Act 3 Blog 1

The roll of graphic content in modern art is a debate that dates back to the first cult slasher horror film and the first soft core pornography from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. Conservative, family minded people would speak against it because they saw graphic content as an unnecessary evil in art, that art could be created just as easily without such content. Others thought that the content served only to heighten art and to bring forth new emotions that art had not been able to bring forth as completely as this new content. Graphic violence, as we have seen in King Lear, can certainly have a place in classic art as well. Shakespeare included an on-stage presentation of Gloucester’s eyes being gouged out because it was the only way to truly represent the extremes to which Regan and Goneril are willing to go to obtain their goals. It also lends itself to heighten the chaos and confusion that has been a constant in this play. I think that it is necessary for the meaning of the play. As I said before, graphic content is included in art because of the extreme amount of emotion and reaction from the audience it can provoke. Shakespeare knew this, and used it to his advantage. It was the only way to truly express the insanity and cruelty of Goneril and Regan. Slasher films, being a complete genre themselves, require graphic violence; else they would not be slasher films. Originally, I think that slasher films were to some degree made to instill controversy. Over the years, as they have become more acceptable, a definite art has come out of the ability to provoke fear and horror in the audience, and the ability of an actor to portray such fear, horror and death. Grand Theft Auto is another story entirely. The violence in Grand Theft Auto is completely egregious. The video game does not even have a solid plot; the draw of the game is its ability to graphically represent street crime as entertainment. What teenage boy wouldn’t want to beat a drug dealer’s face in with a baseball bat, shot down a frontline of police men with an AK-47? Or have sex with a prostitute, then beat her afterwards to get your money back? Graphic violence is not to be used as a form of interactive entertainment. In such a case, it does nothing but desensitize to an extreme degree. Graphic violence should only be used in instances when a reaction needs to be provoked in order to further the development of a character or plot.

Act 2 Blog 2

On the most basic, shallow level, Edgar’s transformation into Tom O’Bedlam is completely for the purpose of having a disguise in which no one can recognize him. After his ‘fight’ with Edmund, he needed to run away and disguise himself. However, I think that he does the particular disguise he chose for the reason that it represents a chaotic frame of mind, and truly puts forth the confusion and irony that this play presents. The first solidly good character we are introduced to as the audience has found that he must disguise himself as a madman in order to get by. He states in the play, after hiding in a rotted out tree trunk, that he must become "the basest and most poorest shape that ever penury and contempt of man.” This is also because Edgar feels as if he has no place in the world that he grew up in, and so he has been reduced to the standard of a beggar with no home. The fact that a bedlam is a institute for crazy people also lends deeper meaning to the name and disguise Tom O’Bedlam. As I said before, the chaos and craziness of this play is represented in the fact that perhaps the only (or at least most) sane person in the play is disguised as the craziest of all. Overall, he has disguised himself as Tom O’Bedlam because he needed a disguise and wanted to display his confusion in an outward manner.

Act II blog 1

If we remember from back in Act I, Goneril and Regan were not the favored daughters of King Lear. They were the first ones to be married off, while he kept Cordelia at home. We can assume, therefore, that he did not treat Goneril and Regan as fairly or lovingly as he would have treated Cordelia. When he exiled Cordelia, he turned rather heavily to rely on his two less-loved daughters, as if they had been his favorites, or are now to be treated as his favorites. And this all because of his untimely, unjust expulsion of Cordelia? They were at first irritated with him because they envied his relationship with Cordelia. However, their irritation turned to cruelty because of King Lear’s ridiculous assumption that he would retain his title of King and his power as King and his escort of 100 knights as King although he had already given up all of his land and belongings to Goneril and Regan. The irritation and anger (which eventually embodied itself in their cruelty) came from jealously and neglect and the feeling of being less important than their other sister. Parents can be controlling, powerful, degrading, and critical all in the name of love. These are all forms of negative reinforcement when the parent attempts to mold their child. However, many psychological studies have shown that negative parental reinforcement does little to change a child’s behavior, and much to instill a mixed feeling of hatred and love in the child. This is the behavior displayed by Generil and Regan. They are trying to force their father into submission, to realize that the tides of power and control have changed, and that they now lie in the hands of King Lear’s daughters.

