Lady Macbeth is a total creep.
What are the witches planning at the beginning of the act?
They are planning to meet Macbeth on the heath before sunset after the battle is over. They want to tell him about something and allude to it and say together, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air,” meaning that all is not what all seems.
What happened to the original Thane of Cawdor and why did he lose his title?
The original Thane of Cawdor was a traitor who fought with the Norwegian army against the Scots. He and the Norwegians lost, and as soon as Duncan, King of Scotland, finds out about it, revokes his title and gives it Macbeth, the present Thane of Glamis.
How do the witches greet Macbeth after the battle? Why?
They greet him with “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee,” (page 15). They do this because of his current status as the Than of Glamis, his soon to be title of Thane of Cawdor, and in the near future, the king of Scotland. I think that they are also slyly mocking him, knowing that they are influencing his fate.
What is the significance of Lady Macbeth's "unsex me" scene?
Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to become the King of Scotland through the murder of Duncan. By saying “unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty,” (page 31), she wants to be rid of any feminine emotion such as gentleness and love and replace them with cruelty and ambition. This is to ensure that when the time comes to kill Duncan, she will not waver.
love&peace&everythingelsegood, Maria(:
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
1. What are the witches planning at the beginning of the act?
At the beginning of the act they are talking about how they need to meet up with Macbeth, they don’t specify a reason but one can imagine they have some problem that they need to sort out with him. Then when they see Macbeth the witches start hailing him and calling him the Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor I believe this is foreshadowing events to come.
2. What happened to the original Thane of Cawdor and why did he lose his title?
During the battle with the Norwegians the original Thane of Cawdor lost his title by betraying his own people and switching to the opposing side. But in the end the people he betrayed ended up defeating the Norwegians.
3. What is the significance of Lady Macbeth's "unsex me" scene?
Lady Macbeth wants to have the same opportunity for power as a man does. So she is thrilled to find out that Macbeth is going to be thane of Cawdor because this means that she can use him to gain power and have Macbeth kill Duncan
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Native Son Book 3 Q&A ---- TAKE 2
Soooooooo here are the Q&A for questions 2 and 3. Enjoy!
**What two incidents in the novel indicate that the author believes that the psychiatric profession (anything doing with the mind) has contributed to racism?
Bigger being put into a cell with a ranting black man believed to be insane is a clear example of how the psychiatric profession has contributed to racism. The man shouts, “You’re afraid of me! That’s why you put me in here,” (page 344). I believe that this alludes to how the white people are also afraid of Bigger; if he raped and killed two women, one of them even being African American like himself, then he is capable of committing more heinous. The white public views him as a dangerous beast devoid of feeling and thought.
That newspapers are publishing what psychologists are saying about Bigger and the African American race as a whole is an example of how the media tries to persuade the public. If many doctors are saying that all African American men cannot help but want to take advantage of white women, people are going to believe them. These psychologists have a higher rank than newspapermen and “ordinary” citizens, and the media knows that they command more respect from and is able to influence people.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Maria(:
Why does Bigger attack Reverend Hammond and discard the cross Hammond has given to him?
Bigger says that the preacher has “the old voice of his mother telling of suffering, of hope, of love beyond this world. And he loathed it because it made him feel as condemned and guilty as the voice of those who hated him.” I think Bigger has reflected on Mary’s murder and consequently feels so ashamed that he doesn’t want to face his end and meet the hope and love of heaven that devout Christians such as Reverend Hammond and his mother believe in. Later, Bigger slams his cell door in Hammond’s face and throws away the cross because he saw a burning cross, a symbol of the white people’s hatred for him. Because of this, Bigger associates crosses with hatred, oppression, and racism.
Bigger says that the preacher has “the old voice of his mother telling of suffering, of hope, of love beyond this world. And he loathed it because it made him feel as condemned and guilty as the voice of those who hated him.” I think Bigger has reflected on Mary’s murder and consequently feels so ashamed that he doesn’t want to face his end and meet the hope and love of heaven that devout Christians such as Reverend Hammond and his mother believe in. Later, Bigger slams his cell door in Hammond’s face and throws away the cross because he saw a burning cross, a symbol of the white people’s hatred for him. Because of this, Bigger associates crosses with hatred, oppression, and racism.
**What two incidents in the novel indicate that the author believes that the psychiatric profession (anything doing with the mind) has contributed to racism?
