There has never been a book that I enjoyed more! Margaret Atwood did such a wonderful job at portraying this dark society filled with lots of sadness. I never thought that a book would scare me so much because it could one day be real. We have so much uncertainty facing our nation and people do not realize that women having their rights will always be an issue. The next president that we choose, will be one step closer to determining our future. We can be either one step closer to what Gilead is or one step closer to having more equal rights with men. Two main things that stuck out to me while reading was the Commander’s role and Offred’s back story. The Handmaid’s Tale was an incredibly moving story that delved so deep into what can happen to women. Truly such a great book and the television show is so exceptional!! 

How the Commanders acted in this book was actually disgusting. They are an actual representation of the kind of men we still see today. Ones that judge women so boldly yet still participate in bad things that involve women. You guys know what I’m talking about. It is amazing how these houses were really under the full command of a man. I mean, what makes these Commanders so great anyway? Offred said her Commander was ugly so I am just assuming that all of them are. I trust Offred, but the Commanders? Definitely not. They can run a whole house and tell them how to act but still go to a sex club at night. Now that is something crazy. I do applaud Atwood for making me hate a character with all of my heart for the first time ever. A quote like “I wait, washed, brushed, fed, like a prize pig” (Atwood 69) shows how the Commanders wanted the Handmaids to look like. How can they want them to look so clean and pure when they are so dirty, metaphorically and literally. 

The last thing that really grabbed my attention was Offred’s backstory. It made me incredibly sad when she remembers all of the details of her trying to escape. She only wanted to be with her family because that is where love was present. Her family is what made her felt like home. The reason that this struck me so hard was mainly because in the United States, there are so many families that are torn apart. Mexican families, Arabic families are torn apart because our country does not allow illegal aliens in our country. I call it a racism thing as many other people do. I do feel for Offred but only to a certain extent because she is white. Before things went south, I am sure her life was privileged compared to people of a different race and skin color. Evidence like “She isn’t here now, and I start to wonder where she is” (Atwood 12), conveys the deep sadness she feels for not having her daughter by her side. It makes me feel nothing, but heartache for her and the thousands of moms that face the same heartache in our world today. 

Work Cited 

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Anchor Books, a Division of Penguin Random  House

LLC, 2017.

Mr. Oscar Wilde’s amazing comedic play for serious people really had me laughing. I have never had this much fun while reading a play, even though it was not in the ideal circumstances of reading it all together in class. Before delving into The Importance of Being Earnest, I took this time to look into the kind of person that Wilde was. He was actually a really cool dude that wanted to live his life in a different way than everyone else in his time. The main two things that stuck out to me while reading the play was how they both failed to be truthful is the whole reason behind why the play is titled The Importance of Being Earnest. Personally, I really wish I could go back in time and just see what people’s reactions were to his play that seems almost modern to me. One of the characters, Jack, did not really see the point in getting married because why should he have too? I thought it was very funny how both of these men were lying and were going to follow through with their secrets if it had not been unraveled. 

When I heard that this was going to be a comedic play, I did not fully believe that it was actually going to be funny. Lots of irony and things that I read had me laughing. Maybe not laughing out loud, but it was a pretty good laugh. It made me chuckle. I found it to be very interesting that both of the men failed to be truthful. Jack and Algernon both had their own inner battles with why they were pretending to be someone else. Evidence like, “Well, my name is Ernest in town and Jack in the country” (Wilde 52) displays the exact moment when he lies and reveals it was for the purpose of being able to fluctuate between home life and country life. Both of these characters had their own reasons for lying. At the end of the day, they failed to be earnest. 

The whole reason behind why the play is titled The Importance of Being Earnest is incredibly fascinating to me. I really wonder what was going through Wilde’s mind when he named this play what he did. Jack and Algernon failed to be truthful and realized what mess it can cause. It is a highly important factor to be truthful and ultimately earnest with people whom you share a connection with. There is nothing too difficult in understanding why he titled the play The Importance of Being Earnest. Evidence like “On the contrary, Aunt Augusta, I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest” (Wilde 147) brings together the entirety of the realization to be earnest. In many other aspects of my life, I can detect when and why it is important to tell the truth. Not telling the truth can cause messy situations and end up making things worse unless of course you are Jack and Algernon, then everything turns out alright.. 

