March102012
In this passage, Ferdinand and Alonso, his father, are reunited, and Ferdinand explains to Alonso that he has chosen to marry Miranda, and that he made this decision during his time on the island when he was under the impression that his father was dead. This is where we see Ferdinand show is own drive and initiative. Initially, when Ferdinand first awoke, alone, on the shore of the island, he was completely distraught and hopeless. However, upon his discovery of Miranda, closely followed by his utter infatuation with her, Ferdinand seems to completely forget his previous mournings over his father’s believed death. In this way, Shakespeare implies that true love can conquer any sorrow, while also demonstrating how Ferdinand gained a sense of independence and freedom from his experience with Prospero and Miranda. When he is reunited with his father, he does not immediately fall back into the subordinate role, rather he states and justifies his actions, thus explaining the situation to his father, while also demonstrating his assertiveness with regards to his relationship with Miranda.
~Megan
March82012
“Now my charms are all o’erthrown,
And what strength I have ‘s mine own,
Which is most faint.”
Pg 169 lines 1-3
This is in Prospero’s epilogue, after he sets Ariel free and removes the spell he cast on Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian. He says his charms are all overthrown because he has removed them all and the strength he has isn’t magic anymore. Also, his strength used to come from Ariel, but now that Ariel is free Prospero has to rely on himself now. His power is not as powerful as Ariel’s, which is why he says it is “most faint.” Prospero has spent his whole time on the island using Ariel’s power and the power of magic to make things go his way. Now that he doesn’t have magic to rely on, he is weaker, but he is truly himself now.
- Sandra
March12012
In this passage, Gonzalo and the rest of the boat party have just discovered that both Prospero and Ferdinand are alive. Gonzalo speaks out to the group as a whole, and points out the many positive aspects to their being stranded on Prospero’s island. The reason for their journey was the wedding of Claribel, Alonso’s daughter, to a prince in Tunis. Because of that journey, the ship was brought into the clutches of Prospero and Ariel, and the men from Prospero’s past were placed upon the island in order for him to enact him form of justice for past events. These events led to the eventual meeting of Ferdinand and Miranda, something which Prospero had planned as a way to regain his lost power in Milan, as well as a way to gain favor in the eyes of the King of Naples, Alonso. And, because of this marriage, Prospero was eventually able to regain the kingdom and power he lost due to his brother’s betrayal. I think that this passage symbolizes how, although the initial journey and arrival on the island was filled with many negative prospects, in the end, there were also several very positive outcomes, giving the whole play a more positive tone.
~Megan
7PM
“O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world
That has such people in ‘t!”
Page 159
I think this quote really shows Miranda’s naivete. She is so surprised to see all the people on the island. Miranda, having grown up on this island alone with no one but her father and Caliban, has never seen other human beings. The first man she sees is Ferdinand and she is stunned by him and falls instantly in love with him. Now she sees all these other men on the island and refers to them as “godly creatures”. She is so open and accepting and easily impressed.
- Sandra
February212012
“The very instant that I saw you did
My heart fly to your service, there resides
To make me slave to it, and for your sake
Am I this patient log-man”
Pg 95 (Act 3, Sc. 1, 76-79)
Act 3, Scene 1, is all about Miranda and Ferdinand and their love for each other. Ferdinand, earlier in his speech, says that “I am in my condition a prince.” He is stating that he is in a very high position. In this section of his speech, he is saying that he will give up his high position and be a “log-man” for Miranda. Love is often equated with sacrifice, and here, Ferdinand is sacrificing his pride and royalty for love. Miranda, later in the scene, proposes to Ferdinand and they basically swear their love to each other. Much like, Romeo and Juliet, Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love at first sight and quickly decide to marry. I can’t help but wonder whether they will end up in a tragic situation like Romeo and Juliet.
- Sandra
February182012
In this passage, Antonio attempts to convince Sebastian to murder his brother and to take his place as the King of Naples. When Sebastian says that he remembers when Antonio did the same thing to his brother, Prospero, Antonio agrees and points out how well it turned out in his favor. In this quote, the word garments is not only referencing his beautiful clothes - one of the many benefits of being a Duke - but also the power which came with his Dukedom. The word “feater” means “more elegantly” and is in reference to his garments, again emphasizing how he feels that he is the better ruler. Another thing that emphasizes his lust for power is the line “My brother’s servants… now they are my men” because it demonstrates how he has no regard for the consequences of his rise to power, even if it meant losing friends or family. This whole passage exemplifies Antonio’s power hungry nature and his greedy and selfish behavior.
~Megan
February172012
“I’ll show thee the best springs. I’ll pluck thee berries. I’ll fish for thee and get thee wood enough….I’ll bear him no more sticks, but follow thee Thou wondrous man” (2.2 166-170).”
This quote is when Caliban decides to commit himself to Stephano’s slavery because they gave him alcohol. This quote is important because he decides to do all the dirty work that he promised Prospero before he turned on him. He told Prospero that, “And then I loved thee, And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle. The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and the fertile” (1.2 402-405). Caliban basically promised Prospero the same things he is promising Stephano, and doesn’t understand that although he may be escaping from Prospero’s slavery, he is actually subjecting himself to the slavery of someone else. Stephano is actually only a power hungry butler who plans on selling Caliban to the zoo, when they are back in Naples, while Prospero is a born and raised duke who took care of Caliban before Caliban tried to rape Miranda. The theme of colonization is prominent throughout the play and I believe that Caliban’s situation is an allusion to the different countries trying to take over native land by conquering the people. Caliban is very naive about the intentions of his “employers” so he believes that he can be free from his torture if he becomes a slave to someone else.