Bigger being put into a cell with a ranting black man believed to be insane is a clear example of how the psychiatric profession has contributed to racism. The man shouts, “You’re afraid of me! That’s why you put me in here,” (page 344). I believe that this alludes to how the white people are also afraid of Bigger; if he raped and killed two women, one of them even being African American like himself, then he is capable of committing more heinous. The white public views him as a dangerous beast devoid of feeling and thought.
That newspapers are publishing what psychologists are saying about Bigger and the African American race as a whole is an example of how the media tries to persuade the public. If many doctors are saying that all African American men cannot help but want to take advantage of white women, people are going to believe them. These psychologists have a higher rank than newspapermen and “ordinary” citizens, and the media knows that they command more respect from and is able to influence people.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Maria(:
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
blog questions for this week 1/18/11
1.) He starts depending on Mr. Max to save his life. Mr. Max believes in him and can see that Max wants to help him. Max understands oppression because he is a Jew so Bigger starts to trust Max . “Max was somewhere behind him, lost in the crowd. It was then that he felt more deeply then ever what Max had grown to mean to him. He was defenseless now.” Jan is not mad at Bigger about killing Mary and he starts to understand why he did it.
2.) Bigger gets angry with the reverend because he keeps telling Bigger to pray and believe in god and he will be saved and Bigger is not a religious person. Bigger doesn’t like the fact that people are being religious around him. “ ‘only god can help you know, boy. You’d better get your soul right!’ ‘I ain’t got no soul!’ “
xoxoxo rachel
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Native Son, Book 3 Blog Q&A
Here's my Q&A for the first blog question of Book 3 of Native Son!
What are some of the reasons that Bigger begins to trust Jan and Boris Max?
Bigger begins to trust Jan and Max because they begin to understand Bigger’s feelings and thought process. Jan has a rather long dialogue in which he proves to Bigger and the readers that he begins to understand why Bigger killed Mary. He even states that he thinks the entire murder stemmed from him, that it was his fault. This shows that Jan is starting to comprehend how Bigger thinks – how Bigger has been raised to think by the white oppression. Jan says that Mary’s death “taught [him] that it’s [Bigger’s] right to hate [him],” and that Bigger “couldn’t do anything else but that,” (Wright, 288).
Bigger begins to trust Max because he gives Bigger a shred of hope that he can win, not only in his trial, but also against himself. Max is similar to Bigger in that he is also oppressed by the white majority because he is Jewish and a member of the Communist party. However, he goes to pretty extreme lengths to try and make the public understand the true cause of Mary’s murder. While doing so, he also gives Bigger a chance to sort of vindicate himself, because during this time in the novel, Bigger feels ashamed of himself and feels guilty. While Max explains Bigger’s background and situation to the public, he is also explaining it to Bigger, and this allows Bigger a chance to release his guilt.
--Maria(:
What are some of the reasons that Bigger begins to trust Jan and Boris Max?
Bigger begins to trust Jan and Max because they begin to understand Bigger’s feelings and thought process. Jan has a rather long dialogue in which he proves to Bigger and the readers that he begins to understand why Bigger killed Mary. He even states that he thinks the entire murder stemmed from him, that it was his fault. This shows that Jan is starting to comprehend how Bigger thinks – how Bigger has been raised to think by the white oppression. Jan says that Mary’s death “taught [him] that it’s [Bigger’s] right to hate [him],” and that Bigger “couldn’t do anything else but that,” (Wright, 288).
Bigger begins to trust Max because he gives Bigger a shred of hope that he can win, not only in his trial, but also against himself. Max is similar to Bigger in that he is also oppressed by the white majority because he is Jewish and a member of the Communist party. However, he goes to pretty extreme lengths to try and make the public understand the true cause of Mary’s murder. While doing so, he also gives Bigger a chance to sort of vindicate himself, because during this time in the novel, Bigger feels ashamed of himself and feels guilty. While Max explains Bigger’s background and situation to the public, he is also explaining it to Bigger, and this allows Bigger a chance to release his guilt.
--Maria(:
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Native Son Book 2 Blog Q&A
Wow... I totally forgot to post these!
