Printing Press and the Internet

Printing Press and the Internet

The internet has completely revolutionized the way that people access knowledge, just as the printing press revolutionized the Renaissance era by exposing people to concepts that they had not heard of until the discovery. Despite their similarities in causing a great change among their respective generations, their direct impact varies greatly. The printing press was the original computer and Internet. It allowed a greater audience access to different perspectives. The printing press gave everyone equal access (to a degree) to ideas that they might not even have heard of until they became published. Because of people's fascination with knowledge, their literacy grew and their ability to grasp different stories grew into something that began the literacy era; everyone wanted to be able to read in order to fully enjoy these emerging stories.

The Internet has been blamed for the downfall of brick and mortar bookstores. Since the emergence of technology like computers, the number of bookstores going into bankrupt has increased tenfold. However, it would be wrong to assume that because printed books are being sold less and less, that literacy is going down. It can be suggested that the opposite is bound to occur. For one, the Internet has granted people access to knowledge beyond anyone's belief. Any question that one may have can be answered on the Internet. This itself encourages people to read more. Also, books are now available in electronic version, for a cheaper price, and in a more accessible format. No longer does anyone have to travel anywhere to get a specific book. With a couple clicks of the mouse, an entire series of books can be purchased. The easiness of this only encourages more people to be able to seek knowledge that may not have been available to them.

Both of these new revolutions changed intellect and access to information. They both completely changed their respective generations and allowed everyone a chance for equal access to knowledge. Although social class played a role in the access of printed books during the Renaissance era, it still exposed everyone to a new world. Both the inventions of the printing press and the development of technologies such as computers, e-readers, and the Internet facilitated the transmission of ideas for their respective time periods. They both increased literacy and most importantly, they both allowed for the improvement of knowledge.

2) Carpe Diem!

Three examples of carpe diem philosophy in today's world:

Entrepreneurship

Thrill seeking activities such as sky diving, racing, etc.

Gambling

Carpe diem philosophy encourages individuals to seize the day, to live for the moment, because death is something that is bound to come to all of us. There however, are varying degrees of this. While I do agree that seizing the moment is a form of thinking and a way of living, I believe that there does have to be some control in this. Seizing the moment, to me, does not necessarily have to mean putting my life at risk. I see the point of carpe diem as seizing the moment because everything should be held as being special. Living in constant worry and always thinking in a negative way hinders one from living life to the fullest. However, I do not believe that putting my life at risk with pleasure seeking activities that bring adrenaline rushes is the way to achieve that satisfaction. A way for me to live with a carpe diem philosophy would be to take risks in terms of entrepreneurship of something that I might have always wanted to do. A lot of people have great ideas, but they do not have the nerves to actually go through with them because of the idea of losing time and money. However, that is the sort of carpe diem philosophy that I would have. We only live once, and I would take a risk to do something that I would have always wanted to do.

3) Responding to Literature

A.)

Escaping from one's reality can seem like a dream come true, especially when escaping with one's true love. This can be seen in various genres of literature, television, movies, and advertising. In literature, books such as "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates depicts a romantic escape as being an escape from their reality. Being tired of the nine to five daily routine and of being parents, the main characters found that fantasizing about going to a place for vacation was an escape from where they physically and mentally did not want to be. This is how it is used in literature. It may not be the physical location that appeals to the characters, but the break and escape from routine that guides their romantic motif. In movies, retreating to a remote location is always depicted as being the time for the protagonists and supporting character to do what they would have always wanted to do but were unable to in their life at home. There is always an adventure that normal day-to-day people take in movies, that make them realize something about themselves, something that eventually changes them when they go back home. In television, especially in a television series, escaping to a remote island or a distant land is seen as a coping mechanism. Television portrayal of drama or comedies differs from movies in that in movies it is a quick depiction of how an escape changes a character, but in a longer running series, escapes are seen as ways to either develop the characters or allow them to cope with a life changing occurrence in their lives. However, in advertising, this fantasy of retreating to a remote island is directly appealing to real people. Commercials often show couples on a cruise in the middle of the ocean, partying, relaxing, doing all the things that everyday people would want to be doing. In this way, they are directly allowing individuals to fantasize about how they wish their lives would be.

