What He Hath Lost, Noble Macbeth Hath Won.

Hail!

A stanchless avarice,
It is a kneel that summons thee to heaven or to hell.
Is't night's predominance, or the day's shame,
That the devil speak true?
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
There's no art To find the mind's construction on the face.
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day,
And make our faces vizards to our hearts, Disguising what they are.

Hail!

Stars, hide your fires!
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
False face must hide what the false heart doth know:
Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
When the battle's lost and won,
The tears shall drown the wind.

Hail!

The night is long that never finds the day;
Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,
But the serpent under it.
An equivocator could not equivocate to heaven
To plague the inventor.
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?

All hail, Macbeth. Hail! Hail! Hail!

The Other Side

Sigh... Oh dear Ikenga... Recently, my so-called best friend, Okonkwo, suffered great turmoil. But seriously, did he think I cared or something? Wel if he did.... AHEM!! He was wrong! His ways of life are morally unacceptable and there were so many circumstances where I wanted to say that to his face! When he was in exile, the only thing that kept me from cutting ties with him was his yams. I made a huge profit selling his harvest in he marketplace! He didn't even know I took half the money that was earned, how stupid! All he's got ion for him is his strength. Imagine, he beats his wives and his children; the only thing he hasn't eaten is himself! He should learn how to control his emotions like me, and maybe he wouldn't be so unfortunate today!...Hahaha that doesn't sound like me at all doesn't it? I think I drank a little too much palm wine today! Honestly speaking though, I can see our society falling apart, can't you? First, Okonkwo is forced into exile, then losers we call Ashy-Buttocks try to educate us! Why can't we be left alone, for goodness sakes? We have been prosperous since our ancestor's ancestors, I'm pretty sure we have no need for whatever change they are planning for us. But! ... There IS one thing that has stirred my interest; and that is their religion. Whoever we cast aside, they take in. What is the meaning of doing so? Do they gain anything from such an act? I guess... Since they have managed to recruit some average village people; even I have been tempted to try what they call Christianity many many times. The thought actually still lingers in my mind... But I'd better keep my distance, because if Okonkwo ever found out, I'm sure I'd serve as chicken feed. Plus, I still have my whole family to take care of; I have no time to fool around with some new belief. I feel bad for his son, Nwoye, though...who's now a Christian. But the more I think about it, the more it seems inevitable since he was always put down and beaten by Okonkwo. Speaking of him, he should seriously stop using violence to solve all his problems! I'm starting to get sick and tired of watching the back of such a dangerous creature! He may see his explosive actions as manly but people like me... See it as shameful. Regardless, even if Okonkwo was here at this moment in time to fight back against these buttocks, we would still witness our culture fall apart. So, Ikenga... What should we do?

Let us Pity the "Oh so Tragic Hero"

     Instead of him not being a hero, my opinion is that Okonkwo is more so a tragic hero. The modern version of a tragic hero is that of an anti-hero, and I believe that defines Okonkwo perfectly. I know he has attributes of not being a hero, one of them being his unwillingness to admit his many mistakes. When he accused his second wife, Ekwefi, of killing a banana tree, which had only a few leaves missing due to a need to wrap some food, he beat her. Even after knowing that the tree was alive, not only did he not apologize, he continued to release his anger. A typical hero is "flawless"; therefore, earning such a title. On the contrary, though Okonkwo is physically flawless, his personality is the exact opposite. Because of many hardships when he was young, he was forced to experience the worst life a child would want in the Igbo society, and that shaped his ice-cold and merciless individuality. Unlike a classical tragic hero, Okonkwo is aware of his flaws and ultimately chooses to continue his actions due to his belief that he is doing the right thing. I believe he is responsible for everything that happens to him in the novel, even the shooting that took place before his seven year exile. Though I may not believe in karma, Okonkwo, in my opinion, got what he deserved. After returning to his fatherland after his exile, he finds that Christians are trying to take over the Igbo culture, and recommends violence to solve the problem. Being the only person that thinks that way, Okonkwo makes a final step and hangs himself, his ultimate downfall; thus, I believe the protagonist of the novel Things Fall Apart, is a tragic hero

