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Michael Nicolella Othello Journals

Posted by Michael Nicolella in English 2 - Pahomov on Friday, May 3, 2013 at 9:49 am

1.

Iago

(aside) He takes her by the palm. Ay, well said, whisper! With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do, I will gyve thee in thine own courtship. You say true, 'Tis so, indeed.

 

Iago is talking to himself. He is talking about how Cassio should keep talking to the girls so that he can get Cassio and his plan can come together. Knowing this is a good indicator for the characters body language and his movements. It can be like he is talking in his head or time froze and it is just him talking to himself or the audience. He could also be talking to the audience because he is plotting to frame Cassio and Shakespeare could have added this scene to clarify what Iago is planning to do. His movement could be pacing back and forth, showing his impatience to make the plan all com together. Or he could just be frozen; showing that he is just thinking in his head for that split second. If he is talking to the audience, he can grab a chair and talk to them saying what his ambitions are and just state what he wants to do.

 

2.

Clown

Act 3, Scene 1 Lines 4 – 31 Act 3, Scene 4 Lines 1 - 22

- What does this character observer first hand? (What do they see personally?)

The clown observes the various messages and conversations in the short scenes that he is in. In the Clown's first scene, he experiences Cassio giving him a gold coin to go get Emilia so that he can talk to her. But Iago ended up doing the Clowns job. In the Clown's second and last appearance, the Clown is kind of joking around with Desdemona, saying puns about lying. After the puns, he goes and gets Cassio for Desdemona. I think that he doesn't think or know of what is going on because he is joking and things like that and it also seemed like Desdemona really needed Cassio, and the Clown didn't really take notice.

 

- What does this character observe second hand? (What are they told by other characters?)

The Clown, in all of his scenes is just told to do little errands for the main characters. In his first scene, he is told to go get Emilia for Cassio, even though Iago ends up doing that errand instead. In his second scene, he is being asked by Desdemona where Cassio is, and the Clown jokes around a little and after that he goes and gets him (exits). That is the last time the Clown shows up in the book.

 

- How can we understand this character's motivations better when we concentrate only on their scenes?

I think that his motivations are just for money. I don't think that the Clown would just do little errands for people unless he was getting paid. What else would be the purpose? I think that this character is one of the easiest because he is in such few parts/lines of the book. If the book were in just the Clown's point of view, we would know nothing that is going on.

 

3.

Othello

Othello started off a normal life when he was a kid. When he was about 10, he was taken and forced into slavery. He fought in the Venetian army for the last 15 years and slowly rose in rank, showing his skill in fighting and military tactics. That is what led him to become what we now know as The Moor. He has since gained his freedom and, as we know is still fighting for the same people that enslaved him. I think that even though these experiences are broader, it puts in perspective how someone in his position would think. To me, it seems like he has learned to be calm or passive to people (at least in the beginning of the book). I think that this helped him in our scene because he could have flipped out or even just have not talked to Brabantio about it. He actually got Desdemona to confirm it and I think that this helped him win over Desdemona even though Brabatio doesn’t approve.

 

4.

 

1.                   I am going to try to speak in the accent that Othello had in the audio. It adds a foreign feel to him because everyone else speaks similar except Othello. For my movement on the stage, I am going to have a different posture. I want to make him look powerful because he is the moor and he has killed many people. Since Desdemona and Othello are in love, I am going to show that by holding hands and stuff.

 

2.                   I am going to use a sword. Its actually not going to look like a sword that much since it is an umbrella. I think that it shows Othello’s power. It kind of shows that he is a good person because he has the power to kill Brabantio and just take Desdemona but he doesn’t. Another prop that I was thinking about using was a crown but I don’t have one or know where to get one. Also it really wouldn't make sense because he is not a king or anything.

 

3.                   I think that Jenny's role as Brabantio is really good. So far in our practice, she has done a good job showing Brabantio's anger and sadness. She gets in my face and I think that it adds to it standing out. We worked a lot of work on our movements, accents, and what we will be doing on the stage while we are talking (or not talking). We also have to assume what people are doing when they are not talking. For example in the script, it says Iago enters but he doesn’t talk so we assumed that he was sneaking.

 

 

5.

 

1.                  “If you do find me foul in her report, the trust, the office I do hold of you, not only take away, but let your sentence even fall upon my life.”

 

                  This quote shows that Othello has nothing to fear about Brabantio. Desdemona actually likes Othello. This line let me know just what I said. Because of this relaxed environment, I don’t need to have my sword drawn and I can have a relaxed posture. The way I said this line was in a serious tone, but with a little relaxation because he doesn’t need to worry about anyone in the scene trying to kill him.

 

2.            I think that the performance did go as I expected because we practiced the play like 10 times so we knew what to do. One thing that was not expected was one of our group members not at school but that didn’t really throw us off because that person’s part was small. I am proud of Jenny’s part. In my opinion, she was the best actor out of all of us. Arshelle’s part was also good because of how she read it and also her movements (pacing back and forth, etc).

 

3.            Acting out the play obviously made me understand what was going on in the part of the play we had. Also seeing how the characters might act like and also what they might look or stand like. One thing that I learned from this is a deeper understanding of how Shakespeare writes. I think that if I were to read another book or play by him I would be able to understand it better because of these classes. 

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Jaime Christmas- Othello Journals Benchmark

Posted by Jaime Christmas in English 2 - Pahomov on Friday, May 3, 2013 at 4:20 am

Jaime Christmas 

Gold Stream 

4/30/13 


Journal 1: Soliloquy Analyzation  

Act 4 Scene 1 Lines 70-79

“Bade him anon return and here speak with me,

The which he promised. Do but encave yourself,

And mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorns

That dwell in every region of his face.

For I will make him tell the tale anew

Where, how, how oft, how long ago, and when

He hath, and is again to cope your wife.

I say, but mark his gesture. Marry, patience,

Or I shall say you are all in all in spleen,

And nothing of a man.” 

-Iago 

In this soliloquy Iago is speaking with Othello. Iago is setting up the plan to prove to Othello that Desdemona is in fact sleeping with Cassio. During this entire speech Iago is quick and on his toes. Othello and him are both awaiting Cassio’s appearance with evil intentions for him. In the first sentence Iago’s eye contact with Othello is direct. He continues to speak low and swift so Othello can hear everything that he is trying to say, and understand it without giving away to Cassio that they may have been speaking previously. Starting at line 77, Iago slows down the pace of his speaking greatly and lowers his voice slightly, so it will require Othello to listen closely. Iago tells Othello to keep himself calm, because not only will his cover be blown by his outbursts caused by his anger towards Cassio, but Iago will think that Othello has no self control, therefore he is not a real man. This is a point that Iago didn’t want to lose through communication, and a serious point he wanted to get across.

