Macbeth Manliness

Lady Macbeth
What beast was't, then,
That made you break this enterprise to me?
When you durst do it, then you were a man;
(Act 1 scene 7 lines 53-56)

Context/paraphrase: Lady Macbeth is getting very angry and mad at Macbeth for being afraid to do the deed of killing the King.  She calls him a coward for being afraid to kill the king and then she goes and actually finishes the deed herself because of his cowardliness. 
Interpretation/explanation: In this quote Lady Macbeth cannot believe Macbeth broke the promise to her and is implying that what could stop him from doing this other than a beast which would be very unlikely.  Shakespeare then states that when he finally does the deed then Macbeth will be a man.

Macbeth
I'll go no more
I am afraid to think what I have done
Look on 't again I dare not

Lady Macbeth
Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures.  'Tis the eye of childhood
(Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 65-70)

Context/paraphrase: This quote happens after Macbeth kills the king and comes back and talks to his wife.  She asks why he did not leave the daggers with the kings body guards to make it look like they did it.  Macbeth says he cannot go back and do the deed so Lady Macbeth mans up and does it herself.
Interpretation/explanation:  This quite suggests that Macbeth is not much of a man because he cannot go back and finish the deed of smearing blood on the drunk body guards and laying the daggers with them.  Instead since he is such a wussy, Lady Macbeth has to do it which she does and mans up to the task.

Malcolm
What will you do? Let's not consort with them.
 To show an unfelt sorrow is an office
 Which the false man does easy.  I'll to England.

 Donalbain
 To Ireland I.  Our separated fortune.....
 (Act 2 scene 4 Lines 160-163)

 Context/paraphrase:  Malcolm and Donalbain are fleeing and Malcolm is going to England, while Donalbain is going to Ireland.  They are leaving because of their fathers death and are splitting up also.
 Interpretation/explanation:  In this quote the kings sons are fleeing the city and hiding away till when they come back later.  To me this is not manly at all since they are running away and hiding away.  Although it takes some strength of mind to go to separate places away from each other.  All in all the are not manly for running away from the situation where as they should stay and figure out the situation.

Macbeth
 'Tis better thee without than he within.
 Is he dispatched?

 Murderer
 My lord, his throat is cut.  That I did for him.
 (Act 3 scene 4 Lines 16-18)

 Context/paraphrase:  In this quote the murderer is reporting back to Macbeth that he has killed and dispatched Banquo.  The only problem is t hat Fleance Banquo's son escaped which the murderer also reports.
 Interpretation/explanation:  This is manly of the murderer to kill a person that he doesn't really have anything against.  he is just obeying orders from Macbeth.  I know that if I was ordered to kill someone I didn't know, i would not be able to do it because it would not seem right.  So it is very manly of the Murderer to kill Banquo.

 Lady Macbeth
Sit, worthy friends.  My lord if oftern thus
 And hath been from his youth.  Pray you, keep seat.
 The fit is momentary;upon a thought
 he will again be will.  If much you note him
 You shall offend him and extend his passion
 Feed and regard him not {drawing Macbeth aside}
 Are you a man?

 Macbeth
 Ay, and a bold one,that dare look on that
 Which might appall the devil
 (Act 3 scene 4 Lines 64-72)

 Context/paraphrase:  In this quote Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and starts to freak out.  Lady Macbeth pulls him aside and questions if he is a man and Macbeth replies that he is a bold one at that.
 Interpretation/explanation:  Lady Macbeth is questioning her husbands manliness because of his disruption at the dinner table with all their guest there.  Macbeth replies that yes he is a man, and he calling Banquo a devil.  No one else can see Banquo's ghost other than Macbeth so everyone thinks he is crazy.

The Odysseys themes

The recurring theme in the Odyssey is that you must always stay loyal to your leader or king because they will get you through anything and if you are disloyal it will come back to haunt you or even kill you.

