My Mistress' Eyes

     In My Mistress' Eyes by William Shakespeare the speaker's lover is being compared to many images that his lover is not.  He says that  her "eyes are nothing like the sun" (1) and that "coral is far more red than her lips' red" (2). All of these things that he wants in her, she lacks.  This just shows how imperfect the man is for wanting such a perfect woman.  His love for her is based on how well she compares to all of these amazing and beautiful images of nature.  Even though the speaker's lover is not all of these things, the speaker still thinks that his love is rare and unlike anything else.  He is making false comparisons because none of this will ever be true.  His tone shifts when he makes these comparisons and then says that his love is strong. She is nothing that he wanted yet he says that his love is "rare".  These comparisons are often exaggerated in love poetry and the author is showing the reality of it all.  Shakespeare knows that these comparisons are not realistic at all and proves that through the poem.

Barbie Doll

    The girl in Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is being compared to a Barbie doll. The girl is not similar to a Barbie until she is lying in a casket.  She has learned that having the perfect body makes a person perfect.  When she is told that she has "a great big nose and fat legs" (6)  she begins to think that she is not pretty.  Society is what killed her and her want for people to see her as perfect started it.  It was not until she was dead that she looked like a Barbie doll done up in makeup and all.  It was "the magic of puberty" (5) that caused this, but really it was not magic at all.  Also, the "magic" did not help the girl in any way and caused more problems. Most girls want to fit a certain image that society creates.  In the end, however, trying to fit that image only makes the girl less happy and content with herself than she ever was to begin with.

Hunters in the Snow

     In Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff Tub is characterized as someone who fears others and longs for acceptance and love.  Tub is obviously hurt by the words of his friends.  They cause him to have to make up a lie for the reason he is overweight.  Tub tells him that he does not know what to do and he says that " 'it's my glands' " (188).  He has to form this lie so he is not judged more by his two friends.  He constantly wants acceptance from others but puts himself in more trouble by lying.  He is emotionally hurt by the words of Frank and Kenny and this causes the fear that he has built inside himself.  All of it is understandable, but Tub will always be brought down because he continues to lie and lives in fear.  His emotional abuse becomes too much for him and that is why he acts out in violence. All of his anger and sadness got the best of him and caused him to shoot Kenny.

A Jury of Her Peers

     In A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell the suspense is not the homicide but the motive instead.  The only suspect is Minnie Foster.  Her odd behavior like pleating her apron and her unfinished business adds questions to why this happened.  The physical evidence of the rope and the dead bird proves to the reader that Minnie Foster is guilty.  The county attorney said that  it was " 'Their own rope. . .' " (422). This proves that Minnie did kill her husband.  The in depth descriptions of this evidence makes the reader question "why?" instead of "who?".  The reader begins to feel sympathy for Minnie Foster because her actions and her motives make men the cause for this behavior.  The victim is not Minnie anymore, it is the male gender.  Their rude and disrespecting behavior towards women is what ultimately caused Minnie to kill her husband.

Othello

     In the end of Othello by William Shakespeare there are three main characters left.  Their resolutions are sad but fair.  Othello ends up "killing myself, to die upon a kiss" (V.ii.358).  He asks that he be written about honestly when these situations are recorded.  As for Iago, he is a prisoner.  Cassio gets to determine his fate. Cassio is now the governor of Cyprus.  He probably got the happiest ending out of everyone.  If I were him, I would make Iago suffer.  I feel like everyone died in one day, one after another.  All of this was because of Iago and his need for revenge.  He ended up causing the death of his own wife and a friend.  Honest Iago is definitely not so honest as everyone thought.

Othello

     There is a lot of conflict in Act V of Othello by William Shakespeare.  Iago tells Roderigo to kill Cassio and that he would help.  What happens though is that Iago kills both Cassio and Roderigo.  Iago was smart to plan this during the night so he could do just that.  He calls Roderigo a "murderous slave! Oh, villain!" (V.i.62).  This gives him a back up plan to explain things.  His plan fails him when Emilia shows everyone the true villain that Iago is.  I would say that he is on of the greatest villains out there.  He used manipulation and tricks to convince others horrible things.  He was pretty smart in planning his revenge.  He used his title of honesty to his advantage never stating exact facts when explaining situations.  Iago caused tons of conflict among himself and others.  In the end, all of it back fired on him.

