Macbeth's Morality

At the beginning of the book, Macbeth was best friends with Banquo and they were extremely close meaning that they would have done anything for one another. I didn't expect Macbeth to ask people to kill his best friend. If Banquo and Macbeth really were best friends, Banquo wouldn't say anything about what Macbeth did. After the murder, Macbeth became obsessed with what he had done. He couldn't get it out of his head, and kept over analyzing and he let his paranoia take control of his actions. He was so scared of being accused of murderer, that he hired other people to do his horrible deeds, so that he would be safe from even more guilt.

Captains Letter

Dear Mom,
I was wounded by the Norwegians whilst helping Duncan’s son Malcom escape since capture by the Irish. Macbeth was such a good fighter; he was able to kill over 200 people. He managed to cut a soldier in half during one of our battles. Macbeth is very brave and strong. I don’t think he’d ever not do something because he’s scared of the consequences. He never has guilt, and is never influenced by other. I have so much respect for him. He is a true man mom, you would like him.

Love,
Your Son, the Captain.

Commentary on Lord of the Flies

The focus in the book is a group of well-educated British boys who turn into murderous savages. In page 188 and 189, the boys kill Simon the symbolic figure of Christ.
When Simon goes to the top of the hill to see what the beast was, he learns that it was just a dead man hanging from the parachute. Thinking it will only make them happy and calm them down; he goes and tries to find his mates. The first thing one thinks when they read about Simon is his resemblance with Christ. Simon was very caring, thoughtful, and was killed before he was able to tell people the truth. Even though not much is said about their resemblance, if you read further into the book it becomes clearer.
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” the chant that at the beginning of the book was used to kill a pig, ended up with killing two children. “Kill the pig, cut her throat, spill her blood!” A simple hunting song that in the past had helped them provide themselves with food, had helped them turn into murderers. They became savages. With their painted faces, and obsession for hunting, seemed so tribal.
The writer uses a mixture of formal and colloquial writing, which also creates a pretty wide contrast when you read. When he is talking as the narrator, everything sounds formal and serious. “The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the centre, its arms folded over his face.” This text shows that he uses onomatopoeia for words, so they represent the actions properly. For description, the author uses metaphors such as “then the clouds opened and let down the rain like a water-fall”, which makes the book more intriguing and also more realistic. William Golding is an expert at using imager, so that you feel, smell, touch, and see your way through the book. The narrator also does a good job using personification like “then the breeze died too.”
These two pages mostly fall in two distinctive sections that in the end tie into one: the savagery of the children and determination for killing, and then the killing of Simon. “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” The aggressiveness of this quote forces one to realize what these kids have become. They turned into beasts themselves; the poise that they had learned throughout their life left them completely. Their fighting for peace and order turned into a fight for blood and fear. Instead of killing the beast, they managed to kill a child.
Jack represents bad. Ralph represents good. Jack is for torture, Ralph is for peace. Jack is for destruction. Ralph is for democracy. The dissimilarity between the two makes it more fascinating, and also adds depth. The sophisticated language and expansive detail makes the passage come to life. It makes you want to turn the page, but 271 pages aren’t enough for such a book.

SLIDE ANALYSIS

1. What is focus?
Focus is when you pay attention to what is happening.
2. An event and what it reveals?
It’s a happening and what it means.
3. A decision a character makes?
A risk they decide to take.
4. A characters circumstances?
What might and could happen to them after the risk, the consequences good or bad.
5. Something else?
Something different then what is happening.

1. What do we learn about him, her, them?
You learn that they want to become more 'independent' but by that they end up becoming more savage like and less like 'English Men'. Also, at the beginning of the book, Ralph was the leader. By the end of the book, Jack had taken over. The only reason he took over however, was because he terrorized them with ideas of what would happened if he wasn't leading them.
2. How do we learn these things?
We learn these things by observing their actions in the book.
3. Dialogue? Description?
"Kill the Beats, Cut his throat, spill his blood!"


