Representation of Growing Up - Connections

Dear Sally,

So its my first week at the new school! I thought it would be a daunting experience being the new girl, but it really isn't! The thing I have learnt about school and growing up is that it doesn't matter where your from, or if your new or old, its easy to make friends and connections. I think thats what I like about being a teenager. It doesn't matter about your political view or religion, its about the way you interact and respect people. Its about your interests and hobbies, and even if you don't have the same hobbies as someone else you can still be best friends. The relationships that can form in a single minute are exhilarating and profound. I am excited for school and the people i meet, unlike the first day when I was a complete reck; nervously sweating when first walking through the gates scared if anyone would actually like me. It gets me excited for the real world, the people I will meet. You see on the news stories about teenagers being bad and doing the wrong things, but its not all true. They are experimenting, finding out where they belong and sometimes it can go wrong, but how can we learn if no one ever makes a mistake?  Growing up is a time to find yourself, what your good at and what you like and what your not good at. Want to know the best thing though? Its the fact that as a teenager you can disagree with something or not have the same views and it doesn't mean much, it doesn't define you or your personality. But I know when we grow up, our decisions and views will define us and who we are friends with. Its a scary thought, and thats why I never really want to grow up! I love being a teenager because friendships and connections with people can form from a simple smile!

Miss you lots,
Katie

“Senior Year of High School” Advertisement

The advertisement “Senior Year of High School” strongly presents the reader to view the concept of growing up a vulnerable time for adolescence and that it is a time for parents to assert their authority. This representation is reached through the target audience being parents of teenagers and also the elements of language and visual. By this advertisement being written for the purpose of educating parents instead of educating teenagers is due to the writer believing that teenagers will not respond and will not affect their overall decision making. However, my targeting it at parents it allows them to see methods that could work in preventing the temptations their child may face without controlling their lives completely. The advertisement through its use of language dramatically expresses that teenagers are susceptible to dangerous things such as drugs and alcohol and that if parents don’t step in and help that they could ruin their lives forever. Through the connection of language and visuals the advertisement presents to the reader that there are many pathways in every persons life and that it is okay that we help guide our loved ones onto the write path. This advertisement stresses its point clearly and precisely through its dot point guide to helping the child and highlighting that although their child may be in the final staging on schooling, you still have a right to set your rules and boundaries. This advertisement presents the reader to strongly see that senior year of high school is a year that kids will push boundaries and fall for temptations, but it is an even bigger time for parents to make sure they have control and help their kids choose the right pathway that they wont regret when they get older. 

Iago's Manipulation

When Iago first plants the seed in Othello's mind relating to the relationship between Desdemona and Cassio, he reacts quickly because of Iago's ability to twist words and situations around to work in his favour because people believe him because he has the reputation of being honest. When Desdemona married the moor, Othello, she went behind her fathers back and deceived him. When Iago mentions to Othello that she decided her father and cold very easily deceive you, this frightens and angers Othello as he does not want to believe that the love of his life is a cheat. Iago then plants another seed in Othello's ear to suggest that the way the communicate is close and as if they were in a relationship. Iago says, "Look to your wife, observe her well with Cassio"(3.3.132). This suggests that Desdemona is not being completely faithful towards Othello and that there is more than whats meets the eye, and as Iago knows Desdemona is trying to help Cassio become left lieutenant again. Cassio also has the reputation of a ladies man which does not help the situation at all as Othello sees his actions as flirtation. Reputation is one of the main reasons that Othello believes that Desdemona is unfaithful. With Iago being labelled honest, Othello believes all that he says as accurate and true without question. 

Theme of Race in play Othello

A major theme presented in the play Othello is the theme of Race. It is firstly presented between the characters of Othello and Desdemona and their marriage together. Throughout the whole beginning of the play Othello is not presented as his nobel self but instead as a moor or as Iago calls him, "an old black ram"(I.i.93). This positions the audience to see that people of a different colour do not have as high a status or repeat as white people. When the marriage between Desdemona and himself comes to surface her father is outraged because he is seen as a predator towards his daughter and he believes someone of his race could never win his love without the use of witchcraft. As the play progresses we learn that he has much respect in his roll, and if it wasn't for his race then his marriage to Desdemona would be accepted more to the community. 