Journal 2: Character Analyzation 

In Act 3 Scene 1, Emilia comes to Cassio with bad news about his chance of being reinstated into the military. First hand Cassio sees nothing, he only has a brief conversation with Iago about how he wants to clear his name with Desdemona, by getting through Emilia. By this point in the play, the only person Cassio has spoken with about his job is Emilia. He only hears what Emilia has told him which is what Othello supposedly said. When concentrating only on what Cassio knows and what he says up to this scene, we can clearly see that he's not trying to start any trouble. Cassio just wants to clear his name so he can get back to work, and out of the dog house with Othello. 

In Act 4 Scene 1, Iago and Othello are plotting against Cassio, so Iago can prove to Othello that Cassio was in fact cheating with Desdemona. When talking to Iago, Cassio thinks that they're going on about how pathetic Bianca is because he thinks that she's in love with him. The thought is so ridiculous to Cassio that he stifles a laugh. Cassio then hears second hand from Iago that there were rumors of him marrying Bianca and he says that he would never marry a whore. While all of this is going on Othello believes that they are speaking of Desdemona. When only reading what Cassio is saying we know that there are just severe miscommunication between him and Othello, because they are talking about completely different people. If Cassio really knew who Iago was speaking of he wouldn't have said those things. 

Journal 3: Character History

Iago’s entire life was already completely set up for him before he even entered the world. His cookie cutter lifestyle was to have no speed bumps or interruptions of any kind. His parents believed that “you get out of anything what you put in.” So, of course, he did as well. Iago’s parents didn’t want to hear of any other plan that he had besides what they had already came up with. If he even uttered a word of something different they shut him out entirely. He began to learn that, if he wanted a different lifestyle, he would have to lie to his parents so that they wouldn’t question what he was up to. If they thought Iago was at the library, he was probably somewhere trying to figure out a way to get out of trouble that he’s gotten himself into. The idea of rebellion was looking better and better everyday, but Iago didn’t know a way he could do that without disappointing his parents. He then realized they never had to know. Lying became a form of survival, a life source. There was no other way he could please everybody and do what he wanted except by completely manipulating the truth. But this habit soon became less of a tactic to do things that he really desired, and more of a game.

Journal 4: Performance Prep 

For my scene, the very first scene of the play, I'm responsible for setting the tone of everything Iago is thought to be. Which is being sneaky, and conniving while creating the idea that he is the most honest man around. I will be bold with my actions and powerful with my voice because Iago is fairly confident in everything he does. I don't know if I'll have access to this, but I really wanted to use a cape in my performance. I always see the stereotypical bad guy in a cape, and I think it would just go exceptionally well with Iago's character. Something that's going to make our scene stand out from others is that we're starting from outside and going in to create the illusion that we are walking around outside, just going for a casual stroll. People in the audience will be able to get a better feel of where we are, and what our objective is, if we move around instead of just standing in place up on stage. 

Journal 5: Post Performance

“Why, there’s no remedy, ‘tis the curse of service: Preferment goes by letter and affection and not by old gradation, where each second stood heir to th’ first. Now sir, be judge yourself whether I in any just term am affined to love the Moor.” -Iago Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 36-41 

This quote is important to the play because it sets up why Iago feels cold to Othello. There is an insight on why Iago doesn’t feel the need to bend to every one of Othello’s whims. I showed the importance of this line in the play by having an accusing tone while talking to Roderigo, because although he is not blaming Roderigo for not getting the job, he’s still trying to show Roderigo why it doesn’t make sense for him to respect or do things for Othello. 

Our groups performance did go as expected. There weren’t many stage directions so as long as our lines were okay, there weren’t many opportunities for mistakes. I’m proud that everyone had nice control over their lines and that they put in their greatest amount of effort to start off the play and set the tone for it. If we were to perform it again, I would change the way  the room was set up and walk down the middle of the isle to a corner of a room this would create the illusion that we were walking down a path and arriving at Brabantio’s house. 

The play didn’t really change a lot of my understanding of the play, though it made me get a better handle on the chronological order of things. But as far as the details of what everyone was saying, I didn’t really get a better insight of that with the performances. 


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Leah Kelly: Benchmark Journals

Posted by Leah Kelly in English 2 - Pahomov on Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 9:43 pm

Journal #1:

Text from Othello, said by Iago, Act 5 Scene 1:

(aside) I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense,

And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio

Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,

Every way makes my gain. Live Roderigo,

He calls me to a restitution large

Of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him

As gifts to Desdemona.

It must not be. If Cassio do remain

He hath a daily beauty in his life

That makes me ugly. And besides, the Moor

May unfold me to him—there stand I in much peril.

No, he must die. But so, I hear him coming.

 

Throughout most of this soliloquy by Iago, he seems to be talking to himself.  However, I think that he is also giving the audience a view into his plot. I think that this would have been said in a quiet sort of anger throughout. Specifically, a pause and a sly smile after '...and he grows angry." in line 13. After that, he would use hand gestures for the audience to see how "he kill Cassio or Cassio kill him", and then a maniac laugh after "every way makes my gain." The rest of this soliloquy by Iago is simply said to himself in a very dramatic manner and in a very suspicious, plotting and evil tone. However, the last line of the soliloquy seems to be there specifically for the audience as well as for fellow actors whenever this was being performed. As Aaron said in class today, there was barely any time for the actors to work with their scripts, so this line also acts as a cue for the actors doing this play as well.

 

Journal #2

Bianca: Act 3, Scene 4 is when we first meet her. She also appears in Act 5, Scene 1.

1. Bianca observes that Cassio gives her a handkerchief, although she does not know whose it is, and asks him to copy the embroidery pattern. From her point of view, she is doing nothing wrong because she does not know the story or the plot behind this handkerchief.

2. When Cassio is stabbed, Iago says "Gentlemen all, I do suspect this trash to be a party in this injury," (line 87-88), indicating Bianca as the "trash". Basically , he is saying that Bianca has to do with the plan behind Cassio's stabbing. Then when he asks where Cassio dined that night, he asks Bianca if she is nervous to answer that, because he knows that Cassio was at her house, again indicating that he is trying to shift suspicion from himself onto her for Cassio's wounds.

3. If Bianca had known what was going on the whole time and if she had known the significance behind the handkerchief and the plot of Iago, she would not have taken the handkerchief. But since she was only present in the places that she was, she did not know the evil plot of Iago. If she had, she would have tried to resolve it. Therefore, when Iago asks her if she is nervous and she hears blame in his voice, she is shocked because she sees no possible way that she could have done anything wrong.

 

Journal #3

Iago

"Come, Emelia my love, let us go for a walk through the town," I said.

"My dear, spending time with you is always a joy," Emelia replied, "Where shall we walk?"

"Wherever the wind takes us. Maybe, we will be able to see my dear friend, Othello. I hear that he has been recently married!"

