Angelina Jolie Drawing

Clay Creations!

Hey everyone! I recently bought an interesting art material called polymer clay and I've been dying to find the time to get my hands on it. Finally, since it's winter break, I've been able to mold some of my first creations out of clay! If you're an artist, and want to try using your hands to make something, I definitely recommend checking out polymer clay. It's super easy to use, like play-doh, and doesn't require any baking in the oven. Simply leave it out to dry when you're done! 
I hope you like my clay creations! 

Happy 2015!

Play Analysis ~ The Taming of the Shrew

Bringing to you yet another analysis of a Shakespearean play! This time: The Taming of the Shrew. Enjoy! 

At a glance, The Taming of the Shrew may seem like a misogynistic play, but deeper in, one can see that the play is far from being sexist. When you look into the theme of the story, you can see that what people may mistake as being insulting was simply a difference in the beliefs of today and the 1500s. You can also see that Petruchio didn’t want blind obedience, but love.

To start with, Petruchio did not “tame” Kate because she was a woman and his wife; he “tamed” her because of her irritable personality. Kate was not an easy person to live with. One might even say she was crazy, even going as far as binding Bianca’s hands. “His only intention was to try and change her hostile traits.” says Eric Minton, a play critic. Eventually, Petruchio taming Kate had a very positive effect on everyone who was close to Kate, and in the end, Petruchio and Kate’s relationship turn into a healthy marriage, with Petruchio smiling and saying, “Why, there’s a wench! Come on and kiss me, Kate.” (Shakespeare 248)

To pursue this further, I believe The Taming of the Shrew is not sexist, but that there is simply a cultural difference. The concept of women having rights was unheard of during the 16^th century and it was a commonly accepted fact for women to be obedient to their husbands. Surface level, it may seem terribly insulting, but we must take into consideration that it was written in a completely different time period.

Although there are many who believe Taming of the Shrew to be degrading towards women, if analyzed carefully, it is far from being misogynistic. One of the most controversial scenes of the play is when the husbands place a bet to see which of their wives is the most obedient. Many may believe that it is derogatory, but it can actually be thought of as a portrayal of how much Petruchio trusts Kate. The only reason he openly placed a bet was because he knew that Kate and himself had grown to trust each other enough that Kate would come when he called for her.

Therefore, I believe one of the main points of this play was not to state that men should control women, but that a brave, determined man can open the eyes of a woman like Kate and show her how to love. 

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

After reading Romeo and Juliet in school, we were told to analyze the play and a specific character. After thinking about this in class, I thought that I would come home and spill some of my jumbled up thoughts onto here! After analysis, although everyone in this play made quite aggravating and foolish decisions, I believe that ultimately Lord Capulet was the one to blame for at least the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Here are my thoughts all nice and organized! 

It’s no secret that we live in a fast-paced society. We are obsessed with speed; we want fast service, fast food, and the fastest way to get from one point to another. However, statistics prove that our speedy lifestyle does not affect our behavior positively. Studies show that someone who lives a busy lifestyle where everything is rushed is 67 percent more likely to become impatient and emotionally distant. Perhaps Lord Capulet was one of those people. He may have been leading a restless life which caused him to become the irritable and unpredictable person we see throughout the play. Capulet could have taken the time to slow down and think before lashing out at those around him. However, due to Capulet’s inability to be understanding of Juliet and his failure to keep his temper, he became the one to blame for the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet.

Capulet continuously displays his insensitivity towards his daughter’s feelings and opinions. For example, when discussing Juliet’s marriage with Paris, he tells him, “Sir Paris, I will make a desperate tender/ Of my child’s love. I think she will be ruled/ In all aspects by me. Nay more, I doubt it not” (III.4.12-14). This shows that he doesn’t give a chance for Juliet to decide for herself as to whether or not she will spend the rest of her life with Paris. Capulet simply assumes that she will do whatever he says. This also shows his lack of understanding about his daughter’s personality. Obviously, Juliet will not bend her will to whatever her father wants. This proves his insensitivity towards his own daughter’s character and behavioral tendencies. Also, when Lord Capulet finds Juliet upset in her room, only the day after Tybalt’s death, he blurts out, “How now? A conduit, girl? What, still in tears,/ Evermore showering? In one little body/ Thou counterfeit’st a bark, a sea, a wind” (III.5.129-131). Instead of realizing how upset and emotionally overwhelmed his daughter is, he simply goes off on a long harangue about how melodramatic he thinks his daughter is being. He does not think for a second to show some compassion. This is important because it is this kind of disregard for his daughter’s thoughts that lead him to forcing her marriage with Paris onto her so suddenly, and in such a dominant manner. Capulet refusing to acknowledge his daughter’s opinions about her own marriage was one of the key factors that led to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

            Capulet’s choleric disposition upsets those around him. When Juliet tries to tell her father that she doesn’t want to marry Paris, he explodes with anger and refuses to listen, demanding her to “Speak not, reply not, do not answer me” (III.5.163). He even goes so far as threatening to hit her: “My fingers itch” (III.5.164). This shows that Capulet is very quick to anger, stating that his fingers are itching to physically hurt her. He goes from calm to beside himself with anger within a matter of seconds. This is important because Capulet, being so hotheaded, has probably been abusive to his family, not only verbally but physically as well. The death of Juliet could very well be partially because she has so many pent up emotions of hurt and anger towards her father. “An you be not, hang beg, starve in the streets,/ for, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee” declares Capulet, upon hearing Juliet beg for him to at least postpone the wedding. (III.5.194-195) This shows that Capulet’s invective remarks hurled at Juliet makes Juliet feel unwanted and that nobody is there to listen to her feelings. She may have rushed into her relationship with Romeo due to the fact that she felt so unloved by her father. This is important because if Capulet had been more conscious of his daughter’s feelings and opinions, Juliet may have been able to stay alive and refrain from taking her own life. She would have been comforted by the fact that she had a loving family to return to. Because Lord Capulet was so short-fused and attacked her with insults rather than trying to understand and comfort her, Juliet may have felt unappreciated. This is why she didn’t so much as hesitate to take her own life.

            The majority of this tragedy took place due to Capulet’s insensitivity. Capulet did not know of all the trouble that he was causing simply because he did not stop to think about what he was coercing his daughter to do. Although his intentions were positive, he rushed into everything too quickly. By speeding through important issues, Capulet let his temper get the best of him. Lord Capulet could have avoided being responsible for the deaths of so many different people if he had taken the time to relax and regain his composure. Getting too caught up in the hectic happenings of everyday life and letting anger snatch away one’s ability to think straight can cause others to suffer. 

You Are Special Book!

So if you all remember, I talked about my short film that I made called You are Special. I decided that I didn't want my story to just end there with the one film, and I definitely wanted more kids out there to enjoy something that I worked hard on! So I decided to turn You are Special into a children's book. I separately illustrated each book, using watercolor. I finally was able to get it published! It took hours and hours of work, and I'm working on donating my books to different day cares and hopefully even some orphanages abroad!
Thank you for following me on my journey! 

Pumpkin Season

The fall season in a single drawing. Pumpkin EVERYTHING!