Today Philadelphia students from around the city came out to city hall to protest about the budget cut. The budget cuts will impact my life in a big way, because they are considering on taking away sports. I pray they do not because it would be unfair to us. The way it would be unfair because the people in charge had their turn to live a "normal" high school life, why can't we ? I believe the crime rate in Philadelphia will go out, because if there is nothing structor for the students to do, what do you think they would do after school, get in trouble. So why cut that? But to be honest my voice will not be heard. So if they do cut sports, I will have to accept and move on.

Imani’s Journals 

Journal 1: 

Now will I question Cassio of Bianca,

A huswife 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 unbookish jealousy must construe

Poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behavior

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

Journal 2:

This scene is when Iago is talking to himself about Bianca & Cassio relationship. He say's 

"Now will I question Cassio of Bianca, A his wife that by selling her desires" he is saying that 

I question his love for Bianca because he is such a lier, cheater, & always has a scheme about him.In this quote he talks about how Bianca is a hoe, & needs to be taking care of her from other people.When I first read the quote I thought Iago was talking about Cassio & Bianca to Othello. But once he said " Here he comes. As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad." I knew he was being his usually self & talking about his schemes.

Journal 3:

Emila didn't have many friends growing up, because she was known as the two faced worst best friend.  Since she was young her problem was not knowing when to interfere or to just walk away. She was raised in a very wealthy home so she was a born into money which made her spoiled, or always getting the answer yes. Her childhood has had an impact on her as an adult & also learning how to become a people person. She had to learn how to life a normal life with challenges, struggles, & being said no. She experienced this in many encounters with Othello & Iago. Learning how to become a different person isn’t easy but learning how to become a trustworthy friend to Desdemona is something new.

Journal 4:

My role in the play is the character Emilia, she is Iago'a wife & has very limited roles in the play. She has different personalities or is just pretreated as that. In some scene's she is known as the peace makers, but in others she is the one known to start the fights & augments. She had a huge impact on the story because she was one of the character when Emilia & cassia found the handkerchief instead of her admitting the truth she decided not do anything which put people's lives at risk & could have changed the whole story.

For the play it's the scene where othello & emilia are in the room talking about the death of desemona & how iago (emila husband) lied bout the whole story of emilia being un-faithful. In the play I am going to be emila while ming-xue is othello in the play we are going to have a sword. we are going to be screaming, backing each other down, and using our fake desemona to interact with the scene. One of the props we need is the sword because in the scene othello pulls out a sword on emilia. We are going to be putting a lot of emition in the story, we also know most of the lines since we practice a lot. We are going to be the best group out there!! I think we are going to be the best since we used our story to help us & we used the comments from the teachers to help us improve on our scene.

Journal 5:

In the play, I become Emilia & almost all of her lies is important but when she say's " He lies to the heart: She was too fond of her most filthy bargain" I believe that was the turning  point in the play, or the nail in the coffin to Othello. This line is really important to not only Emilia but definitely to Othello. Desdemona is dead because of Othello, he only killed because he thought she was unfaithful, but as Emilia just told him it wasn't true. He lies to the heart, is not saying his or her heart but I think she's saying everyones heart but mainly Othello's. She is saying he is telling you something false that knowns will get under your skin or hit hard to your hurt. "She was too fond of her most filthy bargain" is saying she was to good, nice, or peacefully person to do something like this to a person she loved so much who was you Othello. Since I knew this line was so important in the play I made sure to make it stand out. When it was time to say these lines I spoke with anger, & rage. To show how upset she was that her husband Iago falsely accused Desdemona of cheating with Cassio. 

In the group performs I think we did a really good job, On of the best if I may say so. At first I was kinda nervous or worried that I wouldn't feel the fire or connection it takes to pull off this powerful scene. We did a really good job in bring emotion to the scene to bring the connection with us as characters & the connection with the crowd. I think we did really good not only because of the emission we bought to the set, but the placement we had on the set. Placement is very important in a play to know where to stand, how to interact with the crowd, & to make sure everyone can hear your lines form any point in the play. I am really happy with my performs in the play & the only thing I would change is that we had a longer time to remember our lines.

Journal #1

 

Bade him anon return and here speak with me,

The which he promised. Do but encave yourself,

And mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorns

That dwell in every region of his face.

(Look out onto the audience) For I will make him tell the tale anew

Where, how, how oft, how long ago, and when

He hath, and is again to cope your wife.

I say (whisper low to Othello), but mark his gesture. Marry, patience,

Or I shall say you are all in all in spleen,

And nothing of a man.

 

This whole soliloquy will be spoken somewhat to Othello. Iago should speak this in a low and devious voice, almost whispering to him.

 

 

Journal #2

Barbantio

In the beginning sequences of the play, Barbantio is told by Roderigo and Iago that The moor is having sex with his daughter. This makes Barbantio angry and causes him to send out a search party for his daughter and Othello. Once he finds them, Othello is taken to the duke where Barbantio expresses his disgust and anger. It may have been different had he been told that the moor “fell in love with Desdemona”.

 

Journal #3

 

My Role: Othello

Othello is a Moor. The word "moor" is a word for the black people that inhabited Europe during that time period. The Moors brought over a lot of new cultures and ideas, including warfare techniques. This is was allowed Othello to serve as a general in Venice. Before, Othello was a slave of the Persian’s. The army of Venice and the Persian’s were at war, with the Persian’s losing severely. Othello was one of the last men standing, with no intentions of holding back. Barbantio took notice of this. With Othello’s blade staring down the face of one his soldiers, Barbantio commanded him to stop. He then asked Othello to stop killing his men. Barbantio offered to make him a general in the Venetian army. That was the birth of his new life in Venice.

 

Journal #4

 

The way I perceive Othello is nothing like myself. I’ll try to overcome this by standing up very tall and straight, to show his masculinity and firm build. Also, My voice is not as low as I imagine Othello’s to be, so I’m going to make my voice a little deeper. As a prop, I’m going to try and find a turban or a kufi. More than any of the props, I hope that our understanding of the lines will make our scene stand out from the others.

 

 

Journal #5

 

“Why, why is this? Think’st thou I’ld make a lie 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!”

 

 I said this line as if I was telling Iago he was jumping the gun. He was making too many assumptions. Our scene went exactly as planned. We all played our parts as we rehearsed. If I had more time, I’d have memorized my lines so that I could make contact with the other actors. The language in the book is a little hard to read so, acting it out gave me a sense of what the characters’ words actually meant.

 

Benchmark Journal 1

IAGO

(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.

  In this soliloquy, Iago is talking to himself. Iago is talking himself likes he really worried, and scared about what things that can happen. He wants Cassio and Roderigo to kill each other, but if they survive he's going to be worried about them. If Cassio and Roderigo dies it would favor him and his life. Iago feels scared about the golds and jewels that he stole Roderigo. He scared about the beauty in Cassio life would make him look ugly and out of his place. Also he’s worried, because the Moor might unfold him to Cassio which would make him more scared. So Iago wants Cassio to die as long with Roderigo.

Benchmark Journal 2

Emilia:

 In Act. 5. Scene. 2, Othello was in a room with Desdemona talking about the handkerchief, and what happened to it. Othello then decides to smothers Desdemona, and while smothering and talking to her he begin hearing voices and it was Emilia. Emilia says, "My lord, my lord? What ho! My lord, my lord!" When she says, this Othello thinks its Desdemona. Emilia then comes in, and sends the message to Othello telling him Cassio killed a young venetian called Roderigo. Emilia then hears a voice, and its the voice of Desdemona saying, "O falsely, falsely murdered." Emilia is then worried and see Othello smothering Desdemona. Desdemona tells Emilia that no one killed her but herself before she died but Emilia believes Othello did it. 

