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A soliloquy is when a character reveals their thoughts and emotions to the audience without any characters on the stage hearing. A soliloquy is an effective way for authors to develop characters.

There are many different Hamlets because it allows the acotrs playing the character to imprint their own personality into the performance.

"To be or not to be" is such an iconic line and scene because it discusses the question of death and life, whether he would be better of dying or not. This relates with audiences as people struggle with themselves and question their worth and value.

I chose David Tennant's performance of the scene because he portrays a look of exhaustion, which turns in fear then realization, truly encapsulating the emotional volitality of the soliloquy

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Reflect on what resonated with you?What connections, if any, can you make with something from the Paper Menagerie.

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Reflect on what resonated with you?What connections, if any, can you make with something from the Paper Menagerie.

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Towards the end of the story, the mother regrets not being able to take care of her parents. This resonated with me as my mother went through something similar. She had spent the last few years in the UK getting her medical license to become a doctor. While away, she couldn't attend the church group that met every Sunday. When she returned to Canada recently, she found out that one of her friends had cancer. This friend had been coming by the house while she was away, bringing food and checking on me and my siblings. When my mom found out about the cancer, she bought communion wafers to share with her friend. The following Sunday, when she went to the hospital to share communion, the doctors informed her that her friend had died 15 minutes before. This deeply hurt my mother as she was confused about why her friend didn't tell her about her cancer, and she felt angry at herself for not getting there earlier. It hurt to see my mother in this state and led me to the conclusion that I should frequently check on those around me.

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Personal Response- Write about a time when your courage failed you. What happened? If you could go back in time and change it, what would you do differently (if anything)?

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Personal Response- Write about a time when your courage failed you. What happened? If you could go back in time and change it, what would you do differently (if anything)?

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I once approached a girl to get to know her and introduce myself, so I asked for her Snapchat after exchanging names and small talk. While I was asking her she said did not have one, I then asked for Instagram. She looked uncomfortable with the situation as it was very awkward, after this I said "never mind, have a good day.". This situation was embarrassing as my friends were watching and they teased me about it for months. Although I did not get her socials, I would still make the approach, if I went back in time. I think I could have attempted to keep a calmer demeanor and be more confident as I was very nervous. This situation helped me in general with learning how to talk, approach and interact with others.

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We discussed the overall themes of the book and the build-up to the tragic ending of Okonkwo. We highlighted Okonkwo's need for control in the book, which led to his plight. He could not handle the colonization of his clan and the stripping of their culture and values, which he held as the highest priority in his life. We accentuated the fact that Okonkwo remained the same throughout the whole book, and Nwoye became everything Okonkwo feared and disliked.

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Personal Prompt-Is discontent often the first step to action?

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Personal Prompt-Is discontent often the first step to action?

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Discontent is the first step toward action. If an individual is satisfied with their situation, they will try to keep it the same. A billionaire does not advocate for higher taxes after receiving tax cuts, nor does a lottery winner return the money after winning a jackpot. The human condition is to seek contentment and happiness, and this is the reason for protest and activism. During the civil rights movement, black people were discontent with their rights and the oppression they received; therefore, they protested, and in some cases, it led to violence to show the extent of their discontent.

Okonkwo was discontent with his father's character and reputation, so he took action to separate himself from his father's image. This led to him becoming the man he is in the book, as he strongly dislikes anything correlated with femininity. His favorite child is Ezinma because she displays masculine traits, which he puts a heavy emphasis on. During the Feast of the New Yam, Okonkwo is unhappy with the idleness of the event, and he expresses his discontent by beating his wife. This illustrates Okonkwo's need for contentment in his life.

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Personal Prompt-How do you feel about the idea that anger can be a positive and negative force, depending upon how it is used?

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Personal Prompt-How do you feel about the idea that anger can be a positive and negative force, depending upon how it is used?

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I think anger can be used as a positive and negative force.  I believe anger initiates many significant events both positive and negative. An example of this would be World War 2, the Germans anger from the embarrassment they faced in World War 1. This caused them to express their anger in violent and brutal ways by placing the blame on the Jewish community and taking their anger out on them. In this case, anger was used as a negative force, which caused the loss of many lives. Anger being used as a positive force would be the use of peaceful protests by Mahatma Gandhi. Although he and his fellow Indians were not happy under British rule, they did not react with violence, rather they used peaceful protests to push their cause which eventually successful.
Anger in Okonkwo's life has allowed him to ascend to his status in the community. The anger he has with his father allowed him to extremely motivate himself to be successful and become respected in the community. His anger has also caused a strain on his emotional relationship with others. His relationship with his son became strained based on the resentment of his father causing him to discipline his son harshly so he did not end up like Unoka. Anger has an negative connotation but I think it is rather neutral as it is negative and positive.