B.)

John Donne's poem, "The Bait" is an indirect response to Marlowe's "Passionate Shepard." The poem is not necessarily a direct response to the "Passionate Shepard," but it is a sort of mockery or parody to poems like "Passionate Shepard." "The Bait" starts off with words similar to "Passionate Shepard," "Come live with me, and be my love, / and we will some new pleasure prove" (the Bait). "Come live with me, and be my love / and we will all the pleasures prove" (Passionate Shepard). Both poems here open up to a romantic setting, giving the readers the expectations that both poems not only relate to each other, but in a way connected to the romanticism that they are trying to portray. However both poems start to take on their own distinct paths when "Passionate Shepard" continues to talk about love and about pursing a loved one and the joy that would come if the female would reciprocate the love, "And if these pleasures may thee move, / Come live with me and be my love" (Passionate Shepard). The sense of genuine care is not lost. However, in "The Bait," the poem starts to take on another direction and in fact gets a bit harsher, "Let others freeze with angling reeds, / and cut their legs with shells and weeds,…" (the Bait). At this point, it becomes clear that in fact "The Bait" is mocking the pursuit by men of these women. He insinuates that while pursing women (the bait), men get hurt trying to win over the others. At the end, "Passionate Shepard" repeats the same two lines previously mentioned "And if these pleasures may thee move, / Come live with me and be my love" (Passionate Shepard) in order to reinforce that in fact the man loves the woman and sincerely feels this way toward her. "The Bait" ends even darker "The fish that is not catched thereby / Alas, is wiser far than I," but with a different sense than that of "Passionate Shepard." In the end, "The Bait" in fact gives up on the chase and states that the smarter move is not continuing to pursue love and the woman, but it is giving up and leaving first without getting hurt.

4) a Timeline of Shakespeare's Life

1564 -- William Shakespeare was born

1582 -- Shakespeare married wife Anne Hathaway

1583 -- First daughter Susanna was born

1585 -- Birth of twins Judith and Hamnet

1587 -- Left Stratford and wrote the Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, the

Taming of the Shrew, Henry VI 1, 2, 3, and Richard III

1593 -- Writes Venus and Adonis, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Love's Labour's Lost; begins writing the Sonnets

1594 -- Owned playwright company Lord Chamberlain's Men; wrote the Rape of Lucrece; Lyrical masterpiece period begins

1594 -- Writes Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, and Merchant of Venice

1596 -- Son Hamnet dies at age 11

1597 -- Writes Henry IV 1, 2, the Merry Wives of Windsor, as You Like it, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, and Julius Caesar

1599 -- the Globe Theater is built

1600 -- Period of the Great Tragedies & Problem Plays begins

1600 -- Writes Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Trolius & Cressida, Alls Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, and Timon of Athens

1601 -- Shakespeare's father dies

1607 -- Daughter Susanna marries

1608 -- Shakespeare's mother dies

1609 -- Period of the Romances begins

1609 -- the Sonnets is published; writes Pericles Prince of Tyre, Cymbeline, the Winter's Tale, and the Tempest

1616 -- Shakespeare dies after falling ill

5) Responding to Literature (Read pages 284-285, 288-289)

A.)

"Sonnet 130" by Shakespeare and "Sonnet 23" by Louis Labe both talk about love, as so many sonnets do. Their respective techniques however, differentiate them from each other. Shakespeare uses a rhyme scheme that became known as Shakespearean rhyme scheme or English rhyme. He writes about love in a sarcastic manner though. He is mocking the traditional love poems and the usual expressive manner in which women are often compared to. It is ironic in a way because Shakespeare himself also uses the very techniques in his previous writing when he is writing from a man's point-of-view and describing a woman. But in this sonnet he uses the technique of mocking this exaggerated comparison. Usually women are compared to having skin as white as snow, however, in reality, Shakespeare points out, women don't really fit this description, "If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun."

