In Act I Scene I, Bassanio tried to borrow some money from Antonio. If I were Antonio, should I loan him the money? The three main points are that he still owes me money, he spends beyond his means and that he seems to recognise his past mistakes and more determined to live more wisely.
Firstly, Bassanio still owes me money. However, he still tries to borrow some money from me to marry Portia. This is supported by Bassanio saying, "To you, Antonio, I owe the most, in money and in love", showing that I had lent him much money already. Also, he is a risk-taker and might not be able to return me my money, as showed that "In my school-days, when I had lost one shaft, I shot his fellow of the self-same flight, The self-same way with more advised watch", and he might lose both shafts, which represent my money. Therefore, if I lend Bassanio money, he might not be able to return me.
Secondly, Bassanio spends beyond his means. This is showed when Bassanio says, "How much I have disabled mine estate", showing that he spends beyond what he had and thus caused himself to have debts. Thus, this makes me hard to lend Bassanio money, since it will be unlikely that he will be able to return me my money, and he might just spend the loaned money on parties and spend all of it.
However, Bassanio seems to recognise his past mistakes and more determined to live more wisely. This can be showed in Act 1 Scene 1, where Bassanio says that "And from your love I have a warranty
To unburden all my plots and purposes How to get clear of all the debts I owe." This showed that he wants to clear all the debts he owe and thus shows that he is now more determined to live more wisely. However, I do not know if he will really do so, or it is just an empty promise.
Therefore, in conclusion, I feel that I should not lend Bassanio money, since there is much risk in lending him money, and he might not return me my money. Even if he is my friend and I will help him with all I can, I think that not lending him is a better way of helping him since he will know how important money is and will thus not spend beyond his means.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Blog-Writing Prompt #4B - Gender Imbalance
What will be the effect on Asian society by such a large gender imbalance if this trend continues? Firstly, the treatment towards women might change. Secondly, the growth of a country will be hindered by gender imbalance. Lastly, the population of the country will decrease.
Firstly, the treatment towards woman might change. Beijing-based science journalist Mara Hvistendah stated that some men pay traffickers for abducted brides. In recent years, thousands of women from Vietnam have been smuggled into China to work as prostitutes or to be sold into marriage. Vietnam also provides a source of mail-order brides for bachelors in Taiwan and South Korea. As gender imbalance occurs, more men would be unable to find a wife. This will thus cause discomfort and some will pay traffickers to abduct brides. Also, many Vietnam women will be smuggled into countries for prostitution or for marriage. This means that the treatment of woman will change, because of gender imbalance.
Secondly, the growth of a country will be hindered by gender imbalance. A Radio Free Europe commentary stated that, "political and social stability in both countries (China and India) could suffer. It is feared that the millions of reckless young men could begin venting their frustrations through violence, crime and political extremism." This showed that chaos will begin to erupt when gender imbalance occurs too seriously and young men starts to show their unhappiness by creating trouble. This will thus cause political and social challenges, causing the country to develop slower.
Lastly, the population of the country will decrease. The result of China's one child policy caused China to have 32 million more males than females under the age of 20. As China's gender imbalance continues, less males will be able to find a wife. This will thus decrease the birth rate and finally causing the country to have a declining birth rate.
In conclusion, gender imbalance will cause many problems to rise and this will cause insecurity in many countries will serious gender imbalance. Therefore, it will be important to keep the sex-ratio equal. This is what countries should do in order to create security and peace in the country.
Firstly, the treatment towards woman might change. Beijing-based science journalist Mara Hvistendah stated that some men pay traffickers for abducted brides. In recent years, thousands of women from Vietnam have been smuggled into China to work as prostitutes or to be sold into marriage. Vietnam also provides a source of mail-order brides for bachelors in Taiwan and South Korea. As gender imbalance occurs, more men would be unable to find a wife. This will thus cause discomfort and some will pay traffickers to abduct brides. Also, many Vietnam women will be smuggled into countries for prostitution or for marriage. This means that the treatment of woman will change, because of gender imbalance.
Secondly, the growth of a country will be hindered by gender imbalance. A Radio Free Europe commentary stated that, "political and social stability in both countries (China and India) could suffer. It is feared that the millions of reckless young men could begin venting their frustrations through violence, crime and political extremism." This showed that chaos will begin to erupt when gender imbalance occurs too seriously and young men starts to show their unhappiness by creating trouble. This will thus cause political and social challenges, causing the country to develop slower.
