Human beings b like. *sits and stares peacefully at a fire* *sits and stares peacefully at the ocean* *sits and stares peacefully at a sleeping animal*
[VD: A weatherman is giving a report and pointing to a map, saying "feel like temperatures really take a tumble too, because after the storm-" before he is interrupted by the screen going black and then displaying a picture of some baby spinach. He says, "um," then immediately points to the screen and confidently announces, "this is baby spinach." /End VD]
Also like to point out that when her mother says “I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid,” (translation: I had you when I was your age) you have to remember her father’s words: “earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she,” (translation: all the other children died.) The whole plot point of Juliet being an only child is explained by her mother being a Margaret Beaufort type who had her first child too young and it damaged her past the point of being able to bear more children.
Margaret Beaufort died in 1509. She was a major player in the Wars of the Roses, the swirling on-again-off-again civil wars that consumed England from 1455-1487. Romeo and Juliet was written and first performed in the early 1590s. Your average English person of Shakespeare’s day would probably have had at least a vague understanding of who she was and what happened to her, because she was a key figure in recent history and was still getting passed around as a cautionary tale.
There are two great problems with what happened to Margaret (and that her parents are trying to do to Juliet). One is easy for modern people to spot (but was also a common response back in her own day). And that’s the moral implications of what was done to her. She was too young to be married, and it was horrifying that she was forced into it so young. Every one of the adults around her either acted immorally or failed to protect her. They were wrong. This is what modern people see, and it’s important to remember that people back in her day mostly agreed with it. You’re supposed to think it’s fucked up! When girls were married that young (and it didn’t happen often!) it was a formality 99% of the time. It was for dynastic or financial reasons (the girl has lots of money and/or land and/or a title that her husband wants), but the “couple” don’t consummate their marriage for years. And it’s not just that they would have separate bedrooms. They might not even live in the same country until the girl was in her late teens and physically and mentally mature enough to bear and raise kids. Hell, a lot of times they didn’t even meet until the girl was older! They had this thing called “proxy marriage” where you would have two separate ceremonies, in two separate places, with each party saying their vows separately, one in one city and the other in a different one. So, yeah, sure, the girl was technically married at 12, but she didn’t actually meet her “husband” in person until she was 17 and they didn’t start sleeping together until she was 20. That was a thing they did.
The other problem, the one that modern people don’t notice, is dynastic. See, marriage wasn’t generally because you loved someone. It was because you had the resources to support a family, and you or your family wanted to pool those resources with someone. It’s about “our family has these resources, and we want that to continue.” It’s about continuity across generations. It’s about making sure that your children and grandchildren have the best possible resources to survive and thrive, whether those resources are land or a trade or a title or money or whatever. In order for this to work, you have to have kids! The family and the family’s resources depend on the married couple having children. If the couple doesn’t have children, the marriage is a failure. And that failure affects not only the couple, but both families. This is a really big problem. And you can’t have just one kid to pass on the family name, because half of all kids die in early childhood. If you want to be safe, you need several kids, to be sure at least one will survive to adulthood (when they can marry and pass on the family name and resources.
You know what happens when a girl has her first pregnancy too young? She is very likely to either die in childbirth, or have complications that destroy her future fertility. Just like Margaret Beaufort. Just like Juliet’s mother. In other words, the marriage is a failure, not just for her, but also for her family, and her husband (who can’t divorce her, it’s not allowed except in extremely rare circumstances), and her husband’s family. So even the people who didn’t have a moral problem with adult men having sex with pubescent girls had a practical problem with girls married too young because you are very likely to destroy the entire purpose of the marriage by doing it. As Shakespeare reminds us in the play through Juliet’s mother having been married too young and only having one child.
Shakespeare is telling us “yeah, this is fucked up. but even if you’re the kind of awful person who doesn’t think girls marrying too young is morally wrong, it’s also a problem for practical and dynastic reasons, don’t forget that by doing this wrong thing you are very likely to destroy what you most want out of it.”
another thing i noticed, the year my local community shakespeare theater did r&j, and i made the costumes so i got to watch the show every night: part of why capulet is telling paris, take your time, get to know each other, no rush, is that he still has his nephew tybalt as his heir. as long as tybalt is in the picture, there is no pressure on juliet to go further with paris, than get acquainted. once tybalt is killed, then suddenly capulet needs an heir, he needs a husband for juliet, now, this week. (the role of capulet is best given to the actor in the company that can do over the top apoplexy, you need to believe his urgency comes at least in part by how clearly he could drop dead any moment from giving himself a stroke)
i feel like this play is often taught in middle schools as if it was somehow relevant to, or about, teen hormone storms. really it's got more to do with the social structures around family and inheritance. leaving that context out makes it confusing, why is capulet suddenly flipping from nice dad to evil dad?
