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Maggie,your character analysis of Macbeth is insightful. You have shown with good examples how he transforms. Part of this assignment was to write in first person, you took on more of an analytical perspective, rather than a creative write. Although at times you do write in the first person. I like how you were able to show his integrity at the start and how evolves throughout the play. Good work.

Macbeth 8

In the final showdown, we see Macbeth and Macduff, both ready to kill each other. If I knew that I was going to die there, I would have tried to be a better person, instead of having a lust for power or I would have tried my very best in defeating Macduff and live so I can better myself in the future. And being in a battle is very terrifying to me because I personally do not have any experience in combat, I would surely lose. In the end, Macbeth dies which makes me wonder if he was just a military strategist rather than a warrior. Macbeth is the brains and not the brawn. I think that I would have a higher chance of winning if I was to conduct an army rather than be in the army because I have more brains than brawn.

Macbeth 7

During Macbeth's tyranny, Lady Macbeth loses her sanity. She has done so much that she can no longer live with the guilt, so she kills herself. Once Macbeth hears of this news, he is indeed shocked. However, he says that he does not have time to morn for her because of his growing army. I would definetely mourn for my lost loved one because I have spent many of my years with that person. However, I understand Macbeth's situation, he is being targeted by another powerful military force and he must decide the correct things to do so he can live. I would be incredibly stressed at this point, so stressed that I would pull out my hair. Furthermore, Macbeth also learns from this experience that life has no substance, and it can be gone very quickly. At this time, Macbeth's self worth increases because he too has learnt what it feels like to have someone taken away from him. If I was in his position, I would have some more sympathy for Macduff because I killed his family.

Macbeth 6

When Macbeth hears the three witches prediction, many things change. The witches tell Macbeth that no man born of woman can harm him and for Macbeth to fear Macduff. After hearing this, Macbeth thinks that he is invincible because no man born of woman can harm him. I would also feel pretty powerful and happy that no matter what I do, I can not be hurt. But he is also threatened by Macduff. At this time, I would wonder why and how is Macduff a threat if no one can harm me. To scare Macduff into not messing with Macbeth, Macbeth kills Macduff's entire family. He is not afraid to do this because he thinks that he is invincible. After the predictions, Macbeth takes more risks and lives. Soon he becomes so powerful that other people know that he must be stopped. If I ever became that powerful, I would have the urge to go on top of the cliff and yell while beating my chest like Tarzan.

Macbeth 5

After dealing with all the obstacles in Macbeth's path, you can't help but wonder what level is Macbeth's self worth now. At first he was an honest man, taking only what was given to him, but because of the influence of his wife, he is no longer the same person. To get what he wanted, he took another's life, and then to silence the one who knew of his murder, another life was taken by him. After these two deaths, he feels terribly guilty which shows that he still has some humanity. However, what he does later makes him lose his self worth even more.

Macbeth 4

When Banquo suspects Macbeth of killing Duncan, Macbeth is in danger. Because of fear of being discovered,  Macbeth kills Banquo too. His actions makes me wonder why he would kill his best friend because he was found out. I thought that he should rather accept this as his fate and take the punishment of taking one's life. Killing Banquo shows how desperate Macbeth wants the throne and far he is willing to throw away his self esteem and humanity. After his second murder, Macbeth also feels guilty, except on a different degree. Instead of being unable to sleep, he sees Banquo's ghost where ever he goes. This guilt is different because Banquo was his best friend and Duncan was someone he didn't really know, he was unapprochable because of his status as king.

Macbeth 3

Soon after Macbeth has killed Duncan ,everybody has found out that the king is dead ,but no one knows who killed him. Macbeth must feel very relieved right now because he already put the blame on his servants. Also, Duncan has just honored Macbeth for his work in the army, so Macbeth invited him to his house, no one would killed someone who just honored him. However, Macbeth also feels guilty right now because he just killed someone, he cannot sleep. Many people who feel guilty or nervous because of something they did would lose sleep over this. If I would in Macbeth's shoes, I would also feel very guilty because I just took someone's life, especially someone of utmost importance in the country. Perhaps I would make actions that make me look guilty because of my guilt, then I would be easily discovered, maybe by someone who knows me well, like Banquo.

