Has our class discussion affected your view of poetry? If so, how? What is your view of poetry after our discussion?

On this last week, we started to see a new topic on our class: poetry. As in our Spanish Literature class, on our English class we have to see this topic in order to be prepared on our IBO exams. 

We started discussing in class one essay made by the writer Octavio Paz called "Poesía y Poema". By the time we were reading this essay, we were talking about the different aspects that we can see in poetry. I think that this discussion was a good start for us to know more about what is poetry and some of its principal components. This discussion in class change somehow my view about poetry, because before discussing in class what does poetry mean to some writers and seeing the main elements of it, I tend to relate it to something boring that do not make sense at all. I really thought that poetry was made only for things related to love and philosophy, but I think that I was wrong. The discussion in class made me realize that poetry can talk about any theme and everybody, with the main elements, can make poems.

Now I have a new view about poetry to start studying it on class, because I think now that poetry may be interesting to study on this semester. More than studying the rhymes, types of poetry and other elements(that we will see in the respective time and we would have to analyze it), I think that it will be interesting to discover the emotions, feelings and thoughts that the poets wanted to transmit in their works for the readers to understanding it. The discussion was good for us to know each other's opinions about poetry and with time, we can see how us change our view about this kind of works.

What new perspective can Semiotics bring to your perception and analysis of symbols (aural, visual, or otherwise)? Now that we have finished watching Throne of Blood, what new insights have you gained into Macbeth or in your life in general? What did I learn from watching it? Why? How?

Over the past weeks, we have been seeing what semiotics is for having one perspective about analyzing literature, as well as watching and comparing the similarities and differences between the movie "Throne of Blood" and Shakespeare's play Macbeth. 

First of all, in past classes we have been learning about what semiotics is and the benefits that we can have by comprehending this theory and the knowledge that this theory can bring us for our literary analysis for future essays. We learned that semiotics is the theory and study of signs and it is used for our communication. It can be from words, to signs we see on streets and commercials. Semiotics is everything (or every signified) that has a meaning (or a signifier).By analyzing symbols or a set of symbols on literature, we can have a more deep comprehension about a novel,a play or an essay we are reading. By knowing more about semiotics, I am understanding better why people from our culture and other cultures use certain word or group of words to communicate certain things or feelings(like the onomatopoeia's), also visually I can understand why people that are studying marketing, for example, need to use certain symbols in their products to attract more customers. Also the symbols we see on the streets we can have a new perception of seeing them and realizing that even a person that  knows other language or is a tourist that does not know anything about that language, by the signs and symbols can understand the same as the native people living on that place.

 On the other hand, the last week our teacher brought us a movie to see it on class called "Throne of Blood", that is the Japanese adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. While we were watching it part by part, we were making either by a writing or by commenting it, comparisons and contrasts between these two works. In my opinion, it is not the same reading something and imagining it than watching something. I think that seeing this movie gave our class the idea of what Macbeth consisted: ambition and natural human aspirations for gaining more power against a lot of values and people we care about. Personally, I learned from either the play or the movie that, we have to follow our beliefs and values no matter what the situations are. I know there are a lot of people out there that want you to tear you apart or destroy you through assumptions, lies and suggestions about what can you achieve or what can you be if you use methods that do not match your values and ideals.

As human beings, we tend to be weak about these kind of things because sometimes we are insecure about us, but I think that we have to be strong enough to say no and stay true with ourselves, because like the witches and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth or the witch and Asaji in "Throne of Blood", people will start telling you to change to see how far you can get to change yourself, and if it is late, the consequences of that changes can be catastrophic. Reading the play and seeing the movie taught me to keep staying like I am and if I had dreams and aspirations for being something "bigger" that I am now, I have to keep working hard and believing on destiny and God to help accomplish my dreams. 

What are the similarities you have found in Kurosawa's Throne of Blood with Macbeth? How does Asaji-dono differ from Lady Macbeth? How does her approach to convince Washizu differ from Lady Macbeth's to convince her husband? What other differences can you find, other than the obvious ones(setting, character names, etc.)? Why would Kurosawa choose to emphasize certain aspects over others Shakespeare emphasizes?

On Friday, we say part of a Japanese movie, directed by Akira Kurosawa called "Throne of Blood". This movie was based on Shakespeare's play Macbeth. There are many similarities in this movie that we, as audience, can relate to Shakespeare's short tragedy. 

First of all, except for the names, the characters  in "Throne of Blood" are the same as in Macbeth. The two generals, Washizu and Miki, represent in their Japanese culture Macbeth and Banquo, the two honorable generals. As well as in Shakespeare's play, Asaji is in "Throne of Blood" Washizu's wife, alike to Lady Macbeth. The place where the story takes place in the movie is feudal Japan, very similar to the Middle Ages where Macbeth takes place. So far, the story is likely the same as in the play. The movie starts with important people and the emperor of Spider Web's Castle, that told him about two generals that are very brave and did a lot for him: Washizu and Miki(this is similar to the beginning of Shakespeare's play). Another important similarity is the witch that Washizu and Miki meet in a forest. Different to Macbeth, there is only one witch in "Throne of Blood", but she tells the same prophecy to these characters as well as the three witches in the play told Macbeth and Banquo good future to them and their descendants, respectively. And as well as in Shakespeare's play, from the moment that they are promoted, Washizu(like Macbeth) will start aspiring to be, as the witch told him, emperor or Lord of Spider Web's Forest, even if for that he has to kill his Lord Tsuzuki.  Another important similarity is that ambition, power and magical characters are appaearing in this movie, as well as in Shakespeare's play.

There is one certain aspect of this movie that we have to analize: how Asaji-dono has convincing her husband, Washuki, for trying to kill his Lord further on the movie. Lady Macbeth and Asaji are simmilar in their characters, but they differ in certain aspects. First, their characterization. Shakespeare puts Lady Macbeth as an European ambicious woman, with sumptous jewerly. In "Throne of Blood", they characterize Asaji as the typical Japanese woman of feudal Japan, wife of a man of power in the reign(the general).Another aspect that we can see the differences between these two women is the way they convinced their husbands in their respective plots. The two of them convinced by their desire of power and to be more than a general. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth convinced Macbeth by telling him that is a coward, that he was not a real man because of his cowardice. She also convinced him because she, compared to Macbeth, had more power to manipulate with the force of her words Macbeth's mind. In "Throne of Blood", Asaji convinced Washaki with calm and feminity. She was not dramatizing about the situation. She told her husband future bad consecuences of staying with the position that the Lord gave him. She told him that maybe his best friend, Banquo, told the Lord about the prophecy and know wanting him dead. Different to Lady Macbeth, Asaji confused Washaki about his future if he do not kill the Lord in order for them to be more powerful and being Lords of Spider Web's Forest.

Even that it is practically the same story, there are some differences, basically because of the different cultures. In Macbeth, the characters that represent the generals and the nobility seem to be refined and nice. In "Throne of Blood", the characters are more stiff. Another difference is the symbols they have in their respective kingdoms and the way they are dressed. I do not understand Japanese, but by the English translations, some dialogues differ from the one of Shakespeare. This differences can be due because I think the director of this movie, Kurosawa, wanted to "capture" the essence of Macbeth(which is the natural seek for power, the gaining or lost of honor and the consecuences that this can bring) in a Japanese context. Shakespeare in Macbeth emphasizes more about how a simple man can be convinced by ambition due to confusions about himself and his believes and letting him go by this ambition for more power. 

Here is the link for you to see a little trailer about Kurosawa's movie. So, what simmilarities and differences you can see? 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoYzsDVyFRU