The Relationship of Cruelty With Masculinity

I think the relationship of cruelty with masculinity is one of the most important ideas in Macbeth. This is present throughout the whole book. We first see cruelty with masculinity when Lady Macbeth calls to the dark and says "unsex me here" to make her perform cruel and violent acts. We also see it when Lady Macbeth harasses Macbeth about killing Duncan and he he is not a man if he doesn't do this very cruel and violent act. This thought of cruelty with masculinity is one of the factors that leads Macbeth to killing Duncan and leads to chaos. This cycle of questioning gender is present throughout Macbeth.

I think the relationship of cruelty with masculinity is a part of a theme in the book. I say this because it is constantly shown throughout the book. It is not just shown through Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Cruelty with masculinity is also seen when Malcolm says, "Dispute it like a man." I think that this idea is part of the theme, the characters in Macbeth cling to the concept of cruelty with masculinity in dark times with deep desires. I think that this is a strong and prevalent issue in Macbeth and might be prevalent today.

Reading & Work Times: 

Portfolio

6/5-Tuesday- 25 minutes- edited writing remix

7/5-Wednesday- 35 minutes- edited and revised writing remix analysis 

8/5-Thursday- 1 hour- finished writing cover letter and editing/revising 

9/5-Friday- 15 minutes- continued editing/revising cover letter and turned in assignments 

Total Time= 135 minutes 

Macbeth Quotations

In the beginning of the book in act 1 scene 3, the three witches gather in order to talk to Macbeth. When the 3 witches finally see Macbeth, the greet him and the third witch says, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter." (17). The third witch is greeting Macbeth and telling him that he will king in the near future. This quote excites Macbeth and puts the idea of him being king in his head, which starts the whole action of the story. This idea leads Macbeth to kill Duncan and Banquo, which are actions of ensuring that he will be king.

In act 1 scene 4, Macbeth meets with Duncan and other nobleman. Duncan announces that Macbeth is the thane of Cawdor and Malcom, his son, will be his successor to the throne. After the announcement Macbeth says to himself, "The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down or else overleap for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be which the eye fears, when it is done, to see." (29). In this quote, Macbeth is saying that Macbeth must kill Duncan in order to become king. He is also saying that he doesn't want the light to see his dark thoughts. This quote shows that Macbeth is willing to kill and that he really wants to become king. Also, Macbeth is ashamed of his thoughts, but his desire dismisses it.

Reading + Working Times: 

Time working on portfolio

4/29-Tuesday- 30 minutes- Planned out texts for writing remix

5/1-Thursday- 25 minutes- Made the texts for the writing remix and took screenshots of it.  

5/3-Saturday- 45 minutes- Started the analysis of my writing remix and posted hits and misses 

5/4-Sunday- 45 minutes- Finished the analysis of my writing remix and started cover letter. 

Time working on Assessment 

5/3-Saturday- 20 minutes- I completed the assessment. 

Total Time= 165 minutes 

My Favorite Disney Character & Villain

My favorite hero is Mulan in the movie "Mulan". I like Mulan because she represents two of the most important lessons in this world, selflessness and bravery. She does this by leaving her home and taking her father's place in the army voluntarily. I also love Mulan because she is funny and has a great personality. She is always telling jokes and having a great time with her best friend Mushu who is very funny. Her humor does not come in the way of her instincts because she always does the right thing.

My favorite villain is Ursula in the movie "Little Mermaid". I like Ursula because she is a funny character. I say this because of her movements and appearance. I also love the way that she accomplishes things, which is through people who desire something that they can't have. What I like most about her is the different parts of her. In my opinion, she is part Shakespearean actress with the flamboyance, flair, and theatricality, part used-car salesmen, and a con-artist. These three components bring a very interesting combination that I love to watch.

Reading and Work Times: 

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 

4/15-Tuesday- 30 minutes- pages 110-121   

4/16-Wednesday- 25 minutes-122-133

Assessment 

4/18-Friday- 30 minutes- I completed the assessment. 

Time working on Portfolio 

4/19-Saturday- 35 minutes- I planned out what I want to do and when I want to achieve these things. I also started by painting of part B. 

