Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
are
DEAD!
this play was inspired by the theater of the absurd. unlike a
-traditional drama which often contains elements of
structure, logic, consistency, resolution, significance, et cetera,
-a theater of the absurd play
lacks significance and often, lacks all rhyme and reason; they are people enclosed in a box.
it's often a commentary and the insignificance of mankind- the characters don't know who they are, what they're doing.. what they are. truly rosencrantz and guidebstern constantly forgot who they themselves were, introducing themselves as the wrong characters.. hilarity ensues. (this VERBAL HUMOR is very prevalent in theater of the absurd plays.) think monty python and the holy grail, lolz.
OTHER FUN FACTS ABOUT THE THEATER OF THE ABSURD, YAYYYAYAY.
-protagonists are often passive; they wait for the world to give them something to do, but nothing really ever does. they often then spend their time playing meaningless games.. (heads, heads, heads)
-this type of play was spawned during world war i, the absurdity of war.
-characters often have no aspirations whatsoever. they are completely content doing absolutely nothing. absurd!
ROSENCRANTZ + GUILDENSTERN deviate from this traditional setup in a few ways, however. the main one is that they are actually capable of strong emotion- they have a genuine affection and friendship for each other. they care about each other in a way that, in many other theater of the absurd plays, the characters don't, and would regard another character's death with a casual indifference.
DEATH OF A SALESMAN!!!!
oh willy.
in class, we discussed many a question, including (but not limited to):
miller's use of nonrealistic techniques,
linda's role as not only a wife but as a mother figure to willy,
the difference between success and happiness,
what commentary is miller trying to make about society,
the possibility of having the "wrong" dream,
being "well-liked" vs. being "respected"
some things i got out of the discussion::
willy's flashbacks provided not only insight for us as readers, but also posed the interesting topic to be explored: could willy be mentally unstable, or merely the product of a man drawn in by the "evils" of a capitalist society?
linda definitely served as a mother figure to willy. (willy.. why not will, william, bill? why do they constantly call him "kid"? why is he always being told to grow up? why is he so narcissistic? why is linda constantly offering him.. miiiiiilk?) it's because willy more of a child than his sons, creating an odd dissonance in the relationships.
success does not necessarily equal happiness. biff wasted a large portion of his life trying to figure out what makes him happy, having been indoctrinated with these unhealthy ideals by willy. he finally comes to the realization that he does need money to be happy, he does not need a "respectable" job or fancy material items. he enjoys the taste of food, the ability to sit down and have a smoke, the little things. biff will ultimately be happier in life while happy is doomed to repeat willy's mistakes.
we also discussed these things in the forum.
stressed the father/son relationships-- the biff/willy one we can now add to our claudius/old hamlet/hamlet one and our laius/oedipus one. in these forums we also discussed the maternal relationships, and other gender-related issues in western literature. read the forums, they can actually be quite interesting.
i guess we have to list our homework too.
basically, we just had to do those forums and annotate death of a salesman.
:)
Monday, January 10, 2011
outside reading ix
Outside Reading IX-
a reflective essay
by Richard Weems
Violence
January 9, 2011.
Violence, by Richard Weems, is a pretty intense piece of writing. This is evidenced by the very first line, which reads "An evening bred from violence, seeded in violence. Steeped in violence." There are so many things right with that phrase (purely the syntax I mean.) The 'power of threes' is used effectively, which reinforces the extent to which that night was concerning violence. It also provides a certain poetic aspect to the words, which is an interesting contrast to the subject of violence. It's also quite effective how the phrases are all sentence fragments. The choppiness of the words provide for a certain suspense, one that effectively mirrors the feeling one may feel when faced with an evening of aggressive acts. All in all, this first line was a very effective way to establish the mood for the entire piece.
Moving on, the rest of the piece has a pretty casual tone. It's written in the first-person, and our narrator often makes references to his friends by name. He alludes to pop culture such as Michael Jackson's "Thriller." He also uses effective dialogue- when an Irish man speaks, rather than just being told that he has an accent, we see the phonetic spelling: "Aye, lad." Or we can truly hear the long, drawn out voice of the boxing announcer, because it's spelled out for us: "'Let’s Get Ready to Rummmmmmmbllllllllle’". Weems is also no prude regarding subject matter, describing drunken exploits and dropping more than a few four-letter words. Because of these things, the reader can more accurately feel drawn into the piece. The familiarity and the realistic dialogue that Weems creates definitely helps me paint a more vivid image in my mind of what the characters are doing and who they are with.
Weems also uses effective diction to establish moods within his piece. There is a certain section where, apparently, he and his friends are acting pretty loud and boisterous in public, but "who gives a high holy one if anyone else is a little bothered?" Their obnoxiousness is establish by some diction that seems to compare the speaker and his friends to animals- when they enter the bar, they enter with "deep growls and evil laughs," making the reader think of wild beasts or hyenas. They order "dead animals steeped in fattening sauces and moan [their] approval." He could have just ordered a steak like a normal person, but he had to order "dead animal", and the imagery of "steeped in fattening sauces" is something that could be considered rather off-putting...to a human at least.
