Week 7 - Fair is foul and foul is fair...

Your task: Watch this short clip of Act I, scene i from Macbeth. (There are actually lots of great Macbeth video clips on YouTube. Some are even school projects by other high school students.) Does this video clip portray the witches as you had imagined them? Is there another video that does a better job? Or had you pictured something entirely different as you read about the witches in the beginning of the play? Watch the video, create your own post about your idea for the witches, and comment on another post by Monday, April 6. Have fun! Fair is foul and foul is fair....

macbeth

statment one: i agree that everyone can make their own destiney but i also believe that your destiny is planned out in gods eyes. you can make disicons to alter your life but god knows exactly what you are going to do and when

statment two: when you set a goal it should be something you really want to reach so if you work really hard then you will feel great when you reach that goal. some goals are not possible for instance if someone in a wheel chair wants to be the fastest runner he would have to work much harder and would feel better when he is done.

Statement one:YES
Statement two: NO

I believe firmly that everyone "makes" their own destiny, they themselves design it. It is the individual who chooses their way of perceiving the world which ultimately leads that individual into making the choices that effect their future. If you choose to believe that you have no control, you wont, but it was you who made it so. "If you say you can't then you can't, but if you say you can that is also true" -Henry Ford.

The ends do not always justify the means, Ive seen, heard, and read of people who do horrible/terrible things in the name of a "justifiable" objective... That statement just isn't true.

Macbeth

As Wilson put it in our discussion - the ultimate question of Christianity is how God can be all knowing, yet still give us a choice. In a way, our lives are planned out, because God knows exactly how they will all end and what will happen between now and then. At the same time, as much as the explanation of this eludes me, we are given the gift of choosing what desicions we'll make. As far as the second question goes - I think that if you reach your goal, but you did it by compromising your values, then it's not worth it. The end does not justify the means.

i think God has everything planned out for each person. He knows everything that a person will do before he or she does it. I think that the choices we make are because God allows them. He has programed everyone to do certain things or think certain things which determines our goals, so when you thin about it everything is already decided and planned out for you. It is just a matter of trusting God with your life and listening to Him for guidance and instruction.

Destiny

I think everyone's future is already planned out for them. They have the choice on how to act and react in every situation but I still believe that is already known. With the end picture, each individual decides their own destiny. If you look you know how things will end the path just may be different then you pictured.

I believe that God has everyone's life planned out for how he wants it. I know that my life is in God hands, and I trust in that! I think that everything happens for a reason and that is in His control. I believe that if we trust in God, that in the end we will be happy, because without Him it would be hard to find happiness.

Macbeth

I think everything is already planned out for you, if it is meant to work out it will. I think God just has everything taken care of and thats perfectly fine with me. I don't know about the second one, im undecided. I am looking foward to reading it Macbeth though.

Macbeth

You are the maker of your own destiny...
I believe this is true, i don't really believe in fate. I think that each decision you make and every action you take changes the course of events in your life. When you are faced with a problem and you look at the options and choose your next course of action, this effects the next thing that happens to you. Therefore, you are deciding how your life turns out. You call the plays in life... Your decisions can make or break you.

death of a salesman

I think old willy is a bit different,i think his job is the thing that is driving him crazy.I think it hurts him not to be around his family a lot. He wants the best for his sons, he shows it when he tells Biff to ask for 15,000 instead of 10,000. he wants his sons to be successful. I did get confused sometimes during the movies, with all the flashbacks though.

Week 6 - Macbeth

We'll soon be reading one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies, Macbeth. Before we start reading, I want to hear your ideas on some of the themes found in Macbeth. In this week's post, please respond to the following two statements. Tell us if you agree or disagree and explain why. Also, don't forget to comment on a classmate's post as well. This needs to be finished by Monday, March 30 at 8 a.m.

Statement 1: You are the maker of your own destiny.
Statement 2: If you reach your goal, the end always justifies the means.

We now welcome Angry, Happy, Confused, and Fib.

