Paper Three

Sick in Love

            Shakespeare utilizes the theme of lovesickness repeatedly in his work Much Ado about Nothing.  He rarely uses the term “lovesick”, but refers to such thing with other terms like “sick” “ill” or “pale” with love.  Not only does he utilize such language, but his characters seem to fall into a pattern of being head over heels in love.  For example, Hero and Claudio both fall sick in love with each other.  A second occurrence of this is demonstrated by Beatrice and Benedick.  Although their process of falling in love is different than that of Claudio and Hero’s, Beatrice and Benedick also develop an overwhelming sense of lovesickness for one another.  Both couples’ relationships are intact at the finale of the play.

            It is clear that Claudio is sick with love.  This language is first utilized in Act I scene I line 284 when Claudio says to Don Pedro, “..that knows love grief by his complexion.”  Don Pedro can see that Claudio is lovesick.   The theme is blatantly situated also in line 671 where Beatrice is talking of his “jealous complexion”.  Earlier in the play this is foreshadowed when Claudio is telling Benedick in Act I scene I line 205 that he feels that he loves Hero. Benedick, who had just exclaimed about Cupid,- the one who creates lovesickness- admits to Claudio and Don Pedro that he will never be sick with love.  Don Pedro responds to him and says in line 222, “I shall see thee, ere I die, look pale with love.” This very ironic because later, when Benedick overhears the gossip of how Beatrice loves him, he declares that he will be madly in love with her.  Similarly In Act I scene I Leonato says to Beatrice, “You will never run mad, niece.”  He is referring to falling victim to Benedick’s disease.  She confidently responds, “No, not till a hot January.”  Again, this is ironic because she too eventually falls victim to the pestilence of love.

Further, in Act III scene I, Hero is talking with Ursula, and brewing her plan to trick Beatrice into hearing that Benedick is ill with love for her.   When Beatrice overhears that Benedick loves her she is at first confused, but then declares she will be in love with him.  In Act III Scene IV after Beatrice swears that she is sick, Margaret advises her to invest in some “carduus benedictus” and to lay it on her heart to heal her illness.  Later in the play in Act IV scene I, although they are at first hesitant, Benedick and Beatrice exclaim their love for one another privately. 

This theme of lovesickness is apparent yet again in Act V scene I; Don Pedro is referring to Benedick and says, “As I am an honest man, he looks pale.  Art thou sick, or angry?”  Later in the act Claudio swears that Benedick’s pale complexion, anger, and sickness, are a result of his love for Beatrice.  Additionally in scene IV Benedick admits to Leonato, “And I do with an eye of love requite her.”  He is bright-eyed in love with Beatrice and accordingly asks Leonato to bless their marriage.  Nevertheless, he addresses Beatrice publicly and tells her Leonato, the prince and Claudio relayed that she was almost sick for him.  She says that she was told he was lovesick and wasting away.

            Most of the references to being lovesick are in the first act.  According to the pattern of the dramatic comic curve, the first act is supposed to be the most normal.  In the case of Much Ado about Nothing it is not abnormal for a man and a woman to fall in love.  The men have just returned from war, therefore it is almost expected for them to meet women and possibly procreate, as the men have been withdrawn from their counter-sex for quite some time.  In Act I, there are by far the most occurrences of the theme, which mirrors the normality of the initial act in the typical comic curve. 

There are too happenings of lovesickness in Act III.  Here, the presence of lovesickness is not very ordinary.  This is when Hero and Ursula are trapping Beatrice into believing how lovesick Benedick is for her.  This theme arises at the customary low point in the play, where its orientation symbolizes the abnormality in the third act.  In Act IV a new normal is formed, as Beatrice and Benedick publicly announce their illness of love for one another and plan to marry.  This is not surprising, as the fifth act usually represents redemption, as a new level of normality is achieved.

