Chapter 19: Serena Williams

Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1981 and is now the 7th tennis player in the whole world. She grew up with 4 other sisters, one of them being murdered in Los Angeles, California in 2003. Serena got her first grand slam in 1999, with four straight years of grand slams until 2003. Unfortunately, in 2003 she suffered from a knee injury that made her sit out for 8 months.

"I've always said that I'm insatiable." - Serena Williams.    

This relates to the book I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings because the athlete in it loved what he did. And for Serena, when she was out because of her knee, she went right back into playing when she got back in. It was like a lot of motivation for the thing she loves. That relates to the book because he loved what he did, and he was the best at it. He beat Caucasian's at it, which surprised a lot of people since he was so motivated.                                                                                                                                  

Chapter 17 & 18: After the "Retreat" & The Revival

"The idea came to me that my people may be a race of masochists and that not only was it our fate to live the poorest, roughest life but that we liked it that way." - Page 121.

I chose this quote because it stood out to me, before we talked about it in class; kind of. This quote really ties in with the book and the African-Americans. It shows how hard an African-American's life is, and how it used to be too. It's showing how the African-Americans are 'masochists', meaning people who like pain, or endure pain in their lives. It shows how the African-Americans are so used to being put down, beaten, and scorned that they're used to all the pain. That they'd rather feel the pain, then have people pity them. 

I chose this particular quotation because it was easy to find a connection to the book and the African-Americans. It really stood out because when it says ".. my people may be a race of masochists .. we liked it that way," I got really confused. I got confused because why would you like to feel pain, and live a life like that? But then I realized not only are they used to it, but they sort of have to get used to it. It's pretty sad when you think about it, and how much pain African-Americans were/are put through.

Double, double, toil and trouble.

If I were the fourth witch, I'd put this into the potion:

A gooey booger and a bloody lip,

with moldy skin and a grandma's hip.

Ramasco's waste and a pile of poop,

with my neighbors dead dog and toenail clippings soup.

A box of fingers and a hairy monkey,

with 50 teeth and a grandpa that's chunky.

A case of B.O and a rotten plumb,

with a dirty diaper and a little kid's thumb.

Act III - Story Time

In the play Macbeth, a lot of bad things happen. The main character, Macbeth is turning into a mean person. It's not that he wants to become someone bad, it just seems like the crazy things are taking him over. His wife, Lady Macbeth, is very mean and pretends to be friends with someone just to use them for something she wants. Like say you're coloring a picture of the rainbow, and you need the Red to make the first line. As soon as your finished using the Red, and you don't need it anymore, you just put it back from where you got it. That's like with Lady Macbeth with people though, which is very bad. So, when these three Frankensteins come and talk to Macbeth and his friend Banquo, they tell them that they can see into the future. Frankensteins tells them that they both will become Kings! But that will only happen when King Duncan, the man who is King now, stops being King. When Macbeth tells his wife what the Frankensteins told him. When she hears this, she gets very excited. She wants Macbeth to become a King as fast as he can, so that she can become special too. But since Lady Macbeth is a mean person, she decides to try to get King Duncan to not be King anymore. A lot of things happen, and Lady Macbeth finally gets King Duncan to not be King anymore. She does this by hiding him in a very dark closet for the rest of his life, not being able to come out. Macbeth feels really bad for King Duncan, but Lady Macbeth's meanness makes Macbeth forget about it. 

Act II: Gorgon Reference

When Macduff says, "Approach the chamber and destroy your sight/ With a new Gorgon.." he's relating to Greek mythology. The Gorgons are three sisters, who were very beautiful. Medusa, one of the sisters was the youngest and the most beautiful out of the three. She was turned into a monster with snakes as her hair, fangs, claws, and a black tongue. 

He said that 'With a new Gorgon' .. because Medusa was so horrible looking that everyone who looked at her, turned to stone. He meant that go into the bedroom to see what happened, and you'll freeze with horror to see what is there.

Act 1: Scenes vi and vii - The Macbeths

If i were a marriage counselor I would give this advice to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth:

1. You guys rarely agree on anything, and if one doesn't agree with the other, you have to talk it out and figure out another solution to do. It's not good to go through with something that your wife/husband isn't okay with.
2. It seems like Lady Macbeth has the back bone in this relationship right now, and maybe she could lighten up and give Macbeth an easier time. It seems that she can convince him to do anything she wants him to do, or anything she wants to do; even when it's something bad like killing someone. 
3. They could talk about their problems, figure out why or how they created this problem during their marriage, talk about their fighting and arguing, and try to clear everything up as much as they can. 

Shakespeare's Language..

Before we start reading William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" as a class, it is important for all of you to become familiar with the playwright's language. 

Please answer the following questions in your own blog:

1. What is "blank verse"? [We discussed this yesterday, but if you are not sure, check out your poetry unit notes.]

Blank verse is a verse line of 10 syllables with 5 stresses and no rhyming

2. Interpret these Shakespearean lines using your Shakespeare Packet: Reading Shakespeare's English:

    a. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" [R&J] Hey wait baby, you're so beautiful, you're blinding me through the window.

    b. "Thou art more lovely and more temperate." [Sonnets XVIII] You are very pretty and hot.

    c. "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well." [Macbeth] If it was done when it was supposed to be done, then it'll be done well.

    d. "Whither are they vanished?" [Macbeth] To where are they escorted to?

3. How many creative Shakespearean insults can you come up with? Add "thou" or "thine" to the front of the lists picked up on your way in: "Thou+Column A+Column B+Column C!" Thou reeky pale-hearted whipster. Thou rug-headed nut-hook. Thou rank rug-headed rabit-sucker.

Post your BEST Shakespearean insult as a "comment" below.