Work Cited 

Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People (NewMermaids)

Edited by Russell Jackson, A & C Black Publishers Ltd, 2004.

Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is definitely not what I had pictured in my mind. First of all, when I heard the name Frankenstein, I thought that was the monster itself. Knowing that we have read the entire novel, I understand who is who! I think it is pretty amazing how many people do not actually know that Frankenstein is the creator of the monster and not the actual monster. I still find it to be very weird that the author did not give him a name. His name is just a monster or the creature and it makes me feel baffled. Was he really not that worthy of receiving a name? There were two main things that stuck out to me about the novel; how the author did not give the monster a name and how misunderstood he was. The book was definitely one of the most interesting pieces I have ever read only because the element of creating a man out of other human parts is so out of the ordinary. At least I hope doing something like that is out of the ordinary. Something else I would like to point out was the little bit of the film that we did see made me just a tad scared. I definitely prefer the novel over the film!

I found it incredibly interesting how Shelly did not give the monster a name. Usually when anything is born rather it be a human, dog, cat, or even a mouse, we give them a name. I also once heard that once you give a pet or animal a name, it sets up an unexplainable connection and forms a bond that is unbreakable. It is almost as if the creature was born into the world without ever having a chance to form a bond with anyone because no one named him. The novel  points out the creature not having a name in this quote that reads “Devil, I exclaimed, do you dare approach me?” (Shelly 77), making further aware how little significance he has by calling him the devil. It is extremely sad how he was called such terrible names and was never given the chance to build a connection with someone. Perhaps because the creature was never given an actual name. I believe even though he looked really ugly, a name would have given him more of a chance at finding a better life. 

The other thing that stood out to me throughout the novel was how misunderstood the creature was. It also made me really angry! Humanity itself is so based on look and appearances. Many of us today base looks on how we treat others and that is exactly what the monster had to go through. Only difference was that it was really worse for him because he was born a gigantic man and then abandoned. He was really big and had some physical defaults but if people just listened to what he had to say, his life would have taken a different turn. An example of the creature being misunderstood is “Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.”(Shelly 77), and conveys once again the creature just wants a happy life like everyone else. An incredibly misunderstood man that I just want to give a great big hug to, because he needs and deserves one. My heart goes out to you, monster. 

Work Cited 

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus. Wordsworth Editions

Limited, 2016.

The escalation of wanting to read a book with love in it is truly astounding. Finally, my time has come and boy did Pride and Prejudice satisfy my needs! The most interesting thing above all was the time this story was set in; it had such an impact on how the characters acted. That also had an impact on leading me to think how many of the characters acted like children. Another thing that grabbed my attention and had me praising the book was Elizabeth Bennett! She is an incredibly strong woman that was never shy about what or who she wanted in her life. I sincerely think she is an inspiration to all women who maybe do not have a voice like she did, especially in a time when voices like hers were forced to be silenced. Sure this book’s main theme is how prideful and prejudice can have an impact on individuals and love, but what I find even more interesting is how Jane Austen gave these characters such strong personalities. Surely, Jane Austen was just as strong and she made her characters and character, Elizabeth that strong too. 

In any book that I have read, it is always the time in which the story is set in that fascinates me. It almost always has a grave impact or at least has something to do with characters and how they act. Due to the fact of the time these characters were living in, there was so much pressure surrounding them! Many things were forced upon them like getting married to someone within their class which was a must. This opening line of the book, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1), proves how important marriage was to every single individual. It is really mind boggling just to think how every rich man had to want a wife. I assume in this time it would be really bizarre if a wealthy man did not want to be married. These were fascinating times with even more fascinating rules and regulations that still resonate with today’s times as well. 