            The data that I retrieved supports my first thoughts on Shakespeare’s obsessive use of lovesickness.  As we read the play I note multiple instances where lovesickness was referred to, first with Claudio and Hero and later with Benedick and Beatrice.  However, after researching and analyzing the play in depth I now realize how truly obsessed Shakespeare is with the theme.  There are an extensive amount of references to lovesickness, both visible to the nonobservant and vigilant eye.

            The visual media project that my group and I produced has contributed to my understanding of the play.  We organized our visuals strategically to represent the comic curve and how lovesickness in Much Ado about Nothing mirrors that.  We began the presentation with pictures representing falling in love.  A few of them include cupid and his arrows, images of hearts, a sketched note, happy couples etc.  Next, is the abnormal stage according to the curve and our visuals include people, young and old, who are sick.  Finally, the last portion of pictures signifies bonding and connecting.  There are images of holding hands, spending time together, kissing, making love and getting married.  It is the resolution phase in the slideshow, the play, and the comic curve.

Our orientation of slides also reflects the relationship of Hero and Claudio.  Their love affair began very well when they fell for each other.  However, in the middle of the play, and the middle of the presentation, Claudio falls out of love with Hero when he sees a man and woman making love and assumes that it is Hero.  By the end of the play, the confusion is resolved and the couple remarries, and reunites their bond of love.  The finale of our slideshow represents reunion and resurrection of the beauty of love.

I previously investigated Sonnet 16.  This sonnet advocates the bond of love and marriage which corresponds linearly to Shakespeare’s theme of lovesickness.  The sonnet is expressed through the viewpoint of Beatrice.  She is indeed a victim of lovesickness in the play Much Ado about Nothing.  In the beginning of the play she was opposed to being in love and to getting married.  Ever since she overheard Ursula and Hero talking of Benedick’s love for her, her mind has changed.  The sonnet captures her new feelings of surrendering to and being a hopeless victim of love.  Her lovesickness, in both the play and the sonnet, lasts until the very end.  For example, the sonnet includes, “O no! It is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken… but bears it out even to the edge of doom.”  The bond created through lovesickness is unconditionally infinite and is portrayed accordingly in the sonnet and remains intact in the plays conclusion.

Sonnet Paper Two

Emily Caffrey

Professor Lay

Writing Composition II

November 1, 2011

Beatrice Sonnet 16

In Act five scene four, Claudio prepares to marry Leonato’s alleged niece.  The niece is masked, but Claudio vows to Leanato that he will marry her, because his intended Hero is purportedly dead.   When the masked girl removes her veil, Claudio is thrilled that she is actually Hero, and he will be marrying her.   They plan to go to the church and finish the ceremony, but Benedick interrupts.  He publicly asks Beatrice if she loves him.  She denies her love for him and in response, he does the same.  At this time Claudio and Hero intervene and expose written professions of love that they found in the secret -lovers’ pockets and bedrooms.  Both Beatrice and Benedick recognize that they have been found out, and agree to marry one another.  Benedick then silenced her with a kiss and declared to the town that he, despite anything else that he has stated against marriage, will marry Beatrice unashamedly.  It is at this moment that the following sonnet will be placed in the mouth of Beatrice.  Throughout the play to this point, she had always tried to outdo Benedick, thus her response, potentially this sonnet, reinforces her competitive nature, but also exposes her vulnerable, very loving side.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

This sonnet is advocating the ever-fixed bond of love and of marriage.  The first two lines announce “Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments.”  In other words, the sonnet’s speaker does not seek to obtain any reasons why two true-minded people should not get married.  In the same way, Beatrice is deciding that she will indeed marry Benedick.  The first two lines are appropriate in this moment during Act four; however, this is very interesting because she had never planned to marry.  Ever since she overheard Hero and Ursula talking about Benedick’s secret love for her, her mind has changed.   Nevertheless, her love for him and her decision is now concrete.  It is unchanging, unconditional, and will remain no matter the circumstance.  Beatrice might indeed proclaim: “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.”   The sonnet’s first quatrain then concludes: “Or bends for the remover to remove.”  Clearly, love should stand firm even in such case that she or Benedick were unfaithful.