I've been thinking about this play a lot lately. I really wanna highlight that Lord Capulet asks Paris to wait and get to know her, and to woo her, while Tybalt lives. While Tybalt is alive, Juliet has something of a reprieve, and her wellbeing as his only child matters more to Capulet. But once Tybalt has died, the gloves come off. Lord Capulet was worried about his daughter's wellbeing when he felt he had the space to care, but as soon as his dynasty is at stake, as soon as this becomes larger than Juliet's happiness, his consideration for her health and mental wellbeing get thrown away. Which also is due in part to the fact that Capulet's family is implicated in a brawl that has left several dead after the Prince's family EXPLICITLY told the Capulets and Montagues to stop fighting or face dire consequences, AND Capulet is trying to align himself with the Prince's family by marrying Juliet off to County Paris, a relative of the Prince. So to Lord Capulet, it is now less important that Juliet is happy, and more important than he reminds the Prince of his loyalty via this marriage and aligns his family with the Prince's before it's too late. And he believes this must be done, at any cost...until Juliet kills herself. And that's when he realises the devastating cost of treating his family as chess pieces. He realises his wrongdoing far too late.
Seriously Romeo and Juliet is HEAVY on the dynastic politics, and I think you can't fully understand the play without understanding how that all works, especially because the impact of dynastic marriages on women and girls is like. THE POINT of the play
hello nobody asked but i’m here to deliver. presenting: the cavs as dog breeds. photo sources and caveats after the cut.
Second House: Marta Dyas
UKC-registered German Shepherd, stock coat. A working breed characterized by its focus, confidence, and fearlessness; obedient to a fault. Strong intelligence, drive, and energy, but at manageable levels suited to all-purpose organizational use (unlike their more intense sibling breed, the Belgian Malinois). Dominates in Schutzhund (obedience & personal protection) trials.
Third House: Naberius Tern
UKC-registered Standard Poodle, red coat cut Continental. A breed with a reputation for wealth, beauty, and proud attitude, all of which distracts from its surprising intelligence and steady work ethic. A well-rounded gundog that, given the correct training and handler, dominates at both sporting and conformation events. Intolerant of rugged terrain (highland herding, search and rescue, etc.), though well suited to swimming.
Fourth House: Jeannemary Chatur
AKC-registered Belgian Malinois, mahogany coat. A legendarily intense and capable working breed, with high intelligence, drive, and fitness. With sufficient training to sate its drive for stimulation, becomes a fabulously impressive working dog. When fulfilled, will win obedience, Schutzhund, extreme vertical, and obstacle course competitions. Not well suited to scent work, diving, and herding, and lacks the patience for boring tasks like conformation. With insufficient stimulation or an unconfident handler, becomes a destructive, vocal, nervous wreck; can and will take its frustrations out on others. Benefits from the influence of living with calmer dogs. An AKC-recognized breed, but not UKC recognized; would be a source of strife with handlers that prefer UKC (… Third House).
Fifth House: Magnus Quinn
Show-line UKC-Registered Irish Setter, mahogany coat. The beautiful coat and regal bearing of this breed obfuscates its extremely goofy and friendly nature. Because of its beauty, playful attitude with children, and capability as a gundog, it is a sought-after breed of the wealthy. Working-line setters have higher stamina and intelligence for long days afield; show-line setters are suited to conformation and social settings, and are therefore wonderful family pets.
Sixth House: Camilla Hect
Unregistered Border Collie, lilac short coat. A breed with intense intelligence, focus, and drive; must be put to work constantly by its handler or will resort to self-destructive behaviors and be liable to develop strange obsessions. Movement at work is shockingly fast for its body size and build; does not speak while working, unlike other herding breeds, instead relying on glare-based intimidation. Well suited to rough terrain and independent problem solving. Lilac coat caused by rare recessive genes expressed thru inbreeding; causes grey brown eyes, as well.
Seventh House: Protesilaus Ebdoma
UKC-registered Afghan Hound, cream coat, unmarked. A lithe, long-legged athlete with regal bearing and a beautiful appearance. Independent, aloof, and generally indifferent to instruction, though loyal and affectionate with a single handler; will strongly resist a change in handlers. Whiplike tail.
Eighth House: Colum Asht
UKC-registered Great Pyrenees, white coat, slight tan markings. Unflappably calm; intelligent, but with a tendency towards indifference. A large, stalwart flock guardian that shrugs off being bloodied. Patient and careful with its flock and with children, but vicious against physical threats.
Ninth House: Ortus Nigenad
Black and Tan Coonhound. Large and strong, though without the cleverness of some other working breeds. Excels at scent-tracking over long hours. Highly vocal when bored (and, frankly, at all other times), with a booming voice. Handler focused, but can be very stubborn.
