Lady Macbeth's Imagery

In her soliloquy, Lady Macbeth uses a lot of imagery in order to express her current state and that which she hopes to achieve. While there are many different examples within her speech, I was most interested in her lines "And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!" and "That my keen knife see not the wound it makes" (44-45, 53).

The first line, about cruelty, painted a picture for me of Lady Macbeth literally filling up with cruelty, as though she were a vase and cruelty was a liquid. It's interesting to think of being filled up with cruelty, since cruelty isn't a tangible substance. It's important to note that she talks about filling her "from the crown to the toe top-full" because this means that she must consider herself to be currently empty of cruelty. If she considered herself a somewhat cruel person, she wouldn't have to be completely filled up. Additionally, the fact that she needs to be "top-full" shows that she believes that she will need to be extremely cruel in order to get the deed done. While this shows that she hopes to come to a state of mind where she can be merciless and kill without remorse, it also shows that she doesn't think she is a natural killer. By expressing her necessity to be full of cruelty, she is also expressing her opinion that otherwise her nature would prevent her from killing Duncan.

The next line, about the knife, made me imagine Lady Macbeth stabbing Duncan with her knife while looking away and covering her eyes; she knows that she is doing it, but is trying to prevent herself from realizing the full reality and consequences of it. This shows compassion for others, because she does not wish to see Duncan die. If she had no compassion for others, she would be able to kill and realize it without remorse or hesitation. Another important detail is that she describes the knife as her "keen knife", meaning that she hopes to be in a state of mind where she is eager to kill the king. It's not good enough for her to be able to do it and not pay too much attention to it, but she recognizes that unless she is enthusiastic about it, she will hesitate or chicken out.

As with any good use of language, Lady Macbeth's imagery tells us a lot about her character. We can learn that in her current state she considers herself to be devoid of cruelty and compassionate of others, while she hopes to become completely filled with cruelty, ignorant of the consequences, and actually eager to kill.

Victory Before 1st Arrangement

The soldier of The Hall strode determinedly through the mess of recruits, who were walking around in a daze. Taking up his position at the round table, he stared down the enemy that dared to antagonize him from it's seat upon his plate.

Our noble soldier was equipped with utensils which had already seen the tension of battle, but retained their glorious, gleaming silver. The soldier, like Destiny's trusted knight, had fought against and vanquished similar foes countless times. His weathered stomach growled in anticipation of his triumphant victory to come.

With a surge of courage and determination, this daring lion of the wild fell upon the enemy, tearing through it in experienced slices and stabs. The rebellious gazelle lay defeated upon the battlefield, cut off from its lust for a title far more noble than it deserved.

Victory showed itself to the honorable warrior, and it tasted sweet.

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After reading Macbeth and Antigone, I became really interested in the language of war and how it manipulates language. Specifically, the way in which it makes actions seem more important or more honorable through the way it is described. With this piece, I decided to test the extent of the language of war by describing breakfast in the dining hall. While eating breakfast isn't a very exciting or particularly honorable thing to do, I tried to manipulate the language in order to make it sound more like a battle in Macbeth. One of the things I found interesting about the language of war, which I tried to utilize in my writing, was the use of metaphors and similes. I think that similes and metaphors are important in the language of war because they give the sense that the war is something greater than what it actually is; it's the difference between saying that Macbeth was a noble warrior and that he was "like valor's minion" (Shakespeare 1.2.21).

Honor in War

The language of war is a fascinating type of language because of the ways it manipulates the descriptions of actions in order to glorify them. A perfect example of this is in Macbeth, when King Duncan is speaking to a wounded captain. After hearing the captain's retelling of Macbeth's actions, Duncan says to him, "So well thy words become thee as thy wounds: they smack of honor both" (Shakespeare 1.2.47-48).

