Look beyond!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Shakespeare's portrayal of women in Othello
In Shakespeare's play Othello many issues are undertaken and explored. The three women play a vital role in this. Only one of the women in this play survives. All the women have no separate identity within the play; all three are married or associated with a male character. Bianca is the mistress of Cassio, Emilia is married to Iago and Desdemona is married with Othello. According to the time that the play was written in and the general hierarchy within Venetian society men hold all the power and women are considered to be of low intellect. Yet it is the women that speak the most sense throughout the play and it is also the women that are able to trust other characters in the play. Each woman represents a different social level, Desdemona being the highest and Bianca being of the lowest. Each sexual relationship in the play provokes some jealousy between the couple.
Bianca does not appear in the play as much as the other female characters yet her presence is key to the death of Desdemona as well as other play themes. Iago often refers to her as a prostitute, "A house wife that by selling her desires, Buys herself bread and clothes". She has fallen in love with Cassio, yet he does not speak of his returned affection for her due to his desire for status, and her social standing would affect this dramatically. She is the jealous partner in this relationship and expresses this when Cassio produces Desdemona's handkerchief, which Iago has planted in Cassio's room. Iago uses Bianca's name to cause the great perplexity in the play, which eventually leads to the horrific ending. While Othello hid, listening to the conversation between Iago and Cassio he remained convinced that it was Desdemona that Cassio spoke of. Iago has no respect for her when he also blames the fight between Iago and Roderigo on Bianca's "Whoring"
As Iago's wife and Desdemona's lady in waiting Emilia helps link Iago's plan. It was she whom supplied the Desdemona's handkerchief for Iago. This helps Iago distort Othello's views about Desdemona's fidelity. It is interesting that she does not question Iago too much when she gives him the handkerchief, it could be considered that this illustrates female ability to trust in the play. However she also remains ignorant of the entire plot until the end, when her life comes to an abrupt ending, at the hands of her husband, Iago. She often failed to think before saying and performing some action. This, without much thought, uncovers her husband's plan, but she fails to consider the consequences for herself. This is very different to her husband, who seems to plan out every word in order to get the right response. It is apparent that this is quite an unhappy marriage, made clearer through their dissimilar personalities. She has many honorable qualities such as her honesty in addition to her loyalty towards Desdemona. Iago does not treat her like his wife until he requires something; this shows this marriage was purely one in order to gain status among piers.
Throughout the play Desdemona is a symbol of innocence and helplessness. However on first encounter with her she appears to be mature and quite perceptive of events around her. Iago often tells Othello that she is unfaithful. It seems that she refuses to accept what is happening. Her views are impartial. She has a tendency to be sympathetic towards other people's situations, like Cassio. This also further inspired Othello's jealousy when Iago pointed out they were speaking in privacy. She often pays attention to other peoples thoughts yet remains cynical if they differ to her own. She has a loyalty to her husbands in all aspects of life, whether it is mental or physical. If Desdemona had been an emotional void then Iago would not have succeeded in his plan. This would have meant that she would not have lied to Othello about losing the handkerchief, which she did so as not to hurt his feelings. However Othello sees this as an attempt to deceive him and conceal the alleged truth about her affair with Cassio. Even her final words, indicate that she blames her death on herself, and not her jealous husband.
Othello was indeed a tragedy, in which out of the three women that are introduced, only one survived. Although the women were all rational in thought and trusting, their trust was often misplaced, in gentlemen like Iago. As well as this regardless of their intellect and contemplation of events around them (in some cases) this was not enough for them to rise up in society, as women had no opinion in the time of the play. Although Shakespeare undertook many modern day ideas, he did not do this for a modern day society, as it would not have allowed so many events to occur, and it would not have been considered realistic by the viewing public.
"Shakespeare's Portrayal of Women in Othello." 123HelpMe.com. 29 Feb 2012
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Bianca does not appear in the play as much as the other female characters yet her presence is key to the death of Desdemona as well as other play themes. Iago often refers to her as a prostitute, "A house wife that by selling her desires, Buys herself bread and clothes". She has fallen in love with Cassio, yet he does not speak of his returned affection for her due to his desire for status, and her social standing would affect this dramatically. She is the jealous partner in this relationship and expresses this when Cassio produces Desdemona's handkerchief, which Iago has planted in Cassio's room. Iago uses Bianca's name to cause the great perplexity in the play, which eventually leads to the horrific ending. While Othello hid, listening to the conversation between Iago and Cassio he remained convinced that it was Desdemona that Cassio spoke of. Iago has no respect for her when he also blames the fight between Iago and Roderigo on Bianca's "Whoring"
As Iago's wife and Desdemona's lady in waiting Emilia helps link Iago's plan. It was she whom supplied the Desdemona's handkerchief for Iago. This helps Iago distort Othello's views about Desdemona's fidelity. It is interesting that she does not question Iago too much when she gives him the handkerchief, it could be considered that this illustrates female ability to trust in the play. However she also remains ignorant of the entire plot until the end, when her life comes to an abrupt ending, at the hands of her husband, Iago. She often failed to think before saying and performing some action. This, without much thought, uncovers her husband's plan, but she fails to consider the consequences for herself. This is very different to her husband, who seems to plan out every word in order to get the right response. It is apparent that this is quite an unhappy marriage, made clearer through their dissimilar personalities. She has many honorable qualities such as her honesty in addition to her loyalty towards Desdemona. Iago does not treat her like his wife until he requires something; this shows this marriage was purely one in order to gain status among piers.
Throughout the play Desdemona is a symbol of innocence and helplessness. However on first encounter with her she appears to be mature and quite perceptive of events around her. Iago often tells Othello that she is unfaithful. It seems that she refuses to accept what is happening. Her views are impartial. She has a tendency to be sympathetic towards other people's situations, like Cassio. This also further inspired Othello's jealousy when Iago pointed out they were speaking in privacy. She often pays attention to other peoples thoughts yet remains cynical if they differ to her own. She has a loyalty to her husbands in all aspects of life, whether it is mental or physical. If Desdemona had been an emotional void then Iago would not have succeeded in his plan. This would have meant that she would not have lied to Othello about losing the handkerchief, which she did so as not to hurt his feelings. However Othello sees this as an attempt to deceive him and conceal the alleged truth about her affair with Cassio. Even her final words, indicate that she blames her death on herself, and not her jealous husband.
Othello was indeed a tragedy, in which out of the three women that are introduced, only one survived. Although the women were all rational in thought and trusting, their trust was often misplaced, in gentlemen like Iago. As well as this regardless of their intellect and contemplation of events around them (in some cases) this was not enough for them to rise up in society, as women had no opinion in the time of the play. Although Shakespeare undertook many modern day ideas, he did not do this for a modern day society, as it would not have allowed so many events to occur, and it would not have been considered realistic by the viewing public.
"Shakespeare's Portrayal of Women in Othello." 123HelpMe.com. 29 Feb 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Othello and the handkerchief
The most dominant symbol in the play is the handkerchief that circulates throughout the play. Because Othello gave it to Desdemona as a first gift, the handkerchief functions as a token of his love, which Desdemona cherishes (3.3.1). This is why Iago convinces his wife to steal it from Desdemona – he knows that it has a lot of sentimental value and that Othello will be angry when he finds out his wife no longer has it.
Iago also knows that, for Othello, the handkerchief symbolizes Desdemona's fidelity. When it shows up in Cassio's possession, Othello is convinced that Desdemona is unfaithful. The white napkin, as we know, is spotted with red strawberries and Othello tells Desdemona that the strawberries were hand stitched with thread that has been dyed with blood from "maidens' hearts" or, virgins' blood (3.4.10). In this way, the handkerchief resembles a white wedding sheet that's also been stained with a virgin's blood. So, in Othello's mind, as long as Desdemona has the handkerchief in her possession, she's chaste. But, the moment she "loses it," she looses her chastity.
The handkerchief also seems to function as a symbol of Othello's mysterious past and his "exoticness." He tells Desdemona that an Egyptian "charmer" gave it to his mother and that it would keep his father "faithful" and under her spell (3.4.9). That such a small object has such enormous weight in the play testifies to the sensitivity of jealous minds, and the way that small incidents can be magnified psychologically into "proofs" of love or betrayal.
Iago also knows that, for Othello, the handkerchief symbolizes Desdemona's fidelity. When it shows up in Cassio's possession, Othello is convinced that Desdemona is unfaithful. The white napkin, as we know, is spotted with red strawberries and Othello tells Desdemona that the strawberries were hand stitched with thread that has been dyed with blood from "maidens' hearts" or, virgins' blood (3.4.10). In this way, the handkerchief resembles a white wedding sheet that's also been stained with a virgin's blood. So, in Othello's mind, as long as Desdemona has the handkerchief in her possession, she's chaste. But, the moment she "loses it," she looses her chastity.
The handkerchief also seems to function as a symbol of Othello's mysterious past and his "exoticness." He tells Desdemona that an Egyptian "charmer" gave it to his mother and that it would keep his father "faithful" and under her spell (3.4.9). That such a small object has such enormous weight in the play testifies to the sensitivity of jealous minds, and the way that small incidents can be magnified psychologically into "proofs" of love or betrayal.
Historical and Literary context of 'Othello'
When Written: c. 1603
Where Written: England
When Published: 1622
Literary Period: The Renaissance
Related Literary Works: Shakespeare’s primary source for Othello was Un capitano moro (“A Moorish Captain”), one of one hundred short stories in the collection Gli Hecatommithi, published by the Italian, Cinthio. Cinthio’s story provides the backbone for Shakespeare’s plot, although Shakespeare introduces some minor new characters (such as Brabantio and Roderigo) and other alterations—for instance, in Cinthio’s version, Iago’s motive for revenge against Othello is that he formerly loved and was rejected by Desdemona. There are also similarities between Othello, “A Moorish Captain,” and a story by the name of “The Three Apples” narrated by Scheherezade in the Thousand and One Nights.
Related Historical Events: From the eleventh to the fifteenth century, Catholics battled to re-conquer Spain from the Islamic Arabs and Berbers, or Moors, who had successfully occupied it since the 900s. The struggle inspired intense prejudice and suspicion that lasted well after the Moors were overthrown. Philip III of Spain expelled 300,000 “Moriscos” from the Iberian (Spanish) peninsula not long after Shakespeare finished Othello, in 1609. In England during Shakespeare’s time, views regarding “Moors” were slightly more complex because of strong anti-Catholic sentiment in England and English fears of invasion by the Spanish. In fact, England maintained independent trade relationships with “Moorish” Northern Africa, despite Spanish and Portuguese protest. The English slave trade also brought blacks to Europe, from mid-sixteenth century onward. Queen Elizabeth herself founded The Barbary Company, formally institutionalizing this trade; in addition, she received a delegation of Moroccan diplomats in 1600. However, the English still felt a strong suspicion of Islam: Elizabeth issued a degree expelling Moors from Africa and Spanish “Moriscos” from the boundary of England in 1599 and 1601.
Extra Credit
Moor or less? In Elizabethan England, the term “Moor” could be used to refer to a wide range of non-European persons, including black Africans, North Africans, Arabs, and even Indians. References to Othello’s origins throughout the play are contradictory and ambiguous Iago calls Othello a “Barbary horse” (1.1.110); Barbary was an area in Africa between Egypt and the Atlantic Ocean. Roderigo, however, calls him “thick-lips” (1.1.65-6), suggesting that he may come from further south on the African continent. Brabantio calls him “sooty” (1.2.70); Othello, along with numerous other characters, refers to himself as “black.” It is impossible to know now exactly what Shakespeare or his audience would have thought a “Moor” is.
Where Written: England
When Published: 1622
Literary Period: The Renaissance
Related Literary Works: Shakespeare’s primary source for Othello was Un capitano moro (“A Moorish Captain”), one of one hundred short stories in the collection Gli Hecatommithi, published by the Italian, Cinthio. Cinthio’s story provides the backbone for Shakespeare’s plot, although Shakespeare introduces some minor new characters (such as Brabantio and Roderigo) and other alterations—for instance, in Cinthio’s version, Iago’s motive for revenge against Othello is that he formerly loved and was rejected by Desdemona. There are also similarities between Othello, “A Moorish Captain,” and a story by the name of “The Three Apples” narrated by Scheherezade in the Thousand and One Nights.