Elizabeth Bennet is one of the best characters in the entire world. Her strong mentality, force, and will power gives me inspiration. Her character lived in a deeply suppressed time when women’s voices were forced to be silenced. Did she silence her voice because others told her too? Certainly not! That is what inspires me so deeply about her. Characters like her, in my opinion, play a part in giving young women the strength to stand up for what they believe in today. Unlike the times Elizabeth was living in, we have more or less a place in the world for us. We can say no and men can say no know which is amazing. Elizabeth does not only stand for women empowerment, but men also not feeling the need to get married or date a woman. Sure Elizabeth could not really do whatever she wanted, but she just serves as a reminder of all of the amazing things we can do today.

Work cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Vintage Books, 2007.

Othello was such a messy play filled with so much drama! While reading, it seemed almost like a Spanish soap opera because of the jealousy and lying that was imbedded into the play. I thought it was almost funny how much one person can twist up a story into so many different ways and destroy multiple lives, and in this story’s case, death. Two things stuck out to me while reading Othello, that was the amount of jealousy men withheld and how morally evil someone can be. I am very positive that a play like this one can be related to many relationships today because a partner or spouse will always have a bit of jealousy. As well as everywhere you look, there are bad people all around us who morally are not the best and do not make good decisions. It only took one man by the name of Iago to make up a lie so good that Othello fell into his trap and well everything got ruined. The thing that goes along well with telling lies, I do not think anyone has a result of a happy ending unless their very very good at being evil and spreading rumors. 

The jealousy that led Othello to go crazy was very evident and it was all caused by a single man. I think an emotion such as jealousy can really drive someone crazy because if they really love their significant other, of course they do not want some other person loving up on them. Othello felt very strongly about Desdemona and wanted her to be loyal to him and him only which is what every relationship wants I assume. Othello stating a simple line like “oh, blood, blood, blood!” (3.3.462), translates to how hurt and angry he felt about Cassio supposedly being intimate with Desdemona which was a lie! This powerful emotion over took the best of him when he probably should have been trusting his wife Desdemona instead of an unworthy liar. I think many relationships get ruined upon the false assumption of a lie or jealousy that is overpowering. I know for a fact if there was a rumor about someone hitting on my partner, I would absolutely be furious. However, I would most likely talk to my partner first and question if the accusation is true. The characters in Othello really went off and just started killing people which I presume is very understandable. 

    Iago was really not a good person for making up such a giant lie and even going as far as bringing an innocent person into his devious plan. People can be downright devious just for fun and ruining lives might be something they enjoy doing. In my opinion, if you want revenge on someone like how Iago wanted, do not go and make a giant web of lies and physically injure people while trying to accomplish your goal. I think in Shakespearean times, people could get away with a lot more than today because they did not have things like the internet or social media. Although we do not necessarily kill people today over jealousy, we use way more detrimental things like social media as a way of hurting someone. It is very interesting how ways of exposing someone can shift among decades and become more dangerous of how someone can get hurt. 

Work cited 

Shakespeare, William. No Fear Shakespeare: Othello. Edited by John Crowther, Spark, 2003.

First and foremost, many of the tales were very scandalous and interesting to read, like a Mexican soap opera. In “The Wife of Bath and her Tale,” I believe it gave men lots of freedom and control. It is almost as if many of the tales did end up with an ending that was a result of a man’s action. It does make sense how the males had so much control over every occurrence that happened in this time because well, men have been basically ruling the world since the beginning of time. It was very fascinating to see how men having control over what happens in a story can relate to today’s current political climate. I can easily go on forever discussing poor male impaction, however, the two main points that grabbed my attention were how greatly males in the hierarchy or in general ruled and how the Wife of Bath viewed religion entwined with sex! Specifically, this tale out of the Canterbury Tales really grabbed my attention in various ways because of the multitude of topics there are discussed. There are not many stories that can be jam-packed with so much discuss without causing it to be messy. A definite win for The Canterbury Tales and most importantly The Wife of Bath. 