1. What attitude does the narrator have toward the passage?
The narrator is giving a good description of what is happening. He makes it sound very sad and difficult to live through.
2. What is the tone?
The tone is very harsh and 'loud', it sounds very mean and it really makes you feel like they are turning into savages.
3. What attitude do we take toward the narrator?
I think it sounds like the narrator has personal issues.


1. Does it fall into distinct sections?
It falls mostly into the beginning, the way they attack Simon, the way that it's so full of hate.
2. What characterizes these?
"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"
3. What rationale does the structure have?
They thought their rational was that they were killing the beast. Instead, they killed a kid.


1. Within character?
Jack and Ralph : good and evil , democracy and destruction
2. Between characters?
Jack and Ralph : good and evil , democracy and destruction
3. Between the external world and the character?
They started off to try and live the same way that they lived when they were in England, but by the end they weren't able to do that. They turned into savages.

1. Does it reflect the characters inner thoughts?
Yes, it makes you understand how they think and why they think that way.
2. Provide a contrast to what is happening in the characters mind?
Good and the Bad.
3. Create suspense?
When something is left off without telling you how it ends, or when something takes a long time to get to the point.
4. What senses does it appeal to?


1. Is the diction memorable?
Yes, the words chosen can change the meaning and effect.
2. Are there patterns of words?
"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"
3. Literary devices such as metaphors?
Yes, they help get the point across with hidden meanings.
4. Does the level of language shift from colloquial to formal?
Yes, when the kids are speaking its really colloquial, but then the narrator describe what is happening and it's very formal.

1. Is past present or another tense used?
No
2. What is the effect?
There is none.

What is important when you adapt a book?

The importance of adapting the book is to get the plot right. The reason you need to have the correct plot, is because if someone hasn't read the book, they still want to know the real facts. People also want to watch the story preformed the same way it was written in the book, so that they know what the can relate it to. A lot of movies however, are very different from the book. This is usually because they have to find a better way to adapt the plot to the place that they are filming, or the amount of time they have to film it.

How does death contribute to the symbolism of the boy's descent toward savagery?

Death contributes to the symbolism of the boy's descent toward savagery because it proves how people change if they don’t get the right influence. When they were at home, they had their parents to tell them what was wrong and right, but being on their own, they had to figure it out by themselves. Also, when they were sent off to leave England because of the war, the kids thought that the war was bad and pointless. By the end of the book however, they had started their own war. When Piggy dies, it's as if everything ended. Simon had died, but after Piggy's death, Jack took over completely. "I'm Chief!" this is what Jack had been waiting for the whole time. He was waiting for the right moment to take over. The right moment was when Ralph was finally alone. When he had no more power because he had no more supporters. Ralph didn't have any more followers except Samneric, which could be easily won over. The death of Piggy gave savagery a meaning. They killed Piggy the same way they would kill a pig, treating a human being like an animal. "

Lord of the Flies

Hi Dad,
How are you? We have been on this island for a while now, and I'm getting more and more homesick. How is everything in the navy? I hope you'll find us soon. I know you're all trying your best to find us. We're doing fine here. We've set up a government, and obviously they chose me as the chief. I competed against this other boy Jack, that thinks he has more power then me. Obviously he's the only one that thinks that. I wish you were here to see what a man I've become.

There are quite a few children on this island actually. I could probably start my own military. You would be proud, Dad. Yesterday I proposed the idea of smoke signals, so that it would be easier for you to find us. Unfortunately it didn't go so well. It wasn't my fault of course, but the fire spread more then it should have. A lot of kids also don't understand the rules that I'm giving them. They don't understand that they're there for their own good. I really miss you and mom. I know you tell me to be a man and not let my emotions show, but I'm getting kind of homesick lately.

I love you. Please hurry, I want to come home.

Ralph.

