Week 7 - Fair is foul and foul is fair...

Your task: Watch this short clip of Act I, scene i from Macbeth. (There are actually lots of great Macbeth video clips on YouTube. Some are even school projects by other high school students.) Does this video clip portray the witches as you had imagined them? Is there another video that does a better job? Or had you pictured something entirely different as you read about the witches in the beginning of the play? Watch the video, create your own post about your idea for the witches, and comment on another post by Monday, April 6. Have fun! Fair is foul and foul is fair....

An update: For those of you struggling with the video clip, you'll have to watch this somewhere other than school. Because the school has YouTube blocked, it won't show up on school computers. However, you should have no problems at home.

MacBeth

Statement 1: You are the maker of your own destiny.
Statement 2: If you reach your goal, the end always justifies the means.

**I don't believe that I am the maker of my own destiny. I like to say that I believe that, but I don't. I believe that we are all a part of some master plan that may or may not be revealed to our generation. I think that destiny might be one title for the master plan.**

**I don't believe that either; bad things happen to good people. I have seen so many people reach his or hers goals, yet they still never see good/just things happen in their lives. I just think that it all has to do with if we are suppose to chose the goals we chose to succeed.**

Macbeth themes

"You are the maker of your own destiny."

I believe this is a very true statement. There are many who sit by and watch their lives go by blaming people or circumstances for the way they are, but ultimately I think it is the choice of an individual how their life is to be lived. While there are other things that have an effect and play a part in life and a creator who can be a part of a person's life, each person has a will and has the power to choose how they live their lives and who they are to become.

"If you reach your goal, the end always justifies the means."

To me this depends on your goal. If your goal effects someone else and it hurts them in some way, you may feel proud that you made it to your goal, but their will always be a part of you that will feel guilty and hurt by the action. I believe if your goal is something that should be you won't have to use questionable means to get there.

Macbeth

I definitely think we control our own destiny. I believe that God holds the ultimate power in deciding our overall fate. We are given paths on which to travel and can choose either the right or wrong path, but regardless whatever path we tend to take will lead us to one we're meant to travel on. "Destiny"

And then for the next quote I believe if YOU reach YOUR goal, then yes the end will justify the means.

And I'm pretty sure I'm kind of just repeating a bunch of stuff already covered in class, so this is the end... ha

CB

Destiny and divine intervention.

I completely almost forgot to do this. :P
"We are the makers of our own destiny."
I would certainly have to agree with this statement. I think we are all divinely given a free will with which we are able to make our own decisions. Yes, I believe there is a higher being that guides our decisions and ultimately will decide how we end up, but I look life as an umbrella of sorts. The big man gives us the instructions of how we are to live on earth, and under his umbrella command, we have the ability to use our free will to act from that. In the end, it is our own decisions that take us to our destination. And we are the ones that will ultimately decide what path we choose to take.
"If you reach your goal, the end always justifies the means."
[I feel like i'm always playing the devil's advocate in our class discussions. :P] I'd have to agree with this statement as well. I don't think it matters what your goal is, if you reach it shouldn't you be satisfied? It kind of depends how you choose to take this statement. If you consider it from the point of view of an outsider, then no...you may not think the end justified the means. But on a personal level, if you reach YOUR goal, YOUR end should feel justified. It shouldn't matter what the others think or believe.
That's just what I think.
:]
Gracias.

If you reach your goal, the end always justifies the means.

I have to disagree with this statement. Even if in the end you do reach your goals it does not always justify the means by which you have to get there. If you go out and kill someone to achieve your dream for instance not only have you prohibited someone else from achieving their dreams but you also have destroyed your reputation for being honest and caring. In Macbeth for instance. He kills the king to insure his place at the throne. In the end he achieved his goal of becoming king, but it does not make killing someone to achieve it right or make it okay.

