Here is a link to my handout on MLA guidelines (also will be distributed in the workshops): MLA Guidelines
And here are the instructions for your final paper: Final Paper Instructions
<Characters>
Othello– A Moor(an African), a general in the defense forces of the city state of Venice. He is a military man, with a reputation for courage in battle and good judgment in military matters. Othello falls in love and marries Desdemona, but during the campaign against the Turks, Othello is tricked by Iago into believing that his wife has been unfaithful with his lieutenant, Cassio.
Iago– Othello’s ancient(captain) in the Venetian defense forces. He had hoped for promotion, but Othello passed over him in favor of Cassio, and Iago works revenge on them both.
Desdemona– A noble Venetian lady, daughter of Brabantio. She organizes her life intelligently and shows courage, love , and loyalty in following her husband into danger. She accompanies Othello to Cyprus on the campaign against the Turks but finds him becoming distant and making wild accusations against her.
Cassio– Othello’s lieutenant in the Venetian defense forces. Cassio accompanied Othello as his friend when he was courting Desdemona. He is popular, he speaks well, and he is lively and trusting. Iago eventually convinces Othello that Cassio is Desdemona’s paramour.
Emilia– Desdemona’s lady-in-waiting and Iago’s wife. She knows Iago better than anybody else and is suspicious of his actions and motives. She does not realize until too late that the wicked person who has poisoned Othello against Desdemona is Iago, her own husband.
<Summary of Act 3(Scene 1-4)>
Scene1– Desdemona has a meeting with Emilia and in between Cassio’s presence is stumbled upon. The musician and clown he paid himself was a reminder for Desdemona to remind her husband for his title back.
Scene2– Iago is ordered to send his Turkish war report to the senate and Othello offers his help
Scene3– Iago claims that Othello’s wife is cheating on him with Cassio. After hearing Iago’s rumor Desdemona confronts her with her presence and Othello is very unhappy. Desdemona feels discomfort while he tries to comfort Othello’s headache with her handkerchief which was her first gift from Othello. The handkerchief was a symbol of Othello’s happiness with his wife. As soon as he discarded the handkerchief his happiness no longer existed by the corruption of Iago’s rumor.
Scene4– Othello is in rage and confronts his wife with the rumor he has been told by Iago. She rejects of any such action and mentions about Cassio’s title to be reinstated. Othello ignores the subject and does not give her an answer. Desdemona still insures him his position and tells Cassio to be patient. While this scene is going on Bianca confronts Cassio for his absence the past couple of days and is not pleased. Cassio promises to make up for his absence but demanded to be left alone. While going back to his room the handkerchief is stumbled upon that Emilia, Iago’s wife found and placed in Cassio’s room.
<Questions>
1. What do you think the symbol of the handkerchief in Act 3?
2. There are many irony plays an important role in Othello. Do you remember any irony in Act 3?
Saint Augustine began the book by examining his unwavering faith in God, then searched to answer what he loved about God. He began to look inward for answers on memories and its relationship to God, discovering philosophical dilemmas and paradoxes. Augustine realized sensing God wasn’t necessarily the knowledge of God, there are five spiritual senses we embrace the Lord, light, voice, odor, food, embrace. Memory is believed to be something vast and infinite was always there waiting to be assembled yet the person can never grasp the totality of oneself . The images in our minds can be retrieved it may hold various senses, skills, ideas, and emotions.
1. What does Augustine say about the paradox of memory and self-identity?
2. How does Augustine distinguish between memories of physical phenomena and conceptual information?
3. How does Augustine describe forgetfulness?
4. How does he describe the phenomena of recall?
Book X Augustine questions what he loves when he loves God, so he searches in his own mind to reach god. Augustine describes memory as a “storehouse.” According to Augustine images are created through the five senses (sight, taste, smell. touch, and hearing) then stored in the memory. The images can then easily be recalled, even if it is not physically there. Augustine talks about skill memories. They are stored in an interior place “that is not actually a place.” The actual skill is stored and not images of the skill because skills do not enter though the five senses. Augustine then talks about ideas. Ideas are a separate type of memory and it is stored the way they are learnt. Augustine also talks about emotional memories. Emotions could be recalled without actually experiencing the emotion again by just thinking about past experiences.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think Augustine’s explanation of how memory works is accurate?
2. What does Augustine say about forgetfulness?
Book 8 can be seen as the buildup to the overall theme of the first 3 books, good vs. evil. Saint Augustine is at a crossroads right now, he is continuously tempted by women all around him, and because of this he seeks out the advice of those he believes to be wiser Christians like Victorinus. These wise Christians all tell tales of their journey and what they’ve faced for the sake of religion. This idea of Religion vs. Lust revolves around the idea of good vs. evil, where religion can be seen as a new spiritual good and if we give in to lust we fall to evil. Gilbert Meilaender believes that this thirst is shackling us to the chains of necessity and diminishes pleasure.The lust for the flesh can be seen as our Human Nature and the teachings of Christianity are the tools we use to fight against our human nature. Augustine realizes that the doubt itself is holding his faith back and stopping him from reaching spiritual truth. This christian truth can be achieved by anyone, meaning human nature, through christianity can be subdued, shown by Victorinus, who was previously a roman theology follower and converted to Christianity and is considered to be a full fledge Christian.
Discussion Questions:
1. Does our need for sex destroy the truth? or is truth subjective to whoever is trying to find it?
2. If sexual urges are part of human nature, are we inherently evil?
3. Is it possible to reduce or subdue our sexual urges? if not, is Augustine’s version of the truth false?
4. It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me. Does this statement hold any truth?