Jack & Algernon Visit McNick

"The Sea and Me"

“The Sea and Me”

It arrives and leaves as a wave,
Rolling and crashing with motion.
I yearn for this time that I save,
Sitting here next to the ocean.
I hear the warm tropical breeze
Rust’ling the branches of palm trees.

With the soft sand between my toes,
Uncovering exotic shells,
The salty scent blows through my nose,
Along with other fishy smells.
I hear gulls let out a holler,
Fighting for a lone sand dollar.

Solitude creeps up around me
As the sun dims and becomes dark.
In the vast distance out at sea,
I have come to notice a shark.
It swims up to a fishing boat
Trying its best to stay afloat.

I wish to not be like the shore,
Never taking some time to roam.
Being happy but wanting more,
I’m brushed aside like ocean foam.
It gives me hope, the great white moon,
That happiness and joy come soon.

Water may have begun to crest, 
But I know I will never rest.

 

William Wordsworth used a variety of poetic devices and rhyme schemes in his works. He did not have a set system that he would use for every poem. I chose to mimic a poem of his because of his talent and great poetic diversity. Wordsworth’s poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” was the poem I used as inspiration. This poem consists of four six-line stanzas, and the meter is iambic tetrameter. The rhyme scheme is ABABCC, DEDEFF, etc. He also includes some elements of Romanticism in this work. The elements of Romanticism include a love of nature, sympathy with underprivileged people, belief in liberty for the individual, a vivid use of imagination, and an interest in ancient legends and traditions. Three of the elements he used in this particular poem are a love of nature, liberty for the individual, and imagination. In my poem “The Sea and Me,” I imitated all of these factors from the rhyme scheme to the Romantic elements. My poem is written in iambic tetrameter, with four six-line stanzas, and a rhyme scheme similar to Wordsworth’s. I also included nature, the individual, and imagination in this poem. Nature is found throughout the poem, relating to the beach. The individual element is found pertaining to the wants of the individual. Finally, imagination is found in the writing of the poem, and the narrator imagining a better life.      

The Adventures of William Shakespeare and Juliet

Celebz Movie
by: mykaelamoller

Macbeth Mixtape

Here is my playlist for Macbeth:


http://open.spotify.com/user/1219782434/playlist/1AfunE5PpZBr2oArigRnz7


1. Hesitation Blues- Janis Joplin
I chose this song because of what Macbeth was feeling before killing Duncan. He was feeling a bit hesitant and did not know whether to go through with this murderous act or not. 


2. Leave (Get Out)- Jojo
I felt that this song describes what Macbeth was feeling the day of Banquo's murder. He was waiting for Banquo to leave with his son, Fleance, to go on a ride. Macbeth needed Banquo to leave so the murders could follow through with the plan.


3. I Won't Give Up- Jason Mraz
This song describes Macbeth's desire to be king. He will try to take down anyone who gets in his way or is a threat to the throne, no matter the cost. Macbeth is very persistent.


4. I Just Can't Wait to Be King- The Lion King
This is a pretty obvious choice. It describes Macbeth's desire and excitement of becoming king after hearing the prophecy from the Weird Sisters. 


5. Getting Away with Murder- Papa Roach
I chose this song because of what Macbeth was feeling after killing Duncan. He was feeling a bit relieved and confident after the murder, knowing he got away with it. This feeling would lead to Macbeth being able to commit future murders. (Sorry, the explicit version of the song was the only one available on Spotify.)


6. Poker Face- Lady Gaga
I chose this song because of Macbeth's use of his "poker face" after the murders of Duncan and Banquo. He has to pretend that he has no idea what happened to these men, when he is the one who planned or executed the murders.


7. Viva La Vida- Coldplay
This song describes a person wanting full rule over other individuals, just like Macbeth. He desire for the throne and power totally takes control and it is all he can think about.


