Looking For Alaka

The big question of Looking for Alaska was, was it suicide or just a pure accident.   I think it was suicide.  all the evidence points towards it but anyway lets start at the beginning.  Miles was a semi loser from California when he decided that he wanted to go to the same boarding school as his father.  When he got there he found out that his roommate was a smoker.  Before hand Miles' father told him that he better not smoke or drink.  Turns out he does both.  About he moved in him and his roommate, "The Colonel", went over to Alaska's place, a friend of the colonel.  Miles or "Pudge" was instantly in love... ...until he found out she was with somebody else already.  Anyway after a long while of bonding and rising action the crew which included; Pudge, The Colonel, Alaska, Takumi another freind of The Colonel, and Lara, Pudges "girlfriend" wanted to play a prank of the ages. As Pudge and Takumi lured The Eagle, the Principal of the school, out of his house with fireworks, The colonel and Alaska changed the grades of some of their enemies.  Also Lara buts blue dye in one of those enemies, or weekend warriors who don't stay at school during the weekends, hair gel.  After the full success of the prank Alaska and the colonel had a drink off.  Once Alaska was drunk she dared Miles to hook up with her. After they kissed Alaska said that this was to much for tonight but this would "To Be Continued".  After they fell asleep like halfway through the night Alaska woke up to answer the phone.  After the phone call Alaska rushed into the room and demanded for the car keys.  Wanting to please the enraged Alaska they complied and gave her the keys.  The only bad thing was, next morning she was found dead.

Of course Pudge and The colonel blamed themselves for the death, but also wanted to investigate since at the seen of the accident their were no skid marks just a straight line straight into the police car that she crashed into. Also Pudge was in love with her. After a long and winded attempt to find out if it was suicide they realized that during that phone call she was drawing a flower.  Which reminded her of her mother.  Which also reminded her that this was the day that her mother died.  Here is where the controversy is.  Some people think that she killed herself because she was mad at herself for not going to her mothers grave on her death date, especially since she blamed herself for her mothers death, she didn't help her while she was having a seizure, but she was a little kid.  But also the place of the accident was on the way to the cemetery he mother is buried at, and Alaska was hammered.  So do you think it was an accident or was it suicide...

On the Genealogy of Morals

Although many people think, the piece "On the Genealogy of Morals", is not written by Nietzsche alone.  It is also written by Mazzino Montinari and Giorgio Colli.  Montinari was an Italian scholar of Germanistics, including Nietzsche.  Colli was an Italian philosopher and studied much of the same things as Nietzsche.  In the prologue one of the authors talks about one of their imperfections.  He questioned where good and evil really originated.  He talked about introspection and how he thought of his question and his thoughts about himself.  He states how much humans are bad at introspecting.  Also a lot of this prologue is him asking himself questions as if he, himself, doesn't know what he is writing about.  so this prologue could have been by any of the three authors Nietzsche, Montinari, or Colli.

Life from the point of view of a stick.

A stick. It has veins and branches( previously removed for transport). Although it has all of the things we have to survive, branches are the limbs, dents are the imperfections(which are needed to live )and stress from others.  On a scientific level the stick is almost identical to the human. Only a small amount of its DNA is different from humans.  But yet sticks are so much different.  Do sticks sense things?  I think not. (Not positive though). But yet sticks are so amazing. They have their own limbs, but they might also be the limbs of others.  If you look at it really closely you can see how it grew.  You can see the bad years and the good years of its life.  You can see how it bent to get closer to the sun, like we move to get closer to our dreams.  But still do sticks have emotions? Can they feel pain.  Do they die? <emotionally.   You can see where it was growing before it failed. Failed to survive.  And through my perception this stick is just a stick.  It does not have life or have any effect on me.  But really it does.  Without this stick the world is less. The tree that is from was effected.  The air we breath is affected.  Everything in this entire world is effected.  Use your inductive reasoning.  With out the stick the tree has lost a limb.  Without a limb a tree has less leaves to produce oxygen with.  With less oxygen in the air, we are affected.  

Talking stick

What is your definition of a stick?

No sticks were harmed in the making of this transcendentalist poem/blog.

Night and Sleep, or Islam and Perception.

Night and Sleep is a philosophical piece of literature written by Rumi.  Jalal ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi was a Muslim that was born in present day Tajikistan.  The poem, which is called Night and Sleep, is supposedly about, well, Night and Sleep.  The way I perceived it was of a way of religion and possibly even about perception through the senses.  

Click the picture of Rumi for a link to a list of Rumi's quotes.

This is a very long video but watch it and you'll know Rumi's life, in detail.

This was the noted reading we did in class.  As you can see our perception was sided towards the religious meaning.  But also if you look closely you can see there was a ton of metaphors towards using perception/senses.  Also the way I look at it, the stanzas could be in the format of the Pillars of Islam.  The head has one true love could be talking about the praying part of the Pillars of Islam.  Love is for vanishing in the sky could be the pilgrimage pillar.  As you can see this poem could have been perceived in many different ways.  I have shown you my way of thinking, answer the poll below with your perception. 

Poll

Othello, the Beast With Two Backs.

Othello the moor ( person of the black skin) is the husband of Desdemona (and also her killer) and is the main character of the play "Othello", obviously.  The reason for this is that Othello thought that Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio, the Lieutenant.  This was Iago's plan so that he could get his "rightful" job.
In the end Othello kills Desdemona with a pillow.  He impressed his wife Desdemona by telling her about his adventures in life.  And (SPOILER ALERT) he kills himself when he finds out he killed the faithful Desdemona.

Click the Schmoop logo for a cool summary of the ending of Othello.

That video is from an actual performance of Othello.

And I know this has been used before and you should probably take points off for it but.

