Othello Dramatic Reading - Statement of Intent

My Dramatic Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlC54L53FbY

          I chose to perform Othello's soliloquy from Act 5, Scene 2, where Othello is getting prepared to kill his wife, Desdemona. This particular soliloquy is filled with emotion and conflicting feelings which helped me to determine where tone, emphasis, and pauses, should be. During this scene, Othello is very angry with Desdemona because he was tricked into thinking she was unfaithful to him, but he is also overcome admiration of her beauty and the love that they shared. In his soliloquy, I decided to put an emphasis on phrases such as, "It is the cause, It is the cause," and, "Yet she must die," because I felt Othello said them to convince himself that murdering his wife was his only option. I felt a sense of urgency in these lines where Othello wanted to get the murder over with. After saying, "Yet she must die," I paused before reciting, "else she'll betray more men," in order to put an emphasis on Othello's realization in why he wanted to murder Desdemona in the first place. When delivering the line, "Yet I'll not shed her blood, nor scar that whiter skin of hers as snow and smooth as monumental alabaster," I used a gentle, sweet, and loving tone to portray how Othello still adored Desdemona and his sorrow.
          After "becoming" Othello for two minutes, I learned how hurt he was by the idea that Desdemona had cheated on him and how he suffered from the conflicting feelings of love, anger, and jealousy all at once. Before I had prepared for this dramatic reading, I solely thought of Othello as an overpowering man who made rash decisions based on questionable information. While part of that is true, I have now recognized Othello's true love for Desdemona and the grief and rage that he felt after being tricked into thinking she cheated on him. After finishing the dramatic reading, I realized how dangerous and detrimental jealousy can be. I also found that people really need to analyze important pieces of information judiciously before making a decision.
          This particular soliloquy really defined Othello's emotions and it defined him as a character. This scene was not the climax or the resolution, but the audience gets a better understanding of Othello's struggle and his obsessive need to take revenge. Othello's soliloquy further complicated the conflict because he is revealing that his mind can't be changed and that Desdemona must die. He won't forgive her or attempt to discover if she's innocent or not... Othello is set on killing Desdemona despite his admiration for her love and beauty.

Socratic Seminar Reflection #1 1984

               The seminar influenced on why George Orwell portrayed the year 1984 as he did. In the discussion, people talked about the Ministries and the overpowering government, Big Brother. This book was published in 1949, right after World War two and the rise of fascism. Our discussion led me to think more about the over powering governments that the world had experienced right when George Orwell wrote his book. In the seminar there was a nonsensical attitude towards the idea of Big Brother and a completely over-powering government but in reality, that kind of government is not too unfamiliar. When Leah mentioned that some countries had governments such as the one in 1984, today, I thought more about why George Orwell wrote this book and why it's important for us to read it today.

               One controversial topic that appeared in the seminar was whether Winston writing in his journal was an act of freedom or not and whether it was smart or worth doing. Neilah said that when Winston wrote in his journal he started out writing about a film that he saw and then suddenly started pouring out his thoughts on the current situation in his country. Winston was shocked by his own thoughts and how easily he was able to write them down. I agree with Neilah when she said that Winston found freedom by being able to express his thoughts in this illegal journal; something that nobody was able to do. Ryan argued that the journal was not worth writing in because he would be discovered and either killed or put in jail for 25 years. I disagreed with his statement because Winston was obviously not happy with how his life was being controlled and if he could achieve some sort of revolt which would then inspire other people to do the same thing, I think writing illegally in his journal is worth it. I wish I had the opportunity to say that because I would've liked to see if others agreed with me and I could have maybe altered my view on it.

                 Something that worked really well for the seminar was that everyone had a chance to speak and discuss their ideas. There were no interruptions and no awkward silences that put a damper in the conversation. Also, everyone had different ideas so the conversation was rich and interesting. Lastly, everyone had a good knowledge and understanding of the text and some even used quotes from 1984.

                I felt that there needed to be more talk and emphasis on rhetorical appeals because that was what the discussion was meant to be based on. To me it was confusing whether some people were trying to discuss and emotional appeal or logical. But overall, I thought the seminar went well and next time I will try and put more of an emphasis on the appeals.

Justification Paper #3

Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled: 

           Imagine two boys who had very similar upbringings. Both were born in Baltimore, Md, had absent fathers and single mothers, and both were named Wes Moore. Most importantly however, both boys were raised in poverty but only one boy was able to make it out of the hood while the other will spend the rest of his life in jail. One might ask how this is possible? Two very similar boys ended up having very different adult lives and this happened because of the paths they decided to take and the expectations that were fulfilled. The title, "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled," for the chapters, The Land that God Forgot and Surrounded, describe the paths that both Wes Moore's decided to take and the expectations fulfilled by doing so.
          Wes Moore 1(author) and Wes Moore 2(convict) took different paths and therefore different expectations were fulfilled. Wes Moore 1, at an earlier age compared to Wes Moore 2, decided to do well in school and he eventually became to be a sergeant of a platoon at his military school. At that moment, people expected more from Wes 1; they wanted him to really succeed. Wes 1 choose to enlist in the army, become a Cecil Rhodes scholar, study abroad in South Africa, apply to the White House Fellow program and was accepted. Wes Moore 1 did and is currently doing amazing things in his life because he paved his own path to success. Once he achieved all of these wonderful goals, his friends, family, and mentors had their expectations fulfilled. Wes Moore 2 on the other hand, did not pave his own path to success; instead he let others pave his path to jail. Wes Moore 2 let himself be negatively influenced by others and even though he tried to get out of the drug business, he was back into it just a few months later. Because of this, other people expected Wes to fail, which is exactly what he did. Wes Moore 2 was convicted of murder in the first-degree and sentenced to jail for life. Many might argue that the environment that Wes 2 grew up in affected his decision to hurt others but the fact is Wes Moore 1 came from the same conditions and greatly prospered and succeeded. Everyone makes mistakes, but how is it alright to make the same mistake numerous times?
            The title, "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled," for the chapters, The Land that God Forgot and Surrounded, describe the paths that both Wes Moore's decided to take and the expectations fulfilled by doing so. Both boys made conscious decisions that had an impact on their lives. Regardless of race and the environment that these boys grew up in, one boy used these important decisions to make his life better while the other boy did not.

Chapter 8: Surrounded

Theme 1: Crime
1) "Crime in Baltimore and its suburbs had spiraled out of control, particularly in the city proper." (148)