Table of Contents

Essay #1- Compare and Contrast- TTTC and SH5

Essay #2- Position Paper-Short Stories

Essay #3- Frankenstein Essay

Essay #4- Poetry Response

Essay #5- Compare and Contrast- Whitman and Hughes

Essay #6- Position paper-drama elements-Helen

Essay #7- Othello Literary Criticism

Essay #8- “The Pawnbroker” Group Essay

Essay #9- Prose Response

Essay #10- Open Ended Question

During this year of writing, I have learned that I still summarize. I do believe however, that I have improved a little from the beginning of the year. The open ended essay is the exception. This essay is the worst essay that I have ever written. It contained nothing but summary, and was in actuality, pointless. As I was typing these essays for the online portfolio, I was proud of the poetry response essay. Besides receiving the highest grade, I actually knew what I was discussing during that timed writing. I also did not summarize.

I also learned the importance of the analysis of the passage. Analysis has been something that I was told I needed more of and I just kept thinking what is analysis then. I can say that I now have a little more of an understanding of analysis. My problem with analysis is the actual application. I can annotate the passage and understand the meaning, but I cannot write well enough about it. I have an issue translating my thoughts onto paper.

The order of this portfolio is chronological. I did this because I felt that it was best to start from the beginning. I am not saying that my essays improved over the course of the year. To be honest, my best essays were in the middle of the year, and as I already stated, my worst essay is the last one.

Compare and Contrast-The Things They Carried and Slaughterhouse-Five

A hero is a person who does something extraordinary and captures the

attention and gratitude of people. This type of person goes above and beyond the

call of duty. There are also heroes that appeal to an individual. These are role

models. Someone may want to live like this person. In SH5 and TTTC courage is not

necessarily the most important part of the story. Something one thinks is

courageous could bee considered cowardice in these books. This unconventional

view of courage and heroism introduces characters that could be considered anti-

heroes.

In TTTC, the character of Tim O’Brien struggles with the idea of courage. To

hi, going to war is cowardly. In many ways, it is. The Vietnam War was filled with

many tragedies and atrocities. It was not a time to act as a glorified hero. Yet, the

image of not going to war to fight and defend the nation could be seen as anti-

American. One would be seen as a traitor. On the other hand, in SH5, Billy Pilgrim is

seen as a weakling or cowardly. He tags along behind other soldiers behind enemy

lines. He refused to carry a gun. Both Tim O’Brien ad Billy Pilgrim could not be seen

as conventional heroes of a war story.

A hero is thought to be someone who will do something for the betterment of

mankind, for the justice of their community or sometimes just one person. In terms

of SH5 and TTTC, neither of the main characters exhibited any qualities of a

traditional hero. Billy Pilgrim, in SH5, let everything that was going to happen to him

come. Although he knew his destiny, he floated along in his life as if he were on a

boat in an unwavering lake. He never tried to be a hero. Somehow, he survived

captivity in the war. He did not change at all throughout the entire course of the

story. Billy Pilgrim was content with staying the way he was. At the same, in TTTC,

O’Brien, not wanting to go to war, went to protect his image. That reason lacks

characteristics of a hero. He fears death and the war. O’Brien sees and hears many

things about war and death. War was not a place for heroism and glory. It was a

place where boys lost their innocence. O’Brien does not exemplify the criteria as a

hero because he does not attempt to do anything heroic, nor does he have the

opportunity. He is simply there, taking in the scenes and settings.

As both stories go on, and their plots unfold, it is obvious with several stories

that there is an anti-American sentiment. In SH5, most of the sentiment can be seen

while Billy is a prisoner of war. He has on funny clothing and is paraded around. He

is weak, as are most of the other American soldiers. They behave rudely while with

the British. In TTTC, this sentiment can be seen while the discussion of courage

takes place. O’Brien says the cowards were the ones at war, fighting for what they

were told was right, in a war that was pointless.

The idea of courage and heroism can be different to many people to the

author of TTTC, heroism meant making the toughest sacrifice. In any case, the ideas

in SH5 and TTTC were unconventional methods of sending the point across about

courage and heroism. Each story brought to light a new idea. Vonnegut writes about

a man unstuck in time. His stories provide examples of an anti-hero. Tim O’Brien

creates new versions of old war stories to discuss the idea of storytelling as well as

the ideas of courage. Both SH5 and TTTC give insight into the idea that not everyone

is or has to be a hero.

Short Story Position Paper

The author’s purpose can be an informative opinion about a predicament.

Franz Kafka (The Metamorphosis), Richard Connell (The Most Dangerous Game),

and T. Coaghessan Boyle (Sin Dolor) wrote with the same purpose: to describe the

views of life. These three authors demonstrated the roles people play in the lives of

others: unimportant, useless, and a nuisance.

