What Do Dukes and High-schoolers Have in Common?

Love is pretty simple: a few chemical reactions in our head can cause that oh so familiar love-sickness or infatuation upon the object of our desires. Often humans can become convinced they are in love with someone, personally knowing them isn't even a requirement- I had a friend a few years back who was convinced that she was going to marry One Direction, yes all of them: "Cara, you do know they are unaware of your existence on earth and somehow you are destined for a polygamous marriage with 5 British dudes..." she rebuked my question, I was a fool for thinking so.

Human relationships interweave and consequently so do romantic relationships, which can create a whole mess of emotion. I have observed, through reading of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and volunteering at Patterson, that Duke Orsino's behavior can be equated to that of a teenaged boy.

Both the duke and a couple of high school aged boys utilize a "wingman" to hit on girls for them. Duke Orsino is so in love with Olivia, but he can't get his butt down to her house to tell her himself. Instead, he's been sending his new servant Viola, who is dressed up like a young lad to woo his fair lady. To make matters even worse, Olivia has been mourning the loss of her brother and refuses to open up to the possibility of a romantic relationship. The Duke is persistent however, and makes such a valiant effort to have his servants pour their hearts out to her on behalf of him. I really never understood why guys will have their friends hit on girls for them. Seriously when does this ever work?  Personally I am turned off by the idea of a wingman, and perhaps Olivia is also. 

Many a time, we can fall in love with the idea of someone rather than the person themselves. As I walked down the purple and sea foam green hallways (interesting color palette I know) of the high school, I'll often see young couples holding hands or kissing or girls giggling behind their lockers at some cute boy. This is all typical high school behavior, but I realized that we never truly grow out of these feelings. Yes, we may control them better but even as we get older, that same giddiness will return if we see an old celebrity crush on TV or begin a new romantic relationship. The Duke really is convinced that he loves Olivia, and her playing hard to get only intensifies his desires. However, the Duke barely knows her past her physical appearance. We can never fully love a person without knowing the whole being, and growing to love the little quirks about them. Shakespeare's sonnet "My Mistresses Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun" demonstrates this idea pretty well. This play so far seems to deal with the superficiality of infatuation, as opposed to the genuine feelings in his sonnet. 

Directness can prevent the complexities and love triangles that are often a product resulting from having many parties involved. If the Duke simply went to Olivia himself, perhaps he would have made a better impression on her. Now there is a whole new mess as Olivia begins to have affection towards Viola, and Viola starts to get the feels for the Duke. All the deception involved creates a complicated situation and I am interested to see how this all plays out...

12th Night

In this reading there was a strong connection between identity and feeling comfortable with who you are. This connects to my experience today taking pubic transportation to the Walters Art Museum. A city bus is like the glue that pulls together everyone in the city, anyone can take it. On the bus you see and meet citizens from your community you may never have crossed paths with otherwise. When everyone is all together it is easy to judge and compare yourself to others. But it is important to not do that and love everyone for who they are, whether they are different or similar to you as a person. Identity is important but also irrelevant at the same time. It is important to each individual to love their identity no matter what others think, but it should not matter to you how other people live their lives. 

Viola referred to herself as a poor monster in Act 2, scene 2. This implies she think she is ugly and in-between a man and a woman. This self-hate is unfortunate because she is condemning herself. Being comfortable in your own identity is a major theme in the play and my experience today on the city bus. Identity is also very relevant to today's society. Depending on what you identify as is important to our generation specifically. A lot of progress is being made in accepting everyone as a whole, and being "different" is less "different". Basically, acceptance is more normal than not accepting people for who they are. Obviously, accepting everyone for who they are is our role and job as citizens in this community. Society is based on social norms and a certain order. 