The Possible "Cheater", Cassio.

Iago, that squirrel I talked about last time, has the idea that Cassio is also attracted to Desdemona.  It might just be one of the "Iago" rumors, but it also might be true.  Some quotes like this one
"O behold […] You men of Cyprus, let her have your knees,
Hail to thee lady! And the grace of heaven,
Before, behind thee, and on every hand,
Enwheel thee round. (2.1.8)

That quote, from Cassio, shows his attraction towards Desdemona.  I'm not completely sure if that was just him being a gentleman or if that was for real.  Before that, Iago said he wanted to spread a rumor that Cassio was attracted to Desdemona so Othello would get mad and Iago would get the moor's job. If you read this Shmoop summary of him you might have some of the story spoiled for you, but it has some great content. (Click the picture for the link.)

Cassio in a new version of Othello.

Another Shmoop this one is a timeline of Cassio's role in Othello. P.S. Sorry I couldn't find another funny picture of Cassio. (Click the picture anyway.)

This video shows a great representation of both Cassio and Iago in Act III Scene 3.

 

Desdemona the Woman of Desire... I guess...

As all of you know by reading the title Desdemona is the one to be with in the Shakespearean days. She's the perfect woman, in beauty at least. Of course I am just assuming this because, in the play, she doesn't seem to show much trickery, but this could mean she's more trustworthy then anyone else in this arrangement.  She's not like Iago, that squirrel, and she's not like Roderigo, the desperate one.  In the picture below she is depicted like she is in the play. (I think she is pretty ugly.)

She is the one that is wanted by Roderigo, Othello(husband), and now recently, Cassio, the man that "stole" Iago's job, Lieutenant.  As you can tell she's at the center of the drama. She also ran away from her father for the moor, Othello. Timeline for Desdemona's life in Othello here.  That is a wonderful summary, but it is a large SPOILER ALERT.  

That video is hilariously true and very worth your watching.

Scroll down a bit in this link to find Desdemona's description by sparknotes.

Iago that Squirrel... Deceiving Squirrel.

Iago, as most of you know, is not the guy you want to be friends with. In fact if you were friends with him I would feel terribly sorry for you.  Iago is most definitely a squirrel, in a way.  He is a deceiver at heart and is the foil of Othello, the main character. Iago is no friend of Othello and will, squirrel him, for lack of better words.  He will get under his skin and get that job that he wanted so bad, Lieutenant.  But, of course, he did not get that job, in fact, he got the worst job he could have hoped for, flag-bearer. But, just as he deceived Roderigo, he will deceive Othello.

<--SPOILER ALERT

<-- Love this summary.

Watch out for Iago in this wonderful summary.

5	IAGO Though in the trade of war I have slain men, Yet do I hold it very stuff o' th' conscience To do no contrived murder. I lack iniquity Sometimes to do me service. Nine or ten times I had thought t' have yerked him here under the ribs.	(Act 1, Scene 2, lines 1-30).
	OTHELLO 'Tis better as it is.
10 15	IAGO     Nay, but he prated And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms Against your honor That, with the little godliness I have, I did full hard forbear him. But I pray you, sir, Are you fast married? Be assured of this: That the Magnifico is much beloved And hath in his effect a voice potential As double as the Duke’s. He will divorce you, Or put upon you what restraint and grievance The law (with all his might to enforce it on) Will give him cable.
20 25	OTHELLO     Let him do his spite. My services which I have done the signiory Shall out-tongue his complaints. 'Tis yet to know— Which, when I know that boasting is an honor, I shall promulgate. I fetch my life and being From men of royal siege, and my demerits May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune As this that I have reached. For know, Iago, But that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhousèd free condition Put into circumscription and confine For the sea’s worth. But look, what lights come yond?

The Seven Sided Life Of Liesel Meminger

The Seven Sided Die is a chapter in part 5 of the Book Thief.  I will be talking about the figurative meaning of each side.

Click the pictures of the dice for links.

The first side of the die in the book is about the haircut Liesel gave Max.  But of course this meant more than just cutting the of the hair.  It showed that Liesel was not afraid of failure and, in fact, accepted it. It also showed that Max trusted Liesel.

The second side of the die is about how Liesel brings newspapers to Max whenever she can, and if she can it makes her day.  This side of the die does not only represent the extreme friendship between Liesel and Max that no one really understands, it also shows Liesel's dedication to Max.

The Weather Man is when Liesel gives Max A weather forecast.  This reminds you that Max hasn't been outside for a long time and when Liesel comes back and tells max about the Weather He draws what Liesel said and makes a story about it.

The fourth side of the die is about Max fighting Hitler in his dreams.  Eventually Max fights back to Hitlers relentless punching and knocks Hitler over.  But, once Hitler got backup he told the crowd, which represents the citizens of Germany, that they need to help themselves by helping him destroy the Jewish Scum.  They then all come and punch him till he wakes up, or if he is daydreaming, snaps out of it.

The fifth side is just Max telling Liesel about his day dreaming.  Except Max tells her that he wins.

 This is where Liesel walks down the basement to see Mama, Papa, and Max painting over pages of Mein Kampf for Max's next book.  As far as I could tell this part didn't really have a figurative meaning.

This is the longest section of this chapter.  Liesel and Rosa lose their last customer, the Mayor.  The Mayors wife gives Liesel the book "The Whistler" and hopes it makes up for their loss. Unfortunately Liesel did not accept it.  Once Liesel reached the sign that said "STEINER-SCHNEIDER-MEISTER"   she decided to turn around and go back to the mayors house. She threw the Whistler back at the mayors wife's feet and then beats her up with words.  As she does this Liesel see's her brother's ghost, I guess that's what it was, and decided not to listen to him trying to get her to stop.