Refelction Blog for Scene Presentation

I thought presenting the scenes we did (Act I Scene 4-5) was very helpful. Honestly, all of the enacting of the scenes was helpful for me to understand the text better. It is hard to just read this play and understand it without seeing the actions. I felt that it was somewhat hard for us to present it because the variations of the language from the present and now were quite different. Overall I enjoyed it and I felt our presentation went very well. We basically chose the scenes we did because it had the most characters and length to meet our requirements. Also, within the scenes was Lady Macbeth's soliloquy.

The Handmaid's Tale 6

Offred has sex with the Commander and returns home. That same night Serena sends her to have sex with Nick. Offred becomes very depressed and thinks of Luke often. She begins to shut conversations out and daydream of Nick too. There is a hanging of three woman and then all the handmaid's help to kill a guardian who was thought to rape a female. Ofglen goes missing and later Offred finds out she committed suicide. Serena finds out and confronts Offred about the night her and the Commander went out. Offred ends leaving with the eyes but Serena never called... and Nick tells her they are mayday. I didn't like the ending at all... it leaves too much unsaid and unanswered.

The Handmaid's Tale 5

Offred thinks about saving her cig for a different time and eating it for the rush. That way she could use the match to burn down the house. Serena ends up showing her a picture of her daughter too. Offred goes to some ceremony for a new wife. She is told that some know of her relationship with the Commander. One night while the Commander is drunk he gives her skimpy clothes and make-up and a purple tag and they go to a strip club "Jezebels' and he pretends she is his escort for the night... here Offred sees Moira and she tells Offred her escape failed and to come work at this place with her.

The Handmaid's Tale 4

Offred and Ofglen become better friend's as they share a common view about the religion and what is going on within Gilead. Offred learns that the Commander has sympathy for her and he gives her lotion and a Vogue magazine to look at... they also continue to play scrabble. They converse more although his answers are vague. Also, Offred considers suicide because she feels trapped. She recalls a time her and Nick tried to escape but it was a failed attempt. Serena offers that the Commander is sterile and tempts Offred to have sex with Nick. She agrees and Serena gives her a cig and tells her to get a match from Rita.

The Handmaid's Tale 3

The reading begins with her thinking of Luke her old lover and her daughter from before. She tries to dismiss that they are dead as it is easier to think so. She then goes to Ofwarren's house to witness her give birth to a baby girl. While this is taking place, Offred is thinking about her mother and tries to regress her thoughts. She tries talking to another Handmaid but is caught and stops. When she is back from this event she meets with the Commander who asks her to play scrabble with him. They play and then he asks for her to kiss him.  She does kiss him and retreats to her room. I think she masturbates at night? It says she undresses and is laughing and trying not to be loud.

The Handmaid's Tale 2

In the following pages, details of what happens to handmaids who stray are given. Such as Moira lying and being beaten with cable poles on her legs. There is a bath day, and she seems depressed throughout this day as she does not feel hungry. She decides to steal butter for lotion from the table. There is also a ceremony that take place where the household gathers and the Commander reads the bible to them. After, Serena Offred and the Commander get on the bed and the Commander has sex with Offred while Serena lays there and watches.

The Handmaid's Tale 1

In the first fifty pages I was introduced to Offred. When I first started reading I was confused because I didn't realize it was a flashback of what once was in their society and then it flipped back over to the now. She arrives at a new house and is treated as property instead of a person. Her purpose is never really stated although i gathered it was for sexual reasons as Rita said she could have done it herself if she hadn't gotten her tubes tied. There is no glass anywhere and Offred is not allowed to read so her grocery list is tokens with photos on them. The society seems very innocent at first glance because they do not show skin, wear makeup, or look at one another.

Macbeth acts IV-V

Macbeth again meets with the witches and they tell him that he should fear Macduff and an army will be coming for him. Macbeth decides to have the murderers kill Macduff's family. Ross takes the news to Macduff and it enrages him. He decides to put an army together and go show Macbeth what is up. Lady Macbeth is having issues while this is all going on. She is seen sleep-walking by her attendant and a doctor. She discloses her guilt of the murder while asleep and the doctor says she needs God not medicine. Finally she ends up killing herself. Her husband is faced with the war at his castle and Macduff finds him. Macduff slays Macbeth after they exchange words.

