Othello 3

"I will incontinently drown myself." pg. 1380

Throughout the first few acts of Othello, four major themes have surfaced. The first is jealousy is a powerful, often destructive force. Roderigo is insanely jealous of Othello and Desdemona's relationship with one another. Roderigo is in love with Desdemona and considers suicide because he cannot handle his jealous feelings. The next theme is hatred is often based on preconceived notions. This was exhibited when Brabantio expressed his hate for Othello. The only reason Brabantio claimed hatred was because Othello married his only daughter. Brabantio based his hatred on a preconceived notion rather than considering who Othello was as a person. The third theme of this play is appearance and reality are not always the same. This is displayed through Iago's character. Most people consider Iago to be a very noble and honest man; however, the readers know that he is a very manipulative man with an agenda. The last theme is showing love can often require courage. This is expressed through Othello. When professing his love for Desdemona, he had to be very courageous. He was standing before her father and discussing how he loved her. This takes a plethora of valor to do, but his love for Desdemona is worth it.

Othello 2

"I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets he's done my office." pg .1382

Iago deeply hates the Moor, Othello. His hatred is motivated by his job. Iago is upset because Othello appointed Cassio to lieutenant instead of him. Iago felt he had been cheated because he held seniority where as Cassio was simply the favorite. He also hates Othello because there is a scandalous rumor going around that Othello slept with Emilia, Iago's wife. Iago has planned to channel his anger and despise for Othello with revenge. Iago is very manipulative. He is determined to ultimately manipulate Othello into believing that he is the better man for the lieutenant position. In most stories, the antagonist fails to prevail over the good. But, I think Iago may end with triumph. I think this because we are hearing the story through his point of view, which is not typical of Shakespearean work.

Othello 1

"I have told thee often, and I retell thee again and again, I hate the Moor." pg. 1381

In most Shakespearean plays, the story is told from the protagonist point of view. However, the point of view in Othello is unique. It is told from the antagonist point of view. Iago, the antagonist, is a very manipulative man. He has plotted a scheme that will get him revenge. Because the story is told from Iago's point of view, the reader knows and understands why Iago is seeking revenge. Through asides and soliloquies, the readers learn Iago's deep personal thoughts. These are thoughts that are only known by Iago and the audience. This generates suspense because it is as if the audience is taking part in the manipulation. The rest of the characters are unaware of the events to come, and the audience is unaware of when Iago's plan will be executed fully.

Potpourri 4 - You're Ugly, Too

"What is your perfume? a student asked. Room freshener, she said." pg. 353

I feel really bad for Zoe. I know that she brings her troubles upon herself, but she doesn't know how to act around people. She is so unsure of herself that she makes jokes in inappropriate situation. She lacks self-esteem even though she acts like she is very confident. She uses humor as a defense mechanism so that she never has to be sincere with people. Because of this, she lacks connection with people. She is very lonely, but it is her own doing. She began using humor to mask herself at a young age. As a kid, she had a speech impediment and was embarrassed to speak. She began telling jokes because people knew the answers to the jokes. This made it okay if people didn't understand her.

Potpourri 3 - The Lottery

"It isn't fair, it isn't right." pg. 271

I would absolutely hate to live in this disturbed society. These people are all crazy. When I started reading this, I assumed the lottery had good connotation to it, because it does in our world today. However, I was wrong. Instead of the lottery being some lucky person wins a large sum of money, it was one unlucky person was going to be stoned to death. I just don't understand how this could go on in a living community, especially with children. The children even participated in the stoning of one unlucky person. The worst thing was that Mrs. Hutchinson's family partook in the stoning. They didn't even seem to really care that they were killing their mom/wife. If that were happening to someone in my family I would be going crazy retaliating.

Potpourri 2 - The Drunkard

"You were his guardian angel." pg. 351

This story was full of irony and humor. The humorous part was the drunk 12 year old. He found beer to be completely disgusting, but wanted to experiment. The irony of the story is that the mom refers to her son as a guardian angel sent from God. This isn't the typical reaction of a mother when finding out her 12 year old got drunk at a bar. The mother was angry with her husband for letting the 12 year old drink, but was so glad that that prevented the father from drinking. When dragging his drunk and obnoxious son home through the streets, the father was embarrassed. That is ironic because he is usually the one being dragged home because he's so plastered. The father doesn't realize the error of his ways, so he probably continued to go on drinking binges.

Potpourri 1 - Popular Mechanics

"I want the baby." page 2

Although it was very short, this story left me with many unanswered questions. Why was the couple breaking up? Why did they physically fight for the baby? Was the baby their child? Why were no quotation marks used? I find ironic that the title of the story is "Popular Mechanics," yet many grammatical mechanics were omitted. Also, I have a thought as to why the couple is breaking up. I think the man may be abusive. This probably would explain the woman's irrational behavior when the man wanted to keep the baby. If the man is dangerous, she would not feel comfortable leaving the baby in his care. I think that the style of the mechanics may coincide with the theory that the man is abusive. Maybe the lack of quotations is supposed to reflect that the man is uneducated. Uneducated men are more prone to abuse than educated men.