Sonnet 119

What potions have I drunk of siren tears,

Distilled from limbecks foul as hell within-
Applying fears to hopes, and hopes to fears,
Still losing when I saw myself to win!
What wretched errors hath my heart committed,
Whilst it hath thought itself so blessed never!
How have mine eyes out of their spheres been fitted
In the distraction of this madding fever!
O benefit of ill, now I find true
That better is by evil still made better;
And ruined love when it is built anew
Grows fairer than at first, more strong, far greater.
So I return rebuked to my content,
And gain by ills thrice more than I have spent.

This is just for my own reference, so I know for sure where Ihave a copy. haha

Viola and Olivia

V. - "Then think you right. I am not what I am."/

O. - "I would you were as I would have you be." (III.i.148-149)

Olivia believes that Viola is a man. Viola says she is not what Olivia thinks she is. But I think Olivia means that Viola is not interested in her, and so is saying she wants Viola to love her. Viola is neither a man, nor in love with Olivia, so Olivia is correct in whatever she thinks, if it is either of these ideas.

"...and yet to crush it a little, it would bow to me (II.v.143-145)"-Malvolio

Malvolio, a steward, daydreams of being served at Olivia's side. Use of the words "crush" and "bow" are unfortunate, because Maria and company's aim is to humiliate Malvolio. He desperately wants the "name" in the false love letter to be his, so he attempts to fit his own name to the given letters. He will only embarrass himself in trying to bolster his rank.

"I am the man (II.ii.25)"-Viola

Viola realizes that Olivia is in love with her, but Olivia is REALLY in love with Cesario, who IS Viola... Viola says she is the man Olivia loves, but she is not, because Viola is a woman. Cesario, the man, doesn't actually exist, who isn't real, and is actually a woman. So is love present, after all? Is Olivia in love with anyone?

Viola was Orsino's messenger, sent to express Orsino's affections towards Olivia. Olivia loves Viola/Cesario, and Viola loves Orsino. A bit of a crazy triangle...

"Sport Royal" (2/19/10)

In II.iii.79, Maria calls her scheme to manipulate and embarrass Malvolio "Sport Royal." What do you make of this?

Instead of a "battle royal," in which many individuals are pitted against each other, Malvolio cannot even put up a fight because he doesn't know what's going on. Maria, Toby and Andrew are tricking him for fun/entertainment/SPORT. It is a sort of waged war, but Malvolio has no chance.

Shakespeare's affinity for puns could also come into play here. The "royalty" (Toby and Andrew... and Maria, the chambermaid) are battling the steward.

After reading Act I of Twelfth Night, I can't stop thinking about... (2/8/10)

The mess that will probably come, as the always do in Shakespeare's plays. I wonder how everything will pan out. What will happen to Viola when everyone discovers that she is female? Will it involve a meatpie, as in Titus Andronicus, or suicide, as in... many other plays?

And what does the title mean? What is it the 12th night of? What will happen on the 12th night?

(This was written before I realized this play is a COMEDY, not a tragedy... oops.)

It snowed last night and.... (2/3/10)

I had no idea. I didn't even know it was supposed to. I like snow; I like the cold because I get hot very easily, and it's uncomfortable. Snow is pretty to look at, when it has just fallen and it sparkles a bit. And with the numerous plants we have on campus, the snow looks gorgeous.

Working with Data from the Shakespeare Concordance:

1. What thematic strands have you located?

tears...water...drowned....drink....drunk....drunkenness…drinken…drinking…tear…

water…saltwater…watery…sea…drowned…drunken…appetite…loud…wine…cup…dancing

…dance…cans…sing…singing…ale

2. Where is the data you retrieved found? What is happening in context when Shakespeare employs this particular theme or image?

3. How does the data you retrieved support your first thoughts on Shakespeare’s obsessive use of a particular image? What can you argue about Shakespeare’s figuration?

Celebration – toby and Andrew are always partying for the 12^th night

He uses the liquidity to portray sadness and the blindness because of tears

Drinking represents a loss of control like the ocean is ever-moving and so big

Alcohol is an escape (12^th night is festivities in which roles are switched and you can become “whatever you want”

4. For a pre-writing exercise: In small groups of two – three, collect 24 – 32 static images relevant to the thematic strand of your group. Meet with your group to decide how the images reflect what the data proves.

