Negative Space Reflection

A. Negative space is typically the space surrounding an object. It is a way of displaying the shape of an object using just two colors and without drawing details with pen or pencil. In other words it is the background.

B. In my tree I was able to identify the negative space because I could see the outline of the figure and from there I was able to identify which was the positive and negative space. By having the capability to differentiate between the two I could move on to the more minor details such as branches, roots, and the grass. What helped me the most was thinking of the piece like a mirror, because whatever happens on one side is always reversed on the other and that all the pieces cut off of one were placed on the other.

       My still life was my very first negative space drawing. It took me a while to catch on because it was hard for me to see the space in only two colors, white and black. I started off by defining the positive space and from there I was able to shade in the background.

C. An artist needs to be able to define the shape of their subject as clearly as possible. After all having well formed objects is the beginning to every good art pieces. To be able to do so you need at least a basic understanding of how negative and positive space relate and how to be able to see their subject through that lens.

D. Having a clear outline of a shape and being able to see where the background begins makes an art piece much more appealing and pleasant to look at. There is a balance between positive and negative space that we do not always notice. I think that it is very important not to only focus on the positive like we tend to do, but also pay attention to the background.

Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 8.24.13 PM
Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 8.24.13 PM
Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 9.38.50 PM
Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 9.38.50 PM
​(first vantage point)
Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 9.49.06 PM
Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 9.49.06 PM
​(second vantage point)
Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 9.29.39 PM
Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 9.29.39 PM
​(final vantage point)

Othello Journals

Journal #1

Act 2

Scene 1

Lines 163-173

"She that was ever fair and never proud, Had tongue at will and yet was never loud, (Iago shakes his hand in a motion when he says "never" -- to indicate he is drawing the line; saying she is never loud) (He is on a rant to Desdemona -- moving all these gestures at a quick pace) Never lacked gold and yet went never gay, (He brings hand around neck as if he had jewelry around him -- to show she was always presentable wearing gold/shakes his hand in a motion when he says "never" (again)) Fled from her wish and yet said “Now I may,” (Iago runs out of breath and takes a slight pause) She that being angered, her revenge being nigh, (He is looking towards Desdemona with a soft, sincere voice) Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly, (Iago raises his hand to show the serious emotion he is containing) She that in wisdom never was so frail (He taps his finger on his head -- indicating the brains/knowledge that he is referring to) To change the cod’s head for the salmon’s tail, (He looks at one hand, then looks at the other -- showing the two options: cod's head or the salmon's tail) She that could think and ne'er disclose her mind, (Iago brings his hand to his head again in a stern voice, while making eye contact with Desdemona) See suitors following and not look behind, (Iago continues to be on a rant. He is making motions fast, trying to collect words quickly. He is on the verge of running out of breath) (Iago turns his head around slightly and softly gestures his hand behind him) She was a wight, if ever such wights were—" (He looks at Desdemona and raises voice. His voice becomes stern and solid. He stops in the middle of his sentence because he is interrupted by Desdemona)

Journal #2

Emelia has been in scenes where she usually pops up when certain situations happen. For example, in act 3, scene 1, page 113, Emelia is talking to Cassio. He wants to speak to Desdemona and is asking for permission from Emelia. They end up all having a conversation about Cassio and Othello's relationships. As well as how Emelia and Desdemona's husband’s are acting. Emelia also appears in this scene later on in the play where she is trying to convince Othello that nothing is going on between Desdemona and Iago. In act 4, scene 2, page 193, Emelia and Othello are having a back and fourth conversation about Desdemona. This causes Othello to demand Emelia to bring Desdemona in the room so they can discuss it.

Emelia is trying to be as helpful as possible throughout the whole play. I think she is consistently trying to communicate with her fellow peers about all the situations that came up. She seems to be that extra person hanging around that perfectly ties into the moments when the characters need a second opinion. Or, when Emelia feels like butting into the situations, and speaking her voice. 

I feel like all the other characters can see Emelia as the same thing that she sees herself. The characters communicate back with Emelia and you see some fluid conversations between them in the play. This shows that sometimes what Emelia is saying is relevant. However, they could also see her as someone who isn't necessary and hasn't tied into any of the events.  The characters in the play see her as a very bittersweet character. The things that she says can either help or hurt everyone. This is because Emelia tends too say or do too much or too little. For example, Emelia was pretending that she didn't know what Desdemona was talking about when they were on the topic of the handkerchief, when she should of told Desdemona what was really going on. 

We can try to focus on how she says all the things that she does. I feel like the tone of what she is saying and her body language will come in a lot of use. If Emelia is trying to be secretive, sneaky, and blunt, she might talk in a slow, soft, or low tone. If Emelia is trying to get her opinion across to someone and convince a character (like Othello), her voice might be loud and her body movement might be drastic. Since Emelia is a minor character, I don't think it would be obvious things that give away what she is trying to portray. If we focus on her physical addition to the stage rather than any other factors of her character, that might help us figure out what Emelia is really thinking. 

Journal #3

Cassio was always a fair and sincere man. He always wanted the best for others and tried to avoid drama as much as possible. He tended to never really get what he wanted. He was always chasing after women who had no interest in him. Cassio was consistently turned down by all different types of women. Whether he had friends to support him or even a wing-man, Cassio had no chance. He was always a nice man; sometimes too nice. He never knew what was always right in front of him, whether it was good or bad. He tried to stay away from all the drama between friends and peers but it never really worked out.

