Journal #1 4/23

(At the beginning of this part of soliloquy, Iago talks to Othello with slow speed and loyal tone. While he is talking, he puts his hand on his breast to show how loyal he is and all the stuff that he says is from his heart.)

That Cassio loves her, I do well believe ’t.

That she loves him, ’tis apt and of great credit.

(Iago talks to Roderigo with slow and deep voice in order to show how smart he is and how correct he is. Iago wants to persuade Roderigo to support his plan. While he is talking, he puts his right hand on Roderigo’s right shoulder in order to indicate the deep friendship between him and Roderigo.)

The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not,

Is of a constant, loving, noble nature,

(Iago talks to himself with evil and vicious tone, and he smiles a little bit, when he talks. He touches his own face during his talking, so that we all can know how evil and horrible he is.)

And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona

A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too,

Not out of absolute lust—though peradventure

I stand accountant for as great a sin—

But partly led to diet my revenge,

(Iago talks to his wife, Emilia, with angry and excited voice, because he suspects that both Othello and Cassio have sex with her wife. He needs to show how deeply he hates Othello and Cassio and how jealous he is, and he wants to find a fantastic excuse for his evil plan.)

For that 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 judgment cannot cure. Which thing to do,

If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trace

For his quick hunting, stand the putting on,

I’ll have our Michael Cassio on the hip,

Abuse him to the Moor in the right garb

(For I fear Cassio with my night-cape too)

Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me

For making him egregiously an ass

And practicing upon his peace and quiet

Even to madness. 'Tis here, but yet confused.

Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.

Journal #2 4/24

I choose Roderigo to investigate. In the Act II, Scene I, Roderigo thinks that Desdemona doesn’t fall in love with Cassio, and Desdemona is a noble and pure lady. Iago tells him that Desdemona does fall in love with Cassio. Othello is too old for Desdemona, and Desdemona does need a handsome and young man instead of Othello. Iago tells this to Roderigo in order to persuade Roderigo to help him with his plan. We know that Roderigo loves Desdemona, and his motivation is his love to Desdemona. The words that Iago tells Roderigo affects Roderigo a lot. He trusts Iago and believes that Desdemona falls in love with Cassio. Therefore, Roderigo hates Cassio and it is easier for him to kill Cassio. In the Act IV, Scene II, Roderigo thinks that Iago cheats him and doesn’t help him get Desdemona. Iago tells Roderigo that he does help him and Othello and Desdemona will leave. He tries to persuade Roderigo to kill Cassio and tells him that this is the only way to make Desdemona remain, and Cassio believes Iago again. Roderigo’s motivation is also his love to Desdemona, and he wants Desdemona to remain, so he agrees Iago to kill Cassio.

Journal #3 4/25

Roderigo is a Venetian gentleman. He meets Desdemona once, and he falls in love with her. He is attracted by her beautiful appearance and noble temperament, and he really wants to get her. He is a person who is easy to believe in others. He trusts Iago and gives him a lot of jewelry and money in order to let Iago persuade Desdemona to love him. He wants to have sex with Desdemona, but he doesn’t reach his goal yet. Therefore, he is suspicious about Iago, and he asks Iago whether Iago has already told Desdemona about his plan or not. Iago cheats him again, and he trusts Iago again. He wants to have sex with Desdemona as soon as possible, and the only person who can help him with his plan is Iago who is good at cheating. His impatience makes his judgement gone, and Iago’s skills of cheating also makes him in a mess. He is a mediocre gentleman, and he doesn’t have the alert to others. It is impossible for him to identify Iago’s evilness immediately because of his mediocrity.

Journal #4 4/29

At the beginning of the scene, Roderigo is very angry at Iago, because he suspects that Iago cheats him. I need to use the body language such as pointing my finger at Iago and speak aloud in order to show Roderigo’s anger. After Iago persuading Roderigo, Roderigo calms down. I need to use a smooth tone to talk to Iago in order to show the convert of Roderigo’s emotion. When Roderigo talks to Brabantio, he is scrupulous, because he regards Brabantio as a signior and respects him. I need to speak these lines slowly in order to show Roderigo’s respect to Brabantio. I want to gesticulate, when Roderigo promises Brabantio in order to show Roderigo’s certainty. The item that my character is going to have is a set of keys, because Roderigo is a gentleman and rich, and a set of keys can show his wealth. Also, I want to wear a scarf to show Roderigo’s noblility. Using real emotion to work on our presentation will make it stand out. As a performance, we can be a little exaggerated, and I think that will make our performance look better. All of us memorized our lines and practiced over and over again. We talked about when Iago should exit and Brabantio should enter the scene, we also talked about what kinds of tones should we use when we present. All of use agreed on these.

