Saturday, November 26, 2011

Timed Writing Hint

Definition
A confidant (man) or confidante (woman) is a character in a drama or fiction, such as a trusted friend or servant, who serves as a device for revealing the inner thoughts or intentions of a main character. Please share your thoughts or post your questions...

18 comments:

  1. so would iago be a confidant because he is a "trusted" friend to Othello, but he shows that through many problems he does not let it get to his head?

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  2. I like that you noted "trusted." Technically, he would be a confidant to Othello. By definition, he does serve as a sounding board for Othello’s feeling and emotions, and holds some of his secrets. However, I sense skepticism or uncertainty. Why and who else could you consider a confidant and why?

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  3. i know this has nothing to do with the "timed writing hint" but i just have to say this. i finished my LAB and when i first started reading Othello i hated Iago with a passion. he was decietful, manipulative, and a liar. but doig the LAb mae me realize while i was analyzing things that i kinda like Iago. not his personality but the way he manipulated the entire plot, he had every single character wrapped around his finger, believing some lie or some story was pretty amazing. his manipulations and ploys were so intricatley made and carried out. he is officially the MASTER OF MANIPULATION!!!

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  4. Nice work Parrish. Now, you have started to analyze the text; thus, you are moving away from merely summarizing.

    Interestingly, your comment focuses on what the character DOES, but I CHALLENGE you to extend your analysis by focusing on what the AUTHOR DOES/ACCOMPLISHES through the character's actions, motivations, and interactions; therefore, focus on what Shakespear demonstrates through Iago's manipulation. Think about it :)

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  5. I think that Emilia is a confidant to Desdemona because they both trust eachother and from their private or nonprivate conversations you understand how they feel.

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  6. I agree with you Stephanie. What are some of the topics discussed among these two friends? By the way, ALL members are free to answer any of the questions posted.

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  7. When you stated to "focus on what Shakespeare demonstrates through Iago's manipulation" do we focus on a moral lesson or a universal theme?

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  8. Well, what the author does through Iago's manipulation leads us to the culminating lesson or moral; I am suggesting that everyone consider Parrish's initial hatred for Iago; how does that hatred develop? It resulted from ...Suspense? Foreshadowing? Monologues, asides, or soliloquies? What? Essentially, these are all dramatic devices employed by the author to communicate or establish his philosophical argument/theme/lesson.

    In short, focus on:

    *the method of Iago's manipulation,language (dramatic and verbal irony; ambiguity and incongruity; figuartive language or rhetorical devices)

    *how the author crafts specific and purposeful "situations"--Iago and Roderigo; Iago and Cassio; Iago, Emilia, and Desdemona; Cassio and Bianca, etc.--to serve as a casement for the lesson/moral/theme/philosophical argument of the story.

    Additionally, always consider the author's diction, point of view, characterization, setting, conflict, and development of time.

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  9. well how i better understand what is being asked by what chanel said, could it be that the hatred that came was because of iagos soliloquies? because when he would speak he had no emotion attached. all he wanted was to get revenge and try to doom everyone, to me, it is like he had planned it for years exhibiting their every move, and that is the way that he was able to have them controlled, like puppets.

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  10. just another thought;
    if that is what iago does, then doesnt the author have the adavantage of being able to manipulate any character he wants? couldnt he have chosen othello as the MASTER OF MANIPULATION?

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  11. Your last remark is interesting? Why do you say Othello or did you mean Shakespeare is the MASTER OF MANIPULATION.

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  12. No, I did mean Othello, because if Shakespeare has the power to control anyone he wants in his writing, why did he not choose othello to take place of the actions that iago does, since the book is named after Othello.

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  13. i like the thought of shakespeare being the MASTER OF MANIPULATION. isnt it shakespeare after all that created the character of Iago and meant for him to act that way. iago is what shakespeare wanted him to be. a charcter who embobies manipulation and deciet. i think of it kinda like how Virgil was the representaion of reason....well iago is the representation of manipulation and deciet.

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  14. @ Ixcell--well your argument supports the claim that Shakespeare is the MASTER of MANIPULATION since he wrote a play titled Othello, but managed to have another character, the antagonist mind you, steal the show. That is pretty cool!

    @ Parrish---YES I think you are starting to get it! Also, I like that you are starting to examine other characters in the same manner. Extend your ideas and see if any of them translate to archetype/stock characters.

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  15. i like Othello. in the begining i didnt. the language was too difficult and i didnt understand why Iago seemed to be the main character instead of Othello, like the title stated. but i like how Iago is so complex. his one motive of getting revenge on othello for not choosing him is childish. so what if he didnt pick you. be a man about it and gt over it. but he took that and transformed it into something synical and in the end so many people lost their lives because he didnt get what he wanted. so now...no one does. othello doesnt get his desdemona, cassio never gets his job back or othellos forgiveness, roderigo never gets desdemona, desdemona doesnt get othello forever, and iago doesnt really get the satisfaction of his revenge beacuse he dies. the story is DEEP!!!

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  16. To Ixcel, I think Shakespeare chose Iago to be the master of manipulation and not Othello, exactly because Othello is the main character, which means he's the tragic hero: a tragic hero is pure, in his intentions (that, according to me, doesn't mean that if he, for example, kills he's not a hero, because, after all, even heroes are human, they have passions, instincts and make mistakes, even more than "normal" humans, therefore more than the other characters), but is not deceitful, and, most of all, is THE victim. Victim of his flaw, of the events, of other characters' deceits, of himself. That's why I, personally, think that Othello could've never been the master of manipulation, also because manipulation is immoral, and he does what he does (no spoiler, even if I don't think now this "precaution" is needed) to respond to his own pulse and morality. That is, he thinks that Desdemona's infidelity is the most immoral event happening at the moment, since he's not aware of Iago's machinations. If I didn't misunderstand your question, of course.

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  17. Tsss... I got told, well now I do understand why Shakespeare chose the characters that he did. Because it is true that all Othello wanted was to be happy with his Desdemona. Iago was just in everyones business because he chose to not because he was forced to, and Laura does have a point with the definition of a tragic hero and why Shakespeare chose Othello. Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

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