Act 1 Blog 1

Edmund is simply a child who perceives that he has not felt the love of his father as much as his other sibling, and therefore feels jealousy and anger because his treatment appears to be unjust. Edmund is the illegitimate son of Gloucester, and therefore is not to receive any inheritance from his father. Instead, all inheritance will go to Edgar, Gloucester’s legitimate son. Edmund plots to take the inheritance for himself by tricking both Edgar and Gloucester in a complex scheme. Edmund acts out of his jealousy and in retaliation to the lack of respect that has been shown to him as Edgar’s equal. It is typical for a child to become jealous and angry and secluded when not given equal recognition. I think that it is admirable that Edmund was actually able to formulate a retaliation out of his emotions and set the plan into action, however evil the plan may be. It speaks to his intelligence and coherency. Gloucester treats Edmund as inferior to his brother (regardless of Gloucester’s true feelings for Edmund) because in Shakespearian times, it was the societal norm for the illegitimate child to be inferior. Also, Gloucester treats Edmund poorly because he is embarrassed by the fact that he has an illegitimate son in the first place. I think that the closest modern day equivalent to the way that Gloucester treats Edmund would be the relationship between stepchildren and stepparents. Stepparents typically prefer their real children (if the have them) to stepchildren because of family ties, and vice versa.

Reaction to Disaster

I believe that humans are of inherently good nature. Based on this concept, humans will all have a similar reaction to a time of strife as a result of a disaster. First, there is the initial reaction of shock, followed by a concern for loved ones and friends. In the case of a disaster causing great harm and damage to one's environment, grief can be the dominant emotion. If a man has secured his own assets and assured the safety of those close to him, his next reaction would be to make sure that the more distant surroundings and people that influence his life in smaller ways are also safe and accounted for. This directly reflects the idea that people are inherently good. It has a lot to od with the idea of the invisible hand in a capitalist economy. The idea of the invisible hand states that people will act upon their own self interest and self gain before any one else's, and that because of this, the economy will flourish. If everyone maximizes their own benefits, the entire economy.society will maximize its benefits. In the case of a disaster, if everyone acts upon their own self interest first, there will be more people able to assist those injured or otherwise unable to help themselves, resulting in a faster and more efficient reconstruction of what was destroyed.

Reaction to Disaster

Act 4, Scene 3

Macduff and Malcolm speak together of Macbeth's treachery and try to find a way to overthrow him, and put Malcolm in his place. On page 186, Macduff refers to Macbeth’s jealousy and treachery as so: “this avarice sticks deeper: grows with more pernicious root than summer-seeming lust.” In essence, he is saying that Macbeth’s greed is deeply rooted, and that root is more harmful than youthful lust.
A group of people with a strange disease searched out King’s touch. Their disease is unmendable by the surgery of the time, and so they sought out the holy blessing of the King to cure them. The disease is called the King’s Evil, which is another allusion to strangeness and supernatural occurrences in Macbeth. The King is also said to have the holy ability of foresight. “The mere despair of surgery, he cures, hanging a golden stamp about their neck put on by holy prayers: and tis spoken, to the succeeding royalty he leave the healing benediction. With this strange virtue he hath a heavenly gift of prophecy, and sundry blessings hang about his throne that speak him full of grace.” Shakespeare did a clever thing my introducing the idea that Macbeth has holy power by virtue of the throne. HE is an unjust, fruitless, evil and false king, and so instead of being blessed with these powers the king is supposedly supposed to control, Macbeth has gone insane, and derives his insanity from the witches. The contrast is that the good king gets power from god, and the bad king becomes insane at the hand of witches.

Act 4, Scenes 1-2

The root of all images of strangeness in Macbeth comes from the witches, or Weird Women. Scene one of act four opens with the witches stirring and circling a cauldron, throwing nasty, vile ingredients within, creating a concoction that will aid them in their next three-part prophesy to be delivered to Macbeth. The witches also chant mystical rhymes and evil rhythms. Macbeth come forward to seek out the witches prophesy, and more apparitions appear to him, at the witches bidding. The first apparition appears to Macbeth as a head in armor. It tells Macbeth to beware the thane of Fife-Macduff. The second apparition appears as a newborn baby. It tells Macbeth that none born of women will harm Macbeth. The third apparition appears as a child wit ha crown on its head and a tree in his hand. It tells Macbeth that he shall never be defeated until “great Burnam Wood shall come against him at Dunsinane Hill.” Macbeth is a play that is defined by the affect of the supernatural upon the characters. Strangeness is an image in Macbeth that is not always alluded to in simile or some other literary device. It is spoken about and refered to through actions of characters, and actual happenings in the play. For this reason, it is more important to the theme and plot than sleep, disease, planting, clothing, or any of the other images.

