The Handmaid's Tale

Read the book in its entirety here.
Or here.

Indivualism Versus Collectivism

Individualism (n.)

1. the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant.
2. a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.

Collectivism (n.)

1. the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it.

Read "Of Me I Sing: Americans Construct An Opt-Out Society," an article from NPR that briefly explores the on-going conflict between individualism and collectivism currently occuring in American society.

What are your thoughts?

Leave a comment on this post by midnight, Wednesday, April 2nd.

Be thoughtful and original!

The Head Versus the Heart

The unassuming man pictured above is legendary literary critic and Yale University professor, Harold Bloom. In the 20th century, this man has played a significant role in determining what is "literature" and what is not. In simplest terms, literature refers to works of writing that are well-constructed, timeless, and universal.

Back to Harold. This man has written volumes on William Shakespeare. One of his most interesting contributions to the on-going analysis and criticism of Shakespeare  is the following book:

The book is based around a rather radical idea. The following is a brief excerpt from the Amazon.com summary:

At the same time, Bloom presents one of the boldest theses of Shakespearean scholarships: that Shakespeare not only invented the English language, but also created human nature as we know it today.

The following is one of Mr. Costal's favorite questions.

Does art imitate life or does life imitate art?

Bloom subscribes to the latter perspective.

Here's How I Celebrated St. Patty's Day...

Patterson understands Pathos.

Julius Caesar

Full Text:

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/julius_caesar/full.html

"For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech, To stir men's blood"

Caesar was told, "Beware the Ides of March." Currently, our nation's leader is anxiously anticipating March 31st: the deadline for enrollment in the Affordable Care Act. The Obama administration hopes to have 6 million Americans enrolled prior to this date, and preferrably, 6 million young Americans. Currently, approximately 4.2 million Americans are enrolled--it's crunch time.

Let's read a bit about this deadline:
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/03/affordable_care_act_enrollment.html

Now, as you most likely know, President Obama recently appeared on the Funny or Die program, "Between Two Ferns," hosted by Zach Galifianakis of Hangover fame. Let's watch the interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnW3xkHxIEQ

Now, what is the President's purpose in doing this interview? 
Is this the type of video that will appeal primarily to a younger demographic? 
Is President Obama in any way similar to Mark Antony? 
Is there an ironic gap between his public persona and his actual political agenda?

How many ages hence

Shall this our lofty scene be acted over

In states unborn and accents yet unknown!

Let's discuss.  

The Inherent Irony of Antony's Speaking Persona

     It [the body of Caesar] is, indeed, now a religious relic that is being displayed to call for its own intensity of responding feeling. The response comes in broken exclamations, which stand out against the wonderfully facile flow of what has gone before , and leads finally to the sinister call for death and revenge: "Revenge! About! Sack! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay!" To the last Antony follows his method of inciting his hearers by disclaiming the very ends he has in mind. He begs them not to be stirred up to "such a sudden flow of mutiny." Caesar's assassins are beyond understanding of one who is, like those who hear him, "a plain blunt man,"
    That love my friend: and that they know full well
    That gave me public leave to speak of him. [III. ii.]
It is essential to the irony which prevails at this point that this, in part, is precisely what Antony is: though it is equally true that the conscious orator in him, in asserting this "plainness," is using it for calculated ends. His self-assumed part is that of one who has
          neither, wit, not words, nor worth,
      Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
      To stir men's blood, [III. ii.]


The aforementioned excerpt is from the essay, "A Clash of Aims: The Use and Abuse of Oratory by Brutus and Antony," by noted literary critic, Derek Traversi. What follows is the proper MLA citation for the book in which the essay appears:

Traversi, Derek. "A Clash of Aims: The Use and Abuse of Oratory by Brutus and Antony." Readings on Julius Caesar. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. 131-137. Print.

To correctly cite the essay using MLA format, I checked Purdue University's Online Writing Lab. I searched for books, then found the sample for books containing multiple essays by multiple authors. Here is a link to the site: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/ Scroll down to the section titled,  "A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection" to see a sample citation.

I then used the following pages from the book to create the citation.

Now, to cite a quote or idea from the excerpt from the essay, you can simply mention the author and the essay by title. This is called an in-text citation (It is very necessary).

You can either mention the author and the essay:

• In his essay, "A Clash of Aims: The Use and Abuse of Oratory by Brutus and Antony," literary critic Derek Traversi postulates... (136).

Or you can simple include a parenthetical citation:

• Mark Antony adopts an ironic speaking persona (Traversi 136).

In this case, I feel that the first example is less awkward; plus, the mention of a published literary critic lends academic merit to your analysis.

***

Here's what I'd like you all to do:

• Read the excerpt.
• Analyze the irony of Antony's speaking persona--what's ironic about Antony's funeral oration?
• Support your analysis with a quote from the essay (a proper in-text citation is required), and at least 2 quotes from the play itself (see p. 650-653); do not use any play quotes from the essay excerpt.