Lastly, the population of the country will decrease. The result of China's one child policy caused China to have 32 million more males than females under the age of 20. As China's gender imbalance continues, less males will be able to find a wife. This will thus decrease the birth rate and finally causing the country to have a declining birth rate.
In conclusion, gender imbalance will cause many problems to rise and this will cause insecurity in many countries will serious gender imbalance. Therefore, it will be important to keep the sex-ratio equal. This is what countries should do in order to create security and peace in the country.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Expert Circles
EXPERT CIRCLE 1
Topic 1:
Topic 2:
Queen Elizabeth I
Born: 7 September 1533
Greenwich Palace
Became Queen: 17 November 1558
Coronation: 15 January 1559
Westminster Abbey
Died: 24 March 1603
Richmond Palace
Buried: 28 April 1603
Westminster Abbey
QN1) Queen Elizabeth I: Shakespeare's Patron
The poet was throughout his life greatly indebted to the patronage and support of royal and noble personages; his royal patrons were Queen Elizabeth and King James I, both of whom gr0eatly loved the drama. Employer- employee relationship.
Shakespeare was ardently attracted to Elizabeth and her Court, and proved a faithful servant to his royal mistress
QN2) Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603
She became queen at the age of 25
She died on 24 march 1603 (aged 69)
She was a Protestant. This caused her much trouble with other country because of her strong belief.
She had more power than a modern prime minister or president. Often disagreed with the parliament.
QN3) ALLIANCE
ENGLAND + NETHERLANDS
Protestant and Catholic respectively.
England and Scotland Conflicts.
Protestant and Catholic respectively.
IRELAND AND ENGLAND CONFLICTS, previously Catholic, had conflicts with Hugh O’Neill’s ambition to control Ireland and england’s advance on Ireland.
QN4) Portia:
Lead female in Merchant of Venice play.
Heroine who saves the day.
Independent woman.
Strong headed woman
Elizabeth:
Same as Portia.
Tribute paid to Elizabeth who was a patron of Shakespeare’s work
Famous of the defeat of the Spanish Armada
Strong woman like Portia
Gave England Identity
Topic 3:
1. There was virtually no hygiene back in the Elizabethan era. Only rich people had soap, used perfume, bathed once every few weeks, and used something that was similar to a modern-day toilet (it’s just a hole in the wood with no flushing). Poor people fling their waste out of their windows. Women covered their body in white powder to make their skin look lighter. Hair was styled with lard and lead powder, and rich people who feasted on sugary sweets had rotten teeth.
2. There are things such as blood sports, such as bear-baiting and bull-baiting. Team sports were also available, like football (similar to American football) and soccer, but these sports were extremely violent as there were few rules. Individual activities consisted of fencing, in which a person had a risk of dying, and hawk-training, where gentlemen train hawks to hunt other birds. Other activities include a game called BOWLS (which is similar to modern-day bowling but much crappier) and of course, there were theatre plays to watch in the open-roof theatres.
3. The rich had numeral country mansions and tudor manors were remodelled for the rich to live in. The poor lived in mud houses within the towns and cities. The rich lived in the west, while the poor lived in the east, where modern fleet streets are.
4. Rich peoples’ diet consisted of sugary sweets, bread and meat, while poor peoples’ diet consisted of bread, cheese and fish. The thing about their diets is that it had almost no fruits and vegetables, therefore scurvy was rampant.
5. Bright colours, elaborate trimmings and excessive padding was the most notable thing in clothing during the Elizabethan era. Padding was so full that all outward semblance to the human form was completely lost, both in men and women.
Topic 4:
1.Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East.
During the 16th century, Venice became one of the most important musical centers of Europe, marked by a characteristic style of composition
The dominant religion in Venice was Roman Catholicism. Jews were evicted from England in the 1290s and were forced out of many countries in Europe in the 15th and 16th century. They were allowed in only certain countries like Venice because they had value and were beneficial to the country. Jews were discriminated by the Christians in the 16th century in Europe, especially in England and Venice. Christians saw Jews as a threat to Christianity and that they were inferior and were excluded from society. In Venice, Jews were restricted from working in certain sectors like in manufacturing. They were not allowed to be bankers, lawyers, doctors or merchants and could only be moneylenders, which were important to the Venetian economy. However, in 1516, there was a set up of a Jewish ghetto in Venice where several thousands of Jews were crammed into the small walled area and were restricted from moving to other parts of the city.