Franz Kafka authored a symbolic story, describing the life of salesman. The

character of Gregor Samsa depicted every stereotype known regarding salesman. He

was characterized as a man controlled by everyone in his life. His transformation

changed Gregor into the equivalent of his life: a bug. It’s symbolic in that, bugs are

thought to be pests and nuisances. To his family, Gregor became a nuisance. He had

been unimportant and useless (except to support the family) to them in human

form, and in the same vain, was unimportant and useless in bug form. Despite, the

change and the uncaring towards this family member, there is no question as to why

this change has taken place. This story shows the anguish brought about by the

uncaring nature for an unloved human life.

Although the story of The Metamorphosis describes the insignificant life of

one human being (turned bug), Richard Connell describes the ideas of a man who

regards life as a game. The character of General Zaroff hunts people for a form of

entertainment. To him, the lives of others are meaningless, unless they are put in

dangerous. Connell characterizes the General as a man of “class”, an aristocrat. The

idea of an “elitist”-like character hunting people illustrates a lack of respect for

human life.

Kafka and Connell presented two separate views of life, with the same

purpose. T. Coraghessan Boyle, also, depicts a life without meaning and importance.

The character of Sin Dolor (Damaso) could not feel physical pain. It was this that led

to his mistreated life. Damaso became an “act”. He appeared in front of people,

attempting dangerous and painful feats, because he could not feel the pain. Despite

his lack of physical pain, he did feel emotional pain. Damaso did not have any

friends. He was not loved. He had become merely an object of attention. His life was

meaningless to his family. Just as Gregor in “The Metamorphosis”, Damaso was only

as important as the money he earned. He was an exploit like the hunted men in “

The Most Dangerous Game”.

The ideas of life Kafka, Connell, and Boyle write about/portray the ideas of

uncaring and senseless use of other’s lives. Each of the author’s describe a setting in

which a character is treated as if he were property, and in some cases are. Each

story used this purpose to point out the selfish developments in human life. The

three situations can be symbolic for a way one mistreats others.

Frankenstein Essay

A mystery can be defined as anything that is kept a secret or remains unexplained

or unknown. This term can be used to describe Frankenstein, a novel in which many

answers are searched for. Victor Frankenstein, introduced and later narrates, searches for

the source of life. This mystery leads to the tragedy suffered by Victor, his family, and

friends. Through his investigation, Victor learns that the knowledge gained is more

important than the solution to the mystery.

Victor Frankenstein begins to become interested in science after his introduction

to alchemy and famous alchemists. He begins to stray away from these teachings when

he experiences a force of nature known as lightening. While at Ingolstadt, Victor,

searching for the source of life, finds it with his knowledge of electricity. Victor’s

intentions in creating life and experimenting with electricity were perfectly harmless. In

fact, he believed he could find a cure for disease if he discovered the source of life.

The moment Victor’s monster breaths, Victor realizes that he has made a mistake.

He thought his creation would be the answer to his questions. Instead, he found more

mysteries and grief. He is disgusted by the sight of his creation, the supposed source of

life, the answer to all his questions. Victor learned the meaning of being a creator. He

was basically a parent to the monster. With this idea, the motif of abortion, in the sense of

killing a creation, can be seen. Victor is appalled by his results and use of electricity to

create life.

The knowledge Victor begins to gain, as the monster causes grief for his family

and himself, is the possibility that science cannot answer the questions. He also feels that

science should not be the answer. Turning away from science brings Victor into a new

world that he does not quite understand. He had pushed his family and friends away to

study.

The new knowledge becomes dangerous to Victor. He has created a monster that

is capable of evil. The problem with the answers Victor has learned is that he cannot

share the information with anyone because of the danger. He also knows that the people

will think he is mentally insane. Victor begins to become ill intermittently throughout the

story. He understands that the information he knows must be kept secret even though his

monster has killed several members of his family.

Knowledge, for Victor, became his hubris. He wanted to be known for

discovering the source of life. He felt that he was completing a civil service of sorts. His

desire for knowledge, instead, became his downfall. He lost sight of his family, and all

that were important to him. He lost members of his family because of his work.

The dangers of knowledge can be seen clearly in the novel Frankenstein. The idea

that the solutions to mysteries can solve all problems is proven wrong. The solutions to

actually caused more problems. In the end, knowledge learned by one can help to spare

another.

Poetry Response Essay

William Blake, author of “The Lamb”, “The Tyger”, and “The Chimney

Sweeper”, uses literary techniques to reveal the speaker’s attitude. Such techniques

include imagery, allusions, and diction.

“The Lamb” is a poem with a warm, soft, invitig feeling. Blake uses words like

wooly, tender, and bright to create a child-like image. “The Tyger”, on the other hand,

introduces darker images of fire and evil. It show the loss of innocence. “The Chimney

Sweeper” uses several ideas of color. It discusses the black and white as the life of a

chimney sweep. It uses the color green to present youthfulness and life.