Lovesick for Journalism

Jenna Dertouzos

Understanding Literature

Dr. Ellis

November 21, 2016

Lovesick for Journalism

Los Angeles Times news correspondent and Loyola University Maryland alumni, Mike Memoli is without a doubt, lovesick for journalism. Starting out as a publisher in “The Greyhound” in college, onto a writing internship in Washington, D.C. which then brought him to NBC and onward to the LA Times, Memoli has done nothing but continue to shine through as a fantastic journalist. Memoli became so dedicated to his job that when he was working in NBC, he worked to gain “embedded coverage” from political figure, Hillary Clinton in 2008; this meant basically putting his life on hold, to follow Hillary Clinton around the first time she ran for President, to not only take notes on her in public, but behind the scenes. Memoli would interview her while her and her team were travelling by plane, train or bus, from state to state trying to campaign. Mike Memoli was part of the campaign, all for a storyline. He was so dedicated to NBC that he would travel day in and day out to record great nuggets of information from Clinton herself, about the campaign, in order to show the world how great she was. In current time, Memoli works for the Los Angeles Times, and is now following Hilary Clinton as a journalist as she runs for President yet again in the 2016 election. As the journalist compared Clinton from eight years ago, to today, he noted that Clinton speaks to him and the other journalists covering her, a little more informally, and he added that the group had really gotten to know the “real Hillary Clinton” during this time around.

All in all, Memoli dedicates his time, with his life closely tied to the Clinton Campaign, constantly updating his Twitter status, and even adding important political events to the LA Times Snapchat account. In his years as a journalist he has grown with the social media, and continued to make his love for journalism known. Mike Memoli will do just about anything, for a good headline; even as much as putting his life on hold, to follow Hillary Clinton around, to get the very first insights of news. After reading Act I and Act I of Twelfth Night, I could not help but compare Orsino to Mike Memoli. The love that Orsino has for Lady Olivia seems to be obsessive to the point where every conversation he has in the play so far, seems to go back to his lovesickness. It is crazy to believe that Orsino has only really seen Olivia one time, and this dream that they are in love and a fantasy of a marriage blinds him from anything else in his world. Orsino dedicates his entire self to being in love with Lady Olivia, just like Mike Memoli is overly loyal to his dream job as a journalist.

Not Similar, but Informative

This week I attended an event hosted by the theology department.  Dr. Susan K. Wood, SCL, Phd, Professor of Systematic Theology at Marquette University gave a lecture on Lutheran-Catholic Efforts to Achieve Unity: What’s at Stake?  With the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation how are we going to celebrate?  Dr. Susan Wood gave some backstory on the fight between the Catholics and the Lutherans.  The Catholics thought the Reformation was dividing the church, while the Lutherans felt that it was an opportunity for change.  500 years later we are still trying to figure out if we should celebrate the Reformation or do we repent?

I felt that Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was very similar to Shakespeare's other work Two Gentlemen in Verona.  Both plays have love triangles and a little bit of cross dressing done by female characters.  Duke Orsino is madly in love with Lady Olivia, but she doesn’t share his feelings and wishes he would just go away.  Viola, who is disguised as Cesario, goes to Olivia’s house to present Orsino’s love.  When Viola visits Olivia, Olivia falls in love with Cesario, but Viola is in love with Orsino.  Everyone is the first two acts of the play are confused and in love.  

I don't really think my event this week and the play have much in common, but I really enjoyed them both.  I had not heard of the the Reformation before the event and was interested in learning about how it came to be and how we have dealt with it for the past 500 years.  I believe that we should celebrate how far we have come and accepted our differences.  I greatly enjoyed the play and am actually half way into the third act because I had to find out what happened.  Shakespeare's stories tend to be similar, but there is always a twist that makes the reader not want to put the book down.

The End

The last session of the Pipeline soccer camp was interesting in a lot of ways. Going in I knew this was the last session, which was a bit emotional. It has been a pleasure to help out these kids during the fall. I have developed a lot personally because helping kids with disabilities is very giving and you learn how to handle things in a different. Also I hope the kids have grown a lot after this experience that they have had with the Pipeline soccer camp.