Related Historical Events: From the eleventh to the fifteenth century, Catholics battled to re-conquer Spain from the Islamic Arabs and Berbers, or Moors, who had successfully occupied it since the 900s. The struggle inspired intense prejudice and suspicion that lasted well after the Moors were overthrown. Philip III of Spain expelled 300,000 “Moriscos” from the Iberian (Spanish) peninsula not long after Shakespeare finished Othello, in 1609. In England during Shakespeare’s time, views regarding “Moors” were slightly more complex because of strong anti-Catholic sentiment in England and English fears of invasion by the Spanish. In fact, England maintained independent trade relationships with “Moorish” Northern Africa, despite Spanish and Portuguese protest. The English slave trade also brought blacks to Europe, from mid-sixteenth century onward. Queen Elizabeth herself founded The Barbary Company, formally institutionalizing this trade; in addition, she received a delegation of Moroccan diplomats in 1600. However, the English still felt a strong suspicion of Islam: Elizabeth issued a degree expelling Moors from Africa and Spanish “Moriscos” from the boundary of England in 1599 and 1601.
Extra Credit
Moor or less? In Elizabethan England, the term “Moor” could be used to refer to a wide range of non-European persons, including black Africans, North Africans, Arabs, and even Indians. References to Othello’s origins throughout the play are contradictory and ambiguous Iago calls Othello a “Barbary horse” (1.1.110); Barbary was an area in Africa between Egypt and the Atlantic Ocean. Roderigo, however, calls him “thick-lips” (1.1.65-6), suggesting that he may come from further south on the African continent. Brabantio calls him “sooty” (1.2.70); Othello, along with numerous other characters, refers to himself as “black.” It is impossible to know now exactly what Shakespeare or his audience would have thought a “Moor” is.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Analyse this ad
Discuss the effectiveness of this ad by analysing the image, and how it relates to the product.
Why is this pacifier used? What is it a symbol of, and what connotations does it have?
An interpretation of 'the green eyed monster'
Shakespeare makes at least two references to the 'green eyed monster'. The first is in Othello, when Iago says "O beware my lord of jealousy: it is the green eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on". In the Merchant of Venice jealousy is again mentioned "cats, lions, togers and all the green eyed tribe mock the meat they feed on".
It is thought that Shakespeare was making particular reference to the way a cat will cruelly play with a mouse, bird etc before it kills it. It will be tender towards the mouse, carrying it, gently tapping it, offering it the chance to escape only to recapture it again etc. But ultimately it hates the mouse and will kill it.
So when Shakespeare describes the green eyed monster he is talking not just about the love hate relationship that cats have with their prey, but also how a person who is jealous of their lover will have a 'love hate' relationship with that person. Because they love them, they also hate them and so they have become that green eyed monster
It is thought that Shakespeare was making particular reference to the way a cat will cruelly play with a mouse, bird etc before it kills it. It will be tender towards the mouse, carrying it, gently tapping it, offering it the chance to escape only to recapture it again etc. But ultimately it hates the mouse and will kill it.
So when Shakespeare describes the green eyed monster he is talking not just about the love hate relationship that cats have with their prey, but also how a person who is jealous of their lover will have a 'love hate' relationship with that person. Because they love them, they also hate them and so they have become that green eyed monster
Turning green with envy
Written by Kate Smith, CMG, CfYH
"It turned Brer Merlin green with envy and spite, which was a great satisfaction to me." A Connecticut Yankee by Mark Twain
'Green with envy' was a colorful term used long before Mark Twain wrote these words about jealousy in the late-1800s. Today, the saying means that one is envious or covetous of someone or something.
If one is "bitten by the green-eyed monster," it's thought they are consumed with jealousy. With envy being one of the deadly sins, there's been a lot written about it since the beginning of time.
Color me 'Green with envy'
If you go back a few hundred years to the 16th and 17th centuries, great authors such as Shakespeare and Chaucer wrote of characters who were green with envy.
Shakespeare uses green to describe jealousy at least three times in his works. In Othello, Iago refers to the 'green-eyed monster.' In Anthony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare wrote of the 'green sickness,' meaning jealousy. And in Merchant of Venice, he used the term 'green-eyed jealousy.'
Early green usage
Long before Shakespeare connected green with jealousy, the color was more commonly used to describe illness. Sources such as Who Put the Butter in Butterfly by David Feldman claim the early Greeks interchanged "green" and "pale" to mean sickly. The Greeks thought that when you were ill or jealous, the body produced too much bile, giving the skin a green tint.
And while many sources are content to let Shakespeare take credit for inventing the idea of a person turning green with envy, a Greek poet beat him to the punch more than 2,000 years earlier. Sappho wrote of a forlorn lover being green in one of her works dating back to the seventh century B.C.E.
Envious cats?
So how does "green with envy" turn into the 'green-eyed monster'? Several sources suggest that Shakespeare, who is credited with creating this phrase, was comparing a jealous man to a green-eyed cat that toys with its prey before killing it:
"O! Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." -- Othello
"It turned Brer Merlin green with envy and spite, which was a great satisfaction to me." A Connecticut Yankee by Mark Twain
'Green with envy' was a colorful term used long before Mark Twain wrote these words about jealousy in the late-1800s. Today, the saying means that one is envious or covetous of someone or something.
If one is "bitten by the green-eyed monster," it's thought they are consumed with jealousy. With envy being one of the deadly sins, there's been a lot written about it since the beginning of time.
Color me 'Green with envy'
If you go back a few hundred years to the 16th and 17th centuries, great authors such as Shakespeare and Chaucer wrote of characters who were green with envy.
Shakespeare uses green to describe jealousy at least three times in his works. In Othello, Iago refers to the 'green-eyed monster.' In Anthony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare wrote of the 'green sickness,' meaning jealousy. And in Merchant of Venice, he used the term 'green-eyed jealousy.'
Early green usage
Long before Shakespeare connected green with jealousy, the color was more commonly used to describe illness. Sources such as Who Put the Butter in Butterfly by David Feldman claim the early Greeks interchanged "green" and "pale" to mean sickly. The Greeks thought that when you were ill or jealous, the body produced too much bile, giving the skin a green tint.
And while many sources are content to let Shakespeare take credit for inventing the idea of a person turning green with envy, a Greek poet beat him to the punch more than 2,000 years earlier. Sappho wrote of a forlorn lover being green in one of her works dating back to the seventh century B.C.E.
Envious cats?
So how does "green with envy" turn into the 'green-eyed monster'? Several sources suggest that Shakespeare, who is credited with creating this phrase, was comparing a jealous man to a green-eyed cat that toys with its prey before killing it:
"O! Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." -- Othello
Evil Thoughts Created by Jealousy in Othello and Macbeth
Jealousy in Othello and Macbeth
A parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by acquiring nutrients at the host organism’s expense; some examples of parasites include barnacles and fleas, however, the parasite that will be dealt with shortly is a different kind of monster, for it possesses green-eyes.
Jealousy as a theme is mentioned frequently in William Shakespeare’s plays Othello and Macbeth. However, even more impressively, one can observe that all jealous characters seem to follow the same trend; this is that jealousy evokes an evil in man that, when acted upon, will ultimately lead to the man’s demise. This process is demonstrated through three defined stages: the birth of jealousy, an act of evil, and the character’s own destruction.
The first step toward the person’s demise is the jealousy itself (bringing forth evil thoughts). Othello is one who demonstrates this when he prepares to “furnish [himself] with some swift means of death” for Desdemona (III, iii, 474). This occurs when Iago completely deceives Othello of Desdemona’s marital faith, making him irrevocably jealous. Another character who shows jealousy accompanied by evil thought is Macbeth. When Macbeth is not given the title of Prince of Cumberland, he says, “let not light see my black and deep desires” to himself, revealing his evil thoughts (I, iv, 51). These thoughts are a result of Macbeth’s jealousy towards Malcolm (the Prince of Cumberland) The character Iago from Othello also demonstrates this point when he says, “Let us be conjunctive in our revenge / against [Othello]” to Roderigo (I, iii, 363-364). Iago’s evil intent originated from Othello awarding a promotion to one Michael Cassio; Iago, thinking he deserved the promotion, has become jealous. All of the examples listed clearly reveal a jealousy within these characters, resulting in evil thoughts.
The following stage in the life cycle of jealousy is when the evil thoughts are projected into reality as acts. Macbeth first does this when he kills Duncan as a result of his jealousy of Malcolm. After doing this, Macbeth frantically exclaims to Lady Macbeth that “[He] thought [he] heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep’” (II, ii, 35-56). From this, it is seen that Macbeth has committed murder as a result of the seeding jealousy. Macbeth demonstrates truly evil acts once more, however, this time not as a direct result of jealousy, but rather an indirect result. This act is when he murders Macduff’s family in order to attack Macduff emotionally. While this may not seem to be motivated by jealousy, this act can be traced back to the original jealousy of Malcolm; this is because one of the reasons Macbeth commits the murders is because Macduff is suspicious of Duncan’s murder. The third example of evil acts committed because of jealousy is Othello’s murder of Desdemona. Once Othello has done the deed, he states, “’Twas I that killed [Desdemona]” to Emilia (V, ii, 128). This act is observably motivated by the jealousy installed by Iago’s lies.
Clearly, the examples mentioned all show the evil thoughts created by jealousy being translated into acts.
A parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by acquiring nutrients at the host organism’s expense; some examples of parasites include barnacles and fleas, however, the parasite that will be dealt with shortly is a different kind of monster, for it possesses green-eyes.
Jealousy as a theme is mentioned frequently in William Shakespeare’s plays Othello and Macbeth. However, even more impressively, one can observe that all jealous characters seem to follow the same trend; this is that jealousy evokes an evil in man that, when acted upon, will ultimately lead to the man’s demise. This process is demonstrated through three defined stages: the birth of jealousy, an act of evil, and the character’s own destruction.
The first step toward the person’s demise is the jealousy itself (bringing forth evil thoughts). Othello is one who demonstrates this when he prepares to “furnish [himself] with some swift means of death” for Desdemona (III, iii, 474). This occurs when Iago completely deceives Othello of Desdemona’s marital faith, making him irrevocably jealous. Another character who shows jealousy accompanied by evil thought is Macbeth. When Macbeth is not given the title of Prince of Cumberland, he says, “let not light see my black and deep desires” to himself, revealing his evil thoughts (I, iv, 51). These thoughts are a result of Macbeth’s jealousy towards Malcolm (the Prince of Cumberland) The character Iago from Othello also demonstrates this point when he says, “Let us be conjunctive in our revenge / against [Othello]” to Roderigo (I, iii, 363-364). Iago’s evil intent originated from Othello awarding a promotion to one Michael Cassio; Iago, thinking he deserved the promotion, has become jealous. All of the examples listed clearly reveal a jealousy within these characters, resulting in evil thoughts.
The following stage in the life cycle of jealousy is when the evil thoughts are projected into reality as acts. Macbeth first does this when he kills Duncan as a result of his jealousy of Malcolm. After doing this, Macbeth frantically exclaims to Lady Macbeth that “[He] thought [he] heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep’” (II, ii, 35-56). From this, it is seen that Macbeth has committed murder as a result of the seeding jealousy. Macbeth demonstrates truly evil acts once more, however, this time not as a direct result of jealousy, but rather an indirect result. This act is when he murders Macduff’s family in order to attack Macduff emotionally. While this may not seem to be motivated by jealousy, this act can be traced back to the original jealousy of Malcolm; this is because one of the reasons Macbeth commits the murders is because Macduff is suspicious of Duncan’s murder. The third example of evil acts committed because of jealousy is Othello’s murder of Desdemona. Once Othello has done the deed, he states, “’Twas I that killed [Desdemona]” to Emilia (V, ii, 128). This act is observably motivated by the jealousy installed by Iago’s lies.