Allusions, like imagery, help to lay a deeper meaning to the words. In “The

Lamb”, an allusion to Jesus is seen in the line, “He is meek and he his mild, he became a

little child.” This allusion ties into the theme of innocence for this poem. In “The Tyger”,

one allusion is the reference to Lucifer: “…wings dare he aspire.” This is used to question

the “fearful symmetry” created by God. In “The Chimney Sweeper”, the allusion of St.

Peter was used in the dream the speaker had. It signified freedom for the children who

had suffered through child labor laws.

Diction is another literary technique used. Blake, in both “The Lamb” and “The

Chimney Sweeper” wrote with a youthful purpose. His words depicted sights that attract

the children, such as “happy and warm”, “meek”, “mild”, “softest”, and “tender”. Blakes

diction in “The Tyger” was f one who had lost their innocence. The sentences are more

complex and words are unfamiliar to children.

Imagery, allusions, and diction were used by Blake to reveal the author’s attitude.

The compariso of the three involve the idea of life and innocence. Whether it is the loss

of innocence or the living in innocence, Blake delivers his meaning with his words.

Compare and Contrast Whitman and Hughes

In the poem, “I hear America singing”, Walt Whitman describes how unity is

formed through individuality. Langston Hughes wrote a response poem entitle “I, too,

sing America” countering that it was not solely the white population who defined

America. Both poets present their attitudes through diction.

“I hear America singing” presents the attitude that individuality is the foundation

for America. Hughes agrees with this, but says that America is not solely based on the

attributes of the white population. Hughes presents an attitude of optimism. For the rest

of the nation to realize that color does not matter. Whitman, in “I hear America singing”,

describes “the songs” of craftmen at work. He says that the “carpenter”, “the mason”, “

the Boatman”, and “the shoemaker”, sing as they work. Whitman also writes from a

general perspective to a specific perspective, “those of mechanics…”, and returns to

general again. Hughes, on the other hand, writes from his own perspective. “I, too, sing

America.” He has an attitude of optimism for tomorrow. He knows that it will take time

for the African American population to be accepted, be he dreams that tomorrow s the

day. Hughes writes from a bitter perspective, shifts to an optimistic perspective, and then

turns to an afterthought-like tone, “Besides, they’ll see how beautiful I am and be

ashamed…” Hughes is trying to convey the message that he belongs with the majority,

that he is not just a “place-holder”.

Whitman and Hughes express the idea unity in America. Whitman uses hard-

working lifestyles to say that it is not just the rich and “well-off” who make America,

America. It is anyone who can proudly work and “sing” their tune of freedom. This,

however, being written prior to the civil war leaves out a part of the population. Hughes,

in writing his response poem, says that he is “the darker brother”. This meaning that he is

the same as everyone else. Hughes also writes with optimism that everyone will one day

be completely responsible for the evolution of America.

Whitman and Hughes both write discussing the foundation of America. Bothe

poets heard the song of America as it was during their time. The song heard now might

change a little because of our advanced technologies and different lifestyles. Yet,

hopefully we can still say that there is unity among our ever growing individuality.

Position Paper: Drama Elements-Helen

Euripides Helen, translated by Rachel Hadas, follows Aristotle’s six elements of

drama. It also utilizes several of the dramatic devices including irony and

soliloquies.

Hadas’ translation of Helen employs comedy into the tragic tale written by

Euripides. The story begins with Helen discussing her role, or lack there of, in the

Trojan War. This opening speech can be defined as a soliloquy. The irony that can be

seen throughout the majority of the story that Helen was in Egypt the entire time

the war was fought and Menelaus was lost at sea.

The plot of Helen begins with Helen’s story. It builds off of this to Menelaus’

shipwreck, placing him ironically in the same area as the real Helen. The plot

continues as the truth comes out and Menelaus and Helen are reunited. The climax

of the story comes with the planned marriage of Theoclymenus and Helen. Helen

knows that she must find a way to escape Egypt so that she can return home with

Menelaus. They are able to flee based on a complex and well thought out plan.

The theme of the story is Helen’s story. Rachel Hadas translated it in this

manner to show the other side of the story. Helen’s story adds a new aspect to the

myth of the Trojan War and Helen. Helen obviously feels guilty about the war

beginning because of her, even though she was in Egypt the entire time.