As we began to walk, I pondered what it would be like if we saw Othello and his bride. I’d heard from rumors of her fair and beautiful nature, a wonderful woman. I shook the thought aside as I cast my eyes towards my own wife and took her hand as we began to walk. It was a cool evening, I could feel the warmth drain from the air as the sun sank beyond the horizon. We were walking through the town when I heard a call from behind me, "Iago, is that you?"

"Othello, my dear friend!" I replied, as I cast my eyes to the woman standing beside him.

"Iago, this is my wife, Desdemona."

As she brought her eyes up to meet mine, it felt electric. Immediate heat rose to my face as I looked into the eyes of the most beautiful woman I had ever met in my life. I felt a surge of hatred for Othello who had married this perfect woman. I wanted her to be mine.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," she said.

 

Journal #4

1. In the beginning while trying to convince Cassio to drink, I'm going to be saying it in a convincing and persuading tone. Also, when I am talking to myself about my plot to get Cassio drunk, Aaron suggested that I actually talk to the audience so it's like I'm letting them in on my little secret, so I'll be doing that. Lastly, when Othello questions me about how the fight between Cassio and Rodrigo began, I sort of step back but when I say the line " yet, I persuade myself...." I'm going to take a step in like I'm sharing a secret.

2. I'm going to bring in a toga for me to wear. Also, I'll bring in a wine glass so that I can taunt Cassio while urging him to drink.

3. I think that our fight scene is what is really going to make us stand out-- Aaron helped us a lot to block it out and how to get the right sound effects, convey the right emotion, and just make it great all around. I'm excited!

 

Journal #5:

            I think that the most important line in my scene is my last line after I have delivered a soliloquy when I say “So will I turn her virtue into pitch, and out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh them all.” This is so important because it locks in the suspicion that the audience has had about Iago plotting this entire conspiracy against Othello. While performing this line, since it was the last line of the play, I took a small pause before the line to make it more dramatic and then said it full of passion!

            Overall, I really loved performing with my group. It went better than I expected actually, because when we got in front of the whole class, everyone sort of calmed down and we focused on performing it correctly and remembering all of the points of interest and acting techniques that Aaron had told us about. I’m very proud of the way that our scene flowed and especially the way that we blocked out the entire thing. If we had to do it over again, I honestly don’t think that we would have done much differently in terms of our performance. The only major thing that I can think of to improve the overall quality would be to memorize our lines so that we didn’t need to hold our papers with us.

            While performing the play, I understood the entire structure of the play more than I had in the book—mainly the way that Iago plotted, what Desdemona saw, why Othello was angry, and the relationship between Iago and Emelia. Also while performing/watching this being performed, I realized how many different emotions this play brings out in the audience—anger, humor, betrayal and disbelief.

 

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Alexis McCormick; Gold Stream; Benchmark Prep Journal:

Posted by Alexis Mc Cormick in English 2 - Pahomov on Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 9:20 pm

Alexis McCormick 

Gold Stream 

Benchmark Prep Journal


Benchmark Prep Journal number one:


Iago:

“And what’s he then that says I play the villain?

When this advice is free I give and honest,

Probal to thinking and indeed the course

To win the Moor again? For ’tis most easy

The inclining Desdemona to subdue

In any honest suit: she’s framed as fruitful

As the free elements. And then for her

To win the Moor—were’t to renounce his baptism,

All seals and symbols of redeemed sin,

His soul is so enfetter’d to her love,

That she may make, unmake, do what she list,

Even as her appetite shall play the god

With his weak function. How am I then a villain

To counsel Cassio to this parallel course,

Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!

When devils will the blackest sins put on,

They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,

As I do now: for whiles this honest fool

Plies Desdemona to repair his fortunes

And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,

I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear,

That she repeals him for her body’s lust;

And by how much she strives to do him good,

She shall undo her credit with the Moor.

So will I turn her virtue into pitch,

And out of her own goodness make the net

That shall enmesh them all.”


This soliloquy is found in act two, scene three, when Iago is talking to himself about Cassio trying to arrive back in Othello’s favor, and how Othello would do anything to keep Desdemona’s love. It is easy to say that Iago is talking to himself in this section, but also Iago could be talking to the devil from the line saying; “Divinity of hell! When devils will the blackest sins put on They do suggest at first with heavenly shows As I do now.” This quote is saying that the argument that is happening at this point could be something the devil himself would be in, and or talk about. Back then, whomever was playing Iago’s role at this point would understand that they have to look and act devious from the line saying “And out of her own goodness make the net That shall enmesh them all.“ Iago at this point is basically saying, how his big plan is going to work and how he is going to trap everyone. From what we learned in class today about the actors back then, and how they didn’t know what their lines were about. As well as what actions they had to do. They would figure it out from the last sentence or this big quote.


Benchmark Prep Journal number two:


I am going to be investigating Brabantio’s perspective in act one, scene one. In this scene Iago and Rodreigo are telling Brabantio that his daughter is sleeping with the moor, also known as Othello. At first in this scene Brabantio was woken up from his sleep from screaming from the two men, yelling about the moor and Brabantio being robbed. At first Brabantio was confused and about what the men were talking about because he didn’t understand what they meant of him being robbed. What they actually mean is that Othello, robbed his daughter; Desdemonda’s love. Brabantio does not believe the words coming from the man's mouth until one of them gave him a proposition which was: “Sir, I will answer anything. But, I beseech you, If’t be your pleasure and most wise consent (As partly I find it is) that your fair daughter

At this odd-even and dull watch o' th' night Transported with no worse nor better guard But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier, To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor, If this be known to you and your allowance, We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs. But if you know not this my manners tell me

We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe That, from the sense of all civility,

I thus would play and trifle with your reverence. Your daughter (if you have not given her leave) I say again, hath made a gross revolt, Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes In an extravagant and wheeling stranger Of here and everywhere. Straight satisfy yourself. If she be in her chamber or your house, Let loose on me the justice of the state For thus deluding you.” -Roderigo. Roderigo is saying that if your daughter is not in her room she is with the Moor but if she is then go ahead and kill him for his horrible lies. Brabantio is second guessing and still believes that theses words were still lies until he checks  his daughter’s room. After reading the first scene it's understood that Brabantio is shocked and is upset that his daughter would do such a thing. Brabantio is very upset and throughout the rest of the act he try’s to make up several situations on why Desdamona is doing this to him.



Benchmark Prep Journal number three:


The scene that my group and I had is where, Cassio reunites with Bianca and gives her the handkerchief that he found in his chamber. Bianca gets upset because she thinks that Cassio got the handkerchief from one of the women he was cheating with. The only reason why Bianca is leading to conclusions on the cheating line is because she was cheated on several times before. The first man she fell in love with cheated on her after two long years of on and off relationship. The man after her first love was more of an on and off type of guy but they said they were only seeing each other but she found out that he also lied to her. He would buy things for both Bianca and the said girl. With those memories that Bianca had with the last man in her life, she thought that because Cassio was giving a gift he, "found in his room", that he was then cheating. The previous men in Bianca's life made her have second thoughts about any men in her previous and future life.