  It all started when Cassio fell madly in love with a girl in middle school. Day after day, Cassio would sit and cry over her. The girl had no interest in Cassio from the day she met him. From that point on, Cassio felt that he would never be happy because of this one girl disappointing him. He then assumed that all the others would disappoint him too. Then along came Othello, Desdemona, and the others, which caused him to rediscover what he already knew: disappointment. Before meeting them and after, Cassio saw that he was just someone that was meant to sit in the crowd, watch, and wait till something or someone came his way. 

Journal #4

During my performance as Cassio, I am going to try to act as sincere and heartfelt as possible. Cassio is upset with Bianca in the scene because of the handkerchief. I am going to be making a lot of gasp noises, throwing my hands in the air, and talking loudly yet genuine at the same time. This is because I want to convince Bianca to not leave me (Cassio). 

In my scene, I am going to have a sword with me. The sword represents who I play (because I am apart of the military in the play). Also, in this scene, my actions aren't as dramatic as the others; all I am doing is talking to Bianca. Therefore, the sword is a sweet, soft, yet necessary touch to my role in the scene. I say this because it adds on to  the actual person Cassio is playing. He is a lieuteant. The sword adds some power to his character without the prop taking over and distracting the scene. 

My group's presentation is going to stand out because we have some dramatic conversations going on in our scene. Iago is trying to be sneaky while Othello ease-drops on my conversation as Cassio with Bianca. Bianca is furious with me, and I'm trying to convince her that what she thinks is wrong. Our group has agreed that we all have something dramatic to say, and we are going to use that to the best of our ability. Whether it is with the way we talk, walk, or simply appear on stage; each of us are trying to get our point across to one and other. We are going to use all the tools we learned in class, to bring the scene alive. 

Journal #5

“How now, my sweet Bianca! How now! How now!”. I had a very limited amount of lines. However, this line stood out to me the most because the was the line that I saw and felt the most emotion in. This line gave me a view and hint on how sincere and willing Cassio is as a character. He is really caring, and only wants the best for everyone. He was one of those characters who was noticeable enough to be labeled as a main character yet he wasn’t one of the more dramatic ones. Cassio was always trying to mend situations and be the peace maker. Bianca was really mad at him for the wrong reasons and Cassio was trying his hardest to make sure she didn’t storm out the room. This line showed me his true characteristics that made him who he is. I feel like this line was important in my performance because it gave me a chance to use a lot of emotion. I got to be that character that is basically innocent and is one of the fair players in the game (or in the play as you could say). I delivered this line by acting sad, surprised, and somewhat begging towards Bianca. I was offended and disappointed in her that she was willing to say such foolish things. I was trying my best to make her stay. 

The performance went as I planned. No matter how many times we practiced, there was some characters that lacked emotion more than others. This is what made me think that the show must go on whether they put in the emotion needed or not. Overall, I was happy with the finishing product. I am proud of the effort we all put in and how well we used the time given to use to practice. We brainstormed even the slightest ideas to improve our scene that made all the difference for the better. If I was to do this performance again, I personally wouldn’t of changed anything for myself. I am proud of the way I performed. However, as a group, I would have wanted more emotion and a little more projection in our voices for some of the characters. All in all, I’m happy with what performance I was apart of. 

Performing the play really improved my understanding of the play. Simplifying and compressing the play, highlighting all the main events, really gave me a clear timeline of the whole plot of Othello. I got to see who was the good and who was the evil. I also got to see which characters were more important than others. I witnessed so many different things when seeing the live performances. All in all, it was just helpful because I already knew what was going on in the play before we started acting it out; the live performances just took my understanding to a whole new and improved level. 

Leah Kelly: Benchmark Journals

Journal #1:

Text from Othello, said by Iago, Act 5 Scene 1:

(aside) I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense,

And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio

Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,

Every way makes my gain. Live Roderigo,

He calls me to a restitution large

Of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him

As gifts to Desdemona.

It must not be. If Cassio do remain

He hath a daily beauty in his life

That makes me ugly. And besides, the Moor

May unfold me to him—there stand I in much peril.

No, he must die. But so, I hear him coming.

 

Throughout most of this soliloquy by Iago, he seems to be talking to himself.  However, I think that he is also giving the audience a view into his plot. I think that this would have been said in a quiet sort of anger throughout. Specifically, a pause and a sly smile after '...and he grows angry." in line 13. After that, he would use hand gestures for the audience to see how "he kill Cassio or Cassio kill him", and then a maniac laugh after "every way makes my gain." The rest of this soliloquy by Iago is simply said to himself in a very dramatic manner and in a very suspicious, plotting and evil tone. However, the last line of the soliloquy seems to be there specifically for the audience as well as for fellow actors whenever this was being performed. As Aaron said in class today, there was barely any time for the actors to work with their scripts, so this line also acts as a cue for the actors doing this play as well.

 

Journal #2

Bianca: Act 3, Scene 4 is when we first meet her. She also appears in Act 5, Scene 1.

1. Bianca observes that Cassio gives her a handkerchief, although she does not know whose it is, and asks him to copy the embroidery pattern. From her point of view, she is doing nothing wrong because she does not know the story or the plot behind this handkerchief.