For me Willy seems to just be a man who really wants his dream to come through, and is determined to make it happen no matter the consequences, but it is just not falling through. Linda Loman just wants her family to have the good normal life, but is ashamed of all the flaws that her family has and tries to just ignore them. Example being when she was too embarresed to talk to Willy about trying to kill himself. Happy just seems to be trying to make everyone get along. I would almost go as far as saying that he really doesn't have a mind of his own. He just wants to make his dad proud by following the wrong footsteps. Then there is Biff, through all this, it seems as though Biff is the only real sane one in the house. He begins to think things through and knows that Willy has become a little too crazy to be basing his ideals around him. I see him having a more succesful/happy life than any of the others.

CD

death of a salsmen the charactes

willie loman seems to me to be a fruit cake. i undersand he is old but honestly he is so rediculous. he over emphasizes everything. biff tryed to understand his dad but i believe he had a hard time and thats why they never really get along. happy was as his name says happy. all the time he is allways smiling and trying to cheer people up. but he has his weakness as most teen boys and a little older,Girls. happy loves his dad but he turned his dad away for a girl. as for charlie he is a good neighbor he is allways there to help willie in his time of need. i wish i could have seen how the movie ended but i have my idea.

Willy and His Family

I have to agree with everyone else who's already posted: I don't like Willy Loman. He's so self-centered and prideful. He doesn't care about what his kids want or need, either - he just wants to live his own dreams through them. He won't listen to reason, even when it comes from his wife. He can't stand it if he's not the best, so he pushes reality farther and farther away, until he actually believes that he's well-liked and a great salesman. Happy is much like his father in his people-pleaser personality, but Biff seems to have the same understanding that things cannot go on the way Willy wanted them to. I feel sorry for Linda because of the way she's treated by both Willy and her boys, even though she seems to like being in the dark most of the time. I think Biff, despite his past experiences and his poor relationship with his father, will be successful in life. He may not have all the money in the world, but he'll be successful because he'll be happy. All in all, the movie was a little slow getting started, but I enjoyed it more and more as it progressed. It definitely fits into our American Dream theme very well.

To Die the Death of a Salesman...

It seems as though that's what Willy wanted after all: to die the death of a salesman. He wanted to be so loved and respected that, when he died, there would be countless people at his funeral, just like at that 84-year-old's funeral. I guess, in a way, he did die the death of a salesman, driving somewhere in his car--though it's more of a suicide than anyone else. I feel like I should pity him for the miserable life he lived, especially at the end, when all of his dreams wrenched themselves out of his grasp just before they could be realized. But, no, I can't pity him. He worked too hard to deceive himself and others, so much so that he couldn't even tell his lies from the truth, and he took his guilt out on everyone else.

I see Hap in almost the same way--he's a self-deceiver to the core, and I'm sure it will lead him to nearly the same end as his father. On the other hand, I have fairly high hopes for Biff and Linda. Linda may have had her head in the sand a lot of the time, but she wasn't really the one to bury it there, and she may yet have the chance to be happy. I'm almost certain that Biff will, because he's found out who he is and what he's going to do it, and he is no longer going to compromise it to please anyone. Biff will be a strong man after all.

Death of a Salesman

I thought this movie was pretty good for the most part. I didn't like Willy. All he did was yell thorughout the entire movie. He was extremely rude to his wife and his two boys. I think Linda thinks too highly of her husband because all she did was stick up for him whenever he treated his boys bad. I also thought Willy was very selfish because all he cared about was himself. He wanted to have the perfect job and make a lot of money to make him happy.

Death of a Salesman

I don't like Willy at all because he is cruel to his family and has too much pride to take a job when he really needs one. Linda, his wife, tries to overlook things that he does cause she thinks of him so highly. Happy is annoying; he doesn't care about his family and he likes women even though he is supposed to be getting married. Biff tried to keep everyone together and is the one that will make something of himself cause he will do something that he loves. I didn't really like it.

I personally don't Willy or his wife... I feel Willy is a dillusional and hateful man who cares about nothing except his fasade... And his wife is clueless!!! its rediculous. I don't like Happy because he's a lier and a womenizer. I do like Ben, even though we just get glimpses of him. Biff is the only other characture i like, because he is who he is and he isnt afraid to face himself... The movie is a mind twist, i liked the ending but the start was slow. :)

my dreams

Well i hope to do what most everyone else wants to do at this point. I want to go to college for the next four years and get a good job doing something i love. I would LOVE to travel the world and meet people along the way. i hope to live here all my life but have a summer home in san juan island in Washington so i can see the orcas. i want to do things i would never otherwise do like off of yesman. (good movie) i want to be happy.

Week 5 - Death of a Salesman

For your next post, I want to read your thoughts about the characters in Death of a Salesman. What do you think of Willy Loman? What about the rest of his family? Do you think they are sympathetic characters? Likable? Really, I'm just asking for your supported opinions about the characters. Also, be sure to COMMENT on someone else's post. This is due by Monday, March 23, at 8:00 a.m. Have fun!

When i Close my Eyes

Dreams... my dreams... I have many, I've always wanted to be in the field of archeology (sense i was eight years old). I want to travel the world, see it all. I want to meet people of different cultures and beliefs... I believe it helps on the road to enlightenment. I want to grow into a good person and stand strongly in my ways, but always keep an open mind... I can't remember if i already wrote about this topic or not, but i want the grade so i thought i would do it just in case. :)

My Dreams!

I have a lot of big dreams. first off i am planning to attend OTC when i graduate highschool. then i want to tansfer to a 4yr college and get a degree in nursing or maybe become a radiologist. i want to get married and someday have two kids, maybe three. i want to be a good wife and mother. someday i want to travel the world and take a ton of pictures of everywhere i go.

Repair and Restore

Ok, so I have a lot of dreams for the future, but I'm not sure how many of them will actually become reality. I know God's given me a heart for mission work for some reason or another. Sometimes, my dreams of missions in Africa consist of these beautiful pictures of stirring a pot over an open fire with a black baby tied to my back and fuzzy-headed toddlers wrestling with their "Daddy" in the yard. Then, I'm reminded of the three d's - dirt, disease, and death - and I pretty much say, "Omgosh - God, I don't think I can do that." Whether or not full-time mission work is in my future, I know that the medical field is calling my name. I also know that wherever God sends me, He will provide. All I have to do is obey, and God even helps with that. In Isaiah 58:10-12 He says, "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness . . . The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail . . . You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings." Whether it be a broken bone or a broken heart in America or Africa, my dream in a nutshell is to repair and restore.

My Dream

i have many dreams. i want to first get through high school and move on to college. Past that i want to have a family and be in a position to just be happy with life. i want to have a job that i love and that i can think of as something fun instead of a job. i dream about things being better for my kids. things such as the economy and schooling. i want them to have every opportunity to make the best they can of themselves. i guess most of my dream seems alot like the typical american dream, but i honestly am not to worried about the whole apparance of perfection. i just want to end up being happy.

my dream

My dream may be somewhat boring, and I know that I'll probably be thought of as someone who conformed to the world, but I really think that God gave me a brain for a reason, and it would be a shame not to use it. I want to be a chemical engineer and either work for oil and gas to develop alternative fuels or work in the medical field in research and development. I hate to sound like a materialist, but I still want a nice house, and be able to afford the things I want. Too many times we dream about what we want to do without taking the necessary steps to accomplish those dreams. I would love to say I want to live like Emerson and Thoreau and live the penniless, hippy life, but that doesn't fit my perception of my American Dream. I think dear old Walt Whitman said it best:

OH ME! O life! of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities filled with the foolish, Of myself forever reproaching, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?) Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renewed, Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me, Of the empty and useless years of the rest, and with the rest me, intertwined, Q: O me! so sad, recurring - what good amid these, O me O life?
Answer: That you are here - that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and YOU may contribute a verse.

My Dreams Are Ribbons, and I Sleep in the Breeze

I love words, love stringing them together and waving them around like ribbon, rolling in them like water and throwing them like rain, but sometimes I'm afraid I'll break them somehow. It's been my dream for a very long time to be a writer of books, fantasies, but I worry that I'll never be able to finish them. I never seem to be able to finish anything storywise.

