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.