English

Analyse the ways in which Shakespeare evokes contradictory feelings towards his character.

Lady Macbeth is a very strong character and she would constantly challenge the masculinity of Macbeth. “I would, while it was smiling in my face,/ Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/ And dashed the brains out, had I sworn” (1.7.54-58), Shakespeare used a metaphor to emphasize Lady Macbeth’s strong determination and integrity. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth stated that the only reason she didn’t carry out the plan to kill Duncan, was because he resembled her own father.”……. Had he not resembled/ My father as he slept, I had done’t…” (2.2.13-14). This is very contradictory as Lady Macbeth was displaying her harshness and then letting a sense of humanity hold her back from her own plans.

Comment on the significance of dialogue and ensemble scenes in affecting mood and positioning the audience.

Macbeth and Banquo are allies and have a good relationship. In their dialogue, Banquo mentions dreaming about the 3 sisters. On the other hand, Macbeth lies about not even thinking of them. “If you shall cleave to my consent, when ’tis,/ It shall make honor for you.” (Macbeth 2.1.25-26). “So I lose none/ In seeking to augment it, but still keep/ My bosom franchised and allegiance clear,/ I shall be counseled.” (Banquo 2.1. 27-29). Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to hint at Macbeth’s regicide. He seeks assurance by seeking Banquo’s assistance, yet Banquo shot him down as he finds honor in doing the right thing. This hinted to the audience that there could be tension between Macbeth and his peers when they find out about his acts.

Walking is something everyone is expected to be able to do. In Christina Lau’s case, her ability to walk was taken away from her on a rainy day in Malaysia. She was involved in a bad accident, badly hurting her spinal cord, leaving Christina Lau paralyzed from the chest down. She was quickly sent to the hospital and was given treatment. When she woke up at the hospital, she was told that she would never walk again.

Before the accident, Christina Lau worked as a prison officer. She was known to be very athletic with her passions being swimming and diving, as well as actively jogging. All of a sudden her life went from being independent to not being able to complete the simplest of actions. Christina Lau stated, “I have to start all over again. I couldn’t even do basic movements.” In life, it’s very hard when you stop being able to do things your normally able to do. It was perfectly logical when Christina started becoming very lost and depressed.

When Christina Lau came to our school to give a talk, she mentions how she felt in the beginning when she became paralyzed. “I felt like a burden to everyone,” Christina said. This is something I could strongly relate to as I once fell off of stairs and badly sprained both my ankles. I also lost the ability to walk, but luckily it was temporary and I could walk again. When I was in a wheelchair I had to keep asking people for help and life became really hard all of a sudden. It was a very strange feeling because when you think about it, even though people are helping you, you know that they don’t actually want to help, they’d rather be doing something else. It was pushing them out of their comfort zone by assisting you with everything. You just start hating yourself at that point and it makes you feel like you’re the problem. That’s why it is very important to get support from friends and family as they could make a big difference.

When asked about how we should be treating disabled people, Christina Lau claimed, “You have to make disabled people feel included, welcome, and respected.” I think it’s really important how you treat people that are less fortunate than you. I myself could remember a time when I had to go around in a wheelchair and suddenly It made me feel less of human in a way. I think what Christina said is very very true. In my perspective, the best thing someone could do when they encounter anybody in a wheelchair you should just treat them as if they’re a normal person. I could recall times when people tried to help me even when I didn’t need any. The worst thing you could do is to try hard to sympathize and offer a lot of help. Just because they’re in a wheelchair doesn’t mean they need help with every little thing. Obviously, assist them when they request, but it would make them uncomfortable if you feel obliged to give your all your attention to them.

The message Christina wanted to give was to make the most of life. She presents us with her life after her accident and it was very, very different. Christina Lau became a certified mouth painter. She even tried getting a job after attending classes. She wanted to do what normal people did even after the accident as she believes that you can always get back up when you fall down. Another thing she pointed out was that you’ll never know how far you can go if you never try. I agree with her as I also believe that nothing is impossible. It’s very amazing to see someone hit rock bottom and bounce back up by discovering new passions and even finding a job, rather than just sitting back. She was rewarded by getting an opportunity to participate in a table tennis competition for people with disadvantages. Christina admits that the accident did push her to try new things she would’ve never done.

I believe that if Christina could live a happy life despite all the things that went against her, we could live a happy life too and be thankful for all the things we have. It’s evident that people are always in need of something and never really satisfied. At the end of the day, it’s just human nature and that’s who we are. On the other hand, there are so many things that we should be happy for that we’re not. It would make life so much better if we could focus our attention on things we need to show appreciation for rather than just feeling miserable for everything we don’t have. At the end of the day, you’ll never know how much you have until you don’t have it anymore.