Journal #5 4/30

“If she be in her chamber or your house let loose on me the justice of the state for thus deluding you.”(Scene 1A) This line is said by Roderigo, and he is talking to Brabantio. He promises Brabantio that Desdemona, who is Brabantio’s daughter, is living with Othello, and they have already fallen in love. If he is lying, he will be damned and punished. This line is important, because it makes Brabantio trust Roderigo and confirm that he will go along with Roderigo in order to check whether her daughter falls in love with Othello or not. I emphasized this line and struck my crutch during the performance in order to show this line’s importance. The tone of this line is steady, because this is a promise.

Our performance went as we expected and planned, and I think we did a good job on it. I’m so proud of our properties, for example, we had a scarf, a set of keys, a crutch, and a light. I want to mention that the crutch is really important to our performance, because when I wanted to emphasize something, I just stuck my crutch, so that I could show the importance of this point. If I had an opportunity to do it again, I would speak my lines more loudly and clearly, and I would express more emotion just like the performance of Haji and Nikki. Performing our scene more exaggeratedly could make our performance look funnier and better.

I understood better about the the relationship of different characters by performing it. For example, I was really confused about the relationship between Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio at first, but after the practice and performance, I knew that Brabantio knows that Iago is a bad guy, and that’s why Iago needs to hide when Brabantio appears. Roderigo respects Brabantio, because Brabantio is a signior. Also, I understood more about Roderigo. Roderigo is a Venetian gentleman, and he is polite and his brain is easy. That’s why he is cheated by Iago over and over again. He is a rich man, so he gives his money and jewelry to Iago in order to get Desdemona, and that’s why I needed a set of keys when I performed.

Although Mandarin is the official language in China, there are also a lot of different dialects. Sometimes for people in different parts of China, it is hard to understand each other by oral languages though the written languages are similar. My families and I live in the Northern China which is close to Beijing, and we have some relatives in Guangdong Province which is in the Southern China and close to Hong Kong. I decided to visit my relatives during the summer vacation two years ago because my parents were busy. I told my parents about this idea, and they supported me. I was afraid that there might be some troubles in communication so I sent an e-mail to them. They replied to me at once and I could understand it. Therefore, I wasn’t worried anymore and went on my trip delightfully. But I found out I was wrong when I met them. 

I greeted with them at first, “你们好!”(Hello!) They showed a strange emotion, and I guessed they didn’t know what I was talking. But I believed that they greeted me, too. It sounded like “Niehoe!” Then, I said, “好长时间没见到你们了。”(I haven’t seen you guys for a long time.) I didn’t know what they were talking about, but they said something like “Hoegorxigandoeni”. I felt embarrassed and didn’t know what I should do next. They also found out that we couldn’t understand each other at all, and one of them who is my uncle pointed at a building. I understood that they wanted me to go to their house with them, and we walked together.

Then, I knew that they spoke Cantonese which is a southern dialect in China! I felt that I was an outsider although they were friendly to me because we always failed to communicate with each other. Since we couldn’t understand each other by speaking, if I needed something, I had to write it down on paper and give it to them. I was like a mute while I was living in their home. According to my plan, I would spend my whole summer vacation there. But I couldn’t stand life like this and returned home after a week. This is a failed trip, but it let me understand more about language. 

