Love...What is it?

  Shakespeare presented various types of love through throughout Twelfth Night. His focus is not on the common heterosexual form of love, but delves into other variations of its meaning. One of the types of love is unrequited love, which has many forms. Orsino’s desire for Olivia, but her complete rejection of him; Malvolio’s love for Olivia; and Viola’s affection for Orsino. Even without knowing Olivia, Orsino has shown his unrequited love within the first few lines of the play: “If music be the food of love, play on, / Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, / The appetite may sicken, and so die.” The second is when Malvolio reads Olivia’s “letter” (really Maria’s), and the prank that Maria, Toby, and Andrew play on him. Malvolio’s love for Olivia is now fully shown, even though for doing so, he is deemed “insane” and sent to the prison. The third is Viola’s love for Orsino. In Act 2, Scene 4, Viola is as close to revealing her love as she can get: Orsino: “My life upon it, young though thou art, thine eye / Hath strayed upon some favor that it loves. / Hath it not, boy?” Viola: “A little, by your favor.” Orsino: “What sort of woman is it?” Viola: “Of your complexion.” Orsino: “She is not worth thee, then. What years, i' faith.” Viola: “About your years, my lord.” Shakespeare seems to be alluding to the fact that not all love is “at first sight,” but rather that some love just will not be returned. These relationships may work at first, but Shakespeare did not have any of them end in true love. 

  Another type of love is the “familial” one found between Sebastian and Viola, only in Act 5, Scene 1. They are twin brother and sister, and Viola thinks he is dead. But when he arrives during this scene, they discuss on how they came to Illyria, as well as their past. At this point, Viola reveals herself (originally disguised as Cesario). This meeting sure is a joyous familial reunion. Even after a long period of time, and the misguided realization that the other is dead, Viola and Sebastian may have lost hope, but still loved each other in this way. It is the type of love that even in death, does not change. 

  A third type of love is “brotherly” love, mainly between Antonio and Sebastian. This is the type of friendship where one would go anywhere, or do anything for the other. In this case, Antonio went with Sebastian to a place (Illyria) where he knew he would be arrested, due to Antonio’s prior war against Orsino and his men. Even knowing what would happen did not deter him from going with his “brother” to explore the town. Shakespeare is saying that the love between two men does not necessarily have to be a sexual relationship, but still had the same passion and bond. 

  My own view of love is simply what I have learned throughout my years. Even though this time has seemingly been lengthy, in terms of love, I have not matured enough to fully experience the many types of love that Shakespeare suggested, such as unrequited love. I have experienced brotherly love, not only with my brother, but also with friends and extended family. To me, this type of love is when someone goes out of their way to help or support another. The familial love that I have experienced will be tested as I break those bonds to go off to college. Although I will not be with the family daily, the bonds that we share will mentally support me when I am away. (609)

Freedom Is Just Another Word

Freedom is a word that seems easy enough to understand. Growing up, I was taught that the word “freedom” means a break from some oppressive force. Like, when the French commonfolk in the 1780s formed their own government by overthrowing the previous aristocracy. Or when the American settlers fought for their social and religious freedom from the British Empire. Another idea I had for “freedom” involved destroying the barriers of some socially accepted custom of society like miscegenation (blacks and whites marrying), which had been taboo until the late-1960s. I was also told about various types of freedoms, including speech, religion, and press. These are freedoms that other countries, such as China, Cuba, and North Korea, did not give to their citizens. However, I never knew that there are over 14 uses of the word, with multiple definitions each! I did understand that freedom meant release from slavery, but I did not know that the actual land given to the “free-man” was considered freedom. 

I chose the word “freedom” because it is a word I hear everywhere. There are innumerable examples of it in literature, politics, war, and many more. I even have a shirt I wear that conspicuously writes the word across my chest. I have always felt there was a “need” to break the traditional boundaries of society. My psyche always has been to applaud the person that is freed from something or someone, and gained their freedom. 

Recently, on my school trip to Chengdu, China, I was informed of the many restrictions I would observe during my stay. The socialistic government has imposed rules on its citizens, such as the One-Child Policy, censorship, and other restrictions on human rights. However, while visiting, I noticed that life did not seem as oppressive as I was told. Students were able to use the internet, have cell phones, communicate directly in the urban city, and most especially, my host parents were content with only having one child. This situation has thrown a curve ball into my preconceived notions of freedom.

