Blog Post #20 Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hamlet, and The Black Walnut Tree

3x3 Matrix
Janie lacks independence
Jodie hurts Janie
Janie kills Teacake

Poetry Comparison: The Black Walnut Tree
In both Their Eyes Were Watching God and "The Black Walnut Tree", there is a tree as a major theme. In both, this tree represents growing up. To Janie, this manifests itself in the form of a pear tree. A pear tree blossoms and bears fruit, which to Janie, represents becoming a woman. And while the girl's age in "The Black Walnut Tree" is not explicitly stated, I interpret her as being within her teenage years. The fact that she has to decide whether she wants to hold on to sentimental value or financial value encourages some experience of maturation, just like Janie. When Jodie dies, the book describes it as "The young girl was gone, but a handsome woman had taken her place" (Hurston.87), but this isn't the only time in the book when a statement along these lines is made. Whenever a significant period of her life ends-- including her realization that she is colored and therefore 'different,' and when she leaves Logan for Joe--  the same type of realization is described.

Hamlet Comparison:
Despite the many major difference between Shakespeare and Hurston's works--including medium, speech patterns, time period, and many more-- there are some parallels to be drawn between Hamlet and Their Eyes Were Watching God. The first is the role and significance of water. In both, water ultimately kills the main character's significant other. In Hamlet, Ophelia drowns herself, and in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Teacake's sickness doesn't allow him to safely drink water, and also drives him to madness after a massive flood. But, this isn't the only reason water is significant. Trees and gardens are also motifs through both, for the kingdom, and also for Janie in the pear tree. If these plants symbolize Hamlet and Janie, and plants need water to survive, then without Ophelia and Teacake, Hamlet and Janie began to wither, leading to their death; literal and metaphorical.

Blog Post #19 Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis Chart

I turned this chart in, I will be uploading pictures of the things momentarily.

Blog Post #18 Hamlet essay

Blog Post #17 Hamlet Post #5- Never Gonna Give You Up

             While this selection of song may seem odd, based on the lyrics, it relates quite well to King Claudius’ main goals in life. His most prized ‘possessions’ are, as he states, “my crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. (3.3.55)” This refers to his status as king, his overall ego, and Gertrude. He refers to her specifically as meaning a lot to him, saying “she is so conjunctive to my life and soul. (4.7.14)” And why would you, as per the song, ever want to give that up? He also says both “With mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage (1.2.12)” and “The queen, his mother, lives… for myself. (4.7.11-12)” Again, emphasizing Gertrude’s importance to him. At the end of the play, King Claudius also says to her, “Gertrude, do not drink! (5.2.254)” in reference to the cup he had poisoned in order to kill Hamlet. Of course, there’s still the matter of the king’s obsession with the throne. His words, “what’s in prater but this two-fold force? (3.3.48)” refers to both of the two, Gertrude and the kingdom. Although, he knows he’s done wrong—he knows the rules, and so does everyone else in Elsinore, like the song—so he knows that “The primal eldest curse—a brother’s murder, Pray, I cannot (3.3.37-39),” saying he cannot fully confess his sins to the people of the kingdom. For if he does, he will lose “the wicked prize itself, (3.3.59)” again, in reference to his status as king, his ego, and his wife.

                Going back to the original song choice, I do have to explain myself a bit. It seems ironic, given that the song has been given a reputation in more recent years as being a total joke. But, the writer originally intended for the song to be serious. “We've know each other for so long”—like Claudius and Gertrude. Of course, it cannot be overlooked that the word “her” is often used to refer to land, or certain objects, or even a country. Or, to be more accurate, just about any feminine pronouns, she her, etc., can be used for that purpose. So, if you said, Claudius never wants to five “her” up, it could easily be referring to Elsinore as well as Gertrude. So, essentially, the tone of the lyrics is serious, sincere, and genuine. The mood, though, is comedic almost, not really to be taken seriously, as the music is contradictory to the lyrics. It is very ironic, as is the choice of this particular song to be used at King Claudius’ funeral. But, this is cleared up when you think about how the king just thinks everything will work, explaining the cheerful music. However, though he doesn't ever give up, he does lose. Not only his wife and the kingdom, but also his life.

