"A Jury of Her Peers": Overall Opinion

    In A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell, reveals the characters of three housewives caged down to hide between their husbands.  First, Mrs. Hale, a seemingly pleasant woman, pays close attention to details and thinks carefully before she speaks.  Although this character is strong, she stays quiet in the mist of her husband.  Next, Mrs. Peters is "small and thin and doesn't have a strong voice"(Glaspell).  Clearly, since she is the wife of the sheriff, Mrs. Peters does not need the speak up with a booming and powerful husband.  Then, Mrs. Wright, once a youthful, cheery choir member, has had all the happiness and joy sucked from her life by Mr. Wright.  I, along with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, sympathize with Minnie Wright.  Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters eventually realize the horrible demeaning way the women are being treated.  I admire this pair.  The two hide Minnie guilty tracks and truly see and understand the misery she has endured all the years of her marriage.

"My Mistress' Eyes": Concrete Details

     In My Mistress' Eyes by William Shakespeare, a man describes the odd appearance of his lover.  Shakespeare uses concrete details to give the reader a more clear looks into the rare features of the woman. To start, as I begin the piece, I think the man despises his wife.  In greater detail, in every detail given, the speaker claims his lover does not meet up to the beauty of the object he is describing.  Also, the speaker describes wires and compares them with the woman's hair.  This concrete detail brings to mind the image of a prickly object, which, in no way, is a compliment to this woman.  So, the speaker continues to describe his wife as less than beautiful.  By this point, I have a picture of the world's ugliest woman in my mind.  However, the end of the world reveals a change in the speaker's mood.  The man thinks his lover to be "rare and beglied with a false compare" (Shakespeare).  I find this truly touch, and with this, my opinion of the work is suddenly altered.  Although, the various concrete details given, it appeared the man to be insulting the woman, he is actually telling of her exquisite rareness that holds beauty.

"Barbie Doll": Imagery

    Although Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is a rather brief piece of literature, the meaning it carries holds tremendous weight.  The author uses imagery to tell the tragic tale of the a young girl.  In the beginning, the girl grows up playing with a Barbie doll.  It is at an early age that the image of this dolls instills into the mind of this small child that women should have unnaturally skinny and artificial features.  Because of this, the girl, though she "was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arm and back", and had everything going for her, grows up with a poor self- esteem (Piercy).  This low self confidence causes the girl to cut off her natural features, and kill herself.  At the funeral, with a new nose and thin legs, the girl is finally viewed by others as beautiful.  It strikes me as incredibly sad that, even after her death caused by the world's harsh scrutiny, the people still cannot looks past her appearance.  The usage of imagery allows the readers to see how the girl actually appears, how she views herself, and how others see her.  I imagine the author's motivation for writing this poems was to show society's obsession with physical appearances, and the brutal effect it has on women.

"Hunters in the Snow": Characterization

     The short story, Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff, tell of men who venture off to an open piece f land to spend the day simply being men doing manly things.  The author uses characterization to describe these men, and later announce that they all do not fit the image of a stereotypical man.  But, firstly, the audience learns that Frank, Kenny, and Tub appear to be fearless and tough as they travel through snow covered roads in a car with a busted window.  The inner personalities begin to become clear when the men eat their lunches.  Kenny dives into "several slices of pizza and a couple of candy bars," while "Frank eats a sandwich, an apple, two carrots, and a square of chocolate" (Wolff).  Then, "Tub eats one hard-boiled egg and a stick of celery" (Wolff).  Clearly, only Kenny fits the image of a big, brute.  The lunches of Franks and especially Tub are rather womanly.  These two men's diets remind me of a character on the movie called Devil Wears Prada.  This lady claims to be on a no food diet.  However, when this woman feels faintly, she eats a cube of cheese.  I see a connection between this character and Tub.  Later, there rare hurt feelings, gossip, and a big fight.  These men, at first, are characterized as the typical group of men, but are found to be how most people envision women.

"Othello": Does Othello Truly Love Desdemona?

      As I finish the horribly tragic tale, Othello by William Shakespeare, I mull over the motif of Othello love. Throughout the beginning of the work, Othello's love for Desdemona seems to be strong and true.  However, when Iago fibs of Desdemona's unfaithfulness, Othello love is put to the test.  Many times does Othello deny this rumor or Desdemona's encounters with Cassio because of their pure, undying love for each other.  It is not until Iago present proof, that Othello undergoes a complete change, and suddenly wishes to kill his beloved.  I believe that it is because Othello loves Desdemona so much that he is hurt to the point where he cannot fully comprehend his wife's adultery.  Even as he is about to murder Desdemona, he commands her to say her prayers because he "...would not kill thy unprepared spirit" (IV.ii.33).  Then, after he takes his beloved's life, Othello is completely beside himself.  Because he loathes himself for not believing Desdemona and eventually kills her, Othello ends up taking his own life.

"Othello": Dramatic Irony

     Woah, Woah! Did Othello really just brutally strangle his beloved Desdemona?  In William Shakespeare's Othello, the mighty Moorish general becomes a slave to his Lieutenant's deception and murders the love of his life, Desdemona.  With the audience being aware of Desdemona's faithfulness, while Othello is not, dramatic irony takes its toll on the story line of the play.  The literary device allows the reader the have complete knowledge of Iago's sneaky manipulations and see the full truths and intentions of the characters.  If this literature did not involve dramatic irony, Cassio would have never been fired, Desdemona would not have been suspected of adultery, and Othello would not have killed his wife.  Basically, there would be no need for Iago, but also, no real story.  With the main characters thinking
"...Iago is most honest", the plot line is unwoven (Shakespeare, II.iii.7).  Because there is dramatic irony, a brilliantly chaotic plot is displayed, making Othello, Othello.

"Othello": Emilia being a Dynamic Character

       I near the end of the classic literature, Othello by William Shakespeare, I now claim a sense of respect and admiration towards  Emilia, the once obedient wife of Iago.  Before learning of her husband's deceitful plans, Emilia, although not exactly appreciated by Iago,  would parade submissively around him, satisfying his  every need.  In greater depth, without much of an explanation, Emilia willingly steals her best friend's handkerchief under the command of her husband.  Little did Emilia know, this simple action would set into motion a plan to kill her dear friend, Desdemona.  Upon hearing of Iago's evil deception of Othello, Emilia wishes "...His pernicious soul rot half a grain a day" (IV.ii.168).  It is at this point that the readers can detect a change in Emilia's character.  Emilia's faithfulness is quickly replaced by a new, fierce hatred.  This dynamic character reveals the truth evil of Iago to Othello.  Hopefully, Othello's new knowledge of Iago will make for a not so tragedy end to the tale.