Pardoner Question and Answer

“Mine handes and my tonge goon so yerne

That it is joye to see my bisinesse.

Of avarice and of swich cursednesse

Is al my preching, for to make hem free

To yiven hir pens, and namely unto me,

For myn entente is nat but for to winne,

And no thing for correccion of sinne” (lines 110-6)

I found these lines particularly interesting. In them the corrupt Pardoner appears to be exposing his true purpose. The Pardoners character is one of trickery and deceiving and therefore when he “comes clean” about his livelihood and the way he gets his money, it is very difficult to decide if he is being truthful or not.  Question: Why does the Pardoner say that all his “bisinesse” is money and being greedy, then in the story conclude that being greedy is sinful, and at the end, lie to the other pilgrims about his “relics,” and recommends them to be pardoned?

Possible answer: In the prologue, the Pardoner tells the truth about what he does for a living. Then later in the story, he goes through various sins and explaining the faults behind each one. It is possible that the Pardoner tries to get the other pilgrims to agree with him (“sinning is bad,” etc.), tells the story about the “young companions” to make the pilgrims forget, and since they believe him, continue to think that they too need to be pardoned. It is a complex, sinister, but also well planned trick by the Pardoner.

New Words from Middle Ages - Government

The Middle Ages was a time of linguistic re-expression, where languages mixed over the course of a few centuries. The most well known of these mixings is the one between French and English. 

crown - ME coroune (1125-75), originally “wreath, garland”

state - ME stat, variation of estat (1175-1225) - "circumstances, temporary attributes of a person or thing, conditions"

royal - ME (1325-75) - a form of describing a “king”

authority - ME autorite (1200-50) - "book or quotation that settles an argument"

majesty - ME majeste (1250-1300) - “greatness, glory”

tyrant - ME tirant (1250-1300) - “absolute ruler”

parliament - ME: discourse, consultation, Parliament (1250-1300) - originally “speaking, talk”

treaty - ME trete (1350-1400) - “treatment, discussion”

tax - ME taxen (1250-1300) - “tax, appraise”

revenue - ME (1375-1425) - “income from property or possessions”

Alfred the Great, King of England

         Long before Charles Dickens, long before A Tale of Two Cities, it was the best the times, it was the worst of times across the isle of Britain. It was the best of times in 410 A.D. when the Roman conquerors left England, and the new immigrants from, Germany, Denmark, and northern Holland could establish farms, form communities, and elect leaders. These people, called the Anglo-Saxons, established five separate kingdoms--Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Kent, and East Anglia--each shire with a king, a small army, and a fleet of sailing ships for trade and defense. For 400 years these Anglo-Saxons established the foundation for the culture, language, and religion of the British Isles. Their conversion from barbarianism to Christianity made it the best of times, not just for the English but for the people of Western Europe as well. 

          It became the worst of times when, beginning in the 830s, the heathen Vikings, called Danes, invaded England and began menacing attacks on the villages all across England. The Anglo-Saxons had to develop a professional standing army with weapons and warriors as a part of Anglo-Saxon life. For hundreds of years the Vikings were unrelentless in their attacks on the people of England. They pillaged churches and monasteries, destroyed farms and entire villages, and forced the people to submit to their authority. Wessex, and all of England, was in a state of subjugation. However, the English and Vikings came to a crossroad when, in 871 A.D. at the young age of 22 and upon the death of his brother, Etheired, Alfred inherited one of the five kingdoms Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and began his reign as the king of Wessex. As a paragon of bravery and perseverance, Alfred and his soldiers, who had fought and lost many battles against the Danes, plotted a counterattack. In 878, at Edington in Wiltshire, Alfred was joined by loyal forces from three other shire towns. United, they fought fiercely and courageously against the “Great Army” of the heathen Vikings and were victorious. 

          “This battle in 878 was the turning point not only of English history, but also of early Western European history...Alfred had saved the Kingdom of England and given new hope for the survival of all Christian civilization in Western Europe. Alfred had stood alone in Europe and unaided had vanquished those who elsewhere were considered unvanquishable. He had saved Wessex and in so doing he had saved England, and in saving England, he had saved Western Europe from becoming a heathen power. A little island had given birth to a great man.”

Alfred was gaining the reputation that would later give him the title “Alfred the Great.” 