Ninth House: Gideon Nav
Australian Kelpie with red coat, or perhaps Red Heeler—lineage is unclear; genetic testing may reveal dingo ancestry. A vigorous and hardworking herder, with high stamina in rough terrain and harsh weather. Stocky and solidly built. Always eager for a job to do. Not overly affectionate, even with long-term handlers, but intensely loyal. Infrequently vocal; tendency towards shyness and reactivity around strangers and new circumstances. May have light brown (amber) eyes.
GSD: Minthe Hartman on Facebook
Poodle: Bijou Poodles, breeder site
Mal: Breed standard website
Setter: Brittanica
BC: C Bar C Ranch, breeder site
Afghan: AKC
Pyr: Intuition Farm, breeder site
Black&Tan: Showsight Magazine
Kelpie: AKC
Heeler: Jane Dogs
Also, some caveats: obviously, I wanted to find an Aotearoa native dog for Gideon. Unfortunately, because of colonialism, all Polynesian dog breeds I could find records of on short notice are extinct due to genocidal violence against their peoples. The history of dog breeds and the pedigrees thereto is one that is, like all history, influenced by colonialism. Also, I am very familiar with a large variety of breeds, but only those primarily used in dog sports, competitions, and working professions in North America. My choices of breed reflect both of those biases.
Also, please do not listen to how people talk about cover letters on this site. Cover letters are important, and in many industries you can be damn sure they'll be read. And no, they're not 'fanfic about working in your office', or just re-stating the resume contents in a fancier guise. If you treat them like that, then of course they're not doing much for you. That makes you sound like a syncophantic windbag, and it's not doing anything else to help.
I was trained in the dark arts of the cover letter by my mother, who is a hiring manager. And her training has paid off: I've been consistently told my cover letters are excellent. Let me pass on the wisdom.
The job of a cover letter is to give a prospective employer strictly more information than is on the resume. This is where you take the resume contents and put them into context. You look at the job requirements (you are looking at the job requirements before applying, right?) and look at your resume and ask the question (in your head) "why would a person think this candidate would be good for this job?" and your cover letter is the answer to that question. If you don't answer that question, the hiring manager is going to have to do it themselves, and you have way more information to work with than they do.
This is especially important if you're moving from one industry to another, because then the relevant connections aren't obvious. It's also very important if you're overqualified, because then you can use the letter to say "I know it looks like this job would be too entry-level for me, but I'm interested to pursue it for reasons x, y, and z". You can also use this space to explain away something that might otherwise be disqualifying, like job-hopping or a long break in employment. The tone to strike here is always matter-of-fact and constrained to topic - don't go into detail about health stuff or personal tragedy, just tell them what they need to hear: that this period of your resume was affected by [bad thing] but that it's now in the past and you're looking forward to the next chapter. Remember, one of the things they're trying to learn is whether you'd be content in this role, or whether you'd be miserable and leave after 2 months, which would force them to do all the work of hiring again. You're trying to establish that you will fit right in and not cause problems. Knowing what drew you to this job in particular (and don't just say 'money', that's true for everyone) helps with that.
And the other mistake? Everyone writes cover letters that are too long. One page is fine. Two is the absolute maximum, and that's if you have a lot of specific things to say. It's a waste of your time and theirs to pad it out with fluff. Of my two most recent successful cover letters (i.e. jobs for which I was interviewed) one was 390 words and the other was 550. That's the length of this post. How long did it take me to write this post? About 15 minutes to write, 5 to proof and edit. That's how long you should be spending on a cover letter, maximum.
Yes, a lot of hiring managers now will get an LLM to 'read' cover letters and flag the interesting ones. This is especially true in Big Corporate contexts. You still benefit from writing a non-generic cover letter. This is for two reasons. First, more unique wording and content - that is, the kind of content that comes from actually answering the question - will show up in the LLM summary of your letter too. And second, employers who use LLMs do so as a primary screen, and then actually read the letters that pass it. So, if you're good, someone is still going to actually read that letter. I know it feels gross, but you just have to put the LLM out of your mind and write as if your primary audience is still a person. Because it still is!
#as someone who has never been actual HR but has done application review + interviews at several jobs for many many different positions#if youre applying for an IT job dont talk about foucault for three pages single spaced#anyway you can do everything right and still not through. do not despair over your own person. despair over the arbitrary etc systems (tags via @fizzybelts)
I... I have to know more about this cover letter. Please tell me about the Foucault IT cover letter.
this is an example of defamiliarization, where something totally normal, conventional, and ordinary - like honkwiching - is taken and described as something that sounds weird and foreign
the real moral lesson in chess is that you can only move forwards 5-6 times in your life before you're turned into a beautiful queen but also rarely you might be turned into a horse
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