You might ask why there are a lot of dialects in China. As you know, Chinese history is long and complicated. There were seven kingdoms in China during the Warring States Period, and it lasted about two hundred years. If the people in one place couldn’t communicate with the people living in somewhere else, they had to form their own language or dialect. People in each kingdom had their own oral language and written language, but it was hard to communicate between different kingdoms. After the king of one kingdom called Ying Zheng united the other six kingdoms and established Qin Dynasty, he realized this problem and stipulated a unified written language, but he had no idea about unifying the oral language. Although he was the emperor and had the strongest power in the whole country, he didn’t have the power to change the way which people spoke. The oral language can’t be limited and unified because it is a kind of habit which can’t be decided by a certain person. In Han Dynasty, a foreign nation called Xiongnu which is next to the northern China communicated with China frequently during the whole period. So, the oral language of northern China was influenced by Xiongnu inevitably. After Han Dynasty, there were a lot of foreign nations communicating with the Han nationality which is the main nation in China, and this influenced the language in China, too. In Qing Dynasty, a nation called Manchu united China, and their tone influenced oral Chinese in the northern China so Mandarin was formed. After People’s Republic of China was established, Chinese government popularized Mandarin. But people who lived in Guangdong Province in the Southern China were used to using Cantonese, and Cantonese had already become a part of their culture. They didn’t want to change the way which they spoke, so they continued to use Cantonese till today. Dialect is connected with history. Dialect is a tool for communication and a kind of habit, and the reason of formation of a dialect is complicated. Wars can help form a dialect, because the tone of soldiers might be influenced by their enemies. Conquests can help form a dialect, because the conquerors might force the slaves to accept their languages, and the tone of slaves might be different from the conquerors so that a new dialect is formed. Also, trades can help form a dialect. If a person wants to deal with another person who speaks another language, he/she must communicate with the person, and their tone of speaking their own language would be influenced by each other.

There is also a dialect in the United States called black English. In the article If Black English Isn’t a language, Then Tell Me, What Is by James Baldwin, the author says that black english is a language, and it influences white english and culture. It introduces the reason of formation of black english. “Subsequently, the slave was given, under the eye, and the gun, of his master, Congo Square, and the Bible--or in other words, and under these conditions, the slave began the formation of the black church, and it is within this unprecedented tabernacle that black English began to be formed.” Black english is a kind of language which was spoken by black people in the United States. The reason of its formation also connects to history. Blacks were ruled by whites before the American Civil War, and they couldn’t communicate at all because they came from different tribes and used different languages. They wanted to find a way to communicate with each other, so black english appeared.

The reason of formation of dialects connects to history. It might be wars, conquests, trades, etc. Dialect is a way to communicate with each other in a certain area, and it is formed since it is chosen by history. Since this is the historical trend, no one can change it and that’s not necessary.

¡Hola! Bienvenidos a mi video. Voy a hablar sobre los seres queridos en mi vida.

Yo:

Mi nombre es Ziheng Liu. Soy muy alto y tímido. Tengo quince años. Soy de China pero vivo en Filadelfia. Tengo un papa, una mama, un abuelo y una abuela. No tengo un hermano o una hermana. Me gusta ir al cine cuando tengo tiempo libre. No tengo a apodo.

Él:

Su nombre es Charles. Su apodo es Carlitos. Él es bastante alto y delgado. Le gusta surfear la red y placticar con amigos. Tiene el pelo corto y negro. Tiene los ojos negros. Es importante para mi porque es un buenísimo amigo.

Ellos:

Sus nombres son Nan Liu y Yanchang Liu. Me caen bien porque son mi papa y mi abuelo. Ellos son súper trabajadors y sociables. A mi papa tiene una hermana menor. A mi abuelo tiene un hermano mayor y una hermana mayor. Tienen de China. Ellos les gusta practicar deportes y estar de vago.

Ellas:

Sus nombres son Zhuo Wang y Hongli Liu. Me caen bien porque son mi mama y mi abuela. Ellas son chinas. A mi mama tiene un hermano menor. A mi abuela tiene cuatro hermanas menors. Les gusta ir al cine los fines de semana.

Nosotros: 

Nos nombres son Melanie Manuel y Ziheng Liu. Es importante para mi porque es una buenísima maestra. Tenemos los ojos y pelos negros. Somos muy trabajadors. Nos gusta leer y ver la tele.

Conclusion:

Gracias por ver mi proyecto. ¡Adíos!

Frank, how’s it going? Are you happy in China now? Actually, there is something making me nervous.

You know, my mother was invited by a university as a visiting scholar. I follow my mother and have been in the United States for three months, and I entered a fantastic high school. But I still feel nervous, because I’m a foreigner for others, and it is hard to be understood. I am living in an environment which is foreign to me and my culture. 

We are having a science class, and our group did an experiment just now. I had a good idea for the experiment, but others in our group didn’t know what I was talking about. So they just did the experiment in their own way, and I couldn’t join the process of the experiment at all. I’m an outsider! Then, there were two members of our group asking me whether the teacher in China hit me if I did something wrong. Of course not, the teachers in China respect and love their students, just like the teachers in the United States. They don’t know much about China. They might just know a little bit about ancient China, but not modern China. It is my duty to introduce these to my classmates.

