Macbeth Journals

For the Journals I will be Macbeth because I feel he will have more complex and interesting motives behind his actions.

Identity Presentation Part 2: The Write Up

1. “You’re not what you do. You’re who you are.” (“Brother Dear”)

This quote helped me to better understand Greg’s identity because it shows what he has learned since leaving home and what he wants Sharleen to know too. I selected the picture of the people with the run away fork lift because we all do things that we later regret and wish we knew about them to begin with, like how Greg wants Sharleen to know that “You’re not what you do. You’re who you are.” before she makes the same mistake he did. To me this image represents that mistakes are important to learn from and it is important to tell others what you have learned from your mistakes so they will do the same for you. The author further reveals the characters identity by using these words because it shows that he cares for his sister and does not want her to make the same mistakes. This connects to identity for me because I also care about my family and friends and want to help them avoid mistakes that I have made.

2. “The race of man is suffering/ And I can hear the moan.”(“Alone”)

This quote helped me to better understand the narrators identity because it explains why she feels so alone and why she feels that none of us can make it alone. I selected the image of a man on fire to go with this quote because he is suffering and we can see it, but can’t help which is similar to the feeling of helplessness the narrator of this poem is feeling. This image represents to me the feeling of helplessness you get when you can not help someone you care for when they are in pain. The author helped to reveal the characters identity with this quote because it shares the pain she feels when she can’t help others in pain. This is connected to identity for me because I also feel horrible when I can’t help a friend in need.

3. “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,/ Went home and put a bullet through his head.” (“Richard Cory”)

This quote helped me to better understand Richard Cory’s identity because it brings home how unhappy he was despite what people thought of him. I selected the image from a water gun manual explaining not to point it at your face because no one took the time to explain to Richard Cory how much he meant to them, they were to in awe of him to notice his unhappiness. The image represents to me how we all are sometimes misguided and do things we shouldn't. The author revealed how misunderstood Richard Cory was and how alone he was by using these words. This is connected to identity for me because how we handle misunderstandings is a big part of who we are.

4. “Mama always said dying was a part of life, but I sure wish it wasn’t.” (“Forest Gump”)

This quote helped me to better understand Forrest Gump’s identity because it showed his strong connection with his mother and his innocent and clear sighted view on life. I selected an image of someone slipping in a pool of water because sometimes bad things happen to us and there is nothing we can do even if we are warned of them. To me this image represents the inevitable mistakes we make even if we are warned about them. Forrest’s identity was revealed by this quote because it shows his pain of his mother’s and Jenny’s deaths. This is connected to identity for me because when we care about someone we can also be hurt the most by them.

5. "My momma always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they going, where they've been.” (“Forest Gump”)

This quote helped me to better understand Forrest Gump’s identity because it shows his trust and love for his mother. I selected a shoe because in this bit of wisdom from his mother it says you can tell a lot about people by their shoes. To me the image of the no high heels sign represents that some times before you can move past something you have to take off your “high heels”. The author helped to reveal Forrest’s identity with this quote because his mother was an important part of his life and with these mottoes of hers he can feel close to her even after her death. This is connected to identity for me because sometimes we have to change and adapt to new circumstances, we have to “change our shoes”.

6. "Dear God, make me a bird, so I could fly far. Far far away from here.” (“Forrest Gump”)

This quote helped me to better understand Jenny’s identity because it shows her fear of her father and her wish for a better life. I selected and image of a bird for this quote because Jenny wants to be free like a bird. To me the bird represents both freedom and vulnerability because of all the times Jenny was hurt while she was trying to be free. With this quote the author revealed the desperate hope Jenny has to be free. This is connected to identity for me because for every one at one point or another we wish to be free.

7. "She tells me I'm just fine the way I am, and a few weeks ago, I started to believe her." (“Brother Dear”)

This quote helped me to better understand Greg’s identity because it shows both his love for his girlfriend and his joy of being free of having to live up to his fathers expectations. I selected a picture of a girl giving a boy a smiley face because his girlfriend showed Greg that the only way he can be happy is if he stops trying to be who his father wants him to be. For me this represents the fact that sometimes you have a hard time seeing and understanding problems that are too close to you and you have to listen to others to find the truth. The author used this quote to help reveal Greg’s identity because it encompasses every thing he has been trying to tell his sister and himself. This is connected to identity for me because we all have to learn about ourselves and what we want from life.

How does what I know about the world shape the way we view ourselves?
This Essential Question connects with my visual because "There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance." (Socrates) and as we learn more about the world the more we are forced to know about ourselves. In “Brother Dear” Greg only starts to understand what he wants from life after he has left home and spent time in university.

Identity Project Part 1

Feedback

Well done. You understand the quote . I like the insight you have brought to this answer. The idea of connecting what he says to the painiting was very original and helped express your point. Next time inorder to go deeper, how do you see this connecting wih ones identity? Overall, you have good insight and a strong grasp of the topic.

Identity Song

Lady Gaga's Born This Way

I chose this song because it tells you that who ever you are to just be who you are no matter who that is.

Poem Responce

The poem that meant the most to me personally was "Alone" by Maya Angelou. It is, as the title suggests, about feeling alone. This connects back to my previous blog entry about Frida Kahlo and how her paintings express the universal secret that no matter who we are or who we are with we will still feel alone. "Alone" expresses this feeling also, but takes it a step further and talks about the paradox of being alone, "but nobody can make it out here alone".

The group of "I am" poems resonated with my own experiences because they were so simple. Some of the things mentioned in these poems I could easily relate to and if I were to write a similar poem would include too. There were also things that I could relate to, but it would never occur to me to identify myself with that thing. There were also a few things that I couldn't understand at all, what they meant or why they were important.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote Response Redone

"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, -- that is genius."
"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string."
~R. W. Emerson


I believe both quotes to be true, but they are very hard to take truly to heart. We only know our own feelings and thoughts, and often the thoughts and feelings of others are much harder to comprehend.  Many of the paintings of the female painter Frida Kahlo express the feeling that we all feel, that we are alone and in pain. I believe that this is what Emerson is talking about when he talks about the genius of "believing that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men". It is very difficult for us as human beings to accept that anyone else is feeling what we feel especially when we are in pain, of any variety.

The Little Deer, 1946 by Frida Kahlo is a good example of this. In this painting she, after suffering of a personal nature, painted her head on the body of a wounded deer expressing her pain and loneliness.


What I don't agree with though is that he says to believe that makes you a genius. Maybe when he wrote this the word had a slightly different practical meaning. Genius now means some sort of outside acknowledgement of your success not the completely individual and private success that realizing this would give.