Throughout “The Wife of Bath and her Tale”, it became very clear that male figures and hierarchy ruled the social climate. In not the prologue but the actual tale, a young lusty knight decides to rape a woman. She was very beautiful and I assume he just could not help himself. It astounds me how greatly the opinions and judgments of men were valued at this time and even still today when so many of their actions were incredibly wrong. I am almost certain that many high political decisions that occur today and in general are ruled by either men or republicans because let’s be very honest, most closed-minded arrogant people are men who belong to the Republican party! Really think about this, occurrences of rape happen every single day or sexual assault and the men who commit these acts could very well be and have been people in power of our country. Even though they had very bad judgment, males ruled this time and created the outcome of almost all of these tales. The queen in this tale does give an option but who ultimately is left with his free will to choose?

The prologue of “The Wife of Bath and her Tale,” really gave me and I am sure other readers a surreal closer look into the backstory of the Wife of Bath. She was very great in the eyes of how she attempted to control certain aspects of her life like romantic relationships. The biggest topic of discussion that stood out to me was how she viewed religion and more specifically her female parts! I love how she stood up for herself and all women by basically saying, why should we not use what God gave us as freely as we want? I think it is incredible how a woman at this time had these thoughts, and also felt no shame in speaking them freely! A quote like “As a wife, I will use my instrument as freely as God gave it to me”, greatly represents how open she was about expressing her female instrument (Chaucer 155). In my opinion, it is really as if she is viewing God as a free pass into making her feel more comfortable for having so much sexual and desire with her husbands/ men in general. There really needs to be more females like the wife of bath who feel so comfortable expressing their sexuality and shake what God gave them!

Work cited

Chaucer, Geoffrey. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer: The New Modern English Prose Translation by R.M. Lumiansky; Preface by Mark Van Doren;Illustrations by H. Lawrence Hoffman. Translated by R. M. Lumiansky, Pocket

Books, 1971, pp. 153-176.

Guess what, Grendel is totally cool. John Gardner’s novel enlightened my mind to the deep mind of Grendel. This novel ability to incorporate zodiac astrology and portray Grendel’s deep thinking throughout this sort of journey of self-discovery is astounding. Only recently I have become intrigued in astrology and what it has to say about the many aspects of one’s life. Looking through this lens of astrology, I was then able to identify the different chapters and ultimately why Grendel or king Hrothgar acted a certain way. After reading Beowulf, I did not expect for Grendel to have such philosophical thoughts about the universe and ultimately who he is within the world. Gardener’s ability to accomplish multiple things while telling the story of Grendel was epic and in my opinion, way better than the epic poem of Beowulf. Not only did these two things stick out to me but on a side note, throughout reading this novel, I felt great empathy for Grendel and also may have related to him in some ways. 

Zodiac astrology was one of the most fascinating aspects that were portrayed throughout Grendel. I specifically like how every single chapter had a different zodiac sign and it seems as though the negative aspect of each sign was shown. Each sign has its strengths and weaknesses however, weaknesses were often shown. According to the novel, it was stated in the chapter of the bull “He shook his horns at me as if scornful” (Gardner 20). This line clearly represents the aggressive attitude that a Taurus possesses which is indeed true. Grendel was getting attacked by a Bull while he was stuck in a tree and even though the bull could not reach him, his determination was strong and resulted in him continuing to try. Determination is another strong trait of a Taurus that we also saw being displayed by the bull. I can attest to these traits being accurate because my father just so happens to be a Taurus. When he sets his mind to something like building a shelf or fixing a car, he absolutely does not let anything deter him and knows what has to be done. Personally, a Taurus is a good zodiac sign except for the aggressive attitude that I can not stand.    

Grendel’s level of deep thinking that was shown in Gardner’s novel was not expected because of how Beowulf seemed to downplay it. In Beowulf, Grendel seem as though he was this really dumb animal who knew nothing about anything and only lived to kill. In his sense that might have been true however in Gardner’s Grendel, he thinks so philosophically about every aspect of life and wishes to seek answers about where he belongs within the world. His intention of killing did not grow since his birth but it was a process for him to understand, that is what makes him happy and more apart of the world. The journey of Grendel seeking out answers and even finding some himself was apart of this philosophy he was seeking and ultimately the deepest part of himself. Beowulf painted one picture of how he is and Gardener painted a Picasso version of Grendel. I love the portrayal of him as something more than a thing with the hair. He does indeed have a mind of his own and boy is it powerful!