This tone, though fascinating, really could not be used for an AP essay. It very "fight club"-esque; the reader is in the speakers mind, his fragmented thoughts, his animal tendencies. Not to mention that I don't much think the AP grader would greatly appreciate being accosted with the f bomb after a long day of grading.
a reflective essay
by Richard Weems
Violence
January 9, 2011.
Violence, by Richard Weems, is a pretty intense piece of writing. This is evidenced by the very first line, which reads "An evening bred from violence, seeded in violence. Steeped in violence." There are so many things right with that phrase (purely the syntax I mean.) The 'power of threes' is used effectively, which reinforces the extent to which that night was concerning violence. It also provides a certain poetic aspect to the words, which is an interesting contrast to the subject of violence. It's also quite effective how the phrases are all sentence fragments. The choppiness of the words provide for a certain suspense, one that effectively mirrors the feeling one may feel when faced with an evening of aggressive acts. All in all, this first line was a very effective way to establish the mood for the entire piece.
Weems also uses effective diction to establish moods within his piece. There is a certain section where, apparently, he and his friends are acting pretty loud and boisterous in public, but "who gives a high holy one if anyone else is a little bothered?" Their obnoxiousness is establish by some diction that seems to compare the speaker and his friends to animals- when they enter the bar, they enter with "deep growls and evil laughs," making the reader think of wild beasts or hyenas. They order "dead animals steeped in fattening sauces and moan [their] approval." He could have just ordered a steak like a normal person, but he had to order "dead animal", and the imagery of "steeped in fattening sauces" is something that could be considered rather off-putting...to a human at least.
This tone, though fascinating, really could not be used for an AP essay. It very "fight club"-esque; the reader is in the speakers mind, his fragmented thoughts, his animal tendencies. Not to mention that I don't much think the AP grader would greatly appreciate being accosted with the f bomb after a long day of grading.
outside reading viii
Outside Reading VIII-
a book review
by Janet Maslin
Stoking the Fire Larsson Ignited
January 10, 2011.
Stoking the Fire Larsson Ignited is a review of the book Three Seconds, by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom, and right off the bat it sounds unfavorable. Maslin begins the article by quoting an excerpt from the book which encompasses an almost comical amount of jumbly and wordy Swedish names, sarcastically stating that that has become "the sound of music for those who publish mystery novels these days." In other words, Maslin is basically saying that these particular authors seem to be gaining most of their popularity through their nationality- Swedish.
Maslin's review alludes to the famous and wildly successful Millenium Trilogy, which also takes place in Sweden and is written by a Swedish author. Her sarcasm is cutting when she implies that their book's success is gained by being "wishfully packaged to suggest that 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' has a second cousin."
She is also heavily sarcastic when she states "Even better, they are on a first-name basis with the Seven Dwarfs of Scandinavian Noir: Guilty, Moody, Broody, Mopey, Kinky, Dreary and Anything-but-Bashful." By listing these "Seven Dwarfs of Scandinavian Noir", she is implying that the novel is rather unoriginal, and that it lacks the true creativity that makes a great novel. Also, by drawing the parallel to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", the author makes readers think of fairy tales. This could be her way of implying that the book is fanciful or unrealistic, fit for children rather than for the educated reader.
However, Maslin does praise the book, stating that there are many plot particulars that are very clever and are likely to capture reader's attention. This somewhat discredits her previous scathing criticisms.
As for the critical perspectives at work, it's hard to say. Maslin spent most of the article just ripping on how the novel is only coasting on the fame of the Millenium series. However, she does comment briefly on how "Three Seconds" may be making a political commentary, and her annoyance with (what she deems) the authors' over-exaggerated stereotypes and symbolism can be considered formalism/archetypal.
She tends to list these stereotypes in an oversimplified manner as to make them seem stupider than they might actually be, describing one character as "a loner who lies on the floor a lot." This sentence brings into our mind the image of an angsty emo guy who sits on his bathroom tile and feels sorry for himself. I am fairly certain that, in the book, there may be some sort of deeper meaning or some thought that goes on while he's chilling on his floor, but Maslin fails to mention that and effectively makes it seems stupid.
Overall, Maslin's review of "Three Seconds" is pretty unfavorable, giving it the final rating of a "half-decent Millenium knockoff."
edit: Maslin's technique of oversimplification reminds me of the last book review I did; it seems that critics often leave out important details to make plots seem juvenile and silly. This also reminds me of all the knockoff vampire books that are trying to ride on the fame of Twilight. However, why one would want to be associated with Stephenie Meyers' books I do not know...
a book review
by Janet Maslin
Stoking the Fire Larsson Ignited
January 10, 2011.