Blog Post #15; Hamlet Post #3 To Be or Not To Be Soliloquy analysis

     The main metaphors are sleeping, which is a reference to death. this is proven when Hamlet says, "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come" (3.1.75). The other prominent metaphor in this soliloquy is the image of a dream, referring to heaven, or the afterlife. "To sleep, perchance, to dream..." (3.1.74). The whole passage is about how Hamlet doesn't know if he should go through with any of his plans, if they're worth it, if completing them will get him where he wants to be. This is reinforeced by camera angles being very close up in the film, as well as that he's talking to himself in a mirror, as a very literal inward reflection. Especially when he pulls out his knife and puints it at his mirror-self's throat: a symbol of his violence toward himself and in general. He also begins to question his own sanity, and has the validity of concience, "Thus concience does not make cowards of us all" (3.1.93).  But even more so, if He and his life are worth it. Considering "to be" is to exist, and to exist is to live, this soliloquy would be better titled "To Live or Not to Live." This offers a far better explanation for the frequency of his references to sleeping, and hopefully, dreaming, or dying, and hopefully going to somewhere better than his life is on earth.

     For the Ethan Hawke adaptation of the scene, the camera basically followed the Hamlet actor around a blockbuster movie-rental store. They only get about medium-far away, or medium-close, there isn't much angle variation. "Hamlet" was wearing darkeveryday clothes, black pants and a black hoodie-- which not only reflect his inner darkness of thoughts, but also may even suggest laziness, in terms of not dressing up. There was no outside noise, and every so often, the screen cut to show a tv with fire on it.  I believe that this was the best adaptation of the scene. After that, I would rank the version we've been watching in class as number  two, due to it's high attention to detail and how that translated into imagery and symbolism. Third, I'd rank the Mel Gibson version, I didn't feel as affected by the catacombs as a setting. While it really emphasized the looming grimness of the words, I thought it was too boring, too minimal. The last, and worst, adaptation, was the Lawrence Oliver scene. Not only did it not convey the message very well due to very little change in speech patterns and the feeling of someone just reading words as opposed to truly acting, the uncomfortable and even awkward positioning of the Hamlet character was highly distracting.

Blog Post #14; Hamlet Post #2

Hello internet, it's me again, King Claudius. So, I stumbled upon this movie last night when I was flipping throught the channels. I believe it was called Enchanted Ella, Ella Enchanted, something like that. There was this girl who did everything she was told, and she fell in love with this prince who had an uncle that took over the throne after his brother's death. Now, personally, I think there was too much focus on this weird obedient girl. The one who really intrigued me was the King. I couldn't stop thinking about how lucky he was that his blasted nephew didn't constantly get in the way of everything--Or at least not until many many years after he'd taken control of the throne. But the girl, oh, that girl, she gets in the way of literally everything. Such a troublemaker. They did not have to deal with the whole situation of 'uncle-father aunt-mother (2.2.325).' Aside from that, I was told that Fortinbras had given money 'so levied as before, against the Polack (2.2.74).' I feel like I should be slightly worried about his usage of my funds, but Polonius had much more important information to give me about Hamlet. After all, my well being is much greater than that of the kingdom's, right? He said to me, 'your noble son is mad: Mad I call it; for, to define true madness, whatt is't but to be nothing else but mad? (2.2.92-94)' Something had to be done about him. Or at least I needed to find some reason to take him down, send him out of the country maybe? England, perhaps? I don't know. All I can do now is hope he continues to dig himself into a hole 'of his own distemper (2.2.55).' I just keep hearing him talking about these players and some play, it seems to be his most recent source of raving. Just him in his room, repeating over and over again, "The play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king, (2.2.532-533)" whatever that is supposed to mean. One can only imagine, with Hamlet. Until next time.
#EllaEnchanted #NotJustAChickFlick #Personal

