Journal 12 - Young Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown – the fall of man and the inclination to sin. Innocence and the desire to be good. Stained sin.

Faith – represents faith of many kinds – religious, faith in other people

The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – the devil, evil, mans true nature, or temptation.

Goody Cloyse – god and religion, people Goodman Brown thought were holy and good. Hypocrisy.

The Ceremony – mans true nature that everyone sins and is not perfect

The Pink Ribbon – purity, faith, goodness. When it falls Goodman Brown loses his faith and trust in people

Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – journey of life as we go from innocence to experience and from a naive view of life to an understanding view of acceptance and knowledge of good and evil.

2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:

Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish

Sin Everybody sins – nobody is perfect Goody Cloyse and others at the ceremony;

the pink ribbons falling

In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.

“My faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given.”

“as if the roaring wind, the rushing streams, the howling beasts, and every other voice

“depending upon one another’s hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Wlcome again, my children, to the communion of your race.”

Journal 11 - Walden

“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)

This is about how Thoreau wants life to be more simple. He believes that technological progress takes over our lives and takes us away from who we really are. They are distractions that disconnect us from reality. When you get wrapped up in technology it takes away what is really essential in life and keeps us from realizing what is important. Thoreau wants to only live with the essentials because they keep you grounded.

Quote: “Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity”

“We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us."

“Sounds” (234)

Thoreau talks of the sounds he heard listening to the world. He enjoyed just taking in the world and the sounds of it without material things or people interfering.

Quote: “…my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel”

“Brute Neighbors” (235)

Brute Neighbors satirizes modern-day war. It shows how petty the things people fight over actually are. the ants symbolize enemies, whether they are countries or people. The chips are the unimportant conflicts that spark wars.

Quote: “and the results of this battle wll be as important and memorable to those whom it concerns as those of the battle of Bunker Hill.”

“The Pond in Winter” (237)

Nature looks peaceful, but in reality life is thriving beneath its surface. There is life behind all nature if you know how to look for it.

Quote: “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our head”

“Spring” (238)

Each spring is like the creation of the world. In winter, animals and plants are in hibernation, but in Spring everything comes back to life.

Quote: “the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.”

Journal 10 - Othello's Insight

Othello’s speech at the end of the play happens after he has killed Desdemona and realized it was a mistake. His insight is his realization that he allowed himself to become manipulated and deceived into thinking someone he loved so much was against him. He talks about how his actions were not something that resemble him as a person and that people should not remember the monster he became. However, they should remember who he was before. He was a good man and a fighter and someone respectable and honorable.

Journal 9 - Free Will vs. Determinism

FREE WILL: All people have free will. There is no predestination or fate; rather it is our choices that affect us. In Othello, Othello’s downfall comes from his choices. His fate was not to end up dead or to commit suicide after murdering his own wife. He chose to believe Iago over his wife which led him to believe he was betrayed. Then he let himself be persuaded that killing Desdemona was the best thing to do. Othello did not HAVE to believe Iago. There were many routes he could have taken that would leave violence out of the situation, but his choices led him to his death.

DETERMISNISM: Iago’s downfall in Shakespeare’s Othello can be described using determinism. This is to say that people’s lives are a great cause-and-effect chain that never ends. Everything that happens to them becomes the basis for their next thought, decision, and action. For Iago, this would start with Cassio’s promotion to the position Iago coveted. This ignited his hatred for Othello and his desire to exact his revenge. Another scene where this is shown is when Iago’s wife, Emilia, tells Othello about how she took the scarf from Desdemona; which basically pointed the finger at Iago. This caused Iago to no longer see Emilia as he did before and he kills her for her betrayal.