Before diving too deep into the choice of words and connotations in this statement, it's important to recognize the historical context. This play takes place during the 1600's in Scotland, where the king was in charge of the various clans. If one of the clan leaders decided they wanted to be king, they could try to stage a rebellion and become king themselves. In order to avoid this, it was extremely important for the king to make sure his subjects were very loyal to him. This desire to maintain loyalty is apparent in the language used. By telling the wounded captain that he has honor, he is also saying that the captain is honorable and rewarded in spirit for defending the king. Imagine if Duncan had instead said, "Good lord, you look horrible! I hope you don't die." I don't know about him, but if I were the captain I might not be following the same king.

The first interesting choice of words is in his saying that "thy words become thee as thy wounds". Usually when we say that something becomes someone, we are talking about clothes or an attitude. For example, "that shirt really becomes you" or "anger really doesn't become you". Saying that words become someone takes an abstract concept, words, and changes them into a figurative kind of medal to be worn. Similarly, saying that wounds become someone is odd to say because you usually don't want someone to be wounded; however, in this context the statement is implying that they also represent a figurative medal that shows their strength and endurance.

Next, there is the decision to say that "they smack of honor both". A Modern English translation would be that "they taste of honor both". This isn't to say that the king can actually taste the captain's words and wounds; only synesthetes (people with combined senses, i.e. sound and taste) can taste words, and it would be an extreme case of social awkwardness if the king started tasting the captain's wounds. So why say that they taste of honor, rather than that they look or sound of honor? Using the sense of taste represents the strength of the honor, and the pride that the king has in being able to retell it. In other words, it is repeatable by mouth; he's proud to recount it.

While every type of language attempts to convince people of something, the language of war is especially manipulative in its luring nature. Not only does it seek to glorify horrifying events, but it works to manipulate the subject into connecting to a certain side and to stay loyal; it builds up pride. It's a good thing it does too, or else there might have been a lot more rebellions.

The Art of War (Writing)

War has been a part of life, and therefore literature, since the beginning of man kind. The glory, horror, and effects of war have all been recounted in thousands of different pieces of literature. Sophocles and Muriel Spark are among those brave authors who have attempted to explain and interpret war. Their literary pieces "Antigone" and "The First Year of My Life" both equip characters who are directly affected by war, but in very different ways. One of the most important similarities between their two styles is that they both talk about the important effects of war on families. In "Antigone", the main conflict is an effect of the horrible war between the two brothers Polyneices and Eteocles. While they both fought in the same war, one was honored while the other was doomed to humiliation in death. The injustice of this is pointed out by Antigone, but Creon insists that Eteocles was a traitor deserving such treatment. Even after the war, the family is troubled by the conflict, and experiences three more deaths as a result of the unresolved conflict. Spark also talks about the effect of war on family in her piece. In "The First Year of My Life", Spark describes the women as being dressed in black and mourning for their dead sons and husbands. However, Spark makes more of an effort to focus on everyone, including the family, soldiers, political leaders, and artists instead of just focusing on the family/political leaders. While this takes away some of the emotion that is expressed in Sophocles' writing, it also adds a sense of greater impact that is not necessarily apparent in Sophocles' writing. Another important difference is the glorification of war present in Sophocles' play that is absent in Spark's writing. In "Antigone", the chorus is disapproving of Eteocles' betrayal and starting of the war, but they also celebrate his defeat. The chorus refers to this by saying that "Great-named Victory comes to us answering Thebe's warrior joy" (Sophocles 1.148). This isn't to say that Sophocles likes war (he makes it clear that the Thebians would have preferred no war), but that the victory of war is portrayed as heroic and celebratory. Sparks, on the other hand, is completely unimpressed by the ceaseless killing of people in the war, and thinks that people are foolish to celebrate a "victory" at the end of war. This is evident by the fact that her infant character smiles at the foolishness of Asquith referring to the end of the war as "this great cleansing and purging." While both of these writers acknowledge the effect of war on families, and express a wish for wars not to start, Sparks has a much wider picture of the effects and expresses clear contempt for the end of war being called "victory". Sophocles may be fascinated by the shiny armor on brothers and victory sacrifices, but Sparks is dedicated to the universal effect and distaste of war.

The Waiting Room

Beth dragged herself into the room and sank to the back, where she planted herself in a chair. Her eyes, fiery orbs, peeked out from under her mop of hair. She crossed her legs, then crossed them the other way. Her fingers twitched on the chair like electric currents while the corners of her mouth tried to meet the floor.