Macbeth scenes I-III

In the first three scenes of the play many different things take place. In the first scene readers are introduced to King Duncan who is conversing with a Captain. The Captain is reporting of war and telling the King of brave Macbeth's actions. Macbeth also hears of a prophecy from three witches that he shall be King. His wife, Lady Macbeth gets a letter from him and decides they must kill the King. In act two the couple go through with their plot and each take a part in the murder of the King. The attendants of the King flee for various countries as they feel they will shortly be accused. In the third act Macbeth realizes Banquo is very aware of what he has done and hires murderers to slay Banquo. After the murder Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost in his chair at the banquet.

Scene Presentations

I will be playing the part of Macbeth in Act 1 Scenes 4 & 5. In Scene 4 I converse with the King and am telling him of the war I have witnessed and enacted. In Scene 5 I converse with my wife, Lady Macbeth, who is asking of the King's presence and what I plan on doing. She is trying to convince me to take action but I get sick of her & exit the scene.

The Love Song

I thought this poem was about a man who is haunted by many situations/places/days/times/events. I feel like he is old in his narration and is reflecting either on his life or on his want to go back and change it somehow. I also feel that he is conflicted with many events and decisions he made in his life and is burdened by his outcome. I'm not sure if he is already dead because the end of the poem depicts him drowning. I think he may be dead the entire poem and in his after life he is burdened by his wrong choices he has made.

Poetry

The Chimney Sweeper
When he was little his mother died and his father put him to work as a chimney sweeper before he was old enough to understand what was happening.

Tom was upset his head was shaved but the narrator calms him by saying without hair you won't get soot in it.

At night, Tom had a dream about other boys like him dying.

There was an Angel in the dream who let the boys who died free and they went and washed their 'baggage' and soot off their bodies.

The boys ran around free and naked and the Angel told sleeping Tom he could do this one day too if he is a good kid.

Then Tom woke up and he went to work happy and warm because of his dream even though it was cold and he was a chimney sweeper.

London
He is walking through industrial parts of Thames with a weak saddened look to impress upon others who see him.

He is in pain, he can feel and hear everyone's cries.

The happy city is now black/dark and blood is on the walls of the town (war?).

In the late hours around the town, it is cursed with baby cries and death.

The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas & Harrison Bergeron

I did not like The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. It was a twisted story that portrays a society that is 'happy' yet it is clear they are not. They do not smile or show much emotion and seem to be running through the motions of life. They are also aware of a child who is locked up in the community and barely fed and is completely abused. The ending gives hope to those in the society who can't take it and want something better... so they leave. Yet the narrator talks of happiness and how those who leave will be unable to find any. It is a distorted view and I feel that the community is brainwashed into this crazy lifestyle of knowing something is not right but keeping their mouth shut and accepting it. However, I do not understand what the town was gathering for naked and celebrating Summer for?

In Harrison Bergeron, the husband and wife are portrayed as a normal couple watching TV together. Yet, they are living in a society that has dictated everyone to be equal in every facet of life. The beautiful people must wear 'handicaps' and suffer for their assets. The wife is obviously not the smartest and the husband would know this but his 'handicap' makes him less aware because he is constantly distracted. I found this story to be very amusing. It is glorifying less intelligence and unattractiveness which is quite the opposite in our world now.

The Lottery & Goodman Brown

I did not like the story of Goodman Brown. As I understood it, he was a man of faith and had high trust in the Church. Yet, he was led down a journey by whom he thought a man of the devil and there was a worship going on in the dessert forest. It was possibly a dream at the end and the character of Goodman Brown could not understand if it was a dream or not. He had a hard time going to Church and feeling comfortable afterward. I feel the story was truly a dream of what he fears or that he is struggling with his faith and is having nightmares of what could happen if he falls into the trap of sin.

However, The Lottery  was a much different story. It was about a community coming together to select a paper from the black box. At the end of the Lottery one family has to go through the lottery together and had to see who ended up with the black dot. It turns out Tessie was selected. The community seemingly stones her to death? I feel that this was possibly population control? I think the society was severely messed up and had a demented tradition going on. I liked this story because it was easier to read and unpredictable.

Also, as discussed in class we are to blog our paper topics. I would like to write about my take of Edgar Allen Poe's Tell-Tale Heart. I want to write about my perception of the narrator being schizophrenic. I feel the story would give me ample evidence to support my inquiry. 

