the pen is mightier than the sword: inkshedding

Act II. Scene IV. Lines 132-4: "I am all the daughters of my father's house, and all the brothers too- and yet i know not."

I think this is Viola's way of saying that she is the only sibling left alive in her family. In the previous lines of the play, Orsino asks if her sister died of love and the above is her response. She does not know if their is anyone that she maybe related to, but also this could represent her feelings on the possibility of her brother's death.

Another possible explanation behind the above mentioned quote is that even though she is a woman, she is disguised to be a man. The quote would mean that she is BOTH the only daughter & the only son of her father as far as she knows. Since the possibility that her brother may have died, she adds " yet i know not" to show the confusion she is faced with currently.

Taking Wildness in Hand

With the current craze of ecological preservation that has recently swept our planet, I feel as though we neglect to put emphasis on all of the shrubbery and vegetation that is affected from global warming. I have constantly been plagued with images of helpless polar bears that struggle to stay afloat on melting ice rafts and other affected animals in their suffering habitats, but in Michelle Nijhuis's article "Taking wildness in hand..." she enlightens her audience on other very important aspects of this issue that really caught my attention: Trees.

The Torreya taxifolia was once a tree that could be found in abundance, and according to her article, was "plentiful enough to be cut for Christmas trees, its rot-resistant wood perfect for fence posts. But at some point in the middle of the last century—no one is quite sure when—the trees began to die." During her travels to different parts of the United States, Nijhuis made several visits back to the Florida park where she found these trees, and the few that remained had grown sickly. With thinning needles that were sparse; they had grown only a few feet tall with trunks no thicker than a small wrist. These once festive looking trees had developed some time of tree disease due to increase in deer and groundhogs in their environment.

After reading that portion of the article, I found it really upsetting to move onto the rest. I realized that their are so many other factors that contribute to the environmental problem our planet is currently facing. There are so many plants and trees that have been found to have medicinal properties and unique characteristics, and what is this particular tree is no different. As the result of human development we have forced nature to adapt to our ways, causing some very unfortunate affects. This article has made me realized that global warming and the related crisis is not limited to harsh temperatures melting ice-caps and drowning wildlife. There is so much more at stake, that we as a society don't even realize. We, as part of nature, are all tied together and the faster we take responsibility for the actions of ourselves and our ancestors to sooner we can take initiative to fix it. We need to wake up and smell the sweet scent of pine and taste the salty spay of the ocean waters and realize that we may be the last generation to have that oppurtunity.

Focusing to Freewrite: part 1

Act II. Scene ii. Line 25: Viola: "...I am the man...."

In this portion of the play, Viola is really trying to make sense of the love fiasco with Olivia. The above mentioned quote is part of a large monologue in the play where she realizes that Olivia really is in love with her, as much as she loves Orsino. She blames the disguise she has chosen to wear for Olivia's infatuation, and as she says "What will become of this? As I am man,My state is desperate for my master’s love. As I am woman, now, alas the day,What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!", she realizes that because of this the love triangle between her, Olivia and Orsino might as well be a dream. She is man and she is woman and she does not know how to reconcile this situation.

In class FFW

In II.iii.179, Maria calls her scheme to manipulate and embarrass Malvolio "sport royal..." What do you make of this?

The term "sport royal" I believe means that her scheme is going to be a lot of fun, almost like a game. She is very playful and somewhat manipulative and this scheme of hers is an opportunity to express that playful side of hers. She really wants to make a fool out of Malvolio and although I do not believe she means for it to end badly, it may cause more drama in the play. This term also could coincide with the motif of hunting that is shown throughout the play, in the sense that Maria is chasing Malvolio down (emotionally) in order to make a fool out of him. In a time where women are usually the objects of pursuit and men are the hunters, it also allows Maria to switch roles and assert superiority over her male counterpart.

Focus Freewrite

After reading the Act I of Twelfth Night, I can't stop thinking about...what may progress between the love triangle of Viola/Cesario, Olivia & Orsino. There is so much scandal and drama that is occurring at such an early point in the story. I am curious to find out if Olivia and Orsino will eventually discover that the beloved and trusted Orsino is really the female and aristocratic Viola. The love triangle has so many layers of complexities it has me lost in this world shakespeare created for the audience. I want to know all that each character is doing and thinking about each other all the time. No other characters are important in my mind currently, I just want to learn what will happen with their love for each other.

invisioning & revisioning....

As a writer and creative mind, the revision process for me can be somewhat upsetting. It is the opportunity to see myself as a flawed writer and to repair these flaws. Repair however is very simple, I like to review my work after a significant amount of time has gone by. It could be a few hours maybe even a few days depending on how productive I was being that day. By going back after a lengthy time period, it assures that I won't be in the same mind frame that I was at the time of creation. I can cut up my work with ease since I am reading these papers with a different mind-set.

My writing style is like a ripple on a pond it starts of small, exact and intricate and then all of a sudden it just multiplies into something I don't even know. It is like a cute little fluffy puppy that grows up so suddenly and turns into an ravenous monster of a dog. I go on a rant about things and as soon as i realize it I know i need to stop it and just walk away. I only come back to my writing once I know my mind frame changed, and only then can I successfully revise my writings.

virtual iraq.

Sue Halpern's article really intrigued me after as i was reading it. The idea of "prolonged-exposure" therapy seemed to be a really ingenious way of dealing with PTSD that so many of our soldiers sent overseas are suffering from. Today our society is very used to have prescription medications fix our psychological disorders, but all these drugs do is cover up the problems, providing a temporary feel good for as long as the drugs are in effect. But with Virtual Iraq, it will really help soldiers and their doctors dig under the surface to really help these suffering soldiers recover from all of their traumas.

It snowed last night, and...

Sooo....it snowed last night and I didn't even know. I was snuggled up warm and cuddly in my bed as dreams of sugar plums danced in my head....not. But seriously, I really had no idea that it was snowing outside until i woke up this morning and saw the light powder dusting that sprinkled the ground. Last night as it snowed I had emerged my self into the world of nerve cells, as I wrote a forensics paper until the early hours of the morning. So although it wasn't enough snow to make me hopeful of a snow day, I couldn't help but gasp. Even this small amount of frozen water can cause a change in my daily process, but there is something so amazing about snow that just makes everything feel simply magical.