Benchmark Journal 3

Othello:

Hello my name is Othello. I be going through a lot my whole life. I lost my father when I was born. I was being raised by a single mother with one sibling I would have to take care all the time. I watched my mother struggle trying to get us money and put food on the table. One day I was traveling through my home town and saw the love of my life. We begin to talk, she said her name was “Desdemona”, and I look into her eyes and knew she was going to be the love of my life.

Benchmark Journal 4

  During the performance as Othello I am bringing out a furious act in Othello. He will sound very angry act moments during the scene, and also act very confused on whats going on. He gets on his knees looking to the sky with an angry emotion. He also grabs Iago during the scene to show his angry.  Othello also clutches his heart while talking in the scene like he heartbroken about something he found out. A prop, or costume I will have in my scene is a cape and a sword. Things thats would make my group presentation is the actions that happens during the scene, or the way we talk out and show emotion.

Benchmark Journal 5

     In scene 5 Othello and Iago, is talking about Othello love Desdomona. Iago and trying to prove he seen Desdomona with the handkerchief, and Cassio wipe his beard with it. While they still talk about it Othello gets mad, and more mad and takes his angry out on Cassio, and let his words follows his action. During the scene Othello says, "Now, by yond marble heaven, within these three days let me hear thee say that Cassio's not alive."  This line was important to the line, because with the believing of the Desdomona, handkerchief, and the Cassio, Othello wanted Cassio to be dead. During the play I deliver this line in a angry voice because Othello actually wants to happen. My group performance went as expected and planned. We brought in all the props we were going to bring in. We did the actions that were going to do during the whole scene. We changed the voice of or character, and made it seem actually real so the audience can image it really happening while looking at our scene. Now that its over Im proud of all the hard work I put in the scene by actually trying to follow and image that I was the actual character. Now that its over I would have tried to act like a different Othello to see how it would had flowed during the scene. The performing of the play changed my understanding, because it was way different seeing the play then reading it and now I understand what was going on during them different scenes by watching it.

Journal#1

Iago:

(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,

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.

(Looks down to his hands)

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

 

Iago looks and gestures to the audience his plan. He looks to the sky/ceiling about not giving Desdemona the gifts from Rodrigo. He looks down to speak to himself when saying Cassio must die. He walks off when he hears them coming.  

 

 

 

Journal#2

            Cassio is Othello’s lieutenant, he plays a big role in the play. Iago uses Cassio to his advantage to take him out of his lieutenancy and trick Othello. Cassio wants to get his job back. He goes to talk to Desdemona in hope that she could convince her husband to give him his job back as lieutenant. Cassio wouldn’t do anything purposely to hurt his General. Though hes told that he can get his job back by speaking with Desdemona. She gave him her word she would help him get his job back. (Act 3 Scene 3)

 

Journal#3

Desdamona was young when her mother died. At a young age she had to learn how to clean and cook so she could take care of the house while her father worked. She wanted a little sister but never had one. She wished she had siblings growing up because she was lonely. Even when she had time with her father it wasn't much because he was always working. She grew bored very quickly with home life. As she got older she tried to escape the house as much as possible without her father knowing. She felt locked up in that old house. When she met Othello she knew that her father wouldn't like him. Though she fell in love with moor and didn't want anything to ruin it. Even if she had to stand up to her father. Though sweet and delicate Desdemona was determined for her love, for Othello. 

 

 

Journal #4

My characters tone of voice is gentle and isn’t in the scene very long. She comes in has four lines and then she leaves. She doesn’t very many movements but talking to her husband about Cassio. My prop is going to be a lap scarf as my handkerchief. My group has worked on different movements that can be done in the scene to make it look better and more convincing. A lot of the movements happen between Othello and Iago. We agreed on certain movements like Iago is moving around a lot whispering lies to Othello.

