NOTICE!

Any assignments after the eight Macbeth assignments will not be on this blog. If you are here to look for them, they aren't here (unless required).
The Macbeth assignments are here though...

Late Macbeth

           I'm tired of this blog. I keep getting strange errors and missing text, highlighted text, and missing documents. All of my Macbeth LRJs and Character Journals were done on time and posted on my blog the night before they were due. I came back from the band concert that night and fixed all the white highlighted text that happened last time (cannot fix in online text writer. It requires me to copy and paste the text into a word documents and then individually unhighlight every single word). I check my grades at the end of the week and all my LRJ's and Characters are missing. Check my blog, no LRJ's or character journals are posted... Not excited. So i've scrambled to rewrite them as close as I can. I hope you can accept these as late work.
Im turning in hard copies from now on. This blog isn't as convenient as I thought it would be.

Thanks,
Justin Ernst

Macbeth LRJ 3

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

4/1/12

Macbeth LRJ 3

            Act 5 Scene 3. Questions and answers.

Why does Macbeth need confirmation that there are ten thousand soldiers?

Why does he insult the servant so much?

Why does Macbeth insult the doctor that is treating his wife?

Why does he suit up in battle gear so early?

            Macbeth needs confirmation of the soldiers because he is nervous. He is nervous because he believes the future battle to be his last. This is also why he insists on being suited in battle gear so early. Even though the prophecy tells him that any man born of a woman cannot kill him, he is still wreaked with fear. This also connects to why he treats the people around him badly. He has become so unnerved that he snaps at anyone that he knows. He has become extremely unnerved because of his extreme guilt. All of his bad attitude directly relates back to his guilt for killing his friends.

Macbeth LRJ 2

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

4/1/12

Macbeth LRJ 2

            “Banquo: All’s well. I dreamt of the three Weird Sisters. To you they have showed some truths.

            Macbeth: I think not of them”

            This quote is important because it shows Macbeth lying to one of his best friends. Earlier in the play, Macbeth takes what the three witches say very seriously. He treats their prophecy as if it was the absolute truth. He knows Banquo will get in his way to the throne so he blatantly lies to him. He may also lie about the witches because he wants to prove his strength as an individual; to not succumb to the temptation of taking the throne. Strength is important in Macbeth’s society. Macbeth may have wanted to show his strength of mind by lying to improve Banquo and other’s impression of him. If they liked him enough, they might crown him king of Scotland. The throne is what Macbeth is shooting for, yet he denies any thought of it to hide his true intentions and make him a prime candidate for the throne.

Macbeth LRJ 1

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

4/1/12

Macbeth LRJ 1

            Act 1, Scene 3 was a very important because the three witches foreshadow Macbeth’s future. They tell Macbeth he will be king of Scotland: “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51). Their foreshadowing is important because it gives the audience an idea of what to expect later in the play. It is important to the story of the play because it plants a seed in Macbeth’s mind. This seed later grows to become Macbeth’s reason for killing Duncan. The prophecy told by the witches is also the reason for Macbeth’s death. Macbeth thinks that he invincible against any man, so he put himself in harms way to spite who he was fighting. Macduff eventually killed him because Macbeth became so arrogant in his battles.

            Act 1, Scene 3 is also important because it introduces the three witches into the story. They become important characters in the story. What they say has a very large effect on the decision making process of Macbeth throughout the play. The witches play an extremely important role in the play with a very small number of lines.

Macbeth Character Journal Act 5

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

4/1/12

Character Journal Act 5

            My thoughts darken. My guilt is overwhelming. It clouds my mind and all I think of, day and night. I have trouble getting sleep and when I do, my nurses tell me I mumble words and twist about. My head is full of terrible thoughts.

            I have thought through all conceivable ways out of this situation and I cannot think of a single escape. I’m locked in a prison of my sins. With the walls so thick, the only way out now is death. Death is the key, the key to my cell.

            So I bid farewell to the living world. I hope my passing does not bring great grief to Macbeth. I only hope that it brings a realization to Macbeth of his great sins so he feels just as guilty as me. I wish for him to join me in the afterlife.

Macbeth Character Journal Act 4

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

4/1/12

Character Journal Act 4

            Well great, Macbeth has really gone too far. He’s a bloodthirsty killer now. I don’t see the point in killing anymore. We already have the throne, but he has to kill everybody that even remotely threatens his power.

            I’m feeling a little guilty about all this myself. Should we have killed Duncan? What if my ferocity when killing Duncan was too much and now Macbeth can’t stop killing? How do I stop Macbeth? So many questions riddle my head yet I have no answers.

            These questions have hindered me from any contact with anyone else. I sit in my room, troubled by my own thoughts. I can’t shake the thought that Macbeth and I are doomed. It seems inevitable but my mind is convinced there is a way out. I’m sick with a virus of the mind.

Macbeth Character Journal Act 3

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

4/1/12

Character Journal Act 3

            I’m worried that Banquo and his son are going to betray Macbeth and I. The second part of the prophecy told by the three witches said that Banquo’s blood would rule the throne after Macbeth. We have to convince everybody that Banquo and his son are traitors to Scotland. Banquo has no right to my throne.