If the second quatrain were Beatrice’s language she would be speaking of love metaphorically.  She compares love to “an ever-fixed mark” or in other terms, something that does not move, for example a lighthouse.  The lighthouse encounters storms but stands tall and firm.  Throughout the course of Beatrice and Benedick’s marriage, they are bound to come upon rough seasons but will not be fazed by them. Love, she continues, is the guiding star to all lost ships.  Ironically (or not) both Beatrice and Benedick were a “wandering bark” before they found love in each other.  It should further be examined that the North Star, the guiding star, is the only one that does not change position, as an “ever-fixed mark”.  The love and unity of Beatrice and Benedick will remain intact and consistent.

Beatrice might adopt the third quatrain, to say that love is not at the mercy of time.  However, and beauty falls within time.  Nonetheless, even though beauty fades with age and time, her love for Benedick will remain illuminant and young.  It will embrace and endure the passing of time.  The love between Beatrice and Benedick “bears out even to the edge of doom,” or until the end of time, judgment day.

The couplet concluding the sonnet-Beatrice’s monologue-is rather dramatic.  This bold mood is familiar when dealing with Beatrice, especially in the company of Benedick.  She says,” If this be error and upon me be proved.”  This statement embodies the rebelliousness of Beatrice.  After all, she did give in to marriage after opposing it strongly- now she needs something else to embody her independence, thus she challenges the crowd.  The final line states, “I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”  She is saying if what she claims is not true, and love is not eternal, than she takes back her speech (sonnet), and no one has ever loved.  However, she did physically proclaim this- thus people have loved before and she will love Benedick until the end of eternity.  It erases the possibility for her remarks to be anything but true.

Small Object Large Subject

Small object,

large subject

If we are what we consume, then what claim does the availability and widespread popularity of the following products make about contemporary American society? Select one item from the list below and analyze in four paragraphs what and how the item comments on cultural values. In paragraph 1, state the claim that the presence and existence of the product asserts. In paragraphs 2 and 3, use identifying and descriptive language from the product or its promotional materials, personal experience, and research as supporting data. In paragraph 4, explain what warrants (i.e. commonly accepted beliefs or cultural values) the producers assume or anticipate about American consumers.

Red Bull

decaffeinated beverages

gift cards

iPods

laptop computers

video cameras in phones

antibacterial soap

alcohol-free beer

Response on laptop computers:

The fact that the laptop computer exists represents that Americans are constantly striving to advance technology.  We as Americans are never satisfied, and always need to have something smaller, faster and better quality.  A popular song that represents this mindset of Americans is "Stronger" by Kanye West. The lyrics read, "Longer, better, faster, stronger, now that that don't kill me, can only make me stronger, I need you to hurry up now, because I can't wait much longer."   Further, having the next best thing is associated with being cool, or popular. Convenience is a goal and a priority too.  Laptops are convenient not only when traveling but also when utilizing the internet.

Laptops are popular in America because they can be brought anywhere without much effort by the consumer.  This is a reflection of the craving for convenience by Americans. People no longer have to sit in one spot in order to access their computers.  Laptops are chargable and portable.  Further, most laptops come equipped with wireless internet capabilities, which creates even more freedom.  McDonalds, Starbucks, Borders and other corporations are advertising free wifi-hotspots so people will take their savvy machines with them.  Nowadays, mini laptops and extremely thin and light models are being invented as well.

Our culture is very materialistic.  People are satisfied for a few brief minutes before their attention is lost and is aimed at the next new thing.  Computers have not always existed, but since they have been developed, manufacturers have competed to create the alleged next best thing. It is a reflection of the attitude and materiality of Americans.  People want to fit in, and represent themselves as technologically and socially up to speed.  Laptops enable this system.  Users may also show off their gadgets in different colors, making a fashion statement to those around them.