 

 

Journal#5

 

“Why your lieutenant Cassio, good my lord if I have any grace or power to move you, his present reconciliation take, I prithee call him back”

 

This is an important line for Desdemona because she is standing up for Cassio. Shes trying her best to guarantee his spot back as Othello’s lieutenant. Though that’s not what Iago has been telling Othello. So it changes how Othello sees her and how he feels about her when all she does is talk about Cassio. I think I did my best for this line. I tried to sound like I was trying to convince him to speak with Cassio. For the group performance I think it went really well. I’m proud of the fact that everyone in my group did there best even thought we all didn’t have our lines memorized and that’s one thing I would change so we could be more into the scene but I think it went really well. I think seeing the performances and performing part of the play helped better with the understanding of because some things registered that I might not have understood before. I think it gave everyone a better understanding of the play because we got to look at it in different ways and tones.

 

Jasmine Nieves

Journal #1:

Iago

Good my lord, pardon me,

Though I am bound to every act of duty,

I am not bound to that all slaves are free to.

(Shows and give an example of why slaves need to be free say too)

Utter my thoughts? Why, say they are vile and false?

(says they are not vile and false)

 

As where’s that palace where into precious and expensive things.? 

(says precious and expensive things)

 

Sometimes intrude not? Who has that breast so

pure?

Where in uncleanly apprehensions?

(says scary thoughts of what will or going to happen)

 

Keep leets and law-days and in sessions sit. 

(says arose)

 

With mediations lawful?

 

          For Iago to think more positively, he should show an example of why the slaves need to be free and he was saying as one of his lines from the book. He can also explain to the Duke why he wanted to be free. If he could have done this, the Duke would have probably made him and other people free. People are not vile and false.  Sometimes people are the mean and nasty person they should never be, but it depends on the person. Even though people have their own opinions, he shouldn’t think negatively about things. Foul things is no way to speak of things. Iago wants to describe the things in a palace and say they are foul in front of the Duke, but the Duke might make him move out of the country for good. He should say they are precious and expensive things because thats what they are meant to be. Not all things are foul around us, we live with them and they are around all us.  When Iago is saying something creepy is about to happen. he should have just reworded it saying “...scary thoughts of what will or is going to happen”. What I’m trying to say here is that, he shouldn’t say uncleanly apprehensions. When you work on something you, are also earning something at the same time. Iago’s opinion could have been a little bit different and could have said, “My work continues which will keep rising and rising until the Duke’s time for me to work, is over. This is nothing he said though, it is just a thought of how he could have reworded it differently. ”The rest of what Iago was saying was fine. Another thing he should do is not have run on sentences. He should have questions and not commas and a bunch more of it. He should make the thoughts go on but with the right punctuation, and what he says has to flow as if he were reading or writing a poem. Thoughts go on but there are still good words to use and good punctuation. The thought of the rest of it all, sounds good. He just needs to work on it more.

          The way this is said could change and show the audience is that Iago should be positive all the time. If he wants to be a leader of the city, or master one day, he would have to show it. He, Iago, should show his maturance Othello. Othello is the one who had gotten to be chosen in front of him. Iago just has to think positively to get what he wants, which is getting his ideas about being a soon to be master and his thoughts on Desdemona, Othello, Cassio and the Moor. Another way Iago could be more positive is by saying right things about the right things to the one they are speaking to. He has a right to speak his mind so why can't he use it with the other right he has which is freedom of speech. He is smart so he also should show it. If he wants to be approved by the Duke or Othello later on like to take the place of Othello, he has to start working on that now and start using it the right way like he's been doing except more so. He should think of what he's going to say, like he said to when it was suppose to say too.

Journal #2:

Act 1
Rodrigo: (SCENE 1)

          For the beginning of this scene, both Iago and Rodrigo, his friend, were wondering why they couldn't be a ruler just like Othello was. Roderigo said instead of what he was working as in the book, he would have been a hangman that does things for their masters whenever they say to do it. Roderigo really wanted to be the high position that Othello was, one day. Then all of the sudden, Rodrigo tells Brabantio in the middle of the Act, that he has found out or has already known, that Othello had an affair with his daughter. He is telling him in his own words but Iago is with him. After Brabantio finds out, he thinks he has lost his daughter for good. He disagrees the marriage between Othello and Desdemona should never be and should never happen. First, Brabantio says that the act that has been done, was evil and now he has said that he feels his daughter has been abused. Rodrigo made it worse when he said that he thinks that they were married. Brabantio wanted Desdemona to have a nice life with a nice man but not like Othello. They both then set a plan to see if it is true. Rodrigo was supposed to be sneaky and see if its true then tell Desdemona's father if it was the truth or not.

