Much Ado About Nothing: Stereotypes

Many stereotypes found in Much Ado About Nothing are related to gender. Throughout the play, women are portrayed as mindless, and easily manipulated. In the very beginning, when Claudio is desperately seeking Hero’s love, the Prince makes a promise. Don Pedro claims he will dance with Hero, and make her fall in love with Claudio. He simply says “The conclusion is, she shall be thine” (I.1.265). Don Pedro believes making a woman fall in love is easy, and will only take ten minutes! Indeed, Hero does fall in love with Claudio, while wooing women in real life would require a bit more effort.
Later on, Borachio goes about the task of wooing Margaret, Hero’s servant, in a similar fashion. Borachio feels he has complete control over Margaret’s emotions. He claims “I can, at any unseasonable instant of the night, appoint her/to look out at her lady’s chamber window” (II.2.14-15). Borachio implies that he could seduce Margaret whenever he pleases. He does accomplish this, and once again, this is not very realistic. Most women are not this easily controlled.
I do not think Shakespeare believed in these stereotypes. He gives examples of this stereotype to show that the stereotype exists, not that the stereotype itself is true. In the end, though, Beatrice is not easily won over, proving that not all women are easily manipulated. Shakespeare obviously didn’t believe all women were this way, or he would not have created Beatrice. Shakespeare used Beatrice to shatter existing female stereotypes, by making her strong and independent.

Lying: I Suppose Sometimes it's Fine...

In Much Ado About Nothing, Don John, Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato all engage in some form of lying. In Don John’s case, lying was not morally justified, considering his malicious motivations. He desperately wants to ruin Claudio’s chances of marrying Hero. Don John even says “Only to despite them, I will endeavor anything” (II.2.25). He pretty much says he will go to any lengths to ruin Claudio’s dream; Claudio, the war hero, who defeated Don John’s army; Claudio, who is about to marry the daughter of a very influential man in Messina.
Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato all lie also, but with different intentions. Theirs was to create love, not destroy it. These men’s lies were meant to help a person, which in turn makes them justified. Loudly, so Benedick will hear, Don Pedro exclaims, “What is it you told me of today, that your niece Beatrice was in love with Signior Benedick?” (II.3.72-73). Leonato and Claudio both go along with the charade, hoping to trick Benedick into falling in love with Beatrice. In truth, Beatrice despises Benedick, but that should soon change.
In real life, the same system of lying applies: if lying was done with ill-intentions, the lies aren’t justified. If lying was done with the best intentions in mind, lying is ok. For instance, if one person lies, telling police they’re not sure who murdered their neighbor, when in fact it was this person, the lying is completely unjustified. But, if a mother were to tell a child that Santa Clause exists, the lying is acceptable. After all, the mom was only trying to make the child’s holiday more special. Clearly, lying has an entire spectrum, ranging from little white lies, to despicable deceit. Only intentions separate the good and the bad.

Cutest Poem EVER

The Little Boy and the Old Man
By Shel Silverstein
Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man, "I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
"I know what you mean," said the little old man.

Shel Silverstein effectively uses tone to compare two generations. First, he uses humor to show things that the young and old have in common. Silverstein writes of a little boy and an old man having a conversation about life. They say to each other “‘I wet my pants.’/‘I do that too,’ laughed the old man” (3-4). Later on, Silverstein changes the tone from silly to sympathetic. He changes this tone to show how these two people relate to each other. The boy expresses the lack of attention he receives from adults. The old man consoles him, saying he understands (8-10). Different generations can relate to each other based common experiences. By using different tones, Silverstein shows how even with a massive age gap, people of all kinds can relate on some level.

I love this poem, because not only does it make me chuckle, but it also has some meaning for me. I’ve always liked Shel Silverstein, but this is probably the only one I’ve read so far that has really meant anything to me. Most of his poems are either random tidbits, or a story best understood by four year olds. I like this poem also because of my relationship with my grandma. As some of you may know, my grandma is kind of odd, but she’s also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. We’re really close (she comes over to my house almost everyday!), and we relate on all sorts of crazy levels. Anyway, this poem really stuck with me.

Reflection: Quarter 1

Thinking back to September, I believe I started the year off well, doing all my work in an organized, timely manner. Before I even realized it, a few assignments got away from me, and brought my grade down. I’m not going to dwell on those… I spent the rest of the quarter trying to make up for the poor assignments, and I succeeded. I ended the quarter with an “A,” but barely.

My final grade was due to the massses of new knowledge I've gained. First of all, I learned tons about visual literacy. I’d never before been able to analyze (in depth) a photo or movie, and now I’d like to think that I can. Also, I learned about how to organize my papers better, though that is still something I need to work on.