Benchmark Prep Journal number four:


This journal it is more of a built list, so the actions I am going to be doing as my character as Bianca is to throw the handkerchief down and run off. The tone in my voice is going to be very upset and full of much anger. The props I am going to be using are a type of cloth for the handkerchief and dollars bills because my character is into that type of stuff. The reason why I believe my group and are presentation will stand out is because we are going to speak loud and clear and we are going to make the scene that we are performing over the top just like the real thing. My group and I decided that we need to put a lot of action into the performance while we speak and we also agreed that we would speak as if it was the real thing, like professional actors.


Benchmark Post-Performance Journal 


In scene six, the character I played was Bianca. During this time in the play, Bianca was full of anger, and she was very upset. She thought that Cassio was cheating on her because he gave her a fount handkerchief that she believed came from another women he was sleeping with. After reading my lines over and over again I soon believed the the line I felt that set the whole scene, mood, and emotions was when Bianca said, “This is some minx’s token. There; give it your hobby-horse: where-so-ever you had it.” This line made me think to react on a high level voice full of rage and anger basically almost about to cry. She then runs out very upset out of anger.  


I believe that my group did pretty well, knowing that one of our cast members has a very low voice, and the others are shy. The only thing that I thought didn’t go as planned was that we didn’t memorize the lines as much as we liked. We planned to have most of our lines down packed so we would look more professional, but it didn’t go as planned. Also, I stumbled on my words a little bit. I was just so worried about getting everything right, that I got scared and whined up messing up. 


After performing our scene, I felt as though I interpreted “Othello” by Shakespeare, a lot better and more easier. The reason for that is because of the deeper understanding of the many different characters and their stories. Throughout the short acting classes where we had to perform with just our groups. I started out really slow. In other words, I did not know what I was doing. After a few days, with the help of Mr. Aaron and Ms. Pahomov, I soon was able to feel Bianca’s emotions. I think with all the small activities that were led up to the actual performance day helped me get more into character.  


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Julian Makarechi- Othello Journals

Posted by Julian Makarechi in English 2 - Pahomov on Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 8:49 pm

Journal#1: 

Quote with additions (all additions will be in parenthesis): 

I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense,

And he grows angry. (Make facial expressions demonstrating how aggravated he is. Speak with a bit of annoyance or attitude. Try to make the audience know that you are irritated by this problem. Avoid long pauses to show how much you do not like this situation.)

Now, whether he kill Cassio

Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,

Every way makes my gain. (Right now you have to assure the audience that you have things under control, and that even if you are annoyed you still have everything planned out correctly. Lower your voice a little to sound calm, composed, soothing and carefree.) Live Roderigo,

He calls me to a restitution large

Of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him

As gifts to Desdemona. 

It must not be. (Have larger pauses and a small tremble in the voice showing that you are a little bit worried because you know that it could be hard for you to reach your goal.)  

If Cassio do remain

He hath a daily beauty in his life

That makes me ugly. (Face another side of the audience, just to separate your thoughts on the two characters. You want to show a hint of jealousy so maybe you could pout or act frustrated that you do not have the same skills as he does. Raise your voice with anger when you say the word "ugly".) And besides, the Moor

May unfold me to him—there stand I in much peril.

No, he must die. (When saying these lines act alert and aware of what could go wrong. During the line"No, he must die" be very determined.)  But so, I hear him coming. 

-Iago, Act 5 Scene 1


Journal#2: 

Character: Bianca

Important scenes: Act 4 Scn 1, Act 5 Scn 1

Questions: 

Since Bianca is not aware of Iago's plan or the meaning of the handkerchief, she is very confused and does not understand why people are acting so rude towards her. It aggravates her that she is surrounded by such madness and randomness. She does not enjoy the harsh words that she is receiving from Cassio and is starting to get suspicious but also confused about the situation. Bianca gets to the point where she is sick and tired of his disrespectfulness and wants Cassio to give back the handkerchief or else she will leave. She sees personally that she must lay down the law and give Cassio the option of doing the right thing and going to dinner with her. She is not afraid to let him know that she does not mind getting rid of him. The other characters like Cassio and Iago call her a whore or strumpet at times. They use those terms to reference or call her, even right in front of her. In their minds she is useless and they do not value her opinion. She is told that she is a whore and to stop getting in the way. They do not tell her what is going, which makes her the odd one out. 

Journal#3:  

At the age of 8, Othello was separated from his mother and was forced to be a slave. All his life he had been used to hardship from the people around him, but his older sister helped him be strong and to never stop fighting. His sister, Sandra became the only person Othello could rely on, especially when his mother left. He was super protective of her and would make sure no guy looked at his sister in any dirty way. A few days after Othello's 18th birthday, Sandra was kidnapped by some guys who were from the North and he never saw her again. Without her, he was alone and he did not know what to do or how to control himself. He would never forgive the people who took the most important person in his life away from him.  Because he lost the two most important women he had in his life, he made sure to always protect any other woman he loved. After losing his sister, he decided to flee from his master and join the army. He fought with the South and made sure he could get his revenge. His determination and anger made him one of the best soldiers. As time went by, he kept on improving and becoming smarter than the other officers ahead of him. He ended up surpassing those officers and becoming a general after nine years. 


Journal#4: 

On Tuesday, Leah, Dylan and I will be performing Scene 2. There are three speaking characters in our scene: Iago (played by Leah), Cassio (played by Dylan) and Othello (played by me). Roderigo will also take part in this scene (played by Max) but has no lines; he will just be struck by Cassio. As Othello, I will have speak with a lot of diction and authority to show how noble and high up I am. When I first enter I am going to be very concerned, confused and angry when speaking to Iago because I am not okay with Cassio attacking Roderigo. Later, when I end up firing Cassio, I will speak with care when I tell him the bad news but also be very serious to show him that what he did was wrong. Some of the actions I will do will be to always turn to the person I am speaking to and use my hands to show my emotions. For example, when I first come in and am alarmed by the situation, I will be waiving my hands and pointing. Then, when I fire Cassio, I will put my hand on his shoulder as a sign of compassion. My tone of voice will be very high and angry when I rant to Iago about what happened. 

As a group, we organized everything; when people walk in, what actions to do and how to interact with each other. I think the thing that will make our presentation memorable is when Dylan speaks in a drunk tone and beats up Max. Also, we are all friends so I think people can tell the great connection we have on stage. As for a prop, I will be wearing an old WWII soldier’s helmet to show Othello's power as a general. This will add to my act and show more authority. Originally, I wanted to use a handkerchief for my prop but it was not relevant in the story yet. 