               In book 12 of The Odyssey odysseus and his crew must make it through some tough passages and without the help of Odysseus their leader they will all perish and die.  Without the leadership of Odysseus who knows about all of the obstacles they are about to face in the sea, and how to get past them with some of the crew left they must listen to him.  To get past the Sirens Odysseus told his crew to tie him to the mast and then plug there ears with wax so they will not hear the sirens.  "and I stopped the ears of my comrades one by one.  They bound me hand and foot in the tight ship-erect at the mast-block lashed by ropes to the mast." (pg.276 Lines 192-194)  By doing this Odysseus cannot steer the ship into the rocks and kill them because even if he did plug his ears he would still be able to hear them because he wanted to.  Since the crew plugged their ears they could not hear the sirens and that saved them thanks to Odysseus.  Thanks to the leadership of Odysseus it saved the crew from distruction and helped them pass the sirens on the quest to get back home.

                In book 19 of The Odyssey Odysseus trusts the loyalty of his wife to see if he wants to return to her and remain married to her.  When Odysseus returns to Ithacea, he sees if his wife has been loyal to him while he has been gone.  In fact she has not married any of the suitors that were trying to marry her, but deep down in her heart she believed that Odysseus was still alive.  "I yearn for Odysseus always, my heart pines away.  They rush the marriage on, and I spin out my wiles.." (pg.394. Lines 151-152)  This quote shows that she hopes Odysseus comes back because she is his true love.  If she must she will marry one of the suitors but she will never love them like she does Odysseus, and when she finds out that he might be coming back she cries for joy but doesnt know if she believes it.  Penelope stays loyal to Odysseus by not marrying any of the suitors and wishing and hoping that he will come back to be with her.

            In Book 22 of The Odyssey there are some people that have not stayed loyal to Odysseus and they will pay for that.  All of the suitors have not stayed loyal to him and they will all die for that.  "You dogs! you never imagined I'd return from Troy- so cocksure that you bled my house to death,..." (pg.440 Lines36-39)  Odyseeus unleashes his wrath on the suitors for trying to take away his wife from him and hurt his serving women.  Odysseus gets back at them and kills every last one of them with his son Telemachus at his side.  By not staying loyal to Odysseus the suitors pay the price with their lives, which is not a nice way to die.

            


          

Opinion column on Joe Mauer

According to most fans and teammates, Joe Mauer is the teams hero and MVP this year.  Some other people seem to think differently.  He has been productive this year, but not as great as in years before.  Not as many home runs, RBI, batting average and many other statistics.  Also in key situations like with two outs and men on base he always seems to choke under the pressure and can not perform.  Since Justin Morneau out with a concussion since July 7th and not coming back for the playoffs in big situations the twins really turn to Mauer.  During the postseason I believe as well as many other Twins fans hope that he will perform this postseason when the Twins need him most.  For instance game five against the yankees if we get there I believe he will come up with a clutch hit.  Although, hitting is only half of the game.  Players must also play defense and Mauer plays the most important position on the team, catcher.  He must call the game no matter what happens and is depended on to bail out the pitchers if they make a bad pitch.  People really do not appreciate just how important the catching position is if you do not have an outstanding catcher then it is hard to win if the catcher and the pitcher are not on the same page.  Also so far this postseason in only six at-bats(as I am writing this) he has struck out in three of them and only has one hit.  This is not looking like what I expected and how the fans think our hometown hero will play.  Hopefully he will break out of this slump and be able to produce gits and runs in this years postseason, otherwise the twins have no chance at all of beating the yankees. 

College Football Playoffs opinion editorial

                You have to love teams like Boise State and TCU, but will they ever be able to play for a national championship?  There is a problem in college football and it needs to be fixed.  College football need to switch to a playoff system so teams not from large conferences can get in, creates more excitement and suspense and just gives college football more of a professional feel.