Clearly, the examples mentioned all show the evil thoughts created by jealousy being translated into acts.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Analyze this ad
Who is the figure illustrated in this ad?
How is this figure related to the organization that is being advertised?
Discuss the textual and visual pun.
The Colours of Othello by Lisa Nuzzolillo
In Shakespeare's Othello, color imagery consistently appears throughout the text. The colors, specifically black, white, and red, create symbolic and metaphoric meanings which contribute to larger themes such as racial prejudice, good versus evil, sexuality, and murder. The colors evoke images in the characters' minds, particularly Othello's. These images, along with their corresponding idea or theme, influence the actions of the characters, culminating in the murder of Desdemona by Othello.
References to black and white carry the most weight and contribute much to the actions of the characters; those colors often are used as a comment on race, on good and evil, on sexuality, or a combination of the three. The play does not proceed far into the first scene without a racial statement, where Iago informs Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona have run away together: “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/ Is tupping your white ewe” (1.1.85-86). Iago refers to Othello as a “black ram” and to Desdemona as a “white ewe,” pointing out the differences in skin color (since Othello is a Moor). A ram, since it has horns, can also be symbolic of the devil; therefore, Iago makes Othello devil-like and racially different at the same time. Additionally, the color black is often seen as evil or bad, whereas white is seen as good and pure. Since the black ram is “tupping,” or mounting, the white ewe, Iago is making a reference to the sexual act of Othello, black, taking Desdemona's virginity, white and pure. Planting an image like this in Brabantio's mind causes him to react negatively towards the marriage, and because Othello is darker-skinned, it makes the situation worse.
Brabantio has racial prejudices and accuses Othello, because he is dark and associated with barbarity and enchantment, of using magic to seduce Desdemona:
For I'll refer me to all things of sense,
If she in chains of magic were not bound,
Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy,
So opposite to marriage that she shunned
The wealthy, curled darlings of our nation,
Would ever have, t'incur a general mock,
Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom
Of such a thing as thou—to fear, not to delight. (1.2.63-70)
Brabantio refers to Othello as a “sooty bosom,” following Iago's earlier racial image. He stereotypes Othello, saying that magic must be involved or Desdemona, “a fair” or white woman, never would have chosen a dark man, a “sooty bosom,” to marry. The black and white images placed in Brabantio's mind influence his views on Othello, or he would not have pointed out Othello's “sooty bosom.” These images that emphasize the colors are what keep him from accepting Othello.
Othello defends himself against Brabantio's accusations of magic, saying, “Yet by your gracious patience,/ I will a round unvarnished tale deliver/ Of my whole course of love” (1.3.89-91). Othello will tell the truth of what happened, and the tale will be “unvarnished,” or unglossed. He recognizes that the ideas associated with his color are part of the problem, and he must defend himself against racist beliefs. By telling an “unvarnished tale,” a tale with no touch of surface color in any way, he will prove himself to Brabantio as an honest man regardless of his color. Othello recognizes the misjudgment that is made about him, and so must evoke an image of honesty and purity to protect himself …
Once it is proven that Othello did not bewitch Desdemona, the negative color imagery must be removed from Brabantio's mind. The Duke says to Brabantio, “And, noble signior,/ If virtue no delighted beauty lack,/ Your son-in-law is far more fair than black” (1.3.283-285). He compliments Othello's “virtue,” yet he also makes the statement that Othello is “far more fair than black.” The conditional “if” implies that if virtues outweigh or have no connections to external looks, and since virtue often is associated with the color white, then because Othello is virtuous, he is more “fair,” or white. The Duke tells Brabantio that should Brabantio think Othello is virtuous, though Othello is darker skinned, because he is less dark, “more fair,” than completely black. In other words, Othello is so light and virtuous that he appears almost like a white person, thus the image allows Othello to be accepted as Desdemona's husband because the characters can view him as “fair” rather than “black.”
Despite the acceptance of Othello by the characters, he is still referred to as the Moor, or as black. Iago says,
Come, lieutenant,
I have a stoup of wine, and here without are a
brace of Cyprus gallants that would fain have a
measure to the health of black Othello. (2.3.27-30)
Iago uses Othello's color as a weapon against him. In the beginning, it was Iago who described Othello as a “black ram” to influence Brabantio. Here, he again brings out an image of Othello that is specifically “black,” playing on Othello's racial difference. Iago does this throughout the text, using color to place imagery into characters' heads in order to influence them.
Iago especially influences Othello with color imagery. He points out to Othello, “She did deceive her father, marrying you;/ And when she seemed to shake and fear your looks,/ She loved them most” (3.3.206-208). He causes Othello to think about his skin color and the differences between him and Desdemona. The influence of Iago's statement on Othello is evident when he says,
Haply for I am black
And have not those soft parts of conversation
That chamberers have, or for I am declined
Into the vale of years—yet that's not much—
She's gone. (3.3.262-266)
Othello picks up on the stereotypes of his race that because he is black, he is tough and hard, and does not have “those soft parts” that others have to woo women. Othello's adoption of the black color imagery shows that he is falling into Iago's trap, which causes him to believe that Desdemona is unfaithful.
Othello later seems to recognize that the rumors about Desdemona are affecting him,
By the world,
I think my wife be honest, and think she is not;
I think that thou art just, and think thou art not.
I'll have some proof. My name, that was as fresh
As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black
As mine own face. (3.3.380-385)
Until now, Othello recognized that his skin was dark, “begrimed and black,” but he did not identify his character as such. Othello's person, or his “name,” was pure like “Dian's visage,” the [face of] the goddess of chastity; he was good and pure on the inside even though externally [to Europeans] he looked dark and evil. Yet “now” Othello sees himself as “begrimed,” or dirty, as he succumbs to the beliefs against Desdemona, which make him feel like a foolish husband. He allows Iago to poison his thoughts, turning his insides black like his outside, causing him to describe himself in [racist] black and white color imagery. This imagery and the beliefs that accompany it help to motivate Othello to kill Desdemona.
Othello later points out Desdemona's whiteness as he watches her sleep before killing her. He says, “Yet I'll not shed her blood,/ Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,/ And smooth as monumental alabaster” (5.2.3-5). Othello will not ruin her beauty by shedding her blood, but he also points out her “whiter skin.” He recognizes once again the difference in their colors as so many people have mentioned previously. Also, if he scars her white skin, he will be ‘tainting' it like his own. Since his dark skin is a symbol of evil while hers is a symbol of goodness and purity, if he cuts her, he will darken her skin with blood, therefore destroying the goodness still left in her appearance, if not also in her character. His vision of the white imagery propels him to choose to smother her, as Iago suggested to him earlier.
The color red is in much of the imagery in Othello, too, often symbolizing blood, murder, and virginity. In the beginning, Roderigo and Brabantio draw swords to attack Othello for stealing Desdemona, and Othello says, “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them” (1.2.58). Literally, Othello tells them that if they keep their swords out, the moisture, or “dew,” in the air will corrode and “rust” the swords. Yet rust is red as well, so Othello may be pointing out that if their swords remain drawn, blood is bound to get on them. This red image of blood may be foreshadowing Roderigo's swordfight with Cassio and death later. Additionally, it shows Othello's rationality at the time, for he does not want to see any bloodshed. The opposite is seen later once Othello is convinced of Desdemona's infidelity, but here Othello stops any fighting from taking place by evoking the image of blood on the swords.
Red also can symbolize virginity, or the loss of, as well. In early descriptions, Desdemona is described as “A maiden never bold/ Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion/ Blushed at herself” (1.3.94-96). Here, Desdemona is so pure and innocent (the qualities of a virgin), that she blushes at everything she does, turning her cheeks red. Desdemona herself is a symbol of goodness, the epitome of chastity, and her blushing reinforces the red imagery of virginity that depicts her actions as pure and good.
Red imagery for the loss of virginity in regards to Desdemona is particularly clear in the handkerchief given to her by Othello. The handkerchief is white with red strawberries on it, and is used by Iago as a symbol of her loss of virginity when he is convincing Othello of Desdemona's infidelity: “Tell me but this:/ Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief/ Spotted with strawberries in your wife's hand?” (3.3.430-432). Iago is evoking an image of white sheets “spotted” with blood, symbolizing the bleeding associated with the loss of virginity, when asking about the “handkerchief spotted with strawberries.” When he claims that he saw Cassio with the handkerchief, Othello, with the red color imagery in his mind, comes to the conclusion that Desdemona must be having an affair with Cassio, therefore giving away her virginity [or sexual purity] to Cassio rather than her husband. Othello acts according to his belief, and so he plans to kill Desdemona.
Once Othello is convinced that Desdemona has been unfaithful, he talks of revenge, and his language also contains red imagery of blood. At one point he cries out “O blood, blood, blood!” (3.3.448), and later he says,
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace,
Shall nev'r look back, nev'r ebb to humble love,
Till that a capable and wide revenge
Swallow them up. (3.3.454-457)
Earlier, Othello kept others from fighting, yet now it is he who wants to shed blood. Othello must shed blood in revenge for what he thinks Desdemona has done to him. The images of blood in his mind spur his plans of murder forward: “I will withdraw/ To furnish me with some swift means of death/ For the fair devil” (3.3.473-475). He believes Desdemona has betrayed him, and she must pay for it.
As Othello stands over Desdemona while she sleeps, he cannot “shed her blood” (5.2.3). The vision of blood on her white skin is too much for him, leading him to the decision to smother her; in a way, this act will preserve the appearance of innocence perceived in the whiteness of her skin. He also metaphorically refers to Desdemona as a rose, evoking the red [or possibly the white] image again: “When I have plucked the rose,/ I cannot give it vital growth again;/ It needs must wither” (5.2.13-15). He realizes that once he kills her, he cannot give her life again, just as once a flower is picked, it will die because it cannot be reattached to its root. Additionally, a rose could be a symbol of virginity, with Othello seeing Desdemona as a virgin still, a rose that has yet to be “plucked” by him, [a reading which implies] they have not consummated their marriage at this time. However, the redness of a rose may also remind him of blood, and, since Desdemona is probably sleeping on white sheets, Othello may have a vision of blood-stained sheets, signifying the loss of virginity. An image like this, coupled with the image from the handkerchief with strawberries, may help to drive him towards revenge; therefore, the red color [like the black and white] imagery evoked eventually contributes to the murder of Dedsdemona.
The color imagery of Othello influences many characters; some are influenced to hate or love Othello because of “black” and “white,” while Othello himself is driven to murder, particularly with red imagery. While each color plays its own role throughout the text, they all greatly contribute to the characters' behaviors and actions … leading to the play's tragic end.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Alvin Kernan, ed. New York: Signet Classic, 1986.
References to black and white carry the most weight and contribute much to the actions of the characters; those colors often are used as a comment on race, on good and evil, on sexuality, or a combination of the three. The play does not proceed far into the first scene without a racial statement, where Iago informs Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona have run away together: “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/ Is tupping your white ewe” (1.1.85-86). Iago refers to Othello as a “black ram” and to Desdemona as a “white ewe,” pointing out the differences in skin color (since Othello is a Moor). A ram, since it has horns, can also be symbolic of the devil; therefore, Iago makes Othello devil-like and racially different at the same time. Additionally, the color black is often seen as evil or bad, whereas white is seen as good and pure. Since the black ram is “tupping,” or mounting, the white ewe, Iago is making a reference to the sexual act of Othello, black, taking Desdemona's virginity, white and pure. Planting an image like this in Brabantio's mind causes him to react negatively towards the marriage, and because Othello is darker-skinned, it makes the situation worse.
Brabantio has racial prejudices and accuses Othello, because he is dark and associated with barbarity and enchantment, of using magic to seduce Desdemona:
For I'll refer me to all things of sense,
If she in chains of magic were not bound,
Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy,
So opposite to marriage that she shunned
The wealthy, curled darlings of our nation,
Would ever have, t'incur a general mock,
Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom
Of such a thing as thou—to fear, not to delight. (1.2.63-70)
Brabantio refers to Othello as a “sooty bosom,” following Iago's earlier racial image. He stereotypes Othello, saying that magic must be involved or Desdemona, “a fair” or white woman, never would have chosen a dark man, a “sooty bosom,” to marry. The black and white images placed in Brabantio's mind influence his views on Othello, or he would not have pointed out Othello's “sooty bosom.” These images that emphasize the colors are what keep him from accepting Othello.
