ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 27

Othello by William Shakespeare (Journal Entry 5)

The character of Othello is the main character of the play by far.  In the play he is unknowingly the victim of a plan of Iago’s.  Aside from his epilepsy, he is fully capable of understanding the situation that unfolds before him.  In a string of jealous acts towards the end of the play, we see that Othello has a dark side to him.  It also shows how easily he could be tricked into a kind of steadfast emotion that had him kill his wife.  He seems to be a protagonist that had been overcome by the plans of the antagonist.  When the protagonist realizes that he/she has been tricked, death is usually near.  Apparently, this is the case in the play when it takes a bystander in one of the last scenes to make him realize his costly mistake.  From thereon, he makes a permanent fix to a temporary problem by exterminating himself. 

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 26

Othello by William Shakespeare (Journal Entry 4)

In Othello, William Shakespeare frequently uses tone to affect the readers thoughts.  For example, the author attaches woe and jealousy as a connotation and a tone connection to Othello’s and Desdemona’s relationship.  In Act 4, Othello strikes Desdemona creating yet another tone of unrest.  These three tones seem to help reveal the theme regarding how jealousy can always be inserted to a scenario and have disastrous repercussions.

The author also uses mood to let the reader differ sometimes from the actual tone.  For example, when Iago speaks, we commonly associate him with deception, therefore giving the situation that unfolds around him which is a gloomy disposition.  Some aggression is also related to Iago’s relation with Othello, adding a quarrelling atmosphere to it.

The pace of the play seems to affect how we view the main characters.  For example, Desdemona expresses herself quickly as she comes to terms with Othello.  This shows us that the opinions of this gender were not necessarily respected in this play.  When Othello or Iago speaks, the story slows down to show a tense moment or influencing taking place.  The only actual times when the females get to express their thoughts in a slower pace is mainly between Desdemona and Emilia.

Comment on Joshua Zheng’s Blog:

That is an interesting viewpoint. Certainly if we understand the play, it would be more benefitial. The use of metaphors is indeed well crafted by Shakespeare, if one understands the meaning of it.

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 25

Othello by William Shakespeare (Journal Entry 3)

Key passage from Othello:

(Iago speaks) “Work on, my medicine, work! The credulous fools are caught, and many worthy and chaste dames even thus, all guiltless meet reproach.-What, ho! My lord! My lord, I say! Othello!

Explanation: 

This short excerpt from act 4 scene 1 shows many things that can be foreshadowed from this point on.  For example, from here we could say that Iago has set his plan in motion which was to stir up some sort of jealousy in Othello.  It seems as if Iago knows that Othello has passed a point of no return with regards to his relations with Desdemona.  Now that a Othello seems to be aware of Cassio’s interest in Desdemona, he might make many more suspicions about what happens between them.  This can result in rising tension that might lead to a violent situation.

Comment on Olivia Everton’s Blog:

That is an interesting point you made. I also find that Othello does not only change his behvior due to jealousy, but also gets a fit of epilepsy. The author seems to make the impression that his medical condition is tied to this.

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 24

Casting from Othello by William Shakespeare

Quotes from Characters:

Othello:

1.      “Make me to see’t, or at the least so prove it that the probation bear no hinge or loop to hang a doubt on, or woe upon thy life!”

2.      “This fellow’s of exceeding honesty, and knows all qualities, with a learned spirit, of human dealings…”

Iago:

1.      “And nothing can or shall content my soul, till I am evened with him, wife for wife, or failing so, yet that I put the Moor at least into a jealousy so strong that judgment cannot cure…”

2.      “How poor are they that have not patience! What would did ever heal but by degrees?”

Cassio:

1.      “Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation!”

2.      “I am very ill at ease, unfit for mine very own purposes.”

Emilia:

1.      “I am glad I have found this napkin. This was her first remembrance from the Moor.”

2.      “Oh, is that all? What will you give me now for that same handkerchief?”

Character Descriptions along with Reasons:

Othello:

The main character of the play might be dressed in the fashion of a person of some rank in the 1600’s.  This may compose of clean white robes worn in a formal Greek fashion.  He would have his own handkerchief with some other intricate possessions.  This may be fit for him because the play seems to model him as a person with rank and honor.  Since he is interested in Desdemona, he would naturally want to be presentable at least so the clean robes give a sense of that.

Iago:

This secondary main character would be in similar clothes, but a bit dull white and worn like a shirt in a way similar to the outfitting of the 16^th century.  A smoothed out toupee would cover his graying hair.  He would also have some cleanliness to him and some fashion.  This casual appearance may be fit for this character because he is the one who does most of the influencing and directing of certain schemes.  In order to hide his interior motives, he must dress casually.

Cassio:

This character who was one of the right hand men of Othello wears casual clothes but has some rank.  He would have some grime on his clothes due a recent brawl with one of the other characters.  His hair would be greased in grimy sweat and leaves.  He would wear a dull tunic that fits very loosely to further show that he had gone through some intense event.

