Blog #20: Their Eyes Were Watching God Socratic Discussion #2 "Three Tasks"

Janie marries Killicks
Jody suppresses Janie
Janie kills Teacake

Rumpelstiltskin vs. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Theme: Hiding who we truly are
In TEWWG, Janie is controlled by Jody, when he abuses her emotionally, calling her "no young courtin' gal. You'se a ole woman" (79) to lower her self-esteem, and physically, when he "slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears" (72). In Rumpelstiltskin, Sexton is saying how our inner demon is "the enemy within...the boss of your dreams." This control leaves both main characters helpless. Also, there is the feature of a paternal figure, the father of the girl in Rumpelstiltskin and Janie's grandmother. Both characters try to do what is best for their children, as the miller boast that she can spin gold out of straw to make her seem more desirable, and the grandmother wanted Janie married so she could "pick from a higher bush" and live a better life than what she was living now.

Hamlet vs. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Theme: Following the orders of the elders
In TEWWG, Janie wishes to follow her grandmother's wish to live a better life than the life she had lived, and in Hamlet, he wnats to follow his father's wish to kill the man who killed him, King Claudius. Both do their best to follow these wishes, however hard it is for them. Janie is forced to remain silent while she is physically and emotionally abused, and Hamlet is forced to pretend that he is crazy until he actually is. Also, Ophelia allowed her dad to spy on Hamlet, compromising her love with Hamlet to fulfill her duties to Polonius. Janie is the same as she marries Logan to please her grandmother, even though she does not feel any love for him.

Blog #19: Their Eyes Were Watching God Socratic Discussion #1 "Say, Mean, Matter" Chart

Blog #18: Hamlet Essay

Blog #17: Hamlet Act V

The song I chose to describe Ophelia's funeral is "When I Die Young" by the Band Perry. The song is from the perspective of a young woman, describing what will happen if she dies at a young age. She says, "I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom," which is fitting for Ophelia because the Priest says that "she is allowed her virgin crants," (5.1.240) meaning that she was only able to receive some of her death rites because she was pure before her death, and white is the symbol of purity. Two of the most powerful lines of the song are "I've never known the lovin' of a man, but it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand," which right before Ophelia lost her sanity, she talked about how she thought Hamlet loved her, but now she knows that she never did, only that it was "Blasted with ecstasy. O, woe is me,"(3.1.174), even though Hamlet confesses in the graveyard that "I loved Ophelia" (5.1.285). In one of her songs, Ophelia talks about being "Larded all with sweet flower," (4.5.43); this is exactly how the refrain of the song says to "lay me down on a bed of roses," which are a symbol of her outer beauty. Gertrude even uses flower imagery to describe Ophelia in her death, in which “fantastic garlands did she make of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples,”(4.7.192-193). In the song, she asks that she can “shine down on my mother,” and Ophelia almost began to view and Gertrude as her mother, and Gertrude felt the same to Ophelia, when she says “I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet’s wife” (5.1.285). This is despite the fact that Gertrude turned her back on Ophelia when she says “I will not speak to her,” (4.3.1) at the beginning of Act 4, scene 3. In the refrain of the song, it explains her wishes to “sink me in the river at dawn,” which has obvious parallels to Ophelia, when Laertes finds out his “sister’s drowned,” (4.7.188). The song has such a quiet sound to it, and is very peaceful, which correlates with the transition “from her melodious lay to muddy death,” (4.7.206) The song also features many portions without music, which can often portray just as much emotion without the actual lyrics, just as Ophelia’s “speech is nothing,” (4.5.9). Nobody believed the words that she has said until after she said, just as the girl in the song says “A penny for my thoughts, oh, no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar They're worth so much more after I'm a goner.”