Othello

     Desdemona's death is foreshadowed in Act IV of Othello by William Shakespeare.  She talks to Emilia about the song her mom would always sing and how she died singing in.  Desdemona then said "That song will not go from my mind. . .Mine eyes do itch. Doth that bode weeping?" (IV.iii.29:56-57).  This shows that at some point she will die because that song is so close to her thoughts.  She also talks of feeling like she is going to cry.  All of this foreshadows her coming death in Act V.  Also, Emilia ends up singing the end of the song when she dies as well.  That song gives the readers a thought about their eventual deaths.  I knew right when Desdemona started talking about her mom dying singing that song that it would come up again later on. Desdemona dies an honest and faithful woman.  I was surprised to see that she did not tell Emilia that Othello is the one that killed her.  It truly shows how much she loved him.

Othello

     In Act IV of Othello by William Shakespeare the theme of hatred becomes more obvious.  Othello is past the point of even thinking that Desdemona could be telling the truth.  He even becomes so angry that he ends up hitting her calling her the "Devil!" (IV.i.224).  Iago has been able to get so into Othello's head that Othello hates Desdemona more than ever.  He does not even think she is telling the truth when she says she is. Even when Emilia tries to tell Othello that Desdemona is honest, he does not believe it. He hates her so much that he does not even think of her as the same person.  It is like he has fallen out of love with her, and she is a stranger to him.  All of this results in a huge mistake of him killing Desdemona.  He was manipulated into hating his wife and ultimately killing both of them.

Othello

     The theme of jealousy really begins becoming apparent in Act III of Othello by William Shakespeare.  Iago is very smart and begins to make Othello feel a spark of jealousy at the moment he sees Cassio leave Desdemona.  Iago says that Cassio was the one to leave but he was not sure because he did not think "that he would steal away so guilty-like. . . " (III.iii.40).  He needed this moment to stir Othello's feelings about whether his wife was being faithful or not.  Othello gets even more jealous when Iago lies to him telling him that Cassio had a dream about Desdemona.  His jealously becomes so huge that even when he does not have factual proof, he still believes Iago.  Jealously and doubt begin to fill Othello's mind even though he has no reason to think like that because Desdemona has done nothing to him.  Jealously will end up being the cause of all of the other events that are to come.  Othello already said that he wants Cassio dead.  He is so angry that he believes Iago's lies.  All Iago had to do was make Othello a little jealous.

Othello

     In Act II of Othello by William Shakespeare  Roderigo ends up in a major conflict with himself.  He finds himself poor and very hurt.  He has followed Iago's advice, but he is blind to Iago's tricks.  Roderigo says that his "money is almost spent, I have been tonight exceedingly well cudgeled" (II.iii.329-330).  However, Iago keeps telling him to have patience.  I think that Iago cannot afford to lose Roderigo because he can aid him in fulfilling his evil plan against Othello.  Roderigo will never decide what to do on his own because he is so easily swayed by the thought of love and Iago's ability to persuade him.  I hope that Roderigo will be one of the first to see past Iago's mask and unveil his other side to the others.  Only then will Roderigo's conflict be able to finally be resolved.  He is being led astray by Iago's words and does not realize the truth of the situation.

Othello

     In Othello by William Shakespeare Iago speaks in prose in some situations and then switches to poetry in other instances.  My theory as to way he changes is to show his multiple personalities.  Iago is two-faced and that is more distinct through the different ways that he speaks. After speaking with Roderigo, Iago switches to poetry and says that Othello "holds me well, The better shall my purpose work on him" (I.iii.370-371).  Iago is planning to hurt Othello and he makes this clear when he has time to speak by himself.  I think as the play moves forward it will become more clear as to why Iago switches.  As of now I am sticking to my theory that it is to show Iago's evil side as well as his honest side.  Hopefully it will turn on him, and he will be caught.  It was very smart of Shakespeare to use the style of writing as a way to further display the qualities of a character like Iago.  It adds to how crazy and evil Iago really is.

Othello

     In Othello by William Shakespeare there are many examples of racism that appear in Act I.  Othello is referred to as an "old black ram" (I.i.87).  He is also compared to an old horse.  The reference to animals symbolizes the way men see women and how lust is always what comes first.  People see Othello as an animal when it comes to relationships in the sense that he only wants one thing.  Iago uses terms like these to show his dislike towards Othello in order to stay civil with others.  Although people are racist towards Othello, Othello is calm when confronted about charming Desdemona.  Othello is not affected by racism and is genuine in his love for Desdemona. He proves everyone wrong in their assumptions of him.  Being racist only helps Iago and the others to feel better about themselves.