Othello defends himself against Brabantio's accusations of magic, saying, “Yet by your gracious patience,/ I will a round unvarnished tale deliver/ Of my whole course of love” (1.3.89-91). Othello will tell the truth of what happened, and the tale will be “unvarnished,” or unglossed. He recognizes that the ideas associated with his color are part of the problem, and he must defend himself against racist beliefs. By telling an “unvarnished tale,” a tale with no touch of surface color in any way, he will prove himself to Brabantio as an honest man regardless of his color. Othello recognizes the misjudgment that is made about him, and so must evoke an image of honesty and purity to protect himself …
Once it is proven that Othello did not bewitch Desdemona, the negative color imagery must be removed from Brabantio's mind. The Duke says to Brabantio, “And, noble signior,/ If virtue no delighted beauty lack,/ Your son-in-law is far more fair than black” (1.3.283-285). He compliments Othello's “virtue,” yet he also makes the statement that Othello is “far more fair than black.” The conditional “if” implies that if virtues outweigh or have no connections to external looks, and since virtue often is associated with the color white, then because Othello is virtuous, he is more “fair,” or white. The Duke tells Brabantio that should Brabantio think Othello is virtuous, though Othello is darker skinned, because he is less dark, “more fair,” than completely black. In other words, Othello is so light and virtuous that he appears almost like a white person, thus the image allows Othello to be accepted as Desdemona's husband because the characters can view him as “fair” rather than “black.”
Despite the acceptance of Othello by the characters, he is still referred to as the Moor, or as black. Iago says,
Come, lieutenant,
I have a stoup of wine, and here without are a
brace of Cyprus gallants that would fain have a
measure to the health of black Othello. (2.3.27-30)
Iago uses Othello's color as a weapon against him. In the beginning, it was Iago who described Othello as a “black ram” to influence Brabantio. Here, he again brings out an image of Othello that is specifically “black,” playing on Othello's racial difference. Iago does this throughout the text, using color to place imagery into characters' heads in order to influence them.
Iago especially influences Othello with color imagery. He points out to Othello, “She did deceive her father, marrying you;/ And when she seemed to shake and fear your looks,/ She loved them most” (3.3.206-208). He causes Othello to think about his skin color and the differences between him and Desdemona. The influence of Iago's statement on Othello is evident when he says,
Haply for I am black
And have not those soft parts of conversation
That chamberers have, or for I am declined
Into the vale of years—yet that's not much—
She's gone. (3.3.262-266)
Othello picks up on the stereotypes of his race that because he is black, he is tough and hard, and does not have “those soft parts” that others have to woo women. Othello's adoption of the black color imagery shows that he is falling into Iago's trap, which causes him to believe that Desdemona is unfaithful.
Othello later seems to recognize that the rumors about Desdemona are affecting him,
By the world,
I think my wife be honest, and think she is not;
I think that thou art just, and think thou art not.
I'll have some proof. My name, that was as fresh
As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black
As mine own face. (3.3.380-385)
Until now, Othello recognized that his skin was dark, “begrimed and black,” but he did not identify his character as such. Othello's person, or his “name,” was pure like “Dian's visage,” the [face of] the goddess of chastity; he was good and pure on the inside even though externally [to Europeans] he looked dark and evil. Yet “now” Othello sees himself as “begrimed,” or dirty, as he succumbs to the beliefs against Desdemona, which make him feel like a foolish husband. He allows Iago to poison his thoughts, turning his insides black like his outside, causing him to describe himself in [racist] black and white color imagery. This imagery and the beliefs that accompany it help to motivate Othello to kill Desdemona.
Othello later points out Desdemona's whiteness as he watches her sleep before killing her. He says, “Yet I'll not shed her blood,/ Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,/ And smooth as monumental alabaster” (5.2.3-5). Othello will not ruin her beauty by shedding her blood, but he also points out her “whiter skin.” He recognizes once again the difference in their colors as so many people have mentioned previously. Also, if he scars her white skin, he will be ‘tainting' it like his own. Since his dark skin is a symbol of evil while hers is a symbol of goodness and purity, if he cuts her, he will darken her skin with blood, therefore destroying the goodness still left in her appearance, if not also in her character. His vision of the white imagery propels him to choose to smother her, as Iago suggested to him earlier.
The color red is in much of the imagery in Othello, too, often symbolizing blood, murder, and virginity. In the beginning, Roderigo and Brabantio draw swords to attack Othello for stealing Desdemona, and Othello says, “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them” (1.2.58). Literally, Othello tells them that if they keep their swords out, the moisture, or “dew,” in the air will corrode and “rust” the swords. Yet rust is red as well, so Othello may be pointing out that if their swords remain drawn, blood is bound to get on them. This red image of blood may be foreshadowing Roderigo's swordfight with Cassio and death later. Additionally, it shows Othello's rationality at the time, for he does not want to see any bloodshed. The opposite is seen later once Othello is convinced of Desdemona's infidelity, but here Othello stops any fighting from taking place by evoking the image of blood on the swords.
Red also can symbolize virginity, or the loss of, as well. In early descriptions, Desdemona is described as “A maiden never bold/ Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion/ Blushed at herself” (1.3.94-96). Here, Desdemona is so pure and innocent (the qualities of a virgin), that she blushes at everything she does, turning her cheeks red. Desdemona herself is a symbol of goodness, the epitome of chastity, and her blushing reinforces the red imagery of virginity that depicts her actions as pure and good.
Red imagery for the loss of virginity in regards to Desdemona is particularly clear in the handkerchief given to her by Othello. The handkerchief is white with red strawberries on it, and is used by Iago as a symbol of her loss of virginity when he is convincing Othello of Desdemona's infidelity: “Tell me but this:/ Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief/ Spotted with strawberries in your wife's hand?” (3.3.430-432). Iago is evoking an image of white sheets “spotted” with blood, symbolizing the bleeding associated with the loss of virginity, when asking about the “handkerchief spotted with strawberries.” When he claims that he saw Cassio with the handkerchief, Othello, with the red color imagery in his mind, comes to the conclusion that Desdemona must be having an affair with Cassio, therefore giving away her virginity [or sexual purity] to Cassio rather than her husband. Othello acts according to his belief, and so he plans to kill Desdemona.
Once Othello is convinced that Desdemona has been unfaithful, he talks of revenge, and his language also contains red imagery of blood. At one point he cries out “O blood, blood, blood!” (3.3.448), and later he says,
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace,
Shall nev'r look back, nev'r ebb to humble love,
Till that a capable and wide revenge
Swallow them up. (3.3.454-457)
Earlier, Othello kept others from fighting, yet now it is he who wants to shed blood. Othello must shed blood in revenge for what he thinks Desdemona has done to him. The images of blood in his mind spur his plans of murder forward: “I will withdraw/ To furnish me with some swift means of death/ For the fair devil” (3.3.473-475). He believes Desdemona has betrayed him, and she must pay for it.
As Othello stands over Desdemona while she sleeps, he cannot “shed her blood” (5.2.3). The vision of blood on her white skin is too much for him, leading him to the decision to smother her; in a way, this act will preserve the appearance of innocence perceived in the whiteness of her skin. He also metaphorically refers to Desdemona as a rose, evoking the red [or possibly the white] image again: “When I have plucked the rose,/ I cannot give it vital growth again;/ It needs must wither” (5.2.13-15). He realizes that once he kills her, he cannot give her life again, just as once a flower is picked, it will die because it cannot be reattached to its root. Additionally, a rose could be a symbol of virginity, with Othello seeing Desdemona as a virgin still, a rose that has yet to be “plucked” by him, [a reading which implies] they have not consummated their marriage at this time. However, the redness of a rose may also remind him of blood, and, since Desdemona is probably sleeping on white sheets, Othello may have a vision of blood-stained sheets, signifying the loss of virginity. An image like this, coupled with the image from the handkerchief with strawberries, may help to drive him towards revenge; therefore, the red color [like the black and white] imagery evoked eventually contributes to the murder of Dedsdemona.
The color imagery of Othello influences many characters; some are influenced to hate or love Othello because of “black” and “white,” while Othello himself is driven to murder, particularly with red imagery. While each color plays its own role throughout the text, they all greatly contribute to the characters' behaviors and actions … leading to the play's tragic end.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Alvin Kernan, ed. New York: Signet Classic, 1986.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Analyse this ad campaign
Why is this ad campaign effective?
What is the central message that is conveyed?
How is this message expressed visually and textually?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Othello Act 2 questions
1) How were the Turks defeated?
2) Why didn’t Othello return at the same time Cassio did?
3) What gestures of respect does Cassio show Desdemona that Iago says he can later use against Cassio? What others are there even as the scene continues?
4) In this scene, Iago makes a comment that is actually insulting towards Emilia’s personality. What does he say about her?
5) Why does Desdemona continue to continue the banter with Iago despite his harsh words?
6) What is ironic about the things Iago says to Desdemona?
7) Until this point, Iago has not actually told a direct lie. What blatant lie does he finally tell?
8) Iago begrudgingly compliments Othello. Cite the line and explain the significance of this admittance.
9) Why does Iago say that he loves Desdemona?
10) What do we know about Iago’s plan thus far?
11) What two reasons are given for celebration?
12) What do you think is the significance of including this scene? What bigger picture is it adding to? How does it contribute to the play? Despite its brevity, Shakespeare put it in for a reason; what might that reason be?
13) How is the fight scene between Cassio and Roderigo similar to the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet?
14) Why do you think Cassio is running after Roderigo with a sword? How do you think the brawl began?
15) Othello seems to believe that Cassio began the fight due to the fact that he cannot hold his liquor. Do you agree with this assessment? Explain your answer. Cite your evidence.
16) Explain how Iago uses the truth for his own purposes throughout this scene.
17) Why is Roderigo ready to return home?
18) In Act II, Shakespeare seems to go in an out of iambic pentameter more than in any other act. Why do you think he keeps reverting to prose in this act?
19) Iago seems to be able to prey on a person’s weaknesses. The reader has witnessed the weak traits in others he’s preyed upon, but is there evidence that Othello is susceptible to jealousy? Why do you think Iago selected jealousy?
20) From what you know of Iago’s scheme thus far, do you think it will work? Do you think Othello will be as susceptible to jealousy as Iago thinks he will? What complications do you foresee? Explain your answers.
2) Why didn’t Othello return at the same time Cassio did?
3) What gestures of respect does Cassio show Desdemona that Iago says he can later use against Cassio? What others are there even as the scene continues?
4) In this scene, Iago makes a comment that is actually insulting towards Emilia’s personality. What does he say about her?
5) Why does Desdemona continue to continue the banter with Iago despite his harsh words?
6) What is ironic about the things Iago says to Desdemona?
7) Until this point, Iago has not actually told a direct lie. What blatant lie does he finally tell?
8) Iago begrudgingly compliments Othello. Cite the line and explain the significance of this admittance.
9) Why does Iago say that he loves Desdemona?
10) What do we know about Iago’s plan thus far?
11) What two reasons are given for celebration?
12) What do you think is the significance of including this scene? What bigger picture is it adding to? How does it contribute to the play? Despite its brevity, Shakespeare put it in for a reason; what might that reason be?
13) How is the fight scene between Cassio and Roderigo similar to the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet?
14) Why do you think Cassio is running after Roderigo with a sword? How do you think the brawl began?
15) Othello seems to believe that Cassio began the fight due to the fact that he cannot hold his liquor. Do you agree with this assessment? Explain your answer. Cite your evidence.
16) Explain how Iago uses the truth for his own purposes throughout this scene.
17) Why is Roderigo ready to return home?
18) In Act II, Shakespeare seems to go in an out of iambic pentameter more than in any other act. Why do you think he keeps reverting to prose in this act?
19) Iago seems to be able to prey on a person’s weaknesses. The reader has witnessed the weak traits in others he’s preyed upon, but is there evidence that Othello is susceptible to jealousy? Why do you think Iago selected jealousy?