Ignoring the Real You

There are many kinds of conflicts a story can exhibit but the conflict I find the most fascinating is Man vs. Self. Every character in a story is different and unique in their own way, each time producing a new kind of inner challenge. Also, it is always very enlightening to discover how the character in a Man vs. Self situation solves their own problems, and if they do.
In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the main character, Dorian, encounters the devil within him through his self portrait. It all began with the passionate acting of a beautiful young lady named Sybil Vane. In every play that she acted in, she became the character, and that is what captured Dorian's affinity. Until one evening, when Love decided to show its true form. Before that moment, acting was Sybil's only venue of escape; but after meeting Dorian Gray, she was freed from her cage. She was taught how "false,...vulgar, and...unreal" her reality was (Pg.90). Dorian's tainted soul corrupted Sybil's and she began to focus on the aesthetic factors of life. Not realizing what he had done, Dorian dumped her in disappointment. After cooling his head, he made his way back home, only to find that there was a slight change with his twin on canvas: "The portrait... Showed him the lines of cruelty round the mouth as clearly as if he had been looking into a mirror after he had done some dreadful thing"(Pg.94). In fact, what he had done caused Sybil to commit suicide but after a few words of reconciliation, Dorian decided to let the portrait be: "If the picture was to alter, it was to alter. That was all" (Pg.110). Because of his wish to stay forever beautiful, Dorian began to succumb to his selfish desires as well as let his inner devil take over. "Smiling" as he hid his real self away from the world, Dorian continued on with his life, not even making an effort to solve his problems(Pg.110).

Just checking if my post is working...

When Will the World Reach an Equilibrium?

     Post colonialism can be seen as the aftermath of a colonised country gaining independence from a foreign power. For example, Haiti was under the influence of the French colony until the Haitian Revolution in 1791. They were successful and gained permanent independence as well as the abolishment of slavery. Although this event was considered as the "defining moment in the history of Africans in the New World", there are obvious effects that have remained (Haitian Revolution - Wikipedia).
     Africans in Haiti were subjected to french education and military because of the french settlement. Due to this, there were many children with both white and black parents (mulatto descendants). After the Haitian struggle for individuality, you would expect equality; instead, you find mulatto descendants titled as the elite. What makes them better than their fellow kinsmen? The fact that they have European blood in them? Also, though of African descent, "nearly all of the 8.7 million [Haitian] residents [today] ... speak Creole and French" (The New York Times). Clearly, these are effects of the colonization of Haiti that happened many years ago.
     Just last year, an earthquake with the magnitude of 7.0 hit near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Many actions were done to help the catastrophe but there were also many critiques on this event. Being the poorest nation in the northern hemisphere without much modern technology, this country was still criticized for its "flimsy" homes (Article from 'The Takeaway'). Furthermore, because of what the critics have said, people are left with an "impression ...that these [Haitians] are just inherently poor savages who don’t know how to construct decent homes for themselves" (Alison Kilkenny's blog post). Today, a majority of people claim that everyone is equivalent to one another. So why are people mentioning the word savage when talking about these African descendants? Nonetheless, post colonialism is quite evident in countries such as Haiti, but as time passes, our goal is to rid the world of such biases and ultimately treat each other as equals.

Sites where I got the quotes above:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/haiti/index.html
http://www.thetakeaway.org/2010/jan/13/earthquake-ravages-haiti/

Nerdy?

   Glasses are for nerds. Everyone knows that smart people wear glasses. If we weren't to differentiate the nerds from the normal people, then God wouldn't have allowed us to invent glasses, now would He? Also, if people actually had extremely bad eyesight, then they should just get contacts instead; therefore, looking more natural and being more attractive. Nowadays, all people care about is the appearance so if we don't wear glasses, we'll all look pretty. Though this may be the case, some may retort back and say that glasses work better than contacts, but my friend's parent believes that if they don't wear glasses, their eyes will get better; so glasses must not help. Thus, if people don't want to be made fun of, then they should do themselves a favor by stopping themselves from wearing glasses.

The Epiphany of Dorian Gray

     In life, many regard morality as something that is essential to every human being. Yet, there are also people who defy this natural ability to tell what is right or wrong; like in the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. Having read a small portion of this classic, I can definitely say that Oscar Wilde can be accounted as a disturbed individual. I believe his life experiences have been described in this story through Dorian Gray, the main character. Like the protagonist in this story, I believe Oscar Wilde suffered corruption of his soul. Through a unique story, he tries to convey to his readers that materialistic desires will only trap you deeper into the darkness of greed.

     Dorian Gray is introduced into the story as a pure, innocent, petulant adolescent boy. He had "kept himself unspotted from the world" with his youthful purity (Pg. 18). Almost everyone who laid eyes on Dorian Gray fell in love with his energetic self. He was definitely handsome, had perfectly shaped scarlet lips, crisp blue eyes, and refreshingly gold hair; Dorian was the definition of beauty. The artist who effectively captures his soul into canvas is Basil Hallward, who is also a Dorian worshiper. When Basil's old Oxford friend Lord Henry Wotton, too, is captivated by such a charming young fellow, he unknowingly makes it his mission to corrupt such a pure soul. Achieving his goal with a few convincing words, the unstable Dorian experiences an epiphany and begins to realize his real beauty, gained from youth. With a sudden change of heart, our esteemed protagonist becomes vain and following, the deterioration of his soul. Dorian is convinced by Lord Henry that youth is the most important thing in the world, especially for someone so enticing as him:

The common hill-flowers wither, but they blossom again... But we never get back our youth... We degenerate into hideous puppets... Youth! Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!  (Pg. 25).