Act 2
Rodrigo: (SCENE 1)

          Rodrigo was then talking to Iago and their sightings of Cassio and Desdemona and they wanted to talk it over with Desdemona’s father, Brabantio. This time they were talking about the fact that Iago has already seen Desdemona and Cassio, in love, together. Rodrigo couldn't believe what Iago was saying. Since now that he knows, he wants or needs to go back to Venice. Iago then told him he was going to tell her father. Rodrigo couldn't believe the story Iago was telling even though Iago thought it was true. It's like both Roderigo and Iago, know that she was cheating on Othello. First Desdemona wants to be with the Moor, then Cassio, and then Othello. So, Rodrigo also feels that she has developed a love for her as well as the other men that want to get with her. A little before Scene 1 was over, Rodrigo then tells Iago, that he too, saw Cassio with Desdemona just out of nowhere. The next time Cassio speaks with Rodrigo, Iago's advice to Rodrigo is to lie to him and provoke him so that Desdemona's father would take him off the list of good guys Desdemona should marry and love. Since this little act was done by Cassio and Desdemona, they want to throw away all the things that are necessary to him so he can realize what he has done to Desdemona now that her father is upset with her. They both agreed to the plan that same day.

Act 4
Rodrigo: (SCENE 2)

          Rodrigo is already happy after Iago and Roderigo that they both know who was with Desdemona. Rodrigo was also happy Iago had already told Brabantio what he and Rodrigo has seen about her and Cassio. He thinks he is unkind with his words because he has thought that he was going to hear another story about Cassio and Desdemona. Rodrigo after Iago speaks, says that he was still waiting on the jewels from Desdemona. This was totally a lie because it hasn't said anything that Desdemona had the jewels. Since Iago didn't see Desdemona but saw her father, Rodrigo, was going to see her in action but in a sneaky way or face to face and tell her what is on his mind or what she does. Towards the end of the Act, they talk about have a party for Cassio to be removed or banned from the country by Othello. Rodrigo didn't know all the information about it, but Iago let him know as soon as he got more info. What I know now already about Rodrigo is an unpatient man since being the Moor and getting Desdemona is all that he thinks about and an unfair man because he didn’t allow Othello to be the more, under his terms, meaning what he wanted just the time that people were deciding who to be the Moore. There are still plenty of other days that he could try to get a chance at being the Moore again and again.

          Rodrigo and Iago thinks that letting the Moor (Othello) is shameful. They thought they finally had their time to shine to be the Moors they wanted to be.  For this reason at first, they wanted to kill Othello but then, the plan failed them.They had also noticed that Desdemona is becoming a cheater to Othello with Cassio since Othello was already the Moor and with Desdemona. Rodrigo and Iago really wanted to be with Desdemona and be the Moor but again, that failed them. They should have wished, dreamt and thought a little more harder and their dream could have come true. What I can also know about Rodrigo now is that he doesn’t care about Othello, he just wants to win Desdemona over all the men that are starting or have already started to be with her and starting to like her. 

          What Rodrigo observes second hand was about Desdemona's love to Cassio. He heard enough talk that he didn't want Iago to keep talking about it. All they planned to do was try to kill Cassio which happened a few days later. They were both getting a little antsy but at the end, everybody was happy, sort of, and they agreed on the plan together. Rodrigo was seeking for revenge.