2. When Cassio is stabbed, Iago says "Gentlemen all, I do suspect this trash to be a party in this injury," (line 87-88), indicating Bianca as the "trash". Basically , he is saying that Bianca has to do with the plan behind Cassio's stabbing. Then when he asks where Cassio dined that night, he asks Bianca if she is nervous to answer that, because he knows that Cassio was at her house, again indicating that he is trying to shift suspicion from himself onto her for Cassio's wounds.

3. If Bianca had known what was going on the whole time and if she had known the significance behind the handkerchief and the plot of Iago, she would not have taken the handkerchief. But since she was only present in the places that she was, she did not know the evil plot of Iago. If she had, she would have tried to resolve it. Therefore, when Iago asks her if she is nervous and she hears blame in his voice, she is shocked because she sees no possible way that she could have done anything wrong.

 

Journal #3

Iago

"Come, Emelia my love, let us go for a walk through the town," I said.

"My dear, spending time with you is always a joy," Emelia replied, "Where shall we walk?"

"Wherever the wind takes us. Maybe, we will be able to see my dear friend, Othello. I hear that he has been recently married!"

As we began to walk, I pondered what it would be like if we saw Othello and his bride. I’d heard from rumors of her fair and beautiful nature, a wonderful woman. I shook the thought aside as I cast my eyes towards my own wife and took her hand as we began to walk. It was a cool evening, I could feel the warmth drain from the air as the sun sank beyond the horizon. We were walking through the town when I heard a call from behind me, "Iago, is that you?"

"Othello, my dear friend!" I replied, as I cast my eyes to the woman standing beside him.

"Iago, this is my wife, Desdemona."

As she brought her eyes up to meet mine, it felt electric. Immediate heat rose to my face as I looked into the eyes of the most beautiful woman I had ever met in my life. I felt a surge of hatred for Othello who had married this perfect woman. I wanted her to be mine.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," she said.

 

Journal #4

1. In the beginning while trying to convince Cassio to drink, I'm going to be saying it in a convincing and persuading tone. Also, when I am talking to myself about my plot to get Cassio drunk, Aaron suggested that I actually talk to the audience so it's like I'm letting them in on my little secret, so I'll be doing that. Lastly, when Othello questions me about how the fight between Cassio and Rodrigo began, I sort of step back but when I say the line " yet, I persuade myself...." I'm going to take a step in like I'm sharing a secret.

2. I'm going to bring in a toga for me to wear. Also, I'll bring in a wine glass so that I can taunt Cassio while urging him to drink.

3. I think that our fight scene is what is really going to make us stand out-- Aaron helped us a lot to block it out and how to get the right sound effects, convey the right emotion, and just make it great all around. I'm excited!

 

Journal #5:

            I think that the most important line in my scene is my last line after I have delivered a soliloquy when I say “So will I turn her virtue into pitch, and out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh them all.” This is so important because it locks in the suspicion that the audience has had about Iago plotting this entire conspiracy against Othello. While performing this line, since it was the last line of the play, I took a small pause before the line to make it more dramatic and then said it full of passion!

            Overall, I really loved performing with my group. It went better than I expected actually, because when we got in front of the whole class, everyone sort of calmed down and we focused on performing it correctly and remembering all of the points of interest and acting techniques that Aaron had told us about. I’m very proud of the way that our scene flowed and especially the way that we blocked out the entire thing. If we had to do it over again, I honestly don’t think that we would have done much differently in terms of our performance. The only major thing that I can think of to improve the overall quality would be to memorize our lines so that we didn’t need to hold our papers with us.

            While performing the play, I understood the entire structure of the play more than I had in the book—mainly the way that Iago plotted, what Desdemona saw, why Othello was angry, and the relationship between Iago and Emelia. Also while performing/watching this being performed, I realized how many different emotions this play brings out in the audience—anger, humor, betrayal and disbelief.

 

Q4 Benchmark-Performing Othello

Performing Othello - Pierce Luck


Journal 1

That’s not amiss,

But yet keep time in all. Will you withdraw?

-Now will I question Cassio of Bianca,

A housewife that by selling her desires

Buys herself bread and clothes. It is a creature

That dotes on Cassio, as ’tis the strumpet’s plague

To beguile many and be beguiled by one.

He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain

From the excess of laughter. Here he comes.


As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad.

And his un bookish jealousy must construe

Poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behavior

Quite in the wrong.—How do you now, lieutenant


  First, Iago was having an intense monologue with Othello for a couple of lines. Now Iago talks to the audience about how he felt of how he asked Cassio of Bianca.  You can tell he was talking to the audience because he talks about Cassio in a very despiteful way. You know this because Iago isn’t brave enough to confront Cassio he would rather manipulate problems. Also, you can tell that he was because after he's done monologuing about Cassio (it says entering Cassio). There was a couple of pauses to show the importance on the tone in Iago's voice. Finally, In the final piece to the monologue, Iago still is talking about his plan, showing to us that he must be talking to the audience because he wouldn't talk about his plan to his enemies. But you can tell that it quickly changes from audience to Cassio when he directs a question towards him.  