Post Performance Journal:

- “Cassio, I love thee, but never more be officer of mine.” (Scene 2, read by Othello).

I feel like this is important to the play in many different ways. First of all, it shows that Othello is taking charge and can acknowledge problems. This lets the audience know that he has authority and is not afraid to use it. This scene marks one of the first interactions between Cassio and Othello, where the Moor starts to dislike Cassio because of his actions. I also think that the line  above shows that sometimes Othello knows how to do things in certain situations and how to be classy. There were three main things that I did when I said this line in our performance. 

First, when I said: “Cassio, I love thee,” I put my hand on Dylan’s (Cassio) shoulder to show him that I do actually feel that way and care. As I continued to say: “but never more be officer of mine,” I spoke in a very serious tone to let him know that he really messed up and that I am upset. Lastly, before I left the stage I saluted Cassio out of respect and bid him farewell.                                                                                              

- I think that our performance went as we had planned and we did well. We were all able to really become the character and act from his perspective. I am proud that all that time spent rehearsing and brainstorming ideas of how to be more creative and to get  the audience’s attention worked out. Before getting up there, we all agreed on what actions to do at certain moments so that we could make our scene more realistic. I must say that I expected us to do well and be confident but not this much. I thought that Leah was very articulate and determined. Also, Dylan did a great job at acting drunk but still not going too far. The part where he is fighting with Max (Roderigo) was very entertaining and useful. Maybe, if I were to redo it, I would ask everyone to have their lines memorized (so it would be more professional) and use more props so that we could be more interactive.

- I definitely had more fun watching my classmates acting and me performing to the class than reading from the book. I thought that doing this project helped us not only to learn more about the play and understand what it looks like acted out, but it also taught us how to act and the meaning behind Shakespeare’s writing. This whole process helped me understand  how to read this type of writing and take its clues for stage directions. 

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Othello Journals

Posted by Alaina Silverman in English 2 - Pahomov on Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 4:49 pm

JOURNAL 1

Act II, Scene I, page 9

(aside) He takes her by the palm. Ay, well said, whisper! [Iago is quiet and wry. He is looking at Cassio and Desdemona, but not speaking to them; he is speaking to himself. With the second sentence, he smiles on the exclamation.]

With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. [Iago is still talking to himself, however now he sounds much more sinister/forceful. With the force comes hand gestures.]

Ay, smile upon her, do, I will give thee in thine own courtship. [To Cassio, though Cassio can't hear him. This line should be spoken slowly with much emphasis; Iago should be tense with excitement.]

You say true, 'Tis so, indeed. If such tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had been better you had not kissed your three fingers so oft, which now again you are most apt to play the sir in. [Still to Cassio. The built up excitement escapes in these lines - they should be spoken rapidly and forcefully. Continuing the feeling of excitement, Iago should be wide-eyed, increasing in tone, and leaning/taking a step towards Cassio.]

Very good, well kissed, and excellent courtesy! ’tis so, indeed. [Iago is back to a calm, articulate way of speaking. Throughout these lines he should be facing Cassio but not focused on him; Iago is talking to himself.]

Yet again your fingers to your lips? Would they were clyster-pipes for your sake! [Iago is back to talking to Cassio. For the first sentence he is smiling and talks with a mocking, incredulous tone (Iago thinks Cassio is a dunce). The second sentence, he is outright laughing at Cassio and Cassio's eminent demise. Extra emphasis on the last "your".]


JOURNAL 2

EMILIA

[Note: D--- refers to Desdemona]

Act 3 Scene 3, Emilia is present when Cassio and Desdemona talk about Cassio’s position and then, in the same scene, she finds Desdemona’s handkerchief.

Act 3 Scene 4, Emilia says she doesn’t know anything about D----’s handkerchief when asked about it.

Act 5 Scene 2, Emilia is talking with Othello after he killed D----; she tells him he killed for nothing.

Emilia saw the role of the handkerchief unfold - she had a crucial part in this, as well. She also saw some of Iago’s plot for the other characters, and this is also where her connection to the handkerchief and Desdemona crop up. However, Emilia is not one of the major characters, and it is not apparent if she was receiving information from others. At the end, though, she did learn that Roderigo died and Cassio was attacked. She was also told by Othello that Iago was the one who was the informational source about Desdemona’s supposed infidelity.

Emilia had split loyalties for the vast majority of the play. This is seen especially in Act 3’s scene 4. She obviously has some sort of friendship or attachment to Desdemona - Emilia comforts her and gives advice when D---- is having problems with Othello. At the same time, Emilia did pick up the handkerchief for her husband, Iago. She also stays quiet about her brief possession of the handkerchief, possibly to keep Iago out of the fire.


JOURNAL 3

Originally from Africa, Othello’s history and skin color set him apart from the rest of the Venetians in Othello. He was separated at an early age from his family and home in northern Libya (near Tripoli) by a group of radical fighters opposed to the Ottoman conquest of the area. He stayed, unwillingly, with that group for several years. Eventually he was sold into slavery, due to the radical group’s volatile nature. When Othello was a teenager he found himself close enough to the coast to take a ship to Italy - where he eventually won for himself a position in the military. He managed to survive and even prosper under such conditions.  His good name and relatively high standing in the military are even bigger achievements when the prejudices against him are taken into account. The bias and prejudice Othello had to face, which surely involved misinformation about him, probably led to his staunch opposition to gossip (at least, until Iago came along). Because of his background and skin color he was not accepted by many people. This can be seen by characters referring to him as ‘The Moor’, instead of an actual name. Also, throughout the play Othello was referred to as valiant and  other such terms; his bravery possibly stemmed from his living through the horrors of his younger years.


JOURNAL 4

The prop for my character (Othello) is a foam sword. I picked a sword for several reasons: Othello is a general with combat experience, so it makes sense that he would stay armed; Othello seems very insecure due to the near constant discrimination against him, as well as his horrid beginnings- a sword is a symbol of power and masculinity. Keeping one by his side would both sooth his ego and let others know that he is the Bossman. For the reasons stated above, when Othello feels in charge and powerful, he is very cordial. When his vulnerabilities are not mollified in such a way, I think he becomes unstable.

Because Othello is so very insecure, when Iago begins lording the 'knowledge' that Desdemona may be sleeping around Othello hates not being in the know. And because Othello is unstable, when Iago dances around the issue it is possible that Othello would be on the edge of physically threatening Iago with the aforementioned sword. Other than that, my Othello would sound super-exasperated when talking with Desdemona (because she would be nagging him =[ ).

As a team, we worked out how our props would tie into the scene. This also relates to how we deliver our lines, so hopefully our dialogue will be well articulated.



JOURNAL 5

Why, why is this?