Manufacturers know just how much Americans strive for convenience acceptance.  They know that if they advertise a bulky, heavy computer, versus a lightweight flat-screened laptop, the laptop will receive much more positive attention from consumers.  Our culture is involved in a technological revolution.  Manufacturers are in extreme competition with each other because of the unsatisfied appetite of Americans.

Visual Media Project: Lovesick

Comments

Professor Lay,

I am attempting to comment on Nelson's page and it was asking me the profile that I want to use to comment?  I chose "google account" however it said I am not allowed to comment using this account, and would I like to logout and comment with another account.  Any suggestions?

Blog This: Project Two Inside Scoop!

I have been thinking about my draft for Project Two and I have to tell you, Professor Lay, that I enjoyed writing it.  Initially, I felt anxious about completing the assignment, and making sense of an appropriate sonnet- as I was out of town with my team this weekend, had a paper due yesterday as well, and have a midterm today still.  However, when I outlined and understood my topic, it became pleasurable to write and ultimately complete!

Blog This: Link from Meddy

http://meddysarhan.blogspot.com/2011/10/ps-i-stumbled-upon-this-video-and.html?showComment=1319712039776#c2182615954963705701


Why does Meddy suggest this is relevant? What is one rhetorical strategy that is used by the video's creators?


This is relevant because in our class the concept of advancement in technology has been examined and discussed. Youth are being raised in a tech savvy society- differing from past generations. This video is a perfect, cute, example of this concept of "out with the old and in with the new", even if the child is not properly using the iPad. The clever use of the baby, appeals to the emotions of the viewer. Further, the text guides the viewer through the video.

Blog this! Leonato repudiates Hero

Leonato repudiates his daughters virtue because he thinks that she cheated on her fiance.  At the wedding Claudio publicly announces this and others, such as Don Pedro, confirm his accusation.  Adultery and prostitution are against the ways of society and have consequences for the guilty- or accused.  Because Leonato thinks it to be true, he is extremely appalled.  On another note, Leonato is the Governor of Messina, and Claudio's accusation not only brings shame to Hero, but Also to Leonato as well.  To readers, in our day and age, it may seem absurd for a father to repudiate his own daughter in such case.  However, in the play like mentioned before, adultery and prostitution collide immensely with the "rules" of society.  Therefore, it is not abnormal for a father-especially one of such high ranking and prestige- to repudiate his daughter in this situation.

Inkshedding

Why does Claudio fall in love with Hero?  How do you know?

It seems that Claudio falls in love with Hero by his eye.  He speaks of how beautiful she is. It is obvious that he did not fall in love by his ears; Hero is a lady a few words.  She is good-looking, and her quiet personality is attractive to Claudio.  Hero also is very wealthy-after all, she is Leonato's daughter.

Response to Sonnet VIII

It seems like this sonnet is dealing with marriage, and having a partner.  There are a lot of references to family-husband, mother, child.  Also language is present such as: "unions married", and there is a negative light towards being single.  Part of the title is, why hearest thou music sadly? It seems like music is representing marriage, and the subjects view of marriage is "sad" or unpleasing.

Blog This: One Minute Response

(Q):What possibilities does a masquerade afford its participants?

(A): A masquerade offers individualism to its participants.  Attendees can be who they want to be, without punishment or judgement. It also offers secretism to its partakers.  They can freely hide behind their masks, and pretend to be other people than who they are. Thus, it enables them to talk this way and act this way.  In the context of a masquerade this is acceptable.  Outisde of such an occasion, similar behavior and appearance would not be acceptable.

Act II Questions

Why is Beatrice so against all men?Why does Don John give Beatrice heartburn?
Why does Claudio tell John Don that he is Benedick?
Why does Benedick bring up marriage while ranting of Beatrice?
In the same light, why is Beatrice talking of being the mother of fools-referring to reproducing with Benedick?
Why is Hero always so quiet when conversation of her marriage is amidst her?