                Currently the FBS uses bowl games for teams to play in at the end of the year.  The problem for this is that only two teams get to play for the championship, and does not give smaller schools a chance.   Even if a team goes undefeated it gets screwed because other teams also play a great season.  The controversy has become greater over recent years because of the emergence of schools like Boise State and TCU.  Teams that are very good but they are not in a “strong” conference.  So if the FBS switched to a playoff system it would give these teams a chance.  Also it creates more excitement.  All of the top 8 teams playing each other in the playoffs what more could you want.  These would be great games hopefully all close and create excitement across the country.  It will also help teams take in more revenue since there will be extra games played at their home stadiums.             Lastly, it makes college football feel more like professional with the playoffs.  This is definitely a much better system than bowl games which are not very exciting to watch and often turn into blowouts.                                                                                                                                                                           I believe that college football should switch to a playoffs system because it would create more excitement, give college football more of a professional feel, and give more teams a chance for a national championship. 

Joe Mauer real life hereos journey

My hero is Joe Mauer because he is a great baseball player, but also cares for the community.  He was born in St. Paul and stayed a hometown hero as he played football and baseball at Cretin-Derham Hall in high school.  He was called to adventure because both of his brothers played sports and overall his family was very involved in the sports world. (http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Mauer/Mauer_bio.html)   He led them to a football championship and also very far in baseball.  During his career as a baseball player in high school he only struck out once and all of his team mates were wondering what happened and if he was ok.  (http://www.citypages.com/2006-07-05/columns/the-kid-who-struck-out-joe-mauer/)  He was raised ny his mother and father and lived also with his two brothers who he greatly admired.  He then went on to get drafted by the twins in the first round and first overall pick, and was taken over mark prior a very good pitcher.  Also he came right out of high school and didnt play at all in college. (http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Mauer/Mauer_bio.html)  Mauer excelled through the rookie and minor league farm system in all of 2 years.  He then joined the major league twins in 2004 just 3 years after being drafted.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Mauer#Basketball)  His year was shortened in his first year due to injuries but the next year played well and finished with a .294 Batting Average.  He has won the batting title in 2006, 08, and 09 and also the all-star game from 2006-2010 http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=408045
He has been the teams primary catcher and has also been their MVP.  He won the MVP award for the american league in 2009.  http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=408045  His hitting coach Joe Vavra has been his guide and helping him learn a lot of his skills that were not taught to him by others throughout life.  http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_15461107?nclick_check=1  Some parterns that he had on his quest were his brother and father.  He greatly admired his brother Jake, who also played baseball and Joe wanted to be just like him.  http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Mauer/Mauer_bio.html  He is a master of both worlds he is a great figure in the sports world, and also in the social world.  He is a hero to many people including me.  He actually has two elixirs his bat and his glove.  Since he plays cather he pretty much controls the game, but also must bat and produce hits so his team has a chance to win.   

PIE luke and doug

                       Luke Skywalker and Doug live in totally separate worlds, but are brought together in the heroes quest as they both work toward the same goal of savings people’s lives.  In Star Wars Luke decides to go on his quest at his own will.  After his home was destroyed and his aunt and uncle gone he knew that he must fight for the rebellion.  On the other hand Doug was taken away by his friend Quinn.  Quinn takes Doug to Las Vegas in his dad’s car, and Doug was forced to go with him unless he wanted to jump out of the car and kill himself.  Luke and Doug both must use elixirs to accomplish their missions.  In the Blue Diamond the elixir is obviously a blue diamond.  Doug uses it to save his friend Quinn from committing suicide by giving Quinn the diamond.  Luke uses the force to accomplish the mission as he blows up the death star and saves a world from being destructed.  Lastly, in both of the stories the heroes must save their friends from being killed.  Doug saves his friend from committing suicide by using the elixir and telling his friend that he needed to live until his sister was born.  Luke had a bigger job as he saved a whole planet from being destroyed and also saved princess Lea who is his sister, but he does not know that yet.  These two heroes both completed their quests by using parts of the heroes quest.
By: Chris Bates

Chris B. Double Bubble