What I have Learned So Far! -Iris A.

When I first thought about digging in the Red Beds, I imagined that the ground would be flat and the rocks would all look the same. But in reality, the field was an endless, bumpy ground, full of cactus and fossils. I learned a lot on this trip. One of the main things was learning how to disguise a bone and rock. A way to tell the difference is if you lick a bone it will be sticky due to the pores it has, but a rock will not be sticky. Another thing I learned is what an actually site looks like, and I got the opportunity of digging up some bones. I learned about different pre dinosaurs as well, such as the Dimetrodon. It was weird, but I also adjusted to be in a small town with very few people, unlike Houston. We talked with people in the museum, which helped me understand more what I learned in Seymour. Even though I was very tired at the end, I had a lot of fun! 

On Thursday morning, we headed for the Whiteside Museum. The Whiteside Museum is the only natural science museum in Seymour, and an associate with HMNS. It has an amazing lab with great equipment and fantastic pre-dinosaur fossils. Dr. Bakker and David Temple gave a brief lecture about the different pre-dinosaurs seen in the museum. Dr. Bakker explained what projects they were working on. A local paleontologist, Chris, told us about one of his projects he was working on as well. Dr. Bakker informed us about the dangers we could encounter while digging for fossils. Afterwards, we headed to a site, where we went to the spoil pile. The spoil pile had left over bones and fossils that could be found. We used tools which included dental tools, small shovels, etc. Some students also worked in jackets that had different fossils inside. It was a hard yet fun day; we learned a lot!

Take one of the slogans of The Party and analyze its meaning (WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH). What is The Party trying to get the people to believe?

"Who controls the past," ran the Party slogan, "controls the future; who controls the present controls the past." (Page 34) 

The Party is trying to get people to believe that the people who control now, know what the past is. This quote can be a tad bit confusing but Winston mentions that the Party controls the past. The Party makes up a past and Winston believes that they are lying. For example, on page 36, he says that the Party lies about inventing airplanes. The first part of the slogan is somewhat true. It's true because what you do now will later affect you. So, you control your future with what you did in your past.   

FREE POST ABOUT SHAKESPEARE

There has been several arguments about whether Beatrice and Benedict’s love is real or not. Many believe that both of them are just doing it for attention. In the beginning of the story, both of them argue with each other and complain about each other’s company. I believe that this is just so that each other can have their attention. Somehow, I do believe think they loved each other and the attention from  it. It’s funny how they fall in love with each other besides all of the drama going on. Overall, I do think they loved each other.

Find a scene in the play where there must be a specific kind of set design or a need for a prop that isn't mentioned in the play but must be there for the scene to make sense. What set design or prop would need to be present and why? Please include a quote from the scene that you are analyzing that illustrated this need.

In Act 4, Scene 1, I believe that the specific set design would be a wedding in a church. This is due to the reason that there is a wedding going on. The set design being a church would make sense. On page 61, "FRIAR  You come hither, my lord, to marry this lady?" With this quote, we can all tell there is a marriage going on, and since Hero and Claudio are royalty, they will definitely have a nice and fancy wedding in a church. A prop that would need to be presented is a wedding dress due the marriage. Overall, this scene would need a wedding like vibe.

What do you think that the theme of the play is? Remember, a theme is not just a word, it is a whole sentence that conveys the message that the author (Shakespeare) is trying to get across to the audience (you). Find three quotes from the play to support your assertion.

The themes of this play are quite difficult too recognize due to the reason that there is so many different themes. One of the main themes I noticed was the importance of honor and the equality depending on genders. In the story, men can defend their honor while women's honor is based on their virginity and behavior. One of the important quotes include:

 "LEONATO

Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted 

with a husband.

BEATRICE

Not till God make men of some other metal 

than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be 

overmastered with a piece of valiant dust? To make 

an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl?

No, uncle, I'll none. Adam's sons are my brethren, 

and truly I hold it a sin to match in my kinred. (2.1.57-64)" 

In this quote, Beatrice takes about the unfairness in marriage and how men have all the power in the marriage. 

Other quotes that proves the unfairness in marriage and the honor of women is:

"BEATRICE

Hasn’t he proven himself to be a great villain—slandering, scorning, and dishonoring my cousin? Oh, I wish I were a man! He pretended that everything was fine until the moment they were exchanging vows, and then—with public accusation, blatant slander, pure hatred—Oh God, if only I were a man! I would rip his heart out in public and eat it." 

Beatrice speaks about how if she was a man she would defend Hero herself and do only what a man can do.

The last quote is short, but it really proves my theme:

"LEONATO

Hence from her, let her die” (IV.i.153)

Leonato, Hero's father would rather have his daughter died than to have the honor in his royal family ruined.

Choose one central character and determine what kind of conflict s/he is experiencing. First of all, is it internal or external? Secondly, are there any other types of conflicts at play here (person vs. self, person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society)? Explain your answer and provide an example from the play (meaning a quote).

One of the important characters in this play is Beatrice. Beatrice is a sassy character who speaks their mind, but we all love her, am I right ladies? However, she experiences the conflict of love and of whether she loves Benedick and if he loves her back. This conflict would be known as person vs. self due to the reason that she is at conflict with herself, and she faces the insecurity in whether Benedick loves her back. An example in the book would be on page 71, line 269, "As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you. But believe me not- and yet I lie not. I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing." In this line, she confesses her love for him, which I imagine must have been hard for her to say. Other thing that adds to her conflict, Benedick once had a relationship with her, but he messed it up. This can cause to be more insecure with their relationship. Even though, Beatrice can be a little bit stubborn and sassy, she is still one of my favorite characters! (: