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.

Photo Blog #1

Comparing Outside Reading to Class Literature

First of all, Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, is similar to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. They both use flashbacks as a way to reveal different areas of the characters’ lives. In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, flashbacks were used to show Oskar’s memories of his dead father, and to show the relationship they had. In Water for Elephants, the every other chapter shows Jacob Jankowski’s life working for the circus. The chapter’s in between show Jacob’s life sixty years later in a nursing home. This technique is used to reveal a secret regarding the death of August. Jacob kept this secret his whole life, and says that “In seventy years, I’ve never told a blessed soul” (4).
Secondly, Water for Elephants is written in the same style as Black Boy. Although Water for Elephants, is not a memoir, it is written in the same format. Jacob is reflecting in the nursing home, talking about his life in the circus. Speaking about his life helps to explain his personality, and his anger in the nursing home. Jacob says “the ghosts of my past rattle around my vacuous present” (13). With so much bottled up emotion, one is bound to be angry, especially when they are pent up in a nursing home, with only their ghosts to haunt them.

Another Main Character

A second main character in Water for Elephants is August, the “equestrian director and superintendent of animals” (Gruen 126) for the Benzini Bros. Most Spectacular Show on Earth. August is Jacob’s boss. Jacob is not particularly fond of August, due to his erratic personality. For instance, August and his wife, Marlena, have a fancy dinner with Jacob. The entire evening, August conducts himself as a gentleman, treating everyone with hospitality. At the end of the night, August’s second personality reveals itself. Out of nowhere, “he stares at Marlena with such intensity he looks like a different man” (Gruen 94). August briefly becomes a terror. August’s malicious nature is revealed again when he shows Jacob how to feed the cats. He lets Jacob into Rex’s cage, a lion, with a bucket of meat. Rex is an angry creature and bites down hard on Jacob’s arm (85). Fortunately, Rex has no teeth; unfortunately, Jacob was unaware of this from the start. Even though Rex is toothless, “he’s 400 pounds and has claws” (Gruen 95), Marlena points out.
August does not appear to have any sort of conscious motivation. “He… has his moments” (Gruen 95) Marlena says. It seems that August has some typeof mental illness, most likely schizophrenia. He has no control of this vicious side of him, and this side only emerges sporadically. Perhaps something earlier on in August’s life made him the way he is, but so far in the story, this has not been revealed.

Main Characters: Water for Elephants

Jacob Jankowski is a son of two Polish immigrants, thus his last name. In Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, Jacob is really the only main character. He attends Cornell, and is in his final year of veterinary studies. He is obsessed with one woman, Catherine, and is fairly certain that he is “the oldest male virgin on the face of the earth” (16). Along with his love of women, Jacob also loves animals. This love of animals is obviously what led him to veterinary school, along with his dream of working alongside his father, an established veterinarian.
In the very beginning of the book, during class, Jacob is informed that his parents were involved in a car accident, and “there was nothing anyone could do” (17). Jacob’s overwhelming grief keeps him from taking his finals, and graduating. Later he finds out that his parents have virtually no money. His father had been “taking payment in the form of beans and eggs for nearly two years” (19). During the height of the Depression, payments like these were common. Not only was Jacob now an orphan, but had no financial security whatsoever. This lack of confidence in his future and his sadness motivate him to run away. As he is running, he stumbles upon a train belonging to the “Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth” (28). Indeed, at twenty three, Jacob Jankowski ran away to the circus.

Why do people write memoirs?

People write memoirs because they have an urge to express themselves. Whether a person writes their own story to convey a message, mourn, celebrate, or vent their anger does not matter; all people who write memoirs end up with a deeper sense of who they are. By knowing who they are, they can decide what they will become, and have an insight into their future.

Telling our own stories teaches us to be introspective and to get our own lives into perspective. First of all, getting to know one’s self better is an important aspect of writing. Memoirs give people the power to understand themselves. Writing memoirs also helps people to see the big picture, and understand what goes on in their lives. Often when one has an issue, they can only focus on their feelings and reactions. When an event is set in front of someone on paper, everything becomes clear; none of their thoughts or prejudices can cloud the picture in front of them. Memoirs have the power to deepen one’s sense of self and their surroundings.

Richard's Hungers and the Effects

Richard hungers in different ways; physically, emotionally and intellectually. First of all, the most obvious of his hungers is physical. Richard often mentions his intense starving, and it overtakes him. He says, “…I knew hunger, biting hunger, hunger that made my body aimlessly restless, hunger that kept me on edge, that made my temper flare…” (Wright 103). This hunger savaged his body, as well as his emotions. For example, Richard says “There were many days when I spoke to no one except my mother. My life was falling to pieces…” (Wright 173). Richard lacked love in his life. Without affection from anyone accept his mother, Richard became extremely emotionally distraught. Lastly, Richard hungered for knowledge. He had so many questions about why black people and white people had to live together this way, and his questions were never answered. Richard notices that “As the outside world grew more meaningful, I became more concerned, tense; and my classmates and my teachers would say: ‘Why do you ask so many questions?’ “ (Wright 169). Richard ached to know how the world around him functioned, but nobody could explain a thing to him.
In all of the above quotes, Richard explained how these hungers affected him. His physical hunger made him short-tempered. Richard’s emotional hunger made him feel lonely, while his intellectual hungers made him curious. The effects of Richard’s physical and emotional hungers were both negative, and made his life almost intolerable. Richard’s curiosity, however, forced him to strive to learn and educate himself, so he could one day interpret the world around him. Richard had a thirst for knowledge that needed to be satisfied, and this need helped him to grow.

Bad Behavior: Person vs. Environment

Black Boy
By Richard Wright
Richard is not a bad boy because his intentions are not malicious. When he misbehaves he often does not understand that he even did something wrong. For instance, when Richard tells Granny to kiss his backside, he claims “I had no way of measuring the gravity of my wrong and I assumed that I had done something for which I would never be forgiven” (Wright 42). After speaking rudely to Granny, Richard regrets it, and admits to not even knowing the meaning of his words. Obviously he had no cruel motives. Another example of Richard misbehaving occurs when he accidentally burns half of his house down in the beginning of the story. Richard’s intentions were not to damage the house; all he was “wondering was how the long fluffy white curtains would look if I lit a bunch of straws and held it under them” (Wright 4).
Richard’s motives were not vicious, he was simply curious. Bad behavior should be blamed on the person when the person committing the deed does so with the knowledge that what they are doing is evil or wrong. One example of this occurs when Professor Matthews burns down a white family’s home, with a woman inside it. He says “I had to do it. I couldn’t just leave her there and let somebody find her. They’d know somebody hit her. But if she burns, nobody’ll ever know” (Wright 67). Professor Mathews was fully aware that burning a house down was immoral, but he did it anyway. This behavior should definitely be blamed on the person. Behavior should be blamed on the environment when one is living in unsuitable or terrible conditions. Richard’s fatherless life is one filled with shocking twists, constantly moving around, and never knowing where his next meal will come from. When one’s life is out of balance, their behavior will reflect this discrepancy.

Welcome to My First Blog Ever!

I already love my blog, and so will you! It will be filled with pages of interesting entries about various literary works. My blog will grow and grow through the year, until school ends in June. I've never had a blog (that's right, not even facebook) so this is new to me. I hope you like it, I know I will!