Shakespeare Blog This:

1. Beatrice- " I would rather hear my dog bark at a crow than hear a man swear that he loves me."

Beatrice is saying that she does not believe in love.  She may have at some point, but she has given up on it.  It is likely that she was in love in the past, and got hurt by her lover, causing her to turn her face from love.  She now sees it in a very negative light.  Further, the sound of a dog barking is rather annoying, and she would rather hear that than trust a man with her heart!  In my experience, the sound of a dog barking is very annoying and feels somewhat helpless.  It seems that feeling annoyed and helpless to such a sound is preferred to Beatrice over being in love.
 
   2. Consider the title: "Much Ado about Nothing"

The title seems to refer to a lot of drama over small misunderstandings.  A lot of attention is given to situations that are really not very important.  "Nothing" translates to "noting" or noticing/paying mind to something.  Nothing however, represents the trivial matters that are focused in throughout the play.  This work is a collection of mishaps that are mainly superficial.

"Litany" versus "My Mistress' Eyes"

Compare Collins' "Litany" with the rhetorical, argumentative moves of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, "My Mistress' Eyes".

Both pieces take on a rather offensive approach.  The two poems seems as if they should be aimed towards flattering a person, by the style of writing.  Meanwhile, the pieces do the exact opposite.  Both "Litany" and "My Mistress' Eyes" insult the main characters of each poem.  The language and style of the two poems, almost dances around this fact though, and there is a pattern of contradiction.  It is almost if the author are mocking the style of poem.  Traditionally, this type of genre would compare the beloved to objects or situations that are beautiful, or flattering.  Obviosly, there authors did not follow the trend, and playfully reconcstructed this particulary love poem genre.


tag: materiality

"Litany" By: Billy Collins

'In "Litany" he plays with diction.  How does his reading and performance of this language impact you?

I appreciate Billy Collins's use of diction.  He pokes fun at the traditional techniques of flattery.  His reading and performance embody a sense of sarcasm, versus seriousness.  I feel if I simply read this, without seeing the performance, I would not feel the dry sarcasm that the reader, Billy Collins, portrays.

tag:materiality

Tell All the Truth but Tell it Slant

How is Dickinson's poem fresh?  Note its sounds and describe how they function in the making of the poem.
Emily Dickinson's poem is fresh because it is carrying an initiative tone.  The first line is a command, after all.  The sounds of the piece feel abrupt as they are pronounced.  It sounds are used as a tool to enhance the straight-forward, bluntness of the poem.  This contradicts, however, with the words, as the reader must later reflect on the deeper meaning of the text.

tag:materiality

Shihan- "Flashy Words"

How much "flash" does Shihan employ in his poem?

In my opinion, Shihan employs a lot of "flash" with his words.  His pronunciation for how fast he is speaking is distinct and clear.  Shihan's intonation and use of pausing, then changing the speed at which he talks, makes his performance more "flashy".  This would not be the case if Shihan was speaking in a monotone voice at the same speed.

tag: materiality

Taylor Mali-Text Video

What did you receive hearing the poet speak and reading the text?

After reading the text and hearing the poet speak I feel I can understand the main message more clearly.  Perhaps it is because this video, the second version, adheres to a greater number of learning styles.  It included written words on the screen, making it easier for me-a visual learner- to absorb the message.  The text caused this second video to feel more formal than the first, which seemed more like a comedy performance.

tag:materiality

Taylor Mali performance

What do you receive hearing the poet speak?