Blog Post #13; Hamlet Post #1 Hamlet Act I blog post

Okay, I was holding off on saying all of this, but now that I'm on the internet, the most safest place in the world where no one will ever find any of my deepest rantings, I guess it's safe to talk about it. Well, I've done it. I've finally done it. I, Claudius, am the king. The other day I married, she is a beautiful woman, that Gertrude, 'Our sometimes sister, now our queen (1.2.8).' Of course in marrying her I also now have Hamlet, 'my cousin, and my son (1.2.117).' Though, he doesn't seem to like me much. Here I am, trying to help him out and make him more manly by telling him that mourning his father is 'unmanly grief, a fault to nature and to heaven (1.2.101-102),' so that he can look better, and quite honestly so that he can make me look better. But no, of course that can't happen. Ugh. That's just one more reason I cannot wait until the mourning period of 'our late dear brother's death (1.2.19)' has ended. Then, maybe I'll be able to make some changes. Do what should  have been done ages ago. So long as Hamlet doesn't get in the way of all of it. Then people may ask questions, and I could risk my Throne. Obviously, that is not an option. Everyone just needs to move on so that we can make some progress.  #KingClaudius4evr #NothingsRottenInTheStateOfDenmark

Blog Post #12 Character choice: King Claudius

     I chose to look deeper into the behavior of King Claudius for a few reasons. The first and most obvious, my name is Claudia, his is Claudius, they're essentially the same. But also, there's a lot of complexity to his character. His actions are slightly fishy in general; marrying his deceased brother's wife/his "sister," becoming king when logically, the throne should've gone to Hamlet. He also creates a lot of conflict for Hamlet internally, because of Hamlet's rage toward him, which the king further fuels by challenging Hamlet's manhood and morality. He's social media relevant because if this were twitter, he'd have one of those little blue badges by his name--people would follow him just because of his title, making him influential and important in an online setting.

Blog Post #11 "Who's There?"

Blog post #10 Dream Children, A Reverie, Thesis Revision

Carefully read the passage from “Dream Child; a Reverie,” paying special attention to descriptive details and sentence structure. Then, write an essay in which you analyze how Charles Lamb’s style contributes to his portrayal of his “dream children,” his grandmother, and his own childhood.

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Original Thesis:

Lamb's use of long phrases and large amounts of descriptiveness of his past and "dream" children portray how important both are to him by establishing a tone of reflection on old memories, and longing for a new generation to share in those memories.

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ARGUMENT/FOCUS   

Yes  Does my thesis statement address each part of the essay question?

No    Is the point I'm making one that would generate discussion and argument, or is it one

that would leave people asking, “So what?"

Yes   Have I focused on an interesting contradiction, tension or paradox between two things?

Example: “Although the escalation of violence in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men eventually results in two deaths, it is through violence that compassion is revealed when George, in a violent but merciful act, saves Lenny from cruel mob justice.”

A Bit  Is my thesis too vague? Too general? Should I focus on some more specific aspect of my

topic?

No    Does my thesis deal directly with the topic at hand, or is it a declaration of my personal

feelings (“I think”/ “I feel” statements)?

LANGUAGE

Yes  Does my thesis indicate the direction of my argument? Does it suggest a structure for

my paper?

Yes?  Is the language in my thesis vivid and clear? Have I structured my sentence so that the

important information is in the main clause? Have I used subordinate clauses to

house less important information? Have I used parallelism to show the relationship

between parts of my thesis? In short, is this thesis the very best sentence that it can be?

Yes   Is the thesis statement written as a complex sentence?ARGUMENT/FOCUS   

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Revised Thesis

In "Dream Child; a Reverie," Charles Lamb's use of long phrases and flowery language--for example, his description of  "the old melancholy-looking yew tree,"--regarding his past and his goals for the future portray how important both are to him by establishing a tone of reflection on old memories, but also a somberness that comes out of his longing for a new generation with whom to share in these memories. 

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Blog Post #9 Grammar Boot Camp