Journal 2

Roderigo  Act 2 scene 3/Act 5 Scene 1

     In act 2 scene 3 of Othello, Roderigo saw a drunken Cassio pursuing to kill him. Rodrerigo was in total fear as he cries, and weeps for help. In this scene, Roderigo is very confused of why Cassio is so angry at him, and so confused on why he wants to kill him. Roderigo saw Montana defending him and from this he was relieved because he was not the one fighting Cassio. He was told from Cassio that he is a villain. Rodrego is a true character who only wants Desdemona's love.  In act 5 scene 1 of Othello, he saw his target Cassio from a far distance away. He took his sword out to kill Cassio. He saw a seemingly trustworthy Iago, behind him for support. He was told by Iago that he will give him back up after he stabs Cassio. But he doesn't know truly why he is attacking Cassio. He was manipulated by Iago's words, and Iago gave him reasoning for it. Iago doesn't care of any of their lives.Rodrego only wants the doesn't want all this violence in his life. 

Journal 3 

  Othello had a hard life as an only child of a single parent household. He went to a royal school academy where he was sort of a jock, but was tormented by his teachers. His teachers didn't like him, and devised a plan to get him suspended and permanently banned from the school. They only true reason behind this was because Othello was a growing proud black man who would grow into power. The teachers knew Othello was easy to persuade, so they tried to take advantage of that weakness.They saw the progression of the young Othello, and knew he would have a powerful role under the Duke.They set schemes and bribed other students to influence Othello into trouble. The temptation was great for Othello but he overcame most of his troubles. As he was always being sent to the Dean’s office, where he had to talk his way out of trouble. But to do this he had to show a lot of confidence and poise in his voice. One of the teachers tried to say that he influenced one of the girls to be his girl-friend which wasn't true. Othello spoke proudly to his teacher that accused him and explained how he got his girl and got the girl to also explain that she loved him. This experience helped him in the play.

Journal 4 

  During my performance, I am bringing a very strong protective voice to the play. I will talk in a way that protects me. In the play I would bow before the Duke, I would use hand motions, I get on one knee to convince the Duke of my innocence, and I also walk off with Nomi (Desdemona) on my arm. I am going to bring a scarf tomorrow for the presentation. I am bringing a scarf because my group and I thought it would fit with my character in this scene. It shows my nobleness. I think our subtle actions and our voices will really make our group standout. We all captured our characters essence in our play

Journal 5

    In the performance I played the black general Othello. I feel that the line,  “I do beseech you, send for the lady to the sagittary, ad let her speak of me before her father: If you do find me foul in her report, the trust, the office I do hold of you, not only take away, but let your sentence even fall upon my life”. This line is important to the play because Othello speaks out of term to the Duke of Venice as he pleads his case. Before he even begin to yell and defend himself from the accusations of poisoning the young Desdemona’s mind to fall in love with him, Othello says I beseech you meaning no disrespect. Right after that line he kind of orders / asks the Duke to send for Desdemona, so he would have proof ad would be able to plead his case in front of the Duke and in front of Desdemona’s father Brabantio.  This scene is important because Othello’s fate is in Desdemona’s hands at the time because Othello said to the Duke that if Desdemona says otherwise than he would take it upon his life and take a death punishment. In the play I first was calm as I was talking to the Duke but my actions and words began to increase in intensity. I began to speak louder to plead my case and I also did many had motions to the crown would know how animated Othello actually was. Our group gave tremendous effort and I thought we played our roles to our fullest potential. We all planned together and it turned out exactly how we practiced it. I’m proud of our delivery in our lines and really taking the roles of our characters. I really wouldn’t do anything differently, maybe I could have just memorized my lines that would have made me capable of doing more actions. Performing the play helped me visual the placing of the characters in the play. Like when Iago was being mysterious he would hide behind something and it was nice to see that live. 


Alexis McCormick; Gold Stream; Benchmark Prep Journal:

Alexis McCormick 

Gold Stream 

Benchmark Prep Journal


Benchmark Prep Journal number one:


Iago:

“And what’s he then that says I play the villain?

When this advice is free I give and honest,

Probal to thinking and indeed the course

To win the Moor again? For ’tis most easy

The inclining Desdemona to subdue

In any honest suit: she’s framed as fruitful

As the free elements. And then for her

To win the Moor—were’t to renounce his baptism,

All seals and symbols of redeemed sin,

His soul is so enfetter’d to her love,

That she may make, unmake, do what she list,

Even as her appetite shall play the god

With his weak function. How am I then a villain

To counsel Cassio to this parallel course,

Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!

When devils will the blackest sins put on,

They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,

As I do now: for whiles this honest fool

Plies Desdemona to repair his fortunes

And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,

I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear,

That she repeals him for her body’s lust;

And by how much she strives to do him good,

She shall undo her credit with the Moor.

So will I turn her virtue into pitch,

And out of her own goodness make the net

That shall enmesh them all.”


This soliloquy is found in act two, scene three, when Iago is talking to himself about Cassio trying to arrive back in Othello’s favor, and how Othello would do anything to keep Desdemona’s love. It is easy to say that Iago is talking to himself in this section, but also Iago could be talking to the devil from the line saying; “Divinity of hell! When devils will the blackest sins put on They do suggest at first with heavenly shows As I do now.” This quote is saying that the argument that is happening at this point could be something the devil himself would be in, and or talk about. Back then, whomever was playing Iago’s role at this point would understand that they have to look and act devious from the line saying “And out of her own goodness make the net That shall enmesh them all.“ Iago at this point is basically saying, how his big plan is going to work and how he is going to trap everyone. From what we learned in class today about the actors back then, and how they didn’t know what their lines were about. As well as what actions they had to do. They would figure it out from the last sentence or this big quote.


