The power of status

In Jane Austen's novels, social status has a lot of power on how a person is seen. Emma is of high status and can act however she wants without repercussions, yet people like Mr. Martin have to act extremely polite in order to get the least bit of respect, and are still not seen as "gentlemen". 

This being said, Emma's status does not erase society's expectations of her. She is a female and therefore must conform to the "female lifestyle". Knightley is watching out for Emma throughout the novel, but in this time period looking after someone is making sure they behave and follow society's rules. He aims to keep her in line and continually tests how much he can say to her before she gets upset, which I see as asserting his male dominance. 

I think social status certainly does allow for a more lenient lifestyle. The rules that apply to most town people do not apply to the more prestigious families such as the Woodhouses, but there is a difference between being male and rich and being female and rich. 

Merit vs. Birth

In Emma, two dissimilar characters are Frank Churchill and Harriet. Both are of different statuses in society and are therefore viewed differently and given different opportunities.

Frank Churchill, being of a high status, is well respected throughout Highbjru and there isn't one who hasn't heard of him, even though no one has really met him. He is expected to be  this perfect human that the whole town is proud of, but this expectation is only placed on him because of his status. He is, in fact, a gentleman. He also uses his charm and status to push his way into Emma's life, making good use of society's label on him.

Harriet, on the other hand, is much lower in status, yet somehow befriends Emma. This friendship between the two girls makes Harriet more respectable by association. Status aside, Harriet is a very kind and innocent woman who behaves much better than Emma, though Emma is supposedly above her.

These labels and expectations placed on people because of status in society is still prevalent. Though those higher in status are no longer expected to be perfectly behaved, they are expected to be more successful and productive with their life than someone with less money. The ability to use what you have is acknowledged far more often than the ability of setting and accomplishing goals no matter your status.

The Emma Complex

First off, I have always been a fan of Jane Austen and was very excited to read Emma. The novel so far is what I expected and is very interesting, and thank god for that because otherwise, it would take much longer to read. As much as I love this nool, I do not feel the same way about the main character, Emma.

She is nothing like most protagonists I've encountered. Emma is very controlling and projects herself onto others. Afraid of falling in love, she places the responsibilities of love and marriage onto Harriet,  an orphan she recently met. Immature and irresponsible in her own life, she fails to be realistic in her goals for Harriet. With only thoughts of romance and high social status, she readily throws away guaranteed love and happiness for Harriet and Mr. Martin because she wants Harriet to marry a more well known "gentlemen". She fails to take into account Harriet's status as well as her feelings and only acts on her own.

Besides that, the novel is very interesting and is definitely not as simple as some think. I, too, love Clueless and can associate characters in the book with those in the movie while reading and enjoy seeing the difference between the novel and movie adaptation.

Interracial Relations in Othello

In Othello, the idea of race is tested. The main character is black, with pure intentions and is "white" on the inside; his friend, Iago, is the opposite. On the outside he appears white, but the corrupt and evil thoughts associated with "blackness" consume him. He is taken over by jealousy and has nothing but evil intentions, so self-absorbed that he doesn't realize he's bringing destruction to good, innocent people.

I bring this up because, while the relationship between Othello and Desdemona is one of two races, race really isn't a big part of it. Like the Lovings, they just fell in love with each other and didn't even think about their different races. I feel like race would not have been an issue in this play had it not been for Iago. He was the one who really inforced the negative stereotype of the "moor" in order to further his plan, invoking fear in Desdemona's father and anger in Roderigo. Othello was the complete opposite of this stereotype before Iago got into his head, and I think this idea of forcing a stereotype on someone is prevalent in our society. For example, we associate poverty and drug dealing with blacks, but we make it so that in order to make money and support themselves, the best option for them IS said drug dealing.

As far as issues with interracial marriage outside of this play, I think it's just another issue created out of slavery and racism. These racist thoughts have been ingrained in everyone's minds, making white people think they're superior and forcing blacks to believe they have no potential and are limited to their stereotype. This would obviously guide white people away from engaging in a relationship with someone who wasn't white, while making blacks feel like they weren't good enough. This is why stories like that of the Loving's are so special; they looked past race and just fell in love with what was beneath the surface. That's how it should have always been, but for some reason loving someone for who they are and not for their skin tone hasn't been in practice until recent years.

Is Shakespeare Racist?

In class on Tuesday, our Brit Lit class watched several videos on the idea of racism in Othello. One of the arguments was that Othello was written in a time where racism did not exist and there were just black people in society so it makes sense that they were written about in a play. This could be true, but what I've decided is that although it may have not been written with racist intentions, that doesn't mean that it isn't seen as racist today. Our society today is very different from the society that surrounded Shakespeare. We are very cautious about what we say and do, making every effort not to appear the least bit racist. Over time, stereotypes have developed and some qualities present in those stereotypes may appear in the play simply because it was what Shakespeare observed. Seeing those qualities, we latch on to the idea that because it is present in a stereotype, it is racist. As society changes, I think there should be some changes in plays like this one in order to avoid offending someone or starting an argument. If plays were adapted to our society and what we find acceptable instead of being performed as they were written for a society years and years ago, I think many arguments could have been avoided.

