Slogans

Take one of the slogans of The Party and analyze its meaning (WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH). What is The Party trying to get the people to believe?

I think that the slogan IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH serves several purposes. One of them, first and foremost is to serve as some part of the massive brainwashing undertaking that the party uses. Another meaning could be that as long as you believe that no threats exist, you are the strongest thing you know. It could also be meant as a confusion and since the people are too brainwashed and dumb to ask what it means no one will ask any questions. Maybe, all in all, the party is trying to protect these people in its own twisted way. They're like a bunch of smothering parents with a streak for crushing freedom.

Comedy vs Tragedy

Explain why the ending of the play proves that it is a comedy, and give specific examples from the play. What would have had to happen instead were this play a tragedy?

The ending of Much Ado About Nothing proves without a doubt that the play is a comedy. Why? Benedick and Beatrice end up together and so do Claudio and Hero. No one dies and all of the loose ends are tied up such as don John and his accomplices being caught. Plus, the story ends in a big party. Now if the play was to be a tragedy it would have ended with some or all of characters dying. No one would end up together and it would be very sad. 

Love as a theme in MAAD

What do you think that the theme of the play is? Remember, a theme is not just a word, it is a whole sentence that conveys the message that the author (Shakespeare) is trying to get across to the audience (you). Find three quotes from the play to support your assertion.

The theme in Much Ado About Nothing is how love affects the growth of the characters. All of the mains fall in love throughout the course of the story and the change is most evident in Benedick and Beatrice. "I'll tell thee what, prince: a college of witcrackers cannot flout me out of my humor. P. 97." With his humor meaning love, he has changed drastically in his ideology from before when he was swearing up and down that he would never marry. Beatrice also changes in this regard. "I would not deny you; but by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion, and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption. P. 97." She gives up her own livelihood to save Benedick because of her love for him. Claudio is changed immediately when he sees Hero. "In mine eye she is the sweetest lady I ever looked upon. P. 9." He is immediately struck.

Follow the thought

CLAUDIO
In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that ever I
looked on.
BENEDICK
I can see yet without spectacles and I see no such
matter: there's her cousin, an she were not
possessed with a fury, exceeds her as much in beauty
as the first of May doth the last of December. But I
hope you have no intent to turn husband, have you?
CLAUDIO
I would scarce trust myself, though I had sworn the
contrary, if Hero would be my wife.
BENEDICK
Is't come to this? In faith, hath not the world
one man but he will wear his cap with suspicion?
Shall I never see a bachelor of three-score again?
Go to, i' faith; an thou wilt needs thrust thy neck
into a yoke, wear the print of it and sigh away
Sundays. Look Don Pedro is returned to seek you.

In this passage, Claudio and Benedick are going back and forth about why Claudio is crazy for loving Hero. Claudio is love-struck and Benedick is in a state of shock at why his friend would love such a plain woman. It seems as if with every word Claudio falls deeper in love with Hero and Benedick only wishes to attempt to awake his friend to his madness.

CLAUDIO
She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
BENEDICK
I can see without glasses that she's definitely not that. Her cousin may be rude but Hero can't hold a candle to Beatrice. You don't intend to try and marry her, do you?
CLAUDIO
I wouldn't believe my luck if I could be married to Hero.
BENEDICK
Is this really happening? Am I the only man to actually think about what he's doing? Am I going to see any bachelors again? Go ahead, go into servitude under Hero and lose all free will. Here comes Don Pedro to find you.

This week, on Thursday, we learned about imagery. Find an example of imagery in the book, quote it, and explain how it appeals to your senses.

"Ashes, ashes: snow in August. The shelling resumed sporadically after breakfast, and now, around six P.M., has ceased. A machine gun fires somewhere, a sound like a chain of beads passing through fingers. Sergeant Major von Rumpel carries a canteen, a half dozen ampules of morphine, and his field pistol. Over the seawall. Over the causeway towards the huge smoldering bulwark of Saint-Malo. Out in the harbor, the jetty has been shattered in multiple places. A half-submerged fishing boat floats stern up (p. 208)." For starters, the line about machine guns sounding like beads really appeals to my sense of hearing. I can really picture the sound even better because as opposed to likening it to something not everyone has heard, Doerr likens it to a common household sound. It's something I could literally go downstairs and do to immerse myself even more into the book. The entire passage is overlaid with lots of visual imagery as well. Doerr describes von Rumpel and the scenery around him. The little things about the boat and the "snow" in August really help as well. 

THEY ARE GAY

In All the Light that We Cannot See, there are such heavy undertones that suggest that Werner and Volkheimer are gay. And for each other no less! There are several scenes in the book where Volkheimer's actions suggest a fondness for Werner and this fondness seems to run deeper than favoritism. He shows tenderness for Werner and Werner reciprocates in his shy way. While some would argue that Werner had a thing for Marie, I would like to argue that it is simply platonic. It's like what would happen if you met an angel: you marvel at how pure they are but you don't feel romantically for them. Werner and Volkheimer have been through so much together and they're both impure and they've both helped to kill and they're just meant to be.

All the Light that We cannot See 1

What have we learned in the exposition of this novel? Discuss setting, main characters, goals of main characters, and major conflict(s).

In the exposition of All the Light, we learn about the two separate settings for Werner and Marie (Zollverein and Paris) as well as their shared setting of Saint-Malo. We also learn about the characters and many of their quirks and mannerisms through paragraphs of mini exposition at the beginning of each chapter. Werner's goal is easy (keeping himself out of Zollverein's coal mines at any cost) and Marie's is to become more proficient and at ease at being blind. As the novel progresses, both characters might gain new goals. Some goals I have suspected are in the future include Marie protecting the Sea of Flames and Werner protecting Marie. A major conflict for Marie is her struggle with being blind, and one of Werner's major conflicts is his struggle to get out of Zollverein and get better with the technology he is so good with from the get-go. The most major conflict would actually be how the main characters' stories intertwine with World War II.