Stereotypes

The main stereotype on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is that poor people are uneducated, and therefore stupid. One prime example of this is the character Dogberry. He often attempts to sound intelligent by using long words and fancy descriptions, but only makes a fool of himself by misusing words in comical ways. For instance, he says, "Marry, sir, they have committed false report;moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily,they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they havebelied a lady; thirdly, they have verified unjustthings; and, to conclude, they are lying knaves." (V.1.202-207) He can't even count correctly. Everyone else in the story, however, does not seem to have this problem, because they are all respectable high-class people, and therefore they are intelligent and wise.

Even though Dogberry is a fool, he can still bring good to those around him. It was because of him and his watchmen (who are also unintelligent) that the secret of Don John's faulty accusation was revealed to the public, and Claudio and the Prince realized they had been tricked. There was one scene before the wedding where Dogberry tried to tell Leonato what he had discovered about Borachio. However, because he was talking so stupidly, Leonato cast him away, saying, "Take their examination yourself and bring it me: Iam now in great haste, as it may appear unto you." (III.V.42-43) If he hadn't, he would have learned of what had happened, and would have been able to save the wedding and Hero from being disgraced. So perhaps what Shakespeare is saying is that even though people may appear to be dumb, they should still be listened to, because sometimes they have something important to share that everyone should be aware of.

Lying in Much Ado About Nothing

Lying can be good or bad, although it commonly seems to end up with negative results. I think that lying for the sake of wrong-doing is bad (such as lying to your parents that your little brother broke the vase, when it was really you), while lying to protect someone or just for good intentions can be good (such as lying to a friend and telling her that her crush really likes her so that she'll pluck up the courage to ask him out). In Much Ado About Nothing, lying proves to be both good and bad.

Don John lies frequently for the sake of evil. For example, when he lies to Claudio and Don Pedro about Hero's virginity and plays a trick on them to make them believe that she is no longer a maid. He told them, "I came hither to tell you, and, circumstances shortened (for she has been too long a-talking of), the lady is disloyal" (III.2.91-93). That was obviously a lie, because we know it was Margaret and not Hero that Claudio and Don Pedro saw in the window. And in this case, lying proved to be a very bad thing, because it resulted in Claudio dumping Hero in a very traumatic way. He tells the public, "She is none [a maid]:/ She knows the heat of a luxurious bed;/Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty" (IV.1.37-39). Because of Don John's lie, Claudio and Hero's marriage was ruined, which proves that lying can be very harmful.

Lying can also have benefits. In MAAN, Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leonato lie about Beatrice's feelings for Benedick while Benedick is listening. They say that she is madly in love with him, when in reality she has no such feelings. However, Benedick believes the lie, and realizes that he himself is in love with Beatrice, thinking, "Love me? Why, it must be requited!" (II.3.186) Similarly, Hero and Ursula lie about Benedick's feelings towards Beatrice. This forces Beatrice to realize her own feelings for Benedick. She says, "
And Benedick, love on; I will requite thee, /Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand" (III.1.117-118). This allows Beatrice and Benedick to open up to each other, and so they can have a happy relationship. So in this case, lying is a good thing. It was for good intentions, and ended in positive results.

Poem (yay for unimaginative titles)

Flying at Night

by Ted Kooser

Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations.
Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies
like a snowflake falling on water. Below us,
some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death,
snaps on his yard light, drawing his sheds and barn
back into the little system of his care.
All night, the cities, like shimmering novas,
tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his.


I think this poem is saying many things. In the first line, "Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations" implies that everything in the universe is part of one thing, and everything is related to something. The next two lines compare the death of a galaxy to a snowflake falling on water. This could mean two things. One, even though death may seem like a big deal, it's really insignificant. A snowflake falling on water is nothing of concern. It could also mean that when something dies, it just changes, and joins others in death. When a snowflake falls on water, it turns into water and joins the rest of the water molecules. So those who die simply join a new world. The part of the farmer shows that most people are still afraid of death. "Drawing his sheds and barn back into the little system of his care" show that people take comfort in what they know. The last two lines once again compare the universe to life on Earth. It also cheers up the mood a bit with "shimmering novas" and "bright streets." What the poem is saying overall is that life on this planet is like life in the entire universe. Death is a reality, but in the broad scope of things, it is insignificant, and we should take joy in the living.