Journal #3:

Iago before the play:

He was a truthful man. All he wanted at the beginning of the story is that if he can’t be the Moore be his lieutenant, but that didn’t happen because Othello already picked and officer (Michael Cassio). He was the unfair man still about being with Desdemona. He was like a protector because in one part of the story he wanted to to Desdemona’s father what has been happening before he found out himself and Desdemona’s heart would be broken. He has been a hater throughout the whole book because he doesn’t like Othello from getting everything, he Iago, wanted. Even though he has had these descriptions about him, he is still a nice person until the end of the story when he kills his wife Emilia. From the beginning of the book to the end, I could tell he is friendly and gives good advice. What him Iago, feel like the person who should be with Desdemona because he thinks they are meant to be together forever and she shouldn’t hook up with Othello. He is also honest because he also speaks his mind because what is in his mind, in the ultimate truth.

Journal #4:

          The actions I will bring to the play are I will read my lines and with enthusiasm as if was us in the book. The story will be brought to life because of the way we would act. We would try to have such great force in our voices as the people in the story would. We would use lots of feeling and try to make it flow rather than stop and mess up. It is okay to mess up, but just keep going with the acting and what you were doing. The movements I will bring to the play is that I'm going to pretend to actually kill somebody in my scene. Its going to be like a soap opera. It’s like something you would want to see over and over and over again. I will do whatever the paper tells me so I could get it right. The tone of voice I will bring is with passion as Romeo and Juilet. We are going to try to make it flow as possible but if we can't, its okay because all of us in class, are all acting our scenes from the book.

          The prop I will bring is a paper sword so it would look like I'm killing someone. What's going to make our groups presentation stand out is say it like it was on the paper and we would have to read it as we were Shakespeare. Even though all eyes are going to be on us, we have to pretend they are not even there, focus on your lines and who is in the group. We also can think, this is a classroom in which we performed before and we just also have to think we are in a different room different from the one's we are usually in. There are lots of things to think about when pretending to be on stage in front of your classmates. But we can also think of them as if they were not even there or in their underwear, as some people say. We agreed I was going to bring in a paper sword, not dressing all fancy as they would. 

Journal #5:

          Iago said “I did”, to Emilia in the play about calling Desdemona a villainous whore.. When Emilia was talking to him about Othello, she thought and was talking about telling Othello that his wife was false. Desdemona is not a complete villainous whore. She just didn’t pay no mind to what she was doing and did what ever she wanted to do. By that means, Iago was talking with Othello when Desdemona was alive. Probably he didn’t necessarily mean it, but it was he was actually feeling to have a need to have a say in. He wasn’t thinking of what he was saying either. This is important to the play because it showed that he was a lier about Desdemona and a lier about Emilia taking the handkerchief and gave it to Iago, which he didn’t have. Emilia thought she had given it to him but he didn’t. This was showing the importance of the performance because he tried to kill Emilia he first didn’t because she was talking then she died because he stabbed her. He wanted and felt the need that he needed to kill his wife.

          The performance sort of went as was planned and expected. I was supposed to have a sword, but instead I used a pencil since I couldn’t find a fake sword use. I was planning to use one of my friend’s, but before our part, somebody had it. When they were done with it, they gave it to another person in the play. Some of us stopped and laughed a little when we were performing our part of the play. There was a few stutters but the play and our part, sounded good as it should have been. I am proud of that I was confident and so with my group members because they were also confident in the play. Everything flowed and I’ve seen some parts of the play as the way it was written and read while hearing the audio. It was like the audio we heard but it was acted out. This was a nice role play we all did together. What I would have done differently in the performance was just bring a printed version of the sword or used a brush at the end of it not where the bristles are and pretended to stab somebody 

          The way I understand it now after seeing the play come to life, is that everybody felt emotional  Emilia wasn’t a witness of the killing after Othello killed Desdemona. The play is suppose to be a little more serious than funny and it was supposed to have a great amount of energy and eagerness as the book did.  Emilia, during the end of the story, had just entered after Iago, Cassio, and Rodrigo were trying to kill each other. They wanted to tell Othello and Desdemona what had happened at the very last part of the story. Othello didn’t like the news very much because who they were fighting for so he ended up killing Desdemona and Iago to Emilia because he didn’t like the way she explained it either. Emilia believes she was telling the truth. But in the end, it became that she was untruth to the people she was around. She wasn’t a villainous whore but just a sore liar.