Party

Fun

Bars/taverns

Festivities

Celebrations

Ale

Alcohol

Tears

Crying

Depressed

Lost love

Heart broken

EXTRA SOURCES:

Sonnet 119

http://www.pathguy.com/12n.htm

http://www.shmoop.com/twelfth-night/symbolism-imagery.html

Mcci1@pride.hofstra.edu

Violynn12@yahoo.com

Inkshedding Shakespeare...kinda

“PD’s” chosen quote

II.iv.103-13, pg 73

Orsino:

“There is no woman’s sides/Can bide the beating of so strong a passion

/As love doth give my heart; no woman’s heart/ So big, to hold so much; they lack retention.

/Alas, their love mat be called appetite,/No motion of the liver, but the palate,

/That suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt;/But mine is all as hungry as the sea,

/And can digest as much. Make no compare/Between that love a woman can bear me

/And that I owe Olivia.”

Orsino may realize that Olivia doesn’t love him, or cannot (completely) love him. He says that her love (or the love of any woman) can’t compare to his love for her. But he thinks she is strong enough and kind enough to handle this magnitude of love. He is “hungry as the sea,” meaning his passion and love for Olivia is endless, no matter how she feels. He hopes, though, that she can learn to love him for his devotion to her.

Add before the above quote
from line 96:

Viola/Cesario-“But if she cannot love you, sir--

Orsino-[I] cannot be so answered.

Viola/Cesario-Sooth, but you must. /Say some lady, as perhaps there is,

/Hath for your love as great a pang of heart/As you have for Olivia. You cannot love her;

/You tell her so. Must she not then be answered?”

Twelfth Night Act I Questions

1. Why does Olivia want to mourn for seven summers, and not show her face (pg. 9)?

2. Why is "nature" (pg. 15) used in describing acquired talents, and "natural" to describe innate idiocy (pg. 16-17)?

3. Toby seems to not be fond of Andrew--why does he persist in encouraging him to try to win over Olivia, a family member (pg 21-23)?

4. "Better to be a witty Fool than a foolish wit (pg 27)."--Is the Fool praising himself while insulting himself, and others, namely Olivia, simultaneously?

5. "The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven (pg. 29)."--Is the Fool trying to lure Olivia out of her mourning by, again, insulting her? Why is her reaction to his words so calm?

6. Viola (Cesario) wants to recite a speech that she memorized. Olivia calls it text. Is a memorized speech really text, even in Shakespeare's time?

Nijhuis/"Taking Wildness in Hand: Rescuing Species"

Michelle Nijhuis' article "Taking Wildness in Hand" claims that in order to save a species of trees that is mysteriously dying out, the tree must be moved to a colder climate than Florida. This moving has been named "assisted migration." Many are opposed to this movement because of the unforeseen effects. Based on past attempts to something similar, nothing good can come of it. The trees might die out anyway, or cause problems for the existing ecosystem. Those who are for the assisted migration argue that this might be the only way to save the species. They do, however have to decide HOW the trees can be moved. It is assumed that they CAN be moved in the first place. For the opposers, it is the general belief that there will be problems if the species is moved through "assisted migration."

Halpern/"Virtual Iraq"

"Virtual Iraq," by Sue Halpern, seeks to open virtual reality as a therapy method. The rising occurrences of post-traumatic stress disorder has triggered what could be called a sort of revival of this method. First used in the treatment of Vietnam War veterans, this version is a simulated Iraq. The experience of Travis Boyd, a Marine, was grounds for trial of the method. It worked. While still being developed, there have been documented improvements in soldiers' PTSD. The creator and users of Virtual Iraq credit its success to the use of not only sight, but sound and smell, too. It is assumed that if all PTSD sufferers give Virtual Iraq a try, it will help. Also, that all soldiers diagnosed with PTSD have the disorder because of something war-related.