Act 3 Scenes 4-6

Scenes four through six of act four are full of imagery of strangeness. On page 138, after Macbeth sees the apparition of Banquo, he relays his fear of the strangeness that came before him. "The time has been, that, when the brains were out, the man would die, and there an end: but now they rise again, with twenty mortal murders on the crowns, and push us from our stools. This is more strange than such a murder is." Macbeth ordered a murder of Banquo, who was subsequently killed with twenty mortal wounds to his head. Banquo's ghost, risen from the dead, comes back to haunt Macbeth, and Macbeth states that such an occurance is stranger than death. The strange imagry of this passage is added to when Macbeth apologizes to his guests, saying that he is afflicted by a strange illness. The ghost continues to come back as he entertains his guests. On page 144, after Macbeth has returned to his bedchamber, he discusses Banquo's ghost with Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth: All causes shall give way, stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er: strange things I have in my head that will go to hand, which must be acted ere they may be scanned.
Lady Macbeth: You lack the season of all natures, sleep (nature/harvest/planting?)
Macbeth: Come, we'll to sleep. My strange and self-abuse is the initiate fear that wants hard use: we are yet but young at deed.

Act 1 Scenes 4-7

In scene four on page 44, Malcolm speaks of the traitor Macdonwald, "nothing in his life became him like the leaving of it. He died as one that had been studied in his death, to throw away the dearest thing he owed as 'twere a careless trifle." My this Malcolm means that Macdonwald's life meant nothing and the only importance that came out of his existence was his death. He knew that he would die and how he would die. This quote serves to mirror the image of disease and death. On page 46, Duncan says to Banquo, "Welcome hither: I have begun to plant thee, and will labour to make thee full of growing..." Banquo replies, "There if I grow, the harvest is your own." Duncan means that he is expressing goodwill towards Banquo and hopes that Banquo will benefit from it. Banquo's response means that Banquo hopes that any benefit of their relationship will be that of the King. There are many additional examples of disease and distruction. In scene 6, Macbeth says, “…which being taught return to plague th’inventor; this even handed justice comments th’ingredience of our poisoned chalice…” He speaks that fair justice will result in Macbeth dieing because of the foul deeds eh has wrought.

Act One Scenes 1-3

In Act One Scenes 1-3, there is an overwhelming amount of injury and disease because of the recent battle against the traitor MacDonwald. On page 26, the Seargent speaks of Macbeth: "Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution." This is a graphic image of the gore and chaos of medieval warfare. It speaks of the injuries that the brandished steel (sword, axe, etc.) inflicted upon Macbeth's enemies. The Seargent continues to make allusions to injury and illness on page 28, where he says, "But I am faint, my gashes cry for help." This allows us to see the damage that is also inflicted on the side of the Scots. The imagry presented about illness and suffering in the first scenes of the first act let us know that the battle that took place is a very large and important aspect of the play, and that it will stage much of the book.

Chap 27-35

Eli Pardue
9/17/08
Brit Lit
Mrs. Pfan

Rob's acceptance of who and where he is in life was brought about by his 'new' relationship with Laura. Because they got back together, hew as able to see what his personal problems and insecurities were, why they attracted people, but also why they drove them away. He was able to speak with Laura (in a civilized manner) about the reasons she left him, why they had grown distant, and why she was attracted to him in the first place. Previous to his reconciliation with Laura, he was only left with his skewed views of himself and those around him. For example, he used to believe that people were to be judged by the things they do, the music they listen to, and the films they watch. The only way he would ever see someone past their outward image was if it was compatible with his outward image. When Laura took him to see her friends, he found that, he was trapped in a situation where he knew nothing about her friends, except who they presented themselves to be, sans outward image. When he looked at their record collection, he was appalled. Yet he realized that he liked these people before he knew anything about their possessions. From this encounter, Rob realized that it was not about what they owned, but who they were. I have no reason to think that Rob's changes are fake. Rob achieved peace because he realized the errors of his bigoted mindset.
I have mixed feelings about the end of the book. It was nice to see Rob find himself at the end of High Fidelity, but the book ended without gusto. It ended with a question mark. Rob is back together with Laura, but we cannot see the future of his relationship with her, which may be the defining factor of whether or not the new Rob sticks. We do not know what will happen with Rob's job at Championship Vinyl. There we simply too many loose ends.