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Personal Prompt-How does imagination help us to deal with reality?

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Personal Prompt-How does imagination help us to deal with reality?

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Imagination allows for innovation and progression in society. An average American in the 1980s would laugh if you said you would be able to hold a computer in your hands, send messages and make calls around the world with little to no delay. Imagination allows for new ideas to help with our stark reality, making it easier to process the world around us. Fables and folklore can teach us lessons about life and the world but they are a product of imagination. In "Lars and the Real Girl", Lars imagines Bianca as a living person and everyone around supports this imaginary person. This helped Lars come to terms with his insecurity and trauma. Lars uses his imagination to deal with reality. In my life I use imagination while playing sports. In basketball before I make a move my mind has to envision it before I do it. Although the event did not occur I imagined it happening. In conclusion, imagination is used to process reality.

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How the characters contrast Okonkwo’s personality, characters such as Obierika and Nwoye

Foreshadowing of the story about the turtle

How his resentment with his father hasn’t been fully explored

Predictions on how part 2 is going to look

Pacing: the chapter weren’t as slow as the previous ones, conflict started to pop up

We learn more about Ekwefi and Ezinma

Explorations of anger, how it isn’t one dimensional

Gender Roles: the way that inadvertent crimes are seen as feminine

How there’s a side of Okonkwo that isn’t just angry and violent

How Okonkwo is able to build relationships with others

The impact people’s pasts have had on who they have been shaped into as individuals in the present

Theme: masculinity

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Theme of masculinity and gender roles

Characters: Okonkwo's traits and why he is the way he his (his motives in life)

Symbols: yams (masculinity)

Foreshadowing of the locusts

Culture: the way it is portrayed, learning about a new culture, how it compares to our own culture

Language: the way the language made the story more immersive, the glossary was really helpful with clearing up any confusion

Pacing: how the chapters felt a little slow

Imagery: the detail the author used to describe the festival

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The poem presents a narrative of a spiralling society, which is losing order in the first stanza. With lines like the "falcon cannot hear the falconer" and "Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world" it represents the breakdown of order within the society leading to chaos.

In the second stanza, it presents hope with biblical references to the second coming of Jesus and the rapture. The lines "Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand" and "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" showcase the duality of faith and hope as it comes with fear and mistrust.

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How do single stories construct understandings of others?

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How do single stories construct understandings of others?

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Single stories create a generalized and simplified understanding of others. In a single story, where a singular perspective is presented, it creates stereotypes and biases amongst people when it is a far more complex topic. An example of this would be the propagation of Islam as a violent and dangerous decision. A large majority of Muslims are in opposition to Islamic extremism and terrorism, but the media portrays Islam as a violent and oppressive religion. This could not be far from the truth. The five pillars of Islam are faith, fasting, prayer, alms-giving and pilgrimage, none of these endorses the use of violence to promote the religion or to attack those who do not share the same belief. Islam is a peaceful religion but in the eyes of many people, it is not due to fearmongering and propaganda pushed by the media to fit their agenda. Similar to antisemitism, Islamaphobia is bolstered by the use of single stories in today's society.

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Throughout my life, my father has been a source of stoicism, strength, and wisdom. His composure and calmness have given me a blueprint of how to behave in difficult situations. I recall a car crash we experienced together, where he remained relaxed, refusing to panic or raise his voice, calmly resolving the situation despite the other party's fault. In social settings, he is not one to actively seek out conversations, yet he possesses a natural charisma and confidence. Observing his demeanour has taught me the importance of silence and attentive listening. I have always regarded him as my role model and a constant source of inspiration.

He has taught me respect and a good work ethic. Even if I am stubborn, he makes sure I understand the purpose or message. In grade five, he enrolled me in a soccer team, and I was ecstatic. Soccer was something I was obsessed with; I would use my socks as an imaginary ball and clothes on the floor as defenders I was dribbling past. So when I joined the soccer team, everything revolved around it, and my education took a backseat. However, when school started, he removed me from the team. Although I may reject it, I believe he wants the best out of me, even when I do not agree with some of the methods used to achieve that.