Emilia:

This character can wear a long wig and a long, fitting dress to come with it.  She would come barefoot to reveal some history about her past relations.  A ring of leaves shall decorate her already leafy headband.  This all would show how indigenous she is to her native land.

Comment on Michelle Vollmuller's Blog:

The quotes chosen for the character of Emilia were interesting and did describe her personality somewhat.  These quotes though could be shortened a bit to better show how she expresses herself.  Besides that, the actor you chose to impersonate Emilia looks best fit for a “desperate” aura.  

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 23

Othello by William Shakespeare (Journal Entry 2)

In general this scene focused partly on Montano talking to another gentleman about some fear of the Turks entering Cyprus’s waters.  They also mention about Cassio’s and Iago’s relationships with them and others.  As the other ships arrive, carrying Iago, and Cassio, they talk somewhat about the plans for Othello.  Near the end, Othello arrives and meets Desdemona with no idea of the attention he is getting from the other characters it seems.  Overall, I think that this is the first actual time that these combinations of characters meet except for the senator in the first scene.

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 22

Research on Cyprus in the 16^th Century

During the time period of the 16^th century, Cyprus was an island mainly ruled by the Turks until the 19^th century.  At this time, the royal tradition of kings and queens were diminishing and were replaced by feudal lords which were the high, controlling social class.  Their justice system was controlled by the Venetian courts.  In the category of territorial issues, the Ottoman Empire took interest in certain parts of the island for their strategic fort placements.  Overall, the condition of the land was politically fragile and it’s future still not decided.

Comments on:

Harrison Le’s Blog (on Turks):

The Ottoman Empire at the time was the most powerful.  I agree, fear of control from this empire must have been common in neighboring countries.

Paul Kwak’s Blog (on Moors):

If the Moors really controlled Spain from the 700-1300’s, then some of culture and tradition must have remained by the 16^th century.

Andrew Rood’s Blog (on Veniece):

Venice must have been more of a tourist attraction later in the 16^th century then.  I think Venice might have had a role in judicial decisions of the century.

Shelby Marquez’s Blog (on Epilepsy):

It’s interesting how the people viewed this disease back then as compared to nowadays, when we have the actual medications that can halt the symptoms.  However, there are still connotations to this word until now depending on different people’s beliefs.

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 21

Othello by William Shakespeare (Journal Entry 1)

In Act One, Scene One of this play, the part with most importance was the part when Barbantio’s daughter has went missing along with Othello.  Iago and Roderigo seem to be the messengers of this tragic news.  The search for Othello and Barbantio’s daughter seemed to be set at the dawn of the next day.  Based on the text from this scene, there is a fairly large amount of “old English” involved along with how the characters communicate to each other.  It seems as if they use figurative language to convey their feelings about things such as the lost people in this scene.  Overall, I started reading the play with some difficulties regarding the use of language and how to get the gist of the characters intentions.

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 20

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 8)

In Act One, Scene Two of The Piano Lesson, August Wilson uses tone and pace to attract the readers attention to certain characters in this passage.   In the context preceding the quote, Boy Wille talks a lot about his opinions regarding how the piano should be handled based on his experiences in the past.  In one of his longer talks to Bernice, he mentions, “You can’t make more than that. Now I want to get Sutter’s land and I can go down and cash in the crop and get my seed. But that piano don’t put out nothing else. You ain’t got nothing working for you. Now, the kind of man my daddy was he would have understood that. I’m sorry you can’t see it that way. But that’s why I’m gonna take that piano out of here and sell it.” (51) 

            The author inserts a hopeless tone for Bernice when Boy Willie mentions his strong motives about selling the piano.  This hopeless atmosphere that was created will make Bernice resist anything that happens to the piano, all the more.  After all, this is a case where, whatever happens, someone is going to benefit from what happens to the piano.  In addition, the author also gives Boy Willie a sense of empathy when he mentions how nothing is working out for her and the piano which counteracts this hopelessness that he gives her. 

            Near the end of the quote, the author speeds up the pace in order to make the impression on the reader that Boy Willie’s decision with regards to selling the piano is final and could not be changed.  It also gives the reader a chance to foreshadow what might happen with the piano and how Bernice is going to react to this kind of response by Boy Willie.  So, overall I see that the author uses tone and pace in Boy Willie’s speech to make it seem as if one character is impacting another in an assertive way.

ADV Sophomore English Journal Response 19

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 7)

In the continuation of Act 2 of the book, we see more action from Lymon who is sometimes a dormant character in the play.  Lymon does act up to Bernice, but the author makes sure that the scene has a sense of control in it.  In other words, Lymon only shows a prominent interest in Bernice for the moment.  Based on this scene, I foreshadow that Avery and Lymon might have disputes over Bernice.  Avery had just recently pressured Bernice to be his companion, of some sort.  To me, Lymon seems to be picking up some affairs along with his relations with Boy Willie.

