2) Why do you think the author chose to end the novel this way? (Please don't say " to make it more interesting and keep us guessing.")
From the beginning, the story was about restricting change and rejecting anything that it was considered out of the norm.I did some research on the Cultural revolution and it basically was the oppression of the intellectuals. Reeducating was basically a way of stripping them of their former "worldly" intelligence, or any intelligence that they would receive if they were in real school. Anything that is about defying the law for the sake of passion and love, is considered romantic to me.With the little seamstress she was the perfect example of a person who eyes just needed to be opened up. She was vulnerable, and her yearning to know more, experience more, be more than just a mountain girl is what made it so predictable that leaving was the best thing to do. The Little seamstress knowledge through those books makes her yearn for more.That's why she leaves the ones that taught her how to live. Ma and luo are enraptured by the little Seamstress. She is a symbol to them beauty and love and her desire for a different life to go beyond just books and story. But it isn't just about he books and stories. Its about the power of imagination. Ma and luo are story tellers, and the whole town is enchanted by the stories they tell. The whole point of their story is not only to introduce the world to the villagers and Little seamstress by to provoke imagination. All the elements of restrictions and imagination ties up at the end with the little seamstress leaving. This surprising but not unpredicible ending left luo and Ma flabbergasted, but I think they understood. All they needed was closure. He didn't let the book end that way to "keep us guessing" but to keep us alive.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Othello-TRAgic VISion
The characters in Othello, are fed constant lies which only nourishes the tragic hero in this play, Iago. It nourishes Iago's greedily goal of the bane of others. This unoriginal act of lies and deceit, manifest unto an obsession which doesn't short any shorter than death. His once adored wife, Emilia was the first one to unveil his true intentions, tragically dies by the hand of her husband. Othello's wife, blinded by pure love and dedication, is also killed by her husband. Rodrigo's drive is for the love of Desdemona, a hapless goal that is too far ahead for Rodrigo to see that he cannot win what he desires. Cassio, has caught the eye of almost everyone. His actions of success and of admiral beauty set him up for a tragic character in the theme of Shakespeare's plays: desire. All of these characters share the general theme of desire and love. The conniving Iago started out only aiming at Othello with jealously, but once once a ball is always in motion, it will knock down whoever it comes into contact with. Though Iago acted out on his emotions, he was not the cause. Othello's tragic vision has a coating of irony. Othello, a good soul, is the cause of Iago's deceit and successful plan to make everyone as miserable as he is.
Iago recognizes himself as the outsider of a closely knit group. His personality is indifferent. If he sees what he doesn't have, he'll try to have it. In this case, he acts as if every one's life was just a little game that he wasn't invited to play. He sees Othello's happy life of worldly respect and marriage as if he wasn't let in on a secret. He is driven by a strong emotion of jealousy.The specific relationships he observes are on a level he is not accustomed with. This is what makes him evil. He sees what he doesn't have and tries to take away for pure fun. He can observe a person's demeanor and fully know their weaknesses: "The Moor is of free and open nature, that thinks men honest that but does not seem so"(Othello).In Iago Soliloquies, he plots his plan of a dominoes downfall so meticulously one might wonder how could anyone be as evil as him? Iago's true self was unfolding by each act. The only person who is at at least fully sane and fully informed could not be less bright than Roderigo himself.
Roderigo suffers on a level of his own. A wealthy foolish man falls "in love" with intention by forbidden. He is a pawn of Iago: "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:"(Othello). He suffers by Othello's win of his prize, Iago's forthcoming betrayal, and his death. Roderigo was only as good as everyone thought he was. He was nothing.
Emilia is the most pivotal character in the play. In the beginning of the play, she was not blind to her husband's actions only misinformed or not informed at all. Emilia's deeds were only driven by her husband whom she had loved for. She could even imagine her husband would risk her life to save his game. Her brave and overt demeanor found truth that directly in front of her eyes. She live by the rule of home domestic dedication to a husband. She purposely tried with all her might to live by that was right. Iago saw her s something different. She was just taken advantaged of. As she describes, wives are the tools of men, and until they are needed they are left in the shed. As husband and wive this is tragic. Love was completely driven out of his head, while jealousy was conquering his thoughts. This irony of cause circles back to Othello.
Desdemona is the opposite of Emilia. While they share many similarities, the quality which makes them different is the psychology. Desdemona everlasting role of innocence and love during the play is not even changed in the slightest even when she is informed of her imaginary fault.
The tragic vision in the play collects into a murky pool defiled with lust, envy, immutable love, and betrayal. Each of the character's struggles end up stuck in the mud of the irony of love. The one thing we can say in the end is that tragedy's always end in death.
Iago recognizes himself as the outsider of a closely knit group. His personality is indifferent. If he sees what he doesn't have, he'll try to have it. In this case, he acts as if every one's life was just a little game that he wasn't invited to play. He sees Othello's happy life of worldly respect and marriage as if he wasn't let in on a secret. He is driven by a strong emotion of jealousy.The specific relationships he observes are on a level he is not accustomed with. This is what makes him evil. He sees what he doesn't have and tries to take away for pure fun. He can observe a person's demeanor and fully know their weaknesses: "The Moor is of free and open nature, that thinks men honest that but does not seem so"(Othello).In Iago Soliloquies, he plots his plan of a dominoes downfall so meticulously one might wonder how could anyone be as evil as him? Iago's true self was unfolding by each act. The only person who is at at least fully sane and fully informed could not be less bright than Roderigo himself.
Roderigo suffers on a level of his own. A wealthy foolish man falls "in love" with intention by forbidden. He is a pawn of Iago: "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:"(Othello). He suffers by Othello's win of his prize, Iago's forthcoming betrayal, and his death. Roderigo was only as good as everyone thought he was. He was nothing.
Emilia is the most pivotal character in the play. In the beginning of the play, she was not blind to her husband's actions only misinformed or not informed at all. Emilia's deeds were only driven by her husband whom she had loved for. She could even imagine her husband would risk her life to save his game. Her brave and overt demeanor found truth that directly in front of her eyes. She live by the rule of home domestic dedication to a husband. She purposely tried with all her might to live by that was right. Iago saw her s something different. She was just taken advantaged of. As she describes, wives are the tools of men, and until they are needed they are left in the shed. As husband and wive this is tragic. Love was completely driven out of his head, while jealousy was conquering his thoughts. This irony of cause circles back to Othello.
Desdemona is the opposite of Emilia. While they share many similarities, the quality which makes them different is the psychology. Desdemona everlasting role of innocence and love during the play is not even changed in the slightest even when she is informed of her imaginary fault.
The tragic vision in the play collects into a murky pool defiled with lust, envy, immutable love, and betrayal. Each of the character's struggles end up stuck in the mud of the irony of love. The one thing we can say in the end is that tragedy's always end in death.
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