![]() I am not very good with figurative language, but this piece spoke to me. I noticed the whole speech is an in-depth example of introspection. Nietzsche explains that we do not know ourselves and have become distant. We try to keep score of our experiences but we lose count as we go on. Therefore we lost parts of ourself. Nietzsche says, "So we remain necessarily strangers to ourselves, we do not understand ourselves, we have to keep ourselves confused." We lose ourselves when we are concerned with other things in life, therefore we are not knowledgeable.
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![]() In Emerson's piece, Self Reliance, the premise of the piece is that our thoughts should be derived from our own originality. But if you look up the definition of self reliance, it says reliance on one's own powers and resources rather than those of others. This definition can be used in any sense such as physical, mental, and emotional. The way Emerson speaks to his audience, he is describing human mentality. He shows us a capability of the mind to produce original thoughts stemmed from out own originality. This brings to light the importance of individualism and our impact on society, In The Untethered Soul, the premise of the piece is that happiness is within our control. But is it really? Do we have the power to obtain unconditional and everlasting happiness for the rest of our lives? Quoted from the text, Michael writes, "'Well, of course I want to be happy, but my wife left me.' In other words, they want to be happy, but not if their wife leaves them." This text creates the illusion that true happiness is within our reach, we just have to be willing to grab at it no matter what obstacles we face. Spiritual happiness is within our reach, but we will never get to our destination if we think of every hitch in our journey is a problem.
During Shakespearean time, racism was a huge of part of daily life. Which meant that people of different skin colors were constantly ridiculed and oppressed for being who they were, much like how it is in the 21st century. Then there's Othello. The big, black, and bold general. Even though he has such a high position in the military, his abilities are still doubted. But Othello seems unbothered. This causes a personal question to arise. What is Othello's background? We already know about his military adventures, but what about his childhood? Was he always so firm as a response to rude comments or did his attitude change with his new profession? Questions are yet to be answered.
![]() Michael Cassio is first introduced or mentioned as the lieutenant of Othello. Being that Cassio is young and an inexperienced soldier, he is unworthy of having such a noble position. His status makes him a target for destruction for Iago. Cassio is completely devoted to Othello like a dog to a human. So he, of course, is remorseful after getting into an fight due to his intoxication. The reward for his brawl was losing his place as lieutenant. Yippee!!! Considering the theme of Othello is jealously, where does Cassio show his envy? Here's the thing. He doesn't!!! Cassio, like others, is just a pawn in a chess game. He was sucked into Iago's plan. But he doesn't know. ![]() Throughout history, women have taken the backseat while the men take all the glory. Desdemona has different plans. In Shakespeare's Othello, Desdemona is passionate when it comes to love. She disobeyed her father's, Brabantio, wishes. She cheated on her betrothed with Othello. Not only is cheating on her betrothed punishable by death, but the person she cheated with was AFRICAN. But she was excused from death when the Duke when Brabantio complains to him. The Duke doesn't have the same views as Brabantio because the duke thinks the Othello s admirable and honorable while Brabantio can't see anything besides the color of his skin. Though Desdemona is fictional, her role is inspirational since she had an interracial relationship which was frowned upon by the people of Shakespearean time. Not only is she dating a African American man, she also knows how to speak her mind. When Iago was talking badly about his wife, Emilia, which was the norm of Shakespearean time, Desdemona was ready to snap back like a rubber band. Not only did Desdemona create a precedent for interracial couples, but she is a force to be reckoned with. ![]() The arrival of Max Vandenburg changes the plot of the story. Not only is Liesel against the Fuhrer for the suffering of her mother, now a brand new character has been added to the story who relates with her. His name is Max Vandenburg. Like one of my previous blogs, Max’s journey is the Underground Railroad. His life has been running and hiding, hoping to not be seen. Along the way, people who who called themselves pro-Nazi have helped him. This relates to the abolitionists who helped move the slaves north to freedom. But rather than running to freedom, Max is running to 33 Himmel Street. What could he want from there , you might ask. Well, that is the location of Hans Hubermann, one of the helpers. During Max’s stay, he receives care from the Hubermann family as well as a nice toxic friendship from Liesel. But he regrets the troubles he has caused. “When he said that, he used his forearm to shield his face. ‘Leaving people behind. Coming here. Putting all of you in danger. . .’ He dropped everything out of him and started pleading with them. Sorrow and desolation were clouted across his face. ‘I’m sorry. Do you believe me? I;m so sorry. I’m---!” The way I see it, the Jew is the biggest obstacle the Hubermanns have to face. There is the always the possibility of them getting caught. The real question is why do the Hubermanns willingly accept the Jew into their home and what troubles will come along the way for their actions? ![]() What is figurative language? It is using figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive and impactful. In the Book Thief, Markus Zusak uses figurative language constantly. There was repetition. The Pfaffelhurvers apologize to Liesel's mama by saying, "Tell her we're sorry. Tell her we're sorry." They use.emphasis by saying this to show their deep regret. Markus also uses personification. This allows the reader to imagine what the objects are doing. The story says, "Or maybe it was just Europe again, breathing." Europe can't breathe so this means it was windy in Europe. ![]() Max Vanderburg is a new character introduced in the story. He is a Jew. Because of his beliefs, he is considered the lowest of the low. "He is scum," says the narrator. Max is living a nightmare. The quote says, "His eyes did not do anything that shock normally describes. No snapping, no slapping, no jolt. Those things happen when you wake from a bad dream, not when you wake into one." He sees the real world as a nightmare for someone like him. Currently, he is journeying to Himmel Street. While reading this, it is almost like he is traveling on the Underground Railroad. There are German people who help him travel. Hans Hubermann happens to be one of those people. I think Hans is helping because he doesn't really support the Nazis. I think he was inspired by Liesel stealing the book from the fire because the narrator says, "It's no time to be watching, turning around, or checking the stove---because when the book thief stole her second book, not only were there many factors involved in her hunger to do so, but the act of stealing it triggered the crux of what was to come. It would provide her with a venue for continued book thievery. It would inspire Hans Hubermann to come up with a plan to help the Jewish fist fighter. And it would show me, once again, that one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death." I think Liesel's rebellion rubbed off on Hans. After Max arrives at Molching, he plans on hiding at the Hubermanns' house.
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