Benchmark Prep Journal number two:


I am going to be investigating Brabantio’s perspective in act one, scene one. In this scene Iago and Rodreigo are telling Brabantio that his daughter is sleeping with the moor, also known as Othello. At first in this scene Brabantio was woken up from his sleep from screaming from the two men, yelling about the moor and Brabantio being robbed. At first Brabantio was confused and about what the men were talking about because he didn’t understand what they meant of him being robbed. What they actually mean is that Othello, robbed his daughter; Desdemonda’s love. Brabantio does not believe the words coming from the man's mouth until one of them gave him a proposition which was: “Sir, I will answer anything. But, I beseech you, If’t be your pleasure and most wise consent (As partly I find it is) that your fair daughter

At this odd-even and dull watch o' th' night Transported with no worse nor better guard But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier, To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor, If this be known to you and your allowance, We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs. But if you know not this my manners tell me

We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe That, from the sense of all civility,

I thus would play and trifle with your reverence. Your daughter (if you have not given her leave) I say again, hath made a gross revolt, Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes In an extravagant and wheeling stranger Of here and everywhere. Straight satisfy yourself. If she be in her chamber or your house, Let loose on me the justice of the state For thus deluding you.” -Roderigo. Roderigo is saying that if your daughter is not in her room she is with the Moor but if she is then go ahead and kill him for his horrible lies. Brabantio is second guessing and still believes that theses words were still lies until he checks  his daughter’s room. After reading the first scene it's understood that Brabantio is shocked and is upset that his daughter would do such a thing. Brabantio is very upset and throughout the rest of the act he try’s to make up several situations on why Desdamona is doing this to him.



Benchmark Prep Journal number three:


The scene that my group and I had is where, Cassio reunites with Bianca and gives her the handkerchief that he found in his chamber. Bianca gets upset because she thinks that Cassio got the handkerchief from one of the women he was cheating with. The only reason why Bianca is leading to conclusions on the cheating line is because she was cheated on several times before. The first man she fell in love with cheated on her after two long years of on and off relationship. The man after her first love was more of an on and off type of guy but they said they were only seeing each other but she found out that he also lied to her. He would buy things for both Bianca and the said girl. With those memories that Bianca had with the last man in her life, she thought that because Cassio was giving a gift he, "found in his room", that he was then cheating. The previous men in Bianca's life made her have second thoughts about any men in her previous and future life.


Benchmark Prep Journal number four:


This journal it is more of a built list, so the actions I am going to be doing as my character as Bianca is to throw the handkerchief down and run off. The tone in my voice is going to be very upset and full of much anger. The props I am going to be using are a type of cloth for the handkerchief and dollars bills because my character is into that type of stuff. The reason why I believe my group and are presentation will stand out is because we are going to speak loud and clear and we are going to make the scene that we are performing over the top just like the real thing. My group and I decided that we need to put a lot of action into the performance while we speak and we also agreed that we would speak as if it was the real thing, like professional actors.


Benchmark Post-Performance Journal 


In scene six, the character I played was Bianca. During this time in the play, Bianca was full of anger, and she was very upset. She thought that Cassio was cheating on her because he gave her a fount handkerchief that she believed came from another women he was sleeping with. After reading my lines over and over again I soon believed the the line I felt that set the whole scene, mood, and emotions was when Bianca said, “This is some minx’s token. There; give it your hobby-horse: where-so-ever you had it.” This line made me think to react on a high level voice full of rage and anger basically almost about to cry. She then runs out very upset out of anger.  


I believe that my group did pretty well, knowing that one of our cast members has a very low voice, and the others are shy. The only thing that I thought didn’t go as planned was that we didn’t memorize the lines as much as we liked. We planned to have most of our lines down packed so we would look more professional, but it didn’t go as planned. Also, I stumbled on my words a little bit. I was just so worried about getting everything right, that I got scared and whined up messing up. 


After performing our scene, I felt as though I interpreted “Othello” by Shakespeare, a lot better and more easier. The reason for that is because of the deeper understanding of the many different characters and their stories. Throughout the short acting classes where we had to perform with just our groups. I started out really slow. In other words, I did not know what I was doing. After a few days, with the help of Mr. Aaron and Ms. Pahomov, I soon was able to feel Bianca’s emotions. I think with all the small activities that were led up to the actual performance day helped me get more into character.  


Julian Makarechi- Othello Journals

Journal#1: 

Quote with additions (all additions will be in parenthesis)

I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense,

And he grows angry. (Make facial expressions demonstrating how aggravated he is. Speak with a bit of annoyance or attitude. Try to make the audience know that you are irritated by this problem. Avoid long pauses to show how much you do not like this situation.)

Now, whether he kill Cassio

Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,

Every way makes my gain. (Right now you have to assure the audience that you have things under control, and that even if you are annoyed you still have everything planned out correctly. Lower your voice a little to sound calm, composed, soothing and carefree.) Live Roderigo,

He calls me to a restitution large

Of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him

As gifts to Desdemona. 

It must not be. (Have larger pauses and a small tremble in the voice showing that you are a little bit worried because you know that it could be hard for you to reach your goal.)  

