Journal 9

There are several examples of free will from the play Othello. The most prominent example of this is everything that Iago does. He manipulates other characters by his own choice. Another example of this is when Othello kills himself. It was his own decision to take his own life. While Iago did influence him to kill Desdemona, he did not try to get Othello to kill himself.

Determinism is an idea that comes up in many situations in this play. Everyone that Iago influences is an example of this. They do things not because of their free will, but because Iago convinced them to. A second example is Othello and Desdemona’s marriage. They made several mistakes when they got married such as letting other people get too close to them.

Journal 11

“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)

You are more in touch with life and who you are when you lived with only the essential things of life. When you’re in society, it disconnects you from who you are as a person. People find themselves by being connected to your instincts and intuition.

Quote: “I went to the woods to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life…and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

“Sounds” (234)

When he goes there he just sat and looked at the trees and listened to the things around. It describes the life around him.

Quote: “Instead of singing like the birds, I smiled at my good fortune”

“Brute Neighbors” (235)

He’s comparing ants battling over wood chips to soldiers fighting over a territory. He is suggesting that most of the things that humans do are petty and pointless.

Quote: “I was myself excited some-what even as if they had been men. The more you think of it, the less the difference.”

“The Pond in Winter” (237)

This passage is saying that nature is a never ending giver even when we can’t see it’s bounty, and that sometimes we need to work to reipe it’s benefits.

Quote: “Heaven is under out feet as well as over our heads.”

“Spring” (238)

Winter is cold and rough and when spring comes, everything becomes alive and beautiful again.

Quote: “The change from storm and winter to serene and mild weather, from dark and sluggish hours to bright and elastic ones, is a memorable crisis which all things proclaim.”

Journal 12

1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?

Young Goodman Brown – He represents an innocent and good man. He goes from an average man to a changed, more intelligent man. He gains knowledge of good and evil.

Faith – Young Goodman Brown’s faith and trust in society

The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – evil, the devil, temptation, knowledge of everyone’s sin

Goody Cloyse – His past faith, hypocrisy, corruption. In town, people pretend to be good but they are actually evil

The Ceremony – a religious ceremony, a test, an initiation

The Pink Ribbon – his losing faith

Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – life, the change of life

2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:

Life Life changes your outlook on the world Symbols

“Well, she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.''

``There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given.''

“A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man did he become from the night of that fearful dream.”