Comment on Joshua Zheng’s Blog:

I agree.  Lymon, does have some affairs with Bernice.  This can foreshadow how Avery’s and Lymon’s relate as far as thing are going in the book.   Yes; Lymon’s behavior becomes somewhat questionable at one point, but does not go too extreme.

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 18

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 7)

In the continuation of Act 2 of the book, we see more action from Lymon who is sometimes a dormant character in the play.  Lymon does act up to Bernice, but the author makes sure that the scene has a sense of control in it.  In other words, Lymon only shows a prominent interest in Bernice for the moment.  Based on this scene, I foreshadow that Avery and Lymon might have disputes over Bernice.  Avery had just recently pressured Bernice to be his companion, of some sort.  To me, Lymon seems to be picking up some affairs along with his relations with Boy Willie.

Comment on Joshua Zheng’s Blog:

I agree.  Lymon, does have some affairs with Bernice.  This can foreshadow how Avery’s and Lymon’s relate as far as thing are going in the book.   Yes; Lymon’s behavior becomes somewhat questionable at one point, but does not go too extreme.

ADV Sophomore English Journal Response 17

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 6)

In the duration of Act 2 Scene 2 of this book, there are two major events that occur that were unusual, but played an integral part in how Bernice and the rest of the characters (esp. Avery) relate.  The first event that took place was near the beginning of the scene when Avery asks Bernice for marriage.  Here we see the author trying to vary the tone of the book to a more idealistic setting in order to move our attention from the opinions of Boy Willie, Wining Boy, and Doaker with regards to the deceased men who were victims of the “Ghost of the Yellow Dog” and how they were going to sell the piano.  Here we see not only the views of Bernice as to her views on the topic, but how she converses with others which reveals more of her personality (as a round character).

The second event took place at the time Bernice was talking to Avery about “blessing the house”.  This relates to our previous reading which did indeed mention about Sutters Ghost haunting different people and how the piano was somehow involved with all this.  I think that Bernice wants to keep the piano as a memory while not trying to rouse anyone about the topic of Ghosts, but apparently that is not so at the moment.

Comment on Harrison Le’s Blog:

Good point.  The characters close to Bernice seem to have some connection to each other and to the piano.  Could this foreshadow that there will be a struggle between Sutter’s Ghost and someone closely tied to Bernice in the family line?  The rising action seems to focus more on two motifs which are Sutter’s Ghost and the Piano which in turn seems to give the impression of something that is about to happen based on what background information we have about these motifs.

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 16

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 5)

In the beginning of scene two, Wining Boy and Doaker’s relation is loose in a way.  In the middle of scene one, Wining Boy asks for five dollars for some train trip.  Doaker gives him the five dollars but makes it clear that he owes him that amount.  Wining Boy persuades Lymon to buy the suit, pants, and shoes that he offers him to retrieve the five dollars he owes to Doaker (supposedly).  If Wining Boy returns the money owed from him, the trust between characters is established at this point.  This could show how they relate to each other in the future.

Comment on Madison Clayton’s Blog:

That idea is interesting because Wining Boy seems to have a double purpose for persuading Lymon to buy the suit. The first is that, as you have mentioned, Lymon is easily persuaded into purchasing it. The second reason might be in order to return the cash to Doaker (the character who he recently asked five dollars from).

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 15

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 4)

Nearing the end of act one, scene two of the book, we see more heated conversations over the history of the piano that Boy Willie and Bernice supposedly owns.  The author’s attitude towards the subject is mostly indifferent and more on the informational side.  Most of the dialogue was focused solely on how the “Ghost of the Yellow Dog” correlates with the detailed account of the piano that was handed down from family to family.  Overall, much sweat and bloodshed was related after the thievery of this piano.  With this, the author tries to make us more aware of why Boy Willie is so intent on selling the piano and also why Bernice is so relentless to disagreeing with this action.  He seems to be giving us the basis of the plot which might give way to the rising action later in act two of the book.

Commented on Austin Schrader’s Blog:

Yes. The author does include information about some of the characters and their relation to the history of the piano in the latter part of Act one of the book.  This may have been done in order to prepare us to foreshadow something that might happen later with regards to the piano and more information about the “Ghosts of the Yellow Dog”.   

  

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 14

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 3)

From pages 28 to 48 of the book, I have noticed that certain reactions are brought out when certain topic are mentioned.  When these topics are mentioned among the characters, a pattern emerges with regards to how they act and what is the effect of their actions on other characters onstage in the play.  For example, when “the Ghost of the Yellow Dog” is mentioned, near the beginning of scene two, the characters immediately relate it to Sutter’s death.  In general, the other characters intend to give little information about the incident.  Then, in a page or two, the topic is shifted as if they never talked about it.  It seems as if a secret is being covered up as to who was responsible for the 9-12 deaths related to drowning in a well.

