Comment on Wiglaf’s character throughout the end of the book. Is he honorable or heroic like Beowulf or does he display an additional set of values?
In the end of the book Wiglaf truly displays his heroic values. Beowulf had a task to defeat the dragon and when no one else could help him Wiglaf was there. Wiglaf put his life at risk to help Beowulf kill the dragon by blocking the dragon's fire with his shield. WIthout Wiglaf it is very possible that Beowulf wouldn't have made it on his own. Something that is very important to note is that Wiglaf sees things differently than Beowulf. Wiglaf isn't interested in having all this fame and glory and being the best hero out there like Beowulf. I believe that Wiglaf is a true hero (and more of a hero than Beowulf) because he fights for others because its the right thing to do and he wants to help. Beowulf is much more in it to be in the spotlight i think. When Wiglaf jumped in to help Beowulf with the dragon one of his main concerns was making sure that Beowulf was okay and that together they could kill the dragon. Wiglaf could've simply let Beowulf down and have killed the dragon himself and gotten all the fame but that isn't his main concern. A true hero is someone that puts others in front of himself and that doesn't necessarily care if not everyone will remember him. Beowulf wants everyone to remember him after he dies and popularity is important to him.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Unferth and Beowulf
At the opening of this excerpt, Unferth tries to tarnish Beowulf’s reputation by discussing his swimming match with Breca. Why would Unferth do this? How does Beowulf respond? How does his response contribute to his persona as a hero?
At the beginning of this excerpt Unferth tries to make Beowulf's reputation seem bad. Unferth does this by bringing up the swimming match between Beowulf and Breca. In this event it was Breca who won and who beat Beowulf to the shore. Unferth wants Beowulf to seem like a bad hero who really isn't the best out there and this is the main reason why he retold this story. After hearing all this though, Beowulf stayed calm and didn't take it personal. He instead laid out the facts and the real reason why he lost the battle against Breca. The only reason Breca won was because he swam straight to the shore while Beowulf fought all the sea monsters in order to make the waters safe. Breca only really cared about winning the swimming match but he didn't think like a hero, Beowulf did instead. This is what makes Beowulf the person that he is and why he is well respected. He doesn't care about winning everything he cares about helping others and making their environment safer. This makes him a trustworthy hero and it proved to Unferth that it was pointless of him to have brought this up because all it did was make him look better and Unferth more stupid!
At the beginning of this excerpt Unferth tries to make Beowulf's reputation seem bad. Unferth does this by bringing up the swimming match between Beowulf and Breca. In this event it was Breca who won and who beat Beowulf to the shore. Unferth wants Beowulf to seem like a bad hero who really isn't the best out there and this is the main reason why he retold this story. After hearing all this though, Beowulf stayed calm and didn't take it personal. He instead laid out the facts and the real reason why he lost the battle against Breca. The only reason Breca won was because he swam straight to the shore while Beowulf fought all the sea monsters in order to make the waters safe. Breca only really cared about winning the swimming match but he didn't think like a hero, Beowulf did instead. This is what makes Beowulf the person that he is and why he is well respected. He doesn't care about winning everything he cares about helping others and making their environment safer. This makes him a trustworthy hero and it proved to Unferth that it was pointless of him to have brought this up because all it did was make him look better and Unferth more stupid!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Color Purple
What do you make of the end of this letter? Does it feel peaceful? Angry? Resilient?
I believe that the end of this letter feels both peaceful and relatively angry. Towards the end of her letter, Celie switches opinions on God. When Celie talks about God she says how he loves everything that he has created in including the color purple. This made Celie think about the world and to learn how to appreciate things. At first she thought that God was a white male as she believed what everyone else did. As her opinion changed on this and she became more informed it "freed" her up but she still has that image of the white man in the back of her mind that is bothering her.
I believe that the end of this letter feels both peaceful and relatively angry. Towards the end of her letter, Celie switches opinions on God. When Celie talks about God she says how he loves everything that he has created in including the color purple. This made Celie think about the world and to learn how to appreciate things. At first she thought that God was a white male as she believed what everyone else did. As her opinion changed on this and she became more informed it "freed" her up but she still has that image of the white man in the back of her mind that is bothering her.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Americans vs Jews
This movie that we are watching at the moment is very interesting. The whole incident that happened between the Jew and the little black boy is very unfortunate. I believe that it was the Jewish persons fault because he was the one that went through the stop light and that hit the boy. Once the ambulances came the Jew was able to leave right away and the little black boy didn't have much assistance. People were yelling in the street saying how it was unfair and that the black boy should've been helped immediately. I completely agree with this and I am with the Americans (blacks) on this whole situation. I understand why there was a huge riot because many people wanted to prove a point about this. It wasn't just a simple accident, it involved much more. The Jewish person had more money and was regarded as higher than the black boy and he therefore got the advantage when the ambulance came. Overall I am for the African Americans and it was good that they rioted. Although many people were arrested and people died at least they were able to show what they were fighting for. The movie that we have been watching at the moment is great because we are able to really understand how certain people talk and react to certain subjects such as racism and discrimination.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sonny's blues
What does the brother realize about Sonny as he plays the piano? What does the music allow Sonny to do?
Sonny has had a challenging life and his use of drugs to help him relax has caused him to make some bad choices. Throughout the story Sonny is in the need for heroin which is the drug he is addicted to but when he starts playing the piano more and more some things start changing. Sonny is able to put his past and emotions on the side and then express it in his music. When Sonny's brother sees him play the piano at the end he is able to tell that Sonny has found something to do where he can relax without taking drugs. When Sonny plays the piano he feels happy and he doesn't want to be using drugs. Playing the piano is his new "drug" in a way and the brother finally notices that at the end of "Sonny's Blues". Playing the piano didn't only help Sonny overcome his drug issues and let his brother know that he found a new path, but it also showed the rest of the world how some people can overcome their problems and start something new in life. This is what happens to Sonny and it is a good ending to the story. Producing music finally allowed Sonny to have a future and realize that he doesn't need drugs in his life and that he can be a successful person. This inspired many others that were around Sonny.
Sonny has had a challenging life and his use of drugs to help him relax has caused him to make some bad choices. Throughout the story Sonny is in the need for heroin which is the drug he is addicted to but when he starts playing the piano more and more some things start changing. Sonny is able to put his past and emotions on the side and then express it in his music. When Sonny's brother sees him play the piano at the end he is able to tell that Sonny has found something to do where he can relax without taking drugs. When Sonny plays the piano he feels happy and he doesn't want to be using drugs. Playing the piano is his new "drug" in a way and the brother finally notices that at the end of "Sonny's Blues". Playing the piano didn't only help Sonny overcome his drug issues and let his brother know that he found a new path, but it also showed the rest of the world how some people can overcome their problems and start something new in life. This is what happens to Sonny and it is a good ending to the story. Producing music finally allowed Sonny to have a future and realize that he doesn't need drugs in his life and that he can be a successful person. This inspired many others that were around Sonny.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Ethics
Family values and the ethics of my life are extremely important. I was always taught by my parents to be polite, respectful and to give back to others. Many people in this world take everything they are given for granted and don’t fully appreciate things in their lives. The people that surround you on a day-to-day basis such as your friends at school can greatly impact and influence how you should be. Usually the students that have respect for others and that are nice will attract other students of the same personality type.
As I was taught many things by my parents on life and how you are supposed to interact and communicate with others at such a young age, today I tend to be with people who were behave the same way as me. I also have some personal ethics that I can consider are crucial for me to have as an individual. I want to make sure that I try to be the best person I can and that I always work hard and put in effort into what I do.
The main thing is to feel happy and to be well respected in and out of the family. If you have that respect then you will be surrounded with those people who will therefore have a positive influence on your attitude and overall behavior. In the end of the day this is how it works, well mannered and polite people will spend time with the same people as them and people with less manners/respect towards others will be together. This is why choosing who you want to spend time with is more important than you can think. It influences you in ways that sometimes you can't realize.
As I was taught many things by my parents on life and how you are supposed to interact and communicate with others at such a young age, today I tend to be with people who were behave the same way as me. I also have some personal ethics that I can consider are crucial for me to have as an individual. I want to make sure that I try to be the best person I can and that I always work hard and put in effort into what I do.
The main thing is to feel happy and to be well respected in and out of the family. If you have that respect then you will be surrounded with those people who will therefore have a positive influence on your attitude and overall behavior. In the end of the day this is how it works, well mannered and polite people will spend time with the same people as them and people with less manners/respect towards others will be together. This is why choosing who you want to spend time with is more important than you can think. It influences you in ways that sometimes you can't realize.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Langston Hughes/Claude McKay
Langston Hughes and Claude McKay both are quite different poets but they do still share some similar ideas. Claud McKay doesn't have the exact same style of writing as Hughes, he uses a specific style (sonnets) of writing that he is known for. McKay wrote to show the white people that African Americans can actually be smart and educated people. McKay's writing style resembled that of Shakespeare which earned him a lot of reputation at the time. Langston Hughes, on the other hand, is a much more traditional kind of writer that speaks to his people. His writing isn't as sophisticated and precise as McKay's.
Overall both of these poets are writing about the same thing which is about the white and black race and how the whites have the wrong idea on blacks. Their main difference comes down to the writing style. For example, in "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes, he talks about how he wants to be different from the whites, and that whites want nothing to do with blacks as well. This makes him realize that in America there are two races and that it has to be accepted. In McKay's "To My White Friends", she talks about blacks and how they can be just as evil as whites but instead they are trying to be civilized and they just want peace. The whites have in some way gone "crazy" with racial issues and McKay is reminding the whites that blacks can be as well.
The final thing that the two poets have in common is that both poets write about Africa at some point. Hughes writes about it in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and McKay in "Africa".
Overall both of these poets are writing about the same thing which is about the white and black race and how the whites have the wrong idea on blacks. Their main difference comes down to the writing style. For example, in "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes, he talks about how he wants to be different from the whites, and that whites want nothing to do with blacks as well. This makes him realize that in America there are two races and that it has to be accepted. In McKay's "To My White Friends", she talks about blacks and how they can be just as evil as whites but instead they are trying to be civilized and they just want peace. The whites have in some way gone "crazy" with racial issues and McKay is reminding the whites that blacks can be as well.
The final thing that the two poets have in common is that both poets write about Africa at some point. Hughes writes about it in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and McKay in "Africa".
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