I want to talk about the present situation of China with my classmates, because China is not what they believe it to be. For example, China has become the second largest economy in the world, China has become the biggest developing country, and China has the third strongest military in the world. Most of Chinese are satisfied with their lives.

I want to talk about the Chinese culture with my classmates, because Chinese history is as long as five thousand years. Ancient Chinese people made great contribution to world civilization. For example,  Confucius, the greatest ideologist in ancient China proposed the idea of peace and harmony which are still meaningful nowadays. Chinese culture is colorful. For example, The Spring Festival is a time  Chinese spend time with families and eat dumplings. And as a language, Chinese is beautiful in form and pleasing in sound. I’d like to teach my classmates some easy greetings in Chinese.

I want to join the discussion of the experiment and the team work, and I want to be an active member in the discussion of the group or the whole class instead of being an outsider. I have a lot of good ideas for the experiments or discussion, and I hope I can make others understand what I mean. I wish I can make others stop saying something like “I don’t know what you are talking about”.

But as you know, I just come to the United States and my English is not good. So, it is hard for me to tell these to my classmates. Nobody wants to chat with a person who speaks slowly, so I can’t introduce the present situation and the culture of China. My English is not good, so I don’t know how to express my idea. I feel nervous. I need to improve my English as soon as possible. I need to read more articles in English and listen to VOA Special English every day. I need to memorize the new words that I meet and try my best to pronounce them so that I can communicate with others more quickly. I feel tired about these, but I can’t give up improving English in order to communicate with my classmates adroitly.

Oh, I’m under heavy pressure now, and I have to continue to have science class. Those are all the things that I want to talk to you. Frank, can you understand me? Hope you can!

Frank, how’s it going? Are you happy in China now? Actually, there is something making me nervous.

You know, my mother was invited by a university as a visiting scholar. I follow my mother and have been in the United States for three months, and I entered a fantastic high school. But I still feel nervous, because I’m a foreigner for others, and it is hard to be understood. I am living in an environment which is foreign to me and my culture. 

We are having a science class, and our group did an experiment just now. I had a good idea for the experiment, but others in our group didn’t know what I was talking about. So they just did the experiment in their own way, and I couldn’t join the process of the experiment at all. I’m an outsider! Then, there were two members of our group asking me whether the teacher in China hit me if I did something wrong. Of course not, the teachers in China respect and love their students, just like the teachers in the United States. They don’t know much about China. They might just know a little bit about ancient China, but not modern China. It is my duty to introduce these to my classmates.

I want to talk about the present situation of China with my classmates, because China is not what they believe it to be. For example, China has become the second largest economy in the world, China has become the biggest developing country, and China has the third strongest military in the world. Most of Chinese are satisfied with their lives.

I want to talk about the Chinese culture with my classmates, because Chinese history is as long as five thousand years. Ancient Chinese people made great contribution to world civilization. For example,  Confucius, the greatest ideologist in ancient China proposed the idea of peace and harmony which are still meaningful nowadays. Chinese culture is colorful. For example, The Spring Festival is a time  Chinese spend time with families and eat dumplings. And as a language, Chinese is beautiful in form and pleasing in sound. I’d like to teach my classmates some easy greetings in Chinese.

I want to join the discussion of the experiment and the team work, and I want to be an active member in the discussion of the group or the whole class instead of being an outsider. I have a lot of good ideas for the experiments or discussion, and I hope I can make others understand what I mean. I wish I can make others stop saying something like “I don’t know what you are talking about”.

But as you know, I just come to the United States and my English is not good. So, it is hard for me to tell these to my classmates. Nobody wants to chat with a person who speaks slowly, so I can’t introduce the present situation and the culture of China. My English is not good, so I don’t know how to express my idea. I feel nervous. I need to improve my English as soon as possible. I need to read more articles in English and listen to VOA Special English every day. I need to memorize the new words that I meet and try my best to pronounce them so that I can communicate with others more quickly. I feel tired about these, but I can’t give up improving English in order to communicate with my classmates adroitly.

Oh, I’m under heavy pressure now, and I have to continue to have science class. Those are all the things that I want to talk to you. Frank, can you understand me? Hope you can!