Working with Data from the Shakespeare Concordance:
1.What thematic strands have you located?
beauty...flower... violets…roses
2.Where is the data you retrieved found?What is happening in context when Shakespeare employs this particular theme or image?
Love “blooms” early in the play. This is seen through the mention of beauty and flowers. Later on in the play, love isn’t mentioned as often, signaling that love is already grown.
3.How does the data you retrieved support your first thoughts on Shakespeare’s obsessive use of a particular image?What can you argue about Shakespeare’s figuration?
Like a flower, love grows, is fragile, beautiful and dies. Also like a flower, a person grows, is fragile and dies.
In II.iii.170, Maria calls her manipulation of Malvolio, "Sport royal...". I think she means that her manipulation of him is like a game, that of which she can obtain the highest honor: royalty. What I mean by this, is not literally that she can obtain royalty, but that she can obtain the essence of royalty in her manipulation of royalty. In the context of the play, royalty is considered the best thing you can be. While Maria cannot obtain royalty itself, she can obtain something great;the essence of royalty, if you will.
Olivia is better off loving something not real, like a dream, than love Viola because she is disguised as Cesario, a man. Unlike Olivia’s love for Viola, a dream cannot disappoint you. What Olivia feels is fake because she does not know who Cesario really is.
October 23rd, 2001. Recognize the date? People were born and died on this day. Some got married, some got divorced. That isn’t why this date has significance. This day would change life as we know it. It was the day that would change the way we listen to music forever. It would antiquate the Walkman and CDs. It was the day that the first iPods were available to buy. It was the day we would become slaves to Apple, iTunes, and the iPod.
Definition
The iPod is a type of mp3 device that, depending on the type, either stores songs on flash memory or on hard drive memory. The smaller models, like the Shuffle, tend to run on flash memory, while the larger models, like the Touch, run on hard drive memory (www. wisegeek.com). Flash memory is the type you see on USB drives. They can be written and erased thousands of times. They are also non-volatile, which means that they do not require power to retain the information stored on them (www.wisegeek.com). Hard drive storage is the same that you would find in your own computer.
Apple also created special software to accompany the iPod: iTunes. In order to put music on your iPod, you need this software. It is available on CD or online. ITunes also comes with its own music store, where you can buy music and download music to your music library on iTunes, then onto your iPod. ITunes also allows you to burn and rip CDs onto your music library. It also organizes your music and synchronizes them flawlessly onto your iPod. In addition, iTunes has applications like Genius that make playlists and suggestions for music for you that it thinks you will like.
Effects on consumers
I’m not sure if Apple knew the profound effect that the iPod would have on consumers. If they did, Apple should be worshipped in some kind of capitalist hall of fame. The reason the iPod has had such success is because you can carry your whole music library around with you in your pocket. An iPod, depending on which of the thirty-one models you have (http://support.apple.com), will fit easily into a pocket. Some models you can clip onto your clothes. This feat would be impossible with a Walkman. First of all, they’re bulky and you need to carry all of your CDs with you. Now, in 2010, doing this is akin to beating stones together to make fire.
Another aspect of the iPod that makes us so dependent on it is iTunes. Instead of running out to a record store to buy a CD, all you have to do is go online. You can be listening to that CD in a matter of minutes. Instead of buying the whole CD for one song, you can just buy that one song on iTunes.Now, on iTunes, not only can you buy songs, you can buy audiobooks, games, movies, TV shows and apps. You can subscribe to thousands of podcasts. ITunes can make sure that you are never bored. There are more apps, games, audiobooks, movies, TV shows and songs than one can listen to, play, or use.Because of this never-ending supply of entertainment, we are more absorbed in our own little worlds than ever before. You can create playlists for every occasion, have your iPod tell you how fast you are running when you jog, you can listen to it anywhere as long as it has battery life, you have headphones, and the desire to listen.
Apple knows that we are slaves to them and their shiny products. They play the role of the dealer and we play the role of the addict. They’ll add new baubles to each version of iPod they produce and they’ll raise the prices of songs because they know that it just makes us want them more. Do you really need a video recorder on your iPod? YES, OH YES. We are addicted, blind, consumers.Even if we wanted to sever our ties to the iPod or to the rising song prices, it wouldn’t work because the other options aren’t as good. The baubles and storage capabilities on other models of MP3 players don’t cut it. They’re not as pretty or as fun as an iPod. One of my friends used to be an avid iPod hater. She purchased a Sony MP3 device and would always tell me that it was just as good as an iPod. It only held a couple hundred songs, was hard to navigate, and was incompatible with games and movies. I knew she was just in denial. Eventually, she gave up and is now an avid Apple supporter. She owns an iPod Touch and a Macbook Pro.It is also impossible to escape the rising price of songs on iTunes unless you want to turn to illegal downloading, which can ruin your computer and your life if you are caught.The pain and inadequacy of substitutes is not worth it.