I like this poem mostly because of the mood it sets. The way it compare normal human life to the cosmos gives the poem a very relaxed feel. Or maybe that's just me. But when I read the poem I imagine a lot of shimmering stars and galaxies, and then lights going out as some of it dies, but it doesn't matter because there's still so much light left. For a spacey person like me, that's pretty cool. I also like the overall message. Basically it's saying that death is no big deal, but it manages to say it in such a nice way.

So Endeth Quarter One

Finally, a quarter of the year is done! It actually went surprisingly fast, so hopefully the rest of the year won't be that bad. Actually, no, I take that back, it'll still be complete and utter torture, I just know it.

Somehow I managed to scrape off an A for the first quarter in English, though it was by less than one percent. But an A is an A, so I'm quite happy. My biggest problem was writing the essay for summer reading. That definately pulled my grade down. I have problems with idea organization and expanding ideas and all that jazz. But at least now I've learned what I need to improve on, so my next essay grade won't be quite as horrific. Even though my essays still suck, I think I've improved since last year. My thesis statements have gotten a bit better, so that's nice to know. Hopefully by next quarter I'll get better at writing, which is kind of the point of English class anyway...

My class in general seems to be much more talkative than other classes that Ms. Froehlich deals with. Although it's quite entertaining, I'm afraid Ms. Froehlich might be getting severe headaches from our class, which isn't exactly a good thing. I'll consider getting her Asprin for Christmas. I myself might want to work on participating a bit more. Actually, I don't think I've ever spoken in class once except when forced. So I may want to work on that.

Outside Reading, post 5

Quite a lot happened in the last eighty pages on A Great and Terrible Beauty. In a nutshell, Gemma learned that her mother had the same power as she does right now, and that her mother's friend is out to kill Gemma and her friends because they have the power too. For some reason this doesn't seem to bother Gemma very much, because she learned that her mother had killed a girl many years ago as a sacrifice to opent the realms and gain control over all magic. Gemma's mother said that the only way to restore the magic was to forgive her for doing such a horrible thing. Feeling angsty, Gemma disobeyed her mother's warnings and pleas and opened the realms. Naturally, chaos ensues, and Gemma's mother's friend, who's name is Circe, tries to kill Gemma and her friends. Pippa gets left behind in the realms while the other three manage to escape, but Gemma goes back to save Pippa. When she is in the realms alone, Circe tries to kill Gemma yet again. Desperate, Gemma says "Mother... I forgive you" (Bray 392). Somehow this destroys Circe, and Gemma is able to go save Pippa. However, Pippa does not want to go back, because she doesn't want to marry the man she is engaged to. So she eats some special fruit which forces her to stay in the realms forever. In a way, she committed suicide. So Gemma, Felicity, and Ann were saved, but Pippa died. Basically, that's the end of the book.

The theme the author is trying to press, in my opinion, is that forgiveness is rewarding to everyone. Gemma forgave her mother for not telling her about magic and killing the girl, and it saved Gemma's life. Later on, she forgave Kartik for stalking her and incessantly telling her to quit doing magic. She knew that he was just trying to help her, and that he intended no harm, and she should have been less cross with him. She tells herself, "Forgiveness... I'll hold on to that fragile slice of hope and keep it close, remembering that in each of us lie good and bad... choice and regret... No one can live in the light all the time" (Bray 402). She's telling herself that everyone makes mistakes, but there is no good in getting all moody and depressed about previous choices. It is best to move on, and know that what you do in the future is more important than what you have already done in the past.

This book reminds me the most of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." The main similarity of the books is the overall message. In ELIC, Oskar was hurt because of his father's death, and felt like he would never get over it. In AGTB, Gemma and her friends also feel many pains. She acknowledges this, telling Felicity, "We're all damaged somehow" (Bray 399). However, both books encourage healing, accepting the past and moving on into the future. In ELIC, Oskar finally decided to cooperate with his parents and get help to help him get over his father's death, rather than choosing to wallow in his grief. In AGTB, Gemma also learned to finally move on from her mother's death. At the end of the story, when her mother is taken from her in the realms and never to be seen again. She knows this, telling herself, "My mother is dead... She's truly gone now. I am alone. And somehow, this is as it should be" (Bray 393). She knows that it is better for her to stop missing her mother so much, because there is nothing she can do except accept what has already happened in her life.

Outside Reading, post 4

In this section, Gemma finally opens up to her friends and tells them about her strange powers, and her ability to visit another world, the realms. She takes her friends to the realms, and immediately her friends are intrigued and fascinated. Once the girls are in the realms, they realize they can do magic, and of course this delights them. Gemma is also quite interested, but mostly because in the realms she can visit her mother. Gemma's mother warns her about her powers, telling her she must not take them out of the realms, or else something terrible will happen. What this terrible thing is, Gemma's mother refuses to say. She talks about some kind of evil taking over the world, the usual doom, "It isn't safe yet. Once you do that, once you bring magic back through the portal, it's fully open. Anyone who knows how could get in" (Bray 291). Obviously Gemma is frustrated, because she wants to know the truth, and her mother is being quite vague. However, she follows her mother's orders. After all, she went through all the trouble of entering the realms for her mother in the first place, so she wouldn't want to bluntly disobey her in such a fashion.

Kartik continues to demand that Gemma stop using her magic. He sends Gemma a note, pleading with her to stop entering the realms. Gemma notices that "There's another word scribbled hastily, then crossed out. Please" (Bray 283). Previously we have only seen Kartik as a tool of sorts, some kind of force opposing Gemma and trying to prevent her from doing magic. However, after this, we can understand that Kartik is truly desperate, and actually cares that Gemma is safe. The fact that the words please is crossed out shows that he is trying to keep a strong image of himself, though he still cares about Gemma's well-being. Meanwhile, Gemma is starting to have somewhat tender feelings for Kartik. Even though she is often annoyed with his interference, she often has what she considers dangerous thoughts about him. When Felicity tells Pippa of the one time Gemma kissed Kartik to allow the other girls to get past the Gypsies, and that she was a "Noble, self-sacrificing girl who endured his kiss only to save us", Gemma thinks "It is so convincing that I almost believe her myself" (Bray 272). This proves that Gemma is denying the fact that she may have a bit of a crush on Kartik. This information makes the reader think that perhaps Gemma is afraid of her own feelings, and that even though she does tend to be rebellious at times, she still is fearful of associating with Gypsies, supposedly wicked people. Perhaps she is not as brave as we have once thought.

Later on there is an assembly day, when the parents of the girls at Spence Academy come visit. It is during this scene when the weaknesses and the longings of the other girls are emphasized. Felicity was so happy at the thought of her father for the first time in two years, but then completely broke down when she got a form letter from a secretary that her father would rather go to another event. This shows that even though she puts on a brave, happy face, inside she longs to have someone who cares about her. Pippa also is having troubles. Her parents have arranged her to be married to a fifty-some year old man. She absolutely loathes him, as the other girls well know. However, when they see the two of them together for the first time, they are stunned by how frail Pippa acts. Usually she is a spunky girl, but around her fiance she is quiet and withdrawn, and on the verge of tears. She is definately looking for true love, and now her dreams have been shattered. Ann also is hurting, because her parents have been dead for years. During the entire day Gemma notices how Ann is constantly nervous around all the other parents, and wishing she could be left alone. However, she puts on a brave face and tries to be optimistic. This shows that even though Ann usually seems plain and simple, she is undergoing much pain from the loss of her parents. Maybe there is more depth to her after all.

Photo: Sun-Tree