Quarter 3 Reflection

I was not even aware that the AP exam was only five weeks away! You get so caught up in the actual grade that you fail to realize that the material has to be be regurgitated once more. Am I ready? Well, I'm ready for anything. It's the result that I'm not ready for. Although I feel that  everything we've learned so far is imprinted in my brain, the end result tells the whole story.

In order to be successful on this test I will need to focus on timing for the essays and just some of the vocabulary. I noticed that when I would do my forty minute time write that I can either be write on the time or need two extra minutes. I want to be able to finish five minutes before time is out. It will allow me to correct errors and revise previous thoughts.

My downfall has always been not trusting my first instinct on the multiple choice. There are always two answers I feel that could possibly be correct. So by reading and comprehending there can be no doubt. On this test I am going to make sure I understand what I am reading. I really enjoyed the jeopardy game we played because the terminology really stuck with me. Everything we did this quarter was helpful and enjoyable.

As I go into the last short quarter of this AP lit course I hope to look back and say I understand more than what I knew before. When it is over it will be emotional but I can't wait to see what is coming next.

Is Othello a Dangerous Moor?

   Othello, a play written by Shakespeare in 1604 tells of a noble African-American general. He is manipulated by Iago, ensign to Othello, by telling him that his wife has slept with Cassio in order to get revenge for picking Cassio over him as lieutenant. Plan after plan Iago seeks to destroy Othello’s life and time after time Othello falls deeper into his plan. He is noted by everyone as honest and true but throughout the play we his dramatic downfall.  So the question comes up is Othello a noble moor or could he be a dangerous savage? Shakespeare uses literary devices, conflict, to advance the overall meaning to show Othello’s true character.

            The beginning of the play shows Othello’s character as noble. For example in Act 2 scene 2 Herald mentions that he is a “noble and valiant general”. We see that from other’s perspectives Othello is looked up to. He holds a high stature not just as a general but in the citizen’s heart and mind. Before Othello was manipulated into thinking Desdemona was a whore he shows how much he loves and cherishes her. In Act 2 Scene 1 Othello says “ It gives me wonder great as my content to see you here before me.” He is not disgusted by her rather he is content with her presence. He begins to express the joy he has of being with her that he knows no other comfort. Even towards Iago although ignorant of the situation, he speaks highly of him. In act 2 scene 3 he says “ Iago is most honest.” In Othello’s mind Iago is someone he can trust and would never lie to him or set him up for failure. However, that was Iago’s intentions all along and it brings about the downfall of the main character, Othello.

            As the play unravels we take note that the conflict causes a change in Othello’s character. For example in act 2 scene 3 Montano says “And tis great pity that the noble Moor should hazard such a place as his own second with one of an engrafted infirmity.” This statement means that a weakness has become a part of him. He is no longer that strong and brave man that we have seen in the beginning. The once secure moor who was sure of himself and his actions was broken down to think twice about “ the honest Iago”. In act 3 scene 3 Othello says “ Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more. For such things in a false, disloyal knave are tricks of custom.” Although it was great he began to question Iago, we can also see him losing his mind. It is as if he is paranoid about his surroundings. He is not sure whether he should still trust Iago of his word that he does not have any cruel intention of him or Cassio. As Iago further seeks to hurt Othello he turns him against his wife. During act 4 scene 2 he has a dialogue with Emilia saying “ There is a subtle whore, a closet lock and key of villainous secrets. And yet she’ll kneel and pray.”At this point Othello is in full belief that his wife has slept with Cassio and thinks that she is keeping secrets with him. Due to his anger towards her, he speaks bad about her as if she was just another human being who he never had a connection with.

            Othello’s true character shows that he is a dangerous savage. His whole perspective of Desdemona has changed at this point as we can see in act 3 scene3. Othello says “ She’s gone, I am abused, and my relief must be to loathe her.” Being that he is so stressed with the things that Iago is telling him and he is actually starting to believe it, he needs to relieve himself somehow. He hates her and hate can be the main cause to kill. Now he is beginning to show signs of being dangerous. When hate festers for a long time, it becomes dangerous to the person and every person around them.

After Othello has found out from Iago that his wife has used his handkerchief that he has given to her to wipe Cassio’s beard, he was upset. The faith he had in her to say she was honest was no longer there. He says “ Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell!” His heart has turned completely against Desdemona to get revenge on her. After being fed multiple lies Othello’s true character is being shown. He begins to become obsessed because in the same act he cries “ O, blood, blood, blood!” Othello has truly become uncivilized and had lost all sense of mind. Going further in the play in act 4 scene 1 he says “ Ay, let her rot and perish and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is stone.” His nature has changed dramatically from the beginning to the end of the play but can we really say he is a dangerous savage?

Shakespeare uses literary devices, conflict, in order to advance the overall meaning to show Othello’s true character. He went from the noble moor to the dangerous savage. Through these examples we can see the downward spiral of Othello’s life due to Iago. Othello was more of a dangerous savage because he had more thoughts of evil than those thoughts of positivity. He became uncivilized which can be a danger to anyone. The conflict between Othello and hisThrough a combination of being unsure of the truth, being betrayed by someone he thought he could trust and becoming obsessed we can say that Othello is a dangerous savage.

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Quarter 2

  

 Quarter two came by extremely fast and and went by even quicker. I am very pleased of how much my reading abilities have grown.What I mean by this is that when I was younger even up to my junior year I did not like reading. When I read it was hard for me to comprehend. However, now I am able to understand and get it faster than I used to. There was more motivation to read because I knew the next day would have a Socratic seminar and I wanted to be prepared.