Bessie works at a nine to five pace as the housekeeper in the home of a white family. After work, she buys alcohol and gets drunk to escape her life. Because she doesn’t make enough money to buy enough alcohol to get drunk, Bessie relies on Bigger to buy her alcohol. In exchange for alcohol, Bessie agrees to have sex with Bigger. Bessie is unable to hope for a better life because she is black and does not have many options for jobs which, if she takes, she is able to provide for herself.
Describe the way Bigger is hunted down after he has fled the Dalton home. How would this manhunt have been different if Bigger were white?
The police allow volunteers, mostly white people but also a few black people, to hunt Bigger down. They essentially swarm Chicago, looking in all buildings to find Bigger. Each morning, the newspaper publishes a picture with the area that the volunteers have covered and the shrinking “safe area” that Bigger has. This occurs 24/7; they are searching for him day and night to find him. Bigger is also black, so he doesn’t have a large area to hide, because the black people are segregated and clustered into a small area to live, and even the people living in the Black Belt are terrified and would turn up Bigger to the police. If Bigger were white, I don’t think that the police or the volunteers would be so eager to search for him.
Mr. Dalton's private investigator, Mr. Britten, alternately expresses his hatred of African Americans and of Communists. After he interrogates Bigger, Bigger thinks to himself that "Mr. Britten was familiar to him; he had met a thousand Brittens in his life." What is it about Mr. Britten's thinking that makes him so easy for Bigger to understand, and how does Bigger intend to use Mr. Britten's prejudices to his own advantage?
Mr. Britten is not like Mr. Dalton, who has no prejudice against African Americans. Bigger understands his way of thinking because that is what he (Bigger) has grown up experiencing. Every white person that he has met before working for the Daltons has prejudices against African Americans. Bigger has formed a stereotype of white people, and Mr. Britten is no exception to this stereotype. Mr. Britten thinks that all African Americans are stupid and not at the level of whites. Because of this, he does not think that Bigger is capable of killing Mary Dalton. Bigger realizes this and intends to use it to his own advantage by making it seem like Jan, a known Communist, killed Mary. Bigger wants to blame the death of Mary on Jan and his Communist friends.
hugs&kisses, Maria(:
Native Son Book Two Blog Q&A
Describe some of the many ways in which Bessie Mears, Bigger's girlfriend, is trapped in a life that is not of her own choosing (use concrete details).Bessie works at a nine to five pace as the housekeeper in the home of a white family. After work, she buys alcohol and gets drunk to escape her life. Because she doesn’t make enough money to buy enough alcohol to get drunk, Bessie relies on Bigger to buy her alcohol. In exchange for alcohol, Bessie agrees to have sex with Bigger. Bessie is unable to hope for a better life because she is black and does not have many options for jobs which, if she takes, she is able to provide for herself.
Describe the way Bigger is hunted down after he has fled the Dalton home. How would this manhunt have been different if Bigger were white?
The police allow volunteers, mostly white people but also a few black people, to hunt Bigger down. They essentially swarm Chicago, looking in all buildings to find Bigger. Each morning, the newspaper publishes a picture with the area that the volunteers have covered and the shrinking “safe area” that Bigger has. This occurs 24/7; they are searching for him day and night to find him. Bigger is also black, so he doesn’t have a large area to hide, because the black people are segregated and clustered into a small area to live, and even the people living in the Black Belt are terrified and would turn up Bigger to the police. If Bigger were white, I don’t think that the police or the volunteers would be so eager to search for him.
Mr. Dalton's private investigator, Mr. Britten, alternately expresses his hatred of African Americans and of Communists. After he interrogates Bigger, Bigger thinks to himself that "Mr. Britten was familiar to him; he had met a thousand Brittens in his life." What is it about Mr. Britten's thinking that makes him so easy for Bigger to understand, and how does Bigger intend to use Mr. Britten's prejudices to his own advantage?
Mr. Britten is not like Mr. Dalton, who has no prejudice against African Americans. Bigger understands his way of thinking because that is what he (Bigger) has grown up experiencing. Every white person that he has met before working for the Daltons has prejudices against African Americans. Bigger has formed a stereotype of white people, and Mr. Britten is no exception to this stereotype. Mr. Britten thinks that all African Americans are stupid and not at the level of whites. Because of this, he does not think that Bigger is capable of killing Mary Dalton. Bigger realizes this and intends to use it to his own advantage by making it seem like Jan, a known Communist, killed Mary. Bigger wants to blame the death of Mary on Jan and his Communist friends.
hugs&kisses, Maria(:
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