Mellin AP Lit

How is femininity depicted in  There There ? What roles do the female characters assume in their community? Within their families? In There There  author Tommy Orange offers an interesting depiction of feminism. The first section from the point of view of a female is Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield's. This one section sets the tone in terms of feminism for the rest of the novel. One of the first pieces of information that we learn about Opal is that her family consists of three women: her mother, her sister, and herself. Each of these three women have traits that differ from what is thought to be the classic woman who is kind, smart but not intelligent, not physically or mentally strong, and undoubtedly dependent on a man. Opal's mother was strong: she raised her two daughters alone with very little money and very little help. Opal's sister is independent: she sat away from her family on the bus ride to Alcatraz which proves her self-sufficiency and reserved nature. Opa...

The Prologue of "There There" is an essay of non-fiction, while " Ceremony"  is fiction, yet Silko refers to many similar motifs and historic instances and customs in her novel. In both works, one of the most frequent motifs is that of violence, especially violence that has been directed towards Native Americans. For example, in "There There" the narrator remarks, "Metacomet's head was sold to Plymouth Colony for thirty shillings - the going rate for an Indian head at the time. The head was put on a spike, carried through the streets of Plymouth, then displayed at Plymouth Fort for the next twenty-five years." This is representative of the time as many white Americans were colonizing and overtaking the Native's land and killing them in the process. In the fictitious "Ceremony," violence is displayed through the death of Tayo's Uncle Josiah, the death of Tayo's 'brother' Rocky, Tayo stabbing Emo, and, though it is...

Hello. My name is Theresa. My husband, John, and I live in our quaint home in the suburbs located just a few miles west of Chestertown. I spend my days taking care of him as he is becoming quite the old man. In the morning, I rise at about 6:00am without an alarm and head straight for the kitchen. I scramble three eggs with our homemade butter and spread them atop a warm and delicate piece of bread which I usually bake on Sunday afternoons. I pour a tall glass of our pasteurized whole milk and scurry back to our bedroom to surprise John (although it is not much of a surprise anymore). He thanks me, although it never seems completely genuine, and scarfs the whole meal down in two-and-a-half bites. Then I am back to the kitchen to clean up after him. Do not get me wrong, I love John, but every now and then I become weary from all my chores and start to regret past decisions. Anyways, I carry on throughout the day cooking and cleaning for John with barely a second free to catch my brea...

Is there family conflict in your novel? How do the members of the family get along? In short, yes. The entire play is based on a family conflict: Hamlet's Uncle Claudius murdered Hamlet's father in order to steal the throne and his wife. The entire dynamic of this family is confusing to me, especially because I missed most of the second day of class when we were watching the film. As you can see in this character map, drama between characters is all but scarce in this Shakespearean tragedy. I am unsure what point in the film we have reached, but just by taking a glance at this helpful map: Claudius (Hamlet's Uncle) murders his brother to become the King, Claudius then marries Queen Gertrude (Hamlet's Mother) who was previously his sister in law (clearly breaking the bro code here), Hamlet kills Polonius who was the advisor to Claudius and father to Laertes and Ophelia who, coincidentally, is a lover of Hamlet, Hamlet's childhood friends are also spies, Horati...

Why would Caliban willingly worship Stephano and want to give him power over himself and the island? How is Stephano different from Prospero? Caliban, the son of the witch Sycorax, is the only true inhabitant of the island in which the Tempest takes place. When Prospero is betrayed by his brother and the nobles he, against all odds, survives and finds himself alone on an island with only his daughter and a "monster." Believing himself superior to Caliban's savageness, Prospero identifies him as his slave. Caliban understandingly does not appreciate this course of action by Prospero and wishes to be set free. Thus, when Stephano arrives on scene, Caliban sees him as a possible savior from his confinement and servitude. However, if Stephano was just going to take control over him as had Prospero, why would Caliban still want him to gain Prospero's former power? Firstly, Stephano gives Caliban wine which "heals" him and Caliban begins to nearly worship St...

In “The Tempest,” William Shakespeare raises the thought-provoking question: Are humans basically good? This motif is provoked by several mischievous characters in this play such as Ariel, Caliban, and Alonso. In taking a look at these characters it seems the answer would be “no,” but I would like to argue the contrary: humans are innately good, whatever that may mean. A human, as with any other terrestrial animal, is designed to do whatever they can in order to survive and procreate to effectively preserve the human race. This means that humans act with the intention of benefiting themselves no matter the situation. Therefore, humans always have good intentions whether they are selfish or not. In addition, humans are inherently compassionate. This is why we strive for long-lasting relationships and are ultimately afraid of loneliness. Therefore, in my opinion, it seems that humans only have good intentions and would never, except in rare cases, willingly inflict harm on another unless...

One and half scenes in, the Tempest looks like it will be an interesting play. The diction, as in any Shakespearean work, is quite dated and difficult to understand. The only prediction I have in terms of themes and motifs based on our reading in class is that there seems to be a clear separation of social classes. For example, characters are called "Master" and "Boatswain" instead of their real names. I wonder if this struggle between upper and lower classes might continue to drive the plot and lead up to The Tempest. If this is not what the tempest in the title symbolizes, I wonder what it does. Will there be a different and more significant conflict? Or will the tempest represent an internal struggle in a main character? I am excited to continue reading this play and hopefully answer my questions.