Think’st thou I’d make a life of jealousy,

To follow still the changes of the moon

With fresh suspicions? No, Iago,

I’ll see before I doubt, when I doubt, prove,

And on the proof there is no more but this:

Away at once with love or jealousy!


This line is important because it is a snapshot of Othello’s view on justice and insinuations. At this point in the play Othello has not yet become dependant on Iago’s ‘guidance’ and information. He is telling Iago to stop telling him love-gossip to make him jealous. This line is also important for its stark contrast from Othello’s next line, where he is telling Iago to bring him more information. It is also particularly important to our performance because it shows my Othello’s transition from violent anger to something calmer and more controlled. This change in emotion may be reason as to why Othello’s lines are somewhat contradictory; he was filled with (self-)righteous anger and so he insisted that he isn't swayed by gossip. But then, when his mind cleared a bit, he realized he was interested in what Iago was insinuated about Othello's wife, and decided to ask for more information. As such, I tried to deliver the first part of the line with as much power and vehemence as possible, and the second part like I was trying to cover up a tentative attitude (because Othello still loves appearing to be in control).    

My group's performance did go as expected; though Richard and I did put a lot more effort in to the class performance versus the practices. I'm super proud of my group, since we really pulled through to become comfortable with the shakespearean language. I'm also proud of myself for actually articulating with inflection and energy. It is usually very difficult for me to present in front of a whole class, so I see this as progress =]

Performing the play forced me to really flesh out the characters and analyze why they acted the way they did. When we just read Othello as a class, I didn't look much deeper at Othello's personality and past; this benchmark, with the journals included, made me figure out what the scenes would actually sound like. Also, just watching the entire class perform, I really figured out the plot of Othello. There were some parts that were a bit spotty when I just read the lines in the book.  



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Q4 Benchmark: Othello Journals

Posted by Dylan Long in English 2 - Pahomov on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 10:53 pm

Dylan Long
English Journals


English Journal #1

The entire time, Iago is speaking to both Desdemona and Cassio. His soliloquy will be cut off by Desdemona.

IAGO

"She that was ever fair and never proud,

Had tongue at will and yet was never loud,

Never lacked gold and yet went never gay,

Fled from her wish and yet said “Now I may,”

She that being angered, her revenge being nigh,

Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly,

She that in wisdom never was so frail

To change the cod’s head for the salmon’s tail,

She that could think and ne'er disclose her mind,

See suitors following and not look behind,

She was a wight, if ever such wights were—"

I believe him to be speaking in a smooth and passionate voice, with possible slight hand gestures. He is also speaking towards the audience, so his body would be half facing the audience and half facing the two other characters. On stage, an actor can  never have his back turned to the audience because then the audience both cannot see his expression or gestures, but more importantly can't hear them. Iago could possibly be slowly walking about the stage while he describes to Desdemona the woman he would praise. During this soliloquy, he does not change emotion or mood, he sticks to his suave tone. He might gaze up to the sky or do something deep because he is talking very passionately. When Desdemona cuts him off (in the context), he will turn to face directly her to hear what she is saying.


English Journal #2


In Act II, Scene I. Cassio gets rather flirty and hands on with Desdemona.

In Act II, Scene III. Cassio gets in a brawl with Montano and stabs him.

Cassio observes first hand that everything is alright. He is not confronted about flirting with Desdemona, and he can't even think straight when he's extremely drunk and fighting Montano. However, after the brawl, he becomes deeply ashamed because he loses his lieutenancy.

Up until the brawl, Cassio observes that he is apparently doing a good job being Othello's lieutenant, as he is still receiving praise from him. Iago either doesn't talk to him or lies to him so that he doesn't blow him plan. Cassio also observes a lack of being told to stop flirting with Desdemona, so he continues to do so. Iago does notices it, but does not tell him. This is because he can use it against Cassio as part of his plan.

I think in Cassio's instance, we can see that he honestly is inexperienced and a little oblivious to his surroundings in general. Sure, all the characters are being either sneaky or non-confrontational, but he is making very bold mistakes. His motivation is geared towards being a good lieutenant but we can better understand that he is too immature and foolish to be a good lieutenant.


English Journal #3


Michael Cassio was the protege of a famous war veteran named Armin Van Buuren. Armin had won many battles all throughout Venice during his adulthood, and Venice needed a new powerhouse war soldier. Armin spotted Michael on the streets of Venice and had the gut feeling that he would make an amazing soldier. He took Michael under his wing and taught him everything that a soldier needed to know. Michael was then released into the streets of Venice being a freelancing lieutenant. Othello spotted Michael and had the same gut feeling that Armin first had about Michael. Othello took Michael under his wing just like Armin did and Michael became his lieutenant. However, as the years passed with Michael being Othello's lieutenant, Michael became cocky and began to try less and less. He still remained a high-ranked lieutenant, but he eventually lost all of his experience and skills and became an inexperienced lieutenant. This is how he starts out in the play, and this is why.



English Journal #4


For Cassio, I am going to try to do some things the entire time, and other at only certain times. For the entire duration of my scene, I want to try to use not a full on british accent, but I want to use an accent other than my normal accent. I want to make myself into an actual character, so I want to use a different voice. I also want to not slouch and sit there and do nothing. I am a lieutenant so I will stand straight and stand tall.

I am going to be wielding either small pieces of armor or a dagger.


Our group is going to stand out from the others in terms of level of intensity. There is a very intense fight scene between Roderigo and I, and it will be stunning and captivating throughout. In addition, we are going to own our characters and make sure that the audience can't get enough of us.


English Journal #5


"You rogue! you rascal! A knave teach me my duty! I'll beat the knave into a twiggen bottle!" {Striking Roderigo}. This line (and sequence if you may) is important to the play. Specifically, it is key to the development of Iago's plan to gain revenge on Othello. Before this line, Iago sends Roderigo charging at a drunk Michael Cassio, causing them to get into a very intimate altercation. This is important to the play because with Cassio being the instrument of revenge against Othello, Iago sets Cassio up to be frowned upon by everybody, to be mistrusted. Othello is the one who handpicked Cassio, and by making Cassio look like a fool, he is also making Othello's judgement look very flawed. This is just another piece of the puzzle in Iago's plan. This line is important, and the importance was shown in how I delivered it. I made Cassio extremely intoxicated and extremely aggressive, so that I could make sure he would be frowned upon.


Our group's performance went exactly as we had rehearsed it. I am very proud of how we delivered our lines, stayed in character the entire time, and how structured and prepared our entire scene was. Personally, if I were to do something different, I would choose to have brought in a more obvious prop. I don't think many people saw my fake dagger.


Performing the play helped me understand more in-depth of Iago's individual sections of his plan, and how they came together. Specifically, in my scene, acting it out helped me realize what was going on, the alibis, and motives behind everything. When you experience something first hand, it makes everything much more clear.