Sometimes I look at the life I want to lead, and I see an exciting life full of adventures, things like bungee-jumping and sky-diving and mountain climbing. Other times I see myself sitting on the porch in one of those hammock-type swings, watching my little children play in the light of a golden afternoon. Then sometimes I see myself as a foster mom, teaching my foster kids how to make pots and write poetry and cook, showing them what a mom is supposed to be like (though how I'll know is really beyond me). How could I have such different dreams for myself? The only thing the same in any of them, the thread that runs through them all, is that I'm a writer.

I do wonder if I'll really ever be a good writer, or if I'll end up doing something else. I look at the few stories I've completed, and I'm not satisfied -- in fact, I worry sometimes that I'll be one of those people who can't write, but nevertheless decides it would be a lovely idea to publish a book, or a series of books. I hope not.

It's okay, though. Dreams to me are like water and air to other people -- they are my sustenance, and I thrive on them. But if they can only ever be dreams, at least they'll be my dreams, and that's enough for me.

Catching Dreams and Chasing Butterflies.

First of all I would like to say that I like this week's topic, It really got me thinking.

As a child I had the mind-set that anything at all was possible and the confidence to prove this to anyone. Then I began thinking of some of my childhood dreams...

The first of my dreams that I can remember was my dream of being an artist. From an early age, I have always been fascinated with drawing, writing, singing, painting, and pretty much anything to do with creativity.
The next dream I can remember was my dream of becoming a dolphin trainer. Dolphins were and still are, my favorite animal. I always wanted to see the ocean one day, and last May I finally got to do so. Although I highly doubt I will ever be a dolphin trainer, one day I would like to become SCUBA certified.
Another of my childhood dreams was to be a musician and to sing in front of crowds. I now have terrible stage fright. But I still love to sing. Mostly in the shower or when i'm alone in my car, and I'll keep it at that for now.
I have always wanted to travel, so this brings me to my next dream of traveling the world. I want to see things that most people never get the chance to see and experience things most people don't, and finally encounter people that most won't. I am a writer and have been for as long as I can recall. As I travel the world, I want to write about my travels and someday share them with a family of my own.
Which leads me to one of my more recent dreams of becoming a published author. As I said previously, writing is a large component in my life and one of my favorite things to do in my free time.
The list could go on but to name a few more, I want to make a difference, make my parents proud, find joy in life, and someday hopefully become a mother as incredible as my own. As the years have passed, my dreams have obviously evolved and have become somewhat more realistic. Although those dreams of becoming a dolphin trainer or a proffessional musician may never happen, bits and pieces of those dreams still desire to be lived inside me today. So for now, I will keep doodling in the corners of my paper, singing in my car, and chasing my dreams!

Thnks for reading all!

Daydream Believer and a Homecoming QueeeEEEeen

My dream ohh. my dream. Where do I start. I dont even know where start. There are just so many subjects that I would want to discuss. Lets see... my dream. Just thinking about what I want to actually write down is funfilled. Ohh.. boy this is gonna be good. Man, what to say for my dream... I want to live.

my dream

My dream is to have a nice house, not nessesarly a big house, but a nice one, a big family and and a great job were i can be happy every day. dreams can come true if you really believe. i have allways been told that and i will allways believe. but what is a dream though? a dream could be something when you sleep or what you want in the future so what really is a dream?

My Dreams

I have many dreams, I want to accomplish. I want to attend college in the future and have a good career. I want to get a good job and start a good life. I want to start a family in the future but not right away and maybe have a kid or two but thats to long of a ways to think about. Im still unsure what I want to major in, but i have a bit of a while to think about that since the first two years are just core classes anyways.

Poem

I think old Edgar Poe's poem is talking about his dream of being with someone you love. I think he is about to lose, or already lost his love of his life. He talks about how he used to kiss her upon her brow and how he is parting from her now. That is what im getting from the poem but I could have been interperting it wrong.