It was just another regular day in the store. Business was slow as usual and I didn’t get many customers. I quickly had my lunch and sat at behind the counter for my afternoon shift. I still had to work in my store despite being the owner because I couldn’t afford to hire many staff. A while later, three men entered the store. I didn’t really pay attention as I as reading the local newspaper. All of a sudden, one of them started taking cigarette boxes I had on the counter. They also had some drinks and other stuff. I was getting the cash register ready, when they just walked out without of paying. I decided to go and confront them. I got off my chair and left the counter. “This is not right!” I said. “You have to pay for them!”. The men just kept denying me. I pleaded them to pay for the items but they just kept walking out. I even tried stopping them by holding the door, but the strong man pushed me down. I yelled, “I’m going to call the cops!” just as he left the store. He immediately stopped and then came back in. He walked up towards me threatened to kill me if I did. I got so scared I just ran back into the store. Once I saw them get onto their car I decided to dial 911 immediately.

237 words

Language is essential for everyone because we need to communicate with each other. Without language, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The only thing with language is that not everybody speaks the same language.

Our language is not just the way we speak. It is a representation of who we are, but just because we speak a certain dialect doesn’t mean that we are good or bad. Sometimes people think that different accents can mean different social classes. I don’t think we can judge someone on the way they deliver their ideas.

Language also represents our identity. Someone who’s really open minded and friendly would have a very positive tone, whereas someone not as friendly would not display positivity. Our language can also mean our emotions. If we’re very happy we may have a very vibrant tone whereas someone mad would be impatient and we would be able to tell by their language.

Using Basque cuisine and the Basque language as an example, their food represents their culture. They didn’t write their recipes down, so only the people who could speak Basque knew how to cook their food. This is an example of how language could exclude us. It’s not intentional, but it shows who they are. Their food is unique to their culture and language.

In the end, language is just a way of representing our emotions, displaying our likes and dislikes. I don’t think we should be judged for the language we speak or they way we speak it. Language should be unique to every individual because not everyone is the same and that’s what makes us who we are.

In English class, we were reading this article about our cultural identity and assimilation. The author was an anchor baby in the US, but her family was originally from Spain. In the beginning of the article, she talks about how she wanted to be more American and how she tried to assimilate. When she grew up a little, she came to her realisation that assimilation did not mean surviving.

The journalist felt that forced assimilation was bad and that many latinos had been suffering from it. I agree with her because I believe that everyone should have their own accent, idiolect and their should be many ways to speak English instead of having one “right” way. The author felt that forced assimilation was bad because it gave the white supremacists more power. They say there is only one right way and it’s their way that’s always right. This is to refuse people’s identity and shut them up. People would be scared to speak against injustice or share their opinions on what’s right and what’s wrong.

I believe that people should take pride in their indifferences rather than try to be the same all the time. Just like the journalist wrote in the article, every accent, every mistake is an act of rebellion. If everyone is united and set all differences aside then, it would be very difficult to break.

Communication is very important in the modern world. It’s how we understand each other and share our thoughts and ideas to one another. Nobody and I mean nobody is solely independent. The world we live in wouldn’t be the way it is if it weren’t for everyone. Language plays a vital part in our communication. What language we speak tells us a lot about ourselves, how we’ve been raised, what environments we’ve been exposed to and our cultural backgrounds or our roots.

I personally can fluently speak burmese or myanmar and english. I do speak a bit of spanish and mandarin, but I’m still learning and I can’t fluently speak it. I was raised by my parents who were burmese, but they had strong chinese roots and they still take part in chinese culture and rituals, festivals etc. I was sent to an international school when I was young so, I think my english level is internationally acceptable. My burmese is good, although I can’t write a lot of burmese.

Apart from language being what comes out of our mouth, language is also what we mean when we say things and our choice of words. I think language in that sense tells us a lot about who we are. I use very causal language and I don’t address people by their names a lot when I have conversations. My tone is casual and I have the tendency to rush a lot so sometimes I speak really quickly and people have a hard time understanding. Sometimes we also use abbreviations like lol or ikr when we speak because we usually use them when we use social media and text with people. It shows us how much more we spend time on the internet rather than having actual conversations.

To conclude I do think what we speak has anything to do with who we are, but the way we say it tells us a lot about ourselves. I also don’t think anyone should change the way they speak because we are who we are and we should be able to express ourselves through the way we speak.