Team Anyone But Iago

"And what's he then that says I play the villain?" (II.iii.301)

I'll gladly say that Iago is the villain. If he weren't a fictional character and alive today I would want to kick him in the shin and angrily name off all of the reasons he's the villain. Usually I think sarcasm is funny, but Iago's sarcasm just makes me really angry. 
Reasons Iago is the villain:

• He is breaking up a marriage of 2 people who beat the odds and fell in love. That's just rude and annoying. He's basing his motive off a rumor. That rumor clearly isn't true because Othello is very angered by the thought of Desdemona's infidelity, so he'd never do that to her. Maybe Iago would have a marriage like Othello and Desdemona if he had a little respect for his wife, which brings me to my next point.
• He treats women like crap. That's not okay with me. Never once does Iago honestly say something nice or positive about a woman. Poor Emilia is probably scared of Iago and how awful he is to her. 
• He continues this terrible plot that will inevitably ruin people's lives even after he got the job of Lieutenant. He's ridiculously power hungry and clearly doesn't deserve a position anywhere near it.
• He is tarnishing the name of Iago - the bird from Aladdin. I know that the parrot Iago is somewhat evil by association because his owner is Jafar, but he's so much better than Shakespeare's Iago. 

Foreshadowing

"But I do love thee! And when I love thee not, Chaos is come again." (III.iii. 92-93)

Othello has been mild mannered throughout the first 2 acts, but this seems to be his breaking point. Iago continues to raise his suspicions of Desdemona's unfaithfulness. Although some are misunderstandings and some are blatantly false, Othello is unaware. I think this foreshadows the upcoming chaos that will ensue when Iago finally completes every aspect of his plan. Othello's anger will get the best of him and ultimately Iago will have his desired job and Othello and Desdemona will split up. Another instance of foreshadowing is when Othello has head pains and Iago torments his lack of sleep, because both of those point to his epilepsy. Seizures can be caused by lack of sleep. I don't know if that is what will cause Othello's seizure and maybe even death, but I think his epilepsy will play into the plot soon.  

Ironic Epithet = Iago

 "Honest Iago, My Desdemona must I leave to thee." (I.iii.294-295)

Iago is called an honest man by multiple characters throughout the first 3 acts. This becomes an epithet used to describe him, even though he's falsely honest. Othello, the Duke, Cassio, and all of the other characters who refer to Iago as honest don't know his secret plans of deceit and mutiny. His false honest is giving people reason to trust him and rely on him, when they are unknowingly playing right into his plan. Iago has no boundaries when it comes to lying to people and meddling in their personal lives. I don't understand anyone (Bryan, I hope you read this and enlighten me) could think that Iago is a noble or respectable character. He is cunning when it comes to his deceit, but he is ruining people's lives without any solid motive. Once he gets the job he wanted (through lying and making up stories) he continues his game. Iago is a lying lowlife and I'm definitely Team Anyone Else. 

Popular Mechanics

"He looked at her and she wiped her eyes and stared at him before turning and going back to the living room. Bring that back, he said." - Raymond Carver

I don't understand why there are no quotation marks in this story! It's so annoying. Also, I feel like the baby may have gotten ripped in half at the end of the story. The ending is so open for interpretation. Did the woman get the baby? The man? No one? I think the man only wanted the baby to anger his ex-wife/girlfriend. He didn't even remember that baby was there until she picked up the picture. He realized how precious the baby was to the woman, so he decided to take that before leaving for good. He seemed so entitled. He simply stated that he wanted the baby; he expected his wish to be granted immediately. Personally, I think fighting over a baby is just about one of the most unsafe things a couple could do. They seem like one big happy family, don't they?! 

The Lottery

"It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. - Shirley Jackson

Is this real life?! I was waiting the entire story to figure out what the lottery would be for. I figured money, a new house, anything positive. Nope, I was wrong. I'm just a little bit in shock. I don't know what culture or time period this takes place in, but it seems to be from way back in the day. I understand that this town loves their traditions, but seriously? Mrs. Hutchinson is also very annoying, but definitely not annoying enough to stone to death! If there was supposed to be a funny or ironic part to the story I totally missed it. Then again, the chapter theme is point of view, so I'm assuming this story is just as somber and suspenseful as it sounds. 

This is partially because of the first line of my blog/partially because it's a guaranteed day maker!

You're Ugly, Too - Theme

"Later they would worry together, and he would sink a cheek to her belly and ask whether she was late, was she late, was she pregnant, they took to quarreling and drifted apart." - Lorrie Moore

I personally think Zoe is a sarcastically funny character. Although sometimes she does cross a line. I think she does this because of her constant comparison to her sister and a general lack of self esteem. To me, the theme of this story is: People's insecurities cause them to self-sabotage their relationships. There are multiple times in the story when Zoe is happy and seemingly confident around people, but then she says something offensive. She says "I'm just kidding" a lot; however, she's never really kidding. When Zoe isn't being unintentionally rude to people, she's cracking jokes. This I understand, because I think we all do it every once and a while. When things get awkward, uncomfortable, or just boring, we tend to say anything to lighten the mood. That's how Zoe starts out. Then, she becomes more and more offensive as the story goes on. I think she grows more self conscious as she grows older, which causes her to become hostile. It's a shame, because she was really funny for a majority of the story.

Zoe kind of reminds me of Kristen Wiig's character in Bridesmaids. She is in such a bad mood after being treated awfully from everyone in her life, so she takes it out on everyone else around her. If you've seen the movie, this picture and quote make total sense.

"Oh, I feel bad for your parents." 

"I feel bad for your face."

The Drunkard - Irony

"My brave little man!" she said with her eyes shining. "It was God did it you were there. You were his guardian angel." - Frank O'Connor

The ironic situations that happen in this story all surround the strange incident of a 12 year old boy being drunk. First, there's a total role reversal. The father is embarrassed for having to drag his drunk, 12 year old son home from the bar. People would not think it extremely abnormal if it were the other way around. Then, his mother praises him. She calls him a guardian angel?! That's not normal! She does so because she thinks her son drank in order to stop his father from drinking. His father, the real drunkard, was forced to stay sober and watch over his son at the bar that night. Although that was not the son's intention at all, his mother viewed it that way and praised him for it. The title itself is the final irony. Calling a curious boy who drank his dad's alcohol one time a drunkard is a bit drastic. His father on the other hand, is a drunkard. This 12 year old boy has been a little victimized by the title of the story. Granted, it's Ireland so pretty much anything goes.