A moment later, Ella skipped in and beamed at everyone and everything she could see. When her dancing eyes found Beth, she flitted over and lighted onto the seat next to her.

"How long is this going to take?" Beth murmured from under the mop of hair.

"Oh, it won't be long," Ella chirped, her smile seeping into the words.

Beth moaned and sank closer towards the floor. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for anything to focus on besides the bundle of happiness next to her. The room reflected the lights from the ceiling, casting a glow on the magazines and chairs filed around the room. A layer of dust covered the magazines, and the walls were bare of any color. There was one window, but it faced the parking lot.

Ella sat thinking about her appointment. She couldn't help but feel a ball of happiness glowing from inside her, and she wondered if Beth could see it glowing. The faces on the magazines beamed up at Ella, as though they were in on her surprise. The light shining in through the window painted patterns on the floor and captivated her.

A nurse stuck her head out through a door. "Is Miss Ella Green ready?"

The light lit up Ella's face. "Yes!" she replied, and walked over to the door, her hands moving over and around her belly.

Beth watched as Ella stepped out of the waiting room. Her hands secretly moved up towards her own belly, until the rest of her body discovered the treachery. Beth swung her hands back down to the sides of her chair, and spent several minutes glaring at them. Time lagged on until Ella reappeared through the door. Running up to Beth, she took her hands and cried, "It's a girl!"


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This piece of writing is my experiment in the use of nouns and verbs to convey emotions. To really bring this out, I refrained from using any adjectives--not even one.

I love you too

One phrase that I hear on a daily basis is "I love you." The difficulty in analyzing this phrase lies in its numerous contexts; we hear it from friends, family, and significant others, each time with a different meaning.

The first example is when a friend says, "I love you." Usually, they say this when you do a favor for them or something else that they approve of. For example, after lending a tie to a friend who needed clothes for a psyche, she left me a note saying, "Thank you! You're the best! I LOVE YOU." In this case, the argument is one of appreciation. By saying "I love you" the friend is arguing that they appreciate you and/or your actions. In this situation, it's not necessarily a sign of permanent attachment, but rather a short term connection. It's interesting that this phrase is used to convey a message of appreciation, because that appreciation also argues that they no longer need to repay you for whatever you did. Friends rarely ever say, "Thanks for the sandwich! I'll bring the money I owe you tomorrow. I love you!" If they do, you're probably not going to get any of that money. Why not? Because saying "I love you" messes with the human brain, so that you already feel like something is being done for you even if they're not actually doing anything for you.

Friends can also say "I love you" when they're trying to support you while you're going through a rough time. In this case, the phrase is arguing that the speaker deeply cares about you and that they are there to support you. This example is much more heartfelt than the first example, and has a much more noticeable effect. This is a lot like the way a family member would use the phrase. When your parents or siblings say "I love you" they're usually trying to assure you that they are there to support you and to convince you that someone cares about you even if you don't think so.

Lastly, there's the case in which a significant other says "I love you." This can have the most meaning, and the biggest argument. In this example, the argument is that they will do anything for you, they care deeply about you, and they will never do anything to hurt you. It also argues that they feel attached to you, and they expect you to feel the same way. Usually when people use this phrase in this case, they say all the things associated with it, but it's just as effective to simply say, "I love you." This use is also tricky because it carries baggage with it. Using this phrase in this situation usually implies that they want you to reciprocate the phrase--and the feelings of attachment argued by it.

The English language is very strange in the way that it has one word -- love -- to mean several different things. Because of the many meanings behind the word, the different ways in which "I love you" is used can portray very different feelings and make very different arguments.

