Poetry

1. How confident am I in analysing poetry?
I'm quite confident in analysing poems, but sometimes I find it difficult to find evidence or reasons to explain my points.

2. Do I feel like I can confidently identify the various poetic devices?
Yes, I do. No problem.

3. What have we done that I found useful?
Well, I really liked the Ultimate Poetry Challenge in which we had to create our own poems. It really helped me with understanding how poems are created and how the various poetic devices can be used to create a certain feeling or tone in the poem. It made me realise how poets carefully make the poems and edit them to make them as good as possible. I also liked that we had to analyse our classmate's poem to increase our understanding of interpretation of poems and how that might differ from the poet's intention.

4. Anything I'm not confident with?
Like I said (typed, wrote, whatever) I find it difficult to back up my points on poetry. I feel like one quote is not enough evidence and sometimes I feel like I can't find the evidence in the poem for the point I'm trying to make.

Poetry

The End

So. I finished reading the play. I'm glad Cassio is still alive 'cause he really didn't deserve to die. I think that Iago got caught too quickly - like there was no time to put in a chasing/fighting scene between him and Othello. Now. Othello... He really started to annoy me at the end. Poor Desdemona didn't even know why he killed her. And strangling isn't an easy way to die. It's better to put a sword in someone's heart. That'd be quicker. My Goddess, she died then just as Emelia came into the room and called Othello a murderer she un-died and said "Oh, by the way, I only killed myself, he had nothing to do with it." "Todaloo!" Then Iago kills his wife and she dies singing a song next to Desdemona. So dramatic. Othello kills himself which is kind of stupid because I would've killed Iago first and then killed myself if I were him. The end basically left me kind of annoyed and frustrated. 

The Play up till Act 2

Opinions on the main characters
Othello:
At first it seems like Othello is this peaceful guy, he's good with words, looks and acts very calm. But as we read further there is this side of him that has a very nasty temper and doesn't blink twice after banning Cassio. He trusts Iago with all his life and we know that it is a very, very bad thing to do.

Iago:
I must say, in the beginning I really, really hated the guy. I thought he was a coward and very two-faced. I found him so annoying, using Roderigo to do his dirty work. But as we got to Act 2, I still hated his guts more and more, but I really liked him as well. He is an awesome character; the way he uses his language to wind other characters up and the way he manipulates people is really amazing.

Cassio:
I'm not sure what exactly my opinion is of Cassio. I mean, I know that the only thing he wants is to do good in his Lord's eyes, but that reputation is everything to him. I know that because of his drunken state he got into a fight with Montano and that he lost all of his reputation because of this. I also know that Othello bans him without a second thought which really wrecks Cassio. This leads him to fall under the spell of Iago. I'm not really sure what to think about Michael Cassio.

Desdemona:
Desdemona is, in my opinion, very innocent. She loves Othello a lot, and shows that as well.

Roderigo:
Well... Roderigo is stupid and easily led. He doesn't know any better and just does what ever Iago tells him to do. He is the main puppet in Iago's puppet show. He really does Iago's dirty work.

2. Storyline.
I find the play Othello becoming more interesting by the scene, the way the web of lies and the amount of deceiving that happens in Othello intrigues me a lot. I keep wondering what Iago is going to do next, and how he is going to do it. I also think about how Othello will fall for Iago's traps. 

Initial Learning

1. I really like the way you teach. It's fun, and you learn a lot. I especially love acting out the play. That way I feel like I really understand the play. I like the way that you aren't scared of anyone's opinion because of your 'ego' and that you just say whatever you say. It's really refreshing.

2. Like I said, I really like the way you teach. As long as it is fun and I'm learning at least something, it's fine.