Iraq and America

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/4860625/Barack-Obama-to-pull-US-troops-out-of-Iraq-by-2010.html


Obama wants the US troops pulled from Iraq by the end of August 2010. Even though the progress is very slow, Iraq has gained a lot more freedom and indipendance since after the war in 2003. Obama would like to end the unpopular Iraq war within the first 16 months that he'll be 'ruling'. However, at least 35,000 of his troops will STAY in Iraq after the majority of the troops are withdrawn, so that Obama's party won't be pushed back away from Iraq. More then 4,250 US military member have died since the war started in March 2003.

Pride of Bagdhad Plot Summary

The Pride of Baghdad is set during the American Iraq war in 2003. The book takes place in the Baghdad Zoo, and then around the city of Baghdad.

"The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" Those are the two lines of the book. It is a black crow speaking, and the male lion Zil thinks that this idea sounds ridiculous, but is soon contradicted when he sees the army jets flying above them. Ali, the cub is soon proved to be a curious little child, and accidentally gives away his mother Noor's little secret. The next scene is when Noor is talking to an antelope, and she is trying to persuade them to team up for their liberation. The antelopes however, do not trust the lions, because they say it's in their nature to kill -she compares them to the story about the scorpion and the frog.

The same day, the Keepers run away from the Zoo, right before a bomb hits the lion's den, and gives them a chance to escape. Safa, the oldest and wisest lion, decides that she would rather die in the Zoo, then to be killed. Before they manage to leave the Zoo however, Ali is taken by the monkeys, who are planning on hurting him. This causes Safa to jump to the rescue, seeing as she was the one with the most experience. Suddenly, while they are exiting from the zoo, the antelope that Noor had been conversing with before appears. Being lions, Zil and Safa are wanting to tear her down and eat her, but because she had promised, Noor lets her escape; "Let her tell them that lions keep their word. Let them all know that the antelopes could have been free ages ago if the had just been brave enough to trust me."

The first whole paged picture in the book is two hands holding a two swords, crossing in the middle. The lions are portrayed walking underneath it, giving the image a feeling on freedom. While Noor and Zil are away, Safa and Ali talk to a turtle that they met while drinking, and he tells them about the pain that the Keepers had put him through. Losing his wife, kids, and every friend that he had met. Safa and Ali had a hard time believe this however, seeing as the Keepers had been nothing but nice to them all the years they lived at the Zoo.

After leaving the forest because of the Iroquoian soldiers coming through with their tanks, they walk through the town, that has been emptied by the war. After Safa and Zil argue about eating a keeper, Noor calls them over to show them the herd of white horses. While chasing the horses, the lions end up in a palace. The first thing they see, is a huge painting of a lion with wings. The image looks so powerful and majestic, that even Safa is overtaken by fear. While walking through the palace, Safa and Noor hear a voice, and after following it, the find a rotting, almost dead lion chained to the walls of the palace. Right after his death, Noor and Safa have a discussion about who he was killed by. While arguing, Fajar, the big black bear that was held in the palace as well, insults them to such point that they decide to fight him. Unfortunately, Safa and Noor are both far too weak to fight him, and they both fall to the floor defeated. This is when Zil shows up, and fights Fajar himself. They fall out of the palace together, Ali roars at the horses and scares them so the run towards Fajar, and trample him to death.

Safa and Noor reappear from the palace, Safa now completely blind thanks to Fajar. Ali spots what he calls 'fireflies' and the lions follow him to the top of the uneven hill, where the horizon has finally appeared. "Was it worth it?" Noor's question was never answered, because a minute later, the four lions were killed by the American Soldiers.


The last image of the book is a statue of a lion fighting a Keeper; and the black crow is resting on top.

Picture Analyzation pg.2

I like this picture best because it shows the expression's on the lion's face. It shows the "shock and awe" of the beginning of the war, and pretty much sums up the rest of the book. It is the start of the story, the beginning of the war. The image's colors represent the warmth and heat of Baghdad, and the way the plane suddenly seem to appear from the sky portrays the war.