Irony composes much of the story. It is mostly dramatic irony. For instance,

the audience knows that Helen has been in Egypt the entire time, but Menelaus,

Paris, and the rest of the world thought that she was in Troy with Paris. Menelaus,

after the war, thought that Helen was on the ship with him, and later in a cave he

had his men guard. To his surprise, the Helen that he had was “a phantom”. Another

example of irony is that the audience, Helen, and Menelaus knew that Theonoe was

aiding in their escape, but Theoclymenus was completely unaware, until, of course,

it was revealed to him that Helen and Menelaus had escaped. Along with this, it was

believe that Menelaus was dead. The audience knew that this was false, but

Theoclymenus did not. He willingly agreed to let Helen plan a ceremony for

Menelaus, thus aiding in their escape, without knowledge.

Rachel Hadas translated Euripides Helen to give the audience a new

perspective while analyzing the story Helen and the Trojan war. This translation

employed irony, soliliquies, and Aristotle’s elements of drama. The comedic aspect

of this tragedy creates a new version of the greek myth.

Othello Literary Criticism

Cassal, Steve. “Shakespeare’s Othello”. The Explicator v61 i3 (2003): 131-4. Literary Resource Center. Indianapolis Marian County Public Library, Indianapolis, In. 23 February 2009.

This article outlines the idea of honor and honesty throughout the entire play. The idea that honesty has different meanings for men and women in the play is interesting. Women are seen to only be honest if they are chaste, while men had numerous meanings including “truthful”, “straightforward”, and “direct”. The quote, “But why should honor outlive honesty?”, is analyzed from both the perspective of men and women. In the end, Emilia, a seemingly flat character, personifies the term “honesty”. She finally finds the voice to stand up for herself and reveal the evils her husband, Iago, had brought upon everyone. She makes honesty not only about chastity, but also about being “truthful”, “loyal”, “loving toward friends which brings honor”, and “ one who takes up the cause of another as if it were her own.”

Marotta, Joseph. “Shakespeare’s OTHELLO”. The Explicator wntr v58 i2 (2000): 69. Literary Resource Center. Indianapolis Marian County Public Library, Inianapolis, In. 23 February 2009.

Marotta analyzes the uses of the word “subdue” throughout the play Othello. He presents the reasons behind the use of this word: “its nuances expose the multilayered ambiguities of the central characters and their attitudes toward each other.” This word is a thread that sets out the themes of deception, power, violence, and control. Subdue means “to deceive or seduce.” It appears in Barbantio’s wish to apprehend Othello: “if he do resist/Subdue him at his peril”. There is also the question as to whether Othello “subdued” Desdemona, although it is denied by both parties. Eventually, Othello begins to forcibly detain Desdemona, thus subduing her by means of violence. Even with Othello’s violence, Desdemona continues to have a subdued heart, willingly. Sadly, it is not until his murder of Desdemona, does Othello realize the love that they shared. He had to fall and find himself on the lowest level before he realized his own heart subdued.

The Explicator, Spring 2003 v61 i3 p131(4)

   Shakespeare's Othello. (Critical Essay) Cassal, Steve.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2003 Heldref Publications

In the final scene of Othello, the title character asks, "But why should honor outlive honesty?" (5.2.245). William Empson describes this as the question that "sums up the play" (228). He notes that the play's many references to "honor" almost always associate the term with Othello, and "the effect has been to make Othello the personification of honor" (229). According to Empson, the protagonist "outlives Desdemona's chastity," which he finally acknowledges, and "outlives Desdemona herself, the personification of chastity" (229). Thus, Othello's question is another way of asking, Why should Othello, the personification of honor, outlive Desdemona, the personification of chastity? But the question cannot be unpacked quite so tidily.

The Riverside glosses "honor" as "personal prowess and courage, and one's reputation for them," and "honesty" as "inward integrity," thus defining the question in terms of the contrast between what society knows about an individual and what he knows about himself. From this perspective, Othello's question amounts to, Why should my reputation for prowess and courage outlive Desdemona's inward virtue? So it might be said that Othello, who for most of the play seems preoccupied with his and Desdemona's reputations, finally looks beyond socially constructed truths and places equal value on inner truths that are not necessarily established by public attitudes. In this sense, his question may represent a reordering of his values. However, a certain disingenuousness taints his query, for Othello is unable to appreciate his wife's "unseen essence"--an essence that was both chaste and loving toward him--and his murder of her may be seen as a consequence of his failure to properly assess her "inward integrity."

But one wonders if Othello necessarily refers to Desdemona in his question. Up to this point in the play, most of the references to "honesty" have involved Iago, and the effect has been to make him the personification of honesty. Could Othello allude to Iago when he asks, "But why should honor outlive honesty?" This seems unlikely. Iago has already been proved a "notorious villain," and Othello has already made a run at him in an effort to revenge himself. Since Iago is still alive, Othello need not talk about outliving him.