2. Venice became the first and the biggest trading power in the world, before the great expeditions during the fifteenth and the sixteenth century. Venice was also a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice.
3. The personal travels to Venice allowed Shakespeare to gain a better understanding of life in Venice. Also, The Merchant of Venice had to be set in a place where Jews were allowed, since Jews were not allowed to live in other places of Europe.
Topic 5:
1. The dominant religion in England during the 15th century were the Christians. The dominant religion in England during the 16th century were the Catholics during 1529-1559, and later the 3. Christians during Queen Elizabeth I era. The dominant religion in Venice in both 15th and 16th century were the Jews.
2. Jews tried to exterminate the Christians which sparked off a bad start. Unhappiness caused among both religions.
3. Many countries banned Jews in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. In countries that did not ban Jews from their country, the Jews were heavily discriminated and they had many restrictions. They were only limited to jobs, land ownership and residential areas that made them seem inferior from the other citizens.
Topic 6:
Topic 1:
Shakespeare's authorship was first questioned in the middle of the 19th century, when adulation of Shakespeare as the greatest writer of all time had become widespread. Shakespeare's biography, particularly his humble origins and obscure life, seemed incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius, arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him.The controversy has since spawned a vast body of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford.
Supporters of alternative candidates argue that theirs is the more plausible author, and that William Shakespeare lacked the education, aristocratic sensibility, or familiarity with the royal court that they say is apparent in the works.
There are 70 over candidates and four main candidates were Francis Bacon, Derby, Malowe and Oxford.
Francis Bacon is the most likely candidate because he was a politician and he knows the court.
Supporters of alternative candidates argue that theirs is the more plausible author, and that William Shakespeare lacked the education, aristocratic sensibility, or familiarity with the royal court that they say is apparent in the works.
There are 70 over candidates and four main candidates were Francis Bacon, Derby, Malowe and Oxford.
Francis Bacon is the most likely candidate because he was a politician and he knows the court.
Queen Elizabeth I
Born: 7 September 1533
Greenwich Palace
Became Queen: 17 November 1558
Coronation: 15 January 1559
Westminster Abbey
Died: 24 March 1603
Richmond Palace
Buried: 28 April 1603
Westminster Abbey
QN1) Queen Elizabeth I: Shakespeare's Patron
The poet was throughout his life greatly indebted to the patronage and support of royal and noble personages; his royal patrons were Queen Elizabeth and King James I, both of whom gr0eatly loved the drama. Employer- employee relationship.
Shakespeare was ardently attracted to Elizabeth and her Court, and proved a faithful servant to his royal mistress
QN2) Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603
She became queen at the age of 25
She died on 24 march 1603 (aged 69)
She was a Protestant. This caused her much trouble with other country because of her strong belief.
She had more power than a modern prime minister or president. Often disagreed with the parliament.
QN3) ALLIANCE
ENGLAND + NETHERLANDS
August 14, 1585 – Queen Elizabeth issues a declaration taking the Netherlands under her protection
· December 8, 1585 – Robert Dudley, 1st earl of Leicester (close friend of Elizabeth) leads the English army to fight The Spanish Forces who are occupying the Netherlands.
· In return, Netherlands helped fight the Spanish Armanda when the English fleet was in peril.
CONFLICTS
Conflict between ENGLAND and SPAIN.Protestant and Catholic respectively.
· Triumph of England’s new Protestant church angered the King of Spain, Philip II.
· Competition in trade Angle-Spanish War from 1585-1604
· Elizabeth rejected Philip 11’s hand in marriage and cause severe blow to his pride of country
England and Scotland Conflicts.
Protestant and Catholic respectively.
· Elizabeth cancelled a meeting with Mary, Queen of Scots because of Mary’s continued attacks of French Protestants. Mary was imprisoned by Elizabeth.
· Many protestants wanted to replace Queen Elizabeth with Queen Mary, by an assassination plan. But it was foiled and Mary was executed, on 8 February.
IRELAND AND ENGLAND CONFLICTS, previously Catholic, had conflicts with Hugh O’Neill’s ambition to control Ireland and england’s advance on Ireland.
· Ireland + spain, lost. Irish commanders received good terms from the new King, James I.
· Elizabeth tried to eliminate Ireland’s Catholic churches but Ireland resisted, main religion changed into Protestant.
QN4) Portia:
Lead female in Merchant of Venice play.
