Speaking CA

The day finally came. All 8 of us were sat in tables arranged in a U-shape manner in front of a recording camera. Maxwell, in the character of Detective Theurig initiated the press conference with brief explanations of what had 'transpired' before. In his custody were Victor Frankenstein (Simran) and the monster (Hasmah) and they were the subject of interrogation and questioning by us witnesses. The first argument that was brought up was the idea of religion- whether it is religiously palatable to bring the dead back to life and defy the laws of nature. Jacelyn, in the character of Reverend Worsey, was obviously against the idea of reviving the dead, while Jasmin, in the character of Professor Waldman, defended Victor by insisting that his works of science were solely for the benefit of humanity and not for the purpose of peril. Professor Waldman was clearly in favour of Vicor's work, as it was deemed a miracle in light of the creation of the monster. 

After a much heated debate, it was my turn to testify and I stated the predicament that I was facing- my whole barn, the entity which my livelihood depended on, was brought to its knees in a fire that was sparked by the monster. I stayed in character by portraying my utmost rage and fury, while taking care to keep my calm and composure, as to not seem uncouth, at the same time. Several times I was bombarded back by the monster, saying that it wasn't its fault as it was a victim of abandonment and therefore did not possess the knowledge to distinguish right and wrong, but I remained indignant and insistent by demanding for a fair compensation for my loss. Then, the trial progressed with Marie France (Nicole) questioning Victor in his modus operandi to obtain body parts for his wretched monster, which led to Victor confessing his despicable ways of digging up dead body parts from the cemetery to fuel his experiment. Marie Franco further questioned Victor of parental responsibility, insisting that Victor shall be condemned for his negligence. Jamie, in the character of Henry Clerval, stood in Victor's defense by stating that the monster's mind is beyond Victor's control upon its birth and thus Victor should not be held responsible for the monster's malignity. The unofficial trial closed with Victor and the monster condemned to jail for their respective crimes.

My performance was rather moderate in this speaking activity, as I felt that I should be more involved in the trial. But, it was easier said than done as my character and arguments were rather limited and confined. I can only hang on to one valid argument which is the loss of my barn, and other than that I was more of a passive listener in the trial. Next time, I should be more creative in developing my ideas so that there are more chances of me intervening in the arguments to better represent my character.

Reflection on Speaking Activity Prep

To prepare for our Speaking and Listening activity, we had to come up with a conversation between characters in Frankenstein, with a few additional characters as well. After much discussion, we decided to present it in the format of a informal trial/ press conference. This would allow all characters to speak up and even talk over each other, while maintaining certain formality at the same time.

After a ballot, I was given the role of Mr Goran, a peasant who fell victim to the monster's rage of fury- my 'barn' is demolished in a fire set up by the monster. It is rather a minor character in this activity, as the main argument is not centered around me, but I'll do my best to make an impact in tomorrow's activity.

Chapter 5 analysis

How does Shelley use language to create an atmosphere of gothic horror?

Shelley creates an atmosphere of gothic horror and suspense throughout the five paragraphs by a clever use of language. Paragraph one starts off with a setting of a ‘dreary’ night in the month of ‘November’, which gives connotations of death as November is the beginning of a long and cold winter where plants wither and die. He refers to his work as ‘toils’, rather than experiments, which suggests that he suffers painfully to complete it. There is also a stark contrast between ‘collected the instruments of life’ and ‘lifeless thing that lay…’, telling readers that he is toying with life and death, which is supposedly up to God rather than mere mortals. Shelley also uses pathetic fallacy to mark the horror of Victor’s experiment ‘rain pattered dismally’. This evokes a feeling of suspense among readers as his experiments cues the sky to open up, as if Mother Nature is crying at the horror of his work. There is also a semantic field of light with words such as ‘light’, ‘spark’, ‘candle…burnt out’, ‘glimmer’ and ‘dull’. Shelley uses this semantic field to play on readers’ fear, as fear is always associated with light and darkness.

