Othello #6

"Unkindness may do much, and his unkindness may defeat my life, but never taint my love" (Shakespeare 4.2 158-160). This quote is crucial to understanding how Desdemona truly feels about Othello. Previously in the book we have been shown that they really are in love, but this shows specifically how faithful she is to who she believes to be her one and only, true love. By saying this, she is saying that she loves him so much that even if he were to kill her, her love for him would stay the same. No one would say something like this unless they really meant it. This quote is also an example of foreshadowing to the death of Desdemona. Somehow, she knows her fate and in saying this, it clearly becomes known to us too.

Othello #5

"O devil, devil! If that the earth could teem with woman's tears, each drop she falls would prove a crocodile. Out of my sight!" (Shakespeare 4.1 244-247). This quote is said by Othello on page 93, right after he hits Desdemona. He is saying that his striking her didn't really hurt her emotionally, she is simply trying to make him feel bad about his actions and for accusing her of cheating on him. He said "crocodile" because they are able to shed fake tears to lure their victims and that is exactly what he believes Desdemona to be doing. This is proof that he is losing trust in her and doesn't idolize her quite as much anymore.

Othello #4

"Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore! Be sure of it; give me the ocular proof; or, by the worth of mine eternal soul, thou hadst been better have been born a dog than answer my waked wrath!" (Shakespeare 3.3 355-360). This is where we really see how much Othello truly doesn't want to believe the thoughts that Iago has been putting into his head. Before Iago started going through with his plan of making Othello think Desdemona has been cheating on him with Cassio, Othello had no doubt as to how much Desdemona loved him and how faithful their relationship was. Othello cares about Desdemona greatly and doesn't want to risk losing her by accusing her of having an affair with Cassio. Because of this, Othello makes it clear to Iago that if he wants to see another day, he better have concrete and indisputable evidence. After this exchange, Iago continues his extremely two-faced ways by going on about how much he does not want to reveal this evidence to Othello only to hurt him, but immediately goes on to tell him of the "proof" he had learned of earlier in the day.

Othello #3

"What? Michael Cassio, that came awooing with you, and so many a time when I have spoken of you dispraisingly, hath ta'en your part-to have so much to do to bring him in?"(Shakespeare, 3.3 70-74) The way the Desdemona so praisingly describes Cassio shows a lot about the kind of man he truly is. Although Othello soon starts questioning Cassio's honest qualities, Desdemona had no doubt as to how good of a second in command, and person in general, he was. Desdemona states how before she had fallen for Othello, Cassio was constantly on his side putting in a good word for him and for that alone she believes Othello should give him a second chance. If it weren't for Cassio, it is likely Desdemona and Othello wouldn't have gotten married and been so happily in love. She doesn't seem to understand why Othello is having such a hard time taking Cassio back. This is because she does not know of Iago's deceiving and manipulative ways.

Othello #2

"I do suspect the lusty Moor hath leaped into my seat; the thought whereof doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards; and nothing can or shall content my soul till I am evened with him, wife for wife. Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor at least into a jealousy so strong that judgement cannot cure. (Shakespeare 40)." Iago is clearly unable to allow Othello to be happy with Desdemona, as well as in other aspects of his life, and is set out to destroy him. He cannot accept the fact that the woman he "loves" has married another man, let alone the "poor trash of Venice", which is what Iago will come to refer to Othello as a few lines down. The fact that he considers himself so much better than Othello, mainly because of the colors of their skin, shows how shallow of a man Iago really is. If he can't destroy Othello by winning over Desdemona, he is going to mentally defeat Othello causing him to destroy himself.

Othello #1

"I fetch my life and being from men of royal siege; and my demerits may speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune as this that I have reached. For know, Iago, but that I love my gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition put into circumscription and confine for the seas' worth"(Shakespeare 11). By saying this, Othello makes it clear very early in this play how much he truly cares for Desdemona. This will be important to the rest of the play because he basically states how he would do pretty much anything for her and wouldn't give her up for anything. I believe this somehow foreshadows to an event later in the play where it will be imperative that he protect their love and hold on to her with everything he has. This quote also gives a little insight into the type of man Othello is. He has experienced a lot in his life already and now he is experiencing love. Similar to the other battles he has faced, Othello is not willing to give up easily on his love.

12 Angry Men Essay 12-1-09

Melissa Johnson

Honors English/E

November 30, 2009

12 Angry Men Essay

Guilty As Charged

It is up to you, the jury, to keep this killer off the streets, away from you and away from your families. It is imperative that you do not see this boy as a young, confused boy who deserves to experience life. You must see him as a troubled, boy who killed his father and is more than capable of killing more innocent human beings. I ask you now to think about the oath you took the day you walked in this courtroom. The words of that oath do not only apply to the people around us, but to our country and to upholding its dignity. You owe it to the people of the United States of America to make your decision based on the cold, hard facts.

Now, I am going to share with you some background information about this boy. His whole life he has been surrounded by violence. It has been proven in the past, time after time, that children who grow up in less than desirable circumstances are the ones that tend to lash out in their teen years. Although it is believed the reason this young boy killed his father is because he was done taking his fathers beatings. Is death really a fair way to stop beatings? Please ask yourself this, would killing someone be the first thing that comes to your mind after an argument? Most would answer no, which proves that we must keep those who would answer yes somewhere that they will not cause danger to others. By letting this boy roam free, we are endangering other citizens.

In this case, we are given two pieces of visual evidence from different witnesses. One being from the old man who lives downstairs, and one being from a woman who lives across the el train tracks from them. The old man claims to have heard the father and the young boy fighting, and clearly heard the words “I’m going to kill you!” come from the boy’s mouth. Right after that, he heard a body hit the floor and quickly made it to his door, only to see the young boy running down the stairs and out of the building. If this is not evidence enough, the woman across the way claims to have actually seen the killing with her own two eyes. If you still have an ounce of reasonable doubt in your mind, please consider these questions, first: why would these two people go to the trouble of making up stories, only to put themselves through this tedious court process? And second: what do they have to gain from this? The answer is: nothing.

Along with these two pieces of visual evidence, we also have one piece of very tangible evidence: the knife. Do any of you honestly think that there could be such a great coincidence that the knife found at the crime scene is the same kind the bou bought earlier that day? The man who sold the knife to him testified, in front of all of us, that it was the exact knife he sold to the young boy, and it was the only one of its kind. If that is not evidence enough, his shaky alibi should tip your scare to the boy being guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He claimed to be at the cinema, but when asked about the movie he saw, he couldn’t even give any general facts. On top of that, no one who was at the theater that night could identify him. When you pay to go see a movie, do you not even pay enough attention to remember the genre or title of the film? I think we can all agree in saying that we do.

If you let this boy loose on the conclusion of him being not guilty, it will constantly be on your conscience. To be honest, I believe it should be there because you will be unleashing a killer into our streets. By doing so, you are opening countless more opportunities for him to take the lives of others. No one is asking you to kill this boy; we are asking you to come to an honest and well thought out verdict. We are simply asking whether he is guilty of killing his father or not and the answer is yes.

This boy is like a piñata. The more he is beat and tossed around, the closer he gets to his breaking point. This crime may have only been the whack that caused the first pieces of candy to fall. If you let him loose on the conclusion of not guilty, it is inevitable that the final break will come and he will wreak havoc on countless innocent people. When he goes on to commit more crimes, it will remain on your conscience until the day he receives the punishment he deserves. If you all do your jobs and come to an honest and well thought out verdict, that punishment will come sooner rather than later. No one is asking you to kill this boy; we are simply asking you to uphold the duty you owe to the United States of America by protecting those around you and taking a murderer off the streets.