Lunacy , Instability, and Delirium

Viola: I am the man.
I am the man. Viola, however, really isn't a man. She is basically saying that Olivia has chosen her to be her husband. The irony is that Viola is a woman. She says "Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her." She realizes that her disguise has fooled Olivia so well, that she thinks Viola is a man. It's comical because of the whole love triangle. Viola loves Orsino, Orsino loves Olivia, and Olivia loves Viol who she thinks is Cesario. Viola quite literally is the man!

Malvolio: ...and yet to crush it a little, it would bow to me...
Here Malvolio is talking about the letters M, O, A, I in Olivia's letter. He sees that all these letters are in his name. They are not in the order of which is name is spelled so he tries to rearrange them so they fit his name. He believes it is a sign that Olivia is referring to him in her letter but it is really Maria just being clever. It was in her plan all along. Even with the smallest chance that the letters represent him, Malvolio is happy to go along with it because his hopes for himself are so high.

Viola: Then think you right. I am not what I am.
Olivia: I would you were as I would have you be.
Both these statements have double meanings which just adds to the lunacy in Illyria. Olivia thinks Viola is saying "I am not the right man for you." In reality, Viola really means "you think I'm a man but I'm really a woman so you don't want to marry me. Olivia's statement can also be viewed in two ways. In her line she is saying that she wants Viola to be her husband. It could also be looked at as if she wants Viola to be a man. That would only be from the audiences point of view because Olivia doesn't know that Viola is a woman.

Flowers...Violets...Roses...

Most of the data I found was located in the first two acts of the play. The context in which Shakespeare uses these terms is varied. He will usually use a flower in describing the youth or beauty of a woman. However, he will also use the flower to describe the limited time in which beauty/life can last.

I actually always thought Shakespeare used flowers and plants as a symbol of love and beauty. The data I collected shows that there is more than one meaning to the flowers and roses he uses. He uses flowers to describe the limits on life. Beauty is like a rose, it only stays fresh for a little while before it whithers and dies. He uses them for both beauty and life, and age and death.

Sport Royale

II.iii.170

When Maria says "sport royal" she means making fun of Malvolio is the ultimate entertainment. Have you ever watched Viva la Bam, Jackass or Punkd? These 3 shows come to mind when i think of sport royal. The ultimate pranks and jokes. Johnny Noxville dressed as an old lady hitting on people's boyfriends, Bam shooting rocketlaunchers in the house to see his mom's reaction, Ashton Kutcher punking celebrities. I consider all of these things to be modern day "sport royal." Maria is just having fun like Bam or Ashton. The act is more to have fun than anything malicious. Anything done is not meant to hurt someone but just to get humor out of the person being misled. Maria doesn't really want to hurt Malvolio, she just wants to have fun with him.

Shakesperian Puzzle

"Toby: Here's an overweening rogue."
II.v.28

I believe overweening refers to Malvolio overstepping his bounds. He believes everything in Olivia's letter is true. He verbally point out that he actually is all of those wonderful things that Olivia says he is. Toby probably basically said "What a conceited idiot."

Twelfth Night- Act I questions

1. What is Viola's reason for going to Illyria in the first place?

2. Is Olivia refusing men because that is normal during morning or is it because she just doesn't want to be bothered?

3. Why do the characters sometimes switch to another language (Latin/French/Italian)?

4. Was the only purpose of the clown to provide entertainment for Olivia or was there another deeper meaning for his presence?

5. Why does Olivia have Malvolio give Viola the ring? What does the ring symbolize?

Paper Revisions?

I kind of don't revise my paper...it depends. I usually write my papers the night before they are due. After hours of writing and thinking, I'm just fed up and don't even want to read what I just spend six hours writing. I check for spelling errors and send it to turn-it-in. When I don't wait til last minute (which is almost never), I send it to my mom to revise (my mom is awesome at writing papers). She will add suggestions and grammar corrections and then send it back to me. She is pretty much spell check x 20 + grammar check + other good stuff. When I'm done, I'm done. It's like when you finish a terrible book your professor assigns. You slam the cover shut and never want to open it again.

Smelly Tree

Claim-- The more the climate changes, the more people are looking to find solutions for endangered plant and animal species. Connie Barlow adopted the species relocation idea and decided to use it will the torreya taxifolia.

Statement of Claim-- "CLIMATE CHANGE IS BEGINNING to make good on its threats, and news of its work is now hard to avoid."

Subclaim 1-- Climate change is happening rapidly and action needs to be taken.
Proof 1-- "Escalating average global temperatures? Check. Rising seas? Check. Plants and animals scampering uphill and toward the poles? Check."
Birds butterflies, and other species are migrating earlier in the year than normal.

Subclaim 2-- Although species relocation sounds like a good idea, it's really not.
Proof 2-- There have been various examples of the introduction of a foreign species to a new habitat. For example, the introduction of the European Starling now results in competition with native species, and the destruction of crops.
Another example would be the planting of Kudzu. It now has invaded many states and is suffocating other trees.

Warrant-- Even though some species are becoming increasingly endangered, people still find a way to try and preserve them from going extinct...no matter what the cost.


*Fun Fact*- There are both male and female plants for this tree? Cool.

Call of Duty: Virtual Reality

Claim-- Many soldiers who risk their lives for our country experience situations which haunt them for the rest of their lives. They come back from their tour and cannot re-adjust to regular life. Nightmares and flashbacks prevent them from doing simple things such as going to the mall or driving in a car. The introduction of Virtual Iraq provides treatment and help for veterans who cannot overcome their disorders without help.

Statement of Claim-- According to a recent study by the RAND Corporation, nearly twenty per cent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are suffering from P.T.S.D. or major depression. Almost half won’t seek treatment. If virtual-reality exposure therapy proves to be clinically validated—only preliminary results are available so far—it may be more than another tool in the therapists’ kit; it may encourage those in need to seek help.

Subclaim 1-- The virtual reality treatment does help PTSD patients deal with their fears.
Proof 2-- Virtual Vietnam, Virtual Iraq, and Virtual WTC have all proved effective in their treatment with PTSD patients.

Subclaim 2-- Trained therapists are needed for the therapy sessions, otherwise patients might be pushed too far.
Proof 2-- When actor Ed Aristone wanted to try the virtual reality experiment to get a sense of what Iraq was like because he was doing a movie. After ten minutes he was bent over breathing heavily. He was pushed too far and couldn't take all that was thrown at him.

Warrant-- PTSD is very common in the after-math of traumatic events. The virtual reality treatment seems to really be a help in many of the veteran's lives who haven't seen results in other previous treatments.