Thankful

I am thankful for Carolyn in my British literature class. She and I always figure out the group work together and I don't know what I'd do if I didn't see her each morning. Her laugh keeps me awake and puts me in a better mood no matter how crappy I feel in the morning. We also have study hall and trig together and she helps me get through the day without falling apart. She happens to be one of the few people I have classes with who I actually speak and enjoy.
I am also thankful for Maddy in my British literature class, when she shows up. She always makes me laugh, especially when Mr.McCarthy throws things at her drinks and sends her angry pictures from my phone. Maddy brightens my generally dull daily life as well and I am so grateful that she came back to Whitney.
This class happens to be one of the only ones I enjoy. Mr.McCarthy is a great teacher and person who is relatable and kind to his students. He never condescends to anyone and gives great writing assignments that allow us freedom to express ourselves through our work. I am grateful for this class and the people in it.

"Then He is Read?"

At the end of the entire play Macbeth gets killed. Was it worth all the trouble? I don't think so. Macbeth did nothing while he was king that was good for the people and on top of that he didn't even enjoy it himself. The entire time he had power he was miserable and paranoid (having hallucinations about the people he murdered). Macbeth ruined many innocent lives and his own with no positive result for himself, his wife, or the people. This is a good example of why atrocious crimes aren't worth doing. Even when one gets away with a crime on a large scale they will end up having to cover it up and worry about maintaining the lie they have made their life. They will never be able to be close to other people because they will always have things to hide. In the end, no matter what the reward may be, obtaining something in a deceitful manner will 9 times out of 10 end in a situation that is worse than the one they began in.

Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth proves to be a more manly character than her own husband Macbeth. She asks to be made cruel and not feminine to be able to kill Duncan. Unlike her husband, she has no second thoughts or guilt regarding killing an innocent man for a selfish reason.
Lady Macbeth defies the stereotype of a woman. A woman is expected to be kind, safe, gentle, and to take care of others. Lady Macbeth specifically asks for these qualities to be removed from her and to be replaced with cruelty. This is very unexpected of somebody with the title "lady". There is more than meets the eye when it comes to Lady Macbeth. She is a determined and intelligent leader in the murder of the king. Not only does she have desires to be wife to the thrown, but she knows how she would execute it. She is also capable of manipulating her husband through mocking him and making him question his manly hood. She is smart enough to know that questioning a man's masculinity is the best way to make his pride overcome is reason and gut.

No New Tale to Tell

Greed plays a huge role in the pardoner's story in the Canterbury Tales as it does in our world today. I believe all evil stems from three things: pain, jealousy, and greed. For now, I will just extend on the point about greed. Greed is an act of selfishness, when one takes more than they need, and in most cases hurts those around. Greed can be found, mostly, where power and money is. For example, the government. I'm not saying all politicians are greedy, but isn't it amazing how many of them end up doing time in prison for trying to get money in illegal ways? Several of the people who are supposed to set examples and be leaders for citizens go to prison, where the people who disobey laws get put. Amazing how that works. These people have privileges, and in most cases don't need the money their taking or the affairs they're having, but do them anyway. That is a prime example of greed.
I'm all for looking at both sides of the story, and maybe there's something behind the greedy decisions people make. Maybe, we shouldn't put the blame all on their shoulders. Society and the media emphasize money in a way that would make it hard to deny it when put right in front of you. Of course, this is no excuse, but it is something to think about. Maybe, if there was more emphasis on morals and less on the exterior and wealth there would be less greed occurring, especially in hollywood and politics.

Truth

In Grendel there is a lot of discussion about the truth and how it can be "sugar-coated" or twisted to sound more pleasing than it is or to arouse the reaction desired from the audience. This is shown in Grendel during the scenes involving the Shaper as he tells the story of the Danes' history that isn't quite accurate to boost their pride. This is similar to propaganda that we are familiar with in politics.
One may ask, is it acceptable to twist the truth to make things appear better than they truly are? I guess, in my opinion, it depends on how ugly the truth is that is being covered. It is understandable the kings, presidents, dictators, whatever it may be, need to influence the mass of people to like and believe in them. To an extent that is completely acceptable, but I believe there is a way for leaders to refrain from advertising things that aren't true or that they know they will turn their backs on in the future. The name one creates for himself as a hero, leader, etc. will become notorious if the public discovers that all the reasons they believed in a figure turned out to be untrue. In my opinion, this defeats the purpose for most (good) leaders. That's why they should try to be as honest and stick as closely to the their public image is possible to avoid future conflict and most likely achieve the goal they were trying to obtain in the first place, which is mass appreciation and honor.

Modern Day Grendel

If I had to choose what I believe a modern day Grendel would look like it would be terrorists or a terrorists group. Terrorists are similar to Grendel because they target one nation or group of people that they feel anger towards, in Grendel's case it is the Danes and it some terrorists case it is Americans. They also kill many innocent people who they have no relationship with whatsoever, such as 9/11. The cause of both their anger is generally misunderstood and the nations they attack see them from a very negative light and seek revenge.

Me

I just figured out how to work this thing (it didn't work on the computers at school) so this post is a little over due. My name is Shiri Nicole Gross and I am a junior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. I am involved in the Young Theater Company, the Guys and Dolls Dance Company, and I play and write music on guitar outside of school. English is by far my favorite subject because I love writing and I enjoy reading (when the books are good). I am a very analytical thinker which is why I enjoy English class because it challenges me to improve my analysis skills. My father and grandfather are both English professors in Chicago, my dad works at DePaul University and my grandfather is the president of Roosevelt University, therefore literature has been a part of my up bringing. I am looking forward to the British Literature curriculum and what it has Mr. McCarthy has in store for this 1st period class. Again, I apologize for the lateness!

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