Did you know that?
Othello is a game?
(Source: Wikipedia)
THE MIND OF A LITERARY STUDENT
Othello is black and vicious. Iago is the devil. Desdemona is sweet, kind, and innocent. Roderigo is an idiot. Emilia knows too much. Cassio’s attractiveness almost destroys him. I really need to think of a thesis for my essay. Love seems to be predominant in Othello. But what about honesty and service? It’s 4:37 PM and I have nothing. What classes do I have tomorrow? I need to read a Tale of Two Cities by Monday, can I get it done? Man, I’m hungry, when did I last eat? Okay, stay focused. Othello, um…maybe Iago’s honesty is a way for Iago to manipulate the other characters in the play. Yeah, that sounds right. Shit, I just realized I have three books to read by Monday: Two Cities, The Catcher in the Rye, and David Copperfield. Man, Copperfield is so annoying. Why do I have to read such a stupid book for literature? All right, I really need to get a thesis down by the end of the day. I have to come up with another thesis right after that, that compares Of Mice and Men and The Great Depression. There’s no way I’m going to sleep tonight. Coffee. Right, I’ll get some coffee and then get back to work. While I’m down there, I might as well make myself a sandwich; I’m ferociously hungry. Ferociously? Who even says that word? I do, apparently. All right, coffee, sandwich, and back to the essay. Maybe I’ll write about how Othello’s love for Desdemona is flawed. That’ll turn eyes or is it heads? I’m not sure; it’s a stupid idiom anyway. Seriously, why is Iago honest? NO, he isn’t, that’s the point. What’s the point? I don’t even get this essay maybe I should reread the play. I DON’T HAVE TIME! Man, I’m hungry.
Word of the Day
Halloween
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
noun
the night of October 31, the eve of All Saints’ Day, commonly celebrated by children who dress in costume and solicit candy or other treats door-to-door.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: contraction of All Hallow Even.
On October 31 there is a night where the dead walk upright and knock at your door
Some people disguise to be someone they love or despise and appear at your door
These people in costume demand something from you and that’s candy at your door
And if your house isn’t decorated there’s no complaining, they’ll show up at your door
And when you give them the treat, they’ll smile, think it’s sweet, as you close your door
And once they’re gone, you’ll be happy and scream, “It’s the end of Halloween!”
A little more information on Halloween:
You still hear people doubt it, even when you show them that Halloween is All-Hallows’-Eve which is the night-before-All-Saints’- Day. Some tell me they understand that Halloween pranks were a post-Reformation contribution to plague Catholics who kept the vigil of All Saints. Now it is possible that Halloween was abused for such a purpose; nevertheless, during all the Christian centuries up until the simplification of the Church calendar in 1956, it was a liturgical vigil in its own right and thus has a reason for being. Learning this, one pious lady of our acquaintance was heard to say: “Oh, I’m so glad to know that. I was about to write my congressman and suggest the whole thing be outlawed.”
A celebration much like our Halloween, with bonfires and feasting on apples and nuts and harvest fruits, was part of pagan worship for centuries. The Britons celebrated in honor of their sun-god with bonfires, a tribute to the light that brought them abundant harvest. At the same time they saluted Samhain, their “lord of death,” who was thought to gather together at last the souls of the year’s dead which had been consigned to the bodies of animals in punishment for their sins. The Romans celebrated the same kind of festival at this time in honor of their goddess Pomona, a patroness of fruits and gardens. Whether the Church “baptized” these customs or chose this season for her feasts of the dead independent of them, their coincidence shows again how alike men are when they seek God and His ways, give praise, use the language of symbols to express the inexpressible.
It was in the eighth century that the Church appointed a special date for the feast of All Saints, followed by a day in honor of her soon-to-be saints, the feast of All Souls. She chose this time of year, it is supposed, because in her part of the world it was the time of barrenness on the earth. The harvest was in, the summer done, the world brown and drab and mindful of death. Snow had not yet descended to comfort and hide the bony trees or blackened fields; so with little effort man could look about and see a meditation on death and life hereafter.