Comment on Alec Melnati’s Blog:

That was an interesting point you made with regards to how music affects the people in the book in general.  Apparently, they do mention the words “piano”, “guitar”, and “songs” many times in scene one and two.  They seem to become motifs which symbolize their family as you have said.   

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 13

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 2)

The character Boy Willie portrays seems more prominent than that of other characters during the in-class reading.  Near the end of scene one, Boy Willie puts up a serious, manipulative, and argumentative attitude that causes most of the characters to change their tone in their dialogue.  He puts up a situation where he wants to sell Bernice’s piano which will help in expanding his portion of the land he owns.  Bernice is very resilient and resists all the manipulative bombardment from him plus his disrespect others for interrupting the peace and quiet of the neighborhood.  When Avery enters the scene, he contrasts Boy Willie from his serene, peaceful, and reasonable behavior amongst people.   When he enters, the author seems to gradually change the overall tone of the story from conflicting to plain and insightful.

Comment on Katie Jo-Dacey’s Blog:

I agree with one of your opinions regarding the amount of events that happened in so little a time frame of the story. The pace might have been set fast for a purpose, maybe? So far though, we are still in the exposition of the play so thing might turn out differently, or not.

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 12

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Journal Entry 1)

The language and diction of the first scene seems very crude. It also includes a word that is considered discriminatory in today’s society. The rough use of language is fit for the setting because this place is set in a time when racism was common mostly among southerners. The southerners’ use of language is very similar to that used in this book. The language also seems to show the amount of education each of the characters might have gone through. At this point, they seem partially educated. Overall, in spite of the crude use of English, they do speak straight to the point most of the time.

Comment on James Dolan’s Blog:

I do agree on one of your ideas. The discriminatory language they introduced is considered rude and thought of as a racist remark today. Back then, these African Americans’ ancestries seemed to be involved as to why they were oppressed.

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 11

2 Tabs on Chapter 32 (Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton)

Tab 1: The language Absalom Kumalo uses in his letter seems firm but intending to move his father’s solemn disposition. (Tabbed under language on page 274)

Explanation:

In just a few days the relation between Absalom and his father seemed to strengthen as compared to his past days.  In his past days the book mentions that he does not visit his father nor write to him.  When the judge sentenced Absalom to death by hanging, their family bond strengthened.  Absalom was more attached to his father which was clearly demonstrated when his father had to go after he was wed to the girl.  He wept as his father went, showing strong emotions for him.  At present, Stephen Kumalo (the boy’s father) reads this letter not only because Absalom is going to be hanged, but because of an attachment shown earlier that unified their family for the final time.

Tab 2: Stephen Kumalo is shocked after reading the details of the lawyer’s letter and Absalom’s letter about him receiving no mercy (a sign of a genuine bond between father and son).

Explanation:

This relates to the last tab’s explanation because this seems to be the only apparent case where Absalom actually writes to his father.  This “first” for Absalom may signal the first and the last time they communicate like this.  Absalom’s unavoidable fate has created strong bonds between him and his family.  Based from this memorable letter, I think that this is his last letter between them.

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 10

How Land is Paralled to the Main Characters (Jarvis)

Land is often paralleled to Jarvis in a calm and peaceful way at the beginning of Book II in Cry, The Beloved Country. His land is viewed as a place where there are well tended grass, healthy farms and livestock, and perfect scenery which showed his non-hesitant manner as compared to Kumalo’s situation with more action.  Near his land there were hills that were “red and bare” which symbolized problems inching in on Jarvis’s life.  For instance, the book shows, “There was no sign of drought there for the grass was fed by the mists, and the breeze blew coolingly on his sweating face. But below the tops the grass was dry, and the hills of Ndotsheni were red and bare, and the farmers on the tops had begun to fear that the desolation of them would eat back, year by year, mile by mile, until they too were overtaken.” (162)

Near the end of the quote the author implies the oppression of other farmers on the land to us.  From this, we relate this experience that other farmers face, to Jarvis.  We can then foreshadow that, in time, Jarvis will experience something similar that will oppress him.  Later in chapter 18 he does experience grief from his son’s death which increases actions in the plot in his part.   

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 9

Ashoka Fellow Profile Summaries (3 People)

Ashoka Fellow 1: Roland Martins

Summary:  Roland Martins goal was to strengthen the business of tourism in India. The revenue earned by tourism benefited the local economies.  He planned to insert small service providers to help collaborate with the companies with regards to more effective business planning and professionalizing business skills.  He also had the idea of giving a hand on how large-scale operations on tourism in the area and preventing policies that dangerously affect the culture and population in local areas.  The local area that he focused his service providing to was Goa.

