Quarter 3 Reflection

Wow, third quarter is over already and this seniorittis has ready stared kicking in. Just a couple of months ago it was second quarter and now we already in the fourth quarter and getting closer and closer to graduation. I would have to say that third quarter was the best that i have done well in so far in this AP course. Reason being said is because I feel as though i have really improved on my writing skills which I think has made an enormous change from the first essay in this class.  A book that I absolutely enjoyed reading was Their Eyes Were Watching God. For one thing this book is really interesting and is defiantly a must read. It show the hardships of what African American had to go threw just to prove that a black man can do anything a white man can do. Moving on to a even greater matter-the AP Lit is in approximatively  5 weeks and feel like im just halfway ready. I lack strength in the literary analysis timed write area of the test and feel like my main focus should be in that area in order to attain a good score. I feel quite comfortable with the terminology used now that I am familiar with it and also the multiple choice section of the test. Overall I have a lot of practice and reviewing to do till the test. Till the the time comes i will practice practice practice!!! At the same time not forgetting that I still have to be alert that fourth quarter will be over that I know it.

Quarter 2 Reflection

          Two down and two more to go! Second quarter is over and done with but I cant let my guards down yet. This quarter wasn't quite as hard compared to as first quarter in AP Lit. Now that I know what to expect my confidence in this class has boosted a lot. During this quarter we read the play Fences which is a fabulous play written by August Willson. I really enjoyed reading this play due to the fact that it showed the hard times and struggles of a African American man trying to provide for his family. Also how father a to son relationships can become destructive which i think most African American males can relate to.  I really don't have any dislikes about this quarter but the most favorite thing I liked about this quarter was reading the play Othello by Shakespeare. I absolutly loved reading this play everyday,  suspense kept building inside me every time I read chapter. I cant wait to see what quarter 3 bring to the table!

Othello: Tragic Flaw

Prompt: Does Othello fall as the result of a tragic flaw? Why or why not?

        What is a tragic flaw? To fully understand this paper you must know what it means. A tragic flaw is a term that refers to a personally of the main characters that leads you his or hair downfall. In the play Othello written by William Shakespeare, Othello goes through many obstacles mentally and emotionally. Othello is truly a dynamic character. From reading the play from the beginning to the end you can observe how Othello gradually changes from a flawless military general into a cold blooded murder. William Shakespeare uses the literary device characterization in order to convey that Othello falls as the result of a tragic flaw.

 One factor contributing to the reason Othello falls as the result of a tragic flaw is that he is characterized by jealously. Othello jealousy throughout the play is very strong is also sensed by many of the other characters in the play. Othello says “Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul. But I do love thee! And when I love thee not, Chaos is come again.” Othello’s jealousy is the catalyst for the inescapable end he sees for his relationship with Desdemona.  Jealousy is being used as a catalyst to cause relationship problems when the trusted honest Iago rots Othello’s mind by telling him that he is being betrayed by Desdemona and Cassio.

Another example is when Iago tells Othello that Cassio was dreaming about Desdemona. Iago says to Othello “In sleep I heard him say, ‘Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our loves’.” Iago tells Othello lies to create a whirlpool of jealous emotions in his head. Othello grows more confused and frustrated for the love he has for Desdemona. Iago tells Othello untrue stories of a romantic situation between Desdemona and Cassio, in telling him these lies, Othello grows more and more aggressive in his relationship with Desdemona.

            Lastly Othello get jealous when he finds out the Cassio has the handkerchief that he gave to Desdemona as a gift.  Iago tells Othello that he has seen Cassio using handkerchief spotted with strawberries. Iago says “I know not that, but such a handkerchief—I am sure it was your wife’s—did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with.”

 Since he has accurately described the handkerchief, Othello believes him and starts to believe that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair due to the proof given by Iago.      As a result Othello is so blinded by jealousy that he accepts Iago's lie as the strongest possible evidence.

                The second factor contributing to the fact Othello falls as the result of a tragic flaw is that he is characterized by being gullible. Othello is a very gullible person and believes everything that Iago throws at him. Othello is a very easy person for Iago to lure and fall into his evil diabolical    plan due to the fact that he is so in love with Desdemona and doesn’t want anybody to have her but him. For example he was tricked by Iago, thinking that Desdemona was really having an affair with Cassio .After when Iago told Othello that Cassio had a dream about Desdemona, Othello replied “Oh, monstrous! Monstrous!" He trusts Iago too much and totally relies on Iago therefore making him really vulnerable to Iago's evilish schemes.  Othello's gullibility thus causes him to be jealous.  He lets his jealousy take over, he loses control of himself and acts on his jealous emotions, and he lets his jealousy clutter his mind and good judgment.

            Another example would be when Emilia told Othello about Desdemona death, and he admits to murdering his honest wife Desdemona but says that he killed he because it was untrue to him. When Emilia told him that it was not true Othello said “Ay,  twas he that told me on her first. An honest man he is and hates the slime that sticks on filthy deeds.”  By reading that quote, Othello gullibility is fully observed. Othello believes Iago and his lies because he thought that Iago was an honest person. Iago’s plan was so powerful that Othello praised him for his “honesty”.

             Lastly Othello told the officials his reasons for committing murder and that Iago told him of an affair. Iago's response was, "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth, I never will speak a word.  Iago told Othello and the others that he didn't tell Othello about an affair. He just made insinuations and suggestions about one. Othello really didn't know of an affair between Desdemona and Cassio. His gullibility led him to be overtaken with appearances. Othello didn't make any real attempt to find out the truth. He relied on Iago to provide a picture of what he thought happened. Because of Othello's mistake to seek the truth, his inevitable downfall became realized when he killed himself. Othello's tragic flaw was being gullible. His background of baseness made him a weak minded person. Iago was an evil man who wanted to see the downfall of Othello. He recognized Othello's flaw and used it to his benefit. 