Apparently how you spent the vigil of All Saints depended on where you lived in Christendom. In Brittany the night was solemn and without a trace of merriment. On their “night of the dead” and for forty-eight hours thereafter, the Bretons believed the poor souls were liberated from Purgatory and were free to visit their old homes. The vigil for the souls, as well as the saints, had to be kept on this night because of course the two days were consecutive feasts — and a vigil is never kept on a feast.
Breton families prayed by their beloveds’ graves during the day, attended church for “black vespers” in the evening and in some parishes proceeded thence to the charnel house in the cemetery to pray by the bones of those not yet buried or for whom no room could be found in the cemetery. Here they sang hymns to call on all Christians to pray for the dead and, speaking for the dead, they asked prayers and more prayers.
Late in the evening in the country parishes, after supper was over, the housewives would spread a clean cloth on the table, set out pancakes, curds, and cider. And after the fire was banked and chairs set round the table for the returning loved ones, the family would recite the De Profundis (Psalm 129) again and go to bed. During the night a townsman would go about the streets ringing a bell to warn them that it was unwise to roam abroad at the time of returning souls.
It was in Ireland and Scotland and England that All Hallows’ Eve became a combination of prayer and merriment. Following the break with the Holy See, Queen Elizabeth forbade all observances connected with All Souls’ Day. In spite of her laws, however, customs survived; even Shakespeare in his Two Gentlemen of Verona has Speed tell Valentine that he knows he is in love because he has learned to speak “puling like a beggar at Hallowmas.” This line must have escaped the Queen.
Tricks or treats — old style
Begging at the door grew from an ancient English custom of knocking at doors to beg for a “soul cake” in return for which the beggars promised to pray for the dead of the household. Soul cakes, a form of shortbread — and sometimes quite fancy, with currants for eyes — became more important for the beggars than prayers for the dead, it is said. Florence Berger tells in her Cooking for Christ a legend of a zealous cook who vowed she would invent soul cakes to remind them of eternity at every bite. So she cut a hole in the middle and dropped it in hot fat, and lo — a doughnut. Circle that it is, it suggests the never-ending of eternity. Truth or legend, it serves a good purpose at Halloween.
The refrains sung at the door varied from “a soul cake, a soul cake, have mercy on all Christian souls for a soul cake,” to the later:
Soul, soul, an apple or two,
If you haven’t an apple, a pear will do,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for the Man Who made us all.
Here they had either run out of soul cakes or plain didn’t care. Charades, pantomimes, and little dramas, popular remnants of the miracle and morality plays of the Middle Ages, commonly rehearsed the folk in the reality of life after death and the means to attain it. It is probably from these that the custom of masquerading on Halloween had its beginning. The folly of a life of selfishness would be the message pantomimed by the damned; the torment of waiting, the message of the souls from Purgatory; the delights of the beatific vision, the message of the Heaven-sent. Together they warned the living to heed the means of salvation before it was too late. Doubtless the presence of goblins and witches with cats (ancient symbols of the devil) were remnants of pagan times bespeaking to Christians of spirits loosed from hell to keep track of their own and herd them back at cockcrow. Saint- Saens’ Danse Macabre with death fiddling his eerie spell over the graveyard fascinated us all the years of growing up. Waiting for the sound of cockcrow, which would send the souls scuttling back to their graves, was almost too much suspense to bear. Little did we know that it was inspired by old French customs and superstitions on All Hallows’ Eve.
The familiar harvest fruits, cornstalks, and pumpkins were seasonal. Although there is an old Irish legend about a miser named Jack who was too stingy to go to Heaven and too clever to go to hell, so that he had to spend eternity roaming the earth with a lighted pumpkin for a lantern, the appearance of jack-o’-lanterns has always seemed much more reasonable than that. These were ages when death was a serious and acceptable meditation. Christian art shows skulls and bones as a commonplace of interior decoration, at least in the cells of the convents and monasteries. Vigils were kept by the graves, and lights and bread left for the dead, all for the twofold purpose of recalling those dead and remembering that one day you would be dead. Surely it was some bright boy, stumbling over a pile of pumpkins by his father’s barn, who hit on the notion of carving a grinning death’s-head to carry, lighted by a candle, under his arm. If you know small boys, this is the most reasonable of all explanations.