Ashoka Fellow 2: John Abraham

Summary: John Abraham noticed that most of the poor people in poverty were not putting any of the unused land for crops and farming in India.  The land was owned under government title at the same time which further prevented people to cultivate there.  His idea was to establish new legal rights for rural people in poverty to be able to own land to farm for their food.  He believed that they should exercise those rights and depend on them.  This idea put him under a little bit of political pressure.  Most of his concern was in the local state of Maharashtra where his practices could be applied.

Ashoka Fellow 3: Stephan Kaspar

Summary: Stephan Kaspar has the idea to creating a “broad video literacy” in the Andean Region in order to make “Information-marginalized” citizens, educating with the use of screenplays.  He has created a major Micro-cinema network within Peru and is constantly training people to join the network.

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 8

Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton (Characters with no name; selection analysis)

            Absalom Kumalo’s wife’s or Stephen Kumalo’s daughter (later in the book) name was not mentioned even when they were wed.  The effect the author wants us to have is pondering the name and family relations of the girl to Kumalo’s family.  Alan Paton did not give her a name for several reasons.  The first one being that he wants to insure innocence of the girl from any mishaps or things that she would witness such as her appearance in the courtroom when Absalom was placed under a sentence of death.  Any reactions given from her would remain normal and wouldn’t show deep attachment to Absalom’s situation.

            The second one being the author trying to keep her past experiences with family and society anonymous as compared to people whose names were revealed.  Alan Paton seem to be maintaining that the girl is a “fresh character”.  In other words, she did not do anything major except for the wedding, as compared to Stephen Kumalo who is associated with a lot of events; most of them are related to searching for Absalom. 

            Another reason why Alan Paton did not give the girl a name is because she would fit into virtually any family or have any kind of friend.  Her last name would reveal the family she came from.  The absence of the whole name would mean that she could tie in with the Kumalo family.

            I think that this was a good decision because it clears up any confusion when she joins Kumalo’s family later in the story.  Without a name the author could show gender differences more clearly and simultaneously cover any relations of her family and history in the story.  Finally, her innocence in various situations can be maintained.

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 7

Oppression – Links to Related Multimedia

-Link 1:

http://www.helium.com/items/668962-racial-inequality-or-oppression-do-they-truly-exist-in-todays-society (a link about how racial oppression exists among colored people even today in the U.S.)

-Information:

Racial inequality or oppression: Do they truly exist in today's society?

by Gary Betts

Racial inequality in the United States is alive and well. White people, whether they believe it or not, still think of themselves as superior to the blacks. This started early in American history with black slaves and has carried on to this day as if it were a genetic flaw. And this notion is only reinforced with todays news. We constantly hear how poorly black children are doing in school compared to whites. How many more blacks live in poverty. How black neighborhoods are the most dangerous places in the U.S.

Just look at the slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Over 1800 people were killed. Thousands were left homeless with no place to go and nothing to eat or drink. Many were trapped in their homes for days. The federal and state governments were pitiful in their response. President Bush stayed on vacation. And the first action he finally took was just to fly over New Orleans. It took days for the National Guard to enter the city. Most of the victims were poor black people.

Then look at the response to the wildfires in southern California this year. The state government followed by the federal government were quick to get into action. Almost a million people were evacuated, but they all had places to go. They were greeted with food, water, and even diapers once they arrived at the shelters. Even the animals were looked after. The Army and National Guard were on the ground within three days. President Bush was on the ground among the burned-out houses in less than a week. Very few were killed. In this case, most of the victims were white people who ranged from well-off to the wealthy.

Take a look at American cities. Detroit, for example, is a city of racial inequality. Attend at Comerica Park to watch the Detroit Tigers play major-league baseball. Most of the patrons are white, while almost all of the food and drink servers are black. Follow Jefferson Av E eastbound from downtown. You will travel through a squalled black area where buildings are boarded up and gas station attendants are protected by bullet-proof glass. Then you will cross over the railway tracks into a white middle-class neighborhood. The houses are neat and tidy with nearby parks. Then the road turns north and becomes Lakeshore Rd. It travels along the Detroit River with huge mansions on the west side of the road. They get an unobstructed view of the river.

Abraham Lincoln, in a debate on September 18, 1858, said, "...there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race..." Here is a man, who is honored by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, who wanted freedom for the black slaves, but refused to give them equality. That was America in 1858 and that is America in 2007.

-Link 2:

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/The-age-of-financial-oppression-pd20100826-8NT5C?opendocument&src=rss (a link about how Europe and the Rest of the world are experiencing financial oppression in the government)

-Information:

The Age of Financial Oppression

Karen Maley

Published 7:51 AM, 26 Aug 2010 Last update 10:13 AM, 26 Aug 2010

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Ireland’s latest credit downgrade has resulted in increased jitters in European bond markets, which will not be helped by a grim warning for all sovereign debt holders from Morgan Stanley.