            We invited Banquo and his son to our castle for a feast. I don’t believe we should kill him; maybe just exile him or something harmless. We have already killed enough. Macbeth seems to think we need to kill him. I don’t see the point in digging ourselves further into a grave of murders. I’ll tell Macbeth to not kill Banquo and his son.

            Well great, Macbeth got some people to murder Banquo and his son, even though I told him not to kill them. To make matters worse, Banquo’s son got away. This is not good. Macbeth has become eager to murder. I think that we have done the deed and don’t need to kill any further. Macbeth thinks otherwise. I think my harshness when killing Duncan may have rubbed off a little too strong.

Macbeth Character Journal Act 2

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

4/1/12

Character Journal Act 2

Macbeth and I learned that the king bequeathed his throne to his son. His son is not old enough! That’s my throne! I deserve it! This had to be stopped, so I devised a plan to kill the king.

Without telling anybody, I drugged the guards so in the middle of the night. Macbeth snuck into the king’s room and stabbed him to death. He used a couple of daggers that I didn’t want him to use, but he finished the task so it’s fine with me.

He seems strangely out of mind after he killed the king. He keeps muttering something about a “ghost dagger” or something. He doesn’t seem to think straight anymore. I think he was too light-hearted to do the job.

Enough is enough, we did the deed and I shall be queen soon enough. A simple wash of the blood cleared my mind and my rightful throne.

Macbeth Character Journal Act 1

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

4/1/12

Character Journal Act 1

I, Lady Macbeth, am so happy. I was just informed that Macbeth was named Thane of Cawdor and may be next in line for the throne. He sent me a very nice letter telling me about the wonderful news and the king’s departure for our castle. I’m so excited

            I’ve always wanted to be a queen. When I was younger, I would have killed to be queen. Imagine all the power!

Macbeth wrote that “these Weird Sisters saluted me, and referred to me to the coming on time with ‘Hail, king that shalt be!’” (1.5.8-10) This seems a bit sketchy but I trust Macbeth with all my heart.

The king is arriving soon so I must prepare. My servant just informed me the king is arriving tonight! I better hurry and inform the other servants to clean the castle up and make this place look tidy. I wouldn’t want the king to mistake my hospitality.

Faustus LRJ 3

Justin Ernst
Ms. Peifer
English 10IB
2/19/12

Entry Number One

          Knowledge is skill that is acquired through experience and research. Knowledge can be used to give to others or gain further knowledge. The difference between this definition and the one Faustus sees is that Faustus sees knowledge as something you can instantly gain. He signs a deal with the devil and starts black magic because he thinks the devil can give him the knowledge he desires instantly. Knowledge is out there in the world, including the knowledge other people have to offer and make. The search for knowledge is fueled by a common human curiosity. Once we pass our basic survival needs, curiosity kicks in. Ethical questions arise in the form of controversy. Faustus has a inner controversy with himself because he knows the things he is doing are against the christian doctrine. This can be compared to the modern day issues of splitting the atom and genetic cloning because some people believe that they go to far in research and go against the laws of nature.

Faustus LRJ 2

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB 

2/19/12

Entry Number Five

         Faustus's encounter with the Seven Deadly Sins is important in the story because it shows his complete disregard towards all seven of the sins. "I am Gluttony. My parents are all dead, and the devil a penny they have left me.... Now Faustus, thou hast heard all my progeny, wilt thou bid me to supper? (Faustus) Not I (Gluttony) Then the devil choke thee! (Faustus) Choke thyself, glutton! What are thou, the sixth?"(2.2.153-154, 163-168) Faustus walks down the line of all seven sins and insults, disregards, and argues with every one of them. He takes life as a joke and figures he can always change things in the future with his unlimited power. Throughout the book, Faustus begins to realize that the Seven Deadly Sins are real things he has to worry about and the only way to escape them is repenting.

Faustus LRJ 1

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

English 10IB

2/19/12

Entry Number Three

        The Chorus in Faustus gives the audience a background to the story. In the beginning of the story, the chorus gives Faustus's birth story and and hometown. "And speak for Faustus in his infancy. Now is he born of parents base of stock In Germany within a town called Rhode;"(1.1.10-13). In some of the first lines of the play, the Chorus gives a small backstory to the main character Faustus. This helps the reader or audience grasp what is going on in the play. 

         Also, the Chorus helps inform the reader of things that would be hard for the main character to talk about. One example of this is when the chorus announcing that Faustus has become a recognized as a wise man and the Emperor had summoned him. "As they admired and wondered at his wit. Now is his fame spread forth in everyland. Amongst the reset the Emperor is one,"(4.1.11-13). Faustus would have a hard time telling this so the Chorus steps in as a sort of narrator. 

         In modern day movies, the Chorus could be represented by a narrator or a soundtrack, something that connects the audience to the story being told. A narrator could tell the plot line as the story progresses. the soundtrack could bridge and emotional sections or prepare the audience for the tone of the next scene.