Louis Labe however, does not use the English rhyme scheme, he instead uses an Italian rhyme scheme, that is also known as the Petrarchan scheme. In this sonnet, Labe actually speaks from the woman's perspective, who is responding to the comments that a man made to her that were also like the comments that Shakespeare was mocking as being unrealistic. She states that all those lies were told to her and now he has left her, waiting for those promises to come true, "Your brutal goal was to make me a slave / beneath the ruse of being served by you." She states that she was told that she was loved, but it was a lie to get her to be his slave. It is this response to this supposed love that makes this piece a unique technique.

Both pieces use a rhyming technique in order to fully disperse their message. Both of these pieces are also talking about love or the expression of love in non-traditional ways. Shakespeare and Labe are known for writing about love in their stereotypical ways, however, in these sonnets, they are in a way making fun of themselves for writing in such a manner and are actually mocking their writing styles in their respective sonnets. Shakespeare is the most effective of the two when it comes to using sarcasm and mockery as a technique. He uses direct comparison to stereotypical compliments that make the readers more aware of what he is writing about and what his point-of-view is on the subject. Although Labe does the same, he is not as passionate about it as Shakespeare is in his sonnet. Both of the techniques in these sonnets are one of mockery, sarcasm, and most straightforward, rhyming.

B.)

In the poem "Fear No More the Heat O' the Sun" line 11 writes, "The scepter, learning, and physic must" all make reference to specific professions. The scepter is referring to the profession of being one of royalty, whether it is a queen or a king. The learning could be referring to a profession that involves either doing the teaching, such as a teacher or a professor, or of being a student who is receiving the knowledge instead of giving it. The physic refers to a scientific field that is referring to medical science such as either a doctor or a scientist. These are all professions that need to be inferred from this line.

6) Composing an Original Sonnet

My love constantly grew with the thought of her face

Knowing that she was so close in mind but faraway

Made my desire to have her here to embrace

Something that was in my thoughts day after day

It has been impossible to not have her near

To not speak to her in close proximity

For losing her is what I most fear

Thinking that she will not be with me eternally

I must resolve to get her close

And never let her escape my arms

Because it is her who I have chose

To forever have me charmed

For now, the stars in the sky is all the hope I have

For they remind me of our times together, and the love we once had

7) Merchant of Venice Act I

a) Famous Phrases (Acts I-V)

"All the glitters is not gold"

"Bated breath"

"Love is blind"

"Pound of flesh"

"Quality of mercy is not strained"

"Truth will out"

"Truth will come"

"Peach be with you"

"Stealing her soul with many vows of faith"

"If you prick us, do we not bleed"

b) Character Notebook (Character Analysis of Acts I-V)

Portia:

Portia is made out to be a very desirable girl. Before she is even introduced, we read how much Bassanio desires her for her beauty and of course for her money. She has a very controlling father who even after his death still controls who she will marry. Portia however, does not like this at all. She feels trapped by her dead father, and wishes that she at least had the power to choose something in her life. She has so many suitors, but she is not allowed to choose the one she wants because in order to be able to marry her, the suitor must choose a correct casket, in order to follow her father's desires. She is made out to be as a shy, reserved woman, who is not in control of her life. However, that changes very quickly when Bassanio finally picks the correct casket and she marries him. She turns into someone who has regained control of her life and is instead the person who ends up saving Antonio's life. Antonio's relationship with her is a bit complicated, since she is the reason why Antonio might lose Bassanio's affection. But in order to save Antonio from being killed by Shylock, she dresses up as a man in order to be Antonio's lawyer, something that was unheard of for a woman to do. She knows how much Antonio has done for Bassanio and herself, and wants to be able to repay the favor. We then see an intelligent, lawyer-like personality in Portia, who outsmarts Shylock into allowing Antonio to live and in fact making Shylock out to be the person who committed the crime. One last perspective that we are given of Portia is when she outsmarts Bassanio into giving her the ring (while still being disguised as a lawyer). This is where a conniving side comes out since she is in fact testing Bassanio once again to prove that his love is real, which also reveals her true insecurities about being truly loved by someone.