MacBeth 2

When MacBeth was going to kill Duncan to attain the throne, he backed out at first. If I had a wife and she wanted me to kill the King of my country, I would obvious disagree with her and maybe send her to the police because she is dangerous. Instead of keeping his own beliefs, MacBeth is broken by Lady MacBeth and becomes almost like her puppet. Hurt by her teasing, MacBeth kills Duncan. I feel like Lady MacBeth used techniques like "Be a man" to MacBeth which really affected him or maybe he listened to his wife because he really loves her. After he killed Duncan, we can tell that MacBeth is quite shocked by what he has done and even a bit afraid of the outcomes because he brings the murder weapon back to the rendezvous point were his wife was waiting. Any experienced murderer would dispose of the weapons or leave them there since the technology was not as advanced then, so fingerprints would not be found. Because of MacBeth's shock or adrenaline, he forgets this very important point. Lady MacBeth, as cool as a cucumber, helps him finish the job.

MacBeth

For my journal assignment, I would be MacBeth. The reason I chose MacBeth was because he is the main character and he dies at the very end of the play, unlike Lady MacBeth, who dies in the middle. Since he is alive throughout most of the play, there would be more to write. However, that is not the only reason, another one is because it would be interesting to see how he felt when he was manipulated by Lady MacBeth and how he felt about killing many people. Would he be tortured inside, or would he be satisfied with himself. These are all aspects I would like to consider.

Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5FW8Xo8ENo
I Got Mine- The Black Keys
I chose this song because it talks about something turning a new leaf. He is forgetting about his identity from his past and creating a new identity for the future.

Poems response

Poems: Richard Cory
As I grew older
Alone
I am from swingsets and jungle gyms
Where I'm from - by George Ella Lyon
Which of the poems had the most meaning for you personally?
The poem that had the most meaning for me was "I am from swingsets and jungle gyms" by Debby Gordon. This poem had the most meaning to me because many parts of the poem reminded me of my childhood. "I am from swingsets and jungle gyms rusted metal mounted in dirt used by many kids, well broken in", when I was little, I adored playing in the playgrounds provided by elementary schools. I played on the mokeybars so much that even to this day, there are minor calluses on my hands from the monkey bars. Moreover, "I am from tattle-tales, keep-it-froms, and "shut-up and listen to me." reminds me again of how I was when I was little. Like any other kid, I did my fair share of tattle-taling, keeping secrets and telling others to shut up. These are things that anyone has done and experience and because of these things, we are who we are. The topics in this poem are the foundations of our identity and even help us survive in the world.
What thoughts and/or feelings did the texts evoke in you? Why?
In "Alone" by Maya Angelou and "Richard Cory" I felt loneliness and solitary because the person in "Alone" is just what the title suggests, alone, a feeling which is emphasised throughout the poem. In "Richard Cory" the main character, Richard Cory, is an outsider and all by himself when he wanted to join a group of people, but he was still unable to join the group despite his efforts. In the end, he was still alone. In "As I grew older" by Langston Hughes I thought of an obstacle and the need to overcome it. The person in the poem is trapped in darkness and he wants to reach the light, which represents his goal. There is a wall that just keeps on growing around the person making it more and more difficult to get through. In the end, the person breaks through the wall and reaches his goal. In "I am from swingsets and jungle gyms" by Debby Gordon and "Where I'm from" by George Ella Lyon, I thought my old memories as a child and the foundation of identity. "I am from swingsets and jungle gyms" talks about things people would do as children like eat peanutbutter and jelly and play on playgrounds. These things help us grow up and make who we are now. In "Where I'm from" the author talks about nature, going to church and farming. If you grew up on a farm then you would have similar experience as the author and because of those memories, you now know how to take care of a farm and grow corps. If someone grew up on a farm, there is a high likelihood that he would also become a farmer when he grows up. Therefore, because of one's childhood, that person's future would be influenced according to his childhood.