In paragraph two, again, he degrades his work by referring it to a ‘catastrophe’, a disaster that he deeply regret upon as he has to put up with ‘infinite pains’ to form the ‘wretch’. Shelley also uses contrast in the description of Victor’s creation- ‘limbs were in proportion’, ‘features as beautiful’, ‘hair...lustrous black’, and ‘teeth of a pearly whiteness’ is contrasted with ‘watery eyes’, ‘shrivelled complexion’ and ‘black lips’. The attributes that the creation possesses suggest that humans can never be picture perfect in feature or character, as we will always have areas of flaw. Overall, it gives an impression that the creation is rather strange and peculiar, as we wouldn’t expect someone to have ‘teeth of a pearly whiteness’ but also ‘black lips’- people with white teeth would normally be associated with being healthy and thus having healthy pink lips.

Victor also deems his work as ‘accidents of life’- after having worked so long ‘nearly two years’ and toiled with ‘infinite pains’, one would regard his product as an accomplishment, but Victor sees them as ‘accidents’. This tells us that he is deeply regretful of his horrific experiments, which have also drained his health ‘deprived myself of rest and health’, telling readers that tampering with Nature would in the end put you in a disadvantageous position. Instead of being contented with the results of his experiment after anticipating with ‘ardour that far exceeded moderation’, Victor feels worse than before, saying that his ‘beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled’ his heart. The irony that Shelley uses shows readers that Victor’s experiments are so petrifying to the point that the creator himself regards them with contempt and disdain in the end.

In paragraph four, Shelley uses pathetic fallacy once again ‘dim and yellow light of the moon’ combined with personification ‘forced its way through the window shutters’ to maintain the tone of horror and suspense. Victor describes the act of the monster reaching out to him negatively- he claims that his creation seemed to ‘detain’ him, as if it grasped his hands so tightly and refused to let go, when in fact it might just be that it is curious and wants Victor’s attention. Victor is being an unreliable narrator- he twists the actual situation to make readers feel fearful and disdainful over his creation. In fact, he alludes to his creation as a ‘demoniacal corpse’, a strong imagery that evokes a feeling that the creation is grotesque beyond possible imagination. Later in the last paragraph, ‘horror of that (the creation’s) countenance’ is compared to that of a ‘mummy’- Victor says that the former is more ‘hideous’ than the latter. There is also an allusion when Victor says ‘even Dante could not have conceived’, which is a direct reference to Dante Alighieri’s epic poem The Divine Comedy. The reference to Dante suggests that Victor has created a devil out of his experiment and his life will begin to be as torturing as hell.

 

Chapter 3 & 4

Close focus on the end of chapter 4. How does Shelley create an atmosphere of horror and dread around Victor’s experiments?

In order to set up a dreadful atmosphere, Shelley lays a sheet of introduction regarding how Victor derives his inspiration before he carries out his horrific experiments. Inspired by the inevitable cycle of life and death, Victor observes 'the natural decay and corruption of the human body' by spending 'days and nights in vaults and charnel-houses'. Readers would be terrified at the prospect of Victor patronizing places where dead bodies are kept to further his investigation. The phrase 'how the worm inherited the wonders of the eye and brain' paints a terrible vivid image of detritus feeding on human organs, which sets up the eerie atmosphere for his impending experiment.

To obtain body parts for his experiment, Victor digs up graveyards and collects 'bones from charnel houses'. Again, the reference to the settings where he collects his materials suggests the ghastly nature of his experiments. His experiments are executed in a 'solitary cell....separated from all the other apartments'- his work is so malicious that he has to conceal his 'workshop of filthy creation'.

In fact, his work is so fraught with sheer malignity and evil that it even jinxed Victor himself. 'My cheek had grown pale with study and my person had become emaciated' tells us that though he is able to 'renew life' through relentless trial and tribulations, it has to be done at the cost of his own health. As the progress of Victor's experiments grows, his health deteriorates and he gradually projects strange behaviors- he somewhat turns into a monstrous beast, evident from his countenance 'my eye-balls were starting from their sockets in attending to the details of my occupation'.