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Bundy, Kenyatta- Othello Benchmark Journals

Posted by Kenyatta Bundy in English 2 - Pahomov on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 4:44 pm

Kenyatta Bundy Jr 

Benchmark Journal #1 

"Now will I question Cassio of Bianca,

A huswife that by selling her desires

Buys herself bread and clothes. It is a creature

That dotes on Cassio, as ’tis the strumpet’s plague

To beguile many and be beguiled by one.

He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain

From the excess of laughter. Here he comes.

                                                        Enter Casio

As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad.

And his unbookish jealousy must construe

Poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behavior

Quite in the wrong. —How do you now, lieutenant?"

 

During this section, Iago talks to the audience, as well as at one point to Cassio. These are 2 completely different audiences, and would need to talk differently and face totally different places in order to show exactly who it is that he's directing that part of the soliloquy. From "Now I will question Cassio", to "Poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behavior Quite in the wrong" he should be facing the audience, and talking in a way in which he does not want everyone else to hear, especially considering the fact that Cassio is walking over to him and he would not want him to hear. After the final part, he would turn his body towards the incoming Cassio, and talk to him directly, in a normal tone in order to not only be heard, but to make sure that everything seems completely normal and casual. 

 

 

Benchmark Journal #2 

Brabantio: 

An important scene in which he occurs in is the first act, scene 1, in which Iago and Roderigo "inform" Brabantio of Desdemona's departure, and eloping with Othello, aka the Moor. Another scene in which Brabantio is in is Act 1, Scene 2. In this scene Brabantio talks to, and accuses Othello of putting a spell on Desdemona. 

 

First Hand Observations: During Scene 1, Brabantio sees Iago, and Roderigo telling him how his daughter ran away with the Moor. At this time it seems as though Iago and Roderigo are "doing the right thing" for him, and his daughter. They seem to be doing him a favor. During Scene 2, Brabantio witnesses Othello defending himself, and at this point Brabantio believes Iago and Roderigo over anything, and is not willing to listen to Othello. Brabantio is getting 2 different stories, and believes that Othello actually put a spell on Desdemona in order to make her fall in love with him. 

Second Hand Observations: During Scene 1, Iago and Roderigo tell Brabantio that his daughter has ran away with a black man, known as the Moor. They are telling him that he has "lost his soul", and has been disrespected as well as dishonored by his daughter, who ran away to get married. During Scene 2, Othello tells Brabantio that he loves, and really cares for Desdemona, and yes that they are indeed married, but he only put the simple spell of dramatic love on Desdemona, which isn't actually a spell. 

 

Understanding Character's Motivation: The way that we could understand the character's motivations better when we concentrate only on their scenes is, focusing only on their scenes allows us to understand exactly what it is that they themselves were thinking, as well as the different things that would cause them to think this way. Normally we read the entire story, and think about everything that is going on, and often do not understand why they may do the things that they do, not thinking about the fact that they do not know all of the things that are going on around them, unlike we do. 

 

 

Benchmark Journal #3

 

Emilia: 

When Emilia was young she never had very many friends. She was an only child, of a somewhat poor family, with a maid mother, and a lumberjack father. Over her childhood she was pretty happy, and somewhat of a normal child, that is until the day that changed it all. When she was 13 years old she walked home alone one day, due to the strange occurrence of her mother not showing up at her school to pick her up. But Emilia had memorized her way from the school to her house so she walked home without much of a problem. Once she got home though she quickly realized why it was that her mother did not come and pick her up. When she got back she found her father standing over her mother's dead body, having murdered her. From this point on she no longer truly trusted any man that is until she met "honest Iago". He made her feel like things could be different, and that not all men were completely terrible. She reached a true peak of happiness when she met the fair, and beautiful, Desdemona. Immediately upon meeting her she was infatuated by her beauty, not aware of the fact that this infatuation came solely from Desdemona's resemblance to Emilia's mother. 

 

 

Benchmark Journal #4

It took a while to develop my character, and separating her from myself, especially considering I'm a guy, playing a girl. When it comes to my tone of voice when I go to play her, I understand that I do not need to try to actually sound like a girl, I just need to act as if I am traumatized after finding my mistress murdered by her husband. Their are a few different movements that I will do, such as moving my arms while talking, but this will simply be due to the fact that it's what I naturally do while talking, and it is also what I see a lot of other people doing; especially females; do while they are angry. 

When it came to expressing this anger and pure emotion with props, I personally am not taking the same approach to props as some other groups are. Especially not like the other groups with guys who are playing girls, who have decided to stuff their shirts. I personally plan on wearing a bandana, and an apron. This is due to the fact that my character, Emilia, is basically somewhat of a maid, so the apron is obvious, and the bandana is their to somewhat symbolize the strength she exudes throughout the play, especially during my scene when confronting Othello. With that said, there are a few things that I believe, will make my group’s presentation stand out from the others. The main thing being my energy once I begin to play my role. Another thing that will make my group standout is the simple fact that we have a female playing a male role, and a male playing a female. This is completely opposite and will make ours different than every other group, besides the one other group who is also set up like this. Something that we have agreed on as a group for our scene is the simple movement around the "stage", as well as the set up of our bodies for the most climatic part of our scene. 

 

 

Benchmark Post-Performance Journal

 

            The entire Gold stream production of Othello is finally over, and I personally am proud of the entire class, especially the lonely group of Nia and I. Our scene; in which Emilia discovers Desdemona murdered, and Othello having killed her; is one of the most dramatic, and important scenes in the play. There are many lines, that come from Othello, as well as Emilia, that are of importance to the play, but the one that stands out the most to me is; “ If he say so, may his pernicious soul rot half a grain a day! He lies to the heart: she was too fond of her most filthy bargain.” This line is said by Emilia and has more importance than it actually seems. At this point in the play, Emilia has just realized that Iago is responsible for the entire murdering of Desdemona as well as his overall sociopathic ways throughout this time frame. At this point she knows that her own husband had used her, and she cannot take it. This is also the point in which Othello knows for sure that Desdemona did not actually cheat on him, and his only reaction is to pull out his sword on a woman, and threaten to kill her as well. This simple line has much deeper meaning than the text would imply. During my performance, I personally portrayed this in an angry manner as well as with disgust. This line, as well as my group’s entire scene, went exactly as we planned overall. Although there were very few mistakes that we came across, we pushed through, and gave an overall amazing performance, and I am very proud of us. The only thing that I could say I would have done differently is simply trying harder to memorize our lines, simply so that our papers would not have been in the way, and we would have been able to express ourselves better. This entire process allowed for me to truly dive into the play, and understand things in it, that I may not have understood the first time reading it. Like some of the things that were said in the Shakespearean language, I did not completely understand the line; “Cassio did top her; ask thy husband else. O, I were damn’d beneath all depth in hell, but that I did proceed upon just grounds to this extremity. Thy husband knew it all.” Said by Othello during our scene, but after rehearsing it, and listening, and paying attention to the context around that line, I was able to understand what was being said throughout that line, and how it related to everything else in the scene. In this quote Othello is saying, that Iago knew everything that was going on, and it was his Iago’s fault that everything happened with Desdemona, and that he did it because he believed he was justified. This overall experience was amazing for me, and I was happy to be able to be a part of this entire process. 

