societal views ---> death

Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is a poem which satirizes society's expectations of women.  It presents a young lady who was "ordinary" before puberty.  Then she became less attractive.  "Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs (line 11)."  The speaker acts as if people couldn't see the rest of her body.  Her intelligence, strength, healthiness, and other good qualities were ignored.  Only her good qualities mattered.  Society told her to avoid people and to try to become more attractive.   They wanted her to be attractive.  The irony comes when she does exactly that.  She cuts off her arms and legs and dies.  Her new "pretty" body is set in the casket and everyone is happy.  This, of course, is terrible and unrealistic, but the situation makes Piercy's point clear.  Society should not solely value beauty in a woman.  Not all women should be "Barbie Dolls."  Doing so ignores the other beautifulk girls in the world and those who try to conform to society often end up hurt.

eternity vs now

To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell uses juxtaposition in order to emphasize the speaker's point.  He thinks his love should show love for him immediately and not wait to get caught up in love.  He starts off by saying, if we had infinite time, we could stay apart forever and I could take thousands of years to adore your body.  His coy mistress obviously is shying away from his current affection.  He talks about the distance between the Ganges and Humber Rivers as well as the great period of time from the Great Flood to the conversion of the Jews.  These great time spans and distances are then turned around.  The speaker says "But at my back I always hear / Time's winged chariot hurrying near. ( lines21,22)"  He is saying that there is no time for her coyness.  He then describes their death and dust at eternity instead of the ageless love he previously described.  He concludes by clearly stating his point.  He says that while they are still young, they should flirt, sport, and get caught up in love.  They can't stop time, but they can enjoy it.

gender roles

In a way, A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell is a story revolving around stock characters.  The story clearly separates the  men from women.  The men are stereotypical, sexist and cocky. The women also fit the stereotype of quiet, obedient wives who only cook, clean, and sew.  Even the sheriff's wife is kept apart from the men as they search the Wright house.  However, the "unusualness" of the story comes from the fact that the women are actually the ones who solve the mystery of the crime, and are therefore the focus of the story.  At one point, after talking with Mrs. Hale, the county attorney said " 'I'd like to talk to you about that a little later, Mrs. Hale,' he said.  'I'm anxious to get the lay of things upstairs now (par. 96).' "  This is his way of saying, "Whatever, I've got important manly things to do."  This kind of attitude is shown by all the men.  Even once the women discover Mrs. Wright's motivation for the murder, they don't prove their intelligence to the men by revealing the evidence.  Instead, they make their own judgement, deciding she was not guilty for the loneliness and depression she faced.  It is ironic that even after the stereotypes and gender roles are broken apart, the characters seem content to leave them as they are.

characterization in the snow

In Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolf, characterization of the three characters is very prominent.  Throughout the story, their actions and conversations reveal their personalities.  This begins at the commencement of the story. Kenny's first line is "He looks just like a beach ball with a hat on, doesn't he?  Doesn't he, Frank? (par. 4)"   This introduces Kenny and Frank's endless criticism of Tub.  The food falling out of his coat when he runs from the truck also hint at his problems with over-eating, even when he later lies about being on a diet.  Tub's actions; complaining about his friends' criticisms, lying about his problems, and and shooting Kenny; show his insecurities.  Similarly, Frank talks about his marriage problems and his new love, revealing his unhappiness.  Kenny's constant jokes and insults characterize his attitude while also leading to his (supposed) death.  All three characters are characterized by their slang and unsophisticated speech.  Ultimately, their problems and personalities are revealed, but it is ironic that the one with the real problem, Kenny, is not helped at all in the end.

THE END

Act V of Othello, the Moor of Venice surprised me a lot.  After reading it, I realized that I had wrongly analyzed Shakespeare's foreshadowing in earlier parts of the play.  I had expected Iago to die and Emilia to live.  I also suspected that Roderigo would kill Iago.  Of course, none of these things happened.  I also did not expect Othello to commit suicide, but once I read it, I realized that an earlier speech had predicted it.  Othello had previously talked about his grief and inability to cope with what he had done.  He said "Here is my journey's end, here is my butt / And very sea mark of my utmost sail (IV.ii.266-267)."  In this speech, he is admitting that he could live no longer.  He even talks about death being his last chance to see Desdemona before being snatched into hell.  The implication of his death in this passage combined with the fact that he is holding a sword should have made it clear that he would kill himself.  In the end, Shakespeare masterfully ends the story.  There is enough action to keep all of the audience on their toes, and Iago's arrest at the end makes it more satisfying.  As sad as it is, I liked the ending.

Climax

In Act V of Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, we finally reach the climax of the play.  Until this point, nobody has died, and the work is a tragedy, so we knew that deaths were coming.  They definitely did.  Iago's plan is going smoothly until Roderigo fails to kill Cassio.  Iago tries to do the job, but is only able to wound his leg.  Iago himself later kills Roderigo and claims that Cassio did it.  For a while, I thought he would be able to get away with his plot.  However, Bianca came to tell Othello the news and saw Desdemona dead on their bed.  After speaking with Othello, she pieces together what her husband had done and yells for help.  She says "Oh, murderous coxcomb! What should such a fool/ Do with so good a wife! (IV.ii.232-233)"  Iago stabs her and almost gets away.  However he is arrested and Othello kills himself out of grief.  The play ends on this note.  Although there is not much falling action, the climax tells how Desdemona, Roderigo, Emilia, and Othello end up dead and reveals how Iago's plan quickly falls apart.  It all happens very quickly, in true Shakespearean fashion.  Like many of his other plays, the climax happens, a bunch of main characters die, and the play ends.

More foreshadowing!!!

Yet again, I have found another example of foreshadowing.  In Act IV of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, the death of Desdemona is foreshadowed in many ways.  First, Iago and Othello discuss how Othello should kill Desdemona.  Othello thinks of all kinds of cruel ways to kill her in his hatred, but Iago urges him to instead strangle her in bed.  This bed is referred to later in act IV.  Emilia is talking to Desdemona who says "If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me / In one of those same sheets (IV. ii. 22-23)."  This makes sense, as we know Othello is planning to strangle Desdemona in their bed.  I think this line foreshadows that Othello will indeed kill Desdemona, and she might be buried in those bedsheets, just as she requested.  This quote might also imply that Emilia will not die.  Perhaps Emilia will not die.  Maybe she will kill her evil husband?  Only Act V can tell.