Stoking the Fire Larsson Ignited is a review of the book Three Seconds, by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom, and right off the bat it sounds unfavorable. Maslin begins the article by quoting an excerpt from the book which encompasses an almost comical amount of jumbly and wordy Swedish names, sarcastically stating that that has become "the sound of music for those who publish mystery novels these days." In other words, Maslin is basically saying that these particular authors seem to be gaining most of their popularity through their nationality- Swedish.
Maslin's review alludes to the famous and wildly successful Millenium Trilogy, which also takes place in Sweden and is written by a Swedish author. Her sarcasm is cutting when she implies that their book's success is gained by being "wishfully packaged to suggest that 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' has a second cousin."
She is also heavily sarcastic when she states "Even better, they are on a first-name basis with the Seven Dwarfs of Scandinavian Noir: Guilty, Moody, Broody, Mopey, Kinky, Dreary and Anything-but-Bashful." By listing these "Seven Dwarfs of Scandinavian Noir", she is implying that the novel is rather unoriginal, and that it lacks the true creativity that makes a great novel. Also, by drawing the parallel to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", the author makes readers think of fairy tales. This could be her way of implying that the book is fanciful or unrealistic, fit for children rather than for the educated reader.
However, Maslin does praise the book, stating that there are many plot particulars that are very clever and are likely to capture reader's attention. This somewhat discredits her previous scathing criticisms.
As for the critical perspectives at work, it's hard to say. Maslin spent most of the article just ripping on how the novel is only coasting on the fame of the Millenium series. However, she does comment briefly on how "Three Seconds" may be making a political commentary, and her annoyance with (what she deems) the authors' over-exaggerated stereotypes and symbolism can be considered formalism/archetypal.
She tends to list these stereotypes in an oversimplified manner as to make them seem stupider than they might actually be, describing one character as "a loner who lies on the floor a lot." This sentence brings into our mind the image of an angsty emo guy who sits on his bathroom tile and feels sorry for himself. I am fairly certain that, in the book, there may be some sort of deeper meaning or some thought that goes on while he's chilling on his floor, but Maslin fails to mention that and effectively makes it seems stupid.
Overall, Maslin's review of "Three Seconds" is pretty unfavorable, giving it the final rating of a "half-decent Millenium knockoff."
edit: Maslin's technique of oversimplification reminds me of the last book review I did; it seems that critics often leave out important details to make plots seem juvenile and silly. This also reminds me of all the knockoff vampire books that are trying to ride on the fame of Twilight. However, why one would want to be associated with Stephenie Meyers' books I do not know...
Sunday, January 9, 2011
outside reading vii
Outside Reading VII-
an editorial
by Sarah Maslin Nir
To Some Dancers, 'Black Swan' is a Cautionary Tale
January 9, 2011.
an editorial
by Sarah Maslin Nir
To Some Dancers, 'Black Swan' is a Cautionary Tale
January 9, 2011.
To Some Dancers, 'Black Swan' is a Cautionary Tale is not so much a review of the movie itself, but rather a review of the effects that dancing may have on young people, and how the movie reflects it. The author seems to believe that ballet can be harmful to young girls- from the pressure on the girls to be thin to the submissiveness they feel working under a male instructor.
Nir begins the article by discussing the life of a real-life ballerina, Carmella Imrie. By beginning the article discussing a real person rather than Natalie Portman’s character, she evokes emotion in the readers- the things that happen in this movie could really happen in real life. This makes us feel pity and we are better able to sympathize with some of the consequences that ballet dancers may take. Nir does this many times, bringing in specific examples from real-life ballerinas, for instance saying “At dance camps [Tara Hutton, an aspiring ballerina] attended growing up, drinking quarts of Crystal Light and cup after cup of coffee to tame hunger pangs was a common practice.”
She also uses juxtaposition to illustrate an ugly side of ballet. She places phrases like “pirouettes”, “twirling” and “fashionable shrugs” in close proximity with phrases like “feet are bloodied”, “lights go out on her”, and “angry red lines that she clawed into her skin.” The first few phrases make the reader imagine a graceful, thin, and beautiful swan, which is indeed what these ballerinas aspire to be. But then so suddenly striking these images down with sad imagery and gore is a very effective way to illustrate the darker side of dance. Her strong language in general is just off-putting in regards to ballet; simply reading “Nina’s toenails crack off in her toe shoes” or “her fingers are bandaged to hide the raw patches of skin she casually peels” just makes me cringe.
Though Nir’s persona seems to warn of the effects of dance, she keeps the article informative by offering another point of view. She provides the opinion of Diana Byer, the artistic director of the New York Theater Ballet. Byer argues that the movie is exaggerated and dramatized and very nearly a farce. Because Nir offers this other point of view, I as a reader was able to more accurately form my own opinions, rather than solely being given hers.
I believe that, if this were an AP essay, the tone would be appropriate. It is sufficiently formal, and like I said, Nir’s use of rhetoric and her appeal to ethos are effective ways to get her points across.
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