Coming back one last time was a bit sad. Working with the kids for a while has been super interesting and giving. Seeing them develop on the soccer pitch has been a pleasure, but more importantly seeing how their awareness and their listening skills have increased. In the beginning of the fall the kids was all over the place. The instructors that we sort of supervised have grown a lot and they deserve a lot of respect for the time they have put into this service. These young instructors who are between 13-16 years old have handle the situation amazingly and in the way they have teach the kids is impressive. So overall everyone who has been apart of this camp should have credit but especially Pipeline soccer club who made this a reality.

Moving on, you noticed that the cold had finally arrived to Baltimore. Going from mostly beautiful sunny evenings to a more chilly and dark evening had put its marks. The kids look tired and most of them were dressed up like the winter was soon about to hit. The kids started running around and the mood quickly changed from negative to positive. The smiles that we have got to know during this fall was back, which naturally spread to all the instructors and myself. Seeing them running around smiling reminded me of my former job back home in Sweden, where I worked with kids with Down syndrome. Their happiness is like a virus that spreads quickly and makes everyone in their surroundings happy. The beauty about it is that it is so genuine. These kids go through a hard life but they still manage to always have a smile on their face, and that is amazing.

Since it was the last practice full size game was on the line. Seeing how they have developed some sort of soccer skills was exciting to see in the match. Going from not really been able to kick the soccer ball to know how to kick a soccer ball was really fun to see. The teamwork was another thing that was fun to see. Going from just running and doing stuff by yourself, to actually playing more like a team was impressive from these kids and it really shows how fast kids, no matter who they are, can develop different sorts of skills.

William Shakespeare and The Twelfth Night was something new to me. Before this assignment about reading the book I obviously knew about William Shakespeare and some of his famous work. However I have never really read anything of his work. The Twelfth Night is different form other books, which I found out very quickly. The book is a play and a comedic one. The first 10 pages of the book it reminded me a lot about Monty Python and sit-coms. People walking in and out, the same scene is happening at the same location and the different characters.

For me one of the largest outtakes from the first two acts was the gender part. One of the main characters named Viola is disguised as a male named Cesario. This was pretty hilarious and it shows the comedic part of the play. The people are clueless and no one knows he is a she. However taking this into a perspective and applying it to real life, it has become more common thing. In our community and society today people change gender and it has gained more attention every since former Olympian Bruce Jenner decided to become a woman named Caitlyn Jenner. After this she has been attacked for making this choice and it just shows that our society in general is built upon too much hate.

Another thing I connected the disguise to, is that in Iran women are not allowed to go watch soccer. This is obviously a horrible thing and needs to be changed. Since women obviously are interested in the sport they disguise themselves as males and goes to the game.

So the disguise by Viola is comedic but at the same time, there is some seriousness that could be found.

Love is something that plays a big part in The Twelfth Night. I find all the love letters amusing. It reminds me of back home when I was around ten years old and cellphones was not really a thing yet. People in my class, myself included, sent these different love letters or notes to each other, which was fun. However, today I do not know it that is a thing anymore because of cellphones. A thing Shakespeare does really well in the play is parental love, unconditional love, and lust. Sebastian shows parental love in his quest to find his sister, Viola shows unconditional love by dressing up as a boy to see the Duke and Duke Orsino shows lust because of his need for Olivia.

The first three acts of The Twelfth Night were interesting. In the beginning I found it pretty hard to understand, but eventually when I got a grip I found it interesting. It will be fun to continue read it and I know I need to pay extra attention because of my presentation.

The 12th night and a senior capstone project

The 12^th night and a senior capstone

            On Monday, November 7 I attended a senior capstone project in which we talked about social justice on our campus and its affect on our institution. The meeting was held in the Humanities building and was very beneficial. I had attended a panel for my Law class on similar concepts previously so I was ready to jump in with my opinions. I was the only student there who was not a senior so the senior presenting was exceptionally grateful for me bringing a piece of diversity to the age group. The other students who attended were mostly in the same class and called the group “Discuss Justice: How does your faith apply to social justice”.