8. Some Nights- Fun.
This song describes Macbeth's nights after the murders. He has trouble sleeping and starts to go crazy. A line in the song, "but i still wake up, I still see your ghost," can be directly related to Macbeth seeing Banquo's ghost at the dinner party.


9. Human- The Killers
I chose this song because Macbeth is extremely influenced and controlled by Lady Macbeth. She is the one that convinced him to kill Duncan. He is controlled like a puppet, as described in the song.


10. Think Like a Man- Jennifer Hudson & Neyo ft. Rick Ross
This song is a good fit because it discusses Macbeth's need to start thinking like a man. Lady Macbeth has to convince Macbeth to murder Duncan, telling him to basically man up. She is thinking more like a man than Macbeth is in this instance. 

Double Standards

“When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch.” – Bette Davis.

 In today’s society, there are a multitude of double standards for women. According to Merriam Webster, a double standard can be defined as “a set of principles that applies differently and usually more rigorously to one group of people or circumstances than to another.” Not only does this idea apply at home with women typically acting as stay-at-home mothers and the husbands being the “bread- winners” of the family, but this type of philosophy can also be applied to the business world.

In any type of business, it is hard for women to be respected. In an interview on Chelsea Lately with rapper Nicki Minaj, Minaj discussed double standards in the music industry. She said that when she is with her fans, she acts all nice and “cutesy” with them because that is the way that they make her feel. However, Minaj says “I think people expect me to be like that I business and I can’t be like that as a business woman because no one would respect me.” Minaj then goes on saying that when she tries to assert herself at work and demands respect when she gets disrespected, she gets called a bitch. However, if a man asserts himself at work and demands respect, he is considered a boss and admired for his insistence. Not only is this present in the music industry, but also in politics. Hillary Clinton was greatly criticized for sheading some tears during her campaign. Many people thought this was just a tactic to win pity votes, proving that Hillary is not a strong presidential candidate. This is all because she is a woman, and women act differently than men. Hillary is quoted saying, “If you get too emotional, that undercuts you. A man can cry; we know that. Lots of our leaders have cried. But a woman, it’s a different kind of dynamic.” If Barack Obama or another male candidate during this time would have cried, he would have been thought of deep and caring. Hillary was seen as weak and immediately discarded as a candidate by many citizens. In both cases, it seems like a lose-lose situation for women because no matter how they act, they will be judged.

I do agree that women have to dial down their emotions and act the part of a man in order to be respected in the real world. Women who are too emotional will not get taken seriously, which is completely unfair. However, women who assert themselves will get a bad reputation. Women seem to be inferior to men just because they express themselves differently. Even since the beginning of time, men seem to have an air of superciliousness. In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, once the father of a family passed away, the land would be inherited by the oldest son. The oldest daughter would receive nothing, and if the father had no sons and only daughters, the land may not even stay in the family. Daughters at this time were seen as property to be married off and become property of their husbands. If a woman has to act like a man in order to be respected, then it takes away from her femininity and true self. Some men should be disrespected for thrusting this idea onto society and following through with it.   

Guilt

                “But mom, they MADE me do it,” is one statement that many of us have uttered before. Doing something forbidden by parents, then getting scolded for it is never fun, even if you think you do not deserve the blame. This childhood example of peer pressure can also be used to describe bigger events, like events in history. During the Holocaust, Hitler forced many individuals to persecute, torture, and kill their fellow man. This was all part of Hitler’s plan to create the “perfect race” that he could rule over. This power-hungry tyrant’s goal is similar to Macbeth’s goal in the play by William Shakespeare. Macbeth’s only concern is to be king and have power, and he will do anything to attain this goal. In both of these examples, Hitler and Macbeth forced others to carry out their merciless plans, compromising their morals in return.