POEM

There she goes,
Walking around the neighborhood; hoping people won't notice her tears through the rain,
Her reflection on the rain-stained window is gazing back at her
&her caught-in-the-headlights eyes seem to be asking for a second chance,
Because she wasn't ready for the first one
It was about that time, the world crashed down around her.

She walks out her house and stands on the sidewalk,
The same sidewalk on which yesterday he had held her tight and smiled,
Saying that they were the only ones,
That they were perfect
Perfect for him,
It was about that time, the world crashed down around her.

And then, the flashbacks started -
The time he read her the fairy tale story with the happily ever after,
The time he spun her around and kissed her forehead; saying what a brave girl she was,
The way he looked at her,
The one thing that assured her every time that everything was going to be okay,
It was about that time, the world crashed down around her.

She was elusive,
She thought they could be glued back together, once more
She was like a shooting star,
She was ecstatic
She was beautiful
And all of a sudden -all that was gone;

They weren't broken,
He hadn't broken her yet,
But when she turned the corner and saw him,
Holding hands with a new daughter,
She realized she was finally broken, for good.
And this time, they wouldn't be glued back together.

She became angry,
She had to move on
And now,
He's just a chapter in her past
But she didn't close the book
She just turned the page.

It was about that time he fucked her over,
He said he'd be there for her.
He was the only one.


 
Subject/Theme: What is the text about?
The text is about the relationship and the abandoning of a daughter and mother from a father.
 
Speaker/Situation: Whose ‘voice’ do you hear in the text?
The narrator is talking, who is giving the daughters viewpoint.
 
Form: What is the overall structure of the piece? Is it a recognizable poetic form? Are there any ways it could be divided into sections, either by its layout, its meaning, or by changes in the way language is presented at different points?
It's mostly recognizable, even though some parts of the way the poem is supposed to be formed are missing.
 

Ideas and Messages: Aside from the main subject, are there ideas embedded below the surface of the text? Any signs of irony or satire?
 She is giving images about her past with her father, and how he seemed not to care about their family anymore. They talk about how he was able to abandon them as if they never happened. It talks about the way a relationship can break when other people walk in the picture.

Tone and Atmosphere: How would you describe the writer’s ‘tone of voice’? Is there a pervasive atmosphere or feeling, such as sadness, gloom, or joy? What is it about the writing that creates this effect? Setting? Time? Place?
The poem is supposed to sound very sad and gloomy. It takes place in a small neighborhood on a rainy day, which in my mind symbolizes sadness. It talks about moment that she spent with her father, and times that she wishes would come back. The atmosphere is depressing and remembering.
 
Imagery: What visual images are presented? How are simile and metaphor used? Comment on both individual examples and patterns of images. How do these images contribute to the overall meaning of the text?
When I wrote the poem I was trying to have people visualize a dad and his daughter, and overall a happy family. Its supposed to give people the idea of a broken paradise in a way: how one person can ruin the life of others. The images represented should portray the life of a little girl, growing up in a small neighborhood.
 
Vocabulary: Do specific words, or types of words recur? Are there words which seem unexpected or out of place? What effect do they create?
 I think all the words fit in properly with the poem, otherwise I wouldn't have written them.

Rhyme, Rhythm, Sound Effects: Rhyme scheme? If there is one, why was it chosen? Are lines and sentences flowing, or short and jerky? Does the rhythm change at key points in the text? Other sound effects or aural images are created through the use of devices like alliteration. What are the effects of these?
There is no rhyming, even though the scenes are repeated at times, and the last phrase is repeated after every stanza.
 
Conclusion: How do the effects and details of style come together in the work as a whole? Do content and style compliment each other? What has your reading contributed to your understanding of the subject that it deals with? Does it offer a way of looking at things which you had not considered before?
Well when I wrote the poem I was trying to show people how some families live, and how some people feel. I don't know if I gave a clear description of what's going on, that’s for other people to say.