Macbeth - "Be a Man"

Quote:
Macbeth
What man dare, I dare.  
Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The armed rhinoceros, or th' Hyrcan tiger;
Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble. . . . 
Why so being gone,
I am a man again.--Pray you sit still.

(Act 3, scene 4, lines 121-131)

Context and paraphrase: Macbeth is at the dinner, and the ghost of Banquo appears.  Macbeth explains that he is now always many besides when the ghost is present.

Interpretation and Explanation: In this quote, Macbeth is telling the point that he has now done plenty to become a man, and the only thing that is stopping him is Banquo's ghost.

Quote:
Lady Macbeth
Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised.  Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. . . .

(Act 1, scene 5, lines 15-18)

Context and paraphrase: Lady Macbeth is speaking about Macbeth killing Duncan.  However, she doesn't think that he has what it takes to kill him.

Interpretation and explanation:  In this quote, Lady Macbeth implies that to for Macbeth to be a man, he must kill Duncan.  However, she doesn't think that he will be manly enough, so she has to talk him into doing it.

Quote:
Lady Macbeth
Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty . . .

(Act 1, Scene 5, lines 47-50)

Context and paraphrase: Lady Macbeth is trying to do everything she can to get Duncan killed, and she doesn't think that Macbeth can do it by himself.  She is trying to say that she wants to become more masculine so she will easily be able to do the task or at least help Macbeth, which would be the manly thing to do.

Interpretation and explanation:  She thinks that by becoming more like a man, she will be able to kill Duncan or at least she could.  She is disappointed with Macbeth and has the ambition to do the task, she just wishes that Macbeth would be the manly one and do the deed.

Quote:
Lady Macbeth
When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man.

(Act 1, scene 7, lines 56-58)

Context and paraphrase: When Macbeth is having doubts about killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth tries to convince him to follow through with it.  She is basically saying that he was a man when he said he would kill Duncan, and he would be an even bigger man if he actually did.

Interpretation and explanation: This quote shows that by saying that you are going to do something doesn't necessarily make you a man.  You must follow through with what you said you will do if you really want to be a man.

Quote:
Lady Macbeth
. . . Are you a man?

Macbeth
Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that
Which might appall the devil.

Lady Macbeth
O, proper stuff!
This is the very painting of your fear.

(Act 3, scene 4, lines 70-74)

Context and paraphrase:  Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are at the dinner, and Macbeth is yelling at the ghost of Banquo that he is seeing.  Lady Macbeth is questioning his manliness, and Macbeth replies by saying that he is doing what the devil may not.  Lady Macbeth replies by telling him that it is nonsense, and that he is hallucinating due to his fear.

Interpretation and explanation:  After killing Banquo, Macbeth is very afraid of what he has done, so he begins to have hallucinations about Banquo.  Lady Macbeth insists that these hallucinations are cowardly, and make her question his manliness, because he can't handle the murders that he is causing.

Randy Moss PIE Paragraph

Randy Moss will be a very valuable asset to the Minnesota Vikings this year, but he must improve his attitude if he wants to keep his team and fans happy.  First off, he is one of the most explosive and dangerous.  wide-receivers in the NFL.  He is one of the top scoring wide-receivers ever, and intimidates others by his skill.  This means that he is one of the toughest people to play against, and automatically gives the whole team an advantage.  Secondly, Moss has the experience that is needed for this offense.  He knows the game like the back of his hand, and combining him with Favre makes for one of the most dangerous offenses in the league.  With his experience, the whole team can learn from him and work together to make everything work.  However, every trade in the NFL comes with advantages and disadvantages, and Moss' attitude is definitely the disadvantage.  Moss has left all of his teams, including the Vikings, on bad terms.  He can be amazing when he wants to be, but when he doesn't, he can negatively affect the team.  This causes a problem for the Vikings, as they have to be smart about how they handle him to keep him happy, and keep him playing.  Receiving Randy Moss can lead to huge gains for the Vikings, but they need to be smart about him to maximize the benefits and make the trade worth it.

Opinion/Editorial

The words "fag" and "gay" are casually thrown around a lot these days.  Many people know this, and many people understand this.  What they don't know, is how much they can actually impact someone's life.  The recent suicide at Rutgers University is proof of this.

Tyler Clementi was pushed to suicide by his roommate, and everybody else that saw the live stream and thought it would be fine to make fun of him.  It is sad to see this much discrimination and hate towards a person, especially when his actions were private and yet they were invaded.

I do think that he didn't deserve all the attention he got, and that everything should have stayed private.  However, committing suicide was not the answer.  It was a selfish act, nobody should ever kill themselves, no matter how bad your life is.  This whole story isn't about his roommate that invaded his privacy, it is about the person who committed suicide because of it, and that is why its getting so much attention.  Instead of dealing with his problems, he had to take himself away from his friends and family.

Although the actions that were directed towards Tyler Clementi were very wrong, his act of suicide was just as bad.

Steve Jobs Real Life Hero

Birth- Steve Jobs was born to an  unwed family, and then had him adopted to a middle-class family. http://www.allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/short/short.html

Supernatural Guide- Jobs meets Stephen Wozniak, who is 5 years older and is a "computer-whiz."  He co-founds Apple Computer with Jobs, and teaches him a lot about computers.
http://www.allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/short/short.html

Call to Adventure- A computer hobbyist club wants to buy a computer board made by Jobs and Wozniak.
http://www.allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/short/short.html

Crossing the Threshold- Once they come out with the Apple II, they have almost immediate fame and success.
http://www.allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/short/short.html

Hero Partners- Woz becomes a close friend, and helps Apple become successful.
http://www.theapplemuseum.com/index.php?id=49

Tests/Ordeals/Hero Deeds- Industry-giant IBM plans to come out with a personal computer, so Jobs and Apple must create a great computer that can compete.
http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Jobs.html

Ultimate Boon- Becomes successful and gets a lot of money, which he is able to use to invest and further help his business.
http://www.investingvalue.com/investment-leaders/steve-jobs/index.htm

Death of the Hero- Jobs gets fired from his own company in 1985 by CEO John Sculley
http://www.investingvalue.com/investment-leaders/steve-jobs/index.htm

Journey to the Underworld- Starts his own company called Next Computers, but isn't successful due to high price.
http://www.investingvalue.com/investment-leaders/steve-jobs/index.htm

Apotheosis- Apple buys Next Computers for $402 million, bringing Jobs back to Apple.  He quickly becomes the CEO.
http://www.theapplemuseum.com/index.php?id=49

PIE Paragraph

While Luke Skywalker and Doug are both heroes, they are not heroes for the exact same reasons.  One reason why they are both heroes is because of their journey.  In the beginning of their stories, an event happens that causes them to embark on a journey, whether they like it or not.  For example, Doug is busy studying and doesn't want to be distracted, but then Quinn comes and forces Doug to get in his car, although he is reluctant.  While they have that similarity, they also have differences.  The setting in which they are heroes is extremely different.  Luke is busy in a galaxy far, far away, while Doug is in Las Vegas.  Luke is fighting in a war in space and receives huge recognition, but Doug is only in a city, and doesn't get any recognition for his heroic efforts besides Quinn.  Lastly, they are different because the objectives of the quest both deal with life and death, but are somewhat opposite.  In Star Wars, Luke's objective is to destroy the Death Star, and in turn kill many people, while Doug's objective is to simply save his friend's life.  While they are both for the greater good, Luke ends up killing and saving, while Doug simply saves.  Although both of the protagonists complete the Hero's Journey, they both have many differences that set them apart.