Practice IOC

**The videos look broken, but I swear they're not lol, just click the play button and you'll hear my amazing voice**

Criterion A: I gave myself a 5 because I identified the basic context of the passage and author. I did not, however, identity any context of what was occurring in the time period in which The Handmaid's Tale was published in.

Criterion B: I gave myself a 4 because I talked about the effect of the literary techniques on the passage and the meaning, but I did not relate the effect to the reader.

Criterion C: I gave myself a 3 because my IOC was organized well enough to be mostly coherent, but I think that I could have done a better job of organizing the way I introduced each technique and how I described the passage as a whole.

Criterion D: I gave myself a 3 because my language was good, but it wasn't really elevated. I used sentence structure and tone to analyze the effect as well, but I could have gone more in-depth in my analysis.

Never Let Me Go Book Covers

The four covers of Never Let Me Go are similar in that each cover portrays a sense of solitude.

In the first cover, solitude is presented with the blonde woman sitting alone in a forest. Her head is turned to her left and she is staring intently at the ground. It seems like she is remembering past memories which is similar to the main character of the novel, Kathy.

The second cover has a blurry image of a woman. The woman appears to be dancing by herself, which could be why the image of the woman appears blurry. The third cover presents solitude in nature. There is one boat on an empty lake. Also, the muted, neutral colors used further emphasize solitude. The final book cover shows the torso of a human body and a faded picture of trees in the background.

One difference that stands out is that each of the covers uses different colors to create contrasting moods. For example, vibrant colors such as blue and yellow are used on the second book cover and those colors signify joy and youth, while a poignant mood is created from the dark blues used in the last cover.

This cover seems to present Kathy’s perspective in the novel. Never Let Me Go is written in Kathy’s point of view, and throughout most of the novel, she is remembering past memories of Hailsham, the Cottages, and her life as a carer. This cover shows a young woman sitting alone in the forest, and like Kathy, she appears to be deep in thought and remembering past memories.

This cover illustrates the reality of the clones at Hailsham. In the text, Miss Lucy is one of the few guardians that disagree with the way Hailsham is run. In fact, she continuously tells the students the truth about who they really are. An example of this is when Miss Lucy tells the students that they are “special. So keeping yourselves well, keeping yourselves very healthy inside, that's much more important for each of you than it is for me” (Ishiguro 68-69). Miss Lucy emphasizes the importance of good health for the clones because once they graduate from the Cottages, they become donors. The students are not completely aware that becoming donors is their only fate, however with Miss Lucy’s statement, they are given a glimpse of their reality as clones.

Can I Live??

This TED talk is by the author Isabel Allende. She is recounting her feelings about aging, and what it means to live life fully, every day. Allende emphasizes that it is critical to say “yes to life” and to “stay in love” (Allende). In the beginning of the Talk, she starts off by questioning how we know that we are aging, and then she begins telling the audience of what she has lost and gained in the past decade. After a funny video of a child mediating, Allende then begins describing that internally, she feels desirable, but because she is 71 years old, society does not see her true feelings. She also brings in examples of other older women who feel as she does. Finally, she tells the audience of how she lives her life enthusiastically and passionately, despite being an older person.

In order to emphasize her feelings, Allende mostly uses pathos. When she lists off that she has lost “people…places, and the boundless energy of [her] youth” in the past decade, she ends by stating that she is “beginning to lost independence, and that scares [her]” (Allende). Many individuals in the audience can relate to this because losing people, whether it is by ending relationships or someone passing away, is inevitable in life. Losing a place (whether it is tangible like a home, or in tangible like one’s status in society) is also relatable because as humans, we are always striving to achieve a higher goal. With this ambition, it is certain that we could achieve and be in a better place, or we could lose and end up in a low, negative place. Losing youthfulness is also inevitable as we age and become more dependent on others. This use of pathos allows for the audience to relate deeply with Allende’s loss of people, places, and energy because loss is inevitable as humans age.

One thing that I enjoyed most about watching this TED talk was Allende’s emphasis on living life passionately. I have always been a strong believer in the phrase “live life to the fullest extent,” and Allende’s want to live passionately is very similar to the phrase. To me, this phrase means that every day, you should live your life fully because you never know when you are going to die. I try to live my live fully, but I do not think that I have been succeeding. Instead of living a full life without any care for other’s opinion, I conform to society’s standards. In order to live life passionately and fully, you should not have to conform.

Freebie (Blog post 8)

Lady Macbeth's TV Recs

** Caution: This blog post contains crazy amounts of spoilers **

1. Scandal

Scandal follows the chaos that Washington DC based crisis manager, Olivia Pope, encounters on a daily basis. From scheming senators to blackmailing authors, Olivia Pope has dealt and fixed all of the mess that she is forced to handle. And on top of dealing with her highly publicized clients, she's also having an affair with the President of the United States and, most of the time, gives him advice on how to run his country. Like Olivia Pope, Lady Macbeth knows how to handle hectic issues. This is why she easily convinces her husband, Macbeth, to kill Duncan in order to become king. She knows that the easiest method for Macbeth to gain power is by killing the current king. Once Macbeth becomes king, Lady Macbeth believes that she will also enjoy the power that her husband is "granted."

2. How to Get Away With Murder

Criminal defense attorney and professor of defense law, Annalise Keating, is incredibly charismatic and conniving. No matter what the situation is, Annalise knows how to get things settled; even if she has to take the immoral route. Her top five students in her law class know that personally since she is protecting them after they killed her spiteful husband, Sam. Lady Macbeth would definitely recommend HTGAWM to anyone who is in need of learning how to get away with murder. Besides learning ways to complete a crime and not be charged with it, viewers will also learn the repercussions of using uncommon methods in order to achieve success (or in this case, murder). After all, Lady Macbeth was the one who described how she would kill someone if meant earning power...