Some of the evidence suggests that Desdemona acquires this designation. But there is also a tantalizing suggestion that Emilia may be the new symbol of honesty. In the final scene, Iago has just stabbed his wife, but she does not die immediately. As Emilia hovers between life and death, Othello asks, "Why should honor outlive honesty?" At this point in the play, Othello and Emilia are alone on stage. (Desdemona's corpse is on the bed.) And Emilia, only a few moments earlier, had unleashed the most furious barrage of "honesty" thus far in the play, condemning Othello as a "mur'rous coxcomb" and a "fool" and blasting Iago as a villain. If this scene is staged with Othello standing near the dying

Emilia, it would reinforce the impression that he is not only talking to her, but about her. And so, in Othello's question, there may be a final validation not only of Emilia but of her "honesty."

For the men of Othello the term "honest" embraces a wide range of meanings. It may be defined as "truthful," "straightforward," "direct," "forthright" (OED), "loyal" (Empson 218), "loving toward friends which brings honor" (Empson 225), "giving to every man his due" (Johnson's Dictionary), and "one who takes up the cause of another as if it were his own." During the play, the phrase "honest Iago" seems to slide from one meaning to the next, one reason, perhaps, why it captures our interest; its irony, of course, is another. For the women of Othello, however, the meaning of "honest" seems relatively fixed; it almost always signifies "chaste." "I do not think but Desdemona's honest" (3.3.225), Othello says, trying to reassure himself that his wife is chaste, that she has not committed adultery with Michael Cassio. For most of the play, to be an "honest" woman is to be a chaste woman. Emilia at first conforms to this model, but ultimately comes to embody a new conception of female "honesty" that is not simply tied to chastity, but that is multifaceted and features the same traits of truthfulness, loyalty, and forthrightness associated with male "honesty."

The Emilia that we see early in the play is anything but a model of forthrightness. In Cyprus, disembarking from the ship that has brought her from Venice, she does not respond verbally to Cassio's welcome; this prompts Desdemona to say, "Alas! she has no speech" (2.1.101). In this scene Emilia is a dutiful wife--silent, obedient, deferring to her husband. Upon landing at Cyprus, she meekly allows Iago to slander women in general and her in particular. Emilia accepts his insults--even "You rise to play, and go to bed to work" (2.1.115), which sullies her sexual honesty--with barely a murmur of complaint, saying only "You shall not write my praise" (2.1.116).

Nor is Emilia forthright to Desdemona when the latter questions her about the lost handkerchief. "Where should I lose the handkerchief?" Desdemona asks. "I know not, madam" (3.4.24-25). Why does Emilia lie? Because, evidently, she thinks that this is what a good wife ought to do. In A Bride Bush, a marriage manual of the period, William Whateley writes that a wife "must practice those duties of reverence and subjection," that her reverence "must be both inward and outward," and that it ought to be based on both her recognition of her "inferiority" and on "fear [of] her husband [...] (not [a] slavish [fear], but [a] loving [fear])" (193-94). Whately prohibits any hypocrisy on the part of the wife: she must be true to her husband both in outward deed and in internal belief. Emilia's lie suggests that she is trying to avoid hypocrisy in her relations with her husband, that she is attempting to conform to her husband's wishes both when she is in his presence and when she is outside his direct control, and that she is striving to internalize his desires. However, Emilia does act slavishly when she tells this lie. Emilia, at least the Emilia that we see early in the play, will do or say anything to please her husband's fancy. To be a "good wife" she must obey her husband's orders much as a "good servant" obeys her master. If a wife has to behave "like a servant," if domestic arrangements are predicated on the wife's obedience and submissiveness, then there is only a fine distinction--perhaps

not even a distinction at all--between a "slavish fear" and a "loving fear." Ironically, Emilia's attempt to avoid moral inconsistency in her relations with her husband results in a blatant inconsistency--lying--in her relations with Desdemona. Of course the marriage manuals prohibit lying--so Emilia, in attempting to follow one code of social conduct, violates another.

In the final scene, Emilia speaks out against her husband and exposes his machinations. She finds the voice that she had appeared to misplace when she first arrived in Cyprus. Though Iago warns her to "charm her tongue" and go home, she does not obey him. "Gentlemen," she tells the assembled Venetians, "let me have leave to speak. / ' Tis proper I obey him, but not now. / Perchance, Iago, I will ne'er go home" (5.2.195-97). During this scene Iago orders his wife to be quiet, calls her a whore, and commands that she return home. This series of actions represents a complete collapse of Peter Stallybrass's three areas for the surveillance and control of women--the mouth, chastity, and the threshold of the house (125-27). Iago attempts to "enclose" Emilia's body and desires, lock them up under his control, by attacking her linguistic "fullness," her chastity, and her right to frequent public space. Thus Iago constructs his wife as a "harlot" of words, of the body, and of the public streets outside the home. He also constructs her--if we follow Stallybrass's conceptualization--as a property category, a possession. But in this scene, Emilia refuses to be regarded as property, and she refuses to be treated as a servant. For the first time, she disobeys her husband's orders. With this action she seizes control of her own mouth, her own chastity, her own right to leave the home and go out in public. Her transformation from the nearly mute Emilia that we saw at the Cyprus landing is remarkable. Though the obvious cause of this transformation is the sight of Desdemona "murthered in her bed," Emilia also may be emboldened by Bianca's display of courage in standing up to Iago earlier in the night. Though Emilia disapproves of Bianca and shares her husband's view that she is a strumpet, she also would see in her a woman who speaks her own mind--despite harsh consequences.