Note also words from the semantic field of birth (‘conceive’, ‘labour’, ‘bore’) – why might Shelley use them?

These words hint readers that Victor is suppose to act as a fatherly figure to his creation, the monster. Words such as 'conceive' figuratively suggests that Victor has toiled so much with his experiments to ultimately "give birth" to his creation. The process is described as 'labour' as it is so painful and arduous that it has taken a toll on Victor's health. The word 'bore' evokes a feeling of responsibility, as parents are accountable for their children's well-being, which contrasts with the irresponsible manner Victor treats the monster when he abandons it.

The End

Death of Desdemona

Undying loyalty, unconditional love, revelation, regrets, righteousness, feminism and death- this is how Othello wrapped up its final chapter. Unlike conventional stories, where there's always a happy ending, Othello ends with a tragic one- yes, the antagonist Iago gets prosecuted, but the protagonists (Othello and Desdemona), whom we would expect to live happily ever after, dies. And in addition, the one character that we would not expect to do much, Emilia (whom had a minor role in the beginning), turns out to be the hero that sheds light on Iago's devious plans, which brings an element of surprise in the end. Emilia, who used to be inferior to her husband Iago, steps up into a dominant and brave position and divulges that Iago is the mastermind behind all the incidents. Despite being threatened to shut up by Iago, Emilia boldly defies Iago and assertively spills out that it was all Iago's doing right from the beginning, leaving behind a mark of feminism after Iago stabs her.

The final act also reveals how cowardly Iago is, who persuades Roderigo to kill Cassio on his behalf. As always, he later returns to the scene of fight between Cassio and Roderigo and pretends that he knows nothing of it. He even pushes blame for the Cassio's injury to Bianca, when in fact Iago's the one who tailored the whole incident. Later, Iago kills Roderigo in order to wipe off any remaining evidence of his wrongdoing and also kills Emilia for disclosing his plans. But at last, justice is served when he is prosecuted for his despicable actions.

Emilia

The most misguided character in this story (after Roderigo, of course) is Othello, the noble and honourable general who took a fall from grace in the end- all because of jealousy and being strong in doubt and suspicion. He consults and trusts every single word that Iago tells him regarding his wife's affair with Cassio, but buffers words of his own wife Desdemona from his ear. This shows that he has no trust and faith in woman, even if it's the one that he loves the most in the entire world. Even when Desdemona pleads innocence to him, Othello doesn't give a care and puts her to her death- yes, Othello the noble one smothered his dear Desdemona on their own bed. Guilt devours Othello when Desdemona's innocence is confirmed by Emilia in the end, which he couldn't bear as he's responsible for the death of his most loved woman, forcing him to kill himself.

Perhaps the most innocent character in this tragic story is Desdemona, who even at her deathbed doesn't recognize the slanders put on her by Iago. She has a feeling that Othello intends to kill her, but she doesn't know why until Othello reveals his suspicion of her made-up affair with Cassio. Before breathing her last breath, she still professes her love for Othello, signifying her innocence, love and loyalty for Othello.

So, my conclusion is:

 Jealousy and Paranoia is indeed LETHAL.

The Play Up to Act II

Opinions of main characters

Othello- The main character of the play, Othello is seen as the wise and noble one in Act 1. His air of authority and position as general commands respect from people around him, though they always bring up his ethnicity and race when they address him as 'The Moor'. His calm and practical nature is shown when he does not start a fight with Brabantio upon confrontation regarding Desdemona, but instead focuses on his task at hand, which is the war at Cyprus. He is deeply in love with Desdemona and will do anything for her, and thus perceived by Iago as being controlled by Desdemona, which is rather ironic considering the status of women during the Elizabethan era.