Now fearing the natural process of aging, Dorian makes a wrong decision and states that he would give everything, even his soul, to stay forever young; instead, his picture will grow old. Dorian becomes jealous of undying beauty and curses himself for the rest of his life. He will forever drown in his own hedonism as well as continue to strive for more and more handsomeness.

     The character Dorian Gray reminds me of the Queen in the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. The Queen has always been considered as the "fairest one of all", and was pleased. This is like when Dorian had no knowledge of his own beauty, but with a few persuasive arguments, he becomes self conscious about himself. He is alarmed by the everlasting youth captured by the painting done on him and begins to have an obsessive need for his own attractiveness. When the Queen knows of Snow White's exceeding beauty, she gets jealous and orders her huntsman to kill and bring her Snow White's heart. Both of their goals are to stay the fairest ones; as a result, they both "set death traps for themselves", so to speak, when they take action. The Queen disguises herself as an old lady, like how Dorian's painting shows how his soul decays as time passes and as his enchanting looks curse him forever.

     Though this book was not accepted at the time it was published, I am sure this story can apply to many people today. Dorian Gray displays strong amounts of greed and envy when he wishes the painting to change, and for him to stay what he is now. Overpowering his sense of morality, Dorian falls into his own trap, and therefore, his sin is shown through the painted picture of himself. There are no physical similarities between this book and real life, for it has some fantasy elements; for example, the picture that decays in Dorian's stead. I can compare this with my own greed and envy because sometimes, I don't think I can ever have enough of something, like how Dorian can't ever have enough of his beauty. I think Oscar Wilde tries to remind us that we need to be careful of what we wish for as well, because it just might happen. Dorian stays in his youth forever and we can also dream forever about what we can't have but ultimately, that is our downfall because there are just some things we need to let go of.

     I believe that in every book, there is something that one can learn from, whether it applies to the reader or not. To keep our sense of humanity, we avoid the truth until it is too late but with realization and help from friends, I believe we can overcome this obstacle. We will never have enough of what we want because there`s always going to be more to have. So as people with morality, we should be happy of what we have and beware of feelings that may eventually destroy us.

Momentary Affections

This short poem is for a special person that used to be in my heart. He is definitely a very romantic person, so to speak, and he seemed so perfect when I first "met" him. Though many regard him as a playboy, he's not a real person so should it really matter? Anyways, this is my poem for Valentine's Day, about a man named Lord Tiki Mik.


Couples are all I see
Wherever I may be
Shall I leave?
Or hide in grief?
Save me, somebody, please!

Gracefully gliding past me,
Our eyes met almost instantly.
This must be the one,
My heart weighted a tonne;
I've never met someone so dreamy.

Although it was just a moment,
I'm sure a smile cracked open.
Thump thump, thump thump,
My heart did jump.
And so did I in amazement.

Not noticing what he had done,
It happened so fast I was stunned.
He turned me around
While my books fell to the ground.
He gave me a hug, only one.

I hoped we would never part,
Because he had stolen my heart.
But only a dream,
I woke up, it seems
To a lonely day, again, shall start.

Although this fictional character has now changed, he still resides in my heart. When I first saw him, I characterized him as my ideal: strong, noble, manly, and so very elegant. It was a shame he wasn't a real person but knowing that there's still that one person out there that's destined for me, I will patiently wait for him.