Antonio:

Antonio is a rich merchant who puts up a pound of flesh so that Bassanio (his best friend) can borrow the money he needs from Shylock in order to go woo Portia. He is portrayed as being self-sacrificing and a great friend. He is constantly stating how sad he feels about everything, especially his money being tied up with his investments on merchant ships. His character always seems to be down. Despite everything however, it is his friendship with Bassanio that actually keeps his spirits up, event though because of Bassanio he was almost killed. It seems as if he is constantly, but secretly, battling for Bassanio's love with Portia. He always compares their friendship to the love that Bassanio has for Portia, in an almost jealous manner. But the many times that Portia ends up saving his life, whether directly or indirectly, makes this jealousy a bit less apparent by the end of the play. His ugly side though, comes out when he speaks about Shylock. The Antonio that has been introduced throughout the whole play as a self-sacrificing friend is quickly challenged by his clear bigotry against Jews. The way that he talk about Shylock and the way he mocks him makes it clear that even though Antonio could be a very generous person, he is clearly racist.

Gratiano:

Gratiano seems to be a reflective character of Bassanio. Whatever Bassanio wanted, so did Gratiano. He is Antonio and Bassanio's friend, but is more of Bassanio's sidekick. When Bassanio went to pursue Portia, he tagged along just because he wanted to get out. He however is a party animal which is made reference to by Bassanio many times. While Bassanio was busy trying to woo Portia, Gratiano was also wooing Portia's friend, Nerissa. Although not really a main character, he is important because of his great resemblance to Bassanio. He is also interested in money and only wants to marry for the same reasons as Bassanio. The fact that Nerissa and Gratiano seem to mimic every move that Portia and Bassanio make, further exemplifies the fact that at first, Portia and Bassanio's love and marriage were not truly genuine, just as Gratiano and Nerissa's love is not truly genuine. Gratiano also gives away their wedding ring when Bassanio did, further proving that Gratiano's character is mostly included in this play in order to support Bassanio's character and to prove that in the end, they were both status-hungry individuals who would go to any lengths to get the money and status that they solely desired.

Bassanio:

From the beginning, we see Bassanio as a money-hungry individual, who has not only been bad with his money, but also with his best friend Antonio's money. His deepest desire is to be rich and be able to do whatever he wants. He attributes wealth with power and the only way he sees himself getting to that status is by marrying the richest girl, Portia. This makes him out to be a bit conniving since we are given the perspective that he doesn't truly love her for who she is, but actually only wants to love her for the status that she will bring to him. Also, instead of working hard in order to achieve his desired financial status, he has always wanted money to come the easy way, whether it is borrowing it from his friend Antonio, who never sees any wrong in his doing so, or getting it by marrying Portia for financial status. He is always getting in trouble and being bailed out by Antonio who he also sees as a best friend, but gives of the sense that he could also be using him, just as he uses everyone else, for his own advantage. When he wins Portia's hand in marriage, Portia is happy for he seems to be someone who truly loves her, but she does doubt his sincerity and tests him. In the end, Bassanio does end up getting it all: his best friend, his wife, and of course, his money.

Shylock:

Shylock is made out to be a money-hungry individual. His religion comes into play a lot as his money hunger is associated with his being Jewish. His greed about money becomes more apparent when his daughter Jessica runs away and marries a Christian. At that point he is more worried about the gold that she stole instead of his own daughter whom he might never see again. Jessica thinks poorly of her father who has controlled his/her entire life, and ends up leaving him and stealing his money as an act of defiance against him. His hatred toward Christians is a bit complicated as he can also feel the way he does toward them because he has constantly been mocked by them for being Jewish, not necessarily because he is racist. He is however, the object of Antonio's misery. He makes it a point not forgive Antonio his debt despite the many opportunities he had to do so. This alone led to his ending up in misery and without any wealth.