          It was once again the best of times as the Anglo-Saxons, under Alfred’s leadership, turned from war to peace. An orderly government, restoration of Christianity as the guiding moral force, and the creation of the building blocks necessary for a civilization to grow and succeed became the priorities of King Arthur. Foremost among his priorities was education. Alfred’s first edict was his proclamation to establish an educational system for the benefit all his subjects. Next he decreed English as the official language of the kingdom. The great books of the time, all written in Latin, were translated into the vernacular, many by King Alfred himself. He established a court school for the education of the country’s leaders, invited scholars to reside in England, and began the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. It was a history of the Anglo-Saxon people written to fill his subjects with patriotism, pride, and loyalty, but mainly to celebrate King Alfred, now King of all England. 

          King Alfred recognized that education alone would not, could not, turn England into a great civilization. A system of laws and their administration was needed. Therefore, he gathered and collated the governing rules from the five kingdoms of England to form a body of Anglo-Saxon law. In all these undertakings, he sought the advice and approval of an administrative council of noble and church leaders that he had formulated. To further unify the five kingdoms under Wessex leadership, Alfred coined a monetary system, one which named him “King of the English.” 

          Alfred is the only English king to be called “The Great,” and indeed he had earned the title. He was a valiant warrior who defeated a foe that for hundreds of years seemed invincible. He unified the diverse Anglo-Saxon tribes into a people known as “The English.” He made peace, not only with the Vikings but also with the surrounding kingships and countries, through treaties and trade. He established a system of laws protecting the rights of the common people centuries before the famous Magna Carta. He also promulgated the idea that a great society have an educated citizenry. Much of England today stands upon the shoulders of King Alfred of Wessex, known to all people thereafter as King Alfred the Great. (823)

The Venerable Bede, the Father of English History

Venerable Bede was born in 672 AD in Northumbria, a medieval kingdom of Anglos in northeast England.

He was a scholar, teacher, and the most prolific writer during the 7th and 8th centuries and is known as the “Father of English History.” The title “Venerable,” meaning honorable or worthy of veneration, was added to his name only two centuries after his death. At that time in history boys of superior intelligence were often sent away from home to be educated, so at the early age of seven, Bede entered St. Peter's Monastery at Monkwearmouth where he was entrusted to Abbot Benedict for his tutelage. 

He took his studies seriously and was soon able to read the Bible in both Latin and Greek and became very influential in the church through his Latin writings. Because he believed that even the “unlearned” should have the scriptures available to them in their own language, he also translated the Gospel of John into Old English.

Bede believed education to be an important part of every boy’s life; therefore, many of the early books he wrote were intended to be used in the classroom. Always striving for accuracy, he was known to labor night and day, explaining his unrelentless behavior this way: “I don't want my boys to read a lie or to work to no purpose after I am gone.” 

He compiled a book on metrics titled, De Arte Metrica; he wrote an appendix called De Schematibus et Tropis describing rhetorical figures and illustrating them with Biblical examples; and he recorded a book on the accepted knowledge of planets and eclipses called De Natura Rerum.

In the writings for his students, he included examples from Christian poets instead of Latin authors to make the reading more appropriate for boys being educated to serve the church.

Bede was also interested in ecclesiastical arithmetic and wrote Bede’s On the Reckoning of Time in 725 AD, a book explaining the rules used for calculating the Christian holidays and the accuracy of those dates. The Irish and Roman churches had different methods for ascertaining the date for Easter, so the churches were in constant debate about the exact time for its celebration. Frequently, the two churches celebrated Easter on different days, which to Bede was a shocking sign of disunity. Bede attempted to rectify this disparity by adding a chapter in his book explaining how early Christians had designed the calendar. Today his book is considered a reliable source for studying the pre-Christian English calendar. Bede was also responsible for the use of BC and AD when recording dates.

Of the more than 600 books Bede wrote, his most notable work is Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum, written in 731 AD. 

It is a book about the history of England, beginning in 55 BC with Julius Caesar and continuing through the 8th century. It is the first account written about Anglo-Saxon England. The book contains geographical descriptions, and overviews of political events, as well as the outcomes of battles and invasions, all woven into a coherent narrative. However, the main reason Bede wrote this book was to describe the Christian Church in England, its founding and subsequent growth. When the writing was completed, Bede said, “With God’s help, I, Bede … have assembled these facts about the history of the Church in Britain … so far as I have been able to ascertain them from ancient writings, from the tradition of our forebears, and from my own personal knowledge.” Scholars in the following centuries have been gratified for his commitment to researching and writing this tome on England.

