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Assignment #12

Question 1: How can the author suggest cannibalism as a solution for the rising problem of beggars in Ireland?

- I believe the author bypasses moral thinking and talks about cannibalism openly as he is addressing the problem logically. Anyone in their right mind would never suggest cannibalism as a solution to getting homeless people off the street. However, the author attacks the problem in the most logical way possible. He takes the problem and attempts to turn it into a benefit to the rich people of Ireland. It is understandable why the author would approach the problem in this way, but, there has to be a more ethical way to save the people on the street rather than serving them as food to others. The way the author goes at the problem shows what type of thinker the author is. The author thinks objectively rather than emotionally.

Question 2: Why does the author think the best way to get rid of the population problem in Ireland is to eat them?

- The author thinks this way since he is attempting to find a way to use the beggars rather than simply disposing of them. Truth be told, since the author is already talking about killing the beggars by feeding them to the rich, there is also another way to get rid of the population problem. The author could have simply said the fastest way to get rid of the population problem is simply by killing them all. Since he is already talking about killing infants, he could have avoided all the extra work and simply suggested to eradicate all the beggars but the author wants to use them rather than get rid of them. Overall, the author has a dark way of thinking and there is actually no one to get rid of the population problem in Ireland unless more housing opens up and the economy rises.

Assignment #11

Question 1: Why does Gulliver go on his third journey after his wife specifically told him not to travel to sea anymore?

- I believe Gulliver goes on another adventure despite his wife telling him not to due to the fact that he seeks knowledge in different aspects because of his two first adventures. What I mean by this is that Gulliver felt unfulfilled when he was a surgeon and was saving people. He felt traveling is ultimately what he wanted to do and that is simply what he did. Even though his travels weren’t the greatest, learning about different cultures and people was a thing he seemed to enjoy. His second trip was a little more painful since he took on the role of being a small tiny human rather than being the big human he was on his first adventure. Seeing a different perspective about a group of people opened up his eyes about the world.

Question 2: After everything Gulliver did for the people of Liliputia, why did the king still prosecute him?

- Initially, I believe the moment Gulliver landed on the island in his first journey at sea, the king did not trust him at all. He had Gulliver tied up and held steady to the floor and if he ever tried to move then his soldiers would attack him. Later on, Gulliver is able to form a relationship between himself and the people and the king allows him to roam around. Even though Gulliver can move around, I felt that he was still a prisoner since the king was hesitant on allowing him to move at all. Gulliver does everything he can to help the people of the island and gain everyone’s trust and he succeeds in doing so except for the king. The king to me was a really shady character and always had ulterior motives. Even after Gulliver saved them from a fire with his urine, he was still prosecuted for the crime. Ultimately, the king had a grudge against Gulliver and there was no changing his mind.

Assignment #10

Question 1: Why does Candide choose to leave El Dorado rather than sending someone after Cunegonde?

- I believe Candide decided to leave El Dorado due to the fact that he made a promise to Cunegonde and wanted to be with her but at the same time, no logical person would leave a place like that. Also, after Candide and Cunegonde reunite with one another, why didn’t they simply go back to El Dorado or at least attempt to go back there. It was a perfect utopia where everyone got along and anyone can be whatever they want. In this moment, the audience can notice what emotional flaws Candide has. He lets his emotions cloud his judgement and ends up in bad situations. Lastly, at the end of the Candide, he calls Cunegonde ugly yet still marries and stays with her. This was especially funny to me.

Question 2: How does optimism play a role in Candide?

- Optimism plays a huge rule in Candide because it is the philosophy Pangloss cements into the minds of Cunegonde and Candide. Pangloss’ belief was that “this world is the best of all possible worlds.” He basically states that there is no other world better than the one Candide is living in and Candide takes that optimistic belief with him along all of his adventures. Throughout Candide’s life, there was many bad events that happened to him. He was a prisoner of war, he was tricked into becoming a soldier and much more. Yet, through it all, he remembered the wise words of Pangloss which pushed him to keep on living. Also, optimism occurs throughout Candide and is a major theme. The use of optimism used in Candide displays that kind of personalities Enlightened philosophers had at them time.