In a new report, Morgan Stanley analyst Arnaud Marès argues that the sovereign debt crisis is not confined to Europe. “It is a global crisis," he writes, "and it is far from over.”

The report argues that standard debt/GDP ratios are misleading because they only capture part of the government’s liabilities, and omit other government obligations such as unfunded pension liabilities.

In addition, Morgan Stanley argues that it’s more important to measure whether governments can meet their debt servicing obligations. And that means comparing the government’s debt to its revenues. Using this approach, US debt comes in at 358 per cent of government revenues, well above UK (169 per cent), Spain (153 per cent), Ireland (248 per cent) and even Greece (312 per cent).

Morgan Stanley also argues that measuring debt to GDP is essentially a backward measure of accumulated past government deficits. It fails to measure the fiscal challenge that governments face as they struggle with large structural deficits at a time when their populations are rapidly ageing and they’ll have to spend more on health and pensions . “What raises questions about debt sustainability is not so much current debt levels as the additional debt that will accumulate in coming years if policies do not radically change," the note says.

Morgan Stanley says the financial crisis aggravated fiscal woes everywhere “mostly through a permanent shock to tax revenues and through a transfer of liabilities and risk from the private to the public sector, without a commensurate transfer of resources.”

As a result, the financial crisis “has intensified the inherent conflict that exists between bond holders and other government stakeholders that all compete for resources that are finite and, crucially, insufficient to satisfy all their claims”.

Because governments don’t have the resources to meet all their various claims, Morgan Stanley argues they “will impose a loss on some of their stakeholders and have in fact started to do so (across Europe at least). The question is not whether they will renege on their promises, but rather upon which of their promises they will renege, and what form this default will take.”

Morgan Stanley says that “bond holders have been fully sheltered from loss through the Great Recession – so far.” There are some good reasons for this. Governments need to be able to raise funding to finance their spending, and government defaults are extremely destabilising.

But other segments of the population have not been spared a loss in income and wealth from the Great Recession. For instance, taxpayers face prospect of higher taxes, while government employees have been hit by government spending cuts.

Morgan Stanley then raises the crucial question of whether sovereign debt holders will continue to enjoy their privileged position.

It also notes that outright default is not the only way that governments can impose losses on creditors. “Financial oppression” – or giving creditors real rates of return that are either negative or artificially low – can take other forms.

For instance, governments can repay debt in devalued money (through unanticipated inflation). Alternatively, governments can impose tax or regulatory incentives that encourage institutions to buy government debt at uneconomic prices. According to Morgan Stanley, “repaying debt in devalued money is particularly effective when the initial stock of debt is high – as it is now. Distorting prices in the government’s favour is particularly effective when the financing requirement is high – also a situation we face now and for years to come.”

Morgan Stanley points out there have been instances of financial oppression in the past, such as the revoking of gold clauses in bond contracts by the Roosevelt administration in the US in 1934, and the UK government’s move to issue perpetual debt at artificially low yields in 1946-7. “Each took place at a time when conflicting demands on finite government resources were high, and rentiers wielded reduced political power.”

So what political power do bond holders hold at present?

Morgan Stanley says the rapid rise in the age of the median voter in large western European countries “ought to be favourable to bond holders, because bonds are more likely to be held by the old than the young, and policies that would harm bond holders would often also harm the old (inflation, for instance, redistributes wealth from the old to the young).”

But, it points out that older voters also have a considerable claim on the government balance sheet for pension and social security payments and for health insurance. “The more reluctant they are to relinquish these claims, the higher the risk for bond holders.”

Morgan Stanley also argues that increased foreign ownership of bonds “results in lesser alignment of the interest of bond holders with older voters.”

As a result, it reaches a dire conclusion. “Against this background, it seems dangerously optimistic to expect that sovereign debt holders can be continuously and fully sheltered from partaking in the loss of wealth and income that has affected every other group."

It says that while outright sovereign default in the large advanced economies is extremely unlikely, “current yields and break-even inflation rates provide very little protection against the credible threat of financial oppression in any form it might take.”

And, it says, a double dip recession “would cause yet further damage to the governments’ power to tax, pushing them further into negative equity and therefore increasing the risks that debt holders suffer a larger loss eventually."

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 6

Cry, The Beloved Country (Repetitive Words, Phrases, Motifs)

Phrase - “ALL ROADS LEAD to Johannesburg” (83).

This idea is shown throughout the story as a major place or populated haven for most of the people.  The beginning sentence of chapter 9 makes it clear that this is a recurring idea in the mind of Reverend Kumalo and the general public.  The author uses it to make the impression that this is a large city that wields much power over its citizens.  

Image - Growing number of people

This images develops the idea that as the number of people increase, the more resources they use up resulting in areas of the “earth” the author describes as “torn”.  Another effect of this is the increased number of people traveling to Johannesburg (the economy could not sustain this amount of people).  This image is used to create a feeling of crowdedness and to hint at the stress of the people because of their financial state.