 The soldiers during the Holocaust were forced to do terrible acts, even against their right judgment.  According to the article “Can You Learn Anything From a Void?”  by Adam Kirsch, the Nazi soldiers would “…first dehumanize them [the Jews], to see them as enemies or as statistics—or as a problem requiring a final solution.” This thought was thrust upon them by Hitler. This way of thinking is also present in Macbeth. Macbeth just saw King Duncan as an impediment to the throne, and although he felt a little guilty at first, he still killed Duncan. In Act III, Macbeth also has three murders attempt to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. The murderers are successful at killing Banquo, but Fleance is able to escape. Even though these men were ordered to kill and did not choose it freely, they are still completely guilty of the murders. God made everyone with the right to be free and make his or her own choices. The Nazis or murderers could have refused to kill others, but they chose to go through with it anyway. These men were under a lot of pressure, being ordered by high authority to do something, but they knew their murderous acts were wrong.

It is stated in the article that “Such men did not make the decisions in the Nazi empire, they only carried them out; and if they had not obeyed their evil orders, someone else would have obeyed them.” This statement is true in the fact that the Holocaust would have still occurred even if some of the soldiers refused to kill. Even in Macbeth, Macbeth would have found someone else to kill Banquo if the three men refused. However in order to save their moral beings, the men should have done just that. They should have refused. In order for one human to kill another, their moral convictions must be compromised in some way. Depending on the situation and conditions, like in the Holocaust, one’s beliefs could be clouded by what is going on around them. This is still no excuse though. An individual’s convictions may not be strong enough to begin with if they resort to killing other humans. The only way to combat the evil and maintain morals is to do away with the evil and temptation, no matter the cost. Macbeth and Hitler are also at fault for ordering the murders. Their consciences are not clear just because they did not physically kill the men themselves. In any situation, the individual who comes up with the idea and the executioner of the idea are both at fault. 

Elizabethan England

                As I am walking through the crowd in the afternoon sun to get to the entrance of the Globe, I am completely mesmerized. I forget all about the list of chores I still have to do when I get back to the farm this evening. There are an array of stalls set up before me selling merchandise and refreshments, sending my senses into a whirlwind. I see all of the upper class women dressed in their best gowns mingling with one another, trying not to get dirty by the little children running around their feet. There is so much to look at and take in all at once, this being my first visit to the Globe theatre. I’ve been listening to my mother talk about her favorite play, the suspenseful story of revenge in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, for months. Now I actually get to experience it for myself. As I weave through the large throngs of individuals, I can hear the anticipation in their voices about the play we are about to witness. My excitement is bottling up inside me and I feel as if I might burst. I carefully place my penny in the box as I enter the theater. Being a meager farmer’s daughter, sitting in the pit was the only seating option my family could afford. I am able to push to the front of the pit and take my place. I associate with the other “groundlings” near me as we watch the upper class gentlemen and gentlewomen take their seats on the stage and the galleries above us. I admire the fine fabrics and intricate designs on their dresses, feeling a little insecure of the light blue church dress my mother had made for me. Before I start feeling too diffident, the loud and echoing voices of the over 1500 people in the Globe go silent. The play is beginning. Finally, my mother’s story is coming to life. I see the acting troupe on stage with their realistic props and detailed costumes. I am immediately immersed into the plot line, along with everyone else in the Globe. I can only imagine what Shakespeare was feeling as he was writing this story. I stand on the hard cobblestone as trash and nut shells from the galleries and balconies fall around me, but I do not care. I stand there intently, shaking with anticipation, as I wait to see if Hamlet will succeed in avenging his father’s death. I hear the whispers of the other groundlings around me as the battle between Hamlet and Laertes commences. The clinking sounds of the swords on stage echo throughout the theatre, and one actor falls to the ground. The play is over and the actors take their bows. The sound of the clapping and cheering of everyone in the Globe rushes over me like a wave, and I join in too. I exit the theatre in the cool evening breeze. I have to hurry home to finish my chores and fulfill my promise to my little sisters of telling them all about the play. I run home as I replay the scenes of Shakespeare’s written words coming to life in my head.