I do/ do not feel sorry for Brabantio because…

I do feel sorry for Brabantio at this point in the play as he has suddenly lost his daughter to Othello and he did not know about it until told by someone else. When Rodrigo tells Brabantio he firstly denies it as he thought his daughter would tell him and that the man would ask for permission. When he then finds out that she is marrying someone who is considered an outsider due to his colour it is even more devastating for him as he wanted her to marry someone well respected by the community. I feel sorry for him as it is all put upon him so fast and he the fact has been told that Othello used witchcraft to brainwash his daughter did not help his feelings towards Othello. 

Othello

Why has Shakespeare chosen to introduce the main character in this way? How are we, as the audience, being positioned to see Othello and to see other characters?

In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, people that are moor's are outsiders by people. Shakespeare introduces Othello throughout the whole beginning of the play not by his names but by a rude and racist name to Othello. In the play he is called by Iago  “the Moor” (I.i.57), “the thick-lips” (I.i.66), “an old black ram” (I.i.88), and “a Barbary horse” (I.i.113), this is because they thought of them as nothing that was worth considering. Shakespeare does not introduce Othello in the first act as he wants use to see how people act towards and treat him. 

Othello Pre Reading

Venice is a city located in northeast Italy positioned on a group of 118 small islands that are seperated by canals and linked by bridges. The city is renowned for the beauty of its setting, architecture and artworks and is listed as a World Heritage Site. After the Italian turmoil of the early 16th century, Venice entered a long and gradual period of decline. Losing its political will, Venice found the new role which it enjoyed ever since - as a place of pleasure and delight. The republic that was once so pugnacious maintained a cautious neutrality from the mid-16th century onwards and fought only to defend its Mediterranean possessions from the Turks. Throughout the 16th century, Venice became one of the most important musical centres of Europe and also became the first and biggest trading power in the world, controlling trade across the Mediterranean Sea.

 Is located in the Mediterranean Sea. At the time of the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire would have been at its height. Cyprus was eventually part of this Empire in the 16th century. So it would have been important in shipping, it was also an important source of the metal copper. It is 1500 miles by sea from Venice. Cyprus is near Greece, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. It is for that reason that Ottoman troops captured Cyprus in the sixteenth century and it remains divided between the Greek dominated Republic of Cyprus and a Turkish Cypriot North Cyprus.

Moors are medieval muslim who came from North Africa. They lost their land and weren’t ruling. They moved to Europe and were hide there religioius values. In Spain, they forced Moores to either turn to Christianity or leave the country. Moors practice Islam, and are Muslims of North African descent. The Moors were very tolerant of different religions and their beliefs.

Many Elizabethans believed that Christianity was the suprerior religion, so they resisted other religions and disliked foreigners such as Turks. The Turks were considered as outsiders and their Muslim rule was resisted, which created much tension between the Turks and the Elizabethan Christians. Even though Turks were considered as exotic, they were very much disliked and regarded as ‘alien’.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition, having an affect on the nervous system..’Epilepsy syndromes are described by their symptoms which can include, confused memory, involuntary movement of arms and legs, blackouts, episodes of staring, fainting spells with incontinence to name a few. In the times of the Renaissance, people who were epileptic were regarded as intelligent and considered as prophets who, while having an episode, could see the past, present and future. During the Renaissance, Epilepsy was treated a few ways, one was using the secretions from the scent glands of a beaver which was ingested, another was the use of silver nitrate mercury, tin and copper zinc oxide and a third was ingesting the scrapings from a human scull for several months. An episode can be triggered by things such as loud noises, toxic chemicals\alcohol, flashing lights, caffeine and having a lack of sleep