If Cassio do remain

He hath a daily beauty in his life

That makes me ugly. (Face another side of the audience, just to separate your thoughts on the two characters. You want to show a hint of jealousy so maybe you could pout or act frustrated that you do not have the same skills as he does. Raise your voice with anger when you say the word "ugly".) And besides, the Moor

May unfold me to him—there stand I in much peril.

No, he must die. (When saying these lines act alert and aware of what could go wrong. During the line"No, he must die" be very determined.)  But so, I hear him coming. 

-Iago, Act 5 Scene 1


Journal#2: 

Character: Bianca

Important scenes: Act 4 Scn 1, Act 5 Scn 1

Questions: 

Since Bianca is not aware of Iago's plan or the meaning of the handkerchief, she is very confused and does not understand why people are acting so rude towards her. It aggravates her that she is surrounded by such madness and randomness. She does not enjoy the harsh words that she is receiving from Cassio and is starting to get suspicious but also confused about the situation. Bianca gets to the point where she is sick and tired of his disrespectfulness and wants Cassio to give back the handkerchief or else she will leave. She sees personally that she must lay down the law and give Cassio the option of doing the right thing and going to dinner with her. She is not afraid to let him know that she does not mind getting rid of him. The other characters like Cassio and Iago call her a whore or strumpet at times. They use those terms to reference or call her, even right in front of her. In their minds she is useless and they do not value her opinion. She is told that she is a whore and to stop getting in the way. They do not tell her what is going, which makes her the odd one out. 

Journal#3:  

At the age of 8, Othello was separated from his mother and was forced to be a slave. All his life he had been used to hardship from the people around him, but his older sister helped him be strong and to never stop fighting. His sister, Sandra became the only person Othello could rely on, especially when his mother left. He was super protective of her and would make sure no guy looked at his sister in any dirty way. A few days after Othello's 18th birthday, Sandra was kidnapped by some guys who were from the North and he never saw her again. Without her, he was alone and he did not know what to do or how to control himself. He would never forgive the people who took the most important person in his life away from him.  Because he lost the two most important women he had in his life, he made sure to always protect any other woman he loved. After losing his sister, he decided to flee from his master and join the army. He fought with the South and made sure he could get his revenge. His determination and anger made him one of the best soldiers. As time went by, he kept on improving and becoming smarter than the other officers ahead of him. He ended up surpassing those officers and becoming a general after nine years. 


Journal#4: 

On Tuesday, Leah, Dylan and I will be performing Scene 2. There are three speaking characters in our scene: Iago (played by Leah), Cassio (played by Dylan) and Othello (played by me). Roderigo will also take part in this scene (played by Max) but has no lines; he will just be struck by Cassio. As Othello, I will have speak with a lot of diction and authority to show how noble and high up I am. When I first enter I am going to be very concerned, confused and angry when speaking to Iago because I am not okay with Cassio attacking Roderigo. Later, when I end up firing Cassio, I will speak with care when I tell him the bad news but also be very serious to show him that what he did was wrong. Some of the actions I will do will be to always turn to the person I am speaking to and use my hands to show my emotions. For example, when I first come in and am alarmed by the situation, I will be waiving my hands and pointing. Then, when I fire Cassio, I will put my hand on his shoulder as a sign of compassion. My tone of voice will be very high and angry when I rant to Iago about what happened. 

As a group, we organized everything; when people walk in, what actions to do and how to interact with each other. I think the thing that will make our presentation memorable is when Dylan speaks in a drunk tone and beats up Max. Also, we are all friends so I think people can tell the great connection we have on stage. As for a prop, I will be wearing an old WWII soldier’s helmet to show Othello's power as a general. This will add to my act and show more authority. Originally, I wanted to use a handkerchief for my prop but it was not relevant in the story yet. 


Post Performance Journal:

- “Cassio, I love thee, but never more be officer of mine.” (Scene 2, read by Othello).

I feel like this is important to the play in many different ways. First of all, it shows that Othello is taking charge and can acknowledge problems. This lets the audience know that he has authority and is not afraid to use it. This scene marks one of the first interactions between Cassio and Othello, where the Moor starts to dislike Cassio because of his actions. I also think that the line  above shows that sometimes Othello knows how to do things in certain situations and how to be classy. There were three main things that I did when I said this line in our performance. 

First, when I said: “Cassio, I love thee,” I put my hand on Dylan’s (Cassio) shoulder to show him that I do actually feel that way and care. As I continued to say: “but never more be officer of mine,” I spoke in a very serious tone to let him know that he really messed up and that I am upset. Lastly, before I left the stage I saluted Cassio out of respect and bid him farewell.                                                                                              

- I think that our performance went as we had planned and we did well. We were all able to really become the character and act from his perspective. I am proud that all that time spent rehearsing and brainstorming ideas of how to be more creative and to get  the audience’s attention worked out. Before getting up there, we all agreed on what actions to do at certain moments so that we could make our scene more realistic. I must say that I expected us to do well and be confident but not this much. I thought that Leah was very articulate and determined. Also, Dylan did a great job at acting drunk but still not going too far. The part where he is fighting with Max (Roderigo) was very entertaining and useful. Maybe, if I were to redo it, I would ask everyone to have their lines memorized (so it would be more professional) and use more props so that we could be more interactive.

