Journal 9 - Free Will & Determinism

Free Will - The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.

Iago: “'tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our
gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners” (1.3 361-3).

Determinism - The philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents, such as genetic and environmental influences, that are independent of the human will.

Othello: “Yet ‘tis the plague of great ones … ‘tis destiny unshunnable, like
death” (3.3 313-16).

Using the above definitions, write a paragraph that argues in support of each of the terms. In your paragraphs, use specific examples from Othello to support your ideas.


Everyone has the power of free will. What you do with it though is a whole other thing. In the story, many had accused Iago of forcing them into doing his deeds by manipulation. This can be disagreed upon because no one can force you to do anything. For example, when Othello had killed Desdemona, he had blamed Iago for his own doing. Othello had done this deed upon his own free will. Another example would be when Iago was trying to coerce Cassio into drinking, which eventually led him to become out of control and lose his position. Even though Iago had tried to convince him, it was on Cassio’s own free will that he had decided to drink more than he could handle.

When looking at the definition of determinism, Iago would almost be the only one that had the most influence on everyone. One of the main examples of this was when Iago had started to use his influence on Rodrigo. He had told Rodrigo to sell his lands to gain more money to give to Iago. By doing this, Rodrigo would travel to Cyprus with the rest to try to win over Desdemona. Iago had told Rodrigo that he was using his money to buy lavish gifts for Desdemona as well. Also, Iago had used Rodrigo to try to get rid of Cassio later in the story. Another way that Iago had used his influence was on his wife Emilia. He had told her that he needed Desdemona’s handkerchief for an important reason. Emilia had wanted to please her husband, so she had taken it, not knowing the reason of why he wanted it. In the end, this had caused great turmoil.

Journal 8 - Emerson's Aphorisms

1. In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed.

The point that Emerson is trying to make through this aphorism is that you have to be careful in what you do in life. When skating over thin ice, it is more likely to break underneath you. Then again, when skating over thin ice more quickly, it is less likely for it to break and then fall through. This exposes you to less danger overall. My reaction to this aphorism is that it can be helpful throughout life. It tells you to be careful throughout life, but when doing something dangerous, do it quickly so you won’t get hurt from it.

2. What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.

The meaning of this aphorism that Emerson is trying to get across is that some “weeds” may have good qualities to them. People may ignore them or see them as a nuisance at first. When you dig deeper to their roots, you may find that there is good in it and is useful after all. My opinion on this aphorism is that there is a hidden message underneath it. It could be talking about a person that others walk by every day, such as someone in a lower class society, or maybe even homeless. However, you may find that they may have a hidden talent that no one knows about because of the way they are treated.

3. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.

The meaning of this aphorism by Emerson talks about how should experiment in life. Try new things every day, because the more you experiment in life, the more life lessons are learned. Even if it involves making mistakes in life, you should still move on and acquire a meaning from that. My opinion from reading this would be to always try new things. Be able to live life to the fullest and learn from where you’ve fallen.

Journal 7 - Waterfowl/Raven

1. Compare/contrast the different views of nature that are being presented in the poems. Refer to the list of classical and romantic characteristics and provide specific examples from the poems to support your analysis.

Each poem has a different view of what is to be focused upon. The poem “To a Waterfowl” focuses more on representing peace and tranquility, a calming environment, and so on. This is known as the classical views of nature. Unlike the first poem, “The Raven” focuses more on emotion, imagination, and also how to get beyond this world and into the afterlife. This explanation is known as romanticism. Also, another important factor is that the first poem is rational, while the second poem is more irrational. “To a Waterfowl” taken place in the evening, in the woods. While the speaker is in the woods, he spots a hawk and tries to find the message that the hawk is giving. The universal message that the speaker received from this experience was that God will guide you in the right path. Also, the impression that is taken from this poem is that it is calm and can be didactic. In “The Raven”, the setting takes place at midnight in the speaker’s home, specifically, in his bedroom. When the raven had come to the window of the speaker’s room, he had seen this as looking for an answer to see if he would be reunited with his love, Lenore, along with seeing if he would have a good experience in the afterlife. After “talking” with the raven, its answer didn’t insure him in knowing that he would have a good experience in the afterlife. Looking back at this, the overall impression of the scene would be chaotic. From examining both of these poems, they show that each had some sort of supernatural experience involved in them. They also focus on only one bird in the poems. Each bird gives them an experience that leads them to the answers of their questions, either connected to religion or to the afterlife.