The tone that this song portrays is one that is almost welcome of death, much more like Hamlet’s feelings in the “to be or not to be” soliloquy. She is expecting her death to come early, such as describing how shes “had just enough time” in her life and how her life is short. The songwriter doesn’t seem scared or fearful of death, as most people do. Rather, they are talking about it as if it something casual, as the words are more just plans, rather than thoughts, like when she tells the audience to “send me away with the words of a love song.” The mood however, is definitely sad or depressed. Most people can relate to the death of a loved one, and many times it is a life that ends before it should. The use of painful imagery, such as “the sharp knife of a short life” can relate the story to a death that is not natural. The description of dressing up can have a double meaning in the context of the story. When she says “put on your best boys and I’ll wear my pearls,” she sounds so positive about it, almost as if they are going out on a date, but in reality, she is discussing what to wear to her funeral. The music itself is very sad and quiet, much like music that could be played at a funeral. It is acoustic, and it is only one person singing, not a duet, which implies that it is a ballad about death versus just a pretty song.

"If I Die Young"

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in a river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh, uh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother

She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh,

And life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no

Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well

I've had just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well

I've had just enough time

And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom

I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger,

I've never known the lovin' of a man

But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand,

There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever,

Who would have thought forever could be severed by...

...the sharp knife of a short life, oh well?

I've had just enough time

So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls

What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh, no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar

They're worth so much more after I'm a goner

And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'

Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (uh, oh)

The ballad of a dove (uh, oh)

Go with peace and love

Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket

Save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well

I've had just enough time

So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls

Blog #15: Hamlet Act 3

Hamlet Act 3:To Be or Not To Be Analysis

In this soliloquy, there is many references to his father’s murder and his uncle’s guilt over the murder. When he discusses the “dread of something after death,” he is referring to his father’s ghost that spoke to him and is stuck in purgatory. He discusses guilt and how “conscience does make cowards of us all,” an image where he is specifically speaking about his uncle, even though he is unaware that Claudius is listening, and how he is coward for not admitting to the murder of King Hamlet. At the beginning of the speech he questions whether it is “nobler in the mind to suffer…or to take arms,” showing his belief in the hierarchy of being. He is unsure of how to act to keep his place as a noble; he wants to strike and kill Claudius, but isn’t sure if he should deal with the matter within himself, no matter how difficult it might be. The speech appeals to the audience with Ethos, describing how the “mortal coil, must give us pause,” justifying how it is morally and humanely right to be given space when dealt an issue. He uses pathos when talking of love, speaking, of course, about Ophelia, for whom he feels “pangs of despised love” when she begins to ignore him.In the speech, sleep is used as a metaphor for death, and dreams are a metaphor for the afterlife. His repetition of the phrase “to die, to sleep” argues that he is ready for death because he has done much grieving over his father. He describes how the “sleep” will “end the heartache and thousand natural shocks,” which is imagery describing the pain and struggle he has dealt with in the past two months.

Mis En Scene Analysis:

In Mel Gibson’s portrayal of Hamlet, he is giving his soliloquy as he is walking around in the catacombs. The scene is very dark, as they are underground, with very bright contrast coming from the light streaming down from the openings above. When Hamlet walks from the shadow into the light, it is a close up shot that is slightly lower, to show the pain in his eyes as he looks up towards the light, which could symbolize heaven as he is talking about death. His costume is dark, but does not exemplify any particular time period, like the Olivier and Hawke version do. He is shown with a full beard, which makes him appear more mature than the other versions.The scene is very monochromatic, showing various shades of brown.The use of setting itself allowed the viewers to better understand the metaphor between sleep in death, which is emphasized when he says the words “To die” and it cuts to a view of the skeletons.The only sounds in the scene are diegetic sounds, like the sound of Hamlet walking, or other slight background noises. When he is still, the background noise is almost completely silent, so the only thing the audience can hear is Hamlet’s speech.

The Mel Gibson version was the most effective portrayal of Hamlet and the emotion behind the soliloquy. It best emphasizes the comparison between sleep and death with the addition of the sarcophagus and the skeletons themselves. The room was silent, without too much to distract from the speech, while still having movement to keep the viewers engaged. Next, The Kenneth Branagh version was effective with the use of mirrors to emphasize that things are not as they appear. The Ethan Hawke version was effective because it emphasized the theme of action versus in action as he was walking down the action movie aisle of Blockbuster, which was a very good modern representation. However, the costuming wasn’t very effective because it did not make him appear as a noble, which is an important part when he discusses “whether ‘tis nobler the mind to suffer,” and the costume does not support his struggle to find his place in the hierarchy of being. Lastly, the Laurence Olivier version was not very effective because the loud suspenseful music was distracting to the speech itself, along with the awkward positioning of the character. The editing cuts often did not make sense, and there was zooming in to an extreme close up where it wasn’t necessary.

