Thursday, April 5, 2012

"An Evening on the Beach"

“An Evening on the Beach” It is a beautiful evening, peaceful and full of things to adore, And there I sat with my toes in the sand, And sand dollar in hand. I could hear the waves crashing against the shore, Providing much needed comfort to my mind which was quite sore. The birds could also be heard flying over the small island, Gracefully flapping their wings in order to get to a far away land, I watched them fly away like precious time only leaving you to want more. This moment in my short life was absolutely breath-taking, It inspired me to stop and just take in the beauty of my surroundings, Its beauty made it a moment I will remember forever. These moments don’t come often, but they are life-changing, They make me realize that nature is simply outstanding, And a precious gift from our God that created this absolute treasure. Although I was enjoying this picture perfect moment, All good things must come to an end. As I sat watching the waves and the sand blend, A cold air started to blow which felt like absolute torment, And the dark clouds started to rumble putting a damper on my enjoyment. Yet there was still beauty to be found with the storm that started to descend, Whether it be in the lightening illuminating the sky or the smell of rain that ascends, Nature has many various breath-taking elements. As I started to stand up and brush the sand off me, I took one more look at this unforgettable sight. And as it sadly started to rain, I had no choice to leave this angelic sea, And return into the dark night, With many beautiful memories that will always remain. I modeled this poem after ““It is a beauteous evening, calm and free” by William Wordsworth. This poem contained a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA CDECDE, which I used in my poem. Wordsworth is known for using metaphors to combine the natural beauty of the world with religion. I also attempted to keep this characteristic in mind as I referred to my religious beliefs in this poem. Another characteristic of Wordsworth is emphasizing emotions gathered from memories and feelings instead of formality. To him, it was more important to write about what he felt rather than writing a traditional poem. I also tried to incorporate my feelings from my memories of the beach into this poem. Finally, this poem contains elements of Romanticism as the entire poem is about the nature and beauty of the ocean. It also contains vivid use of imagination through the detailed descriptions of the beach scene.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Lady Macbeth Playlist

http://open.spotify.com/user/1219022039/playlist/1hRooFkL9lMxEHBihFc4hM


The following are a list of songs which describe Lady Macbeth’s character:

1 “Disturbia” by Rihanna – This refers to someone going crazy and not really having a sane grip on reality like Lady Macbeth.
2.      
 “"Apologize” by One Republic –This relates to Lady Macbeth because once she feels regret over her actions, it is too late to apologize.   
3.       
 “"No One Mourns the Wicked” from Wicked the Musical – This song pretty much explains itself as no one is would mourn Lady Macbeth because she is a ruthless wicked  killer.   
4
.       “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from the Mulan- This song describes Lady Macbeth’s desire to turn Macbeth into a man who is capable of killing King Duncan.
5. 
       “Mean” by Taylor Swift- This pretty much describes Lady Macbeth’s personality as she was a mean, bossy, and overbearing. 
6
.       “Heartless” by Kayne West- This is another song which sums up Lady Macbeth’s personality.  Like the song states, Lady Macbeth is a heartless and has no compassion for others as she will do whatever it takes to be successful.   
7.
       “You’re Not Sorry” by Taylor Swift- This song describes Lady Macbeth because she is not sorry for her actions until it was too late.
8
.       “King of Anything” by Sara Bareilles- This song is talking about how no one can be the boss and controlling.  This relates to Lady Macbeth because she doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do or control her as she is the boss of herself.
9. 
       “I Can’t Wait to Be King” from the Lion King- Although Lady Macbeth could never actually become a king, she most certainly wants all the power that she could possibly get. 

.   “Haunted” by Taylor Swift – This relates to Lady Macbeth because she is haunted by her actions and guilt she has, which eventually causes her to commit suicide. 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Women and Power


Today in our world, a woman can certainly take on an important leadership role. In order to take on a significant role women don’t have to dial down their emotions and act the part of a man, but instead just be themselves.  Gender should not be a deciding factor in determining a leadership role, as both men and women make outstanding leaders.   The only thing that should matter is if they have the qualities and credentials to be a strong leader.  For example, they should be responsible, trustworthy, fair, honest, and assertiveness.  In the olden times, women were considered to be nothing but housekeepers as they weren’t allowed to have an opinion or speak out.   However, they have come a long way since these days.  Today women have many prominent positions in society and under no conditions should they have to change to fit into these positions of power.  The perfect example is Queen Elizabeth as she ruled England independently for many years.  She was able to remain herself, control her emotions, and be an effective leader.  It didn’t matter that she was a tiny woman because she was just as effective as a man.  Although women can make fine leaders, sometimes emotions can get the best of them.  For example in the case of Hilary Clinton, emotions got the best of her causing her to dropout out of the campaign trail.  It is okay to have emotions as it shows that you are human, but her problem was that she didn’t know how to control them.  Women who take things too literally and allow their emotions to interfere with their work shouldn’t be powerful leaders.   However, not all women are troubled by their emotions.  Some women are able to put aside their emotions realizing that their jobs come first.   These women who are mentally strong can certainly make excellent leaders.  When it is said that women have to be mentally strong, it doesn’t mean they should bottle up their emotions.  It is all right for women to be passionate and have feelings for a certain issues because it shows their character as long as there is balance.  The way society sees women and emotions is different than men and their emotions.  It is almost a double standard.  When men show their emotions it proves that they are strong and dedicated.  When women show their emotions, society automatically assumes they are weak.   This is unfair to women because it is impossible to bottle up all of your emotions.  Society needs to realize that women can be just as strong as men and can be excellent leaders. 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Untitled