Carroll/"Hi-Tech Trash"

Chris Carroll states that people have always made waste, and seldom know, or care to find out, how it is gotten rid of. There is no need to send our "e-waste" to poor countries where the health of residents is already a concern. In countries like Ghana, trash is ripped apart, melted and burned. The fumes of the metals are affecting lung function. Gold and silver and copper are the goals; they can be extracted and reworked for selling. Bits of computers can be salvaged and sold. But most of the junk that leaves the country is useless. There are safe ways to deconstruct computers and televisions. There is a company right here in the U.S. that will dispose of this trash safely. We can't know how much more waste there will be, only that there will be A LOT. Carroll assumes that all people "donate" old computers in the hopes that it is the "right thing." That they have no idea what is actually happening to their junk. He assumes that everyone will at some point, get rid of some form of "hi-tech trash" whether it be a computer, a TV, or a cellphone.

Small computer, large influence

Modern Americans live for instant gratification. Laptops with wireless internet connection provide exactly that. Laptops have become a standard expense for college students and traveling businessmen and women. Internet is essential for every day living, if being connected to the world is important to someone.

I own a 15 inch silver MacBook Pro. I chose to purchase this computer over a PC because Apple claims that Macs cannot get viruses (none have been created for Macs yet), and therefore will not crash because of them. Commercials have claimed that Macs are simpler to use than Microsoft, and that Wifi connects more quickly. Again, instant gratification--Americans rarely want to work to get such luxuries. We always look for the easiest, quickest way to get things done.

We are a society that values the internet. It is our new way of connecting to “friends,” researching (what’s a library??), and playing (how can you play a videogame on such a small screen?). When we can’t use our family’s desktop computer because dad has to use it for work, it is chaos. We don’t know what to do with ourselves. Laptops come in handy for relieving the boredom. I spend much of my time on my laptop when I have nothing to do. If I lose internet connection (or it’s too slow), I get very impatient. But I have to admit, it is a wonderful thing.

Apple believes that Americans are becoming fed up with how PCs behave. Apple assumes that all American citizens (and the rest of the world) need a laptop if they are a student or a professional. This company assumes that every person has had a computer at some point for them to want to try a MAC. Apple also thinks that the internet is essential for every day life, therefore Americans will undoubtedly buy them.

Toulmin Abstract on Carr

Nicholas Carr states in "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" that the use of Google is changing the way people think and concentrate when reading long pieces of writing. We may read more, but in smaller portions than we used to. Adults' minds can adapt to what they take in, and do it frequently. Carr shares that Bruce Friedman remarked that he is unable to " 'read War And Peace anymore. I've lost the ability to do that.' " Carr assumes that everyone who uses Google has experienced the same change in thinking, and that everyone has this technology available to them.

If anyone can add to this or offer any ideas, please do. I had a bit of trouble with this, and I'm not quite sure I got the idea... Thanks!

Carr/"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

Not a bad question. And certainly, there is some truth in "the internet is sucking my brain out." But I'm leaning more towards the development of ADD, than actual brain loss. And Carr's point is that he believes that his THINKING is CHANGING, rather than his BRAIN DISINTEGRATING. Maybe he means that he is losing the ability to think at all, with information to be found everywhere, with little effort. Are we becoming robotic, as he suggests? Desensitized, sure, but robotic? I'm not so sure. We simply get used to ideas, things, events, and then expect them to occur, or appear. Just because we get most information from a machine doesn't mean we're becoming them. What makes this information (or our intelligence) artificial is not how we get it, but that we don't know where it comes from. Anyone can add or delete or create info. We can't ever really know what is true.

As for people's inability to concentrate on long pieces of writing, I do not agree at all with Carr. I spend a lot of time on the computer, but what I do is read. What I read is called fanfiction--fiction based on characters from already-created shows, movies, books, video games (I don't understand that one...) and other things where a universe is created, with characters. These pieces of writing can be extremely long, almost novel-like, or very short. They are presented in chapters if they are long enough. Many of my favorite fanfictions are long ones. So although I do not read novels as much as I want to, I feel that the amount of these stories I read compensate for it. I'm still reading well-written works.

Carr argues that if something is too long, he will not be able to concentrate on reading it. This happens to everyone. If something is not interesting to a person, they will not continue with it. Or, for those who claim they cannot read a favorite novel ("I can't read War and Peace anymore" says Bruce Friedman), perhaps they have read it too many times. If this post is boring to someone, I don't expect them to read it. If they've already read it, I don't expect them to read it again. I do believe that computers make us lazy. Google makes us lazy. Not stupid.