Students of both secular and religious history are indebted to Bede for his determination to accurately record much of the information known to man in the 8th century. His hundreds of books provide a window into understanding a period in history and the people of that time. Bede certainly earned the title “Venerable.” (659)

Favorite Reading Experiences

Pokey Little Puppy (Janette Sebring Lowrey) - one of my first reading experiences. I read it over and over with my grandmother, and never became sick of hearing it.


Holes (Louis Sachar) - I read this book in middle school and more recently saw the movie. I thought so much of the book, I told my little brother to read it.

Darwin Awards (Wendy Northcutt) - this book plays to my love of people who really don’t have it together.

Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) - although required by 10th-grade English, it has become a book to which I could refer in many essays.

Life of Pi (Yann Martel) - I still cannot get over the ending, and have not decided which story to believe.

Harry Potter Series (J. K. Rowling) - this was an absolute must-read for everyone at the time.

Calvin and Hobbes (Entire Series) (Bill Watterson) - just a good way to get away from the challenges of life, and relax.

Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell) - although 1,448 pages long, it presents a view of the Civil War that I have not seen before. It was simply fascinating.

A Twist in Beliefs

There are several books/series that I read over the summer - Life of Pi (Yann Martel), A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens), and some selections from the Calvin and Hobbes series (Bill Watterson).

The work that had the biggest impression on me had to be Life of Pi. The author accomplished this task through not only a riviting plot line, but also a conclusion that make me question my ideas of reality and what to believe. After first reading it, and then many times later, I have mentally re-examined the book from the beginning. It is about an Indian boy, Pi Patel (real name was Piscine Patel, but changed name due to peer pressure), who was raised in a “zoological” family, so to speak. Living in this family, he learned the ways and dangers of how animals behave around other animals and humans. When hard times with the Indian government drove them out of their home, they looked for a second residence. They eventually decided on Canada. The Tsimtsum, the ship on which they traveled, sunk (the reason is unknown).

The Chinese crew abord the cargo ship threw Pi into a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger named “Richard Parker” (Pi did not know about the tiger for a few days).

The rest of the novel is a stunning capture of the terrors, near-death experiences, and life-altering commitments that Pi had to make to survive in the scorching heat, dehydration, etc. Pi also had to implement all of his knowledge about animal behavior to this dire situation. Pi’s prior aquired knowledge was a savior.

One particular facet dicatated by Pi showed me the complexity in a seemingly simple scenario, when a circus master steps into the ring, and is able to control all the animals with relative ease. The audience wonders, “How is he able to do it?” The answer is simple. Pi concludes that by speaking and yelling loudly, blowing into a whistle, and using a whip, the circus master is able to show the tigers and other animals that he is the “super alpha-male” (as Pi put it), to show that he is the dominant of all the elements. Pi implemented this technique by constantly blowing into several orange whistles to keep Richard Parker in line. Believe it or not, Richard Parker obeyed, and there rarely were attacks--he only hit Pi once with its paw.

At the end of the novel, a few days after landing on Mexico’s shore, two men, Tomohiro Okamoto, and Atsuro Chiba, interviewed Pi for details about the sinking of the ship, as well as how he survived so long. They did not believe the story for quite a few reasons, some of them being (1) surviving with a Bengal Tiger for over seven months, and (2) coming across an island that was six miles across that was purely full of meerkats, algae, and freshwater in the middle of the ocean, etc.

At this point, Martel impresses with a masterful twist and the book evolves into something more. Tomohiro and Atsuro both want a story that seems factually plausible, and Pi somewhat recreates one, in which he, his mother, the ship’s cook, and a sailor were all on the lifeboat, with no animals. This story is even more coarse, when the various members of the boat fight one another to survive. Pi’s mother is eventually killed by the cook, and he by Pi.

What is so amazing about this short section is that Yann Martel lets the reader, as well as Pi to Tomohiro and Atsuro, decide for themselves which is the real story: the one with animals, or the one without. The two men agree that they did not have a preference for either story, because they had no real evidence that either occurred. This complication is what made this work be so interesting and memorable. Whenever brought up for discussion, Life of Pi provides a lively argument for me and my colleagues. The way that the author chose to create this mysterious end to such a grand adventure only adds to the intriguing complexity of the novel.

All in all, I highly recommend Life of Pi, because it makes us reflect on our lives, beliefs, and how we see the world; how we need to cherish the most important things in life. (732)