The Importance of Being Earnest

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Birdy, Birdy!

Birdy! Birdy! With your wings

From your mouth a soft hymn sings

What maker has made thee

And set you upon this great oak tree?

Where has thee traveled on his way

Was it by night or by day?

Who has heard the hymn be sung

With whom were you mad amung?

Who created you delicate wings

And started the song that thine voice sings

When did your wings first fly

Who were you created by?

When the day? When the night?

Where was made the wings of flight?

What the song? What perfection?

Dare the song be an objection

When your wings first took light

Did he with all his might

Smile among the stars in day

And for you survival did he pray?

Birdy! Birdy! With your wings

From your mouth a soft hymn sings

What maker has made thee

And set you upon this great oak tree?

         This poem is based on William Blake’s poem The Tyger.  My vision The Birdy is similar to Blake’s work because it is discussing the bird’s features and asking who created this features and put the bird on earth.  This is characteristic of Romantic literature.  One way is that it shows a sense of beauty in nature.  This can be seen in my poem when I describe the bird’s delicate wings and song of perfection.  Another way is through the use of ancient legends or traditions because I asked where the bird came from and who made him.

Juliet and Shakespeare in the Future

Romeo and Shakespeare
by: rebecca777347

Macbeth Playlist

1. Another One Bites The Dust by Queen

            - This song describes Macbeth because in order for him to get to his throne as king and keep it he has to eliminate people in his way.  For example, first Duncan bites the dust, then Banquo bites the dust, then MacDuff’s family bites the dust.

2. Double Trouble by John Williams

            - This song represents the scenes in which Macbeth gets news from the Three Weird Sisters.  This song is similar to one of their chants in a scene in which they speak to Macbeth.

3. Papercut by Linkin Park

            - Macbeth felt paranoid and guilty after he killed Duncan.  This is also shown in the song in the lyrics, “ Paranoia’s all I got left I don’t know what stressed me first or how the pressure was fed but I know just what it feels like to have voice in the back of my head.”  Lady Macbeth first stressed Macbeth to kill Duncan, when he originally didn’t want to.  The voice in the back of his head could either be Duncan or Banquo’s ghost, which is shown more evidently in the play.

4. I Just Can’t Wait To Be King

            - Macbeth obviously couldn’t wait to be king which makes this song perfect for him.  It describes how he wanted so badly to be king, even when it seems far away.

5. Be Prepared

            - This song is about a plot to kill a King and get rid of his son.  It also describes the person’s intent to take over as king, just like Macbeth does.

6. I’ll Make a Man Out of You

            - In the play Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood.  This song talks about turning a bunch of men into actual men and not wimpy.

7. What I’ve Done

After killing Duncan, Macbeth feels guilt from what he has done and this song symbolizes that regret and guilt.  Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to, “Go get some water, and wash this filthy witness from your hand." Similarly in the song it says, “with hands of uncertainty so let mercy come and wash away what I’ve done.”  In the song they use a repetition of washing or erasing away the thought s of the bad actions which shows they did something wrong just like Macbeth did.

8. Viva La Vida

            - This song relates to Macbeth in many ways.  One example is in the lyrics, “Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!" This is an example because Macbeth becomes king because he kills the old king.  At the beginning of Macbeth’s reign the people are in favor of Macbeth and think he is a good ruler.  Then the song says, “Shattered windows and the sound of drums People couldn't believe what I'd become.” This refers to the rebellion that breaks out because of people not wanting Macbeth in power.

9. Poker Face

            - Macbeth and his wife have to try to hide their secrets from everyone else and to do this they have to put on a poker face.  Lady Macbeth refers to a type of poker face when she says,  “Look Like The Innocent Flower, Yet Be The Serpent Under It.”

10. New Divide

            - This song and Macbeth both give off two feelings in common. These feelings are confusion and wonder. Wonder is shown in the song when it says, “"Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes give me reason to fill this hole, connect the space between let it be enough to reach the truth that lies across this new divide across this new divide, across this new divide." Wonder is shown by Macbeth when in act IV he wants to get to what happens next and satisfy his curiosity.

 spotify link:macbeth playlist 

Emotions: Good or Bad?

Since Shakespeare’s time the role of women in society has greatly changed.  The amount of women in leadership roles has had a steady rise in recent times.  In Shakespeare’s time, women had very few rights and were considered more of a piece of property as compared to an actual human being.  Although women today still face adversity, more and more people are considering women and men to be equal.   That however, doesn’t cover up the fact that there are still many men that believe that they are superior to women.

When planning the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth calls on the spirits to rid her of her feminine weakness.  “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood, stop up th’access and passage to remorse.”  This quote symbolizes the theory of some people that men are strong and have no fear and women are weak.  However, sex doesn’t determine the actions of a person.  Both females and males commit evil and good deeds and their sex doesn’t change this

            Many women have taken a leadership role in society. Just two of them are Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.  Being one of few women in a political role has its advantages.  Just one of these advantages is that they stand out from the crowd. However, because they standout the public eye is drawn to what they hope is their success, but what could end up being their failure.  With the attention of the public eye on them, women like Hillary Clinton could receive criticism for their actions.  For example, when the video of Hilary crying got out she was perceived by men as weak, but when women saw her they saw her as someone they could relate to and that understood their struggles.  This act by Clinton could be real emotions or just an act to play on the emotions of women across the nation.  No one will ever truly know the truth except for Clinton herself.  

I don’t agree with the statement that for a woman to be considered a legitimate leader, she seems required to dial down her emotions and act the part of a man. The emotions of women are sometimes seen as a downfall to men.  Women are known to feel their emotions, while men are more likely to lock away their feelings.  Women may be seen as weak because of their emotions, but these emotions play on the emotions of other women and give them inspiration and strength to do the same for themselves.  “People cry, not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long.” This quote shows that the tears that may be shed by women are just a proof that women aren’t as weak as some people perceive, but are strong on the inside.

Can You Learn Anything From a Void?

Adam Kirsch wrote the article, “Can You Learn anything From a Void?,” which details moral dilemmas brought about by the rising of the Nazis and the Jewish Holocaust.  The story focuses closely on the lives of two men, Victor Capesius and Konrad Jarausch. Through this the author showed how the men’s actions during these events made them okay with the crimes occurring around them. In our class we are reading, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare.  The character of Macbeth abuses his power by ordering murderers to execute several innocent people.  The murderers weren’t entirely guilty for the crimes because it really wasn’t their initial intentions, but they are partially guilty because they served  Macbeth’s orders.  In the scenarios such as those presented in Macbeth and the Holocaust, bystanders and onlookers have a responsibility to themselves and those around them.  This responsibility is to stay true to their morals and not push their morals aside in order to “fit in”. In the case of the men who were involved in the Holocaust, they pushed aside their morals in order to save their lives.  Even though their decisions could be justified, this decision cost them.  Their decision caused them to have to be involved in the series of events that occurred during the Holocaust.  For Victor Capesius, the cost of his choice was that he had to lead his friends and family in Auschwitz.  Unfortunately he was told to lead them to the left and therefore into the gas chambers ending their lives. For Konrad Jarausch, he was in charge of POWs.  Unlike Capesius, he felt very guilty for his actions and wrote letters home apologizing. Therefore his decision resulted in an extreme amount of guilt.  In Macbeth, the murders should have done the right thing and not carried out the orders given to them. Those who carry out unjust execution orders are very guilty of murder.  This is because even if they are just doing what they are ordered they are still taking an innocent life.  In the case of the murders from Macbeth, they were ordered to carry out multiple murders and therefore are guilty of murder directly even though it wasn’t their plan in the beginning.  Both of the men from the article, were indirectly guilty of murder because they were involved with the occurrences of the Holocaust. Yes, a person can actively combat the ascendance of evil and maintain their moral convictions.  For a person to do this though they would have to stay to their morals no matter what consequences may be put on them.  In our society today, people find those who sacrifice their lives for what they believe in very heroic. Overall, I believe that Capesius, Jarausch, and the murderers from Macbeth were all wrong.  I believe that even if the ending result for them would have been death they should have followed their morals and refused to carry out the orders.