-Amanda
February112012
“Antonio: Let’s all sink wi’ th’ King.
Sebastian: Let’s take leave of him”
Act 1 Scene 1 (pg 11, lines 66 and 67)
Antonio is shown here as loyal to the King. Ironically, he was disloyal to his own brother, Prosper, who he stole his title from. Sebastian, the King’s brother, is doing the same thing that Antonio did to Prospero, being disloyal to his brother. Sebastian wants the King to die so he can take his place. Blood is obviously not important when it comes to gaining or losing power. The allure of power can cause men to do terrible things and break up families.
-Sandra
February92012
From what we have seen in the play so far, we can easily tell that there is a major power struggle occurring among many of the characters. Because of the situation that they have been placed in, the true colors of these characters has begun to show little by little, and in this passage, Sebastian does exactly that. The marriage they are referring to is that of Claribel to a prince from Tunis. Sebastian’s brief overview of the wedding details and his automatic change of topic to wealth demonstrates his rather selfish and materialistic personality. This trait is touched upon later in the Act, but I think that this is a short and simple summary of Sebastian’s motives and exemplifies his self-centered personality.
~Megan
February22012
This passage reveals that Miranda places the blame of her father’s misfortune on his mother, who birthed his malevolent brother, Antonio. Her belief that her grandmother is responsible for Antonio’s actions reveals that, in larger terms, society uses women as a scapegoat for mens’ corrupt actions. Because the woman is punished, in this scenario, shows that this is time period is a patriarchy and woman are considered second class citizens. The line “good wombs have borne bad sons” exhibits that this is not an uncommon stereotype because good woman have had evil sons before.
-AMY
February12012
In this passage, Morrison gives the reader an insider’s look into Sula’s thoughts about her relationship with Nel after Sula’s ‘betrayal’. Sula’s upbringing and slightly skewed perspective on life, especially with regard to love, leaves her as an human who lacks most of the attributes that are common to the rest of the human race. She also defies the societal expectations that are placed on the other colored women of her community. Initially, Nel and Sula start their friendship with an incredibly close friendship that boarders on love. However, as these two woman matured, they began to separate and each started to grow into a different perspective on the community in which they lived. These differing opinions were mainly influenced by their very different upbringings. Nel grew up in a very strict and orderly home, which eventually squashed all feelings of rebellion from Nel as she grew older. Her role in society becomes pivotal and her status within the social circles of Bottom lead to her unconscious decision to conform to their community’s social expectations. In the case of Sula, her upbringing was highly unconventional. Her mother’s flirtatious and uncommitted behavior leads to Sula’s skewed understand of love. Her grandmother’s expectations fill the role of society’s expectations but because of her slightly arrogant behavior, Sula’s chooses to ignore them. When Sula returns after leaving Bottom, she completely ignores the social norms of her previous home and continues to live her life in a manner that suits her. Through their contrasting lifestyles and upbringings, the two girls eventually come to the understanding that they are traveling along two very different walks of life. And for Sula, who clung to Nel as her other self and center, this idea makes her realize that they were, in fact, two very different people, thus leading to a sense of disappointment towards Nel for changing her identity to conform to society’s expectations while she remained true to herself until the end.
~Megan
January242012
In this particular quote Shadrack is describing the belt Sula left behind when she came to “visit him.” Although we as reader know the only reason Sula went into Shadrack’s home was to try to get his help when she threw Chicken Little into the river. The way he cherishes that belt reveals the profound loneliness he experiences as a social outcast of society. For him, that belt, which represents Sula, is his only vestige of companionship. Sula was needed by everyone in the Bottom in some way or another and in this quote we see how Shadrack needed her. Arguably, Shadrack needed Sula more than anyone else in the novel needed her. What’s interesting about this is that Shadrack is the only character that seems to have an awareness of that need for her and because of this awareness he is able to love her. The rest of society on the other hand fails to see in what way they need her so instead they hate her. In addition the fact that she is loved by another outcast helps to further demonstrate her position in society and make us almost wish we could see more interaction between Shadrack and Sula.
-Ashley
4PM
“All that time, all that time, I thought i was missing Jude.”
174
Nel finally realizes that she was never really missing her husband. She really missed Sula and the friendship they had. This realization really shows the relationship Nel had with her husband and with Sula. Nel and Sula’s relationship was obviously closer and stronger than her relationship with Jude. It was “appropriate” for her to miss Jude because she was supposed to “love” him because he was her husband. She wasn’t supposed to miss Sula because Sula was the one who took him away. I think that the gray ball that hung around Nel might have been this realization that she wasn’t sad because of her husband leaving, but because of Sula leaving. She lost a friend who had been with her through everything form a young age. That was real love.
January232012
“She was pariah, then, and knew it. Knew that they despised her and believed that they framed their hatred as disgust for the easy way she lay with men. -Sula pg. 122”
Throughout Sula we have found many connections to the previous novels read in our class. When Sula refers to herself as a “pariah” a parallel to The Scarlet Letter and Hester forms. Both characters were seen as immoral women who rebelled against the norms of the society “for the easy way [they] lay with men.” The town punishes Hester for sleeping with a man to whom she was not betrothed while the people of Medallion criticize Sula for sleeping around with white men. Both acts are defiantly against the community norms and create an image as a social pariah for each woman.
-Christine
