Hi Anna Marie! How are you liking A Midsummer Night's Dream? I think it's got a crazy set up already-- and I'm only one act in.

The love quadrilateral between Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius is kind of confusing. Although, I do enjoy the relationship between Helena and Hermia. The way they speak is friendly and relatable, as evident when Helena says "O, that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill!" (1.1.198). I hope nothing happens that causes them to turn on one another. Do you think Helena is planning something that will lead to fighting between the love quadrilateral? Helena says that she will tell Demetrius about Hermia & Lysander and she seems to be harboring ill will towards Hermia, saying that "[she] is thought to be as fair as [Hermia]" (1.1.233) and "Love can transpose to form and dignity" (1.1.238). Will this tear their friendship apart?

Scene two takes us to a completely different and seemingly unrelated place as we are introduced to Quince, Bottom, Snug, Flute, Snout, and Starveling. How do you think they'll tie into the plot? What are they doing here? I enjoyed when they were arguing over who had to play Thisbe, "Nay, faith, let me not pay a woman" (1.2.45) but I don't completely understand why they're relevant yet. What are your thoughts?

Death of a Salesman: Reader Response Criticism

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is short play that somehow manages to draw sympathy from the audience for multiple characters at a time. Though Willy is, at his heart, the character most affected by his cracking & unstable mental state, we see his flaws reflected on his family through Happy, Biff, and Linda. Therefore, a unique atmosphere for compassion is created; while we want to feel bad for Willy, we also see how devastating his behavior can be, and thus we hate him. At the end of Act II, we are sad to see Willy's successful suicide attempt, but we are also relieved to hear Linda's response: "We're free... we're free... we're free..."
We, as the reader, witness many events that occur in the Loman family that cause us to feel one way or another. Although Willy is undoubtedly the main character, there are points in which the narrative is shifted against him-- pitting the audience against the "sympathetic" character. This is most evident in Act II, in which we see Biff's reaction to Willy's mistress. Willy reaches for his son, to which Biff responds "Don't touch me, you--liar!" Through this outburst, we can see the impact Willy's actions have on his family. It is at this point that we feel overwhelmingly sorry for Willy; he is perhaps at his lowest point, and although he is flawed, we want him to succeed and make amends with his son.
This narrative is directly reflective of how the Loman family feels. It is clear that "there's no more spite in it anymore..." but they also love Willy deeply. This is reaffirmed multiple times by all members of his family, though at his funeral, Linda cannot find it in her to cry for her deceased husband. Though they would definitely preferred if Willy could have pulled through, there is a certain freedom-- for both the audience and the characters-- at Willy's death. As the audience, we are burdened with speculation about the resolve of the story; even the title implies there is imminent death. When it finally occurs, the audience reaches a moment of catharsis, as do the members of the Loman family.

I was never really a fan of going on walks by myself. I had forgotten why specifically until after I was finished. Time to just reflect on my life is kind of daunting. I don't like to reflect. Terrifying things like college and change and mortality always come up. It's scary. Realizing that I'm almost half way through my last year of high school is... wow. It's too intense to process. I don't like it. What starts out as a simple time for reflection always becomes some kind of existential crisis and honestly, this time was no exception. It's already 2017! I'm eighteen years old. That's so old. It's nearly impossible to process that I'm literally actually an adult. I couldn't focus on the beautiful purple-pink sky tonight because of how much I was thinking, which was a shame, because it's hardly ever as nice as it was tonight.

What's worse is that I consider myself someone who's typically open to change. I don't like to cling to old and outdated traditions. Being scared of my future is completely new. I've never truly feared what's coming next in my life until senior year. Even when college happens, the fear of what's coming next won't end. I'll have to get a new, living-wage job. And even after that, society will continue to evolve and change is inevitable. When I'm all old and retired, it still won't end. The fear of what happens after death is practically omnipresent. 

I'm working on getting over it. See, this is why I don't like being alone with my thoughts.