Blog Post #8 Roots Assignment

Blog Post #7 Pan's Labrynth: The Hero's Journey chart

The Hero's Journey	Explanation	Example from Pan’s Labyrinth:
I: Departure (The protagonist is separated from the known and steps into the unknown.)
Home Culture	The protagonist has a "home," a place that s/he thinks is normal, familiar, and common to others in his/her culture.	Well, Ofelia moves from her house early on, but I assume this means the house they stay in for most of the movie.
Call to Adventure from the Ordinary World	A normal occurrence motivates the protagonist to acknowledge an unknown aspect of his/her world, feel a restlessness with the constraints of his/her life, or find a new world that s/he was not aware existed.	Fairy/stick bug leads her to the labyrinth
Refusal of the Call; Arrival of the Mentor	The protagonist chooses not to move forward in life because s/he chooses to not give up his/her position, power, ideals, goals, or responsibilities; the refusal is often based on his/her fear of the unknown and comfort in the familiar. Usually secondary characters support the protagonist's refusal.	Faun/fairy and stick bug act as the mentors
Supernatural Aid (Can be the Mentor)	The inexperienced protagonist is provided a supernatural, guiding, and/or guarding character, or an instrumental item (sword, encouragement, etc.) to assist his/her step forward into the unknown.	Again, the Faun and fairies act as the mentor and aid
Crossing the First Threshold to enter the Special World.	The protagonist moves out of his/her comfort zone and walks alone. S/he is confronted with an obstacle that must be overcome before s/he can fully enter the dangers of the unknown journey.	Theyre going through the door as Ofelia is yelling “echo,” so the first stone door into the labrynth
II: Initiation (By crossing the threshold, the protagonist's world is changed forever. A mental journey merges with the physical journey to result in a spiritual revelation of purpose and self.)
Road of Trials	The protagonist is tested and found vulnerable, but the outcome reveals a part of him/her that s/he did not know existed. The assistance given the protagonist under the "Supernatural Aid" section of "Departure" begins to come into play in the story, and s/he is not expected to face the trials alone.	3 tests given to Ofelia by the faun before she’s allowed to be the princess
Meeting a Soul Mate (mother-figure)	The protagonist meets an ideal (in ancient myths a goddess; in modern stories a soul mate) and sees the possibilities of his/her journey. This supernatural, human, or symbolic ideal encourages him/her forward.	Mercedes is the mother figure here more than the actual mother in the story.
Overcoming Temptation (father-figure)	Someone or something tries to destroy the journey itself. Often the destroyer has been sent by a larger evil to stop the protagonist. The protagonist is often misled, but eventually overcomes his lack of knowledge, prejudices, and fears as s/he grows in the acceptance of his/her role as hero.	Capitan Vidal is the evil, he’s very manipulative and violent
Approaching the Inmost Cave & The Ordeal	The protagonist, having made the adjustment to the Special World, now goes on to seek its heart.  They pass into an intermediate region between the border, and the very center of the Hero’s Journey.  As the hero near the gates of a citadel deep within the Special World, they may take time to make plans, do reconnaissance on the army, reorganize or thin out the group, fortify and arm themselves, and have a last laugh before entering.   During the Ordeal itself, the hero will enter into the “belly of the whale”, and then die so they can be reborn. The hero will face his greatest fears, the failure of an enterprise, the end of a relationship, the death of an old personality.	When the Faun comes back and gives Ofelia another chance, and she grabs her brother, this is probably the hardest thing for her to do and the deepest part of her journey.
The Ultimate Goal: Reward (Treasure)	The protagonist becomes self-assured and often receives physical gifts and/or emotional rewards. Since personal limitations are broken, the protagonist can see the big picture not only in relation to him/herself but also in relation to others. The protagonist understands how the ultimate goal can be accomplished and the mission completed.	The ultimate reward is Ofelia being crowned the princess of the underworld
III: Return (Through the protagonist's ultimate sacrifice of self, s/he walks in an enlightened state.)
Refusing to Return	Although seldom a true refusal, the protagonist, who should return "home" with his/her powers, ability, or wisdom, remains isolated and often faces a death of sorts. Sometimes s/he prefers to live in the enlightenment than return to a "home" that might not accept the ultimate gift.	Ofelia doesn't really have any sort of connection with the people she lives with aside from Mercedes, who had been discovered as a spy. so she sits alone in her room for the most part.
The Chase	The protagonist flees toward safety to thwart the attempts to take back the treasure, power, ability, or wisdom. Because the protagonist has changed, the chase characterizes his/her courage and confidence.	The chase is pretty literal, when Vidal is chasing Ofelia back to the labyrinth before he shoots her
The Rescue	The protagonist is unable to save him/herself. Others help him/her return "home," which may deflate his/her ego, but since s/he sees the entirety of the mission, s/he understands the importance of what is accomplished.	Saving her brother costs Ofelia her life. The rebels do manage to save her brother.
Crossing the Return Threshold	The protagonist must face the evil or its leader and the realization that home is no longer a place but a state of being. Those in his/her past may not accept his/her new ability, power, or wisdom and may test it as a final trial to the protagonist.	Capitan Vidal sees Ofelia talking to the faun, but he doesn’t see anything so he shoots her.
Master of Two Worlds	The protagonist has the ability, power, or wisdom without limitations to relax in whatever world (physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual) s/he finds him/herself. S/he can adjust to who s/he was in the past and who s/he might be in the future.	This one is more apparent, Ofelia lives in both the world with the Faun and the ‘real world’ with Vidal and the Rebels
Freedom (Often the theme of the quest)	The protagonist is able to combine the workings of unenlightened (old) and enlightened (new) societies into one world, the world where the protagonist now resides. S/he understands that his/her old self had to "die" in order for the new way of life to begin. S/he no longer fears change because s/he has learned to live in the moment regardless of what that means.	Ofelia has to be shot to complete the last task, which she understands, seen by her smile at the end.