Work Cited

Gardner, John. Grendel. Vintage Books, 1989.

Oh arrogant, but brave Beowulf! An incredibly epic poem fitting for an epic man. Although this poem is not my usual read, it was an adventure to see how one man can tackle many battles while simultaneously overcoming great triumphs. In my opinion, it was greatly important to remember the era and time that this epic poem was based upon. The era impacted how I viewed many aspects of the poem and evidently, grabbed my attention. There are many things that stood out to me while reading, however, two main assets of this poem, in my opinion, were Beowulf’s confidence and the underwhelming effect women played. The epic poem of Beowulf provides in great detail how his confidence oftentimes came off as arrogant or greatly boastful and “Hullwebs History of Hull; Anglo Saxon Women” guided me into the deeper realm of how daily life was like for these women. It was incredible to see the many routes a single poem can influence and infer a variety of opinions to be expressed. 

Beowulf’s confidence can be led in multiple ways and be taken differently depending on the reader. Many people think his confidence comes off as strongly arrogant, which is true. However, it had a slightly different effect on me. He was very boastful and arrogant but I ultimately thought he had a reason to be and even boosted other people’s confidence level. A quote from the poem like “And Beowulf Their prince, who showed them the way to our shores, Is a mighty warrior, powerful and wise” (Raffel 18), portrays the number of confidence others inspired within him. It did only come from within, but undoubtedly what others spoke of him. There are people who do not like arrogance among others in which I am also not a fan of. However so, arrogance and boastfulness in this scenario instilled a more confident outlook within myself. If someone is confident or slightly arrogant because they have the action to show for it, why not feel ok expressing that?

Although it is not this poem’s fault because the blame solely relies on the unfortunate era, a downfall for me within this poem was the negative underrepresentation of women. Whenever there was a discussion of women, it was usually negative or speaking of them as objects. Of course, now it is the 21st century and the talk of women in that type of way would not be tolerated. It is very fascinating to see how certain eras treated women within cultures. It was common for females to be woving clothes and not concerning themselves with men’s duties like hunting or fighting battles. A quote from “Hullwebs History of Hull; Anglo Saxon Women reading” states such: “The word wif ‘wife, woman’ might be connected with weaving, which implies that cloth-making was associated with women,” reveals how the women were given specific roles and were very much confined in a metaphorical box. The day to day life of women in the Anglo Saxon era was not so glamorous and the portrayall of females in Beowulf was very much under represented. However, the overall outlook, in my opinion, came with greater positives and ultimately swayed its epic heroism upon me. A surely epic poem with an epic man and an even epic ending. 

Works Cited

Raffel, Burton, translator. Beowulf. Signet Classics, 2008.

Hullwebs History of Hull (Anglo Saxon Women)

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Beowulf was an epic poem that left me pondering the greatness of it all. An epic hero going on an epic journey was well… epic! I would like to think that although Beowulf was arrogant and rash, he had confidence to him that rubbed off on me ultimately for the better. The impact not only gave me a personal feeling of confidence but I was also able to draw an inference to widely known religion of Christianity. I admire the complexity and the well done job of bringing two different realms together in perfect harmony. Sources like Beowulf and The Journal of Medieval and early modern studies acted as the perfect guide in helping me analyze how Christianity was imbedded into this epic poem. The Anglo Saxon era and Christian people were highly emphasized in Beowulf. The fact that God was mentioned several times as being the reason for fighting or living made it very clear the point of views they possessed. It was enlightening yet questionable to analyze the Christian embedment throughout Beowulf. The main points that struck a chord within me was the violence and sexual references in which have high connections to the religion of Christianity. 