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Double Cultured, or just Double Trouble?

Posted by Jamira Carter in English 2 - Pahomov on Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 12:44 pm

 Growing up is never the easiest for anyone, especially if you're different. Kids are unintentionally cruel. Imagine coming from another country, not knowing anything about its culture. Well , here with me now is Richard Yoeun, who moved to America with his parents when he was only 2. He had a few years before school started to learn english, but his parents did not teach it to him that well. They still wanted their native culture to stick to their son. When school started for him, things were more difficult than he expected. This is Richards story on belonging to one culture, but having to fit into a new culture as well.

 

Originally from Cambodia, Richard immigrated to The United States at the age of two with his parents, who wanted a better life. A few years went by, and his family was doing pretty good for an newly immigrated family, at least financially. Socially, his family was an outcast. "They couldn't speak very good english, so they couldn't even teach me", he said.  Time went by and next thing you know, Richard had to go to school. He still knew very little english, so he had to learn in school ,when all the other kids already knew it. Just like his family, he was an outcast, and had to steadily learn the American Culture while keeping his Cambodian culture. to 


As Richard continued to learn the American culture, he surpassed his parents' "American culture knowledge". He began teaching them everything he learned, yet he still wasn't as fluent in the language as he could be.  As he entered middle school, he was bullied for not being "normal" , whatever that is . He couldn't say each and every word like the rest of the kids could. Kids aren't used to variety, so being different could lead to bullying. He wasn't able to even practice english at home unless he was teaching his parents. He was in a "No English" household. Just because he was learning one culture didn't mean he could forget the other and his parents made sure that he didn't.  He home was a traditional Cambodian home, where he would speak Khmer, not english. And through all of this, he was still bullied for years in middle school although he was trying his hardest to fit in.


Has Richard's constant years of struggling with two cultures put him to same of one of them? or maybe even both?


"I love having two cultures," Richard says, " It makes me different." Instead of trying to fit in now, he's embraced it. He's at his expected level of english and khmer as well. He still continues to live in a "No English" household and keeps both of his cultures close to him.


Being double cultured has its ups and downs. Adjusting to new cultures can be difficult. Home, school, being social. These are all adaptations that take time to get used to. Richard's struggle was in school and although he was given hell for having two cultures, he is not ashamed of it. He's 16 now , so he doesn't have to deal with immature kids teasing him because he is Cambodian. Older and slightly wiser , he accepts both of his cultures and wishes to continue to pass both down to his children .

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Education VS Economics- A choice no parent should be forced to make.

Posted by Bailey Collins in English 2 - Pahomov on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 7:49 pm

We discussed some differences between public and private education, and the challenges of trying to cross this boundary when one is surrounded by peers from different backgrounds, and trying to find a home among them. A set of twins who had to cross the judgmental line of cultural wealth interfering in educations and relationships. They’ve had the same experiences until the transition to colleges where they finally branched away.

We will be discussing the transitions and coping methods it takes to be subjected into a culture of education that is focused upon religion and riches. Two topics that this family has always struggled with.  

My brothers Asa and Tucker are identical and fraternal twins. They are now 19 years old and they are freshmen in college, the first school they’ve ever been apart from. Tucker attends Georgetown University for a biochemistry major. Asa currently attends Virginia Commonwealth University for computer engineering. They went through elementary and middle school in every class together, then to a private high school in Philadelphia. They were given full scholarships to Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School. Here they were set into a very religious brotherhood community, boundaries more focused on the practice of religion rather than the focus on financial complications that needed to be crossed for success.

When I asked my siblings about their experience with the initial change into a private school, they explained their feelings about how it may have been more work than they had been used to, but this community was so closely knit that they hardly noticed it. The educational boundary that seems to frequently interfere with financial issues was also apart of my own childhood.

At the same year that my siblings had to move into a private school, I had done the same. I attended William Penn Charter School for my sixth grade year. This was an extremely difficult change to bear. I had only recently lost my mother to cancer and starting at a new school made life much more difficult. The work was incredibly more challenging than I had ever had to experience before. I cried every night, but still stayed awake doing homework until two a.m. I had transferred from a public school just two days into the school year. The principal of my middle school had to persuade another girl to take me around for a few days since we had all the same classes. This girl was my opposite.

I knew from a glance at the school that I wouldn’t fit in. My family has always had to be really careful with money. None of the other students I saw in the grade could possibly be on a scholarship like I was. This school didn’t first focus on intelligence. They focused on a bank account. Not one that I could try to compare with. 

Lucky for my siblings, they’ve always been smarter than the rest of us. Saint Joseph’s has a very specific dress code of a suit and tie. Every young boy there must have their hair cut above the shoulders, shaved facial hair. Making them each look the same. With no room for judgement on appearance. 

I asked the question of whether Asa or Tucker had ever hoped they were more rich just to fit in with students at the school, with a modest answer, they each said that it hadn’t crossed their minds. They have the intelligence of the richest man in the world, so this didn’t change their experience in high school.

After getting over the basics about their experiences with transitioning into private high school, I changed the questions for college. Tucker, going to school at Georgetown, a very prestigious Ivy league school, spoke about the financial and educational ties. Georgetown is an extremely expensive school to go to. He has been blessed with a great amount of scholarship, grant, and financial aid money. Asa has also. Tucker’s current cost for each semester is a mere $700. Georgetown is very much still focused on the financial issues of their students. Regardless of the amount of money they make as an institution, most of their profit is given to financial aid to help under privileged, extremely intelligent students, get the greater education they deserve.

The educational and economical boundary that has been crossed by these boys has changed the type of man they’ve begun growing up to be. They know what it is to lose their mother, and adapt to a new world where they believe they will be invisible and forgotten no matter the brains. These boys have been through more than many adults have, and they still have been able to make their family proud, and keep their faith. We have all known the burdens of keeping secrets to fit in, some are blurted out because the truth is too painfully obvious, some are dug deep, to hide from cruelty. This judgement could just be all in our heads though.

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ENG2-010

Term
2012-13

Teacher

  • Larissa Pahomov
Science Leadership Academy @ Center City · Location: 1482 Green St · Shipping: 550 N. Broad St Suite 202 · Philadelphia, PA 19130 · (215) 400-7830 (phone)
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