Current Connection: Through a Looking Glass April 22, 2010

Runaway Child

1. a) On April 20th, the mother of teenager, Christopher Mabe, reported him to be missing after a yelling match about not attending school that day. At the height of the dispute, he grabbed the car keys and took off with the family car. Christopher, being only 14 years of age, doesn’t know how to drive and his mother fears that her son and other drivers may be in danger. This, however, is not the first time that he has runoff as there has other times where he had stolen the family car. Despite the fact that the car has been found, Christopher is still missing among the public.

b)

c) Title: Plant City teenager missing after stealing mom’s car

Author: Ty Wilson
Source: ABC Action News
(http://www.abcactionnews.com/content/news/local/hillsborough/east/story/christopher-mabe-plant-city-missing-runaway/wfcP2PdAcEGEnGZ7RpfAvw.cspx?rss=794)

2. Just by reading the article, it is easy to identify it’s connections with the Merchant of Venice, as it is easy to relate Christopher Mabe with Jessica, Shylock’s daughter. They both stole the processions of their parents and runaway. However, one may say that Jessica’s crime is more severe as she stole a majority of Shylock’s fortune, jewels and the ring of her dead mother. Also, when Jessica eloped with Lorenzo, she has developed a pretty deep hatred for her father, which silenced her guilty conscience, thus enabling her to take so much from him. This is similar to Christopher Mabe since he took off due to the frustration at his mother, although the feelings of hate may not have been as deep. In addition, being a 14 year old with not much experience driving, let alone a drivers license, is extremely dangerous to he, himself and those around him. Many accidents on the road happen when both drivers who are part of the accident have a driver’s license, so imagine how much danger Christopher may potentially be in. This, in some ways, is similar to Jessica’s case as the amount she took from Shylock can potentially ruin him in addition to the penalties from the trial. Jessica may not likely be harming as much people as Christopher, however, she is putting Shylock in severe economic, social and religious harm.

3. If your child ran away with your possessions, how would you react? What would you do to prevent it from happening again?

I commented on Janice and Hayley’s blog.

What’s MY Verdict?

The Merchant of Venice truly was a magnificent read. In the beginning, I expected it to be boring and tedious due to having trouble understanding the text in this writing style. However, with further reading and clarifications with Dr. George, the Merchant of Venice became intriguing with many subplots weaving into one giant theme and story, sprinkled with many literary jests.

My one of my favorite lines in the Merchant of Venice come from Act 5, Scene 1 (line 52-55), when Lorenzo is serenading Jessica with music. “How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit and let the sounds of music creep in our ears. Soft stillness and the night become touches of sweet harmony.” It may be an unusual choice and not as noted as the speeches given prior to the scene, however, the picture these lines give me is simply beautiful and the way Lorenzo is depicting them listening music on a bank at night draws me in. The verbs he uses to describe the music and the moonlight (“the moonlight sleeps” and “music creeps”) gives me a new impression about the connection between humans and music. All in all, these are my favorite lines throughout the play. As for my favorite part of the play, it is the trial scene. I find it extremely interesting how Portia changes sides in the middle of the scene and how the other characters react to that. When watching the live performance of this play, I remember feeling happy when Portia takes down Shylock and relieved for Antonio as he doesn’t have to die. It is really curious how Shakespeare manages to play around with the readers point of view throughout the course of the scene.

As we have discussed the topic of villain versus hero in class, we have come to discover that there is definite line between good and evil, as both these personas exist within us all. Starting off with Shylock, although he is constantly put down by the other characters and so many bad things have happened to him, I still think asking for someone’s pound of flesh to repay a debt is simply too much to ask for. However, I do think that Antonio brought the whole court case on to himself by initially accepting this outrageous bond from Shylock. Heroes are often fight for a purpose. A purpose that would motivate them to even sacrifice one’s own life in order to achieve happiness for another person. This can be seen as Antonio is willing to lay down his life to Bassanio by accepting this bond and the depth of their relationship is truly shown. This, at a certain level, can also be seen in Portia, as she donned a guise of a man and fought for his life despite the fact that she barely even knows him. However, through out the play, Portia is shown to be extremely racist as one can see when she met the Moroccan Prince. Furthermore, there is only one character I can’t find a good side to and that is Jessica. I think that she went overboard when she stole most of her father’s valuable processions and eloped. It was absolutely unnecessary for her to take that much, when after all, he is the man who created and raised her. All in all, I believe that the characters in the Merchant of Venice are all truly complex and cannot be simply be classified in the category of hero or villain.