We are the maker's of our own destiny. We have free will, and we are able to go about our daily lives and do what we want. Human's having free will is also a logical idea, because if we do not have free will and cannot do what we want, then what was the purpose of us being here? On another thought, the end does not justify the means. For a hypothetical situation... Say a man is trying to unify the world. His only way of doing that is to wipe out part of the world's population, either through genocide or just plain war, then the end would not justify the means, because killing an untold amount of lives wouldn't be a good excuse.

Death of a Salesman.

Death of a Salesman was a very interesting movie. Nothing like I've every seen that's for sure! I was really confused with the whole flash backs that Willy was having in the beginning of the movie that i couldn't understand what was actually happening from what he was imagining. I guess that was the whole point but I was extremely confused. As the movie went on it became more interesting though and I began to catch on.
Willy is one crazy guy. I felt bad for him throughout the movie. He was let down so many times that finally it came to a point where trying was just a lost cause. I believe what he truely wanted in life was to be notices, appericiated, and above all a successful man. When his dream could no longer be accomplished through himself he started pushing his sons to become what he himself always wanted to be. Of course when this doesn't happen he finds no reason in living anymore. He would rather take his own life than live through the realization of being a nobody. It's sad that it had to get to that point and it's even worse that his family didn't really try too hard to stop it from happening either.
Overall i'd say it was an alright movie. Just needed a little less yelling and a little more graphics. =]

Week 6 - Macbeth

We'll soon be reading one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies, Macbeth. Before we start reading, I want to hear your ideas on some of the themes found in Macbeth. In this week's post, please respond to the following two statements. Tell us if you agree or disagree and explain why. Also, don't forget to comment on a classmate's post as well. This needs to be finished by Monday, March 30 at 8 a.m.

Statement 1: You are the maker of your own destiny.
Statement 2: If you reach your goal, the end always justifies the means.

Shattered Dreams(DOAS)

Willy seemed like the perfect image of the American Dream gone terribly wrong. His whole life was spent trying to get somewhere and be someone. Yet instead he was only barely making it. This movie seemed to be saying that indeed the American dream is not achievable for everyone. Biff realized this. He was the opposite of his father; just as Willy only ever wanted to be known, Biff wished to blend in. Biff wanted to be an average Joe. Neither of the boys had a good relationship with their father, but the relationship between Willy and Biff was the most strained. Happy tryed to make his father happy, but did this the wrong way by lying to him and raising false hopes. Linda Loman was passive to Willy. It seemed she was the only one to show him respect; unfortunately he didn't show her respect at all. The family was one in which everyone was disfunctional. It seemed sad that each of the characters would try to do the right thing, only to get thwarted in their attempts to salvage their lives.

What a tragedy

The movie was incredibly sad. I knew that he would die, obviously. But when Linda said, "We made the last payment on the house today," on the day of his funeral, it was just heart wrenching. I really liked Willy; though he wasn't really grown up, he still was able to capture ones attention and make them become attached. I sympathize for Willy because some people (like Willy) set their standards and goals way too high and end up failing in the end. I also sympathize with the whole family because Happy nor Willy were any good at what they were trying to do with their lives, and Biff was good at what he liked but he couldn't make a living off of it.
I think Linda showed the most strength within the whole family. She always had faith in her husband and sons, though neither of them were could at anything. She also showed extreme compassion towards those men. Many women would have left 25 years ago, but Linda stayed.
All in all, the characters were all very interesting. I also think the producer picked out wonderful actors and actresses to play the roles of the characters. The movie itself was really interesting.

Death...

Well i kinda was confused on the movie at first, and since i missed friday. i am kinda losed. but neways. I like all the characters. Well except for the guy Wily he is kinda weird at first anyway. The characters were some what in similar to those of The Great Gatsby. Wily cheated on his wife like every character in the The Great Gatsby. Bif and Happy seemed like to hopeful boys. I think if Happy was not so sarcastic i think that them to could have went far, and if Bif would had just went back to the guy who said he could have the money i think they could have had a pretty good business. I guess not everything works out. Oh and Linda...poor lady..her husband treats her like poop!! :]

Death of a Salesman

-I missed the first half of the film, but I did catch the rest && was very intrigued.

