The Individual in Society Pre-Reflection

1. When humans are in isolation, they go crazy.  We need people around us to share our feelings, emotions, opinions, and everything in between with.  One example of this from our readings so far this year is in Twelfth Night  by Shakespeare when Malvolio is isolated in a cell for being crazy even though he knows that he is sane.  However after a short amount of time alone, he begins to question if he really is crazy like everyone seems to believe.
2. In order to feel human,  individuals need relationships, connections, feelings/emotions,  happiness, a "fulfilling life," and a purpose in life (can be self-determined).  This question reminds me of the whole unit from freshman year "What do we need in order to live a fulfilling life?" and one of my all time favorite projects that I've done in school was my dream board.  The dream board demonstrates what we need in order to feel human because it shows everything that we desire in life to feel "normal" and live life (as a human).
3. When we don't take responsibility for our actions, we face all kinds of consequences.  A big consequence that many people face is internal guilt, which can continuously eat away at a person until their weak and can't do anything anymore.  A real life example of this that many teenagers face is when their parents get mad at them for doing something wrong and instead of punishing the teen, the parent says they are simply "disappointed" with whatever the problem seemed to be.  This is worse than physically facing your actions because you cant really make up for or fix whatever you did wrong, you are just left feeling bad about yourself.
4. A lack of compassion and understanding leads to prejudice and stereotyping.  A perfect example of this is from the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."  You need compassion and understanding to comprehend the different things that different people may be going through to avoid stereotyping and prejudices when you dont really even know what is going on.

Twelfth Night: Option 3 Act 4 Reflection

Although Act IV, scene iii was not particularly lengthy, nor full of important information, if I were the playwright, I would keep it in.  By keeping this scene in the play, it becomes more apparent to the audience Olivia's deep rooted love for Cesario, so much that she desires to marry him.  It also exemplifies how well Viola has been at deceiving the whole cast throughout the play, because even Olivia, who has fallen deeply in love with Cesario, cannot tell him apart from his(her) twin brother. Lastly, I would keep this scene in the play because it ties up some of the loose ends from Act IV scene  i when Feste the Fool and Sir Andrew bring Sebastian to Lady Olivia as Cesario.  Although this scene is not as important as some of the other scenes in the play, I find it very important and continuing the storyline of the play as a whole.

Shakespeare's Messages About Gender

In many of Shakespeare's plays, he expresses very interesting ideas about the roles the different genders hold in society, and more specifically in romantic settings.  Shakespeare's messages about gender roles through his play Twelfth Night  are still very necessary for society to consider today because there is still a constant battle for power among genders in the world today.
One big concept that Shakespeare focuses on in his play Twelfth Night, connecting genders and love/relationships is who holds the dominant power in the relationship.  When talking to Cesario about his romantic feelings for Olivia, he says "There is no woman's sides/Can bide the beating of so strong a passion/As doth give my heart; no woman's heart/So big, to hold so much" (II.iv.103-106).  In this quote, Orsino is projecting his idea that females just aren't able to love or express their love as predominantly as men, and as a result are simply weak.  On the opposing side of Orsino's argument, Viola, as Cesario says "We men say more, swear more, but indeed/Our shows are more than will; for still we prove/Much in our vows but little in our love" (II.iv.128-130).  This quote gives an interesting perspective on the topic at hand because she is standing up for females, while being seen as a guy by the world, solidifying the importance of her argument that although men are determined in the proclamation of their love, all it truly is is a proclamation and nothing more.    
These arguments are very important today because in society, males and females are seen through very stereotypical eyes that males are the dominant ones in relationships.  In one example from class today, "Happily Ever After: Perpetuating Stereotypical Gender Ideals" we see that even from very young ages, children are being taught how relationships should be, forcing them into the mold right from the get go.  Also, in "Shakespeare Gender Swap!" is is being exemplified how strongly the female and male stereotypes are held true in society, because even people who are on the "gender movement" still bash on women for doing the same actions that men are praised for.  The lessons about gender identity that Shakespeare is portraying in his plays are very important to society today.  

Diving Into the Wreck SPOTTTS Analysis

S - The subject of this poem is scuba diving and exploring sunken ships in the ocean.
P -
I got ready to go scuba diving.
Unlike others who go exploring together, I am alone.

There is a ladder on the side of the ship
Scubadivers use it to get on the ship
Everyone else thinks its just for looks

I get into the water
Walking in flippers is a struggle
The ocean is never ending

The deeper I go, the darker it is
I have to get used to it all alone

The ocean is overwhelming and distracting
Breathing is different under water

I came to explore the wreck
And what happened to it and what it holds

I came to see the wreck itself

This is where mermaids and mermen live

The ship has sank but it is still teeming with life and interesting things

We are discovering the story of the shipwreck

O - The occasion of this poem is a scuba diving trip where the scuba diver is exploring a sunken ship
T -  The title of the poem is "Diving Into the Wreck," the significance of this title is that it explains and sets the tone for what the whole poem is about
T - The tone of this poem is fearful in the beginning because the scuba diver is exploring the ocean and the wreck all alone, and then towards the end of the poem the tone becomes more interested as the scuba diver is submerged in the ocean and exploring the wreck
T - The theme of the poem is that there is a lot more to things than people see on the surface.  I believe that this is the theme because the speaker knows that there is more inside the shipwreck itself, and there is a whole story behind how the ship got to where it is now.
S - The speaker is a scuba diver who is interested in exploring a sunken ship.