Conflict

The conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues contributed largely to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. From the start to the end, the conflict has always been apparent. During the first opening prologue, the text states,
     "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life,/ Whose misadventured piteous overthrows/Doth with their death bury their parents' strife./The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,/And the continuance of their parents' rage."(1.0.6-10).
This admittance from the very beginning indicates that the inevitable tragedy of Romeo and Juliet occurs because of the rivalry between families. This dramatic irony keeps the audience in suspense as they watch the tension unravel, knowing what will happen in the end. If the families' conflicts did not occur, the love between Romeo and Juliet perhaps would not have been so fatal. This is verified toward the very end of the play, when Capulet states that Romeo and Juliet were, "Poor sacrifices of our enmity!" (5.3.315). This use of dialogue helps confirm the audience's belief that the death of the two 'star-crossed lovers' was due to the families' disputes. Therefore, the lethal love story of Romeo and Juliet was largely because of the conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues.

Death by Miscommunication

Miscommunication was the key reason that Romeo and Juliet's innocent love story turned into a tragedy. The first arising problem was that the letter to Romeo was not received and therefore the plan could not be carried out. Balthasar told Romeo, “I saw her laid low in her kindred’s vault…” (5.1.20) Without the letter to tell him otherwise, Romeo could not have known that Juliet was not dead. If Friar Lawrence had delivered the letter himself, it is quite possible that Romeo and Juliet could have lived 'Happily Ever After.' This dramatic irony causes suspense and tension, whilst also being humorous, for the audience knows an important secret that most of the characters do not. This miscommunication between Romeo, Balthasar and Friar Lawrence is the most damaging to the future of Romeo and Juliet. Not only this, but the language choices of Juliet caused her mother to think that she wanted Romeo dead. Instead of confessing her love about Romeo, Juliet stated “Indeed I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him – dead…” (3.5.93-94) This misinterpretation of dialogue caused Lady Capulet's hatred towards Romeo to be unchanged, if not heightened by the fact that he killed Tybalt, her nephew. This choice of sentence structure again causes dramatic irony as the audience knows what Juliet really means. Therefore, this inaccurate exchange of communication is the real reason to blame for the tragedy that occurred between Romeo and Juliet.

Age Is But A Number

The factor of age did not affect the tragedy that occurred between Romeo and Juliet. During this era, it was not abnormal for people of this age to get married and 'fall in love.' Although they had to rely on Nurse and Friar Lawrence for their marriage to be possible, this would have happened despite their age.  Their age was simply irrelevant in the story and the reason they were being secretive was not because of their age, but because of their family feud. This is verified at the end of the play when Capulet, Juliet's father, explains that the two 'star-crossed' lovers were "Poor sacrifices of our enmity!" (5.3.315) Clearly, Romeo and Juliet's age did not contribute to the tragedy that occurred to their innocent love story.

Capulet's Diary

I do not understand.

I simply do not. How can that witch decide for me whom she will marry? My only task is to find a suitable partner for her, and here I am! I have! And now, what does she tell me? She is too young? She is proud yet not proud?

If she were to marry Paris, than she would be safe and I know she would be happy, for he is a gentleman, and she would be secure. But now, she does not want that possibility.

And why? Maybe the most insufferable idea is that she simply has no reasoning! Why would one not want to marry such a suitable bachelor? Has she no brain?

I am upset because it is not clear to me what more I could do. I thought she would be thrilled, and that I would save her from her sorrow. But clearly, that is not the case. If she thought that she could carry on in life as a maiden, then she thought wrong. For, one day, neither wife nor I will be around and she shall have no one.

All I want is for Juliet to be happy and to be married, but she cannot see that.

Love?

I do not think that Romeo and Juliet are in love at all.

Firstly, I think that it's impossible to fall in love within one day. Romeo and Juliet seem to be in love with the idea of their relationship and marriage than each other. I think that Juliet wants to marry Romeo because in those days, it was normal for young people to marry (although not that young) so it is quite possible that not only did she want to feel mature, but also she wanted to feel that someone loved her truly. I also think that they both want to have sex so this is the best idea they came up with. Juliet says, "Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaways' eyes may wink, and Romeo" (3.2.5) They both clearly think that they love each other but I think that they don't really know what they want and they are consumed with the idea of love. The social pressure to get married young but also mixed with the rebellious idea to betray their parents has become this obsessive idea that they have.

Maus Q&A: Page 230/231

What do you notice about the level of detail in the drawings of Auschwitz? How is the narrative voice being used in conjunction with this?

The diagrams are quite detailed and dark. It shows the grime on the floor and the sketching is quite strong. This experience for Vladek would have been quite strong, so he cal recall it well. It's interesting how Art chose to draw a birds-eye view of the 

What is the effect of the only piece of dialogue on these pages?