Why we go door to door and why we wear costumes:
Prayers and party fun together
Our family’s Halloween parties are now planned around the custom of begging for soul cakes. Among the neighborhood children who attend, Catholics together with non-Catholics, there is no one who is not intrigued to learn the stories of these customs and join in the prayers and the fun.
Frying doughnuts is a big undertaking, but this one time of the year we have a doughnut session — the day before Halloween. Soul cakes need not be doughnuts, but we like to tell Mrs. Berger’s story; and this, of course, leads to much tasting to see if one does think of eternity at every bite. Other refreshments for the party are natural sweets — apples, nuts, popcorn — all perfect companions to the soul cakes.
Next, costumes. Saint costumes have been much in vogue in our circle since the rediscovery of Christian Halloween. These are lots of fun to make, but if you are having non-Catholic children who do not know about patron saints, a full course on the subject is not possible before the party. You might suggest that these come as some departed soul, one of those from eternity who come to warn the living to mend their ways. This gives much leeway and justifies the inevitable cowboys and space cadets. Cowboys do eventually depart, I am confident, and space cadets look as though they already have.
A rhymed invitation tells everybody that this is a real party and also keeps enough of the familiar Halloween ghostliness to enhance the rest, which sounds a little unfamiliar. Our invitation goes like this:
Come to keep vigil on All Hallows’ Even,
With Monica, Jamie, Peter and Stephen,
With John, Philip, Christopher, dressed up like souls;
Bring berries of red to help warn off the ghouls.
Come knock at the door and beg for soul cakes,
Pray hard for the souls, for the prayers that it takes<
To speed them to Heav’n go too often unsaid, Band who prays for poor souls will ne’er want for bread.
This hints at what is going to happen. Followed by a telephone call or a note to the mothers of the guests, it gives everyone time to get the “feel of it.” This is important. If it isn’t clearly explained how they will beg at the door and say a prayer for the dead, the party will disintegrate right there with the “gimmes.”
Some more Halloween info:
Colours: orange and black.
And here’s why:
Have you ever wondered about the origin of Halloween colors? It is the custom of the celebration to use orange and black in decorations and costumes. Retailers embrace this holiday because it’s one of the most lucrative of all.
As the Celtics are given the most credit for beginning the holiday as the festival of the harvest, a color of autumn is used. Orange, being the most prevalent autumn tone, is derived from the pumpkin and leaves.
Many people use pumpkins hollowed out as urns or vases to hold masses of fall mums or carve them into ghoulish or scary jack-o-lanterns with lit candles or mini electric lights inside to cast an eerie glow.
The color orange also signifies strength and endurance. We don’t know if that is for the holiday or strength and endurance at the harvest time. Since the Celtics were involved in wars with Julius Caesar, they may have believed the color orange gave courage to those who wore the color during battle. Little is know about this idea.
Halloween was once (and still may be in some areas) a festival of the dead. Death is usually associated with darkness and absence of light signified by the color black.
Black cats, witches hats, cauldrons, and streamers are a few of the items that are reminders of the holiday. Most candies at this time of year are in black and orange wrappers.
Traditionally, Halloween is always celebrated after sunset. The blackness of the night cloaks the revelers and hides their misdeeds or tricks if they don’t receive any treats.
Walking into any retail store that carries Halloween costumes, candy, or decorations, you will find masses of black and orange items. You know that it’s Halloween time, because the distinctive color combination is only used for this season. Not too many people use this color combination for their house or clothing!
The exact origin of Halloween colors is unknown but we all know that with practice and use, the uncommon becomes commonplace.
And now a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvRAf7_Y_s8&feature=em-uploademail-new
HAPPY HALLOWEEN and STAY SAFE!
(Source: catholiceducation.org)
Word of the Day
Apartheid
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
in South Africa) a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race.
• segregation in other contexts : sexual apartheid.
Adopted by the successful Afrikaner National Party as a slogan in the 1948 election, apartheid extended and institutionalized existing racial segregation. Despite rioting and terrorism at home and isolation abroad from the 1960s onward, the white regime maintained the apartheid system with only minor relaxation until February 1991.
ORIGIN 1940s: Afrikaans, literally ‘separateness,’ from Dutch apart ‘separate’ + -heid (equivalent of -hood ).
