The Wars We Fight

The purpose for bombarding the audience with the images and metaphors that are war is to establish a sense of meaning and tone that are key to the actions of the characters. For instance, in the first scene Iago goes into great detail about his accomplishments in war, and his service under Othello. Which in turn serves as the pivotal understanding of all of Iago's future actions because at this point, Iago had just been passed over by Othello for his second in command. Whereupon his fighters spirit is reawakened from the insult that lay beneath being passed over for second in command. All of these facts form together to show the reader, the reason why Iago's mind is so sharp and how he can be so ruthless in his pursuit of Othello's downfall. Whereas in Othello's case, he is only justified through his great accomplishments in war. The audience has nothing else to base the character of Othello off of except for his accomplishments in war, thus making it all the harder to qualify his greatness as a human being. We are left without the knowledge of whether Othello is truly at fault for the future actions of Iago, or if Othello is truly a great man and Iago the demon. With these descriptions of war, a tone is created throughout the play of earnest and of the approaching doom of several characters.

Geography

1. Milkman-Compares himself against his father.
2. Milkman's comparison to his father is hs driving force in many of his actions throughout his life. They are the essence of how his character is shaped.
3. Milkman's name is indciative of his character and has an affect on him throughout the entire story. Through the use of his name and the names of other's he evolves to resemble some of his namesake.
4. "Milkman feared his father, respected him, but knew, because of the leg, that he could never emulate him. So he differed from him as much as he dared." (pg. 63)
5. This passage shows the beggining of milkman's blatent defiance against his father. He thus begins to realize that he wants to succeed on his own and works towards that goal.
6. The most intriguing aspect of Milkman is that even though he wishes to be freed from the shadow of his father, he takes pleasure in the manipulation of others to his own will.

Love is All That's Left for Me

Love is something for which we always strive for. Even if it is something we know we can never have. It builds us up and then tears us apart. We would give our lives if only to experience the moment of complete bliss and happiness that is being in love. The ability to hold someone close and never let go. The ability to see yourself spending the rest of your life with them. You spend every minute thinking of them and yearning for the time when you'll be together again. You’d do anything to protect them. To keep them happy is what you live for. When they cry, you cry. When they laugh, it is the most beautiful sound in the world. Love is a deep yearning. A sense of longing, that grows stronger and stronger the more time you spend away from those you truly care for.

In some cases you wish you could hide away, to not have to experience these feelings because you know that in the end you might get hurt. But you keep falling in love because you know that one day, one day soon, you will find someone who will never leave you. Someone who will stay by your side no matter what happens. They will do their best to shelter you and comfort you. To hold you in their arms until all your troubles melt away. You can't wait to come home to them and see their smiling face again.

Love is a scary thing. It signifies complete devotion to someone else. You always wonder what will happen when it ends. You’re shattered when it does, and you feel like there's no reason to go on. You feel like you can't trust anyone, but then you find someone else. At first you don't want to be open with them, for fear of being hurt again, but then you realize that they'll love you no matter what. The thing is, if you really love someone, you should be able to tell them anything. If you're afraid they may hate you for telling them, then they don't love you.

It’s a feeling that consumes your entire body and soul. It sets you on fire. A feeling to strong for words. When you find it you want to grab hold of it and never let go. Then you realize there’s nothing you can do to hold on. You realize that one day you won’t be with the one you love. It is only a fleeting moment in your life. One that you’ll remember with great joy, but you’ll never be able to spend your life with them. Love’s cruel trick, you live and die for the person, even when you know it will end. The one thing you will remember is you have experienced what true love is, which is the greatest thing in the world. One day it may end, but enjoy it while you can and if it does, no matter what happens, there will always be someone better.

Fame in Death vs. Long Life

Given the choice, I would choose a long life over a short life with a famous death. Unlike most of my male colleagues, I have no interest in dying in a blaze of glory. I want to experience the true meaning of love, and I want to be able to spend my entire life with the person I love. I would feel as if I had achieved a greater meaning in life through loving someone and having them love me, than I would have by just dying in a blaze of glory. If it came to a point where I was defending the person I loved, then I would gladly throw my life away. Although, I would not want to die young just for mortality in the minds of people I care nothing about. As to doing nothing of merit, as long as I can find my own purpose in life and find someone I can truly love, I will feel that I have accomplished more than any one man can accomplish in death.

Ten Items Into Battle

1. My dog tag

2. An extra hand gun

3. A lot of lighters

4. A small notebook

5. A picture of my girlfriend

6. Nail clipper

7. A bottle filled with alcohol

8. Extra Blankets

9. A second set of body armor

10. Extra socks