Blog #14: Hamlet Act II

Steven: "The guy is a psychopath"
Hey guys, I just got back from a friend’s house, and I just saw a great movie. I think it was called Fear or something like that. It has Reese Witherspoon in it, because, you know, she’s totally amazing and everything. And, like, it totally matches how I feel right now. Nicole, like totally loves David, like I love Hamlet, but her dad Steven is totally not okay with him. At the beginning, she was like “you know, you’re not at all like I expected you to be the first time I met you,” which is what I thought too, especially when Hamlet wrote me a letter saying that he “love[s] thee best, O most best, believe it” (2.2.121). Nicole tells her dad "it's your problem with David, not mine" which I can totally relate to my dad, because he thinks that Hamlet went crazy for "the very ecstacy of love, whose violent property fordoes itself" (2.1.100-101). My dad thinks that when he forbid me from seeing Hamlet, it caused his craziness. My father even mentioned to me how when he spoke to Hamlet, he mentioned how I was "one fair daughter, and no more, the which he loved passing well" (2.2.353-354). This means he is still in love with me, even if he is too crazy to see it, right? He still loves me, he just believes my father is a "fishmonger" (2.2.173), and my father doesn't love me. I am just so distraught over how I miss the Hamlet I once knew. But I suppose I understand my father's feelings towards Hamlet now that I have watched this movie. David leads Nicole down a dark and scary path, and I fear that Hamlet might do the same. I guess I shall need to be more weary before he takes "me by the wrist and [holds] me hard" again, or worse. What do you guys think I should do?

Blog #13: Hamlet Act I

Hey guys, it’s Ophelia. Sorry I haven’t been blogging lately, but I’ve had so much going on. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my new boyfriend, Hamlet. Life is so complicated right now because, lately he has “made many tenders of his affection to me” (1.3.99-100) which is awesome, because I love him, but my dad totally freaked when I told him about it. He told me I sounded “like a green girl” (1.3.101), which is totally offensive because I told him that our relationship is “in honorable fashion” (1.3.111). Why can’t my dad be more understanding towards my love? I am an adult now, and I totally understand what love is. And get this, he told me “I would not…have you…give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet” (1.3.132-135). This is just so hard for me, because I love and respect my father, and I told him that I would listen to him, but there is a huge conflict between my respect for my father and my love for Hamlet. What do you guys think I should do? Go be with the man I love, or stay with my father? 

Blog #12: Hamlet Character Analysis

I chose to analyze the play Hamlet from the perspective of Ophelia, Hamlet’s girlfriend. While struggled to fully develop her character because it was the role of a women that would be played by a man, it still shows a major struggle for her between Hamlet and her father and brother. She loves Hamlet, but her family believes that he is just using her and would take her virginity, knowing that she will never be able to become his wife. She will ultimately have to choose between her father Polonius and Hamlet, action versus inaction, which will have major consequences. I am interested to see how her relationship with her father and her relationship with Hamlet influence her actions throughout the play.

Blog #11: Hamlet "Who's There?" Passage Analysis

Blog Post #10 “Dream Child; A Reverie” Thesis Statement Revision

Carefully read the passage from “Dream Child; a Reverie,” paying special attention to descriptive details and sentence structure. Then, write an essay in which you analyze how Charles Lamb’s style contributes to his portrayal of his “dream children,” his grandmother, and his own childhood.

Original Thesis Statement
In Charles Lamb's Dream Children, his idea of his ideal children is created by the interuption of his long, detailed sentences and the reflection of his emotions into the actions of the children.