Mis En Scene analysis paragraphs, final scene

Claudia Scully

Setting and Props

During this point of the movie, the actual bloodshed is seen when Ofelia’s blood falls onto the ‘totem pole’ figure in the center of the labyrinth. After the bloodshed, she’s transported to a golden castle with beautiful architecture and stained glass windows. Through this, the director creates a reverence for the new location of Ofelia, and gives a level of comfort to the viewers in knowing that she’s safer now than she was before.

Costume, Hair, and Makeup

The costume, hair and makeup also provide contrast between reality and the palace. Ofelia wearing white, drab clothing signifies her innocence when she was killed, and her more basic clothing represented her lowly position in the earthly world. However, when she is transported to the palace, her clothing switches to shiny gold robes that match the extravagance levels of the king and queen’s. The design of their crowns also matches the architectural structures in the labyrinth. This strong contrast leads the audience to be happy that Ofelia is in a place that is much better than her earthy life.

Facial Expressions and Body Language

In the labyrinth, Mercedes is very close to Ofelia, and appears to be choking back tears. The facial expressions in the scene show that although it’s sad Ofelia had to die, without it, she would’ve never reached her full potential or true happiness. After seeing her family at the end, she smiles, as she is accepted and welcomed into her new life, as at that point she understands why everything had to happen the way it did.

Lighting and Color

The darkness of the real world exists to provide extreme contrast to the splendor of her final destination, or the palace, which was entirely gold and red; bright, and regal colors. The palace was brightly light, and had a stained glass window in the back to let light shine in, in contrast to the night sky back at the labyrinth. This also serves to represent how Ofelia’s world light up once she escaped the oppression of the fighting and violence in her reality. The brightness of the palace allows the viewer to experience the same level of awe and wonder as she sees her new home for the first time.

Positioning of Characters/Camera angles

The angles of the camera show all of the steps required to get to the final location, the palace. The director takes the time to show Ofelia’s blood dripping onto the statue before showing a close up shot of her face as it’s surrounded by the bright light which transitions into the palace scene. When in the palace, there are a lot of overhead shots, which show the space between the royalty figures and everyone else. Each has a throne far away from the other, and elevated fairly high off the ground, representing their power and importance. These shots also cause the viewer to marvel at the palace and its beauty, while frequently seeing Ofelia’s reaction to her new reality.