   To my surprise Othello was my favorite play we have read in second quarter. It was surprising because at first looking at the cover I thought to myself this maybe not captivating. Then when I realized that it was writtEn by Shakespeare I counted myself outs not going to understand. The first couple of pages were as I thought sort of not comprehensive and not captivating. However, when I went home I reread and looked at some sources to see If I was following the plot correctly.
   This was probably one of my favorite plays because of the deceit that Iago's character brought to the play. He was quick on his feet and always came up with a plan. Although I was rooting for Othello, without Iago the play would not have been interesting. One other that I did enjoy is the Christmas poems we gave to one another. For those who did not know their classmates it was a way for everyone to get to know that person. This was a great second quarter and I can't wait to see what's next for third quarter.

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Reflection

Quarter 1 of the AP literature course was very understandable. Although I was not present during the first weeks of class due to the schedule changes it was easy to catch on. The first assignment I was asked to do in the beginning of class was to TPCASTT poems. Now I’ve read poems before but never in this way because I learned to analyze and break down each of the poems. I actually understood them much more and as we went over it in class it was even more helpful. During first quarter I realized that this class was more discussion oriented which helps when reading a story that you might not understand. Even if you have understood the story you may get another point of view that causes you to think of the story in another perspective.

After reading poems we moved on to what was the first story in the biggest smallest book ever if that makes since. The Bedford book had many stories but one in particular was one of my favorite plays, Oedipus The King. I liked this play because of the irony and it really was a play that you wouldn’t mind reading again. The next class we had an assessment which was the best assessment I believe I have ever taken. I was elated when I found out that this wasn’t a multiple choice test where the smallest details that you didn’t really pay attention to would be on it. It was actually on what we had previously wrote and expounding on it. Not only that but you get feedback and clarification from your classmates. In conclusion I have to say that quarter one was understandable, actually easy and exciting. I think I might like this and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for second quarter.

Oedipus The King

In Oedipus the King Jocasta like Oedipus sees the horror of her identity unfolding. Compare Jocasta to the tragic hero. What are her own ideas about Fate and Prophesy? How does she react to her suspicious about Oedipus birth? How does her final despair differ from Oedipus?

The Inevitable

 Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, was a play about the downfall of the citizens of Thebes and its King. Before Oedipus became King there was a man named Lauis but he was murdered and no one knows who did it. As the search comes to a close Oedipus begins to give consequences and cast down curses for whoever has committed this murder. However we find that he is ultimately condemning himself and his wife, Jocasta, as well. Much like Oedipus she begins to see the horror of her identity unfolding.

Jocasta is similar to the tragic hero in that both of their fate was inevitable. However she does have her own ideas about fate and prophesy. The evidence found on page 1446 Line 779-782 we can see we can see Jocasta is not willing to give prophesy a place in her life. She does not believe that prophesy can control life and give someone a set plan for how their lives will turn out.  As soon as she heard the word prophet she automatically declared that it won’t penetrate Oedipus future. For example on page 1447 Line 820-821  Oedipus reaction to the news that he has just gotten revealed that he may be the murderer of Lauis which results in the curses being cast down on him. This example shows how depressed he has become because he recognizes that the prophesy he has received is true. This is what separates Jocasta and Oedipus because he actually believes in fate. On page 1453 line 1068-107 she expresses her unbelief in fate once again by pointing out that it is all about chance. According to Jocasta nothing is set in stone but can be changed if it is the desire of the beholder. Opinions of fate and prophesy is what separates Oedipus and Jocasta. This may be the reason why the reaction of Jocasta to the birth of Oedipus was uneasy.

 As the story continues there is not only speculation about what is concerning Oedipus but also about the birth of Oedipus as well. On page 1455 line 1157-1159 Jocasta is reluctant to let Oedipus find the Old sheppard because she knows that if he proceeds he will find something that could lead to her doom. The evidence found on page 1455 line 1161-1163 you can almost feel how convinced she is about her suspicions. When she says “ My suffering is enough” you can tell that just seeing Oedipus search is hurting her. If he continues to find more information her suspicions will not just be uncertain but they will become truth. For instance on page1455 line 1170-1171 when she says “for your sake”, it demonstrates her care for Oedipus life because she is more convinced in her suspicion that she may be his mother. If he found out it could lead to trouble or even worse, his death. Jocasta had suspicions about Oedipus birth and she became nervous about the search that Oedipus was leading. She was so uneasy because if her speculation about Oedipus birth is correct it would mean that the prophesy is true. It would mean he is her son and he killed his father. Her suspicions lead to despair which resulted in an unexpected turn of events.

 After trying to convince Oedipus not to find out the truth she finds herself in misery which Is different from Oedipus despair. For example on page 1461 line 1396 when she ended her life she was also able to end her misery. However this differed from Oedipus because he still has to live with it as long as he lives. He does not commit suicide but he does take Jocasta’s brooch and digs the needle down his socket. Although they both had a tragic fate each lived it differently than the other.

 Oedipus the King of Thebes was destined to marry his mother and kill his father which happened to be Lauis. Knowing his fate he does his best to stay away from the inevitable. However it does not work and he begins to see the horror of his fate unfolding, he is his wife’s son. Not only does he bring horror upon himself but also upon Jocasta who realizes her identity is her husband’s mother. As they search for the murderer there are more revelations being made about who could have committed this crime. Descriptions about the murderer makes Oedipus remember his ultimate fate. Jocasta has her suspicions of Oedipus birth because she knows that if he killed Lauis it would mean Oedipus is her son. Although she shares her own ideas about fate she comes to realize that maybe fate is inevitable because Oedipus’s life begins to play out that way.