The dialogue is extremely emphasised as it is the only dialogue on the double page. I think it is supposed to shock the reader and become quite confronting. The fact that the character can talk about the dead bodies so casually makes the reader feel uncomfortable and therefore thinks about it more.

The figures are drawn quite differently from the background. What is the effect of this?

Through the use of shading, the grimy background is contrasted to the white characters in the foreground. The characters are made to look pure and different.

Vladek

The young Vladek in the book, Maus, is quite different from the older Vladek in the book. The young Vladek has a lot of witt and always seems to have everything under control. Vladek uses his intelligence and charm to get his way in life. Although he isn't very modest, ("I was, at that time, young, and really a nice, handsome boy... People always told me I looked just like Rudolph Valentino.") Vladek could charm and convince anyone in his path. Not only did he have a beautiful girl fall head over heels for him, but he also had an extremely rich and intelligent girl who also liked him. Because of Vladek's kindness and wit, he was able to survive the war as a young boy.

Present day Vladek is very different to the Vladek that lived during the time of the war. We can guess that his compulsive and violent spurts of anger come from his experiences. Before the war he was relaxed and very relying on his money, now he is more conservative and cautious. He comes off as self-centred sometimes but he cares for most people, including Art. Vladek seems to be stuck in his ways a little in the way he tries to be respectful and proper, doesn't treat women with much respect and the way he acts around his children. 

On page 11, Spiegelman tells us that his father’s second wife Mala was a survivor too, like most of his parents’ friends. Why does Spiegelman call Mala a survivor? What does he mean?
Mala was a survivor of World War II, specifically The Holocaust, as she is a Jewish German. I think that Vladek was implying that Mala was a very strong character and that she was tough.

What kind of relationship does Art Spiegelman and his father, Vladek have? Use specific pictures and text to support your answer.
Art and Vladek have quite an odd relationship. Even though their attitudes clash, Vladek clearly wants the best for his son and wants him to succeed in life. This is clearly demonstrated on page 13 when Vladek says to his wife, "A wire hanger you give him! I haven't seen Artie in almost two years - We have plenty Wooden hangers." In this scene, Vladek shows that he cares about his son. Also, on page 14, the reader can distinctly see that Vladek wants to please his son. When Art asks to write a book about him he says, "Better you should spend your time to make drawings what will bring you some money.. But, if you want, I can tell you..."

Why is the chapter called “The Sheik”?
The chapter is called The Sheik because the whole chapter is about when Vladek was a young man and he says that he was very handsome. In the background at the start of the chapter, there is an image of the movie poster of The Sheik. He said that he looked like Rudolph Valentino, so it was only appropriate that it was called The Sheik because Rudolph was the leading man in that movie.

Why does Vladek choose Anja over Lucia? What do you think of his choice?
I think that even though Vladek may have chosen money over beauty, he also chose Anja because he said that she was interesting to talk to and that she had the most beautiful literature. She would write him letters that were in lovely Polish. He says, "And then she started writing to me such beautiful letters - Almost nobody could write Polish like she wrote."

Why does Vladek ask Art not to write about Lucia in his book? Why doesn’t Art listen to his father? Do you think it is right for Art to break his promise?
Vladek is old-fashioned and so he did the chivalrous thing and asked Art not to write about Lucia because he didn't have her permission and he wanted to be respectful. I don't know if it was right for Art to break his promise, but I think that Art chose to write about her so that he could include an accurate portrayal of his father's character. Much like how later in the book when Art included the racist comments Vladek made about dark-skinned people.

Page 14 As a Narrative

After dinner, we went into Dad's room. He started pedalling on a stationery bike. "It's good for my heart." He simply said.

"Dad, I still want to write that book about you. The one that I always talked about,"I said, already imagining the scenes I could draw, "About you in Poland and the war."

"It would take many books, my life," Vladek said, "and no  one anyway wants to hear such stories."

He looked down at the number that had been permanently engraved into his arm. The rough surface spelled out 175113.

"But I want to hear it!" I said, hoping to convince him. I picked up one of the picture frames nearby. "Why don't you start with how you met Mum?"

"But son, better you make beautiful drawing and make money... But... If it will please you very much, I will tell you." He exclaimed, still pedaling on his bike. "It all started in Czestochowa, a small city not far from the border of Germany..."

Peacock Horror

The peacocks decide to try and intimidate the foxes by going up to them while they are resting and the peacocks declare war. They demand to speak with the head fox. The foxes observe that the peacocks had forgotten to bring their weapons. The head fox gives a sassy and sarcastic remark then orders her battalion to engage battle technique 23. The foxes slay the peacocks because they were smarter and had techniques as well as weapons. The peacocks died because of their stupidity and arrogance.

The End.

(Based on a true story.)