ARGUMENT/FOCUS   

__no_ Does my thesis statement address each part of the essay question?

_yes__ Is the point I'm making one that would generate discussion and argument, or is it one

that would leave people asking, “So what?"

no___ Have I focused on an interesting contradiction, tension or paradox between two things?

Example: “Although the escalation of violence in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men eventually results in two deaths, it is through violence that compassion is revealed when George, in a violent but merciful act, saves Lenny from cruel mob justice.”

__yes_ Is my thesis too vague? Too general? Should I focus on some more specific aspect of my

topic?

_yes__ Does my thesis deal directly with the topic at hand, or is it a declaration of my personal

feelings (“I think”/ “I feel” statements)?

LANGUAGE

_yes__ Does my thesis indicate the direction of my argument? Does it suggest a structure for

my paper?

__no_ Is the language in my thesis vivid and clear? Have I structured my sentence so that the

important information is in the main clause? Have I used subordinate clauses to

house less important information? Have I used parallelism to show the relationship

between parts of my thesis? In short, is this thesis the very best sentence that it can be?

                               yes___ Is the thesis statement written as a complex sentence?


Revised Thesis Statement
The imaginary children created in Charles Lamb's Dream Children are a reflection of himself, through their actions which break up his long detailed sentences, and portray his inner emotions towards the story of his grandmother. 


I revised my thesis statement by specifying my argument and including every part of the question. Also, I clarified my argument so that it could be structured into an entire essay. It also creates a contradiction because it explains that he created the children in order to make sense of his own childhood. 

Blog #9: Grammar Quiz Scores and Reflective Writing

Blog Post #8 Roots Presentation

Blog #7: Mise en Scene Analysis

Blog # 7: Pan's Labyrinth Tracking Chart

Blog #6: Fairy Tale Poetry PowerPoint Presentation

Blog #5: Rumpelstiltskin Powerpoint

Blog Post #4: Edited Summer Reading Prompt

Anna Hayes

English IV A

Mrs. Wilson

29 August 2014

Summer Reading Prompted Writing

            In Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries, Walter Moody attempts to understand the connection of every member of the gathering at the Crown Hotel. This was a major theme throughout the course of the novel, which is an attempt to understand how events and people can relate to one another through the smallest of details. This passage demonstrates how twelve unaware people gathered because of their “association to the events of the 14^th of January,” (342).

            This passage was located at the end of a long explanation, given by Thomas Balfour, to Walter Moody, the speaker. Walter’s tone is very doubtful of the situation, because he believes that he is not being told the whole story, although he does explain the presence of every man. This is a turning point in the novel, as the recount of past events has finally come to an end. He referred to the group, however, as a “confoundedly peripheral gathering,” in which the word “peripheral” describes how he believes to be an outsider to the situation, as it every other man in the room (342). He notices that those who would have been able to shed more light onto the situation, Anna Wetherell, Francis Carver, and Alastair Lauderback, were not there. Without this, the reader cannot fully understand that the bulk of the information came to them second-hand.

            At the beginning of this passage, the room was very quiet, and every person did not dare to speak. Moody describes it as a “silence that, for a moment, seemed to still the breath of every man” (341). This figurative language relates to the book, as many question the presence of a ghost, and the silence could be a catalyst. The image in the readers head shows the room as dead silent, so Catton uses imagery to describe the background noise to break the silence in the room, with sounds such as “an accordion, distant showing, an infrequent whoop, hoof beats” (341). This shows how the world did not stop moving around them, an important thought when, not long after, it is discovered that Francis Carver’s ship known as the Godspeed, was wrecked along the shore. This boat has been at the center of the story from the beginning, which is one of the reasons that Moody was even at the meeting. Every man in the room was connected to the ship or to Francis Carver.

            Catton’s syntax describes the thought process of Walter Moody, by inserting his thoughts and comments while describing his actions. He describes the explanation he had heard the past night, for as “disjunctive and chaotic as it was, [it] had indeed accounted for the presence of every man in the room” (341). He proceeds to look around the room, and describe every man in the room, as well as their position. This combination of syntax and imagery shows Moody’s attempt to interpret the information, as well as to connect each man to one another, and their own fault in the current situation.

Blog #4: "Roots" Extension Activity

Anna Hayes

English IV A

Mrs. Wilson

29 August 2014

Summer Reading Prompted Writing

            In Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries, Walter Moody attempts to understand the connection of every member of the gathering at the Crown Hotel. This was a major theme throughout the course of the novel, which is an attempt to understand how events and people can relate to one another through the smallest of details. This passage demonstrates how twelve unaware people gathered because of their “association to the events of the 14^th of January,” (342).

            This passage was located at the end of a long explanation, given by Thomas Balfour, to Walter Moody, the speaker. Walter’s tone is very doubtful of the situation, because he believes that he is not being told the whole story, although he does explain the presence of every man. This is a turning point in the novel, as the recount of past events has finally come to an end. He referred to the group, however, as a “confoundedly peripheral gathering,” in which the word “peripheral” describes how he believes to be an outsider to the situation, as it every other man in the room (342). He notices that those who would have been able to shed more light onto the situation, Anna Wetherell, Francis Carver, and Alastair Lauderback. Without this, the reader cannot fully understand that the bulk of the information came to them second-hand.

            At the beginning of this passage, the room was very quiet, and every person did not dare to speak. Moody describes it as a “silence that, for a moment, seemed to still the breath of every man” (341). This figurative language relates to the book, as many question the presence of a ghost, and the silence could be a catalyst. The image in the readers head shows the room as dead silent, so Catton uses imagery to describe the background noise to break the silence in the room, with sounds such as “an accordion, distant showing, an infrequent whoop, hoof beats” (341). This shows how the world did not stop moving around them, an important thought when, not long after, it is discovered that Francis Carver’s ship known as the Godspeed, was wrecked along the shore. This boat has been at the center of the story from the beginning, which is one of the reasons that Moody was even at the meeting. Every man in the room was connected to the ship or to Francis Carver.

            Catton’s syntax describes the thought process of Walter Moody, by inserting his thoughts and comments while describing his actions. He describes the explanation he had heard the past night, for as “disjunctive and chaotic as it was, [it] had indeed accounted for the presence of every man in the room” (341). He proceeds to look around the room, and describe every man in the room, as well as their position. This combination of syntax and imagery shows Moody’s attempt to interpret the information, as well as to connect each man to one another, and their own fault in the current situation.

Blog Post #3 The Black Walnut Tree Analysis

Group Thesis: The black walnut tree symbolizes the author’s struggle to balance sentimental and monetary values.

Where Am I?:

 Ohio (blue fields of Ohio, fathers’ backyard) what season? → Fall  (“leaves getting heavier…”) inside, surroundings→ dark, emptiness, farm work, toil, mortgage, orchid, trees, poverty, cellar

Who Am I?

From point of view of the daughter who is speaking with the mother. Tired, drained, stressed, threatened, survivors, courageous, trying to problem solve, sentimental, doubtful, shameful

The mother is present in thoughts and in interactions/conversations, and the hard work of the father is also inferred.

What do I want?

 Keep the possession of the Walnut tree, even though they are not able to afford it.She gives a complete argument for why they should keep the tree, then does the opposite and keeps the tree. Shows us with irony?   how is the Character showing us what they want? Details? (this should get you into imagery, metaphor, conceits, metrics and other aspects of poetic language. At this point you are ready to ask again, “What is this poem about?")

Impression

The Impression we are trying to convey is the internal conflict or struggle that the mother and daughter are faced with. They are faced with the dilemma of having to pay the mortgage. The poem reminded us of the great depression, a time when many people struggled with money. The setting is in Ohio, which is stated in the poem (Fresh and generous Ohio).The debate between the practicality of selling the tree (trying in a difficult time to be wise) and the nostalgia of the meaning behind it (something brighter than money) eventually comes to an end when eventually, the nostalgia of the tree, and their roots in the land, proves to be more important than paying off the mortgage.

