Thankful For (A Classmate)

I think everyone in our English III class contributes their own distinct styles of writing and has their own unique opinions, so I would first like to say that I am thankful for the diversity in our class. I gain a more in-depth understanding of the text we're reading from the discussions that we have as a class. I also gain a wider perspective by seeing what other people in my class got out of a specific quote or event that happened in the text. I think everyone analyzes things differently, so hearing each other’s thoughts and opinions really help me think about the text in a different way. This allows me to see details or underlying meanings that I wouldn’t have seen before when I was reading it for the first time. Other times when I get to learn from my peers are during writer’s workshops and group work collaborations.

I’m thankful for Candace, Ciara, and Charles (hey all C's!) because I learn a lot from them during group work. We often ponder over a question and try to find a quote from the book that helps explain something. We sometimes have different opinions about what the author is trying to convey, but these varying ideas make me wonder if the author did have multiple reasons for writing something. We then work together to try to provide further concrete evidence to support our answers. Even though we sometimes get off track, we manage to get most of our work done, and it’s fun to work with them. I gain more understanding of the text through our analytical discussions as a group overall. 

Then he is dead?

In the play Macbeth, the main character Macbeth went through a lot of trials to get what he desired. He murdered, lied, schemed, and went against his own morals to achieve the ephemeral status of king. In the end, he got what he wanted, but was it all worth the trouble? In my opinion, I don't think the end result was worth it. He felt worse and worse after every murder he committed, and the guilt just piled onto him until he could no longer handle the weight on his shoulders. Although others didn't know what crimes he committed, he would always live with that guilt inside of him when he's a king. Also, the number of evil deeds he carried out were never-ending. One murder led to the next because he felt that it was necessary to eliminate all potential competitors for the throne. With every murder, his greed increased and his empathy and morality decreased. He felt like he could not control his life anymore because he felt compelled to kill everyone who could possibly be a threat to him. His lack of self-control led to him mindlessly killing both friends and foes like a machine. The power he obtained at the end was short-lived anyways because he cheated the system and got the punishment he deserved. The actions he took to get this authority were not worth it because it not only damaged his morals, but also changed him from a human being to a monster.

From the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty

This was a rather interesting quote in the play Macbeth. I think that the context in which this was said would be surprising to a viewer of this play in the time period during which the play was written. Lady Macbeth said this line while she made up her mind to murder the king. A lady at that time was thought to be weak, feminine, and full of human compassion, or the “milk” of kindness. This quote shows a sharp contrast to the feminine image. Instead of the lady being weak, the husband is weak. So in order to get what they both want, Lady Macbeth decided to take the task into her own hands to account for her husband’s cowardice. This idea of the wife being the stronger, more determined partner of the marriage was a new idea to society at the time.

 To be filled from the crown to the toe meant that her whole body be filled with evilness. Not just plain cruelty, but the direst, or extremely urgent, cruelty. Now why would anyone want to be full of cruelty at once? The answer is someone who has a burning desire to reach an ambition at any means, even if it meant corrupting their own moral values. I’m sure most of us have pretty high ambitions for our futures, but probably aren’t as willing as Lady Macbeth to do anything to reach it. In Lady Macbeth’s case, her determination to reach her goal was so great that she would kill the king of the land to achieve it. She does not want even a bit of compassion in her body because it would make her feel guilty about assassinating an innocent figure loved by the people. The fact that the king is a virtuous, honorable one means that the murder cannot be justified and will not be righteously looked upon by the people. Her utter desire for power overcomes public opinion and moral justice. 

No New Tale to Tell

In the two Canterbury tales that we recently read, we saw how greed, selfishness, and cunning brought the men to their deaths and how equality given to women in a marriage brought prosperity. These lessons can still be applied to our lives today, especially the Pardoner’s Tale. I’m pretty sure everyone has felt the temptation of greed and self-gain before. Even though sharing is encouraged in society as a form of social etiquette, the human instinct inside of us desires to have everything for ourselves. This may be because we as humans put ourselves before others in order to survive in prehistoric times. For example, when there are only two of your favorite cookies left, you want to eat all of them because they’re so delicious, but your moral side tells you to save one for your sibling. Not sharing will not bring you to your death, but it is moral to do so. There should also be a sense of trust if you’re working with a team to accomplish a common goal, so that nobody takes all the credit for something. In the second Canterbury tale, this can still be related to modern society because women still desire sovereignty over their husbands, but in a more gender-equal modern society in the U.S., this is less of a problem than third-world countries. I agree that there needs to be a balance of power in a relationship for it to last long.