Heroine who saves the day.
Independent woman.
Strong headed woman
Elizabeth:
Same as Portia.
Tribute paid to Elizabeth who was a patron of Shakespeare’s work
Famous of the defeat of the Spanish Armada
Strong woman like Portia
Gave England Identity
Topic 3:
1. There was virtually no hygiene back in the Elizabethan era. Only rich people had soap, used perfume, bathed once every few weeks, and used something that was similar to a modern-day toilet (it’s just a hole in the wood with no flushing). Poor people fling their waste out of their windows. Women covered their body in white powder to make their skin look lighter. Hair was styled with lard and lead powder, and rich people who feasted on sugary sweets had rotten teeth.
2. There are things such as blood sports, such as bear-baiting and bull-baiting. Team sports were also available, like football (similar to American football) and soccer, but these sports were extremely violent as there were few rules. Individual activities consisted of fencing, in which a person had a risk of dying, and hawk-training, where gentlemen train hawks to hunt other birds. Other activities include a game called BOWLS (which is similar to modern-day bowling but much crappier) and of course, there were theatre plays to watch in the open-roof theatres.
3. The rich had numeral country mansions and tudor manors were remodelled for the rich to live in. The poor lived in mud houses within the towns and cities. The rich lived in the west, while the poor lived in the east, where modern fleet streets are.
4. Rich peoples’ diet consisted of sugary sweets, bread and meat, while poor peoples’ diet consisted of bread, cheese and fish. The thing about their diets is that it had almost no fruits and vegetables, therefore scurvy was rampant.
5. Bright colours, elaborate trimmings and excessive padding was the most notable thing in clothing during the Elizabethan era. Padding was so full that all outward semblance to the human form was completely lost, both in men and women.
Topic 4:
1.Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East.
During the 16th century, Venice became one of the most important musical centers of Europe, marked by a characteristic style of composition
The dominant religion in Venice was Roman Catholicism. Jews were evicted from England in the 1290s and were forced out of many countries in Europe in the 15th and 16th century. They were allowed in only certain countries like Venice because they had value and were beneficial to the country. Jews were discriminated by the Christians in the 16th century in Europe, especially in England and Venice. Christians saw Jews as a threat to Christianity and that they were inferior and were excluded from society. In Venice, Jews were restricted from working in certain sectors like in manufacturing. They were not allowed to be bankers, lawyers, doctors or merchants and could only be moneylenders, which were important to the Venetian economy. However, in 1516, there was a set up of a Jewish ghetto in Venice where several thousands of Jews were crammed into the small walled area and were restricted from moving to other parts of the city.
2. Venice became the first and the biggest trading power in the world, before the great expeditions during the fifteenth and the sixteenth century. Venice was also a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice.
3. The personal travels to Venice allowed Shakespeare to gain a better understanding of life in Venice. Also, The Merchant of Venice had to be set in a place where Jews were allowed, since Jews were not allowed to live in other places of Europe.
Topic 5:
1. The dominant religion in England during the 15th century were the Christians. The dominant religion in England during the 16th century were the Catholics during 1529-1559, and later the 3. Christians during Queen Elizabeth I era. The dominant religion in Venice in both 15th and 16th century were the Jews.
2. Jews tried to exterminate the Christians which sparked off a bad start. Unhappiness caused among both religions.
3. Many countries banned Jews in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. In countries that did not ban Jews from their country, the Jews were heavily discriminated and they had many restrictions. They were only limited to jobs, land ownership and residential areas that made them seem inferior from the other citizens.
Topic 6:
1.Open Air Theatres with no electricity or lighting
2. No electricity or lighting or sound amplification
3.People with a good memory and coordination for stunts partook in the plays. The general public could watch them.
4.”Queen Elizabeth” liked plays but the authorities did not.
5.Golden Globe theatre was a lot less developed than modern days theatres and the stages were usually bare with little technology
2. No electricity or lighting or sound amplification
3.People with a good memory and coordination for stunts partook in the plays. The general public could watch them.
4.”Queen Elizabeth” liked plays but the authorities did not.