- I definitely had more fun watching my classmates acting and me performing to the class than reading from the book. I thought that doing this project helped us not only to learn more about the play and understand what it looks like acted out, but it also taught us how to act and the meaning behind Shakespeare’s writing. This whole process helped me understand  how to read this type of writing and take its clues for stage directions. 

Cassio es Magnifico

To A Charming Señorita

Tchaikovsky, Op. 39, No. 18

The great composer Tchaikovsky generally did not fare too well financially. He was very lucky to have the support of a very wealthy noblewoman, Nadezhda van Meck. They never actually met. She just believed in his music. Her money made it possible for Tchaikovsky to write his greatest music without having to worry about where his next meal was coming from. He wrote this song for her.


SpanishSong

Othello Journals

JOURNAL 1

Act II, Scene I, page 9

(aside) He takes her by the palm. Ay, well said, whisper! [Iago is quiet and wry. He is looking at Cassio and Desdemona, but not speaking to them; he is speaking to himself. With the second sentence, he smiles on the exclamation.]

With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. [Iago is still talking to himself, however now he sounds much more sinister/forceful. With the force comes hand gestures.]

Ay, smile upon her, do, I will give thee in thine own courtship. [To Cassio, though Cassio can't hear him. This line should be spoken slowly with much emphasis; Iago should be tense with excitement.]

You say true, 'Tis so, indeed. If such tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had been better you had not kissed your three fingers so oft, which now again you are most apt to play the sir in. [Still to Cassio. The built up excitement escapes in these lines - they should be spoken rapidly and forcefully. Continuing the feeling of excitement, Iago should be wide-eyed, increasing in tone, and leaning/taking a step towards Cassio.]

Very good, well kissed, and excellent courtesy! ’tis so, indeed. [Iago is back to a calm, articulate way of speaking. Throughout these lines he should be facing Cassio but not focused on him; Iago is talking to himself.]

Yet again your fingers to your lips? Would they were clyster-pipes for your sake! [Iago is back to talking to Cassio. For the first sentence he is smiling and talks with a mocking, incredulous tone (Iago thinks Cassio is a dunce). The second sentence, he is outright laughing at Cassio and Cassio's eminent demise. Extra emphasis on the last "your".]


JOURNAL 2

EMILIA

[Note: D--- refers to Desdemona]

Act 3 Scene 3, Emilia is present when Cassio and Desdemona talk about Cassio’s position and then, in the same scene, she finds Desdemona’s handkerchief.

Act 3 Scene 4, Emilia says she doesn’t know anything about D----’s handkerchief when asked about it.

Act 5 Scene 2, Emilia is talking with Othello after he killed D----; she tells him he killed for nothing.

Emilia saw the role of the handkerchief unfold - she had a crucial part in this, as well. She also saw some of Iago’s plot for the other characters, and this is also where her connection to the handkerchief and Desdemona crop up. However, Emilia is not one of the major characters, and it is not apparent if she was receiving information from others. At the end, though, she did learn that Roderigo died and Cassio was attacked. She was also told by Othello that Iago was the one who was the informational source about Desdemona’s supposed infidelity.

Emilia had split loyalties for the vast majority of the play. This is seen especially in Act 3’s scene 4. She obviously has some sort of friendship or attachment to Desdemona - Emilia comforts her and gives advice when D---- is having problems with Othello. At the same time, Emilia did pick up the handkerchief for her husband, Iago. She also stays quiet about her brief possession of the handkerchief, possibly to keep Iago out of the fire.


JOURNAL 3

Originally from Africa, Othello’s history and skin color set him apart from the rest of the Venetians in Othello. He was separated at an early age from his family and home in northern Libya (near Tripoli) by a group of radical fighters opposed to the Ottoman conquest of the area. He stayed, unwillingly, with that group for several years. Eventually he was sold into slavery, due to the radical group’s volatile nature. When Othello was a teenager he found himself close enough to the coast to take a ship to Italy - where he eventually won for himself a position in the military. He managed to survive and even prosper under such conditions.  His good name and relatively high standing in the military are even bigger achievements when the prejudices against him are taken into account. The bias and prejudice Othello had to face, which surely involved misinformation about him, probably led to his staunch opposition to gossip (at least, until Iago came along). Because of his background and skin color he was not accepted by many people. This can be seen by characters referring to him as ‘The Moor’, instead of an actual name. Also, throughout the play Othello was referred to as valiant and  other such terms; his bravery possibly stemmed from his living through the horrors of his younger years.


JOURNAL 4

The prop for my character (Othello) is a foam sword. I picked a sword for several reasons: Othello is a general with combat experience, so it makes sense that he would stay armed; Othello seems very insecure due to the near constant discrimination against him, as well as his horrid beginnings- a sword is a symbol of power and masculinity. Keeping one by his side would both sooth his ego and let others know that he is the Bossman. For the reasons stated above, when Othello feels in charge and powerful, he is very cordial. When his vulnerabilities are not mollified in such a way, I think he becomes unstable.

Because Othello is so very insecure, when Iago begins lording the 'knowledge' that Desdemona may be sleeping around Othello hates not being in the know. And because Othello is unstable, when Iago dances around the issue it is possible that Othello would be on the edge of physically threatening Iago with the aforementioned sword. Other than that, my Othello would sound super-exasperated when talking with Desdemona (because she would be nagging him =[ ).

As a team, we worked out how our props would tie into the scene. This also relates to how we deliver our lines, so hopefully our dialogue will be well articulated.