“Hath Not a Jew’s Eyes?” vs. “Ain’t I a Woman?” (comparison) March 7, 2010

The speeches delivered by Shylock and Sojourner Truth various similar traits. First off, the purpose of both speeches fight against a certain type of prejudice. In Shylock’s speech, he speaks against anti-semitism. From line 52-60 (Act III Scene I), he tries to show that Jews are no different from Christians. As for Sojourner Truth’s speech, she speaks for women’s rights, showing that women are just as capable as men. Secondly, both speeches poses rhetorical questions, “Hath not a Jew eyes?” in Shylocks speech and “Ain’t I a Woman?” in Sojourner Truth’s. These speeches are relatable to To Kill a Mockingbird’s because the main theme of the novel is about prejudice against negroes.

Portia’s Date Baits March 5, 2010

Portia’s date baits rated from best to worst:

1. Prince of Naples:
The Neapolitan Prince would probably be best for he doesn’t have a major flaw. His only fault is his obsession with horses. This may be boring to Portia, however it shows that he is a kind, gentle and affectionate person.

2. Monsieur le Bon (French Lord):
I think that Monsieur le Bon would be second best for he too doesn’t have a major flaw, other than the fact that he is constantly trying to outdo others. However, I think that it would lead to a rather interesting life and Portia would never be bored with Monsieur le Bon as her husband.

3. Falconbridge (English Baron):
I would rate Falconbridge as third because he appears to be polite and well-mannered. However, his inability to be able to communicate with Portia would drive her crazy if he were to become her husband. She may find joy and laughter in his clothing and behavior.

4. Count Palatine:
According to Portia’s discription of Count Palatine, he appears to be a very negative person. This would be really bad for Portia, for she appears to have be quite lively and his pessimistic attitude would bring her down.

5. Scottish Lord:
I rate the Scottish Lord as fifth because he can cause harm to Portia in many ways. For one thing, he may beat her, which would be really harmful. Also, due to his debt, he would simply be using Portia to solve his financial problems.

6. Duke of Saxony’s Nephew:
The Duke of Saxony’s nephew is the worst because he is a constant drunkard. When intoxicated, he may harm Portia physically and mentally through verbal or physical abuse. Also, he may spend all of Portia’s fortunes on alcohol and unnecessary luxuries. Lastly, others may take advantage of his love for alcohol and make underhanded deals with him concerning Portia’s fortune.

Portia vs. Jessica (similarities and differences) March 3, 2010

Similarities:

-they both come from rich families

they both have affections for a man

Jessica is in love with Lorenzo and Portia appears to be in love with Bassanio

they are both restricted when it comes to love

Portia’s father takes away her power to choose her husband with the casket test

Shylock disapproves Jessica and Lorenzo’s relationship

they both don’t like their fathers

they are both against Judaism

Jessica is ashamed of being Jewish and wants to convert to Christianity

Portia appears to be quite rascist (Moroccan Prince) and is against Jews (fights against Shylock in court case)

Differences:

Jessica betrays her father (elopes and steals); Portia submits herself to her father’s will

Portia has a long line of admirers, where as Jessica only has Lorenzo

Jessica is Jewish; Portia is christian

Jessica is ashamed of her Jewish background; Portia is proud of her family

What humour are you? February 1, 2010

Over all the different types of “humours” in the Elizabethan days, my personallity is most comparable to Sanguine, which basically means “cheerfully optimistic”. This is a trait that I possess, for I am most often seen walking around with a wide a grin spread across my face. Another obvious reason as to why I am of the sanguine humour is because I am in my adolescent years, which is one of the factors to being one of this humour. As for appearance, I don’t think that I match any of the descriptions for any of the humours. This is because I am not thin, nor am I fat, but I am rather muscular. Also, I have a rather tan complexion, as opposed to being pink or pale. Moreover, character traits of the Sanguine humour is “fun-loving” and “amorous”, which, I think, are both words that represent me as a person. One of my favourite sayings is “carpe diem” or in other words seize the day. I like to try to live my days to the fullest, especially at parties and other social events, trying my best to seize every opportunity to have as much fun as possible. Also, one of my goals, as I go through high school, is to get to know and befriends as much people as possible. For friendship, is one thing that I truly value. With this as my goal, it is crucial to be amiable, which is something that strive to be each and every day. Therefore, for all the above reasons, I believe that if I had to be placed under one of these categories, it would be Sanguine.

Two Things I Know About “The Merchant of Venice” January 27, 2010

Two things I know about “The Merchant of Venice” are …

– it contains prejudice against Jews (Shylock)

-it deals with money issues