Blog post #6

Blog Post #5 Little Red Cap ppt. project

Blog Post #4 Summer reading timed writing prompt

Claudia Scully English IV A Ms. Wilson 29 August 2014 Title needed?
In class timed writing prompt The selection chosen from Blindness, by Jose Saramago, strengthens the idea that the universal theme of the book is “Companionship as Salvation” by giving multiple different examples of the concept.
This selection is significant in the sense that the author goes out of his way to point out the flaws of human nature, while actually challenging its relevance in consideration with the universal theme. This is seen most clearly when Saramago writes”… for there is a difference between a blind person who is sleeping and a blind person who has opened his eyes to no purpose. These observations of a psychological nature, whose subtlety has no apparent relevance considering the extraordinary scale of the cataclysm which our narrative is struggling to relate…” (94). In other words, while he describes the difference between being ‘asleep’ and ‘blind’ very profoundly, he openly admits that it is not the purpose of the book. He goes on to explain that some of the blind internees woke up due to hunger, or impatience that others were still sleeping and therefore no one could get food. This certainly wouldn't have been as effective if the author hadn’t used the tone and diction that he did, in the sense that he sounds knowledgeable, wise, and again, profound in general. He explains that they need others to survive, they need to interact with each other—returning to the concept of true companionship being salvation.
 The clearest and most consistent example of acharacters using companionship as their salvation is found in the doctor and the doctor’s wife. (They aren’t given names.) “The doctor thought his wife had gone blind, that what he so greatly feared had finally happened…” (95). This short passages gives some insight into their relationship, and later on, how much they rely on each other, as the wife is offering her husband assistance, saying, “…you’re upset, can I get you anything…” (95). Despite all the commotion and general confusion shared by everyone in the book, the couple sticks together.



FINAL DRAFT

Claudia Scully

English IV A

Ms. Wilson

29 August 2014

The selection chosen from Blindness, by Jose Saramago, strengthens the idea that the universal theme of the book is “Companionship as Salvation” by giving multiple different examples of the concept.

This selection is significant in the sense that the author goes out of his way to point out the flaws of human nature, while actually challenging its relevance in consideration with the universal theme. This is seen most clearly when Saramago writes “… for there is a difference between a blind person who is sleeping and a blind person who has opened his eyes to no purpose. These observations of a psychological nature, whose subtlety has no apparent relevance considering the extraordinary scale of the cataclysm which our narrative is struggling to relate…” (94). In other words, while he describes the difference between being ‘asleep’ and ‘blind’ very profoundly, he openly admits that it is not the purpose of the book. He goes on to explain that some of the blind internees woke up due to hunger, or impatience that others were still sleeping and therefore no one could get food. This certainly wouldn’t have been as effective if the author hadn’t used the tone and diction that he did, in the sense that he sounds knowledgeable, wise, and again, profound in general. He explains that they need others to survive, they need to interact with each other—returning to the concept of true companionship being salvation.

The clearest and most consistent example of characters using companionship as their salvation is found in the doctor and the doctor’s wife. (They aren’t given names.) “The doctor thought his wife had gone blind, that what he so greatly feared had finally happened…” (95). This short passages gives some insight into their relationship, and later on, how much they rely on each other, as the wife is offering her husband assistance, saying, “…you’re upset, can I get  you anything…” (95). Despite all the commotion and general confusion shared by everyone in the book, the couple sticks together.

These two examples from this short selection highlight the importance of the universal theme of companionship being salvation are very diverse. The first example shows Saramago contrasting one of his own propositions and saying it is not the overlying idea of the book, and the second gives a glimpse into the doctor and doctor’s wife, who are arguably the two main characters, and how they deal with the struggle by leaning on each other. But, they come together as two places where the theme is very apparent, strengthening the book as a whole.

Blog Post #3, Black Walnut Tree Video

Katie Zimmerman , Himaja Ampolu, Eric Sette, Claudia Scully, and Anna Hayes

English IV A

Group Thesis: The black walnut tree symbolizes the author’s struggle to balance sentimental and monetary values.

Where Am I?: Ohio (blue fields of Ohio, fathers’ backyard) what season? → Fall  (“leaves getting heavier…”) inside, surroundings→ dark, emptiness, farm work, toil, mortgage, orchid, trees, poverty, cellar

Who Am I?

From point of view of the daughter who is speaking with the mother. Tired, drained, stressed, threatened, survivors, courageous, trying to problem solve, sentimental, doubtful, shameful

The mother is present in thoughts and in interactions/conversations, and the hard work of the father is also inferred.

What do I want? Keep the possession of the Walnut tree, even though they are not able to afford it.She gives a complete argument for why they should keep the tree, then does the opposite and keeps the tree. Shows us with irony?   how is the Character showing us what they want? Details? (this should get you into imagery, metaphor, conceits, metrics and other aspects of poetic language. At this point you are ready to ask again, “What is this poem about?")