            We first began by introducing ourselves and talking about one thing that makes us different form the other people in the group.  Then our group of about 9 moved on to talk about pre prepared questions. One question I liked was, “Why do you think it is important to have discussions about faith and religion at a private Catholic institution”? Due to my previous experiences I was able to talk about the idea of “safe-spaces” which was discussed in great detail at the panel on social justice. The general conclusion was that when you live in such a  global community, not knowing your “neighbors” would be detrimental to your understanding of the world around you.

            These concepts of social justice can also be applied to William Shakespeare’s work, The Twelfth Night. During Act 1 Scene 2 Viola says, ”I prithee- and I’ll pay thee bounteously- Conceal me what I am, and be my aid  For such disguise as haply shall become the form of my intent. I’ll serve this duke” Viola is completely decided to change herself drastically in order to impersonate one of the Duke’s servants. This ties into my experience at the capstone project because we talked a lot about being comfortable in one’s own skin and acceptance of those around you. It was very interesting to talk about especially considering I didn’t know anybody there.

            There are a few big differences between the talk and the novel by Shakespeare. One major contrast between the two experiences, is the during the project people were trying as hard so they could not to step on anyone’s toes. Meanwhile the characters in this play are unable to see the future and what would be best for the future generations or for themselves in the long run.

A Victim of Love

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Acts I-II depicts the victimization of love. The story is ironic because love is typically romanticized and is seen in a positive light. Love is generally  thought of as brilliant, beautiful, and a joyous part of life. But Shakespeare dives into the other side of love that is dark, violent, and difficult to understand. The saying, “love is blind” stands true in this story. Characters are twisted and deceived all in the name of love. Shakespeare gives us a deeper understanding of what love can do to the perceptions of an individual who is enraptured in the idea of another. It is surprising and gurling to comprehend but is necessary to convey a contrasting view of love.

The fantasy that love evokes in one's imagination is initially evident in the relationship between Orsino and Olivia. Orsino is enraptured with the idea of Olivia and is completely in love with her though she does not return his affections and he truly does not know her. His imagination has carried him away and he is consumed by his efforts to advance their relationship. Viola is another character who is in love with someone whose affections are not returned. She loves Orsino. She then works for him under disguise as a character named Cesario who Olivia then falls in love with. In addition to this absurd love triangle, another character Malvolio falls in love with Olivia based on letters that were deceivingly written by Maria. The first two acts of the play show how deceptive people can be when love provokes them. It also shows how much people can suffer because of love. Orsino speaks of his woes, “my desires, like fell and cruel hounds / E’er since pursue me” (I.i.21–22 and Olivia also gives a recount of the suffering she endures, by calling it a “plague” (I.v.265). Viola also gives detail of her feeling towards Orinso, “My state is desperate for my master’s love” (II.ii.35). The love and longing each of these characters has for another results in great unhappiness and unfulfilled desires. It is a gruesome realization that thus far, the characters are unaware of.

During my time at Tunbridge Elementary School where I participate in service learning, the kids are not really exposed to this side of love from my perspective. They are so young and don’t know the darker side to emotions they consistently encounter as positive. For example the love they experience from their teacher, Mrs. Hazle is understanding and consistent. But what some of the children don't know, from my perspective is how hard it is for Mrs. Hazle to continuously be there for kids who are sometimes troublesome or hard to handle. Day in and day out she gives to those children who are at times, aren't as easy to give to. I am happy to do anything I can for her to ease up on the stress she has piled on top of her. For example, I grade papers that she would have to do at home, I help plan lessons or, file away graded tests in numerous folders.. It is tedious work but there is nothing better then seeing the relief on her face when I am able to help her in this small way. She is kind to her students and has really inspired me. I am an education major so being exposed to the hardwokring and exemplary educator she is had been very beneficial to me.

The connection to the readings is the relationship between the students and teacher and the side of the sacrificial love they are unaware of. Because they see what they are given as normal and also because they are in fifth grade, they are unaware of how much their teacher gives to them. In conclusion, love is a mysterious thing and in reality is conflicting and confusing. It pulls people in many directions and is difficult to understand. Truly understanding love is something I do not know if anyone can do.