Assignment #9

Question 1: Knowing that marrying a social class inferior to one is looked down upon, why didn’t the Duchess simply give up her crown and be with Antonio than to try to hold on to the crown and have it all?

- I believe the author wrote the play in this way to demonstrate the greed that the Duchess has which is similar to the greed her brothers have. The reason I say this is because of the activities she engages in. First, she lies to her brothers and says she will not remarry yet she goes ahead and marries in secret. After that, she has a whole kid and knows what type of danger her family is in and chooses to ignore it. Lastly, through all the danger that will come to her, the Duchess has two more children for a total of three. The Duchess could have easily avoided death if she relinquished her crown to one of her brothers and moved on with her life.

Question 2: Why does the Duchess banish Antonio to a different city rather than telling him what Ferdinand told her?

- To me, the Duchess plays this protector role where she believes she has to protect Antonio from all dangers. I believe she does this because Antonio is a social class below her. This makes sense because in the beginning of the play, it is stated that Antonio is in love with the Duchess but would never dream of making any moves on her because she was an aristocrat whereas he was a social class inferior to her. This displays the kind of man Antonio is and shows the audience the kind of personality he has. So, all in all, the Duchess is more like the knight in shining armor to Antonio and does her best to protect him and her family because she knows that he would not be able to.

Assignment 8

Question 1: Why does King Lear banish Cordelia even though she is his favorite and knows she loves him the most? Was it because she did not say she loved very much or could it have been another reason?

- I believe this part of the tragedy is the beginning of where King Lear starts to go insane. Later on in the tragedy he becomes truly insane but I think this decision he made against Cordelia was the start. Anyone with a right mind would be kind enough to divide the land between their daughters and obviously give the most land to his favorite, yet this is not what King Lear does. He asks his daughters how much they love him and when he does not like the answer he receives from his favorite, he goes berserk, banishes her and gives her nothing. This is not something a person with a normal mind would do. This is the beginning of the end for King Lear.

Question 2: Why does Gloucester announce to everyone he meets that Edmund is his bastard son rather than simply keeping it to himself and how does this make Edmund feel when he does this?

- Gloucester announces this in order to remind himself of the adultery that he has committed and to ensure himself that he never does this again. I feel Gloucester is ashamed of what he is done but he is not afraid of anyone’s judgement of him which is why he tells everyone what he has done. I feel Edmund feels like he is a worthless person as he was the effect of an adulterous act. I also believe this is one of the reasons why Edmund plots against his father and his step brother. The main reason why Edmund actually plots against them is because he knows since he is the under appreciated illegitimate son, he will not get anything from his father and everything will go to his brother which to me is unfair.

Assignment 7

Question 1: Why does Viola have to dress up like a man in order to find work?

- I believe Viola has to dress up like a man due to the fact that women working in that time period was not common. Women were generally seen as caretakers and house managers. They would take care of the kids, watch the house, cook the food, do the laundry and errands that needed to be done. Men on the other hand had countless opportunities and would more likely be able to land a job than women. Also, Viola was prepared to go work for a man named Orsino and in order to assure that she would get a job, she thought the Duke would most likely hire a man rather than a woman to become his right hand man. Ultimately, Viola dressing up like a man did secure her a job but created a lot of confusion nonetheless.

Question 2: Why does Olivia decide to speak to Cesario after she vows to not marry for seven years while she mourns her brother?

- At first, it may seem to the reader that Olivia went back on her word and simply decided to fall in love with Cesario because he was young and handsome but that is not the case. I believe Olivia falls in love with Cesario because of the void that her brother has left. Olivia and her brother must have been really close for her to decide to hide her face for seven years while she mourns over him. She does not follow through with her promise of hiding her face for seven years and seeks to fill the void in her life with Cesario. Olivia and Cesario end up marrying each other and Cesario fills the void that Olivia once had in her life.

Assignment 6

Question 1: Why does John Doone decide to refer to the flea as having three lives in the poem, The Flea?