JOURNAL 5

Why, why is this?

Think’st thou I’d make a life of jealousy,

To follow still the changes of the moon

With fresh suspicions? No, Iago,

I’ll see before I doubt, when I doubt, prove,

And on the proof there is no more but this:

Away at once with love or jealousy!


This line is important because it is a snapshot of Othello’s view on justice and insinuations. At this point in the play Othello has not yet become dependant on Iago’s ‘guidance’ and information. He is telling Iago to stop telling him love-gossip to make him jealous. This line is also important for its stark contrast from Othello’s next line, where he is telling Iago to bring him more information. It is also particularly important to our performance because it shows my Othello’s transition from violent anger to something calmer and more controlled. This change in emotion may be reason as to why Othello’s lines are somewhat contradictory; he was filled with (self-)righteous anger and so he insisted that he isn't swayed by gossip. But then, when his mind cleared a bit, he realized he was interested in what Iago was insinuated about Othello's wife, and decided to ask for more information. As such, I tried to deliver the first part of the line with as much power and vehemence as possible, and the second part like I was trying to cover up a tentative attitude (because Othello still loves appearing to be in control).    

My group's performance did go as expected; though Richard and I did put a lot more effort in to the class performance versus the practices. I'm super proud of my group, since we really pulled through to become comfortable with the shakespearean language. I'm also proud of myself for actually articulating with inflection and energy. It is usually very difficult for me to present in front of a whole class, so I see this as progress =]

Performing the play forced me to really flesh out the characters and analyze why they acted the way they did. When we just read Othello as a class, I didn't look much deeper at Othello's personality and past; this benchmark, with the journals included, made me figure out what the scenes would actually sound like. Also, just watching the entire class perform, I really figured out the plot of Othello. There were some parts that were a bit spotty when I just read the lines in the book.  



Negative Space Reflection/Blog:

​Negative space drawings are darings where one specific object in the drawing is shaded black while the rest is left white. I could figure out which object should be shaded in my cut out (the tree, in this piece the shaded or 'black' part would be the orange background) because when we started our projects we had a reference sheet with the picture we where creating. So I traced the borders of my tree and cut out the inside of the shaded lines. Creating a stencil, so then I took my green paper and put it under my self made stencil, tracing the lines. Turning my green paper into a sketched picture of a tree. Then all I did was cut out the tree accordingly. Once all that was done I pasted my pieces on according to the opposite side of the paper which you can see in the picture below. For my sketches in my book (the pencil sketches) I drew my chair and my cup then I just shaded my background to define the negative spaces. Negative space helps the artist's eye see all aspects of the sketch they are working with. A classic example of this is Rubin's Vase. This is just a picture of a yellow vase with a white background. Although- if you make it a negative picture by coloring the vase white and the background black you see that it is really an optical illusion, with two faces looking at each other. In short it gives you a full unadulterated view of what your working with. Seeing in negative space in fact enhances the artist's and viewer's comprehension of the art. I say this because you can look at something in color and you see whats there, but if you take the color away...you see each little pen stroke, detail, and quirk giving the work more personality and originality. 
Photo on 5-2-13 at 4.21 PM
Photo on 5-2-13 at 4.21 PM
Photo on 5-2-13 at 4.11 PM
Photo on 5-2-13 at 4.11 PM
Photo on 5-2-13 at 4.20 PM
Photo on 5-2-13 at 4.20 PM

Negative space drawing

What is negative space?

a. Negative space is the space around an object.


Explain how you found negative space in 1. your cut out?, 2. in your still life drawing?

The way I found negative space in my cut out was a little hard. I look at the opposite color and then I started to cut out what it was suppose to be a reflection of the original picture. The way I found negative in the still life drawing was kinda difficult, because I didn't know how to draw the pictures exactly.


Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?

c. I think that negative space could help an artist because they can observe the actual picture to more space and length, it helps define the object and help create interest and contrast. 



Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings, why or why not?

d. Seeing in negative space enhance drawings because it gives objects their own space to express what they are and also it kind of adds emotions into it.

1367444988811
1367444988811
1367506481252
1367506481252

Negative Space Drawings - Raz Reed

1. What is negative space?

Negative space is the space surrounding an object.

2. Explain how you found negative space in A. your cut-out?, B. your still life drawing?

When drawing the still life, I started by shading in a large portion of my paper. I "drew" it by erasing parts to resemble the objects I was drawing. When making my cut-out, I cut out the shape of the drawing I was given, and traced that onto both papers so I could know where to trim and paste.

3. Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?

It helps by giving the artist an accurate outline of what he/she is drawing.

4. Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings? Why or why not?

It helps by providing a true shape of what you're drawing. In this way, negative space drawings may be better than regular in some situations.
Negative Space
Negative Space
Negative Space 2
Negative Space 2

Negative Space Reflection/Blog

A. Negative space is where you outline the object. No detail is added, and you shade the space around the object to outline your drawing.

B. I found negative space in my cut out drawing by tracing my drawing, then the picture out. To have the negative space affect, I used opposite colors depending on the original tracer.

C. It helps an artist to see negative space by being able to properly outline objects to give their drawing or project more affect.

D. Negative space does enhance drawings because it helps you define shape without detail.
Negative
Negative
neg 2
neg 2
asdf
asdf
asd
asd