Cat and Maus Metaphor

We think that the metaphor is extremely relevant and that the decision on which animals he chose was precise and very well thought through. 

The metaphor of the cat and maus is extremely appropriate because of the portrayal that humans have of cats and mice. Cats are known to not only be superior of the mice but also they are known to be cunning and sleek. Mice are known to be timid and gross. Also, it is commonly known that humans are scared of mice unless they are in a cage. Once mice are in a cage, people feel content and safe. Cats are the more loved animals by humans and they are favoured most.

Spiegleman's point that humans are nothing more than animals is certainly true but not his only reason for choosing the animals, in our opinion. He chose the cat and mice metaphor because it's a commonly known fact that many animals hunt mice.

A similar metaphor of a cat-and-mouse is the germans being a corner of the desk and the jews being the hip.

Daniel's Thoughts

Heartbroken.

Heartbroken about what Geraldine has told me.

At first, I didn't believe it was true. What faithful husband would? Even in our wedding vowels, Fran promised me that she would never even look at another guy, because they would never compare to me. That sentence has clung to me ever since.

After reviewing what Geraldine said, I guess it made sense. Once a year or so, Fran conveniently had to go to an art exhibition that she was invited to. But, I was always suspicious. She never came back with any photos, never came back with any paintings or exciting stories. She always just said, "It was fine. The food was quite nice." Or something along those lines.

The moment Geraldine told me, I knew it was true. I didn't want to believe it, but I had to. Was the Fran that I knew visiting Paul Healey or was it a different side of Fran that she never let out? I was curious to know.

Then, I had to make the decision about whether or not I wanted to confront her with it. How was I supposed to bring it up? Take her to a nice dinner and say, "I know you're cheating on me. After twenty god-damned years, you still can't bear to stay faithful with me?"

No, I shan't be so rude. The best thing to do would be to keep it to myself. Although, who knows whom Geraldine is going to tell? She could never keep anything a secret, always so dramatic about everything.

I love Fran. I do. And if keeping this secret keeps us from breaking apart, then so be it. There would have to be reasoning behind it, surely.

Who knows? Maybe it's my fault. Maybe I haven't... satisfied her enough. Why else would she be doing it? For the thrill? For the thrill of not being caught? Hardly. Fran's days of rebelling are over. That's why she married me. She told me that it was time to let those days go.

Geradine's POV

The day before Sophie left:

Why can't Sophie just understand? All the time she's either screaming at me, stuffing her face with junk food or listening to that god-awful screaming sounds she calls 'music.' Why? God knows why! I never had these problems with Lauren. Lauren was a good girl just like Sophie was until she's gotten into this... phase. And Lauren never struggled with her weight either. Lauren was always petite, a perfect little dancer. I don't know what went wrong with Sophie. I've always brought her up with healthy food and encouraged her with exercise. Now, I mentioned to her once the other day about maybe going out for a run or doing some exercise and she starts screaming at me that I'm shallow! When I walked back into the kitchen an hour later, there was a McDonald's AND KFC bag thrown in the trash. Empty. God knows how this girl eats so much! Not that there is anything quite wrong with her, but she just needs to find herself again. My little Sophie was always more trouble than Lauren. Frankly, from the second she was born I knew that she was going to be trouble, with the dancing situation and everything. She was such a fat baby that I can't do my ballroom dancing anymore. Was it really worth it? Sacrificing my beautiful ballroom for the daughter-from-hell that doesn't appreciate one little thing I do for her? I sent her to a nice school, helped her stay in connection with her friends by allowing her to bring them over all the time and of course all the connections I've made for her. The connections! Oh, God, the connections! I've already lined up many people that were willing to help Sophie become a doctor. And what does she tell me now? Oh, she doesn't want to be a doctor! She doesn't want to be a dentist either! She was rambling on with some crap about dentists and suicide, as if that really matters! All I want is for Sophie to become bearable again.....

Three weeks later

It's been three weeks since Sophie has left to Fran's and I think I'm experiencing Empty Next Syndrome. I've been looking through her baby albums and the pretty dresses she used to fit in. I hope that once she's done with Fran, she'll be a whole new Sophie! One that looks thin again, who likes having a nice chat every now and again. Of course Fran will be bathing in the fact that I couldn't control my daughter that I had to ship her off to my sister. Why, she loves it! I'm sure of it. 'Oh, Gerry can't control her rebel teenager. Big surprise! She Sophie to me because I have the compassion and the ability to get along with people! If she can't handle her daughter, imagine her when she was a nurse!' Oh, God, I can just see her now. With her little art studio and the books she's illustrated. Framed, presumably. It's just like Fran to keep holding onto things like this, so she can mention it in the next Family Gathering. Well, it's worth it if Sophie can stop being such a hassle and come back to reality. I worry about her. What is she going to do if she isn't going to become a doctor? Become an artist like her perfect Aunt Fran? Ha! Hardly.