Unfortunately in our world today, there are many unjust and terrible crimes occurring all around us.  Many of us look at these crimes and are overcome with sorrow and compassion for the victims, but we don’t have the opportunity or motivation to take matters in our own hands.  This leads to the question: If we were aware of the crime occurring, as a witness how morally should we handle it?  In the case of both the Holocaust and Macbeth, it would have been very hard, if not impossible, for a witness to speak out and take action.   The Holocaust was filled with many odious crimes occurring all the time.  Therefore for someone to take responsibility and condemn the actions of the Nazi soldiers, it would have gotten them killed.  In the story of Macbeth, the character of MacBeth abused his recently gained power and decided to order several executions of innocent people.   For someone to stand up to Macbeth, it would have automatically resulted in their death without having even a slight effect on Macbeth himself.  Responsibility for these heinous crimes however can be blamed on no one but the people who ordered the executions.  Yet some blame can fall upon the individuals who carry out the unjust orders.   In “Can You Learn Anything From a Void?” Adam Kirsch states, “If Victor Capesius had never been born, or if he had refused to take part in the selections at Auschwitz, just as many Jews would have died there.”  Although the actions that Victor and many other German soldiers committed were without a doubt immoral, their lack of participation would have had no effect on the outcome.   Just as many Jews would have died regardless of if Victor participated.  Although they didn’t have many options, Victor and other Nazi soldiers are still partly responsible for their crimes.     This is also the unfortunate case in the story of Macbeth.  Even though the guards killed innocent people under direct orders, they are still left with the responsibility of the murders.  Just because they were ordered to kill certain individuals, under no means, meant they had to proceed with the murder.  Although we have seen many examples of hatred, there are ways to combat the evil in the world and uphold your moral convictions.  The best way to combat the hatred in the world is with compassion.  You have to show compassion and sympathy to others, in order to prevent an evil act.   For example, In “Can You Learn Anything From  A  Void?” Kirsch states, “Over and over again, nothing but dates and numbers for a defense, never an awakening, never any self-reflection: morality, guilt, conscience.” This statement refers to the lack of compassion and remorse that Victor Capesius had when he murdered thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A Day at the Globe Theatre


This is a marvelous day to see a Shakespeare Play in the Globe Theatre.  Therefore we must have an entire day of celebration.   The festivities begin in the early morning and continue up until the play itself.  It includes lots of lavish foods, drinks, and conversation with my prominent and wealthy friends.  We discuss everything from the weather outside to the type of playing we will see later.    The play to be seen today is Romeo and Juliet, the classic tragedy of the two star-crossed lovers.  It is personally one of my favorites that I frequently come to the Globe to watch it preformed.  As always our seats are in the Lord’s Room, which are proclaimed to be the best and most prestige seats in the theatre.  They are exclusively preserved for the wealthy, like myself, as they cost five times that of a seat for a commoner.  These exceptional and quite pricy seats are positioned in the balconies at the back of the stage above the Tiring Room.  However, some may argue that the view is disappointing as you can’t always see everything that is occurring.  Although the view is sometimes obstructed, one can hear almost every word of the play. This is a huge advantage as the general sound quality in the Globe is poor and the upper class greatly appreciates the dialogue with pristine sound and quality. Therefore, to be able to hear the dialogue flawlessly is better that having a complete view.    Around me surrounds many interesting sights and sounds that I take in as the play progresses.  Sights include a limited picture of the stage, several spectators dressed in their finest, and many actors in costumes.  The arrays of sounds include the conversation among many individuals, laughter, snickering, applause, and dialogue from the actors.  Although my view is somewhat obstructed, I am still able to understand what is occurring on stage because of dialogue and familiarity with the play. This is because of the spectacular performance put on by the very experienced actors who have been acting for several years.   My favorite part of the play is when Romeo kills himself with the poison from the apothecary to be with Juliet only because he believes she is dead.  Once the play is over, I linger for a bit as I exchange thoughts about the previous performance and anticipation of the next.   Finally, it is time for me to go home as a long day of celebration has ended and I am left with anticipation for the next Shakespearean Play at the Globe Theatre.