5.Golden Globe theatre was a lot less developed than modern days theatres and the stages were usually bare with little technology
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Blog-Writing Prompt #4 - Paragraph of narrative in sentences of seven or fewer words
Darkness engulfed the day. The grandfather clock stroked twelve times. It was midnight. Everyone was asleep, except for one person. He, was talented at picking locks. Skilled, he picked the window lock. The window was unlocked easily! Before entering, he glanced around. He saw no signs of anyone awake. "I am lucky!" He entered through the window. Then, he began tiptoeing to the drawers. He opened the drawers and grabbed everything! Then, he placed valuables into his pocket. Just then, someone woke up! "Who is there?" The thief got a shock! He cursed under his breath. He needs to find a hiding place!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Online Lesson #9 - War poem
War poem on Spainish Civil War (1936-1939)
Life makes a sudden change
Destiny bonds us together
But fate changed it all
17 July the dread
Fate turned
Destiny changed
Life Gone
Republicans and Nationalists
Which is good and which is bad
I don't know
But war had changed my life and fate and destiny
And I would never forget it
They damaged our houses
They killed our people
They claimed it was for a better good
But all I saw was terror
Bodies piling on the floor
Blood spilling on the ground
Life makes a sudden change
Destiny bonds us together
But fate changed it all
17 July the dread
Fate turned
Destiny changed
Life Gone
Republicans and Nationalists
Which is good and which is bad
I don't know
But war had changed my life and fate and destiny
And I would never forget it
They damaged our houses
They killed our people
They claimed it was for a better good
But all I saw was terror
Bodies piling on the floor
Blood spilling on the ground
Friday, July 1, 2011
Blog-Writing Prompt #3 - Would the world be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic?
The world will be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic. Firstly optimism improve human beings' health. Secondly, human beings are more likely to achieve success with optimism. Lastly, human beings will be more happier with optimism.
Firstly, being optimism improves human beings' health. When one's mind is optimistic, our physical health is improved. A study of cancer patients showed that pessimistic patients under the age of 60 were more likely to die within 8 moths than optimistic patients of the same initial health, status and age. This showed that those who were optimistic would be more willing to continue living than those who are pessimistic. Therefore, it showed that the world would be different.
Secondly, human beings are more likely to achieve success with optimism instead of pessimism. An example will be Donald Trump. He is the Chairman and CEO of The Trump Organisation, a real-estate developer based in the United States. Although he had been bankrupt many times, he was still optimistic and turned his failures into success. This showed that with the help of optimism, human beings can continue to work harder to achieve success even after failures. Therefore, if human beings were not inherently optimistic, they would not be able to try harder for success after failure, thus turning the world into a place where people are "born to be losers" and do not try to achieve success after failure.
Lastly, people are more happy with optimism. When one is optimism, he thinks positively. They see negative events as minor setbacks that can be easily overcome, and view positive events as evidence of further good things. By believing themselves, they create more positive events in their life. Thus, they become happier than pessimistic people since pessimistic people have more stress than optimistic people. If human beings are not optimistic, the world will become a place of sadness, where everyone is unhappy with even a small thing.
In conclusion, I think that optimism is very important in our life, since it helps us to have a positive mindset and reduce our stress, as well as giving us a better life. Therefore, without optimism, the world will transform into a negative and sad place.
Firstly, being optimism improves human beings' health. When one's mind is optimistic, our physical health is improved. A study of cancer patients showed that pessimistic patients under the age of 60 were more likely to die within 8 moths than optimistic patients of the same initial health, status and age. This showed that those who were optimistic would be more willing to continue living than those who are pessimistic. Therefore, it showed that the world would be different.
Secondly, human beings are more likely to achieve success with optimism instead of pessimism. An example will be Donald Trump. He is the Chairman and CEO of The Trump Organisation, a real-estate developer based in the United States. Although he had been bankrupt many times, he was still optimistic and turned his failures into success. This showed that with the help of optimism, human beings can continue to work harder to achieve success even after failures. Therefore, if human beings were not inherently optimistic, they would not be able to try harder for success after failure, thus turning the world into a place where people are "born to be losers" and do not try to achieve success after failure.
Lastly, people are more happy with optimism. When one is optimism, he thinks positively. They see negative events as minor setbacks that can be easily overcome, and view positive events as evidence of further good things. By believing themselves, they create more positive events in their life. Thus, they become happier than pessimistic people since pessimistic people have more stress than optimistic people. If human beings are not optimistic, the world will become a place of sadness, where everyone is unhappy with even a small thing.
In conclusion, I think that optimism is very important in our life, since it helps us to have a positive mindset and reduce our stress, as well as giving us a better life. Therefore, without optimism, the world will transform into a negative and sad place.
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