At the end of the play Emilia departs radically from the model of the chaste, silent, and obedient wife. She speaks her mind publicly, even though her statements refute Iago. Emilia finally acts as if her obligation to her mistress were as great as her obligation to her husband. Emilia, rather than any of the male characters, has the final say on female sexual honesty, as she exonerates Desdemona with her last words: "Moor, she was chaste" (5.2.249). Finally, it is Emilia who in her last statements and actions redefines "honesty" for women in the play, making it signify not only a case of chastity, but one of being "truthful," "loyal," "loving toward friends which brings honor," and "one who takes up the cause of another as if it were her own."

WORKS CITED

Empson, William. The Structure of Complex Words, London: Hogarth P, 1985.

Johnson, Samuel, ed. Johnson's Dictionary. 4th ed. Vol. 1. London: Printed for Thomas Erving, 1775.

Shakespeare, William. Othello. The Riverside Shakespeare. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

Stallybrass, Peter. "Patriarchal Territories." Rewriting the Renaissance: The Discourses of Sexual Difference in Early Modern Europe. Ed. Margaret Ferguson, Maureen Quilligan, and Nancy J.

Vickers. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1986. 123-2.

Whateley, William. A Bride Bush. London: Printed by Bernard Alsop for Benjamin Fisher, 1623.

The Explicator, Wntr 2000 v58 i2 p69

   Shakespeare's OTHELLO. MAROTTA, JOSEPH.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2000 Heldref Publications

Throughout Othello, Shakespeare uses a subtle wordplay on several meanings of the word subdue. Although the word appears only six times in the play (which is more than in any other one Shakespeare play), its nuances expose the multilayered ambiguities of the central characters and their attitudes toward each other. It runs like a thread through Othello from beginning to end, teasing out such crucial themes in the play as deception, power, violence, and control. The word has received scant notice, but a close look at the contexts in which it appears and the contrast between its root meaning and its surface meanings discloses a rich ironic vein.

The OED says that subdue derives from the OFr so(u)duire or suduire, "to deceive or seduce." Several meanings of the English subdue current in Shakespeare's time are relevant to its appearance in Othello: (1) to "[c]onquer and bring into subjection (an army, people, or country) with military force," and hence to "[o]vercome or overpower (a person) by physical strength or violence"; (2) to "[b]ring (a person, etc.) under one's control by intimidation, persuasion, etc.; quieten or make submissive thus; to check, repress, (an emotion, etc.)"; to "[b]ring or reduce to a low state"; to "[a]chieve, attain (a purpose)."

In act 1, Desdemona's father, Brabantio, believes that the Moorish military commander has conquered his daughter, removing her from his home not by love but by stealth. For Brabantio, Othello is "a practiser / Of arts inhibited and out of warrant" (1.2.76-77) who has brought Desdemona under his control and has subdued her or made her submissive through illicit persuasion or force (meanings 1 and 2). Thus, when he comes upon Othello in the streets of Venice, Brabantio commands his troop to seize him: "if he do resist / Subdue him at his peril" (1.2.78-79). Later, in the Duke's council, where questions of

military action against the possible seizure of another Venetian possession, Cyprus, are being debated, a senator directly puts the question of "illegal" seizure or stealthy theft to Othello:

Did you by indirect and forced courses

Subdue and poison this young maid's affections?

Or came it by request and such fair question

As soul to soul affordeth? (1.3.111-14)

Right from the beginning of the play, then, the word subdue begins to accrue meanings that linger in the air: Has Othello subdued Desdemona by seducing or deceiving her (the etymological meaning of subdue) through the romantic account of his life? Has he plundered Brabantio's home of the father's most precious jewel (a home where as military conqueror, one famous for subduing his enemy, he had oft been invited)? Othello will learn later "at his peril" from Iago the dangers inherent in winning, but not perhaps rendering submissive, the gentle Desdemona. She is not an island like Cyprus that, once conquered and occupied, is under the strict control of its military governor. As he laments in act 3, when he first begins to suspect her infidelity:

O curse of marriage,

That we can call these delicate creatures ours,

And not their appetites. (3.3.267-69)