This quarter, I learned mostly about what I have to improve on, both with English and the rest of my classes. Overall I learned that I need to manage my time better, and spend less nights staying up until twelve. As for in English, I need to improve my writing by making simpler theses, and keeping my essays focused (often, it seems I go off on random tangents). Hopefully, my writing will improve if I spend more time preparing before I write, and making organized prewriting.

Overall, I’d give quarter #1 a thumbs up.

Water for Elephants is similar to... The 400 Blows!

First, in both pieces of literature the main characters must accept that their parents are lost, and learn to deal with this loss. Antoine’s parents are irresponsible, and they don’t trust him, or care about him. He takes care of his own life, and becomes an independent young man. Jacob Jankowski literally loses his parents, a car accident snatching them from his life. After his death, he falls into a state of confusion and silent depression. He sees a train, and “snaps out of a stupor…there is no home to go back to” (Gruen 24), so he decides to hitch a ride. Jacob chooses this way to fend for himself in the world, leaving behind anything familiar to him.

Also in both works, lost youth leads to wisdom. In The 400 Blows, Antoine learns the consequences of stealing and living a life of crime. By the end of the film, Antoine is older, and changes his ways, even returning a stolen typewriter, and owning up to his actions, realizing their impacts. Water for Elephants shows gaining maturity with age on a much larger scale. The book changes viewpoints from Jacob at age 21, to Jacob at 93. In both works, both characters learn about maturing with age, but they learn different lessons. While Antoine’s life improved with age, Jacob’s life declined since age thirty. Jacob claims that “age is a terrible thief. Just as you’re getting the hang of life, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back” (Gruen 12). Unfortunately, Jacob learns too late in life the value of youth and good health.

Second Conflict in Water for Elephants

More conflicts Jacob Jankowski encounters in Water for Elephants have to do with his parents’ deaths. One day during class, Dean Wilkins, a dean at Cornell, tells Jacob “Son, there was an accident… It was instant. There was nothing they could do” (Gruen 16). Immediately after he discovers his parents are dead, he is asked by the police superintendent to go to the coroner to identify his parents’ bodies. First Jacob had to find out that he’d never see his parents again, then he is forced to see his dead, bloody, torn apart parents. This brings Jacob immense grief, and complete inner conflict. Even after he runs away to the circus, he is unable to talk about his parents at all, or his past life for that matter. When asked about where he’s from, Jacob responds “Nowhere…for Christ’s sake would you just leave me alone?” (Gruen 144). He cannot deal with the demons of his past, and this tears him apart.

While little good came from the death of Jacob’s parents, Jacob did learn some important things about himself. First, he learned how much he values family. This situation truly shows how people can’t appreciate what they have until it’s gone. His appreciation of family is shown again when he is 93 and in a nursing home. He thinks of his dead wife, Marlena: “Dear Lord, how I miss that woman” (108). Also, Jacob discovered an angry side of himself that needed to be controlled. He unconsciously makes an effort to distract himself by jumping on a mysterious train (Gruen 24). Little does he know, this train is for Flying Squadron of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a circus show. Not only does this help him recover from his parents’ death, but it puts his life on a whole new path, teaching him the wonders of circus life.

Water for Elephants: Growing through Conflict

Jacob Jankowski faces many conflicts throughout Water for Elephants, as one could expect any protagonist would. A conflict Jacob encounters involves his boss, a schizophrenic named August, and his beautiful, performer wife, Marlena. Jacob falls in love with her at first sight. He immediately notices her “delicate features, pale as porcelain” (Gruen 72). August is very protective of Marlena, a well-known fact among the circus folk. Jacob’s roommate, a dwarf named Kinko, points out “that’s just somewhere you don’t wanna go… he’s the meanest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever met” (Gruen 157), as Jacob glances over at Marlena repeatedly. One night, Jacob kisses Marlena (Gruen 153) and makes everything more complicated. Later, Marlena admits “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you” (195). These two are destined to be together; now they only have to get past a paranoid schizophrenic with a history of violent behavior.

This conflict helps Jacob to grow in many ways. First of all, Jacob has his first experience falling in love. When watching her in her act with her horses, Jacob thinks of how he is “filled to overflowing, bursting with love” (Gruen 202). Also, Jacob learns about desperation, and how it can make people do things that would endanger their own lives. August hits Marlena in a fit of rage, which of course enrages Jacob (Gruen 246). Later on, Jacob takes a knife to August’s room, with the intent of slitting his throat in his sleep (295 Gruen). Fortunately, Jacob decides not to, but the whole event teaches Jacob to control his extreme emotions, and not stoop down to the level of his enemies.