Concept – Much Racial Intolerance in Johannesburg

This concept creates an understanding as to how the colored people are relating to the “whites” and how the colored peoples’ resistance to such treatment by this intolerance is showing.  One example would be when the “blacks” boycott buses to show their resistance to the cost of boarding.  This prevents the Reverends from having easy access to their destination.  These events are used to suggest that racism exists in an obvious way in this setting.  Racism can also show up in more subtle forms. For instance, the officer tries to enforce laws about traveling on bus routes to a “white” man carrying colored passengers near (showing “black” discrimination indirectly – chapter 8).

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 5

Cry, The Beloved Country (Gender Characterization Analysis and Significance)

Alan Paton characterizes the different genders by their emotional responses to different events in the story.  The male genders thoughts and feelings seem to come first and foremost before any other opinion.  The male genders are characterized by their anger and thoughtfulness for others.  Reverend Kumalo, for example, uses his hard earned savings to travel to Johannesburg to care for his sister and find out why no letters are being written for him.

His thoughtfulness is shown here.  On the other hand though, the Reverend seems to lose his temper a bit when the subject matter comes to the letters being written.  His initial attitude towards his sister is not friendly when she couldn’t come up with a logical excuse for a simple task of writing letters and staying connected with the Reverend.  This is significant because this shows that the characters live in a time where males are still the dominating force.  Women's complete rights might have not been established at the time.  This affects the major opinions and thoughts about the situation in Johannesburg.

The female genders are characterized by their emotional state, what they say, partially on how they react to different events.  Reverend Kumalo’s sister, for example, was very emotional when the topic of letter writing was raised.  The exaggerated emotions shown to the Revered were only sufficient to stop the arguments at the moment.  In another event Mrs. Ndlela tries to help the two Reverends in their search for Absalom and in return, she gets a question from Reverend Msimangu regarding why she expressed an emotion of pity to Reverend Kumalo.  This unnecessary questioning shows that the social standards for women compared to men at that time were a bit lower than nowadays where every opinion or expression counts.  This is significant because it plays a role (foreshadowing) when decisions are going to made in the story.  These decisions will be agreed upon mostly by the consent of the men and little opinion of the women involved involved.

I noticed that the events that happened in chapters 5-7 show that the opinion of men seem to have more power over women.  The emotions that expressed by the women seem to be questioned by the men a little bit more often than the previous 4 chapters.  The relation between the opposite genders seem to be more on the interrogative side. 

ADV. Soph. English Journal Response 4

Cry, The Beloved Country (First 4 Tabbed Notes and Explanations)

Tab 1: The main character is immediately mentioned at the beginning of chapter 2, when it tells about the child’s whereabouts.

Explanation: I tabbed it because it appears that the author wants the characters to be introduced quickly in order to reveal the conflict.  Revealing the characters later might interfere with the rising action.  The author also entitles the main character to foreshadow the religious-related thoughts, actions, and feeling that occur.  One of these events that occur is when he provides money for his sisters cause saying that, that “cannot be helped” which shows his compassion for others in his family (Paton 40).  This helps characterize the Reverend.

Tab 2: At the end of page 38-39 the author builds up our curiosity about why people don’t return from Johannesburg or even write anymore.

Explanation: This marks a point in the story where the exposition is being laid out in order for the main character to take action about the situation of his sister (Reverend Stephen Kumalo’s sister).  It makes us think of the things that could prevent a person from returning to his homeland (excellent living standards, crime, illness, etc…).  This shows how valuable this letter is to him because it is rare to get one from Johannesburg.     

Tab 3: The Reverend is reluctant to open the letter because of it’s rarity (as described in page 36). If it is rare then the matters enclosed in it could be nothing less than urgent.

Explanation: One of the few letters the Reverend receives comes from the place where no letters are sent to him.  Afraid of the possibilities of urgent matters, he hesitates before opening the letter.  This helps build the plot of the novel and how the events will unfold after he opens this letter.

Tab 4: At page 49, it is clear that Reverend Kumalo is unfamiliar with the city life. 

Explanation:  The series of events starting from when he leaves the train to when he boards the bus to Sophiatown, obviously show that he does not know the basics of being street-smart.  This supports the fact that the place where he comes from is less up to date and more old-fashioned.  This characterizes more of the Reverend in the category of how he thinks, how he acts, and what he says.

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 3

The main theme that I have identified is that human civility can rapidly diminish without societies that support order and justice.  This order is retained by law-abiding adults who are educated.  William Golding conveys this theme in three major ways.  The first and foremost is the usage of characters.  Ralph, Jack, Roger, Simon, and Piggy all have a relationship that supports the theme.  In this case, Ralph retains civilizations influence well as well as Piggy who retains his logic and reason.  The effect of their parents who were law-abiding adults (educated) apparently stuck to them.  Golding attaches these behaviors to Ralph and Piggy for the purpose of contrasting them with Jack and Roger.  Jack seems to be the first one that loses his grasp on order and rescue thus contrasting him with Ralph.  Roger on the other hand begins to follow the ways of Jack, and in doing so loses his reason thus contrasting him with Piggy.