Impression

The Impression we are trying to convey is the internal conflict or struggle that the mother and daughter are faced with. They are faced with the dilemma of having to pay the mortgage. The poem reminded us of the great depression, a time when many people struggled with money. The setting is in Ohio, which is stated in the poem (Fresh and generous Ohio).The debate between the practicality of selling the tree (trying in a difficult time to be wise) and the nostalgia of the meaning behind it (something brighter than money) eventually comes to an end when eventually, the nostalgia of the tree, and their roots in the land, proves to be more important than paying off the mortgage.

Costumes and Props:

The purpose of the costuming with the mother and daughter in older more rugged clothing is to convey their financial position as well as the time period we are setting it in (The Great Depression). The tree is costumed in a tree shirt and jeans to represent the branches and roots. The lighting changes from darkness to dimmed to bright to dimmed to represent the mood of the poem. The darkness to represent struggle and their dilemma, dimmed to represent their transition period, when the mother and daughter are deciding, bright to represent the choice to keep it, but darkness to end the poem because of the financial struggle they still have to face.

Himaja→ Mom

Anna→ Daughter

Claudia→ Extraneous characters

Katie → The Black Walnut Tree

Eric → Stage Crew

Words and Phrases

In our presentation, we focused on the structure, theme, and word choice of the poem. We selected specific words or phrases that best supported the purpose. We emphasized the repetition of ‘the black walnut tree’ and the ‘mortgage’ at the beginning and end of the poem in order to demonstrate the book-end structure of the poem. This purposeful structuring of the phrase ‘the black walnut tree’ reinforces it as a symbol of their father’s hard work.  Furthermore, this repetition follows the archetype of a narrative: the rising action, “we could sell the black walnut tree” (2-3) consists of the discussion about the tree; the climax focuses on the speaker’s realization that they ought to also work hard because of their ancestor’s hard work, by including flashbacks to fond memories such as, “my fathers out of Bohemia filling the blue fields of fresh and generous Ohio” (22-24). ; the poem concludes with the falling action with the repetition of the phrase the black walnut tree and the mortgage. This narrative structure supports the meaning of the poem as a whole because it shows the progression of the speaker’s decision regarding the black walnut tree.

Therefore, we attempted to mimic this narrative structure through the placement of the actors. the mother and the daughter will be center stage at the beginning of the presentation, sitting around a table. Next, the actors playing the trees, lumberman, and father will gradually enter the stage in the background and help the audience visualize the memories and thoughts of the speakers. As we reach the climax of the poem, we will turn on the lights, which will be a visual representation of “but something brighter than money moves in our blood-an edge sharp and quick as a trowel that wants us to dig and sow” (16-19). However, the lights will go back off as the speakers fail to reach a decision “so we talk, but we don’t do anything” (20-21). Finally, the presentation will end with the speakers sitting alone in the dark, in the “emptiness we’d made in our own and our father’s backyard” (28-29).

Furthermore, we emphasized the words sharp and quick. This consonance in lines 18, helps convey a feeling of decisiveness and certainty. These words stick out because they are in stark contrast to the previous indecision of the speakers. This emphasis supports the meaning of the poem as a whole because it shows how the speaker realizes that they should act and work hard, however they fail to do so and crawl back into the emptiness of the laziness.

 

Blog Post #2

Blog Post #1

The reasoning behind why I chose orange for the color of my blog is that it's bright and lighthearted, just like I want this blog to be. Sometimes blues and grays can bring someone's mood down and make them sad, which is certainly not like me. I want this blog to reflect some of the positive things about myself, my energy, being happy. Not to mention the color scheme works well with my photo, and it's always nice to have different visual aspects come together while still being aesthetically pleasing. My fonts are "Coming soon" and "Georgia." Georgia is the more commonly used font, because it's easy to read, looks professional, and doesn't take the focus off the words. My titles and headers are in Coming Soon, as it's more fun and playful, much like the rest of my blog aesthetic, without being too much, per say. As well as this, the titles being in white makes the words stand out against their background more than they might in a different color. Overall, I believe that the layout of this blog is a good visual representation of the mood I am trying to create.

http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/color_blue.htm http://tympanus.net/codrops/2012/02/19/establish-a-mood-with-typography/