- I believe the author does this in order to complete the metaphor the speaker is trying to convince his beloved of. When a flea draws blood of a human, technically the flea does have the human’s DNA but I do not believe that the flea has two lives in him. In the poem, Doone relates the flea as having three lives to compare the love life of the speaker and his beloved. The mixing of the blood in the flea represents love making which is non-existent in the relationship of the speaker and his beloved. However, the speaker’s beloved decides to kill the flea even after the speaker begs her not to. This ultimately becomes the way the speaker is able to establish a direct connection between the flea and their love life and gets his beloved to understand his reasoning.

Question 2: Why does the speaker in the poem, To His Coy Mistress, actually think he can love the woman for an eternity?

- I do not believe that the speaker can actually love the woman of his dreams for eternity due to the nature of human beings. Human beings are truly never satisfied with anything and will always want more. There is loyalty in relationships but a majority of the time, people want more which leads to partners not being loyal to one another. The speaker may believe that he can love the woman for eternity due to her good looks but that can only last for so long. Age is a natural occurence and I believe the longer the speaker is with the woman, the faster he will want to leave her. Another thing to add is that some men seek thrill in the hunt and will say anything to get the woman but once he has her, there is no more thrill which will lead them to the next great thing they can find. So I do not actually believe the speaker will love the woman for all eternity.

Assignment 5

Question 1: Why do none of the noblemen initially check if Volpone is sick or not?

- I believe the author does not allow the three noblemen to check to see if Volpone is actually sick or not due to the fact that they are blinded by what they could acquire. If one of the noblemen presumably accused Volpone of not being ill, that could ruin their chances of becoming the heir of Volpone and acquiring his wealth. The author also does this in order for the play to have comical features. Since the play is being acted out for the general public, the author hopes to entertain through comical scenes and hopes to produce laughter from the crowd.

Question 2: At the end of the play, why does everyone turn on each other?

- In the final scene when everyone turned on each other, I believe the author not only wrote the play this way to entertain the audience, but also to inform them as well. The way the author used the final scene to entertain is by making the audience laugh as all of the events leading up to the final moment began to unfold. Volpone was caught, Mosca was sent to prison, and lastly Corvino was sentenced public humiliation throughout the canals of Venice wearing donkey ears. The crowd erupted in laughter as the play ended. I also believe the author was trying to teach the public a lesson through the play. The lesson to learn through the play is simply that people who are greedy in life have a way of messing it all up for themselves through their greediness. For example, Volpone received all the gifts from the noblemen and tricked everyone. However, Volpone wanted to gloat which ultimately cost him all of his wealth and treasure and went to prison. Another example is the betrayal of Mosca. When Mosca became the heir of Volpone, instead of working the con, he decided he wanted everything for himself which led to his demise.

Assignment #4

Question 1: Why does the author relate magic to hell?

- When Doctor Faustus started to think about what knowledge to pursue, it was weird to me that he chose magic. To me, magic is simply being able to trick people into believing in a act that can be explained by logic. So in a way, magic can be related knowledge but as hidden knowledge. In the story, the type of magic Doctor Faustus decided to study was black magic in exchange for his soul. I believe the author correlates black magic and hell since the acts Doctor Faustus engages in are things that are unethical. Acts Faustus conducts are things such as summoning demons and messing with the pope. Things like this are looked down upon and I believe that is one of the reasons why the author chooses to relate hell and black magic.

Question 2: Why does Doctor Faustus decide to only be able to practice black magic for 24 years?

- When I first initially read this part of the story, I was dumbfounded at the fact that Doctor Faustus only wanted twenty four years of service. In my opinion, Faustus should have asked for way more years and be able to enjoy black magic for as long as he can before he had to go to hell. There can be many reasons why the author choose to write the story in the way where the doctor only received twenty four years of black magic. One reason I think the author does this is because the doctor may already be old and he does not have that many years left in him so he choose only twenty four years. Another reason could also be at the fact that if the doctor choose to go with more years, then Lucifer may have rejected his offer and he would not be able to learn black magic. One last reason I think the author wrote the story in this way is at the fact that he was trying to convince the audience that all good things come to an end at some point which is what happened to the Doctor.

Assignment #3

1. In Book 1, why does the author make Redcrosse abandon Una after he catches her in bed with another man not knowing it was not truly her?