My Dream

My dream is almost going to come true. Ever since my brother went to MSU (at that time SMS) I knew that's where I wanted to go. So this fall I will be attending MSU and I plan to graduate with a major in Fashion Merchandising with a minor in Business. After I graduate I plan to open my own fashion boutique and sell high-end apparel. All my life I've loved fashion, and I can't wait for my dream to come true.

My Dreams... hrmmmm.

My dreams are simple, i want to travel the world with only the clothing on my back, well maybe a backpack of assortments. I want to be happy and free. I want to join the peace core and go to south america or inda to help people in need. I want to learn how to tattoo, blow/eat fire, and maybe go to college. I want to see the world change for the better and be apart of that change. I want to die young, at the ripe old age of 45. I want to stop crulity in general. I want to see a billion + different smileing faces. My dreams are simple.

Week 4 - YOUR Dreams

So we've spent lots of time writing and talking about the American Dream in the context of history and of literature. Now I want you to spend some time reflecting your own personal dreams. As we near the last quarter of your senior year, what are YOUR dreams? For the next few months? For life after high school?

Who knows? Someday we might be reading your short stories or talking about your historical speeches!

Your task: Create your post about your own dream and comment on at least one other post by Monday, March 9. Have fun!

Mrs. W

i hear america singing

this poem makes me think about all the people in all the different professions that it talks about. in each one it seems as though they are happy with their life and profession. i think this would be ideal. today it seems as though many people have the jobs they have because of the money. and i think alot of the time people end up quitting because they realize money cant buy everything. and without any kind of income they end up even more unhappy. i recently went through the dave ramsey financial peace study for an other class and he talked about getting a job that fits you. something that blends everything about you. something that fits you personally. he also talked about not letting money be the only reason that you are a certain profession. i think that this poem talks about the people that have taken a job because it is want they want. it seems like they are all happy with their lifes.

The Great Gatsby

i thought this movie went along with what most people have been saying about "The American Dream" the characters in the movie seemed like many people that i know today. daisy seemed to be very fake. she seemed as if she was only in her marriage for money and security. Tom was a bully to just about everyone. It seems as though his wealth had gone to his head and he felt he could do anything because he had money..even cheat on his wife. i thought Jordan was a liar. she was good at golf but not as good as she put off. she constantly cheated to make herself get ahead. Gatsby just wanted to fit in. he always hosted parties but he never attended them. i think that he was all about people thinking that he was this nice social guy but he never really got out there enough to meet or know people. i think nick was my favorite character in the whole movie. he seemed the most real out of all of them. he tried to be honest about everything even though he instigated the whole love affair between daisy and Gatsby.

I, Too, Sing America

I've read this poem before, and I loved it then -- it is, in fact, one of my favorite poems. This poem, obviously, talks about the dream of equality, not just a hope, but a fierce hope, almost an expression of certainty. I get little chills every time I read it, and some day it'll be way more true than it even is now.

The Great Gatsby -- Finally!

I didn't like Daisy very much. She seemed fake and overly bright, like she really wasn't as happy as she said, and she didn't seem to care very much about other people. Her husband was just as bad, all unsophisticated and ignorant and just as careless as other people. Now her cousin, Nick, he was pretty nice, all gentle and kind and thoughtful, and I liked the mysterious Jay Gatsby too. That Myrtle so and so, the gas station man's wife, I didn't like her very much because she reminded me of creeping, strangling jungle vines, but I liked that Jordan girl because she was witty and sarcastic. I guess that makes three likable people and three not...

American Dream

Here's a song by Casting Crowns that is actually titled "American Dream":

All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy
But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul
But he's moving on full steam
He's chasing the American dream
And he's gonna give his family the finer things

Not this time son, I've no time to waste
Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play
Then he slips into his new BMW
And drives farther and farther and farther away

So he works all day and tries to sleep at night
He says things'll get better; better in time

Cause he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

His American Dream is beginning to seem
More and more like a nightmare with every passing day
"Daddy, can you come to my game?"
"Oh, Baby, please don't work late."
Another wasted weekend and they are slipping away

He used to say, "Who ever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end?
I'll take a shack on a rock over a castle in the sand

Now he works all day and cries alone at night
It's not getting any better; looks like he's running out of time

All they really wanted was You