In Act II, Othello begins to show more of his character- he becomes infuriated due to Casio's brawl with Montano and decisively dismisses Casio, without much deliberation. This is partly due to Iago, whom Othello places a lot of trust on as he believes Iago's words on the brawl incident.

Iago- Arguably the most intelligent and cunning character, Iago plots his schemes cleverly. Though not from a well-off background, his gifts in language enables him to manipulate everyone- from Roderigo, Casio to Othello. His low-profile in front of Othello garners trust, but he is a racist backstabber in reality! His belittling of women is also despicable and appalling- he often uses negative imagery to picture women and insult them. Iago's sly language is often used to his advantage- for example, he manipulates Roderigo, Casio and even Othello to listen to him.

Desdemona - As Othello's wife, she is very loyal to Othello, as she constantly addresses him as her 'lord'. She even agrees to go to war with him in Cyprus, which shows that she doesn't want to be separated from him despite the dangers. Desdemona demonstrates courage when she marries Othello without her father Brabantio's consent, as it is custom for parents to decide who their daughters should marry. She also stands up Emilia when Iago insults Emilia. 

Casio- Raised from an affluent family, Casio is a virtuous man, the type that women at that time seek for according to Iago. Casio is rather proud of his upbringing, as he emphasizes, whether intentionally or unintentionally, about his courtesies in front of Iago. As a lieutenant, he is responsible and dependable, thus gaining trust from Othello. His affections for Desdemona is shown when he comments on her beauty and looks excessively and unnecessarily, considering that Desdemona is already married. Casio later falls into Iago's plan when Iago sets him up with a fight with Roderigo and then Montano, which ends up with Casio's dismissal by Othello. At the moment of desperation, he is manipulated by Iago to take his advice.


Thoughts of the story line
I like how Iago's personality is introduced into the story. Right from the beginning, the audience knows that he's the antagonist from his cowardly behaviour and cunning language. His self-monologue with the audience convinces us to stand on his side of the story, as it seems that he's the only character that communicates with the audience. The story line is quite face-paced with scenes that are not too windy. It progresses quickly with its development very smoothly, as we are slowly revealed of the schemes of Iago and how he's going to destroy Othello and the others. The plot of being betrayed by your trustworthy subordinate is very intriguing as the last person we expect to turn against us is the person we trust the most. The elements of revenge and indignation in this story further justifies Iago's motives to annihilate Othello. The inclusion of the idea of anti-feminism in this play is very informative for readers of the social status of women during the Elizabethan era.

Intital Learning

Something you found useful
English has been a thrilling and enjoyable lesson so far. Every lesson is packed with lots of interesting learning, thanks to Mr Martin. Up till today, we've been learning the play Othello by Shakespeare rather differently compared to other classes- we get to act it out! I'm strongly in support of this way of studying plays, as I often tell my classmates, "What's the point of studying it if you don't act it out?".

Being able to play out the characters in Othello brightens the class completely; it becomes more interactive in the sense that there's more two-way communication. Rather than the conventional learning method where teachers would face the class and talk incessantly without engaging with students, this method of play acting allows us to delve deeper into the characters and understand them inside out, from their characteristics to their mentalities. Acting also gives us another advantage- we not only play it out accordingly, but also get to picture the setting of the play- where things are suppose to be on the stage and how characters interact with each other. All this wouldn't be achievable should it just be reading and writing.

Another icing on the cake is our English teacher, Mr Martin. The delivery of his classes often blows us away-literally! Mr Martin is definitely the right guy to teach plays, as he is very expressive in nature. During his classes, we are often riveted as he always bombards us with full-of-emotion portrayal of characters, loud resounding voice and perfect use of hand gestures to depict the action of characters. After all, plays by Shakespeare are dramatic, and we have to express ourselves in the same dramatic way as Shakespeare to understand his plays.

Something you want to do differently
After much deliberation, I can't think of anything for this part, so I'm just going to leave it as it is. :D