The Yellow Wallpaper

This story was very slow. I had a hard time keeping my attention because it felt like reading someones diary except it was not new information but the same feelings and thoughts repeating themselves again and again.  I feel that the story was a portrayal of the actual author in some ways. After reading the biography at the beginning and the reasons why she wrote it at the end it becomes clear to me that it is in many ways, except for the delusions. In the story this poor woman is treated like she is ignorant and knows nothing because 1) she is a woman 2) her husband is a doctor and 3) she is not to be taken literally by anyone. I feel she has so many obsessive ways about the wallpaper because she is just BORED. It says the windows are closed and have bars on them and the door has a gate in the hall. It is almost like a jail to her and she is not allowed to leave. Without any way to get out, she feels trapped and is bored and feels more crazy because she is being locked away in this tiny old room with ugly wallpaper. Therefore, her obsession is began and she has delusions about a woman in the wallpaper. I feel like this woman is her but she is unaware of it until the end when she lets herself take the persona of the wall woman. I also feel that at the end she was going to kill herself by hanging herself with the rope. Yet the story does not let you know that she does or not. I think she does because John passes out, and why would he if she wasn't in the act of committing suicide? The story definitely brings light to the need for someone who is depressed to not be hidden but to be given opportunities to socialize and just feel better about themselves. If John had allowed her, she would probably have been okay because it's all that she wanted... a life.

The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allen Poe's story was very amusing to me. He wanted to portray to his audience that the main character was not 'mad' but skillful and 'wise'. I feel the character was trying to cope with the guilt he had for having such thoughts about killing the old man by seeing the good in what he was planning (his skilled attack, his clever breaking in, his sneaky movements inside the old man's room, etc.).  He waited and watched the old man sleep several nights until one night he is caught and the old man sits in bed in fear (you can hear his heart beating). Yet, he does not just kill him then. He stands and 'plays' with the old man opening the lantern and then finally he goes through with it. He then butchers the body and buries it in the floor & replaces the floor boards so fantastically that you would never know they were taken up. However, he IS proven to be mad because at the end of the story he thinks he can still hear the mans heart. How can that be if he dismembered the body? It is just not possible. He is obviously paranoid and guilty due to his actions. I think the title of this is kind of comical because it is the Tell-Tale Heart and he ends up tattle telling on himself because he can hear the heart beating. Over all, I enjoyed reading this and felt it was easier for me to comprehend in comparison to A Rose For Emily.

A Rose For Emily By: William Faulkner

After reading the assigned short story, I was lost. I went back and reread the story and still am lost. I had a hard time following along because I was not familiar with several words used in the text. So, I used my dictionary and looked the words up and went back and read it once more. I feel the author really 'jumped around' in the story and I had a hard time understanding past from present information he gave to the readers. I also do not understand if she killed Homer (why would she?) (did she buy the arsenic for him?) and was sleeping in bed with him at night or what the significance of her hair on the pillow next to him was.  The way I understood the reading she was buying the arsenic to kill herself not someone else. I am still very confused over the literature and do not fully understand what is happening. 

I feel the handout about active reading ties into my problems with my understanding. I need to use the tools and techniques described in the handout to go back and reread the text and really break it down to understand it. Perhaps after another try I will understand the story.

Background Information & Introduction

Hello friends! My name is Emily but mostly I go by Emmy (that is unless one or both of my parents is mad at me). I am enrolled in this course because it is a requirement for my degree in elementary education and also because I do enjoy to read and write. I actually write quite frequently in my spare time as I have a strong interest in singing and song writing. My hobbies include singing, watching movies, visiting my family, snowboarding in the winter, boating in the summer, spending time with my little cousins, baking, and I highly enjoy traveling places (I have been to every state in the US including Alaska & Hawaii as well as Mexico & Canada). 

Me in Chicago, IL

My Family in Denver, Co

I find that writing is an outlet for my personal thoughts, feelings, and a great way to express myself. I am currently uninvolved in any extracurricular activities as I just transferred to USD this semester. I am still trying to learn my way around campus and familiarize myself with the different class sizes and lecture styles.

I am originally from Sioux City, IA and attended Western Iowa Tech Community College for a couple of years. With that said, I have not taken the course English 101 at USD. I am assuming this would be a composition course. I did take composition I & II at WITCC. Composition I at WITCC was a basic grammer course with focus on some writing and reading. Composition II at WITCC involved writing an 8-10 page research paper and the entire semester was a focus on formating and technicallities (proposal, outline, notecards, annotated bibliography, etc.). I feel I have a strong background for future writing assignments and also have acquired strong reading comprehension skills from my previous courses.

I look forward to learning advanced strategies for writting and organizing my essays more effectively. I am also looking forward to learning how to practice active reading as I have never engaged in doing so prior to this course.