20) From what you know of Iago’s scheme thus far, do you think it will work? Do you think Othello will be as susceptible to jealousy as Iago thinks he will? What complications do you foresee? Explain your answers.
Analyse this ad
To what desire does this ad appeal?
Discuss the effectiveness of the particular camera shot that is used.
Is the slogan effective? How does it link to the image?
Can you identify how each of these puns is created?
1..
The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
He acquired his size from too much pi.
2.
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .
3.
She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4.
A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
6.
A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8.
Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9.
A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
10.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12.
Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
13.
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
14.
A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
15.
The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16.
The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
17.
A backward poet writes inverse.
18.
In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
19.
When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
20.
If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine .
21.
A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'
22.
Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!'
23.
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
24.
Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'
25.
Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
26.
There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
He acquired his size from too much pi.
2.
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .
3.
She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4.
A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
6.
A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8.
Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9.
A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
10.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12.
Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
13.
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
14.
A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
15.
The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16.
The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
17.
A backward poet writes inverse.
18.
In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
19.
When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
20.
If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine .
21.
A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'
22.
Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!'
23.
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
24.
Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'
25.
Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
26.
There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Analyse this ad campaign
Why does this bank want to celebrate its German roots?
How does the stereotype of Germans reinforce the offering of this Bank?
How is humour created in this ad campaign?
Why?
Why do supermarkets make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
Why do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Why do we leave cars worth thousands of rands in our driveways and put our useless junk in the garage.
EVER WONDER ...
Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavouring, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
Why do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Why do we leave cars worth thousands of rands in our driveways and put our useless junk in the garage.
EVER WONDER ...
Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavouring, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
Words to describe the tone that is used by a writer
Tone is the manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; it is the intonation of voice which expresses meaning. Tone may shift from paragraph to paragraph, or even from line to line; it is the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery, irony, motif, symbolism, syntax and style.
A speaker's tone is evident to all, but understanding written tone is an entirely different matter. The reader must appreciate word choice, details, imagery, and language to understand. To misinterpret tone is to misinterpret meaning; for this reason, we have compiled a guide of 30 categories of tone to elucidate the study of writing and its subtleties.
1.Threatening (menacing, intimidating) tone
"I shall throw you on a black ship and send you to the mainland, To King Echetos, destroyer of all mortal men, Who will cut off your nostrils and ears with a sharp bronze sword; He will tear off your private parts and give them to the dogs to eat raw." -The Odyssey, Homer
In this excerpt, one of Homer’s characters makes dire threats against another. Admittedly, this isn’t a terrifically difficult piece to analyze, but "threatening" fit so well that we had to include it. The key to classifying a tone as "threatening" is the possibility or promise of negative action against the subject. Our particular subject has achieved quite a severe set of consequences for himself and thus more than merits the designation.
2. Provocative (Stimulating, exciting ) tone
Freedom calls you! Quick, be ready –
Rouse ye in the name of God, --Onward, onward, strong and steady, -¬Dash to earth the oppressor’s rod. Freedom calls, ye brave! Rise and spurn the name of slave. -"Polish War Song," Percival
"Freedom calls you!" Yes, freedom is calling, "in the name of God," and all shall rise. The exclamation marks and calls to action are forceful in this passage. The excitement is evident in the way the author wants all to "rise" and fight. It is extremely provocative in this sense, to "spurn the name of slave."
3. Persuasive – Written to convince or win over
…there is no occupation concerned with the management of social affairs which belongs either to woman or to man, as such. Natural gifts are to be found here and there in both creatures alike; and every occupation is open to both, so far as their natures are concerned, though woman is for all purposes the weaker.
Certainly. Is that a reason for making over all occupations to men only? Of course not. No, because one woman may have a natural gift for medicine or for music, another may not. Surely. Is it not also true that a woman may, or may not, be warlike or athletic? I think so. …So for the purpose of keeping watch over the commonwealth, woman has the same nature as man, save in so far as she is weaker. -"Equality of Women" from The Republic of Plato
In this passage, Plato argues for the equality of the women in the process of selection for governmental posts. His persuasive tone is evident in the nature of his composition; he writes a dialogue between the master and the student, in which the student is won over to and subsequently supports the master’s point of view. Plato is making a point; he is arguing to an end; he is persuading his audience to share his personal opinion.
4. Sarcastic -- Snide, mocking
You will send your child, will you, into a room where the table is loaded with sweet wine and fruit – some poisoned, some not? – you will say to him, "Choose freely, my little child! It is so good for you to have freedom of choice; it forms your character – your individuality! If you take the wrong cup or the wrong berry, you will die before the day is over, but you will have acquired the dignity of a Free child."
-"Freedom," Ruskin
Ruskin does not mean for us to go and send our children into rooms with poisoned fruits. He means exactly the opposite, and he is snidely mocking those who would encourage a child to make his own choices. Using the extreme example of a “table…loaded with sweet wine and fruit – some poisoned, some not,” he is showing how the reasoning of letting children acquire “the dignity of a Free child” can go horribly askew. Meaning the opposite of what his literal words say, Ruskin has an extremely sarcastic approach to his subject.
5. Sardonic -- Derisively mocking
Once upon a time there was a lion that lived in Africa with all the other lions. The other lions were all bad lions and every day they ate zebras and wildebeests and every kind of antelope. Sometimes the bad lions ate people too. They ate Swahilis, Umbulus and Wandorobos and they especially liked to eat Hindu traders.
But this lion, that we love because he was so good, had wings on his back. Because he had wings on his back the other lions all made fun of him.
-"The Good Lion," Hemingway
Although known for simplicity, in this passage Hemingway uses simple words such as “good” and “bad” very obviously. Taken literally, these words are like a children’s book, yet in reality they carry more meaning. The “bad lions” eat zebras and Hindu traders, but our lion would never stoop so low. No, he has “wings on his back” – quite literally – and he is a good lion. But he is so good that one simply has to believe he is not as good as he seems. Our “good lion” is being mocked, in a sardonic tone, for he is “so good.”
6.Satiric – Satirizing, ironic, mocking, farcial
At the house of sticks, the wolf again banged on the door and shouted, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!" The pigs shouted back, "Go to hell, you carnivorous, imperialistic oppressor!" At this, the wolf chuckled condescendingly. He thought to himself: "They are so childlike in their ways. It will be a shame to see them go, but progress cannot be stopped." So the wolf huffed and puffed and blew down the house of sticks. The pigs ran to the house of bricks, with the wolf close at their heels. Where the house of sticks had stood, other wolves built a time-share condo resort complex for vacationing wolves, with a fiberglass reconstruction of the house of sticks, as well as native curio shops, snorkeling, and dolphin shows. At the house of bricks, the wolf again banged on the door and shouted, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!" This time in response, the pigs sang songs of solidarity and wrote letters of protest to the United Nations. By now the wolf was getting angry at the pigs refusal to see the situation from the carnivore’s point of view. So he huffed and he puffed, and huffed and puffed, then grabbed his chest and fell over dead from a massive heart attack brought on from eating too many fatty foods. -"The Three Little Pigs," Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, James Finn Garner
In this passage, Garner satirizes both the political correctness of the era and the American development of third-world countries while parodying a classic children’s tale. This story helps us to realize how flawed some practices of our society are; when humor makes us consider such things, we call it satire.
7. Disdainful -- Arrogant, lordly, superior, unsympathetic
You can dislocate your jaw and wrench your wrists out of joint and they still have not understood you, nor will they ever understand. They often grimace, then flash the whites of their eyes and foam at the mouth, but they don’t actually mean anything by it; it’s not even a threat, they just do it because that’s their nature. They take whatever it is they need. You can’t say that they employ force; when they grab at something, you simply stand aside and leave them to it.
-"An Old Leaf," Kafka
"Nor will they ever understand." The narrator has given up all hope at communication with these people. He is superior to them, he will not even fight them, "simply stand aside." Simply put, it's "their nature," so it seems they can't help their behavior, and the narrator is left to look down upon these people and give up on talking to them. The message the narrator conveys is that this not worthwhile anymore, and his tone amounts to great disdain.
8.Condescending - patronizing, arrogant
So all of a sudden, I sort of leaned over and said, "would any of you girls care to dance?" I didn't ask them crudely or anything. Very suave, in fact. But G-d damn it, they thought that was a panic, too. They started giggling some more. I'm not kidding, they were three real morons.
-Catching in the Rye, Salinger
The key element of condescension is the feeling that one is above one's surroundings or fellows. In this passage, Holden contrasts his "suavity" with the girls' stupidity. He thinks he is better than they are, and maybe he is; but "would any of you girls care to dance?" is an affected mannerism, especially for Holden. He is trying to make himself more than he is, and failing in some measure.
9.Horrific – Appalling, shocking, gruesome
Out a way, rolling in the sea, was a Landing Craft Infantry, and as we came alongside of her I saw a ragged shellhole through the steel plates forward of her pilothouse where an 88-mm. German shell had punched through. Blood was dripping from the shiny edges of the hole into the sea with each roll of the LCI. Her rails and hull had been befouled by sea-sick men, and her dead were laid forward of her pilothouse.
-By-Line: Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway
Hemingway’s tone is often difficult to discern, as he habitually writes with a very detached, journalistic style. This excerpt is actually from a newspaper article that he wrote about the invasion of Normandy. However, he lends more detail to his subject than a journalist should; he emphasizes the harshness of the scene, the gut-wrenching power of the experience. Blood does not drip from shiny, ragged steel edges purely to convey fact. Hemingway expects to horrify you, to make you think, "Dear God," and pause a moment over your morning coffee, to realize for a moment the brutality and the ugliness of war.
10. Bantering -- Teasing, joking
You never found out why these men spend so much time shaking hands [in beer commercials]. Maybe shaking hands is just their simple straightforward burly masculine American patriotic way of saying to each other: "Floyd, I am truly sorry I drank all that beer last night and went to the bathroom in your glove compartment."
-Dave Barry's Greatest Hits, Barry
Dave Barry is famous for his humorous, bantering style. He speaks straight to the reader in a bold second-person style -- "You never found out…" and talks to us as if we are good friends of his. A long string of adjectives describing the way these men talk as "simple straightforward burly…" adds to the casual style; this is not formal to use six adjectives in a row. Barry in a whole writes as if he's telling a joke to a good friend.
11. Amused -- Of a playful nature, entertained
Henri the painter was not French and his name was not Henri. Henri had so steeped himself in stories of the Left Bank in Paris that he lived there although he had never been there. Feverishly he followed in periodicals the Dadaist movements and schisms, the strangely feminine jealousies and religiousness, the obscurantisms of the forming and breaking schools. Regularly he revolted against outworn techniques and materials. One season he threw out perspective. Another year he abandoned red, even as the mother of purple. Finally he gave up paint entirely. It was not known whether Henri was a good painter or not for he threw himself so violently into movements that he had little time left for painting of any kind.
-Cannery Row, Steinbeck
Henri amuses the author of this passage. "He lived there although he had never been there." Simply the way Henri hurls himself into these movements Steinbeck laughs at -- he finds Henri's eagerness highly entertaining. Throwing himself "violently" into movements, Henri follows each idea that comes his way, eventually giving up paint entirely. This is silly, and Steinbeck sees this, conveying the humor to us.
12.Mock-heroic - Ridiculing a "hero"
[Don Quixote has just liberated a group of dangerous criminals]
"That is all very well," answered Don Quixote, "but I know what we should do now." Then he called all the galley slaves, who were now running hither and thither in a riotous mood and had stripped the commissary to the skin, and when they had gathered around him in a circle, he addressed them as follows: "It is the duty of well-bred people to be grateful for benefits received, and ingratitude is one of the most hateful sins in the eyes of God. I say this sirs, because you know what favor you have received from me, and the only return I wish and demand is that you all go from here, laden with the chains from which I have just freed your necks, to the city of El Toboso. There you are to present yourselves before Lady Dulcinea of El Toboso and tell her that her Knight of the Rueful Figure sent you there to commend his service to her. You are to tell her, point by point, the details of this famous adventure, and when you have done this, you may then go whichever way you please and good luck be with you."