I think Willy Loman was a tragic character. He represented what Americans want && lose in the process. Willy had a dream of being prosperous and known. He wanted a much better life for his family and I think that drained his mentality. The character was sad and a tad off but made you realize what want does to you.

The rest of the family had characters you could really pick up on. It was obvious Biff really looked up to Willy and yet was scared of being him. I think that was what made the tension between them. Happy, well, he was just that. I didn't particularly like Willy's wife. She seemed domineering and maybe overbearing.

All in all though, this was a strange && tragic, yet interesting film. I enjoyed the intensity :))

DOAS

Willy was a dreamer. In his eyes, being known and rising to the top was the best dream out there; it was all that mattered. He reached no such goal. Willy was a loving father who worked constantly and made it no where, a sad but true reality for many people. When Biff (the son he had the most hope for) came home, it reminded Willy of the failure he himself and his boys have came across. This caused the breakdown of Willy Loman. He began reminiscing in the past, and talking to people in his memories that weren't truly there. His boys were arrogant and didnt understand their father, as the story progressed they grew a further understanding for their Dad and began to sympathize.

The heart breaking death of a salesman.

Initially, I thought this movie was insanely weird and boring. As the movie progressed, though, the plot-line began to unfold and things began getting interesting.
Willy is, honestly, one of the saddest characters I have ever read about or seen on the silver screen. My heart just broke every time the audience could see him talking to no one but himself. One scene that really sticks out in my mind is the one where he has just been fired and he walks down the rainy street, pounding his fists in the air saying "touchdown!" If that doesn't break someone's heart and make them feel sympathy for Willy, I don't know what would.
All in all, I did enjoy this movie. It was one of the most peculiar movies I have ever seen but I liked it nonetheless. I think it's very heartwrenching to see such a torn-apart family and a husband and father with such a slight grasp on reality.
Gracias.

Hopeless Dream

I believe that Willy was trapped fighting for a hopeless dream. He worked all his life to accomplish one dream and in the end he never achieved it. He spent much of his time fighting for a dream to achieve his happiness when he died he still had not realized that the dream he was chasing was not going to bring him happiness. At first I found Willy very annoying and not likable, but the farther into the movie we got the more i realized that it was because he could see his life slipping away from him and all his hopes and dreams he had worked so hard for were still not accomplished.

Tragic Dream

I believe Willy had a tragic dream. He tried his whole life to accomplish his dream and died never being able to fulfil his dream. I believe the whole time he was fighting for the wrong dream. This family was a typical likable family that just tried to be something special instead of themselves. Biff finally realized he was going no where with just a followers dream but decided to dream big for himself. This family died a tragic death in the wrong dream. I believe in ten years Biff will be happy on the right dream and Happy will still be trying to fulfill the tragic dream and die a death of a salesman.

Lost in a Dream

At the beginning of the movie I was really confused as to why Willy seemed so hostile. Then later it was easy to see that Willy was withering away and losing all sanity. All he really wanted was to raise successful business men, but he couldn't face the facts of reality. He didn't want to come to the realization that neither his boys' nor himself would amount to the success he had set forth to achieve. Willy was sort of in his own world throughout the whole movie and lost his connection with reality by continually dwelling on the past. I think it was really sad that his family had to suffer and he didn't seem very remorseful. I mean he did cheat on his wife after all. Alright. That's my piece.
Calli

Death of The Dream

I think that the characters in Death of A Salesmen are very true to real life. I think that Willy is the typical freaker outter father while his wife gives everyone the benifit of the doubt. I think that the boys are stereotypical teenagers, tho they are older, they still show the angst and rebelion of most teens now. I also see how everyones dreams just seem to escape them in this film, and personall I think that is very sad.
thanks
k

Week 5 - Death of a Salesman

For your next post, I want to read your thoughts about the characters in Death of a Salesman. What do you think of Willy Loman? What about the rest of his family? Do you think they are sympathetic characters? Likable? Really, I'm just asking for your supported opinions about the characters. Also, be sure to COMMENT on someone else's post. This is due by Monday, March 23, at 8:00 a.m. Have fun!