Effects on our society
So, what does our need for an iPod say about our culture? Now, if you don’t have one, you are alienated from society. You are considered to be, like the Walkman, out of date. If you see someone on a train, for example, using a Walkman, you think, “That weirdo” or, “That poor soul can’t afford an iPod.” It’s literally impossible now to picture yourself, or someone else, without one. The iPod and the white earphones that come with it have become an important status symbol. In fact, Apple nursed the white earphones symbol in ad campaigns.Typically, a commercial or picture would feature a silhouette of someone enjoying music in a vibrantly colored background. The iPod and earphones they would be holding, in shocking contrast, would be white (www.ilounge.com, images.google.com).
One problem considered to be related to the iPod is the way our culture craves instant gratification. We want everything, and we want it now. The iPod certainly adds to this problem.It has almost everything you need to function. It has your music, your games, your movies, the internet, radio and takes video. The only thing the iPod doesn’t provide that is essential for human life is food and water. It can tell you where you can find some though. It’s all right there at your fingertips.
Another issue that people find troubling is that, because of the iPod, we are always absorbed in our own world of music. We “need to have soundtracks” to our lives. Those white earphones make people unapproachable. This is not worth worrying about because, if you make the effort to talk to someone, or tap on their shoulder, they’ll usually turn their music down or take off their headphones. You can still talk to people and listen to music at the same time. Before iPods, people would play music on stereos and phonographs when they have company. They’d certainly listen to music and talk to their guests at the same time. So what exactly is the difference with the iPod?Also, what is so bad about “having a soundtrack” to your life? Music can change your mood, you can relate to the lyrics you’re listening to. Let’s say you had a bad day, you can play a song that you can personally relate to. Maybe it won’t solve your problems, but it will make you feel like someone out there understands what you’re going through. There is something very comforting about this fact. I know this to be true from personal experience. When I’m angry I listen to rap. It helps me work through my anger. When I’m happy, I’ll listen to songs that make me feel the same way. It feels like those artists on your iPod made those songs just for you, knowing that someday, you’d need them.
iPod and iTunes are a boon to our music knowledge base. It has increased dramatically since music became available to browse online. Without iTunes and the iPod, I’m sad to say that I’d be listening to a measly 500 songs instead of my still measly 3,500 songs. I know people who have 10,000 or more songs and they still crave more. They love the rush of finding new music that they can relate to and that they value. Without iTunes lending a helping hand, I, and others, would have never been inspired by the words and melodies of some of their favorite bands. I feel like iTunes knows me better than some of my friends do. I tear up just thinking about it.
In conclusion, the iPod has forever changed the way we listen to music. You can carry thousands of songs in your pocket. ITunes and the iPod made music more accessible for everyone and turned us into blind consumers. We need the iPod and all of its gadgets more than we need food. We crave the newest apps and baubles like we crave chocolate. Apple has made sure that we have no desire to buy other MP3 products. Naysayers of our technology-driven culture say that the iPod makes people unapproachable, we crave instant gratification, we alienate those who do not have one, and that we cannot live without having a soundtrack playing in the background. If this is true, try asking a question to a person with those white headphones in their ears. They will usually respond to you. While the iPod has contributed to the problem of instant gratification and the alienation of those who don’t have iPods, the music it contains has inspired a generation.
I've read and seen this play performed live but for some reason I had a really hard time finding questions to ask. I hope these are okay.
1. I’m assuming that Viola’s disguise is some kind of important literary element. I’m just not sure of what it is. Would you call it symbolism, a theme, a metaphor, or a motif?
2. I don’t really understand why Olivia has sworn not to see another man again for seven years. I suppose it is to move the plot forward, but isn’t there a better way she can grieve for her brother than locking herself up for seven years? Or is it some kind of Italian tradition?
3. Are there possible symbols and motifs this early in the play?
4. Does Sir Toby’s drunkenness have any more meaning than simply being funny?
5. Shakespeare uses clothing in his plays a lot to point something out to the audience. Is it the same in this play?
6. So far, love has only caused the characters of this play pain. What is Shakespeare saying about love here?
When I revise, I hit the spell check button and use that as my first line of defense against common errors in my paper. Then, I go back and reread everything, cringing a little as I realize mistakes that I have made and now must fix. After that, I hit spell check again. Then, I reread the entire paper and if I can’t find any more mistakes, I’ll save the document and print it out. If I find more mistakes, the process starts all over again. If I’m really anxious about what I’ve written or if one of my friends just happens to be nearby, I’ll ask them to read it and tell me if they see anything wrong with it.If I was going to choose a metaphor for the way I edit something, I suppose that I’d be a painter retouching their work with fresh paint when a certain color isn’t right.