-Don Quixote, Cervantes
Don Quixote's actions are suitable preposterous in this passage to make very little analysis necessary. He suggests that the convicts should present themselves to Lady Dulcinea in the name of the "Knight of the Rueful Figure;" he expects others to share his misplaced idealism; in short, he is clearly demented. What he would label heroism Cervantes calls folly; the tone is therefore mock-heroic.
13.Elegiac – Lamenting, poignant, funereal
Six Delaware girls, with their long, dark, flowing tresses falling loosely across their bosoms, stood apart, and only gave proofs of their existence as they occasionally strewed sweet-scented herbs and forest flowers on a litter of fragrant plants, that, under a pall of Indian robes, supported all that now remained of the ardent, high-souled, and generous Cora. Her form was concealed in many wrappers of the same simple manufacture, and her face was shut forever from the gaze of men.
-Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper
Cooper’s diction clearly indicates his elegiac tone. He calls Cora "ardent, high-souled, and generous;" such praise is typical of an elegy. In addition, his words convey a sense of regret, of loss – again, typical of elegiac writing. This passage is a remembrance and a farewell, a last praise and a poignant song of mourning.
14.Disappointed -- Deceived, crestfallen, let down
But I felt after the novelty had worn off the Americans didn’t really understand our music or our culture. Coming from a country where having central heating was considered posh and a refrigerator a luxury, Americans seemed to me to be strangely spoiled and ‘old-fashioned.’ They seemed to be lost in the forties and fifties. I expected to find Americans more forward and progressive but I was surprised to find many very set in their ways, just like their English counterparts.
-Kink, Davies
Ray Davies was hoping for magic in America, yet he found "strangely spoiled" people who were "old-fashioned." What he expected -- "forward and progressive" -- Davies did not find; the experience of America ended up extremely disillusioning. The depressingness of finding these people "just like their English counterparts" made him extremely let down, and the disappointed tone shows it.
15.Somber – Bleak, depressing, dismal
No crowd of serfs ran out on to the steps to meet the masters; a little girl of twelve years made her appearance alone. After her there came out of the house a young lad, very like Piotr, dressed in a coat of gray livery, with white armorial buttons, the servant of Pavel Petrovitch Kirsanov. Without speaking, he opened the door of the carriage, and unbuttoned the apron of the coach. Nikolai Petrovitch, with his son and Bazarov, walked through a dark and empty hall…
-Fathers and Sons, Turgenev
Turgenev’s tone in this piece can be determined by examining the detail he provides. He emphasizes the absence of people; first noting that no "crowd of serfs" appeared, and later notes that Petrovitch, his son, and Bazarov walked through a "dark and empty hall." Next, observe the silence; no one speaks, and no noise is mentioned. Finally, note the use of color and light – gray, white, and dark. Turgenev’s paints a bleak, silent picture for us to observe - specifically, a bleak, silent, "somber" picture.
16.Urgent - imperative, critical, intensely necessary
"I must see the Lieutenant-Colonel," Gomez said.
"He is asleep," the officer said. "I could see the lights of that bicycle of thine for a mile coming down the road. Dost wish to bring on a shelling?" "Call the Lieutenant-Colonel," Gomez said. "this is a matter of the utmost gravity." "He is asleep, I tell thee," the officer said. "What sort of a bandit is that with thee?" he nodded toward Andrés. "He is a guerillero from the other side of the lines with a dispatch of the utmost importance for the General Golz who commands the attack that is to be made at dawn beyond Navacerrada," Gomez said excitedly and earnestly. "Rouse the Teniente-Coronel for the love of God."
The officer looked at him with his droopy eyes shaded by the green celluloid. "All of you are crazy," he said. "I know of no General Golz nor of no attack. Take this sportsman and get back to your battalion."
"Rouse the Teniente-Coronel, I say," Gomez said and Andrés saw his mouth tightening. "Go obscenity yourself," the officer said to him lazily and turned away. Gomez took his heavy 9 mm. Star pistol out of its holster and shoved it against the officer's shoulder. "Rouse him, you fascist bastard," he said. "Rouse him or I'll kill you." -For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway
In this excerpt, Hemingway uses terse, strained dialog to communicate urgency. Small details - the tightening of Gomez' mouth, for example - show us the tension inherent in this confrontation. This is an incredibly intense passage, and the dialog ripples with the force of the conflict. Hemingway uses the urgency in this piece to draw the reader in, to produce a gut-level emotional reaction that exemplifies his work.
17.Ominous – Fateful, ill-boding, foreboding, dire
He still thought it had all been set up too fast. Clemenza had given him copies of the police mug shots of the two punks, the dope on where the punks went drinking every night to pick up bar girls. Paulie had recruited two of the strong-arms in the family and fingered the punks for them. He had also given them their instructions. No blows on the top or the back of the head, there was to be no accidental fatality. Other than that they could go as far as they liked.
-The Godfather, Mario Puzo
The first sentence of this paragraph is ominous in the extreme. It expresses misgivings about an illegal venture; consequences could be severe if done improperly. In addition, the mention of "accidental fatality" indicates that this is a serious matter. This paragraph is written to convey to the reader the idea that something may go wrong.
18.Apprehensive - anxious, uneasy, worried
Time passed.
Susan waited.
The more Susan waited, the more the doorbell didn't ring. Or the phone. She looked at her watch. She felt that now was about the time that she could legitimately begin to feel cross. She was cross already, of course, but that had been in her own time, so to speak. They were well and truly into his time now, and even allowing for traffic, mishaps, and general vagueness and dilatoriness, it was now well over half an hour past the time that he had insisted was the latest time they could possibly afford to leave, so she'd better be ready.
-Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Douglas Adams
Douglas' tone in this piece is reflected by his syntax. He begins with short, choppy sentences, like the ticking of a clock. He continues to use medium/short sentences and then concludes the paragraph in a long, rushing sentence emphasizing the wrongness of the situation. One immediately gets the feeling that something has gone very wrong.
19.Audacious -- Daring, bold, insolent
…he tells them right back in a loud, brassy voice that he’s already plenty damn clean, thank you.
"They showered me this morning at the courthouse and last night at the jail. And I swear I believe they’d of washed my ears for me on the taxi over if they coulda found the vacilities. Hoo boy, seems like every time they ship me someplace I gotta get scrubbed down before, after, and during the operation…and get back away from me with that thermometer, Sam."
-One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Kesey
The speaker -- McMurphy -- is blatantly insolent in this quote. The people in charge are simple trying to take his temperature and give him a shower, yet he tells them to "get back away from me." He is speaking in a "brassy" voice; this clues the reader into his boldness immediately. Emphasis ("I swear…") in his speech patterns also forms this audacious tone.
20.Intimate -- Affectionate, devoted, fond
"Afterwards we will be as one animal of the forest and be so close that neither one can tell that one of us is one and not the other. Can you not feel my heart be your heart?"
-For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway
"My heart be your heart…" this excerpt is intimate, as these two people involved are extremely devoted to each other. Little is needed to explain the blatantly intimate tone in this short passage.
21.Whimsical -- Capricious, fantastic
They stood so still that she quite forgot they were alive, and she was just going round to see if ‘TWEEDLE’ was written at the back of each collar, when she was startled by a voice coming from the one marked ‘DUM.’
"If you think we’re wax-works," he said, "you ought to pay, you know. Wax-works weren’t made to be looked at for nothing."
-Through the Looking-Glass, Carrol
“She quite forgot they were alive,” pertains to Alice as she looks at the wax-like characters of Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. This is a fantastic world of humor. These characters carry their name on their stomachs, and spout out absurd lines in absolute seriousness. Whimsy is ever-present in the world through the looking-glass, and shines in Lewis Carroll’s tone.
22. Reflective -- Contemplative, meditative, introspective
"There were always children there, and I spent all my time with the children, only with the children. They were the children of the village where I lived, a whole gang of them, who went to the local school…I was simply with them mostly, and I spent all my four years like that. I did not want anything else."
-The Idiot, Dostoyevsky
The character speaking in this quote, Myshkin, is missing his European home. "I did not want anything else," he says of the children's company in this town. He was "simply with them mostly," and longs for this simplicity, spending all his time with children. In retrospect, he sees how much he misses this past life, and this contemplation gives Myshkin a decidedly reflective tone.
23. Regretful -- Contrite, apologetic, sorry
Just when I'd stopped opening doors,
Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours,
Making my entrance again with my usual flair,
Sure of my lines, No one is there.
Don't you love farce? My fault, I fear.
I thought that you'd want what I want.
Sorry, my dear. But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don't bother, they're here. -
"Send in the Clowns," Sonheim
"Sorry, my dear," is spoken in this song excerpt. They were "finally knowing" what they wanted, and could not achieve it. "No one is there." It is a song about trying too late, and missed chances. "Where are the clowns?" the author asks; where is the frivolity lacking in this melancholy life. The speaker is very sorrowful, as they say "I thought you'd want what I want." This conveys their tone of great regret.
24.Remorseful - penitent, contrite, rueful
"I am not made," I cried energetically, "the sun and the heavens, who have viewed my operations, can bear witness of my truth. I am the assassin of those most innocent victims; they died by my machinations. A thousand times would I have shed my own blood, drop by drop, to have saved their lives; but I could not, my father, indeed I could not sacrifice the whole human race."
-Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
In this passage, Dr. Frankenstein is remorseful to the point of self-loathing. Note the use of the words "assassin" and "machinations." He paints a picture of himself as a wretched, vile creature, who would yet die "a thousand times" to save the innocents he destroyed. He bathes in remorse.
25.Factual – Certain, absolute, irrefutable, unbiased
The kind of nuclear reaction that happens inside a nuclear reactor is called nuclear fission. The fuel is uranium or plutonium, two very heavy elements which have many protons and neutrons in their nuclei. Fission starts when a fast-moving neutron strikes a nucleus. The nucleus cannot take in the extra neutron, and the whole nucleus breaks apart into two smaller nuclei.
-The Way Things Work, David Macaulay
A factual tone is often more apparent from lack of opinion than presence of any particular type of diction or syntax. If the purpose of the passage is solely to convey information, the tone is factual. In this case, Macaulay explains the facts very simply and in a straightforward manner, without the pontificating that would cause us to label this excerpt "scholarly" or "pedantic."
26.Detached – Aloof, impartial
He had not a minute more to lose. He pulled the axe quite out, swung it with both arms, scarcely conscious of himself, and almost without effort, almost mechanically, brought the blunt side down on her head. He seemed not to use his own strength in this. But as soon as he had once brought the axe down, his strength returned to him.
-Crime And Punishment, Dostoyevsky
Dostoyevsky does not care that his character is axe-murdering anybody in this passage. The subject (Raskolnikov) himself is acting "without effort…mechanically." Dostoyevsky expresses no concern or opinion over the "scarcely concious" killing of an old lady. The detachment, within the character himself and towards him by the author, is evident.
27. Simpering - Overly happy, gushy
The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings. -
(Happy Thought, Robert Louis Stevenson)
This poem is mindlessly, unreasoningly happy. There are many things in the world; for this we should be happy? When an author gushes happiness without cause or thought, we call him simpering.
28. Reverent – Venerating, worshipping
God is love; his mercy brightens All the path in which we rove;
Bliss he wakes and woe he lightens;
God is wisdom, God is love.
("God is love," Bowring)
Bowring's great respect for God emmanates from this poetic verse. “His mercy brightens/All the path;” Bowring’s details are simplistic in their veneration of God. As he concludes the stanza with “God is love,” the reverent tone is sealed.
29. Pedantic – Scholarly, making a show of knowledge
"My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to you, to this ventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole, and coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt I was probably on the right track. The idea of using a form of poison which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern training."
-The Adventure of the Speckled Band, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes exemplifies the pedantic personality. Smoking a pipe, striding about the room, expounding on his latest brilliant discovery – Sherlock should come to mind almost immediately when one considers the term "pedantic." In this passage, he reveals to Dr. Watson his careful unraveling of a complicated mystery. Moreover, he strategically augments his topic to reveal his vast knowledge of diverse subjects and his incredible powers of reason.
