always look foward to seeing her in her too cool girl's lacrosse jacket.  I didn't know Natalie before this class, but I am thankful for having had the opportunity to meet her.  I am thankful that she is typically on the same page with me when it comes to reading British Literature (scared and confused.)  She is a great peer editor and gives good advice, while not insulting my poor writing skills.  I just found out today that Natalie and her parents have duck for Thanksgiving dinner.  I am therefore thankful for her originality.  I also am thankful for John Brown and Nathan Ng because they are goofy, yet intellectual.  They liven up the class for me.  I hope everyone has a really good Thanksgiving and 5 day weekend!

Then he is dead?

Macbeth did some pretty unspeakable things in order to gain power.  The question at hand is: were the crimes/acts he committed worth it?  In the end Macbeth is killed and towards the end of his life, he was consumed with paranoia and anxiety about the killings.  His wife, who was the main supporter of his climb to the throne, died in a probable suicide act.  Honestly, what more did Macbeth have to live for?  Were the benefits of Macbeth's actions worth the rewards?  Seeing how his life ended, I'd say no, but what if it had turned out differently?  What if Macbeth didn't let panic dominate his life?  What if Lady Macbeth hadn't killed herself?  I then think it would have been worth it, well also if he wasn't murdered in the end.  If Macbeth could've lived with himself and accepted his actions after performing them, then I think he would have done a really good thing for his future.  He would have pleased his wife and also would become a very very powerful man.  The problem is you cannot predict the future.  If Macbeth could have known he would be killed in the near future, I don't think he would have made the same decisions he did.  I wonder if the characters of Macbeth and LM think it was worth it.

"From the crown to the toe, top full of direst cruelty"

This quote is said by Lady Macbeth because she is wanting to take the throne and do whatever is necessary to make that happen.  This quote and its surrounding context is about how Lady Macbeth wants to be less of a lady, and more of a cold hearted male.  She implies that women are nurturing and unable to carry out the tasks of men because of this nature.  She says "unsex me here," because she believes that being a woman is what is holding her back from being able to kill Duncan.  I think this is extremely sexist.  Yes, women can be caring mothers, but that doesn't mean it is true in all cases, nor is it true that all men are void of feelings.  Thinking like a man does not mean thinking like a killer.  Shakespeare casts women in stereotypical roles, but considering the time at which this was written, I do not find it ridiculous.  I am all for women's rights, but in the 17th century, this was pretty widely accepted.  Women have come a very long way and I think that is why it is hard to read Shakespeare now because he had a low view of women and their capabilities.

No New Tale To Tell

The Wife of Bath's Tale touched upon some timeless points.  Gender equality has always been a heated topic and has become much more widely accepted in the late 20th century and into current day.  In the story the knight had to come before the queen and a panel of women to see if he would be executed or not.  In this situation the females were in control and held the power.  Women have had a very tough time historically when it has come to gender equality.  There had always been expectations of women to be good mothers, cooks, and cleaners.  Women were in charge of domestic duties and men were the ones who had jobs and "brought home the bacon."  Women are now working the same jobs men are.  They are CFOs, CEOs, and billionaire entrepreneurs.  The idea that women can be in charge is still very relevant to modern times.  The knight said that what women want most is to be in control of their husbands and lovers.  I disagree with this point though because I don't think women necessarily want to be the one with all of the power in their relationships.  I think they want a balance of power, but I cannot speak on behalf of all women because everyone has different views and opinons on this.  Although there still isn't equal pay in the workplace for women and men, females have come a very long way in terms of gender equality, which is a point The Wife of Bath's Tale touched upon.    

Truth

When the shaper first goes to Hrothgar's meadhall, Grendel is intrigued by the songs he sings.  Grendel wants to believe what he sings, but after years of watching Hrothgar and his people, it is obvious that the shaper sings of not only truth, but also fiction.  He embellishes and exaggerates stories.  The shaper focuses on the positive things Hrothgar and his men have done, while eliminating the losses and negative parts of the past.  Propaganda is similar to what the shaper does because it gives a biased look on an issue or topic that could be view at from many different angles.  It focuses on a positive element of the topic to try and mask the negatives that come from it.  It can also exaggerate the wrongdoings of an enemy.  Propaganda is frequently used in war, and perhaps most memorably in World War II.  A very iconic example of propaganda posters is that of "Rosie the Riveter."  It was to represent and encourage women who took over factory jobs that men who went to war left behind.  It is hard to identify what is the truth whenever conflict arises because each side has their own perspective and tries to convince as many people as they can that they are right.  The truth can be hard to identify and at times hard to believe.  Grendel knows the shaper sings a mix of truth and lies, but still cannot stop listening.

Modern Day Grendel

Although I am still undecided as to whether Grendel is truly evil, his actions were preposterous.  At night he went on mass killing sprees and tore apart up around 30 innocent men!  The only person that comes to mind when I think of mass killings is Adolf Hitler.  He murdered Jews, Catholics, Gypsies, homosexuals, and the handicapped, as well as supporters of these groups of people.  Hitler was able to kill many more people and I would say he had a much larger impact on the world, but they both were monsters.  Grendel was never remorseful when it came to his actions, and he stood behind all of his decisions.  Hitler was confident in his beliefs as well and never backed down, but when he knew he was going to lose, he escaped (suicide.)  A difference is that Grendel thought he would be beaten by Beowulf when his claw was being forcefully grabbed with little effort on Beowulf's part, but he still put up a fight.  Both Hitler and Grendel like the feeling of control.  They terrorize innocent civilians which in turn gives them complete power.  Although this is based on opinion, neither Hitler nor Grendel was particularly attractive.  They both were hellions and I think many of their actions mirror each other.  Hitler had all ill intentions in my viewpoint, but I do sympathize in some ways with Grendel.  He was born as a descendant of evil, but Hitler brought everything he did upon himself.  While Grendel is still responsible for his actions, I think he is the lesser of two evils when comparing him to his modern-day counterpart of Adolf Hitler.

Me

Hi! My name is Sylvie and I am a sophomore.  I went to Lincoln Elementary and was in the academic center at Whitney Young. I am on the girls tennis team which is super fun!  I do not really play tennis outside of school so it is nice when the season comes around, but I find it challenging to balance that and my work.  It is a short season though so it is totally worth it.  This past summer I went to overnight camp for eight weeks which I loved!  It was my sixth year going to the camp and it was celebrating its 100th summer.  I go to an all girls camp in Northern Minnesota called Camp Kamaji.  At camp my favorite activities are waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing, and playing tennis.  I also love watching t.v.  Some of my favorite shows include Revenge, Modern Family, and The New Normal.  I think I like it because it is more interesting than watching movies because you become more invested in the characters lives and you have the ability to watch them grow and progress, (I guess you can in a movie too, but I like t.v. better!)  I am really excited for english class this year because it was my favorite class last year (I had Ms. Leki,) but I find British Literature really difficult to comprehend.  I guess I will figure it out.