Chapter 1 and 2 Review Questions

1.  "Sophie".   Sophie describes her feelings towards her mother and her aunt. What does she tell the reader and how does she feel about each of them?

Sophie has so much resentment for her mother bottled up within her that it's ridiculous. She feels hatred towards her mother because she thinks that her mother isn't treating her equally to the other members of the family. I can see why Sophie has so much irritation because her mother is incredibly rude and would drive anyone to the point of insanity.

Fran, however, she is unsure about. She thinks, from the few times that they've met, she's a pretty cool Aunt who is casual and nice. I guess she just wanted anyone to escape from her mother. She likes to make her mother jealous by talking about Fran in a conversation. She loves to brag about Fran just to make her mother annoyed.

2. "Fran". What two feelings is Fran trapped between?

Fran is quite bi-polar in chapter 2. At first, she hates the idea of her troubled niece, Sophie, coming to stay with her for a while. After the recent passing of her husband, she had decided to move into the house that her parents left for her and to just have some nice, quiet time painting and relaxing. Beginning again. So, when she received the phone call, she could have said no. She was thinking nasty, terrible thoughts about how her sister was dumping her daughter onto her and she resented that but she still agreed to it. Through the chapter, she decided that maybe if she improved Sophie, she could rub in Geraldine's face because she brought her daughter up better than her actual mother. This sister-rivalhood was very apparent in the chapter.

The Good Wife's Guide

Identify the representation of women:

• Inferior
• Shallow/Fake

Identify how this is constructed:

Inferior - The Good Wife's Guide represents women as inferior because they undermine their capability and instead they tell the women about how they should help their 'superior' (aka their husband.) The last point in the guide says "A good wife always knows her place." This is demonstrating to us that a woman should always be in line and understand where she stands in the relationship. "Remember his topics of conversation are more important than yours," is another example of the way that women are represented as inferior.

Shallow/Fake - The fact that there is a guide on how to be a wife epitomises the fact that women are portrayed as shallow and fake in the text. "Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking." This makes the women seem shallow and that they need to change for their husband. "Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him."

The Representations of Buffy

1.   What do/ does she look like? Pay particular attention to the question of whether she is considered beautiful/ physically attractive? Is she young?

Buffy is quite young yet she looks empowered. Even though she’s skinny and blonde, she isn’t represented as the traditional ‘dumb blond.’ Also, Buffy doesn’t wear luxury clothes and doesn’t wear too much make up. This shows girls that you can be empowered without having to look good all the time.

2.   What qualities are valued in women in the text?

The women in this text are presented as ‘normal girls’ who are also strong and independent. This helps influence the audience because it’s not completely irrelevant to the teenage audience. The girls in the show like to shop yet they are still very skilled and strong. The women in the text are recognised and valued for their courageous skills, not just beauty.

3.   What aspects of the text challenge the traditional representation you identified in your fairy tale?

In Rapunzel, Rapunzel is represented as dependent because she waits for a Prince to come and rescue her. In a turn of events, Buffy is the one is trying to save a guy. She protects Angel by making him go out of town so that he isn’t in as much danger.

4.   How is the message presented to us? Consider the positioning techniques discussed at the beginning of the term.(Character(Buffy in particular), costume, camera angles, dialogue etc)

Frequently, the camera shot of Buffy will be from below, so that the audience is looking up at Buffy. This helps project the fact that Buffy is empowered, young yet still courageous. Buffy also is practical due to her wardrobe. She doesn’t wear dresses and heels, she wears clothes that she can slay vampires in.

5.   How are men presented in this text? (Consider power, hero, villain etc)

Men are presented almost as inferior to women. Angel obeys Buffy’s orders and leaves the town. Buffy is the main character who can slay the vampires whilst the men used to be Vampires and are now saved because they have a soul, thanks to Buffy.

6.   Who has power in this text? Why do they have power?

Buffy and Willow have the most power in this text. The vampires try to defeat them multiple times, but they can not because they are too powerful and independent for the vampires to defeat them.

7.   Consequences: Who is rewarded? How? Who is punished? How?

In the end, everyone is punished yet rewarded. The main characters are punished because they watch their friends die, yet they save the world and their courage is rewarded. Also, Spike is rewarded because he finally gains the honesty, trust and respect from Buffy yet he is ultimately punished because he dies saving the world.

8.   How are women represented in this episode?

Women are represented as strong, independent and courageous in the show Buffy. Not only Buffy, but also lots of ‘average’ girls are given a choice that they can become slayers if they wish. This gives us the idea that women can do anything if they choose to and put their mind to it. The women control the men because Buffy convinces Angel to leave the town. If anything, the guys are the back up to the girls. This gives us the strong ideas about how the women risk their lives to be independent, courageous and strong.