Chap 22-26

Eli Pardue
9/11/08
Brit Lit
Mrs. Pfan

Rob's fear of death seems to have a very profound affect of his infidelity and inability to maintain meaningful relationships with friends and loved ones. He fears loss and change, which, to Rob, is best manifested in death. Death means the absolute physical loss of someone. There is not way to find another person who can perfectly replace the person who died. Because Rob realizes this truth about death, he subconsciously distances himself from everyone in his life. He is not close to his parents, he sabotages his romantic relationships, and he never talks to his friends. I do not think that a fear of death should ever warrant one not living their life to the fullest (cliche attack!). I blame Rob's fear of death for his self-pity, loathing, and his conceited, selfish behavior. In my opinion, it is just another excuse for him to use to cover up his own flaws that he does not have the courage to confront.

Chap 14-21

Eli Pardue
9/9/08
Brit Lit
Mrs. Pfan

When Rob goes back to speak with all of his ex-girlfriends, he is trying to reconcile with them to feel better about his split with Laura. All of his relationships were left in turmoil (at least for him) and he felt that the only way for him to progress past his self-loathing would be to fix the issues he had with his past. In most cases, Rob does not find the answers he is looking for. He starts with Alison, and is promptly informed that he was never in fact her boyfriend at all. She had gone off to Australia and married her first boyfriend. This was not what Rob expected, and he did not reconcile with Alison because she had never considered him a boyfriend in the first place. Next was Penny. Rob took the path of the self-righteous bastard, and put everything wrong with the end of their relationship on her. She took that blame, and turned it around on Rob, telling him that he was the one who packed her in because of his own shallowness, and ended the conversation with a strong handed "fuck you." Women: 2, Rob: 0. After Penny was Jackie, who was happily, monogamously married to Phil, whom she left Rob for. They eat a nice dinner, during which Rob and Penny school Rob in the subject of love. At the end of the night, Rob makes a comment about being a cynic and a romantic, and how marriage and its endless repetitiveness is as welcome to him as garlic is to a vampire. He is disgusted by the way they live, and is consequently glad he did not end up with Jackie. Sarah and Rob are a little more successful. They have a nice time, talk about films and music, and agree that they will do it again soon. More importantly, Sarah admits to Rob that she should never have left him for the other guy who dumped her because he was getting married. This was the kind of 'compliment' that Rob was looking for; something to boost his self confidence by making him feel better than other men. and therefore desirable. Rob: 2, Women: 2. The last one was Charlie. Charlie told Rob that she hated these post-relationship conversations, and so invited him over for a dinner party. Rob found himself extremely out of place. He made one comment all night and remained silent the rest of the time, all the while feeling intimidated and embarrassed by everyone else's attire, conversation, and dimeanor. He left feeling as if he had not grown up with everyone else, which he was (typically) self-righteous about, explaining that he would never want to live like they did. But even so, he was left feeling insignificant because of the way the world around him progressed, and because of the way he felt as if it had left him behind.

Final score
Rob: 2
Women: 3

Top 5 ways to break up with someone

1. End it without saying why.
2. Use a cliche line to cover up for the real reason (i.e. "I'm just not sure what I want right now")
3. Text/Facebook message
4. Leave after she had your child, and become a deadbeat
5. ???

Chap 7-13

Eli Pardue
Brit Lit
Ms. Pfanschmidt

In these chapters, Rob's view of his relationship with Laura is very strained. This is shown in many examples during Rob's relationship with her. He gives us a top four list of terrible things he did when they were together. He slept with another woman while Laura was pregnant, his affair led to her termination of the pregnancy, he borrowed a lot of money rfom her and never paid her back, and he told her that he was unhappy in the relationship and was sort of looking for someone else. He goes on to explain that many of these things were somewhat justified, but they go to show that his relationship was not secure. Laura was making a large sum of money working as a corporate lawyer, while Rob had just lost his job as a DJ, and was struggling with the record store. Laura wanted to help him out by lending him the money. She tricked him into eelling her that he was looking for someone else by ensuring him that it was natural to do so, and that she might be looking for someone new as well. Rob relationship with Marie is different, however. Marie admitted to Rob that she simply needed to be wit hsomeone because of her lonliness. After they slept together, their companionship was as strained as Rob's relationship with Laura. This is party because Rob decided he did not particularly like American women, but also because Marie knows that he still ahs feelings for Laura, and Rob lets it get in the way of his relationship with Marie.