30. Sympathetic -- Compassionate, sensitive.
The hunger artist sometimes remarked to himself that perhaps things might look a little brighter if he were not located quite so near the stables…But he did not dare complain to the management; after all he had the animals to thank for the numerous visitors who did pass his cage, among whom there always might be the one who was there just to see him, and lord knew where they might tuck him away if he called attention to his existence and thereby to the fact that, strictly speaking, he was no more than an obstacle in the path to the animals.
-"A Hunger Artist," Kafka
Kafka pities the hunger artist. “Numerous visitors…pass his cage.” The hunger artist is an “obstacle”, to be tucked away. This is sad, and Kafka shows us the hunger artist’s point of view through his sympathy for the man. Things “might look a little brighter,” always hopeful and optimistic even as the world looks bleaker. Although the people passing by neglect this old man, Kafka has great sympathy for him and his feeling of nonexistence.
A speaker's tone is evident to all, but understanding written tone is an entirely different matter. The reader must appreciate word choice, details, imagery, and language to understand. To misinterpret tone is to misinterpret meaning; for this reason, we have compiled a guide of 30 categories of tone to elucidate the study of writing and its subtleties.
1.Threatening (menacing, intimidating) tone
"I shall throw you on a black ship and send you to the mainland, To King Echetos, destroyer of all mortal men, Who will cut off your nostrils and ears with a sharp bronze sword; He will tear off your private parts and give them to the dogs to eat raw." -The Odyssey, Homer
In this excerpt, one of Homer’s characters makes dire threats against another. Admittedly, this isn’t a terrifically difficult piece to analyze, but "threatening" fit so well that we had to include it. The key to classifying a tone as "threatening" is the possibility or promise of negative action against the subject. Our particular subject has achieved quite a severe set of consequences for himself and thus more than merits the designation.
2. Provocative (Stimulating, exciting ) tone
Freedom calls you! Quick, be ready –
Rouse ye in the name of God, --Onward, onward, strong and steady, -¬Dash to earth the oppressor’s rod. Freedom calls, ye brave! Rise and spurn the name of slave. -"Polish War Song," Percival
"Freedom calls you!" Yes, freedom is calling, "in the name of God," and all shall rise. The exclamation marks and calls to action are forceful in this passage. The excitement is evident in the way the author wants all to "rise" and fight. It is extremely provocative in this sense, to "spurn the name of slave."
3. Persuasive – Written to convince or win over
…there is no occupation concerned with the management of social affairs which belongs either to woman or to man, as such. Natural gifts are to be found here and there in both creatures alike; and every occupation is open to both, so far as their natures are concerned, though woman is for all purposes the weaker.
Certainly. Is that a reason for making over all occupations to men only? Of course not. No, because one woman may have a natural gift for medicine or for music, another may not. Surely. Is it not also true that a woman may, or may not, be warlike or athletic? I think so. …So for the purpose of keeping watch over the commonwealth, woman has the same nature as man, save in so far as she is weaker. -"Equality of Women" from The Republic of Plato
In this passage, Plato argues for the equality of the women in the process of selection for governmental posts. His persuasive tone is evident in the nature of his composition; he writes a dialogue between the master and the student, in which the student is won over to and subsequently supports the master’s point of view. Plato is making a point; he is arguing to an end; he is persuading his audience to share his personal opinion.
4. Sarcastic -- Snide, mocking
You will send your child, will you, into a room where the table is loaded with sweet wine and fruit – some poisoned, some not? – you will say to him, "Choose freely, my little child! It is so good for you to have freedom of choice; it forms your character – your individuality! If you take the wrong cup or the wrong berry, you will die before the day is over, but you will have acquired the dignity of a Free child."
-"Freedom," Ruskin
Ruskin does not mean for us to go and send our children into rooms with poisoned fruits. He means exactly the opposite, and he is snidely mocking those who would encourage a child to make his own choices. Using the extreme example of a “table…loaded with sweet wine and fruit – some poisoned, some not,” he is showing how the reasoning of letting children acquire “the dignity of a Free child” can go horribly askew. Meaning the opposite of what his literal words say, Ruskin has an extremely sarcastic approach to his subject.
5. Sardonic -- Derisively mocking
Once upon a time there was a lion that lived in Africa with all the other lions. The other lions were all bad lions and every day they ate zebras and wildebeests and every kind of antelope. Sometimes the bad lions ate people too. They ate Swahilis, Umbulus and Wandorobos and they especially liked to eat Hindu traders.
But this lion, that we love because he was so good, had wings on his back. Because he had wings on his back the other lions all made fun of him.
-"The Good Lion," Hemingway
Although known for simplicity, in this passage Hemingway uses simple words such as “good” and “bad” very obviously. Taken literally, these words are like a children’s book, yet in reality they carry more meaning. The “bad lions” eat zebras and Hindu traders, but our lion would never stoop so low. No, he has “wings on his back” – quite literally – and he is a good lion. But he is so good that one simply has to believe he is not as good as he seems. Our “good lion” is being mocked, in a sardonic tone, for he is “so good.”
6.Satiric – Satirizing, ironic, mocking, farcial
At the house of sticks, the wolf again banged on the door and shouted, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!" The pigs shouted back, "Go to hell, you carnivorous, imperialistic oppressor!" At this, the wolf chuckled condescendingly. He thought to himself: "They are so childlike in their ways. It will be a shame to see them go, but progress cannot be stopped." So the wolf huffed and puffed and blew down the house of sticks. The pigs ran to the house of bricks, with the wolf close at their heels. Where the house of sticks had stood, other wolves built a time-share condo resort complex for vacationing wolves, with a fiberglass reconstruction of the house of sticks, as well as native curio shops, snorkeling, and dolphin shows. At the house of bricks, the wolf again banged on the door and shouted, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!" This time in response, the pigs sang songs of solidarity and wrote letters of protest to the United Nations. By now the wolf was getting angry at the pigs refusal to see the situation from the carnivore’s point of view. So he huffed and he puffed, and huffed and puffed, then grabbed his chest and fell over dead from a massive heart attack brought on from eating too many fatty foods. -"The Three Little Pigs," Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, James Finn Garner
In this passage, Garner satirizes both the political correctness of the era and the American development of third-world countries while parodying a classic children’s tale. This story helps us to realize how flawed some practices of our society are; when humor makes us consider such things, we call it satire.
7. Disdainful -- Arrogant, lordly, superior, unsympathetic
You can dislocate your jaw and wrench your wrists out of joint and they still have not understood you, nor will they ever understand. They often grimace, then flash the whites of their eyes and foam at the mouth, but they don’t actually mean anything by it; it’s not even a threat, they just do it because that’s their nature. They take whatever it is they need. You can’t say that they employ force; when they grab at something, you simply stand aside and leave them to it.
-"An Old Leaf," Kafka
"Nor will they ever understand." The narrator has given up all hope at communication with these people. He is superior to them, he will not even fight them, "simply stand aside." Simply put, it's "their nature," so it seems they can't help their behavior, and the narrator is left to look down upon these people and give up on talking to them. The message the narrator conveys is that this not worthwhile anymore, and his tone amounts to great disdain.
8.Condescending - patronizing, arrogant
So all of a sudden, I sort of leaned over and said, "would any of you girls care to dance?" I didn't ask them crudely or anything. Very suave, in fact. But G-d damn it, they thought that was a panic, too. They started giggling some more. I'm not kidding, they were three real morons.
-Catching in the Rye, Salinger
The key element of condescension is the feeling that one is above one's surroundings or fellows. In this passage, Holden contrasts his "suavity" with the girls' stupidity. He thinks he is better than they are, and maybe he is; but "would any of you girls care to dance?" is an affected mannerism, especially for Holden. He is trying to make himself more than he is, and failing in some measure.
9.Horrific – Appalling, shocking, gruesome
Out a way, rolling in the sea, was a Landing Craft Infantry, and as we came alongside of her I saw a ragged shellhole through the steel plates forward of her pilothouse where an 88-mm. German shell had punched through. Blood was dripping from the shiny edges of the hole into the sea with each roll of the LCI. Her rails and hull had been befouled by sea-sick men, and her dead were laid forward of her pilothouse.
-By-Line: Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway
Hemingway’s tone is often difficult to discern, as he habitually writes with a very detached, journalistic style. This excerpt is actually from a newspaper article that he wrote about the invasion of Normandy. However, he lends more detail to his subject than a journalist should; he emphasizes the harshness of the scene, the gut-wrenching power of the experience. Blood does not drip from shiny, ragged steel edges purely to convey fact. Hemingway expects to horrify you, to make you think, "Dear God," and pause a moment over your morning coffee, to realize for a moment the brutality and the ugliness of war.
10. Bantering -- Teasing, joking
You never found out why these men spend so much time shaking hands [in beer commercials]. Maybe shaking hands is just their simple straightforward burly masculine American patriotic way of saying to each other: "Floyd, I am truly sorry I drank all that beer last night and went to the bathroom in your glove compartment."
-Dave Barry's Greatest Hits, Barry
Dave Barry is famous for his humorous, bantering style. He speaks straight to the reader in a bold second-person style -- "You never found out…" and talks to us as if we are good friends of his. A long string of adjectives describing the way these men talk as "simple straightforward burly…" adds to the casual style; this is not formal to use six adjectives in a row. Barry in a whole writes as if he's telling a joke to a good friend.
11. Amused -- Of a playful nature, entertained
Henri the painter was not French and his name was not Henri. Henri had so steeped himself in stories of the Left Bank in Paris that he lived there although he had never been there. Feverishly he followed in periodicals the Dadaist movements and schisms, the strangely feminine jealousies and religiousness, the obscurantisms of the forming and breaking schools. Regularly he revolted against outworn techniques and materials. One season he threw out perspective. Another year he abandoned red, even as the mother of purple. Finally he gave up paint entirely. It was not known whether Henri was a good painter or not for he threw himself so violently into movements that he had little time left for painting of any kind.
-Cannery Row, Steinbeck
Henri amuses the author of this passage. "He lived there although he had never been there." Simply the way Henri hurls himself into these movements Steinbeck laughs at -- he finds Henri's eagerness highly entertaining. Throwing himself "violently" into movements, Henri follows each idea that comes his way, eventually giving up paint entirely. This is silly, and Steinbeck sees this, conveying the humor to us.
12.Mock-heroic - Ridiculing a "hero"
[Don Quixote has just liberated a group of dangerous criminals]
"That is all very well," answered Don Quixote, "but I know what we should do now." Then he called all the galley slaves, who were now running hither and thither in a riotous mood and had stripped the commissary to the skin, and when they had gathered around him in a circle, he addressed them as follows: "It is the duty of well-bred people to be grateful for benefits received, and ingratitude is one of the most hateful sins in the eyes of God. I say this sirs, because you know what favor you have received from me, and the only return I wish and demand is that you all go from here, laden with the chains from which I have just freed your necks, to the city of El Toboso. There you are to present yourselves before Lady Dulcinea of El Toboso and tell her that her Knight of the Rueful Figure sent you there to commend his service to her. You are to tell her, point by point, the details of this famous adventure, and when you have done this, you may then go whichever way you please and good luck be with you."
-Don Quixote, Cervantes
Don Quixote's actions are suitable preposterous in this passage to make very little analysis necessary. He suggests that the convicts should present themselves to Lady Dulcinea in the name of the "Knight of the Rueful Figure;" he expects others to share his misplaced idealism; in short, he is clearly demented. What he would label heroism Cervantes calls folly; the tone is therefore mock-heroic.
13.Elegiac – Lamenting, poignant, funereal
Six Delaware girls, with their long, dark, flowing tresses falling loosely across their bosoms, stood apart, and only gave proofs of their existence as they occasionally strewed sweet-scented herbs and forest flowers on a litter of fragrant plants, that, under a pall of Indian robes, supported all that now remained of the ardent, high-souled, and generous Cora. Her form was concealed in many wrappers of the same simple manufacture, and her face was shut forever from the gaze of men.
-Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper
Cooper’s diction clearly indicates his elegiac tone. He calls Cora "ardent, high-souled, and generous;" such praise is typical of an elegy. In addition, his words convey a sense of regret, of loss – again, typical of elegiac writing. This passage is a remembrance and a farewell, a last praise and a poignant song of mourning.
14.Disappointed -- Deceived, crestfallen, let down
But I felt after the novelty had worn off the Americans didn’t really understand our music or our culture. Coming from a country where having central heating was considered posh and a refrigerator a luxury, Americans seemed to me to be strangely spoiled and ‘old-fashioned.’ They seemed to be lost in the forties and fifties. I expected to find Americans more forward and progressive but I was surprised to find many very set in their ways, just like their English counterparts.
-Kink, Davies
Ray Davies was hoping for magic in America, yet he found "strangely spoiled" people who were "old-fashioned." What he expected -- "forward and progressive" -- Davies did not find; the experience of America ended up extremely disillusioning. The depressingness of finding these people "just like their English counterparts" made him extremely let down, and the disappointed tone shows it.
15.Somber – Bleak, depressing, dismal
No crowd of serfs ran out on to the steps to meet the masters; a little girl of twelve years made her appearance alone. After her there came out of the house a young lad, very like Piotr, dressed in a coat of gray livery, with white armorial buttons, the servant of Pavel Petrovitch Kirsanov. Without speaking, he opened the door of the carriage, and unbuttoned the apron of the coach. Nikolai Petrovitch, with his son and Bazarov, walked through a dark and empty hall…
-Fathers and Sons, Turgenev
Turgenev’s tone in this piece can be determined by examining the detail he provides. He emphasizes the absence of people; first noting that no "crowd of serfs" appeared, and later notes that Petrovitch, his son, and Bazarov walked through a "dark and empty hall." Next, observe the silence; no one speaks, and no noise is mentioned. Finally, note the use of color and light – gray, white, and dark. Turgenev’s paints a bleak, silent picture for us to observe - specifically, a bleak, silent, "somber" picture.
16.Urgent - imperative, critical, intensely necessary
"I must see the Lieutenant-Colonel," Gomez said.
"He is asleep," the officer said. "I could see the lights of that bicycle of thine for a mile coming down the road. Dost wish to bring on a shelling?" "Call the Lieutenant-Colonel," Gomez said. "this is a matter of the utmost gravity." "He is asleep, I tell thee," the officer said. "What sort of a bandit is that with thee?" he nodded toward Andrés. "He is a guerillero from the other side of the lines with a dispatch of the utmost importance for the General Golz who commands the attack that is to be made at dawn beyond Navacerrada," Gomez said excitedly and earnestly. "Rouse the Teniente-Coronel for the love of God."
The officer looked at him with his droopy eyes shaded by the green celluloid. "All of you are crazy," he said. "I know of no General Golz nor of no attack. Take this sportsman and get back to your battalion."
"Rouse the Teniente-Coronel, I say," Gomez said and Andrés saw his mouth tightening. "Go obscenity yourself," the officer said to him lazily and turned away. Gomez took his heavy 9 mm. Star pistol out of its holster and shoved it against the officer's shoulder. "Rouse him, you fascist bastard," he said. "Rouse him or I'll kill you." -For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway
In this excerpt, Hemingway uses terse, strained dialog to communicate urgency. Small details - the tightening of Gomez' mouth, for example - show us the tension inherent in this confrontation. This is an incredibly intense passage, and the dialog ripples with the force of the conflict. Hemingway uses the urgency in this piece to draw the reader in, to produce a gut-level emotional reaction that exemplifies his work.
17.Ominous – Fateful, ill-boding, foreboding, dire
He still thought it had all been set up too fast. Clemenza had given him copies of the police mug shots of the two punks, the dope on where the punks went drinking every night to pick up bar girls. Paulie had recruited two of the strong-arms in the family and fingered the punks for them. He had also given them their instructions. No blows on the top or the back of the head, there was to be no accidental fatality. Other than that they could go as far as they liked.
-The Godfather, Mario Puzo
The first sentence of this paragraph is ominous in the extreme. It expresses misgivings about an illegal venture; consequences could be severe if done improperly. In addition, the mention of "accidental fatality" indicates that this is a serious matter. This paragraph is written to convey to the reader the idea that something may go wrong.
18.Apprehensive - anxious, uneasy, worried
Time passed.
Susan waited.
The more Susan waited, the more the doorbell didn't ring. Or the phone. She looked at her watch. She felt that now was about the time that she could legitimately begin to feel cross. She was cross already, of course, but that had been in her own time, so to speak. They were well and truly into his time now, and even allowing for traffic, mishaps, and general vagueness and dilatoriness, it was now well over half an hour past the time that he had insisted was the latest time they could possibly afford to leave, so she'd better be ready.
-Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Douglas Adams
Douglas' tone in this piece is reflected by his syntax. He begins with short, choppy sentences, like the ticking of a clock. He continues to use medium/short sentences and then concludes the paragraph in a long, rushing sentence emphasizing the wrongness of the situation. One immediately gets the feeling that something has gone very wrong.
19.Audacious -- Daring, bold, insolent
…he tells them right back in a loud, brassy voice that he’s already plenty damn clean, thank you.
"They showered me this morning at the courthouse and last night at the jail. And I swear I believe they’d of washed my ears for me on the taxi over if they coulda found the vacilities. Hoo boy, seems like every time they ship me someplace I gotta get scrubbed down before, after, and during the operation…and get back away from me with that thermometer, Sam."
-One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Kesey
The speaker -- McMurphy -- is blatantly insolent in this quote. The people in charge are simple trying to take his temperature and give him a shower, yet he tells them to "get back away from me." He is speaking in a "brassy" voice; this clues the reader into his boldness immediately. Emphasis ("I swear…") in his speech patterns also forms this audacious tone.
20.Intimate -- Affectionate, devoted, fond
"Afterwards we will be as one animal of the forest and be so close that neither one can tell that one of us is one and not the other. Can you not feel my heart be your heart?"
-For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway
"My heart be your heart…" this excerpt is intimate, as these two people involved are extremely devoted to each other. Little is needed to explain the blatantly intimate tone in this short passage.
21.Whimsical -- Capricious, fantastic
They stood so still that she quite forgot they were alive, and she was just going round to see if ‘TWEEDLE’ was written at the back of each collar, when she was startled by a voice coming from the one marked ‘DUM.’
"If you think we’re wax-works," he said, "you ought to pay, you know. Wax-works weren’t made to be looked at for nothing."
-Through the Looking-Glass, Carrol
“She quite forgot they were alive,” pertains to Alice as she looks at the wax-like characters of Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. This is a fantastic world of humor. These characters carry their name on their stomachs, and spout out absurd lines in absolute seriousness. Whimsy is ever-present in the world through the looking-glass, and shines in Lewis Carroll’s tone.
22. Reflective -- Contemplative, meditative, introspective
"There were always children there, and I spent all my time with the children, only with the children. They were the children of the village where I lived, a whole gang of them, who went to the local school…I was simply with them mostly, and I spent all my four years like that. I did not want anything else."
-The Idiot, Dostoyevsky
The character speaking in this quote, Myshkin, is missing his European home. "I did not want anything else," he says of the children's company in this town. He was "simply with them mostly," and longs for this simplicity, spending all his time with children. In retrospect, he sees how much he misses this past life, and this contemplation gives Myshkin a decidedly reflective tone.
23. Regretful -- Contrite, apologetic, sorry
Just when I'd stopped opening doors,
Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours,
Making my entrance again with my usual flair,
Sure of my lines, No one is there.
Don't you love farce? My fault, I fear.
I thought that you'd want what I want.
Sorry, my dear. But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don't bother, they're here. -
"Send in the Clowns," Sonheim
"Sorry, my dear," is spoken in this song excerpt. They were "finally knowing" what they wanted, and could not achieve it. "No one is there." It is a song about trying too late, and missed chances. "Where are the clowns?" the author asks; where is the frivolity lacking in this melancholy life. The speaker is very sorrowful, as they say "I thought you'd want what I want." This conveys their tone of great regret.
24.Remorseful - penitent, contrite, rueful
"I am not made," I cried energetically, "the sun and the heavens, who have viewed my operations, can bear witness of my truth. I am the assassin of those most innocent victims; they died by my machinations. A thousand times would I have shed my own blood, drop by drop, to have saved their lives; but I could not, my father, indeed I could not sacrifice the whole human race."
-Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
In this passage, Dr. Frankenstein is remorseful to the point of self-loathing. Note the use of the words "assassin" and "machinations." He paints a picture of himself as a wretched, vile creature, who would yet die "a thousand times" to save the innocents he destroyed. He bathes in remorse.
25.Factual – Certain, absolute, irrefutable, unbiased
The kind of nuclear reaction that happens inside a nuclear reactor is called nuclear fission. The fuel is uranium or plutonium, two very heavy elements which have many protons and neutrons in their nuclei. Fission starts when a fast-moving neutron strikes a nucleus. The nucleus cannot take in the extra neutron, and the whole nucleus breaks apart into two smaller nuclei.
-The Way Things Work, David Macaulay
A factual tone is often more apparent from lack of opinion than presence of any particular type of diction or syntax. If the purpose of the passage is solely to convey information, the tone is factual. In this case, Macaulay explains the facts very simply and in a straightforward manner, without the pontificating that would cause us to label this excerpt "scholarly" or "pedantic."
26.Detached – Aloof, impartial
He had not a minute more to lose. He pulled the axe quite out, swung it with both arms, scarcely conscious of himself, and almost without effort, almost mechanically, brought the blunt side down on her head. He seemed not to use his own strength in this. But as soon as he had once brought the axe down, his strength returned to him.
-Crime And Punishment, Dostoyevsky
Dostoyevsky does not care that his character is axe-murdering anybody in this passage. The subject (Raskolnikov) himself is acting "without effort…mechanically." Dostoyevsky expresses no concern or opinion over the "scarcely concious" killing of an old lady. The detachment, within the character himself and towards him by the author, is evident.
27. Simpering - Overly happy, gushy
The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings. -
(Happy Thought, Robert Louis Stevenson)
This poem is mindlessly, unreasoningly happy. There are many things in the world; for this we should be happy? When an author gushes happiness without cause or thought, we call him simpering.
28. Reverent – Venerating, worshipping
God is love; his mercy brightens All the path in which we rove;
Bliss he wakes and woe he lightens;
God is wisdom, God is love.
("God is love," Bowring)
Bowring's great respect for God emmanates from this poetic verse. “His mercy brightens/All the path;” Bowring’s details are simplistic in their veneration of God. As he concludes the stanza with “God is love,” the reverent tone is sealed.
29. Pedantic – Scholarly, making a show of knowledge
"My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to you, to this ventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole, and coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt I was probably on the right track. The idea of using a form of poison which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern training."
-The Adventure of the Speckled Band, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes exemplifies the pedantic personality. Smoking a pipe, striding about the room, expounding on his latest brilliant discovery – Sherlock should come to mind almost immediately when one considers the term "pedantic." In this passage, he reveals to Dr. Watson his careful unraveling of a complicated mystery. Moreover, he strategically augments his topic to reveal his vast knowledge of diverse subjects and his incredible powers of reason.
30. Sympathetic -- Compassionate, sensitive.
The hunger artist sometimes remarked to himself that perhaps things might look a little brighter if he were not located quite so near the stables…But he did not dare complain to the management; after all he had the animals to thank for the numerous visitors who did pass his cage, among whom there always might be the one who was there just to see him, and lord knew where they might tuck him away if he called attention to his existence and thereby to the fact that, strictly speaking, he was no more than an obstacle in the path to the animals.
-"A Hunger Artist," Kafka
Kafka pities the hunger artist. “Numerous visitors…pass his cage.” The hunger artist is an “obstacle”, to be tucked away. This is sad, and Kafka shows us the hunger artist’s point of view through his sympathy for the man. Things “might look a little brighter,” always hopeful and optimistic even as the world looks bleaker. Although the people passing by neglect this old man, Kafka has great sympathy for him and his feeling of nonexistence.
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012
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