3. The Originals

In the Originals, Klaus Mikaelson, a powerful vampire-werewolf hybrid, is one of the three original vampires - the most powerful vampires in history. All three of the siblings, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekkah, have returned to New Orleans, the city that they created, only to find that Marcel, Klaus' former protege, is the self-proclaimed King. As well as this, Klaus learns that he will become father to a hybrid like himself. In order to control the city once more, Klaus and Elijah join forces with the witches who have been exiled in the French Quarter. Klaus' want for power is similar to Lady Macbeth's need for power. However, since she is a woman, she cannot gain this power that she wishes to have. In spite of that fact, Lady Macbeth would recommend this show for anyone who desires power like she does.

4. Revenge

Emily/Amanda Thorpe has returned to the Hamptons to avenge the wrongful imprisonment and death of her father. After finding evidence that concludes her father was framed, she plans her detailed and thought-out schemes of vengeance. In the beginning, it seems that she does not care who she hurts, but after growing ties with some of the people that will be hurt by her revenge plans, she feels "so broken." This is similar to Lady Macbeth who, in the beginning of the play, is power-hungry, and disregards the consequences of killing in order to achieve a purpose. Towards the end, Lady Macbeth is consumed with guilt for all that has happened because of the prophecy and her influence on Macbeth. Lady M would definitely recommend this show as a lesson for those who do not think of repercussions in the beginning of a plan.

The Pros and Cons of Being Evil

(sunnystrasburg.com)

People who, at first, are not considered evil are usually coaxed into earning a high reward before they take the first steps into becoming evil. A high reward can be anything that will give an individual a greater status than their previous one. From money to prestige to ultimate power, these types of rewards are guarantees, and they can either be tangible or intangible. Money, for example, is tangible while power is shown through a commanding presence or tone, making it intangible. However, it takes strong convincing and persuasion to turn someone wholesome into a corrupt and evil individual.

In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, this type of persuasion is seen in Act I with the prophecy told by the three witches. The prophecy that is told first shows Macbeth becoming a thane before becoming king, then shows Banquo’s offspring gaining the crown. The prophecy is told to both Macbeth and his colleague Banquo, and the witches start by chanting, “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis…All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter” (Macbeth, 1.3). The third witch at the end of the chant states, “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none / So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo” (Macbeth, 1.3).

The witches’ prophecy is an important example of strong convincing. After this prophecy, Macbeth’s head suddenly becomes filled with the need to become king while Banquo seems to just accept the prophecy. Macbeth’s need is then increased with Lady Macbeth’s plot to kill King Duncan so Macbeth can further his goal of gaining the crown. Lady Macbeth states that Macbeth must appear “like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” in order to kill Duncan so he can become king (Macbeth, 1.5). Macbeth ultimately follows through with Lady Macbeth’s plan, and in Act III, Macbeth is crowned king. However, also in this Act III, Banquo is murdered by murderers hired by Macbeth.

The prophecy told by the witches never stated that Banquo needed to be killed in order for Macbeth to be crowned. The persuasion from the witches, guarantee of the crown, influence of Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth’s own sudden need for power are what causes Macbeth to order Banquo to be killed. His morals seem to have disappeared after he accepts his fate and agrees to kill King Duncan. Altogether, Macbeth has shifted into an evil individual whose own need for power has forced him to disregard his morals and commit heinous crimes.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Hauppauge: Barron's Educational Series, 1985. Print.

**Happy Birthday Mrs. Genesky!**

Art in Thirteenth Century England (ft. My Sketch)

  

Enthroned Virgin and Child                                                                                     My Version

ca. 1300 England                                                                                        ca. 2015 United States

Elephant ivory, 10 3/4 x 5 5/16 x 3 3/4 in.                                             Sketchbook paper, 9 x 112 in.                 

The Enthroned Virgin and Child was created in thirteenth century England, a century that was met with conflict and political growth. The loss of Normandy to France in 1204 and the Barons' War in 1258 were among some of the dark conflict seen in England during this time. However, Edward I's establishment of English influence over the Scots in the late 1200s showed a growth in England's political and cultural reign in Northern Europe (Holtei).

Religion was also another important aspect in thirteenth century England. Many believed that Christianity could help solve the negativity and fraudulence that filled the world. In this case, Christianity was seen as a positive and helpful source that could possibly quell the world's problems. During this time, there was also a shift from worshiping at the church to more personal worship and devotion (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Though many still attended church, statuettes such as the Enthroned Virgin and Child were very popular uses of personal devotion to the Virgin Mary. However, the Enthroned Virgin and Child is one of only a few surviving pieces of artwork from thirteenth century England.

The focal point of this entire piece is the Virgin Mary. She is the most important part of the piece because during this time, English followers would worship to the Virgin as a way to show devotion to Christianity (Metropolitan Museum of Art). This Virgin Mary is carved out of elephant ivory, a shiny piece of material that is normally a natural beige color. But due to how long this statue has survived, the ivory has darkened into a reddish-brown color. In certain areas where light hits the statuette, the light seems to be brighten the ivory, making it seem as if those areas are glowing. The Virgin's eyes are downcast, and it appears that she is staring at the empty space on her lap where infant Christ would normally be resting (Metropolitan Museum of Art). The statuette's posture is relaxed, evoking a sense of tenderness that helps compliment the tranquil and solemn expression on the Virgin's face.

The unknown artist was very meticulous in choosing a tranquil expression and a relaxed posture to present the Virgin. I think the use of tenderness and calmness to create the Virgin helps to personify a gentle creature, which is what the Virgin Mary embodies.

Sources

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1979.402

http://user.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/~holteir/companion/Navigation/History/The_13th_Century/the_13th_century.html

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/religion/culture/background.php