Segregation only promotes hate and racism. Don’t believe me? Listen to Tracy Chapman’s “Across the Lines.”
Word of the Day
Goth
Those people that dress in black? That’s GOTH! And I mean ALL black, none of this men in black shit. Hello? They’re wearing white shirts. Therefore, not goth.
Alright, I guess I’ll give you the Macbook Pro Dictionary definition:
member of a Germanic people that invaded the Roman Empire from the east between the 3rd and 5th centuries. The eastern division, the Ostrogoths, founded a kingdom in Italy, while the Visigoths went on to found one in Spain.
2 ( goth) a style of rock music derived from punk, typically with apocalyptic or mystical lyrics.
• a member of a subculture favoring black clothing, white and black makeup, and goth music.
The Wrongly Convicted Criminal
Enragement is a strong word and should be used with caution. Hate is also a strong word and again should be used with caution. I don’t hate anyone but I’m enraged. We have wrongly convicted criminals in this world that are barred for 20, 30, or more years for crimes they never committed. We are told by the police that they have everything under control. You believe this until you become the wrongly convicted. Suddenly, you see how they must feel. How it must destroy them and rip them up. Everything they worked for has now been burned, eliminated off the face of the earth.
“Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!”
This is what Michael Cassio cries out when he wounds Montano in Othello which was written by William Shakespeare. Othello can now not trust him even though Iago is being this manipulative devil making sure Cassio is expressed in a bad light.
I wasn’t manipulated, I did all the manipulating myself. Wrongly convicted criminals are sometimes framed for things they didn’t do and they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe the cop’s racist or the whole law is racist. Black people thrown in jail, white people stay out. This is terrible. Same thing with Aboriginals, they’re violent creatures. Some may be, but others aren’t and we need to rule out the ones who aren’t. Consider me a villain in the eyes of the afraid. But when I look at myself, I don’t consider myself to be dangerous. Do criminals consider themselves to be dangerous? Probably not. But when you look at the danger, the bloody aftermath of the mess you caused, you can get scared and probably scarred as well. All real criminals should be locked away but it’s very hard distinguishing the good from the bad.
If you’re not blinded by your actions and realize what you’ve done, people will tell you,
“You can’t do it again.”
And if you understand that, then you plan not to. No one can tell the future. There are fortune tellers but sometimes it’s good to allow the future to remain a mystery. Time heals all, but time can change things.
The point is that you move on: you don’t let the situation tamper with your actions. You live your life the way you planned to before. It maybe be a struggle moving through the dense swamp, but the point is that you’ll make it through and find the green pasture on the other side.
You’ve lost your reputation, so gain it back. Show people that you’re not a threat to society. Be a good person and don’t commit treason. We can all end up in bad situations: relationships can turn into abuse (you may have never intended it to be but it can still end up that way to the witness who feels the abuse), a business can think you’re not qualified due to the past that according to their records you smoke marijuana and therefore find you unqualified for the job, you can also be declined a job due to your race, gender, sexuality, etc. It happens. It’s terrible but it DOES HAPPEN. So fight for your rights. Stand up for what’s right and don’t let the big people push you down. You may be small but you’re a small person that keeps coming back. Walk tall and punch down with the iron fist and show the big people that you are not a weakling. I will not conform to your abuse, I will rise from the grave you keep digging me. You refuse to die. They keep trying to cripple you, but you won’t back down. Sometimes though, it’s good to back down. So have you been trip wired? Have you lost your mind? Talk to someone about it. Clear your head and move on. Keep living life. If others push you down, push back. Show them who’s boss.
Who’s the boss of you?
You are and never forget it.
(Source: nfs.sparknotes.com)
Yellow and Green
Yellow and green
yellow and green
I am yellow
and you are green
Yellow and green
yellow and green
I am a coward
and you are green
Without you,
I’m no colours
But don’t you see?
Black and white
black and white
I am black
black as the night
The whiteness
is what you’ll always be
Purity
purity to me
Yellow and green
yellow and green
To many,
this poem is
obscene
But to me,
you’re everything
Yellow and green
yellow and green
Colours in Words
Green Envy
Yellow Coward
Blue Sadness
Red Hatred
Orange Sickness
Black Dark
White Pure
Pink Femininity