Dreaming...

Well my dreams begin with finishing high school... once I do that I plan to go to MSSU and major in international relations. Definitely then I'll want to graduate from college. I'm not exactly sure what my goals will be from there, but I think I would like to be someone who interprets during international meetings. My goal is to become fluent in 8 different languages in the next six years, building as much experience in dealing with
people of different backgrounds as I can. That's about it for now I guess.

My Dreams

I have many dreams for my life. I'm attending Missouri State this fall and in four years hope to have a degree in elementary education. I would then like to get a job somewhere close to home teaching third or fourth grade. I want to get married and have a couple kids once i have found a good job. I also think it would be a lot of fun to coach a dance team someday. I don't really care if I make a lot of money, it's happiness that matters to me.

MI DREAM

I, like most of you, have many goals and dreams that I would like to fulfill. After high school I want to get a job in the nursing feild. I hope to finish college and get my RN. I have had many experiences with this and I love it. I love caring for the elderly and any one in general, I feel like this is my passion and I hope I am succesful in this career. I hope that by choosing this career I will be able to spend more time with my family and friends, and not have to work so much.

My dreams....zZzZzZ

For these next several months of school I basically just plan on continuing going about them the same way I have all year. I am not going to lie, but I am definitely coming down with a case of Senioritis. But I do still plan on keeping focus [at least as much as possible]. But on the other hand, I definitely have dreams of becoming successful! Like anyone else I want to have a happy marriage and kids of course, but before settling I want to establish a career and acutally get out and live a little! My dreams include completing Pharmacy school and not have to worry about making ends meet. I want to meet new people and experience a completely new territory. I know it may be hard at first, but I know this is what I want to do and I plan on giving everything I have to achieve this dream.

Let America be America Again

The author sees that America isn't what it use to be. He wants America to be free, and to see equality in opportunities for all. This goes along with what King's dream is. I could say that America is closer to he's dream than he knows. We are becoming free to all.

A Fairy Tale Dream

Everyone has their own set of dreams. For me i have many dreams for my life. To say all my dreams on this blog would take up a page and a half,. But the biggest dream that i have is to finish my education and get my degree in psychology and be a drug rehab therapist. I want to be a drug rehab therapist because i simply want to help other people. I know you may be asking she really wants to help other people? but that is simply answered with a yes. I want to make a change in peoples lives and help them for the better. I have always been interested in knowing what people think and why they think what they think so that is why i have a dream to be a drug rehab therapist.

I also have many other dreams, to get married to a wonderful man who will love and cherish me for the rest of his life, to have a family, to be able to support my family, and also to be able to provide for my mom and dad as they have provided for me for 18 years.

I believe if we all set our minds to it all of our dreams can come true. Like said by Cinderella, "Have faith in your dreams, and someday your rainbow will come shining through."

Great Gatsby

I think Jay is trying to accomplish a dream that is out of his reach at this point. Daisy is a undecided character that doesn't know what she wants and will try to get everything she dreams of. Tom is a greedy jerk that thinks he could get whatever he wants. No offence but this is a typical love story gone wrong.

Dreams

I have many dreams in my life. Some, way different than others, but all have a common goal. My dream is to live a life for God with no regrets. All dreams I have tie into this one.
One of the future dreams is to get married and have kids. I want to raise a family knowing the love of God and be a wife that encourages and supports my husband daily. On the other hand I also want to be a foster mom after my kids have grown and established their lives on God. I don't want to foster the little children, because everyone wants them. I want to be able to foster teens who are just waiting to get out of the system. These are the children looking for the most hope, and I have found a hope and love that never ends, and I want to show them this. I also want to be able to start a dream center for teens that is a one year program that gives kids a chance to dream. There are so many children out there that have no place to go. This center will be a place for kids to live, dream, laugh, and love. It will be a christian based home, but most of all it will be a place where kids are listen to and encouraged to dream and to accomplish. This will be a place to show love and help kids to step out into the world with a new outlook and place to go from. A place that is safe.
This is just one of the small dreams I have for the future, but above all my dreams, I want to live for God.