For the moment, however, Othello achieves his purpose, subdues the Venetian council, if not Brabantio, by his account of his wooing, and especially by Desdemona's speech on his behalf:

That I did love the Moor to live with him,

My own downright violence and storm of fortunes

May trumpet to the world: my heart's subdued

Even to the very quality of my lord:

I saw Othello's visage in his mind,

And to his honour and his valiant parts

Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate. (1.3.242-48)

Not wishing to be a "moth of peace" if her husband "go to the war" (250), Desdemona's declaration that her "heart's subdued," subjugated, its fears quieted, teases with its ironic layerings. From Othello, she will later learn what it means to be subdued: brought into subjection, controlled by intimidation, checked, reduced to a low state, deceived, and finally, overpowered by physical strength. Many of the play's major actions are thus inscribed in the word: Othello will verbally abuse her, treat her as a whore in the bordello scene, slap her face in public, terrify her by his behavior, and suffocate her.

Later in act 3, when Desdemona cannot produce the handkerchief she has lost, Othello offers an explanation of the handkerchief's value:

That handkerchief

Did an Egyptian to my mother give;

She was a charmer, and could almost read

The thoughts of people; she told her, while she kept it,

'Twould make her amiable and subdue my father

Entirely to her love, but if she lost it

Or made gift of it, my father's eye

Should hold her loathed and his spirits should hunt

After new fancies [...] (3.4.50-58)

Whatever other semiotic meanings the handkerchief may have, one thing is clear: Othello had given it to Desdemona to "subdue" her to his love just as his mother had subdued his father. Again the multiple values of the word create a tangle of possibilities: the handkerchief as a means of deception or seduction (the etymological meaning of subdue); the black magic Brabantio had first guessed; a means of overpowering, bringing under one's control, making the beloved object submissive. Believing Desdemona has made a gift of his magical talisman to Cassio and is now hunting after "new fancies," Othello will shortly "subdue" her by force, that is, by killing her. Ironically, of course, Desdemona has willingly subdued her heart to "the very quality" of her lord. She, too, has been deceived

about the nature of that "quality."

At the end, Othello speaks to persuade the stunned Venetians to report the story of his "unlucky deeds" (5.2.337) objectively. He includes among the catalogue of possible descriptions the image of himself as

one whose subdued eyes,

Albeit unused to the melting mood,

Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees

Their medicinal gum. (5.2.344-47)

Fittingly, it is his eyes that are now subdued, for in act 3.3 Othello had demanded from Iago "ocular proof" of his wife's infidelity and had been made frenzied by Iago's asking if Othello would "gape on" their lascivious coupling. Unable to check or repress his jealous misgivings earlier, but now eyeing the innocent but dead Desdemona, Othello at his "journey's end" is both meekly submissive and reduced to a low state, before his final act of atonement. His tragic discovery of Desdemona's true worth has finally subdued her lord.

WORK CITED

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello. Ed. Alvin Kernan (New York: NAL, 1963).

“The Pawnbroker” Group Essay

“The Pawnbroker” by Mxine Kumin is a poem that depicts how she viewed

her childhood. Using title, diction, and symbols, the author places physical and

emotional meaning behind her father and his life as a pawnbroker.

Kumin chooses to title the poem “The Pawnbroker” to convey how she truly

feels about her father. On the surface, the title seems to show that Kumin feels

isolated from her father. He seems a distant figure in her life that barely knows or

cares for. The poem gives a different light to the title. In the poem, Kumin calls her

father, “father.” Throughout the poem, she connects her father’s hardwork at the

store with the love and support he gave his children. He wants them to be all they

can be and have the best. Kumin realizes this and loves her father for his dedication.

She respects her father and loves him even though all he could provide her was

“secondhand.” This is all that he could provide even though he works for 50 years

and works long hours. The portrait Kumin paints of her father is one of love.

Through Maxine Kumin’s diction, she portrays her emotions towards her

father and his job at the pawnshop. The diction is simplistic, which highlights the

fact that Kumin came from poverty. Kumin states that it hurt her father that his

family was poor. The pawnbroker worked long, hard hours to provide everything

that he could for his children and was disappointed when the children would not

wear their shoes. The pawnbroker disapproved of his children looking poor when

he was working so hard to provide for them. Kumin emphasizes the commonality of

death by repeating “sacrament”: a ritual that is done over and over. The use of the

words “white”, “precious”, and “pearl” evokes the feeling of innocence, fragility,

gentleness, and love growing slowly. Along with the meaningful diction, Maxine

Kumin utilizes symbolic references to enhance her memories of her childhood.

The main symbol in this poem is feet. On the surface, the word feet means

the impoverished means by which the family is suffering. Beneath the surface,

however, the word feet describes a journey. The father’s journey covered his work

as a pawnbroker trying to provide for his family. He would stand behind the counter

every day selling items in his pawn shop. By the weekend, his feet would hurt from

the long hours he had put in, with little to shoot for it. The pain he felt is also a

symbol. ON the surface, it is the physical pain of standing up for many hours daily.