Jessica:

Jessica is a very complicated character as she suffers more than is apparent. She is clearly miserable in her father's, Shylock, home. She is seen as a ncie person by the servants of her home and she actually feels for them when they decide to abandon the house. She knows how miserable she is, and actually understands when everyone else says that they are also miserable living with Shylock. The way she views her father is more of a slight hatred for his being the way he is, and she chooses to leave her father by eloping with Lorenzo who also happened to be a Christian. Upon leaving, she steals money and gold from her father in order to be able to sustain herself and her new husband. This act of stealing is more of an act to spite her father, instead of actually needing the money. She may come off as being selfish for doing this, but it is the act itself, with the intention of hurting her dad that is most meaningful here. Shylock in return ends up hating her, not only because she left him, stole his money, and married a Christian, but because she also converts to Christianity. This is the ultimate act of defiance against her father.

c) Improving your vocabulary

Act I:

Alabaster -- 1.) a dense translucent, white or tinted fine-grained gypsum. 2.) a variety of hard calcite, translucent and sometimes banded. 3.) a pale yellowish pink to yellowish gray (thefreedictionary.com)

Vilely -- 1.) Loathsome; disgusting. 2.) Unpleasant of objectionable. 3.) Miserably poor and degrading; wretched (thefreedictionary.com)

Bassanio is concocting a scheme to get out of debt by marrying a rich woman named Portia. Although this may seem like a vilely thing to do, it is what he considers to be the best solution to his financial woes. He wants to be able to afford the lifestyle that he fully thinks he deserves. He wants to be able to afford items made of alabaster and things of royal materials in order to prove his high financial status.

Act II:

Reverence -- 1.) a feeling of profound awe and respect and often love; veneration. 2.) an act showing respect, especially a bow or curtsy.

Jessica shows no reverence for her father. She completely despises him and wants to move away with Lorenzo and eventually convert to Christianity. It will be this that will finally free her from his grasp.

Act III:

- Knapped -- to break or chip with sharp blows, as in shaping flint or obsidian tools

Shylock is determined on having Antonio pay for borrowing money from him. If it were up to Shylock, Antonio would have already been knapped in order to pay his inability to fulfill the debt with his life.

Act IV:

Dram - a small amount; a bit

There was not even a dram of mercy for Shylock who ended up being punished fully for pursuing Antonio and his debt.

Act V:

Orb -- a globe surmounted by a cross, used as a symbol of monarchial power and justice

As the play dwindles down and every character goes to their respective homes, Portia and Bassanio are now fit to take on the orb and use their fortune together, just as Bassanio always wanted to begin with.

8) Merchant of Venice Act II

A test like the one that Portia's father made for her would not be one that I would agree with. First, it does not really show much about the suitor's character. Although it was meant to screen men and only allow for the one who truly loved Portia to win, it actually did not work out this way. Bassanio at that point only wanted to marry Portia for her money, so it was not really a good test of true love. I would not want for my future husband to be chosen this way. To me, it doesn't seem to capture everything that I would want my husband to have. I wouldn't want to have a test to begin with, in order to choose my husband. The option of true choice is lost when there is a test that needs to be passed in order to find true love and a life partner.

My modern-day test would be one of honesty. I would set up a test, kind of like the one that Portia herself set up toward the end of the play, in which I would put my potential suitors in compromising situations where they would have to choose between lying to me or telling me the truth. This test would not only measure their degree of honesty, but their true dedication to me. The man who would be brave enough to tell me the truth, would be the man with the best character and the one who I would think would treat me best. These would be the qualities that I would want most in my husband. I would want him to be truthful, honest with me, and brave. This test would test all of those aforementioned characteristics.

10) Merchant of Venice Act III

a.)