            The last and final factor that led to the fall as the result of a tragic flaw is that Othello had an enormous amount of trust for Iago. This is clearly visible throughout the whole play. For instance when Iago gives Othello the proof that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair Othello says “Oh, blood, blood, blood!” Othello grow furious and want to kill Cassio because he believes that what “honest” Iago is saying is the truth. This automatically reveals that Othello trusts Iago just because he has attained “proof” that Othello’s wife is having an affair with Cassio.

Throughout the play we see Othello sink deeper and deeper into a cloud of doubt which eventually leads him to kill not only his wife but also himself. So it can be said that Othello's jealousy and inability to see past it remains the reason for his downfall.

Fences

Hello world check out my page on the play Fences. Click Me

Quater 1 Reflection

      Quarter one is finally over! This quarter has been very interesting for me in AP Lit. There were times were  I felt like giving in and there we times were i felt wow is how its going to be once I get to college. This quarter has challenged me to think in new ways that I didn't even think was possible for me. It has opened my mind up  into a new way of thinking and now reading a novel, poem, or play isn't just regular reading. It's more than just reading, there is  annotating, Socratic seminars, and also TPCASTing(which I hated). I think out of the three i really enjoyed annotating it gave me the sense that I actually understand what I read.
      My weakness throughout this quarter would definitely have to be, finding it hard to write an essay without getting stuck or contradicting myself. I would get frustrated and tired of thinking, mostly because of procrastinating and waiting to finally write my paper on a sunday night. Which of cousre led to a not so good paper. My favorite thing that I learned was how to write a college paper. It gave me a sense to how college writing is going to be and what professors look for in your paper. The handout that was given out was really helpful and didatic. It broke down step by step of how your paper should be. It explains the do's and don'ts when writing a paper. I know with the continuation and erudition of keepin up with this process, my papers will be on the level that i want them to be on. I am really looking for forward to this quarter and what it has to offer. Know that I am aware of the mistake that I have commited I can work hard to improve and correct them. Hopfully I can master all these skills by the time I graduate.

Oedipus and His Downfall

Prompt: In Oedipus Rex, is Oedipus a helpless victim of fate or were there ever times when he could he have acted to prevent his own downfall?

         Can a person choose their fate or even try to change it? In the play Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles, Oedipus could have acted to prevent his own downfall. Sophocles uses the literary device characterization to portray Oedipus as a tragic hero.  A tragic hero is a person high up in their community and does something that leads to their downfall. In this case Oedipus is the King of Thebes; he fulfills his destiny of killing his father and marrying his mother. Sophocles uses the literary device characterization to help emphasis the meaning that Oedipus could have acted to prevent his own downfall.

        One factor that led to Oedipus’s downfall is that he is guilty of hubris. His excessive pride made him a powerful man. Oedipus addresses the chorus and says “I curse myself as well…if by any chance he proves to an intimate of our house, hear at my heath, with my full knowledge, may the curse I just called down on him strike me!” I feel like Oedipus determination is getting the best of him. His majestic tone he carries through out the play. He has assumed the hero stance from the start of this story not knowing of his fate. Oedipus has grown impatient with the blind Tiresias for not speaking his wisdom when Tiresias is brought to the place. Another example of his immense pride is his encounter with Tiresias.  Oedipus says “Creon the soul of trust, my loyal friend from the start steal against me…so hungry to overthrow me he sets the wizard on me, this scheming quack, this fortune- teller peddling lie” He has become paranoid, possibly scared, and incredulous in his pride and in so doing has selfishly pointed the finger at Creon, his “friend” and brother-in-law. His anger is ruining his own life. Oedipus could have been less determined and less confident 

         Another example is when the chorus speaks and says “pride breeds the tyrant violent pride, gorging, crammed to bursting with all that is overripe and rich ruin- clawing up to the heights, headlong pride crashes down the abyss- sheer doom!” The chorus is saying that Oedipus pride is causing him to act tyrannical and all this is just building and climbing up to “sheer doom” his horrid downfall. By not listening to what others had to say only blocked him from discovering the truth about his life. His arrogance has to pay the consequence for it, which leads me into my second claim.

         The blindness of the truth is another factor that leads to Oedipus’s downfall. Avoiding of the truth often leads to Oedipus disgrace at the end. One way he attempts to avoid these truths are by blinding himself, mentally. Oedipus questions Jocasta about how may people participated in the murder. He says “You said thieves – he told you a whole band of them murdered Laius. So, if he still holds the same number I am not killer. One can’t equal many.” Oedipus continuously tries to escape the fact the he is the murder. He correct Jocasta when she mentions more than one person had something to do with the murder and he is positively certain that it couldn’t have been him, but when Oedipus seeks the killer of his land he discovers that he is the murder of this terrible deed. Oedipus blinds himself from the truths that he cannot accept, until he is forced to see and so physically makes himself blind. Oedipus blinds himself from the fact that he killed a man on the road as he was traveling to Thebes . He does not want to remember what happened because he comes to see how he is some how connected with Laius and the murder.  He also say “I will speak out now as a stranger to the story, and a stranger to the crime.” Here Oedipus is talking to the chorus that he has nothing to do with the crime and is just a stranger. He excludes himself from the fact that he knew of the murder. This leads me into my final assumption.

              Overall I think Oedipus could have prevented his own downfall. There were many actions he could have taken to do so. In this story Oedipus pride got the best of him. His overconfidence judges him as a tragic hero. He is blinded and his real truth is not seen.