Mommy's Hair

Mommy's Hair

Mommy's hair is long and black
and soft like our new kitten
Her hair smells like vanilla cookies
(but I know you can't eat hair)

I like to watch her braid her hair
She braids it in the bathroom
She stands in front of the bathroom mirror
and I stand at the door

Mommy has magic in her hands
That's why her braids are good
I tried to make a braid like Mommy
but only mommies have magic

My hair isn't black like Mommy's
it's brown and not so long
But Mommy still braids my hair for me
So I can be pretty too

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This post is my experiment in perspective. I noticed that for a lot of writing, you can tell how old the author is or even what their background/gender is. The type of author you hear has a big effect on the feeling you get out of the writing. For example, hearing a teenager talk about their mom is different from hearing a 6-year-old talk about their mommy. Because of this effect, I thought it would be good to try and change the perspective of my writing, so that it sounds like a younger, different author. With young kids especially, the writing can be less grandiose but also get important emotions out of the reader. Lastly, I think that the idea of having an innocent, sweet child as the author makes the reader see the topic in a different light.

Just "Good"?

You're walking down the hall, into the dining hall, or out of class. While you're on the move, someone passing by you asks, "Hey! How are you?"

In this case, there's only one right answer: Good.

While it might seem like a perfectly harmless phrase, asking "How are you?" is actually a very well disguised argument. By asking this question, you're trying to show that you are polite, because you are asking about how someone is feeling and if they are having a good day. Yet people rarely stop to ask you this question; they are almost always walking past you while they ask, so you only have enough time to say one word before they are gone.

It's a very clever way to seem polite and compassionate without actually putting the effort in. Just look at how simple it is: three words, three syllables. But don't be fooled by the brevity of it; the words have a very personal, considerate diction. Unlike other phrases like "What's up?" or "How's a going?" this phrase uses the word "you", which leaves no doubt that the question is being direct and personal.

It's also important to note what the phrase doesn't say. It doesn't actually ask, "Did anything bad happen?" or "Did anything awesome happen?" By saying "How are you?" you are asking for more of a summary, without losing the feeling of connection and care.

Let's take a step back for a minute. If this question is set up to evoke such a personal response, then why can we get away with asking it on the go and then getting a one word answer?

Unlike some other cultures, the US is known for people always rushing around, so it's become part of the culture to be in a hurry. Because of this background, asking someone "How are you?" while they're on the move actually adds to the strength of it. By asking it while they are moving and making it short and personal, they are arguing that they are compassionate and care about you so much that they will ask after your health even though they are apparently too busy to actually stop and talk; they are making time for you because they care. In fact, it argues that the interrogator is selfless because of this sacrifice of time and emotion.

All this isn't to say that you shouldn't use it; it's very effective and can be heartfelt. This simple, supposedly innocent phrase is an undebatable argument in favor of the narrator's generosity and compassion.

By the way, how are you?

Burger King and Milk

Two tag lines that stood out to me were the catchphrases for Burger King and California Milk Processor Board. While the catchphrase "Got Milk?" seems a lot different from "Have it your way", they actually share very important elements. The phrase "got milk?" has very informal, friendly connotations. Unlike the Burger King phrase, it's in the form of a question. It also does not directly say "you" or "your", which allows it to refer either to one person or a group of people. This first phrase is very clever because it's short, is good for all audiences, and it appeals to the audience's desire to be part of the crowd. On the other hand, the phrase "Have it your way" is almost sassy in addition to its informal tone. You could interpret this phrase as either being inviting, in the sense that it wants you to come to Burger King because they make food your way, or as being peer pressure, in the sense that it lets you pick where to eat while implying that the best choice is Burger King. It's also different from the milk phrase because it's a statement, not a question. Despite these differences, the most important thing is that both phrases use the strategy of catchy phrases and peer pressure. Both of the phrases are very short and easy to remember. They also share a tone of informality, which makes the connection to the brand more personal. Most importantly, both phrases have an undertone that says, "If you don't buy this/go here, then you're different and not doing what every other cool person is doing." The first phrase, "got milk?" does this by making it into a simple question where the most normal answer would be "yes". If you were to answer "no", then you would probably ask yourself why, since the question makes it seem like most people do. Similar to this, the Burger King phrase is implying that while the choice is up to you, everyone smart is choosing Burger King as their way. While these two brands are selling different products and using different words, both share the important strategy of grabbing the audience by using memorable phrases and subtle peer pressure.