 Violence was certainly not a stranger in the epic poem of Beowulf and the Christian connections were not being hidden either. The ways in which violent situations were exposed to me as a reader often times came in battles with either men or some vicious monster. Regardless of whoever the opponent was in the poem, the main purpose always seemed clear and that was to please God. If anyone were to lose in battle or die it would be solely for the reason that it was God’s will. A quote from the novel reads “Surely the Lord Almighty Could stop his madness, smother his lust!”(Raffel 22), surely solidifies the deep Christian root to God through the firmness of their belief in him. If there was ever a doubt of losing a battle or an occurrence of a malicious act, people’s Christian minds would come alert and their instincts would be to think it was always because of God. 

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Sexual references were highly evident within this epic poem of Beowulf. However so evident, the sexual references were often times geared towards procreation and a male child being born. This poem solely focused on a male offspring if procreation was hinted because a male could then fight in battle or become some great king to then serve God! Of course what other reason for winning a battle or creating a male human than to ultimately please God and serve him. The Christian influences that can be depicted throughout Beowulf were impactful in my view of the poem. It is more than just an epic poem about an epic man named Beowulf but more so the ability of this story to bring two totally different realms together in solidarity.

Work Cited

Lees, Clare A. “Engendering Religious Desire: Sex, Knowledge, and Christian Identity in Anglo-Saxon England.” Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies.

Raffel, Burton. Beowulf. Signet Classics, 2016.

Love is utterly powerful and can do many things from building people up, to diminishing a person’s heart to ash. It is incredible of the extents that love can reach and exactly what it can do to someone. Every time I think about love, I automatically ponder the heartbreak that oftentimes falls behind it. Although there is a negative side to love like everything else in the world, there is absolutely so much more that makes love amazing. There are two realms that love can revolve around and in my opinion, they are either negative or positive. Anne Bradstreet’s “To My Dear and Loving Husband” and Pablo Neruda’s “Tonight I Can Write”, portray the very two different directions in which love can take us. While one piece guides us on a journey filled with heartbreak, the other engulfs us with the emotion of deep love. In my 16 years that I have been alive on earth, I understand what the power of love is able to do. Happiness, joy, laughter and fulfillment are just a few of the many things that revolve around love. On the other hand, it can also bring anger, sadness, despair, and so much pain that is wrapped in every single one of these terms. In my opinion, love is one of the very few words that has double meaning and can either be detrimental or very elemental.

I would like to first dive into the more negative side of how love can affect someone. Pablo Neruda’s “Tonight I Can Write”, discusses one’s deep feeling of heartbreak. Quotes like “I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too”(Neruda 1), reveals the emotional journey our main character is embarking on. For the purpose of this poem I have decided to assume that our author is a man writing about the sadness of this heartache. A bad argument? A word said in the wrong place and time? Something went wrong in this relationship although we do not know what that might be, as readers we know there was love present. Love was in their hearts at some point and in my opinion, our character loved her more than she loved him. I’ve come to this conclusion myself only because of how sincerely he recalls the moments with her, and the love that seems to linger deeply upon him. It is incredible to me how a relationship can be joyous and filled with love until something happens, then poof. I guess love will really always be a mystery.

Put your happy hats on folks, I am going to be discussing the happy type of love. Anne Bradstreet’s “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, portrays the good outcome that not always occurs in relationships. Our main character is obviously a woman who loves her husband incredibly. So many people never get even close to having a loving relationship while our couple in this story, could be considered inseparable. Phrases like “If ever two were one, then surely we”(Bradstreet 1), let’s the audience know the intensity of this relationship. Automatically, this poem made me understand how happy love can make someone and really connect two souls together. It can make a world of a difference for someone and completely alter their life. Love can be everlasting in certain situations and provide two people with happiness for as long as they live. In my opinion, this theme was my ultimate favorite because it made me realize how many ways  love can change things. It can end wars or start harmonious relationships, which one will you choose?

Word Count: 613

Works Cited

Bradstreet, Anne “To My Dear and Loving Husband”

Neruda, Pablo “Tonight I Can Write” 1924.