The Gentle Twinkle of an Angel

     Life is full of challenges. Without them, there wouldn't be anything to work hard for; everything would be completed without effort. One example in my life was when I had my first piano competition. I was nine years old and I had no idea what I was going to face. I had only started to play piano for a couple of years;  I did not feel prepared at all. This fear within myself was one of the greatest challenges I faced in my life.
     As I crept into the ominous lobby, full of award winning certificates, all I heard was the gentle twinkling of the piano. I knew it was my teacher preparing for a nerve wracking hour of pain, torture, and suffering. Seeing that my hands were wet with cold perspiration, I put all my effort into calming myself as I breathed in the strong aroma of sweet lilies.
     Right away, I found that black, cushiony throne of terror and warmed up my fingers with some technical scales. I finally started my most feared lesson that passed me by every week. Obviously, my teacher knew that I didn't practice, for we only went through the pieces that I knew by heart. Even then, he still hit my fingers, due to a few awkward tones that were heard. After that horrendous hour, which felt like millions of years, my teacher gave my mom a piece of thin, long paper as they rambled on in their endless mumbles and cackles. My eyes felt droopy and dead with weight; I didn't have any more energy to pay attention.
     After we escaped that suffocating and monstrous house, my mom excitedly exclaimed, "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart! Your teacher just told me that you should apply for a competition that is coming up next month!".
     At that moment, my mind went blank and my eyes shot open as I remembered hearing the term, competition, many times, due to ballet. "What? Mom, I'm not ready yet; why do I have to do something like this?!"
     "It's for your own good! You'll get more experienced and when you get older, you won't have a problem at all!", was all she could spit out at that moment.
     I didn't dare talk back to her so I thought to myself, "Is that the only reply you know how to give me?"
     Persuasion was impossible once she used that tone of voice. This was one of her signature and default tones, the do it or else tone; therefore, I decided to try it out. It couldn't get any worse than this, or so I thought.
     When I got home, I started practicing right away, "Uh oh", I said to myself, "Why am I hitting all the wrong notes?". I kept trying to concentrate harder but that just made the situation worse. Mistakes were being made and scrunching my eyebrows in frustration wasn't helping. Suddenly, droplets of salt water streamed down my face, for I couldn't hold in my anger anymore. I don't know how long I cried but after a while, my dad popped his head into the room.
     "What's wrong?", he asked.
     "I have to compete in a couple of weeks and I can't play anything right!", I managed to blurt out.
     As I sat there, my dad tried to comfort me and told me not to get nervous. I stopped practicing that day and went to complete my homework instead; I also managed to harbour the inner dragon within me.
     For the next couple of weeks, I kept practicing after school that my hands eventually started to hurt. Half an hour of practice each week turned into an hour of hitting white and black keys each day. Though I got sick of it after a mere three days, I pushed myself to go over my limit. It was worthwhile though, because I finally felt like the competition was possible to face with confidence when the time came.
     That day, when we were in the car, going to the church hosting the competition, I couldn't hear anything but the thump of my heartbeat. I could feel blood pulsing in the veins of my head and I felt like my heart was going to hit the car seat in front of me. I could tell that my sister was looking at me but I didn't answer her. I could feel the droplets of cold wet anxiety slowly reaching my tailbone and shivered.
     The sky was nearly pitch black and even it held an eerie aura in the atmosphere, like something bad was going to happen. As I walked up those stone cold steps, I could already see that all the contestants felt exactly the way I did. After entering the building I might as well have called hell, the draft that came from the closing trap door seemed to push me closer to a table, where I had to sign in. Subsequent to getting the contestant number I had, I sauntered into the ghostly chapel and wondered if they kept dead people there. I felt like I was in Antarctica, for I could almost see the steam coming from my mouth as I breathed.
     After a while, I finally reached a warmer spot and prepared myself with a prayer. I asked the Lord with all my heart to play with me as I walked up to that glistening, jet black piano. The surface was glossy and smooth. Even if there were flaws, it couldn't be seen with the naked eye. I didn't think I was worthy of playing that piano but I had no choice, for God chose this to be the piano that I would play in that competition.
     I was the first one to perform. When I reached the stool that reached up to my hip, I bowed before climbing up the obstacle. After securing my behind to the seat, I adjusted it to the right height. Reaching for both ends of the instrument of charm and seduction, I was glad all the keys were within my reach. Then, I hit the very first sound that echoed through the deep chapel.
     Suddenly, the adjudicator leaned back. I thought to myself, "What? Is my playing that bad?". I expected her to be scribbling onto that paper of judgement that would haunt me for the rest of my life!
     I had no time to think about that though. All I could do now was play for my parents, God, and for everyone in the audience. All of a sudden, I felt as if something was looming over me. There was an unknown presence; it was so angelic as I finished my song. I had no idea everyone was clapping until that feeling was gone. I quickly bowed again and sat down beside the other contestants. I was so relieved that I was finished my competition.
     As I listened to the people who played after me, I could hear their technical perfection and it scared me. Their fingers flew all over the piano and I couldn't help but stare in astonishment. I lost all confidence and sighed in despair as all hope left me.
     When the time came, the adjudicator announced the placings but I wasn't at all looking forward to hearing who won until someone tapped me and pointed at the adjudicator.
     She repeated, "And first place goes to Danielle Lee." I didn't expect to place, let alone recieving first place!
     Everyone was so happy for me and I could not believe what had just happened. The adjudicator congratulated me with a medallion and I accepted it with humble happiness.
     I still can't believe what happened that day; it was a miracle. At that moment, I learned that mistakes shouldn't be dwelled upon. Instead, you should reflect on how you can change what may be wrong into something the audience can appreciate. For me, I had to shut everything out and express the song through my feelings. Also, since that day, I decided that it wouldn't really matter if I made mistakes in competitions, because you only get to see that group of people once. Finally, at one of the most crucial moments of my life, I overcame the challenge of fear within myself.