Hearing the poet speak adds a completely different angle to the piece.  If I were to read the poem, versus hearing it, the meaning would be partially suffocated.  Hearing the poet, and his differing inflection and tones, touches the listener/observer/audience at a deeper level than if it were simply read.  Taylor Mali's performance creates a 3D approach to the poem.  It impacts the audience in many ways, and appeals to different learning styles, like auditory, and visual, making it more powerful  It gets his point across very effectively.

tag:materiality

The Role of The Reader in The Text

In my opinion, the reader does not necessarily own the text (s)he is reading.  In one sense, the reader may physically own the text, but it is not hers/his production.  The producer of the text owns his/her work because (s)he created it.
A reader may participate in the text in a few ways.  One way is simply by reading the document.  A second way, for example, is by asking questions about it.  Further, a viewer may interact with the material by analyzing and responding to the content.
In certain situations a reader does indeed belong in the text.  For instance, when dealing with rhetoric material the author's goal is to convince others with his/her text.  In this occasion, the reader is involved in the text because he/she is the audience.  In other forms of text, such as a journal entry, the reader, unless (s)he is also the writer, may not belong in the text.  The creation may only be intended for the writer himself/herself.

"Is GoogleMaking Us Stupid?"

1. Is our intelligence actually "flattening into artificial intelligence?"
2. If people are becoming more robotic, what is the effect on emotions?
3. Realistically how many people feel less capable of focusing on a text since the increased use of the Net?
4. If new forms of reading are indeed emerging, how does that affect writing?
5. With advances in the convenience of researching getting information online, has patience been affected?
6. Has the quick pace and attention-robbing qualities of the Net affected our abilities to slow down and reflect on situations, and our lives?

As I read Carr's article, I consistently found myself relating it to Gopnik's piece.  Specifically, I noted many similarities between the two.  Both pieces admit the clear advance in technology, and the creation and use of the Internet.  The blatant fact of convenience was also quite clear.  Times have changed and it is much easier to obtain a greater amount of information, at a much faster pace these days.  For example, Google allows researchers and curious folks to obtain various definitions and concepts simpling by typing his/her topic of curiousity in the search bar.  However, as both articles relay, this convenience opens doors of distraction.  With the click of a mouse, multiple advertisements, and links are readily available.  Thus, the user's attention is scattered.  Both Gopnik and Carr recognize that steady Internet use results in changes at the neurological level.

Materialities of Writing

Initially, I drafted my assignment on notebook paper. I had an away field hockey game and I assumed the combination of a bumpy bus trip and my attempt to write in crayon would not be a good idea.  If I were to have drafted initially in crayon, I might have found myself thinking differently.  However, my draft on notebook paper, was longer than the version I translated with crayon on the colored paper.  As I wrote with the crayon, I found I would not have enough room, due to larger, and sloppier lettering, so I cut out ideas.  Surprisingly, it took longer to write a shorter amount of text with crayon, than to actually come up with my three paragraphs and jot them into a notebook.

If our culture wrote solely in crayons,it indeed would be different.  Personally, I prefer writing in color versus black ink because I feel it expresses myself more accurately.  If everyone wrote in crayons, it would reflect moods more clearly.  The visual aspect would add to the piece, versus the content of the piece.

After completing this crayon exercise, I think it would be fun to write in colored pencils, or paint!  On occasion, I have written journal entries in colored pencils, but usually I write in colored pens.  In my opinion color adds another, exciting dimension to writing.  I wonder how differing writing implements would affect the style, content and quality or a writing piece.  I'm sure drafting beforehand in pen would have different results than initially drafting in colored pencils, paint or other writing implements.  This assignment is really expanding my thinking, and is creating a curiousity within me.  I just might have to experiment!

Inventing Emily C- Pantene Analysis

The commercial includes a scene in which a butterfly emerges from a chrysalis.  This scene is flashed briefly as the deaf girl is competing in the classical music competition.  During the scene, the butterfly engages in flight, freely, into nature.

In my opinion, the butterfly scene is extremely metaphorical.  It represents freedom and growth, mirroring that of the deaf girl's.  As this handicap girl competed she was "breaking out" of her confining comfort zone. The deaf girl was flourishing and "shining" at last.