In the end of the book it is clear that anarchy and disorder eventually gets a hold if rules are not enforced and no adults come into play.  The second way Golding conveys the theme is by the different point of views of the characters.  William Golding makes sure that Ralph’s point of view is that, the “littluns” very easily get distracted, either by an exciting task mentioned (e.g. making a fire) or to relax and play.  This point of view shows already that if kids are left alone they tend to break up unity among themselves.  Another example of this would be when Ralph’s original group decreases in size, making Jack’s group outnumber his.  This goes to show that Jack’s group (symbolizing chaos and destruction) is what the tendency of most kids are.

Lastly, the author develops the theme with the plot.  At first Ralph is able to amass a large group of people to root for him under the word, rescue.  Golding shows at first that the group is initially motivated to help in their own rescue.  They act with unity, from lighting the fire, to building the first shelter.  Almost immediately after these goals have been met, the group slacks off.  William Golding makes sure that almost all of Ralph’s original group voluntarily pauses in the rescue effort, and instead focus on Jack hunting a pig with his fellow choirboys.   At this point the fire is not cared for which goes out.  This shows their unity and loyalty to Ralph (the child who has retained the qualities of a civilized world) begin to waver and diminish near the end of the novel.  Golding shows that the willingness to actually be rescued, and maintain order & respect, fades as the novel progresses.     

 

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 2

In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the story’s characters are all males. If the characters included females then William Golding would have had to make some changes in his decisions when developing the plot and events of the story. The first thing he would have to change is the way they are characterized. The girls would be mostly characterized mainly by their words and thoughts (while boys are characterized mainly by their actions and reactions of others). This would change how the characters are introduced. The second thing the author would have to change is the decisions made throughout the story. For example, Ralph and Jack explored the island for any human inhabitants and along their way attempted to kill a pig. If there were girls involved, the exploration of the island might have been limited to the beach’s surrounding area because of disagreements with their expedition. They even might not have been able to even get a chance to kill the pig with the females present. Another example would be when Jack abandons Ralph’s assembly to slowly create his own hunting tribe. The females would probably detest this kind of activity and stay with order and civility. Ralph’s group would now have enough human power to convince the other “littluns” and “biguns” to stay with his central idea of rescue thus making a new ending to the story.

The third decision that Golding would have to change is the dialogue between the characters. Except for Piggy and Ralph, the other kids speak with little logic, reason, and purpose. They have a sense of independence among them also (each trying to defend their own opinions). The females would changes the story by suggesting reasonable ideas for rescue (matching Piggy’s thoughtfulness and logic). Their logical suggestions (and amount of females as opposed to Piggy and Ralph only) could change the decisions on survival and rescue on the island. Another decision that could be changed was how the children interacted with each other. With females as characters in the story the boy’s angers, fears, and confusion would be suppressed because naturally the boy’s try to imitate or exceed the female’s maturity with control and order. The females though would also create difficulties in the story when it comes to feelings and emotions expressed. This would create a “slowing down” of the rescue efforts because of all the explaining that would be done between both genders about the new and different possibilities that will occur.

Lastly, the theme would have major changes to it because of the possibility of differing outcomes of the story (based on female decision). The general theme might change from “human civility lessening without the influence of society” to “the likeliness for the good and orderly in humans to prevail in any situation”. With the addition of females the theme could vary based on the outcome of their relations with the males.

ADV Soph. English Journal Response 1

In the first page of Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses a lot of imagery pertaining to a forest.  It creates the scenery for the reader to imagine.  It affects the readers view on how the first character feels about his surroundings.  Apparently, Ralph feels a bit stunned and afraid when not being guided by anyone.  The story shows this by the quote, "clambering heavily among the creepers and broken trunks when a bird, a vision of red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witch-like cry; and this cry was echoed by another."  The effect of this on the reader is the uncertainty of events that will occur next, which captures the readers attention.  The story then feeds on the readers feelings (fear, anxiousness, and thoughtfulness).

Golding also uses the title of the chapter itself to give us a hint as to what the events were going to sum up to.  The title which is "The Sound of the Shell" foreshadows already what a character (Ralph) is about to do later in the chapter.  The "Shell" is the symbolic icon of power which is introduced immediately in the chapter title itself.  The author might have made this decision to show that the influence of civility is still strong at the start when the kids are initially abandoned.  This creates a sense of support and control which would be demonstrated in key parts of the novel such as when Ralph calls the first assembly on the island.  This sense shows the strong retention of behaviors accepted in society as shown in Ralph's original group.