- I believe since Redcrosse is the knight of Holiness, then an act like the one the fake Una pulled does not coincide with the beliefs the knight carries with him. Initially, the fake Una was planning to seduce the knight but when that did not work, the witch had to resort to plan B. The narrator states that the knight abandons Una because he was shocked that she would ruin her virtue like that. This occurrence displays the kind of beliefs the author held in his personal life which plays a huge role in the novel. The author’s beliefs play an important role in creating the poem as many of the characters names are feelings such as despair and envy.

2. In Book 1, why does Redcrosse have to fight the dragon 3 times in order to finally defeat it?

- I believe the author creates three different fight scenes for the ending of the poem in order to create a lesson. The lesson is that when individuals arise to certain problems, through persistency and hard work, anyone can achieve what they hope. The knight battles the dragon three times and in each fight, the knight becomes a little stronger due to every encounter. At the end, the knight slays the dragon and is victorious. The lesson can also be related to Christianity and the acts Jesus had to go through during his time period and his reincarnation.

3. In Book 3, why does Britomart simply ride past the damsel in distress who is being chased by a forester?

- I think the author does this in order to create a sort of importance to the quest Britomart is currently on. Rather than saving the damsel, Britomart continues forward to a castle to show how truly important her quest is. It is still shocking to me why this occurs but at the same time back then, women were not highly regarded.

Assignment #2

Why does the author choose to introduce the characters in the way that he does in the General Prologue?

- I believe the author introduces the characters this way in order to highlight their characteristics and their class to the reader. Each character has their own special descriptions and that is what makes them unique toward one another. From the descriptions, the reader gets a little back story into each character and some characters have more in depth descriptions than the others.

In what role does class play in the General Prologue?

- The author introduces each character by identifying their occupation and their class. The characters who had high social class like the knight, the yeoman, and the prioress was described as these beings who were amazing in their own way. For example, when the author described the knight he described him as a worthy man who simply knew honor and truth. When he described the prioress, the author praised her beauty and highlighted her manners. Lastly, when he spoke of the yeoman, he stated that he was a true forester and he was skilled in woodcraft. I believe that the characters with high social class were described in the best way possible where as some of the other characters had small descriptions.

Why do you think the Wife of Bath tortured her first three husbands?

- The Wife of Bath tortured her first three husbands in order to get what she desired. She stated that her ultimate power was her sex power and that she could receive whatever she wanted through manipulation. She also stated that all women simply wanted to have a matter of choice in their relationships.

Assignment #1

Question 1: In what ways does family lineage have an impact in the story of “Beowulf?”

- Family lineage plays a huge role in the story of Beowulf as it sets a precedent upon certain characters. In the prologue, the author introduces a character known as Shild. Shild was a great Danish king who started out as a lonesome child and grew up to become the brave and powerful king of Danes. The author introduces Shild due to the fact that king Hrothgar, who is the current king of Danes, is a descendant of Shild. This establishes the connection between the previous king of Danes and the current. The author does this in order for the audience to understand why king Hrothgar is the way that he is. King Hrothgar is a brave king, respected by all of his followers due to his family roots. Family lineage also has an impact of the character of Beowulf as he is the descendant of Edgetho, who was once a king and respected by many. Family lineage in the story of Beowulf creates a certain persona for many of the characters involved.

Question 2: In the scene where Grendel first encounters Beowulf, why did the author kill off one of Beowulf’s soldiers?

- The scene begins with Grendel sneaking from the shadows and lurking through the night as he attempts to make his way to the hall of Herot. There Grendel encounters 30 men and among them, one of them is Beowulf. Grendel launches into an attack and is able to kill one of Beowulf’s men before Beowulf proceeds to grab Grendel. The author allows the killing of one soldier in order to reiterate how powerful Grendel actually is. In the recent attacks by Grendel, he attacked king Hrothgar’s men and left a bloodbath. When Grendel attacked Beowulf’s men, only one goes down in order to show to how powerful Beowulf was compared to king Hrothgar’s men. This scene is a show of strength for the mighty Beowulf.

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