The first example of friendship is demonstrated when Bassanio gets a letter saying that Antonio will die because of the money owed to Shylock. Instead of leaving with Portia, who he has just won, and starting their happy romantic life together, he postpones his marriage in order to be able to go back and save Antonio. The second act of friendship also comes in here, when Portia agrees to put up the money that Antonio owes. This demonstrates the great friendship that Portia feels for Antonio, even though she does not really know him. The third act of friendship comes with Nerissa also joining in and agreeing to postpone the fruits of her marriage with Gratiano until the issue with Antonio is resolved. All these acts of self-sacrifice over a true friend is what the Elizabethan times were about.

b)

This speech made Shylock seem like a hurt individual, one that has endured acts against him just because of his faith and of the person who he has chosen to be. It is a very powerful speech as it can be related to a lot of other injustices that occur on a daily basis just based on the color of someone's skin, their religion, or sexual preference. In the end, this is saying that we are all human, despite our differences from each other. This did make me feel more sympathetic to Shylock because it pointed out that he could also be the way that he is because of his circumstances and because of the way that people have treated him.

c)

The purpose of this song at this point is to create suspense. Bassanio is about to choose the casket that will decide whether he will be able to marry Portia and win her love, along with her money. The tone of the song is not one of negativity, but one of hopefulness. It is as if this would be what would be going on in Bassanio's head while deciding which casket to choose. At the same time however, its slight positive tone gives readers the sense that Bassanio is indeed going to choose the correct casket, which in the end, he does.

11) Merchant of Venice Act IV

It can be difficult to empathize with Shylock, but at times, one is forced to do so. From the beginning Shylock is made out to be a money hungry individual who is racist himself against Christians. Being the only Jewish individual around, it seemed natural to try to defend his religion since no one else around him was very supportive of it. However, I do not believe that Shylock got what he deserved.

It is my belief that Shylock was dramatically wronged. Although he did go too far with Antonio and had various opportunities to forgive him, but chose instead to persecute him, Shylock was also acting in anger. He was constantly made fun of by Antonio and various other characters throughout the play. Even though Shylock is made out to be the villain, he is the villain because it was his only way to defend himself against the way that he was being treated. All this maltreatment was because of his religious affiliations.

Shylock, ironically was the one that ended up being the most punished in the end, but definitely not rightfully so. The acts against him were in a way anti-Semitism because he got punished for rightfully claiming his money from a Christian. In the end, it just demonstrated that Christianity was what won, and the Jew, Shylock got what he supposedly deserved, when in reality all the characters of the play had some part in Shylock's misfortune.

b)

In Act 1, the bonds of usury are formed when Bassanio wants to borrow money from Shylock in Antonio's name. Shylock, who despises Antonio, gladly accepts because he wants to see him dead if Bassanio is unable to pay, "For the which, as I told you, Antonio shall be bound." Bassanio uses Antonio's name in order to be able to get the money that he needs in order to pursue Portia. On the other hand, the fact that the money was used in order to pursue Portia who Bassanio also plans on using is another indirect bond of usury that is portrayed in this Act.

Act 3 is all about friendship. The sacrifices that are made in order to protect a great friend is apparent in everyone's self-sacrifice of what they had thought mattered most, each of their respective marriages. They set this aside for the sake of the bond of friendship, "Will live as maids and widows. Come, away!" It is a different ambiance however in Act IV when pleas for mercy come forth. The bonds that this itself forms are powerful and meaningful, and are actually the most important in the play.

All the characters in the play, at one point or another are forced to plea for mercy. This is all because of the initial bond of usury formed in the first Act. But in the fourth Act, from the beginning it is clear that Shylock is going to be merciless, as this is exactly how he is introduced, "I am sorry for thee: thou art come to answer / a stony adversary, an inhuman wretch / uncapable of pity, void and empty / From any dram of mercy." Up to that point, despite any pleas for mercy from any of the characters, Shylock refuses to give in, and wants to have Antonio dead. What makes this the most important bond is that in the end, it is Shylock who ends up pleading for mercy and he is outwardly refused it. No one wants to forgive him for what he did, and in the end he was the one that ended up in the worst circumstance. His lack of mercy for Antonio, ended up costing any mercy from anyone else. He also lost everything he loved, his daughter, his status, and his fortune.