The images above have clearly been created on new interpretations of Othello without any thought of what ideas the author original meant to convey. As of now, I have not read much of the play and don't know the premise of it. Just looking at these pictures, I get a strong sense of the "black" stereotype and racism against them. The first picture, of a white actor in black face, seems to make Othello look as if he has captured his wife, with his hand across her neck making him appear as a threat to her. In the second picture, with both the white and black hand intertwined, it is very clear that race is a factor in this play: instead of just showing two hands and focusing on portraying love, the picture is quick to establish that there is a difference in skin color. The skin colors aren't even realistic, being bright white and solid black, it seems to identify the people by color instead of allowing them both to just be seen as human beings. The third picture is similar, focusing on color and no other theme. In the fourth picture, we see an image very similar to the first. The white female looks vulnerable and afraid while the man is posing a threat to her, taller and stronger than her with his hand around her neck. The fifth picture shows Othello in stereotypical garb and size, looking at a small white woman who almost looks like a chess pawn. Again, we see the stark differences in skin color and the separation between white and black. The last picture is silhouetted, saving me from mentioning skin color one more time. The pose Othello is in and the color surrounding him make the image feel threatening, showing him as a criminal.

All of these pictures have illustrated how we have turned Othello into a racist play by identifying themes/qualities in the written play and associating them with the stereotypes we have ingrained in us instead of imagining the author's mindset before interpreting the play for ourselves.

Poetry

Poetry has been around for awhile and, like novels, poems vary in length and can sometimes be difficult to understand. Nevertheless, they are powerful and able to convey a story and emotions in a number of lines. While novels may make you feel as if you are watching a scene the author constructed, poems make you feel what the author felt. They express the feelings that the poets suffer through as they write them, forcing the reader to feel the same thing. They may be a bit dramatic at times but they do feel more personal than a story impersonal to an author. 

In some cases, poems seem to portray too much emotion and take us too deep into the mind of a poet. For example, The Flea by John Donne expresses ideas that would never have crossed my mind had I not read this poem. It tells of a man attempting to convince a woman that it would not be a sin for them to be together since their blood is already intermingled inside of a flea that just bit them. I don't know about you, but talk of blood and mosquitoes does not exactly make me swoon, although it may make me faint from nausea. 

No poem is like another: they each bring forth different emotions and ideas worded in a way that makes us feel what they feel. They flow in a way that makes us want to keep reading, and gets better when read aloud. Poems are very different from other forms of writing and, while they may take some getting used to, are a way for us to connect with other people and understand feelings and thoughts outside of our own.

How to Hero

"The hero follows a code that exalts indomitable will and valour in the individual, but society requires a king who acts for the common good, not for his own glory. The greater the hero, the more likely his tendency to imprudent action as a king." -John Leyerle

This quote completely contradicts the plot of Beowulf, as the main character is a hero and does become king near the end of the story. Before I read this epic poem, I didn't have the clearest understanding of what a leader really is, nor did I understand the expectations placed on them. Leaders are somewhat selfless, driven to accomplish feats not for their own ego, but for the benefit of their people. As a hero, Beowulf was helpful to others but often was working to benefit himself. He enjoyed the attention he got after killing monsters and, while his actions did benefit others, the rewards were what he was after. 

This isn't to say that a hero can't become a leader. People change, and priorities evolve. Beowulf began as a hero looking for glory but once he becomes King of the Geats, he no longer is just in charge of himself. He is responsible for all of the Geats, needing to protect them and help them to thrive. As a hero, he is strong and willing to enter battles. This benefits him as a king as he cant be unwilling to fight and protect his people. He is able to keep them safe and all he has to change is the reason behind his actions. Instead of looking for glory, he looks for happiness in his people. I think he evolves into the right kind of King, yet his heroic instincts are what gets him killed in the end as well as what endangers his people once their protector is gone. 

Frankenstein, the Human

I'm Noelle and I'm a senior in British Literature. Over the summer, I read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and, upon returning to school this week, was assigned a word cloud for one of the characters. I chose Dr. Frankenstein as he is the most prevalent character and has very similar characteristics to his monster.

The largest word is, of course, his name. A recurring theme I found in this novel was that of family, hence the two second largest words. These are the names of his wife and brother, Elizabeth and William, both of whom were murdered by the monster that he created. This leads me to the next theme.

The next words describe his monster and how he came to be. Dr. Frankenstein is very interested in science and creating life in his own creature. Unfortunately, his creation turns out to be vengeful towards the doctor and his family, resulting in the murders of the doctor's family members. After the murders begin, Dr. Frankenstein is consumed by feelings of resentment and hatred against his monster, and understandably so. As the monster causes destruction in his family, Frankenstein feels guilty for the deaths that he has indirectly caused through him, as well as sadness and self pity for his own loss.

Frankenstein and his creation are both very similar. While Frankenstein presents himself as a respectable man, he keeps his monstrous insanity hidden inside him, to be let out when he is alone. His creation is viewed as a monster because of his hideous exterior and, though he is guilty of murder, he has human emotions and knowledge but has been driven to cruel actions by society.