Life Goals...So far....

I would say my most important dreams right now would be just to finish well what i have started. Were about to close the high school chapter of our lives and i think its important just to concentrate on makeing it worthwhile. Then my next focus would be college, im not really sure on what my goals are for that, i guess just to complete it?.... i guess i could as well concentrate now that im going to be in college on straightneing up....my mom always says she is going to die young because of me! but so far she just has a lot of gray hair coming in! I would say my biggest goal in general for life would be to follow the quote of my great grandpa..." live your life with no regrets" he always says you will mess up a million times, but live life to the fullest, dont let the little things in a day bring you down! often making the comment that if he could do it all over again he would and not change one thing! i want to be able to live my life like that! I really dont have any huge goals set right now as you can see....

My Dreams

In my life, there are several dreams that I hope to fulfill. First, I want to have travelled to at least two other countries, Germany and Sadie Arabia. Mostly, just so that I can see what other countries are like, and how they're people live. However I also want to go there to learn stuff about my other dream, which I to someday be a chef with my own restaurant, and I think that going to those two countries would help show me different ways to cook. My final dream, which I think that everybody has, somewhere in them, is to have a family, and be a good parent.

Living the dream.

It's hard to decide what dreams I should write about because I feel like anything I write would barely scratch the surface of what I hope to do during my lifetime.
I dream that I will fall in love and be blessed enough to live in a happily ever after.
I dream that my family will always feel loved and be provided for.
I dream that I will one day have children who will respect others and live every day to the fullest.
I dream that I will leave an impact on everyone I know.
I dream that I will live every day of my life to the very fullest.
It's hard to define a dream. And i find it hard to write about them because there's so many possibilities that no one can be sure of. If I can help just one person reach a dream, I feel like all mine will be worth it.
:]
Gracias.

Dreams

Well who doesn't have dreams?
I know i have many. One of the biggest dreams i think that i have right now would to be a Pediatric Nurse. I have always wanted to be a baby doctor until one day sitting in anatomy listening to Mr. McChesney tell me that it's alot of hard work and that he just doesn't think that i am cut out to do that kind of work...well it kinda shot that dream. So i am just going to be a nurse instead. :]

if i could swim

So dreams yes? Okay. I guess my biggest dream is to change the world. I know que the sappy movie music, but it's true. I want to show people how beautiful the world we live in is and how we are all connected. I think everyone is connected to everyone in some way and needs to realize that. Granted we aren't all Kevin Bacons, but we can come close right? I mean.....growing up in a small town is proof that everybody knows somebody that knows somebody and so on. i just...want everyone to be happy. I want to love with all my heart, because i think that more than anything, that is what you need. Whats the point of having a beautiful life if you have no one to share it with? I want a happy ending. Thats about it. Keep it simple and keep it happy.
love.
k.

Just A Few of My Many Dreams.

I'd have to say my number one dream is to travel the world. It has always been a passion of mine to see new things and experience different cultures. Living in Germany for three years is what truely sparked my desire to travel. The first place I want to visit when I get the chance to would be Greece. I have not had the chance to go there and I dream that one day I will.
Another dream I have always had for myself my come off as me being greedy or self centered, but I hope that I am wealthy one day. I have been brought up understanding that I will not be dependent on anyone (especially a guy) other than myself to get through life. I want to be someone who can survive on their own and provide for themselves and I believe being wealthy proves you can do just that.
Like others I also dream of one day being a stay at home mom. I've always wanted a big family and I dream that I will have that and more.

There are many more dreams I have for myself, realistic or not, and I will strive to reach all of them.

BTW...it took me like at least 20 minutes to figure this thing out! I got it now!
:D

My dream is to be sucessful in life and live it out everyday. I hope to graduate (ha) go to college and get a degree in the medical field somewhere, get married one of these days and have 2 or 3 children. I dream of having a big nice house, and one day be a stay at home mom, i love to clean so id be happy!!