Truth

             In the novel Grendel, the truth was often manipulated and skewed due to the Shapers that sung of different versions of history. Truth was passed down in a glorious, exaggerated version that was preferred by most men because it exemplified their heroic kings and deeds. I can infer that after generations and generations of rulers pass down slightly different accounts of people and events, the version known as "truth" is probably completely false.
             Grendel struggled with discerning the truth from the Shaper's persuasive and enticing songs. He wanted to believe the positive version of history that the blind man depicted because it gave him hope for the world, as it did for other men. However, the optimistic, nihilistic part of him fought to retain the version of history that he saw with his own eyes. He knew deep down that foolish killing and raiding caused unnecessary bloodshed. He knew that men's and animals' lives were wasted for one kingdom to gain power and wealth. He wanted to keep this truth in his mind because it gave him an excuse to view the world as one that's against him.
             Some parts of the Shaper's songs did call out to him, such as the account of the fight between Cain and Abel, which he chose to believe. So really, he thought that the Shaper spoke some truth. It was ironic how the blind man was the one telling the king's men history because being blind, he has never seen what really happened. This showed that some, or most aspects of his songs were made up or exaggerated. The paradox was that blind man changed what the others saw of their king and their cause.

Modern Day Beowulf

Believe it or not, some of Beowulf's characteristics are probably in all of us. Who can say that they don't have any devotion towards their family or that they never felt truly confident from their past successes? But the question is, who exemplifies his character the most? I think Jeremy Lin is an excellent example of a modern day Beowulf. He displayed loyalty to his nation, God, and family while he was famous, which were some traits that Beowulf also showed during his battles with monsters and giants. They're both characters who are confident about what they do and never backs down from a challenge. For Lin, his challenge is to live up to the high expectations of his newfound fans from the "Linsanity" period and to uphold his fame, so to speak. Beowulf also engages in battles continually because he wants the glory and the fame from being the victor. Before going into battle, Beowulf thanks God for giving him safe passage into Denmark and allows God to decide who wins in the battle with Grendel. Jeremy Lin also has a similar belief and displays it just as publicly as Beowulf. Before every game, he does a handshake where he pretends to put on his glasses, open a Bible, and then point upwards. This shows that he gives all the credit to God, no matter what happens in the game. He also has loyalty towards his nation and his family because even though he could go to another country to play for their basketball team and be the celebrity player, he sticks with the NBA. He shows devotion to his family by paying many visits to Taiwan to meet with relatives and spend quality time with them. The only difference between Beowulf and Lin is that Lin is more modest and does not announce how great he is all the time. Other than that, I think they are similar people that are willing to face hardships when the time comes.

Me

Hello, welcome to my new blog. My name is Amy Tan, and I'm a sophomore at Whitney M. Young High School. Some of my hobbies are playing the piano and reading novels. I also like to ski in the winter because I love the beautiful view on top of the mountains and the adrenaline that comes with rushing down the mountainside. My favorite color is cerulean blue because it reminds me of the peaceful, calm sky. My favorite subjects as of now are probably Social Science and English. I also enjoy math because I like the challenge of thinking outside the box and the feeling of accomplishment after solving and understanding a particularly hard problem. My favorite club in the school is the Asian American Club, where I participate in several fun dances in the annual show. It broadens my understanding of other Asian cultures and is a fun way to bond with the fellow Asians. I went to Andrew Jackson Language Academy for elementary school, where I developed a love for reading. I currently play tennis for the WhitneyYoung team. In the past, I have done cross country and track during 7^th and 8^th grade. I always have high ambitions that I strive towards everyday. In the future, I might have a different description of “Me”, but this is my current description of myself.