Journal #10 Othello's Insight

At the end of the play, Othello’s insight describes his realization to the wrongs that he had done to others, and the doings of Iago. His first speech condemns himself and the horrific actions he had enacted upon the ones he loved, especially his wife, Desdemona and comes to the realization that he wrongfully killed an honest loved one. He finally begins to genuinely blame himself for the events that had occurred because of him, and is remorseful at what he did to his wife. His passions overwhelmed himself, and caused him to kill the one he loved. He is disgusted with himself, and shows remorse at realizing the truth of Desdemona’s innocence. His conscience and mind is in torment because of her death and the fact that he killed her. Othello’s attitude and state of thinking change drastically in many ways, differing from how he acted throughout the play. A very powerful, but smart man realizes that he does not know what to do with his power in this situation. Othello is not known for giving up, but to him, this is how a noble and true man should act when mistakenly murdering your wife. Even with this, it is still obvious that he still misunderstands the whole situation, as he continues to place responsibility on fate. Even though so many hardships befall on him due to his decisions, he never had one moment of recognition of his failures at reasoning. Othello truly believes that a Turk has taken over the good Venetian within him. He still does not see that his faults are exploited by Iago and used against him. In his last soliloquy, Othello addresses the reasons behind his downfall, and decides how he wants others to see him, in terms of the story and how he takes responsibility for it, focusing on fact rather than emotion. All in All, Othello's insight in the end shows his remose for the wrongful killing of his wife, the regret of his actions, and him wanted to be seen as the man he was previously known as.

Journal #9 Free Will vs. Determinism

Free Will - The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.

Iago: “'tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our
gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners” (1.3 361-3).

Determinism - The philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents, such as genetic and environmental influences, that are independent of the human will.

Othello: “Yet ‘tis the plague of great ones … ‘tis destiny unshunnable, like
death” (3.3 313-16).

Using the above definitions, write a paragraph that argues in support of each of the terms. In your paragraphs, use specific examples from Othello to support your ideas.

The act of Free Will, a power in which all choices are unconstrained and fate does not take a part is a viable and supportable point of view. All though many people still believe God controls many things in our lives, it is false, as God gave us free will to do as we choose, and so we do not act like “robots” in a sense. We are free to do what we please, but we have to suffer the consequences if we do wrong (depending on the choices made during a person’s life). A human being shapes their lives on where they were born, how they were raised, what choices they make in their lives. These choices can either lead to good or bad things, depending on the choice that was made. People cannot shape our lives, unless we agree with their opinion and make the decision ourselves. When we succumb to the lesser influences of delinquents per se, it is our choice to follow their bad habits, or simply decline and make better choices. Othello did not have to believe Iago’s lies, yet he made the choice to do so, which then caused him to choose to kill Desdemona. Roderigo did not have to listen to all of Iago's lies, but he chose to anyway. Iago may have been lying to the others to get his way, but people choose to believe him, not Iago. Humans have the choice to listen or not, which way they choose is their decision. Iago seems to understand Free will, when he says “'tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners” (1.3 361-3). All in all, Othello greatly shows that Free Will is plausible and true, due to that fact that many people were decieved do to their own choice, which led to the whole tragedy. Free Will can bring a man happiness or madness, depending on the choices they make throughout their lives, and by their choices, not others, their lives are shapes according to their will and what they put into it. With this evidence, I have no hesitation in saying that Free will is a reality.

Determinism, the belief that every decision and event made in this world is independent of human will shows a preference to religion, and to God. Many religions believe that every single person is predestined to do or fulfill something during their lives and that everything in our lives is already planned and out of our personal control. In Othello, it can be shown that Determinism had an effect on the characters of the play. All of the circumstances of the play lead people to wonder just how it could happen so easily for Iago. Even Othello compares fate as just as unavoidable as death, saying “Yet ‘tis the plague of great ones … ‘tis destiny unshunnable, like death” (3.3 313-16). You are unable to change or dismiss your destiny, just like death, which will happen to everyone. Since everyone dies, than it can be greatly assumed that death is predetermined, due to the fact it is unavoidable like fate. How could almost all of the characters be stupid enough to fall for Iago's scheming plans, when one would think a person would have enough sense to tell something is up, unless someone else is controlling the strings. For things to play out so easily for Iago shows that something other than Iago's scheming was at work. All in all, Determinism is very plausibe, due to the fact that plans like Iago's do not work that well by themselves, as he was a lone man, so the fates of the others must have been already decided, making Iago's job easier. With this evidence, I can say that Determinism is the way that life is lived, and is shown greatly in the play of Othello.

Journal #8 - Aphorisms

When Emerson wrote the aphorism “Everyone boils at different degrees” he is trying to explain to us that people get angry and lose their temper at different things and at different levels. The point at which one loses their temper depends on the person, and is not the same as another person. I truly agree with what he is saying, as there is no set line as to where someone's temper is lost, due to the fact that people react differently to certain things, all depending on their views, beliefs, etc. No two people will react the same way to something at the same degree, so he perfectly explains this in a small sentance. Certain subjects and comments may affect people more or less than others, depending, once again, on their views. We are all different and all have different temperatures, so it is very ignorant to think that people will react the same during the same situation. I believe he skillfully explained this concept of different "boiling points" in a way that can be understood by all, because it is so simple. It is physically impossible to say that he is "wrong" due to the fact that we have free will and are not robots, so we have varying feelings, emotions, and thoughts, which determine the differences in our "boiling points" or our time when we lose our temper.



When Emerson wrote the aphorism “Keep cool: it will all be one a hundred years hence.” He was trying to make the point of trying not to fret too much over trivial worries in life due to the fact that these petty grievances will mean nothing in 100 years, as we will most likely be already dead. He wants us not to worry about the small mistakes or negative things that we do in our lives, because in one hundred years, we will be dead and it will not matter because those things will have long been forgotten. I have to agree with this, mainly because we stress ourselves over the little things everyday, but do we ever stop and think that no one will even remember this after we die, and probably they will forget long before we die. There is no point of freting over the small things, besides no one will remember them after we are long gone. We worry so much what is happening in the moment and we fail to realize that none of this will be remembered, so just as Emerson has explain to us, don't sweat the small stuff when they will not be remembered anyway. In my opinion, Emerson explained this so perfectly and simply, that he turns a somewhat difficult concept into an easily understood phrase, which is really neat. Again, I have to agree with this aphorism, because it is so common for people today to worry about all of the small details, overlooking the fact that these"little details" will be soon forgotten.

When Emerson wrote the aphorism “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” he was trying to explain that life is basically trying new things you have never done before. The more you “experiment” and reach out to the unknown, you will have more thrilling and fruitful life. You must live your life with no regrets as you can learn from everything you do, and use those examples and learning to make better decisions in the future. Many of the worthwhile things in life require you to take some risks or make spontaneous decisions, but they will benefit your life in the end. Emerson hit the nail on the head on this aphorism, perfectly explaining what "life" is all about. Taking risks and doing things you are unfamiliar with are all apart of life, because these "experiments" will lead you to a broader mindset, open youself to new things and finally make your life better as a whole. Without these experiments, without life lessons, the life of someone will not become better, which is why he exemplifies the fact that life is basically an experiment. Emerson expressed what life truly is and what we need to do to exemplify it, which is to go out and take a change, while trying new things, rather than being conservitive and staying with what is comfortable with you. I enjoyed this aphorism very much, and this is one thing that I am striving to follow by, which is why I believe that Emerson's statement about life is correct.

Journal #7

In “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe and “To a Waterfowl” by William Cullen Bryant, both poems seem to be very similar, as they both deal with a man and their experience with a bird. Due to the different views of nature and the differences of the Neo-Classical and Romanticism styles of writing, the intricate details of the poems are very different. The views of nature of the poems used by the offers differs the major points, such as tone, message, style, order, etc., but the general idea of each poem are very similar.

Both poems, “The Raven” and “To a Waterfowl” begin as both having a man interacting with a specific bird, but after that the differences begin to show. Bryant writes a poem about a man pondering what exactly the lesson is that the bird he is observing is teaching him. He writes about a waterfowl that even though is alone, is guided along in the sky. The man then wonders if “there is a power whose care teaches thy way along that pathless coast.” The poem’s setting, which is during sunset, adds to the peacefulness and serenity of nature. The man exclaims that the same power that guides the bird to its destination will “lead my steps aright”. In the poem “To a Waterfowl”, it is written in the Neo-Classical style, and focuses more on logic, rather than emotions. The tone is very opposite to “the Raven”, as it can be described as peaceful, calm, positive, and optimistic. In “To a Waterfowl”, nature in the waterfowl makes him think about how God will lead him in his life. The poem relies mostly on logic, because it only alludes to religion. The classical view is that nature is something to observe and meditate on.

The poem “The Raven” is written in the Romantic style, allowing more emotion to affect the aspects of the poem such as tone. The tone of the raven can be described as dark, gloomy, depressing, and dreary, due to the fact that the main character in the poem lost his love and believes he is being tormented by a raven. The tones relate to the view of nature in each poem, as in “The Raven” nature is evil or indifferent to the man’s suffering and does not make him feel better and is torturing him, and is also considered very hostile. As the Romantic style is very emotional, the lingering mental stability of the man provides more “instability” and darkness to the poem. This is especially true, when Poe uses rhyming of “Nevermore” and the name of his lover, “Lenore”, to exemplify an idea, as well as darken the tone. Imagery supports Poe’s view of nature, as it uses many words like, “black, demon, devil, plutonian, ghastly, dreary, and weak.” The settings of these poems allow us a glimpse on the views of nature expressed in them. The setting of “The Raven” is during the witching hour on a dark December night, but the man actually experiences the act of nature inside the house, which makes it seem unique that the bird is coming for him specifically. He stated that it took place “once upon a midnight dreary, while [he] pondered, weak and weary.” The style in which he writes develops the poem into being a perfect example of Poe’s view of nature.

In both of the poems the styles of the poems relate to the view of nature in each of them. In “The Raven” the ornate style is used to describe the intense, distress, sadness, and agony the man is going through, which in turn describes an unclear, confusing, and difficult aspect of nature. On the other hand, “To a Waterfowl” has a somewhat plainer style of writing, possibly due to the fact that less emotion is being described, since the man is reflecting on his life and God, which describes a clear, peaceful, and a sense of knowing aspect of nature. “To a Waterfowl” shows order, due to the plainness, calmness, and serenity of nature, rather than the erratic, emotional, and disorderly thoughts of the man in “The Raven”. The writing styles and view of nature truly change the major aspects of a poem.

Since “The Raven” is heavily based on emotions, a lot of irrationality is displayed, due to the loss of logic in the poem. Bryant’s poem, on the other hand is more rational, but is vaguer than the emotionally detailed poem by Poe. Even though both of the poems started off somewhat “similar”, their endings are completely different. Bryant’s poem ended with the man feeling happier and more at peace with his life, but in Poe’s poem, it ended in the man being more depressed than before. The poems both pertain to birds but because of the different right styles and views of nature, they both ended up very different. Even the birds are very different, which is due to the views of nature, as Poe's raven is viewed as a dark and evil being, but Bryan's bird is characterized as a peaceful and guiding being. In the end, both poems have started out looking very similar, but with different views in nature and different writing styles, many differences are present in the two poems.