Saturday Night Jail Cell

The smell was horrible. A cross between wet dog and my eighth grade gym shoes (the ones I’d wear without socks on many occasions) lingered through the air. I could almost see the stench as if I was in a cartoon with the smelly bubble floating underneath my nose. It was unbearable, but not even as bad as the uncomfortable feeling I got from the guy sitting 2 feet away from me. I wondered what his story was; maybe assault and battery. He had a huge gash across his forehead, oozing with blood, which he kept dabbing with a filthy towel. Tattoos all over his body, one that read “RIP Tone” wrapped in a rosary on his tricep. Only visible due to the holes in his sleeve. I tried very hard not to stare at him because he looked like the type to murder somebody for mean-mugging, plus I don’t have anyone to get a tattoo saying “RIP Johnny” on their arm. To the other side of me was a man who had been whimpering in the fetal position since I entered the jail cell. I never saw a clear view of his face, but I could tell he was terrified. Maybe it was his first time in here too.
This is so stupid. I shouldn’t even be in here. I am not a criminal compared to these other guys. I was only trying to be a good friend and get Daniel home before he got us kicked out of O’Mally’s. I didn’t even see him bring the beer bottle in my car! An open container. That’s why I’m in this hell hole, because Daniel left an empty beer bottle in my car. I could’ve just got a warning for a broken tail light and been on my way home. But no, of course the cops saw the empty beer bottle peeking out from underneath the passenger seat. I’m such a good friend. Saving him before he got knocked out by Frank Bertucci, a regular at O’Mally’s. Everyone and anyone who is in there on a regular basis knows not to mess with Frank Bertucci, but per usual, Daniel had to act like an ignorant drunk and start talking trash. Why? No reason at all. Just because that’s how he acts when he gets drunk. Now look at the mess I’m in, sitting in between a thug and a weirdo. I couldn’t have asked for a better Saturday night.

Thankful for a Classmate

My English classes have always been my favorite, mainly due to the English teachers at Whitney Young. They all have been able to maintain a very calm and relaxing environment in their class. This year, my Brit Lit class is my first class at 8am, which made me think that common, tranquil atmosphere might be more of a disadvantage since I am still half asleep at 8am. Thanks to one classmate though, I have been able to keep my eyes open and actually participate in my early morning class. Mathew Patrick is my Brit lit savior.
Whether he knows it or not, Matt's energetic personality is what inspires me to stay awake in my first period class. I'm not quite sure how one manages to have so much energy at 8 o'clock in the morning, but he does it effortlessly. So I admire him and I am thankful to have him in my 1st period class.

Macbethish acts: worth it or not?

Macbeth shows us how in order to get something we want in the world, you have to be willing to sacrifice something whether it be your freedom, innocence, or even the friendships that you have with others. In Macbeth's case, it is concluded that in order for him to become king, he must kill the current king. The murdering of a good king sounds crazy to Macbeth and he says he doesn't want to do it unless he would not have any consequences to follow. He finally puts his cowardness aside and proceeds with the murder.
While in the moment, killing seems like something worth doing, I don't believe it is. Macbeth ended up feeling the need to kill more people due to his paranoia of people finding out. At this point I think it would be appropriate to call Macbeth a murderer and in my opinion, that's not a title I'd want, especially not while long. I do not think Macbethish acts are worth doing even if you were to gain what you wanted for years or forever. It's not worth the guilt, the title of a murderer and the loss of many great friendships.

"From the Crown to the Toe, Top-Full of Direst Cruelty"

"From the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty", a line Lady Macbeth brings to us in her soliloquy. It's quite a confusing line because why would anyone want to be filled with wickedness? Lady Macbeth is an interesting character, in my opinion. She really gives the play some edge. She tells her husband, Macbeth, that he is too soft for what he wants. If he wants to be king, he needs a little evil in him to achieve that goal. Macbeth has a totally different approach on the situation. He believes if he's meant to be king, it will happen. Lady Macbeth however takes matters into her own hands. In the quote above she tells us her desire to be filled with cruelty so that she can justify her motive of doing what she needs to do in order for her husband to be crowned king.
Lady Macbeth seems to want the royalty title more than her husband, but unfortunately she doesn't have much control of his inheritance of the king's crown. So instead she tells her husband he must kill King Duncan. If she could she would I'm sure. Her strategy was to portray a very happy and tranquil atmosphere so they could fool the King into thinking they were harmless. Once they lured him into their home, they would kill him so that Macbeth would finally be King. Macbeth so far doesn't seem to be 100% supportive with the plan, which proves Lady Macbeth's opinion of him being weak and feminine.

No New Tale to Tell

The Pardoner's Tale does an excellent job demonstrating how one should not easily trust another no matter how much of a bond or common interest exists between you and that person/group. In the Pardoner's Tale, three men are brought together by the common desire of wanting a glorious title. They try to find death and earn the right to say they have defeated what most people fear. This goal of theirs made them think they could trust each other because ultimately, they needed each other in order to find the death. However, they become distracted when they think about all the gold that will be left behind when they do indeed kill Death. They soon turn on each other because of greed and realizing they each want all of the gold to themselves.
Greed is a highlighted idea in this tale. It shows you how greed is normally the root of all evil. The three men originally sought out to take care of each other, but once the idea of having a whole sack of gold to themselves came to mind, they threw all that out the window. In the case of the tale, the men were so greedy they thought of murdering as a solution to who would be left with the money. The irony is they all end up dying in the end. I guess the message in that ending was if you commit evil acts, there will be consequences to face. Although this is a tale, therefore fictional, greed over money is an everyday thing. Greed is actually the source of a lot of bad traits and evil acts and I believe that's what the author wanted to convey.

Modern Day Grendel

Grendel can sometimes be perceived as an evil monster whose only desire is to bring dismay among the townspeople. But after reading the book Grendel and learning about his background, I realized that he didn't know any different because that's how he was raised. He was raised to be evil and think that destruction was acceptable and what he was supposed to do. So it makes us wonder, is he less of a monster because he doesn't know any better? Should he not be looked at as evil since his upbringing is what caused him to act this way? Honestly, I think it does make him less of a monster.
In today's world, people raise pitbulls to be fighters. They train them to annihilate other pitbulls and nothing else. As a result, the pitbulls only know to destroy; they don't know how to love or be around people, let alone other animals. So many people are terrified of pitbulls when it's really not their fault they are the way the are. Grendel is very similar to these animals in the sense that he was born into a world where being evil was expected from him due to his ancestry.

Truth

The Shaper has an interesting role in the book, Grendel. His words contribute greatly to the pride the Danes have of themselves because he gives them this idea that they were glorious in their past and they are glorious now. However, most of the "history" the Shaper sang about was false and inaccurate. But this is who the Danes believed; the things the Shaper told them was the only thing they knew, therefore they didn't question what they knew was the truth.
Throughout the entire book though,  the truth was often manipulated or not fully told. Even omitting the truth is still allowing people to formulate a false perception. It's very easy to believe someone you love or believe a source that is being provided to you from someone who has your best interests. A perfect example of this in Grendel is the whole purpose behind writing Grendel. The book is supposed to give readers a chance to understand both sides of the story. When reading Beowulf, many readers form the conclusion that Beowulf is the good guy and Grendel is the bad guy. It's easy to assume this since you don't have the other story, just how it was easy for the Danes to believe the Shaper when he portrayed them as wonderful beings. By reading the book Grendel we see how the Danes aren't as heroic as they make themselves seem to be. If anything they are more barbaric and monstrous than Grendel. Ultimately, it's safe to say that what you're being told is not necessarily the truth or all of it.