Top 5 Books That Have Been Made Into Movies

1. Lord of the Rings (all)
2. The Godfather
3. Goodfellas
4. High Fidelity
5. Forest Gump

Class blog 8/28

Eli Pardue
8/28/08
Brit Lit
Ms. Pfanschmidt

He is tall and thin, with trusting blue eyes and flat, shoulder length blonde hair. He dresses unprofessionally. Ripped blue jeans and a black flannel shirt. He is leaving her because he is restless, which has strained their relationship from the beginning. He cannot stay in one place with one life with many commitments, it stifles his roaming spirit. He has threatened to leave before, and now that he is, she is hysterical. She is glad he is leaving, it is a burden off of her chest, yet at the same time, she knows not what to do without him. Although he is bound to ramble, something about having a home (to him, a home is stability) comforts him. This is why he wants the child. It gives him a connection to the life he loves, yet cannot live in. In their passion, the child becomes the manifestation of their love. Neither can do without the love, and so they scramble for the child. For a moment, the fragile nature of a newborn is forgotten, replaced with a desparation to hold on to something neither wants to leave behind. For a moment, the child embodies their love, and in the final second the love becomes too strained, and snaps. They each now hold half of what used to be, their love, and their child. Both are gone forever.

High Fidelity Chap. 1-6

Eli Pardue
8/25/08
Brit Lit
Mrs. Pfanschmidt

My initial impression of Rob was surprisingly familiar, because Rob reminds me of myself in many ways. His condescending obsession with music (there is only one good taste in music: his), his frustration with relationships, and his slacker demeanor evoke images of myself.
His obsession with music and pop culture is Rob's most interesting quality. I feel as if Rob's obsession with music is a dieing down part of who he used to be during the time of his numerous splits. With his relationship problems, music was the only part of his life that remained constant. And for that reason, he defended his opinion of music and culture fervently. As he has aged, however, he is just as fervent in his passion for music, but is not as hostile towards others who's tastes differ from his. I believe this shows that Rob has become slowly resigned to the fact that he will not find someone permanent in his life. His top ten lists serve the same purpose as his obsessio nwith music. They keep things in his life attached to him in a way that many other things, such as relationships, are not. By keeping the things around him structured in lists, he attempts to keep his life structured around them.
I think Rob continual breakups tell us that he is exactly what he thinks himself to be: particularly mediocre. Rob figures that his only particularty good quality is his taste in music. Women are content with Rob, but know that they could do better. Rob realizes this as well, and struggles with accepting it in the first few chapters.
I certainly sympathize with Rob. His disgust with the formalities and stuggles of relationships and medicrity are feelings that all young men can sympathize with in some way. I like Rob because of his simplicity, his honesty, and the fact that I can easily relate to him.

Hornby's How to Read Books

Eli Pardue
8/18/08
Brit Lit
Mrs. Pfanschmidt

Nick Hornby has a philosophy on reading much akin to my own. He believes that reading should be a recreational activity in the same way that television is. When you watch television, if you do not like the program you arre watching, you change the channel. A paradox that Hornby notices is that many people force themselves to read large, critically acclaimed books that they absolutlely despise. Because of this, people have begun to identify reading as a menial, boring, mentally exhausting (rather than stimulating) activity. At the same time, people are frightened to read books that are ridiculed for being low on the intelectual scale (Hornby references The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown). In responce to this observation, Hornby makes the point that it does not matter what you read, just that you do read. Reading at any intellectual level provides more of the intellectual stimulation quickly dwindling from our society. So, Nick Hornby suggests a wildly abstract idea to help people enjoy reading: pick books you know you will like. Personally, I pick books that are fantastical and exciting because i like being deposited in another realme when I read. I would not enjoy reading a 20th century politician's biography, and so I choose not to. Hornby argues that reading is entertaining, people just need to remeber how to make it so.