My Dream

I moved to Missouri, leaving my girlfriend of 3.5 years in Delaware. I plan on savoring our feelings for each other, remaining true to ourselves and each other until we can be together again. I dream this is possible. I also dream that I will go to college and get my education and degree in Graphic Design. As I grow physically and within my career I'd like to get married and start a family of my own. These are the things a I dream my future has held for me.

My Dream

My dream for my life is that I can go to law school and make a difference in the lives of children who without it might not have the oppertunity to do something with their life. I want to help kids who cannot help themselves. I want to be a part of making a change in the lives of children everywhere. I believe that everychild deserves the best and that we as the future of America should be doing everything we can to ensure that they have a chance to make their dreams happen. I want to give kids everywhere the same oppertunities I have had and the chance to suceed.

my dream

my dream and goal is to go play college baseball after highschool. im not sure what i would like to be at the moment, maybe a personal trainer. after college i would like to be good enough to where i could play double A or triple A ball, like for the springfield cardinals. gosh i would love to play baseball the rest of my entire life and get paid to do it. one thing is for sure i will move far away from this town of mount vernon.

Week 4: YOUR Dreams

So we've spent lots of time writing and talking about the American Dream in the context of history and of literature. Now I want you to spend some time reflecting your own personal dreams. As we near the last quarter of your senior year, what are YOUR dreams? For the next few months? For life after high school?

Who knows? Someday we might be reading your short stories or talking about your historical speeches!

Your task: Create your post about your own dream and comment on at least one other post by Monday, March 9. Have fun!




Mrs. W

A Dream Within A Dream

To me, in this poem, Poe is talking about time. When he says "...I hold within my hand, grains of golden sand How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep..." I think he is saying that time is passing him by and he wishes he could have more time. Maybe he regrets his accomplishments in life and wishes he could go back and do something different.

Walt Whitman says, 'everyone has a dream'

I think Whitman is expressing that everyone has 'an American dream,' from the shoemaker to the mason, from the carpenter to the mechanic, everyone dreams and sings about their life in American! He expresses that people make it to the American Dream by working hard at what he or she does best.
I think his point of view on the American Dream is the most accurate I have read about so far. He's got it right, you have to work hard at what your good at and sing while you're doing it, to get to where you want to go.

dream within a dream

I think Poe is referring to the idea of disillusionment. It seems Poe is saying that the hope we think we have for our futures and for things that could come to pass was maybe never there to begin with. What we thought we had was only a false hope and a sense of knowing that which we couldn't possibly know. He is telling us that we are grasping, but at what? What we thought was there may have only been a dream.
This idea can apply to any dream, but especially the American dream. Everyone has an idea of what they want and feels "hope" to get to that plateau. Once there they discover they only thought that's where their hope lay. The hope they had did not produce the end they desired.

SMILE ....AND HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY LOL :)

America The Beatutiful

I hear America Singing, and I too, Sing America are both really great poems with a really great central meaning. what i understood from the poems was the sense of equality throughout America. That everyone has a voice a different voice, but with those voices they make America one. These poems just showed the hope in America being truely equal no matter what statice a person is.

I, too, sing america.

I think the poem I, too, sing America by Langston Hughes is such an important poem in American history. It portrays the struggles that African Americans had to endure to try to live their American dream. I love the part where he writes, "Besides,/ They'll see how beautiful I am/ And be ashamed--/ I, too, am America" This is such a powerful stanza of poetry. The reader is really able to understand how sad and horrible life was for African Americans and how they felt being treated differently every day. Sad, sad.

Edgar Allen Poe

Well I'm not completely sure what Poe is trying to say in his poem, but I think it may have something to do with the feeling of letting a dream go. I came to this conclusion when he talked about the fear of his hope floating away. But I really like the way he writes. You really have to read deeper into his words and can't just focus on the surface meaning. So a challenge is always nice. [All done]