Total time= 120 minutes 

Opinion

I agree you have to do something wrong to get ahead. The world that we live in is very competitive and there is a major gap between the losers and winners. In order to stay in the winner group you have to do something wrong every once in a while. Although doing something wrong can be beneficial, it can also be harmful. To prevent it from being harmful it should only be done in small doses. I have learned this mainly through experiences through my brother. For instance, when I broke a light bulb that my dad had just put in the lamp I blamed it on my brother. I did this because I wanted to stay on my parent's good side. Also, one time in a tennis match I called the shot out when I had not seen it because I wanted to maintain my lead in the game. We see this in Macbeth when Lady Macbeth helps Macbeth seize King Duncan's position through murder.

I disagree women are more compassionate and less violent than men. I say this because women can be compassionate and peaceful but they can also be cold hearted and violent. I know this because there are plenty of women who cheat on their husbands and kill them. Also, there are plenty of women who are sociopathic serial killers. We see this in Macbeth with the three witches when they charm up a spell on a woman's husband because the woman didn't give one of them chestnuts. 

Reading + Work Times: 

Things Fall Part by Chinua Achebe 

4/7-Monday- 35 minutes- pages 3-25

4/8-Tuesday- 45 minutes- pages 26-62

4/9-Wednesday- 27 minutes- pages 63-80

4/10-Thursday- 25 minutes- pages 81-109

Total time=132 minutes 

Reading + Work Times For 2/24

The House of Hades by Rick Riodan

2/18-Tuesday- 30 minutes- 263-287
2/20-Wednesday- 30 minutes-288-312

Time Spent Editing Research Paper

2/22-Saturday- 35 minutes- I fixed half of Dr. D's comments

Time Spent Studying for Poetry Test

2/23-Sunday- 30 minutes- looked over poems in class and hand outs. I also annotated 1 poem.

I Am

I am as loud as a peacock.

I am as gentle as a purring kitten. 

I am as brave as a soldier.

I am as vulnerable as a deer. 

I am as fast as an ostrich. 

I am as slow as turtle.

I am as new as freshly baked bread.

I am as old as the couch from the 60s.

I am as smart as Albert Einstein.

I am as dumb as the man who puts electricity in the hot tub.

I am as colorful as a rainbow. 

I am as drab as a rainy day.

I am as affectionate as a puppy.

I am as aggressive as a not so hip-pity hop-poty hippopotamus. 

I am as generous as Santa Claus. 

I am as selfish as the man who didn't want to share his things. 

I am as kind as Mother Teresa. 

I am as cruel as Vlad III of Romania.  

I am human. 

In this poem I use an anaphora, apostrophe, many similes, and an alliteration. The anaphora I use in the poem is "I am as" which is a the beginning of the majority of the lines. The apostrophes in my poem are when I address Mother Teresa and Vlad III of Romania. The majority of my lines are similes such as I am as old as a couch from the 60s. The alliteration in my poem is the hip-pity hop-pity hippopotamus.

"Halo" Song Analysis

I chose to analyse "Halo" by Beyonce Knowles because it has several poetic devices. Beyonce starts the song off by using personification. She says, "Remember those walls I built? Well, baby they're tumbling down, And they didn't even put up a fight, They didn't even make a sound." Next Beyonce says, "Standing in the light of your halo". This is a hyperbole because she is exaggerating the truth. In this first part of the song there is an alliteration because of the repeated B sound. Beyonce uses a simile when she says, "Hit me like a ray of sun." Beyonce uses personification again when she says, "Gravity can't forget to bring me back to the ground again." Beyonce also uses a hyperbole when she says, "Everywhere I'm looking now I am surrounded by your embrace." 

"Halo" has a deeper meaning as a result of the literary devices. The whole entire song is a metaphor that signifies a woman who was hurt from a previous relationship. Since she got her heart broken, she built many walls to defend herself and she promised herself that she would never fall in love again, but then she meets a man who builds up her trust and confidence no matter how much she fights against it. Basically my interpretation of the song was the emotions of a heart broken woman who gives love a second chance. The song also has a slow beat and it progresses from soft to loud. I think that this creates a warm and thoughtful tone. 

Link to "Halo" by Beyonce Knowles Lyrics