DRJ #4

           My initial response to this act was that Iago was really plotting out his attack. He seemed like he was the director of a play within a play, and he was just putting the different parts in their positions and letting the plot play out. His plan is very well thought out and executed.

            Iago definitely has the intent of causing conflict all throughout these acts, as well as the previous ones. He is the mastermind of manipulation and allowing his anger to drive him to do something. He is so upset about being passed up for a promotion and the fact that he has suspicions about Othello having slept with his wife and he harnesses his anger and has a very powerful plan of vengeance. He is causing all of these problems that are going on so that he can back at the people he feels had done him wrong.

            The theme that I saw very strongly in this act was manipulation. Othello is in denial of the things that have happened and is trying to justify to himself other possible reasons for what is going on. Iago takes advantage of the position he is in and tells Othello to “be a man” and look at the facts that are laying in front of him. Iago has placed enough people and evidence in front of Othello to make it a convincing story and Othello seems to be on the fence about believing what is going on. Iago, being the manipulator that he is, tells Othello to “be a man” which urges Othello to ignore his emotions and look at the evidence. By ignoring his confidence in his wife and believing in “honest Iago” he sees one of his greatest fears taking place right in front of him.

DRJ #3

           My initial reaction to this act was that Iago is really starting to stir things up and kick his plan into the next gear. He reminds me of a young kid who starts a rumor about someone, only this is much deeper. Kids will start different rumors about different people just like Iago does in this act.

            Throughout the whole act I kept wondering what was going on in Othello’s mind that would allow him to sincerely believe the ideas that Iago was putting into his head. He has a tremendous flaw in how gullible he is. Instead of communicating with his wife or Casio about the situation, he allows Iago to tear him apart. There is little evidence in the story that actually proves anything could have happened between Cassion and Desdemona, but he allows his greatest fears get the best of him. He allows Iago to tap into his most vulnerable spots and begins believing in the things he is being told instead of looking into it himself.

            The theme that kept coming back in this act is insecurity. Othello’s guile and insecurity are what really enable Iago’s plan to be effective. This act is where Iago’s plan is really beginning to take a toll on Othello. In 3.3.430-450 is when Iago begins giving Othello the “proof” that he is looking for in demonstrating Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. He planted the strawberry handkerchief in Cassio’s home and while there is a very simple explanation for what happened, Othello lets his fear take over in place of his common sense. His insecurity, which really began by his questioning of the manner in which Desdemona left her father’s home, shines through when Iago begins to play with these insecurities.

SSRJ #2- Carver

             I thought this story was very heavy, but was also very applicable to just about anyone. The author told a very specific story but left the specifics of the story out in a way that it can be applied to anyone. I thought it was interesting that there were no names used in the entire story as well. My initial reaction was the affect that a situation like this could have on the child, and what the future had in store for “the baby.”

            This story used a lot of symbolism throughout to portray the message it had to tell. The story starts off by foreshadowing what the story would entail when it says “it was getting dark on the inside too.” As the story goes on we can see what the meaning of that sentence was. The love and friendship that was once present in this house. The author uses light late on in the story as well as he says “the kitchen window gave no light.” It was very symbolic of the events taking place. Another symbol the author used was the breaking of the flowerpot in the kitchen. The fact that it took place in the kitchen was symbolic itself as well because the kitchen is the center of the home. This is the place that the family comes together and spends time together and when the author says “she stood in the doorway of the little kitchen” it was a representation that the mother was cutting the father off from the center of the home and the life of the family. The flowerpot, representing love and friendship, breaks and it just went to represent the falling apart of the family as they go through this “scuffle.” There are many symbols that the author uses in the story to represent the significance of these events. Although the event on the surface appears to be a couple fighting over the custody of the child, I believe the underlying message is the importance of sacrifice and selflessness in order to make a relationship work.

            What other implications do the symbols used throughout this story represent? And how do they help us gain a deeper understanding of the message the author wants to convey? 

SSRJ #1- Hemingway

            My initial reaction to this story was how, although I have never been in war, this story is very similar to situations I, and many other people, have found themselves in. There have been several times in my life where I have been confused about what move to make next and how to do it. Having the sense of being confused or out of place is a familiar feeling for a lot of people.

            Hemingway uses the setting in this story to really set the tone for the feelings and struggles that Krebs was going. Throughout the story Hemingway flashes back and forth between Krebs’s life in the war and the life he finds upon his arrival back home from his service. When Krebs arrives home, things do not go according to his anticipations. “By the time Krebs returned to his home town in Oklahoma the greeting of heroes was over.” He realizes that he is too late for the party that had been thrown to those that arrived home first from the war. He found it hard to speak to anyone about his experiences in the war because he was not part of the first group to come home. “His town had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualities.” This was hard for Krebs. He felt that in order to get attention he had to lie to people about his experiences because the rest of the soldiers had already told their own. The theme that Hemingway describes throughout the story is the hardship of a young man who doesn’t feel home when he returns home from a long departure. “Nothing was changed in the town except that the young girls had grown up.” He felt that this was the same place that he had left except he didn’t feel comfortable in his own home.

            Krebs also found a struggle in the fact that he had fought a war but many people grew negative feelings about the wars intentions. When he enlisted his intentions were good and he felt that he was serving a just cause but then he finds himself confused. “He sat on the porch reading a book on the war… now he was really learning about the war. He had been a good soldier. That made a difference.” He seems to read about things he hadn’t known before and quickly reassures himself that he had served a good cause. He finds himself in a dichotomy of the war and being home and the changes that did and didn’t take place when he left what he called home.

            Hemingway makes many references to Krebs’s struggles mentally after he returns home. What other elements of literature did Hemingway use to emphasize his hardships upon arriving home and his mental flashbacks to being in the war?

Introduction

My name is Nathan Willis. I am 24 and have been at Sierra for way too long. I work full time for at&t and have been going to school mostly part time. This is my last semester here at Sierra. I will be transferring to UC Davis this fall. I am looking forward to this class and getting to know everyone as well as enjoying the summer.