Beneath the surface, the pain can also mean his sadness and anger for unrequited

work. He cannot provide enough for his family no matter how hard he works. “The

sight of his children barefoot gave him a pain-part anger, part wonder-as sharp as

gravel inside his lisle socks” (ll. 9). He did not want his children to look or seem

poor, but he could not change anything about the life they had.

Relating her experiences from her childhood, Maxine Kumin shows

her true emotions abour her father on the physical and emotional level.

Unfortunately, Kumin does not write this poem in time for her father to read it,

because the end of the poem reveals he is dead. She does not realize how much she

lovers her father until he is gone.

Prose Response Essay

World War II created times of fear based on nationality and race. There were

internment camps in the United States that wee Set up for those of the Axis

nationalities. One example is the internment of the Japanese Canadians. Joy

Kogawa’s Obasan describes this event. Kogawa’s use of point of view, selection of

detail, and structure aid in the revelation of the narrator’s attitude toward the past.

The point of view for the passage from Obasan, is first person. It begins with

“we are leaving the B.C. coast”, and throughout the res to f the passage, continues on

with this point of view. The narrator is remembering the train raide tot eh

internment camp, thirty years later.

The selection of detail used by Kogawa establishes a sense of who the

Japanese Canadians were. “We are Hammers and chisels in the hands of would-ne

sculpters” (ll. 8); “We are the man in the Gospel of John, born into the world for the

sake of the light” (ll. 13). Bothe descriptions create two distinct ideas about the

culture of these people. They are hard workers. They held the belief that they were

in the world to do good, not to do harm. “we are sent to the sending, that may bring

sight” (ll. 15). The narrator wants it to be known that the Japanese Canadians were

not a threat to the United States. Rather, they were like any other person living

within the borders. The rest of the passage illustrates the train ride to the

internment. “The train is full of strangers. But even strangers are addressed as

‘ojisan’ or ‘obasan,’ meaning uncle or aunt” (ll. 32-33). The culture of the Japanese

Canadians calls for respect among all, even strangers.

The structure of this passage forms the tone of the passage. Within the first

three paragraphs, a description is made of the Japanese Canadians. This tone can be

described as solemn or reflective. As the passage moves on, and as the narrator

begins her story about the trip, the tone shifts to uneasiness or fearfulness for what

is to come. The memory continues with the recollection of a woman and her baby.

This memory cuases another shift into the tone, sadness. The wame does not have

anything: “’She has nothing’ the woman whispers. ‘Not even diapers’” (ll. 58). There

is great sadness among those on the train. “We are the despised rendered voiceless,

stripped of car, radio, camera and every means of communication, a trainload of

eyes covered with mud and spittle” (ll. 11-13). These people lost everything because

of nationality.

The narrator’s attitude of the past can best be seen through point of view,

selection of detail, and structure. The internment of people out of fear during the

second world war is on of those “dark” times in our history. The train ride depicted

in the story gives a sense of loss ad helplessness. The narrator, although at a young

age, understood the sadness of being interned and the loss of hope in life.

Open Ended Essay

A character wo does not appear at all within the context of the story can be a

significant presence. In The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salanger, Holden’s brother Allie

is an example and he has an effect on the theme of the story.

The theme throughout The Catcher in the Rye follows along with Holden’s

adventures. In a sense, his adventures are a way of acting out. He does not want to

go to school anymore. He wants to be free. One thing that reoccurs throughout the

story is the mention of his brother Allie’s name. Allie died, and Holden obviously

feels a loss. Allie is one of the few Holden does not call a “phony”. The memory of

Allie affects how Holden views his own worth.

While at Pency Prep, Holden’s roommate Stradlater asks him to write an

essay for him. Holden agrees, and writes the creative essay about Allie’s mitt.

Stradlater, after reading the essay, made fun of it causing Holden to become angry.

Holden’s feelings for his brother and his memories, though concealed, were written

in the essay.

Soon after Holden leaves Pency. He decides to meet up with a friend of his.

Her name is Sally. Holden is to the point where he just wants to go somewhere far

away from everyone. He tries to drags Sally with him, but she effuses. Holden does

not realize that all his feelings of remorse for Allie lead him to the drastic thoughts

like this.

Towards the end of the story, Holden is walking down the street. As he

reaches the corners, he is always afraid he will fall. When he reaches the next side he

is thankful he made it. All the while, he is talking to Allie, asking him to not let him

disappear.

Holden, throughout the story, calls himself a failure. He is not entirely proud

of where he is going, but he doesn’t want to stop. One thing that is for certain is that

the memories of Allie haunt Holden.