Costumes and Props:

The purpose of the costuming with the mother and daughter in older more rugged clothing is to convey their financial position as well as the time period we are setting it in (The Great Depression). The tree is costumed in a tree shirt and jeans to represent the branches and roots. The lighting changes from darkness to dimmed to bright to dimmed to represent the mood of the poem. The darkness to represent struggle and their dilemma, dimmed to represent their transition period, when the mother and daughter are deciding, bright to represent the choice to keep it, but darkness to end the poem because of the financial struggle they still have to face.

Himaja→ Mom

Anna→ Daughter

Claudia→ Extraneous characters

Katie → The Black Walnut Tree

Eric → Stage Crew

Words and Phrases

In our presentation, we focused on the structure, theme, and word choice of the poem. We selected specific words or phrases that best supported the purpose. We emphasized the repetition of ‘the black walnut tree’ and the ‘mortgage’ at the beginning and end of the poem in order to demonstrate the book-end structure of the poem. This purposeful structuring of the phrase ‘the black walnut tree’ reinforces it as a symbol of their father’s hard work.  Furthermore, this repetition follows the archetype of a narrative: the rising action, “we could sell the black walnut tree” (2-3) consists of the discussion about the tree; the climax focuses on the speaker’s realization that they ought to also work hard because of their ancestor’s hard work, by including flashbacks to fond memories such as, “my fathers out of Bohemia filling the blue fields of fresh and generous Ohio” (22-24). ; the poem concludes with the falling action with the repetition of the phrase the black walnut tree and the mortgage. This narrative structure supports the meaning of the poem as a whole because it shows the progression of the speaker’s decision regarding the black walnut tree.

Therefore, we attempted to mimic this narrative structure through the placement of the actors. the mother and the daughter will be center stage at the beginning of the presentation, sitting around a table. Next, the actors playing the trees, lumberman, and father will gradually enter the stage in the background and help the audience visualize the memories and thoughts of the speakers. As we reach the climax of the poem, we will turn on the lights, which will be a visual representation of “but something brighter than money moves in our blood-an edge sharp and quick as a trowel that wants us to dig and sow” (16-19). However, the lights will go back off as the speakers fail to reach a decision “so we talk, but we don’t do anything” (20-21). Finally, the presentation will end with the speakers sitting alone in the dark, in the “emptiness we’d made in our own and our father’s backyard” (28-29).

Furthermore, we emphasized the words sharp and quick. This consonance in lines 18, helps convey a feeling of decisiveness and certainty. These words stick out because they are in stark contrast to the previous indecision of the speakers. This emphasis supports the meaning of the poem as a whole because it shows how the speaker realizes that they should act and work hard, however they fail to do so and crawl back into the emptiness of the laziness

Blog Post #3: The Black Walnut Tree

Blog #2: Roots Poster and Paragraphs

Blog Post #1: Establishing a Mood

The mood I chose for my blog was a more calming and natural theme, with lots of pale greens and natural colors, in order to relax the viewers' eyes. The paleness of the colors are supposed to give the blog a less aggressive vibe than if I had used a warmer color. I chose a dark grey for the font instead of straight black, so that it doesn't attract unneccesary attention, and it flows into the rest of the theme. I have a calmer personality, and do not like to be the center of attention, which is reflected in my blog. According to the article about the psychology of color, a study found that "green can improve reading ability." That can be pretty helpful, considering that this is an English blog. The monochromatic theme in the background gives the eyes a sense of unity, and the simplicity keeps the viewer focused.
My text font that I chose was "philosopher." It is a relatively simple font, which makes it easy to read, but with a little bit of variation that adds some interest to the viewers eye. I try to keep my appearance relatively simple, but I usually like to add a personal touch to every outfit I wear, as a means to personalize it. It is a little thinner than other texts, which gives it a lighter feel, and a more relaxing feel to my blog. The title used the "Pacifico" font, which adds some visual interest to the blog. The cursive of the text gives it a more feminine feel to the page. An article on Codrops says that "cursive and italics to create a lights and delightful moods on sites with woman-appeal." The addition of this font gives the blog a definite gender to the blog, as opposed to the neutrality of the green background.

Sources: http://tympanus.net/codrops/2012/02/19/establish-a-mood-with-typography/
http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm