"How I Learned to Drive" Response

I found the play "How I Learned to Drive" to be an extremely difficult and disturbing play to read. Throughout the play, I felt constant sympathy for Li'l Bit as she was misunderstood by her family, not accepted at school, and repeatedly molested by her uncle. Although my thoughts of this character remained steady, I found myself reevaluating my thoughts of Uncle Peck at multiple points in the play. Since the play is not presented to the reader in a sequential way, I found myself both hating and understanding/sympathizing with Uncle Peck.

• At some points, I viewed Uncle Peck as a misunderstood and lonely character who could be sympathized with. Although these bits of dialogue do not cancel out his disgusting actions, they provide the reader with a bit of background that provides hints as to why Peck became the man he was. An example of such dialogue can be found on pg. 442 in a conversation between Peck and Li'l Bit: "I have a fire in my heart and sometimes drinking helps" - Peck.
• On the other hand, most of the play portrays Peck as a pathetic pedophile who obviously had some major issues. I literally had to stop reading the play at times as I was getting so internally angered and sickened by Peck's words and actions toward Li'l Bit. There was a very strong, yet subtle line in the play that disturbed me to a point that Uncle Peck became permanently classified as a nasty and pitiful man. This line can be found in the dialogue between Li'l Bit and Peck on pg. 436. Peck states, "Good question. It doesn't have to be a 'she' --but when you close your eyes and think of someone who responds to your touch--someone who performs just for you and gives you what you ask for--I guess I always see a 'she.'" Every time I read that quote it makes my stomach sink with disgust. I can honestly say I am glad he was dead by the end of the play. 

"Top Girls" Response

Right off the bat, I really enjoyed the realistic style of the play Top Girls. I felt like Churchill did a great job, especially throughout Act I, of structuring the dialogue in an extremely lifelike manner that was easy to relate to. His style allowed me to immediatley relate to the characters, as my girlfriends and myself often carry on conversations very similar to this one. I also thought that the marks in the text indicating areas of interruption by another character added a sense of originality as well as a bit of humor. For example, I particularly liked the dialogue between Isabella and Nijo (on page 353) where they are both not only continually interrupting each other, but also talking about completely different subjects; Isabella talking about her fondness of horses and Nijo speaking of her daughter. 

I also found it very interesting how the topics of conversation throughout the play frequently included male roles as well as fertility/pregnancy/children:

• Examples of fertility/children:
• Nijo: "I never saw my third child after he was born...Ariake died before he was born" (p.353)
• Joan: "Then something changed, my breath started to catch...and the baby just slid out onto the road" (p.352)
• Joyce: "I did get pregnant and I lost it because I was so tired looking after your baby" (p.375)
• Examples of male roles:
• Nijo: "It was always the men who used to get so drunk. I'd be one of the maidens, passing the sake" (p. 346)
• Joan: "I shouldn't have been a woman. Women, children, and lunatics can't be Pope." (p.352)
• Griselda: "But of course a wife must obey her husband" (p.354)
• Win: "There are also fields that are easier for a woman, there is a cosmetic company here where your experience may be relevant" (p.365)
• Mrs. Kidd: "What's it going to do to him working for a woman" (p.367)

I found it very powerful that Churchill included these topics to portray a sense of societal ideologies while centralizing the plot around strong and successful female characters. 

"Krapp's Last Tape" Response #2

After viewing the film version of Krapp's Last Tape in lecture last week, I noticed a very important aspect of the play that I had somewhat missed while reading the text version. While watching, I payed close attention to the elements of lighting and identified the significance of shadows as well as how they add meaning that is both literal and abstract meaning. 

-Firstly, I noticed that the set was lit in a specific way where most of the stage was covered in shadows, leaving the only area of illumination to be Krapp's desk. Although not physical boundaries, these shadows seemed to restrict Krapp's area of movement. He always remained in close proximity to his desk and never interacted with the shadowed areas. I felt that this lighting element added a sense of mystery and wonder to the play: is Krapp hiding something in the dark corners? How/when/why did Krapp's house become so shadowed? Etc.

-Similarly, the element of "shadows" in Krapp's life became more apparent to me as I watched the film version. Although Krapp enjoys listening to the recordings of his past, it is obvious that even the tapes reveal a sense of false happiness. His younger selves obviously hid and suppressed many of the negative aspects of their lives, which is exactly what Krapp continues to do as an old man as he records his final tape. Although comforting at the time, these figurative “shadows” haunt Krapp and leave him as the depressed lonely man we see experience in this play. 

"Krapp's Last Tape" Response

Throughout reading Krapp’s Last Tape I found myself recognizing many similarities between Krapp and Willy from Death of a Salesman:

·         Firstly, the description of Krapp in terms physical appearance immediately reminded me of Willy Loman. The line in Krapp’s Last Tape that explains Krapp’s attire as a “grimy white shirt open at neck, no collar” especially reminded me of Willy’s attire during the garden scene of Death of a Salesman (Beckett, p.333).

·         Also, the fact that both Krapp and Willy are both old men adds to the struggles each character deals with.  Just as Willy spent much of Death of a Salesman reflecting on his younger days of success, Krapp spends most of Krapp’s Last Tape listening to himself from years back and pondering on past occurrences such as his mother’s death and his young lover.

·         Furthermore, I noticed that both Krapp and Willy share the similarity of becoming somewhat senile as they approach the end of their lives. Willy’s nighttime garden scene in Death of a Salesman where he is seen mumbling to himself represents ongoing depression as well as inability to let go of the past. Similarly, I interpreted Krapp’s actions including the constant unlocking and locking of drawers, his fascination with bananas, as well as the random pauses and unstructured speech pattern as a sign of an old man losing his grip with reality.

·         Finally, the end of each play ends similarly for both Krapp and Willy in the sense that they are both left as ultimately defeated and depressed old men. Although Willy ended up killing himself, Krapp’s Last Tape ends with the dialogue “Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness” (Beckett, p.337).



Willy Loman
Image source:
 http://www.alexanderbarnett.com/salesman.html



Krapp
Image source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/8020032/Krapps-Last-Tape-Duchess-Theatre-review.html



"The Cherry Orchard" Response

I found The Cherry Orchard to be a difficult play to fully understand, mostly due to the large number of characters (and Russian names) that were introduced. Because of this, I found myself trying to focus in on each character in an attempt at understanding their relationships and interactions with other characters throughout the play.

The character that I found myself paying close attention to was Firs, the old manservant. I felt a sense of empathy for this character because of the fact that he was belittled frequently and cruelly spoken to. An example of this is when Firs is telling a story about “the old days” and Yasha responds by telling him that he “is getting boring” and that it was time for him “to crawl off and die” (Chekhov, p.300). They ignore the things he says and don’t really seem to care about him until the end of the play when he falls ill.  

I found Firs as a character to correlate with the idea of the cherry orchard. In each case, when things were going normally and neither of them seemed to be in any sort of threat, they were not overly noticed; they just existed on a daily basis.

·         When it was found out that the orchard would be auctioned off, however, it becomes a popular topic of conversation and many people throughout the play spend their time contemplating its fate and hoping the situation has a good turnout.

·         Similarly, when Firs becomes ill, the other characters in the play seemed to pay more attention to him and treat him with more respect.

Because of these similarities, I felt it was appropriate for the cherry orchard to be bought and chopped down as well as Firs to pass away at the end of the play.

“The Importance of being Earnest” Response – What’s in a name?

As I read the play The Importance of being Earnest, I was continually humored in how much importance was placed upon whether the main character’s name was ‘Jack’ or ‘Earnest’:

-Starting out in Act I, Algernon is adamant in ‘Ernest’ first admitting that his actual name is ‘Jack’ and then completely explain why he has two different names. I found it very humorous how Algernon somewhat bribed Jack into telling him “why [he] is Ernest in town and Jack in the country” by calling him a ‘Branburyist’ and refusing to explain until Jack reveals himself (Page 252).

-I found it ironic that in Act I Gwendolen mentions to Jack how much she loves the name Ernest and that she would never consider marrying a man without the name Ernest.

-After Jack fakes Ernest’s death, it is interesting that he is extremely desperate to be christianed Ernest as soon as possible.

- In Act II, I also found it ironic that Cecily says it has always been her dream to love someone with the name Ernest, although it is truly her and Algernon that are engaged.

-Finally, in Act III when almost every conflict is suddenly solved upon the revelation that Jack’s name is actually Ernest, I was in complete shock and somewhat frustrated that a mere name could hold so much significance to the characters of this play.

Throughout the play, I was shocked as to how much importance was placed on a name; something we consider to be a mere label, not means of identity. In today’s society, nicknames (whether similar to your birth name or not) are extremely common. It is just interesting that, contrary to the play, going by a different name would never be the grounds for an upheaval or brawl in current times.

"Interview with Kent Thompson" Response

Throughout reading the interview with Kent Thompson, two of the choices he made while staging Othello really intrigued me:

-Firstly, I was initially surprised by the fact that Thompson chose to stage Othello on the smaller theatre at the festival. At first, I disagreed with his decision as I thought Othello, being the well known and popular play it is, should be performed on the largest stage possible as to allow more individuals to see it. After reading further, however, I came to understand why Thompson made this decision. Since Othello contains so much anger, jealousy, racism, and pain, I do agree that staging it on a smaller stage would make the actor/audience relationship more intimate, creating a more dramatic effect on the audience. With this in mind, I think it would be interesting to see Othello performed on both a large stage and a smaller stage to experience the differences first hand.

- Secondly, I found it interesting that Thompson decided to cast the roles of Desdemona and Iago with actors that were a bit older than usual. As I was reading Othello, I pictured Desdemona as a very strong, intelligent, and reasonable woman. Because of this, I completely respect Thompson for using an older actress to help emphasize these character traits. However, I am less convinced of the need to cast Iago with an older individual. Although I do understand that Iago’s age could have played a role as to why Cassio was chosen over him for the position, I feel that the persona of Iago as a deceitful and manipulative villain would not be portrayed as effectively with an older actor. While I was reading the play, I thought of Iago’s personality flaws as a result of ignorance, which allows me to more easily visualize his role being played by a younger actor.    

"Othello" Response

Throughout reading the play Othello, the makeup of the character Iago both intrigued and infuriated me. I was initially shocked by Iago’s evil motives and insincere promises and how effortless it was for him to betray everyone around him, yet still portray himself as a trustworthy man with good intentions. It somewhat stunned me that although Iago lied to and took advantage of almost every character in the play, no one but Roderigo questioned his motives until the end when Emilia fully revealed him. Although the fact that only the reader knows how much Iago is screwing everyone else over throughout the play adds a sense of drama, I feel like Iago would not have gotten away with manipulating that many people for that extent of time in a realistic situation.

Also, I found it interesting that towards the beginning of the play Iago stated that “these fellows have some soul, and such a one do I profess myself” (Act I, Line 56). I immediately interpreted this dialogue as a means of possible foreshadowing since I figured there would be no reason for Iago to blatantly point out that he has a soul if he had not yet done anything to make anyone question this. Clearly, by the end of the play Iago’s actions have made him be thought of as a soulless liar who should rot in hell. This dramatic shift confirms that Iago’s words at the beginning of the play were solely an attempt at preserving his innocent and honest demeanor for as long as possible.

"Poetics" Response

I found two points stated in Aristotle’s Poetics to be especially interesting:

-Firstly, the plays we have read (and seen) so far in this course have reflected Aristotle’s idea that a poet should report what happened, but more also allude to what is likely to happen. The audience is presented with clues throughout the plot that allow them to foreshadow future happenings of the play as well as possible events that could extend past the scope of the production. For example, in Death of a Salesman, the probability that Willy was going to kill himself grew greater and greater as the plot progressed. Similarly, as the events untied throughout Medea, the audience figured out that her sons, Creon, and his daughter would not end up alive, however it is curious to ponder the probability of Medea killing herself after the play ends with the dragon chariot. Personally, I would have predicted a quick suicide following the tragic plot.

- Finally, I agree that pity and fear play a significant role in the tragic act, since that’s what will drive an emotional reaction out of a previously indifferent audience. Aristotle explains that these feelings must be incorporated into specific events of the play in order to portray the correct emotion.  I did find it interesting that Aristotle mentions that the most effective way to do this is to have the “tragic acts come within the limits of close blood relationships” (p.93). I quote that sentence because I think it is interesting to consider how frequently events such as mother killing children or brother killing brother occurred in tragedies of the past. In my opinion, I was appalled at the fact that Medea killed her children, and am extremely grateful that these types of events are not as prevalent in contemporary theatre.

P.S. Happy 10/10/10!

"Medea" Response

After reading possibly one of the most shocking and depressing plays I have ever come across, my mind ventures in many directions and feelings of confusion, disgust, disbelief, and pity consume my mind. Although the obvious tragedies of the disgusting deaths of the king and his daughter and the gruesome and unnecessary murder of the children made up a large portion of the play's essence, I noticed other aspects of the play that aided in its overall dramatic effect:

1.)    I thought it was clever that the playwright incorporated societal ideologies of the time into the dialogue. Obviously at the time, and even still today, men and women were not viewed as equal beings. These differing roles were reflected throughout the play, with women repeatedly being described as weak and emotional burdens who were the husband’s possessions. In the middle of the play, Jason even mentions that “without the female sex, life would be trouble-free.” (Medea, Line 610) I thought that mentioning the extreme inequality between men and women of the time added an underlying layer of conflict, which was a nice added touch to a play with so much upfront, in-your-face conflict.

2.)    I also enjoyed the sense of irony that took place in the play. For example, after Medea pleads Jason to try to convince his bride that the children can live with them, Jason agrees, thinking that he is securing the wellbeing of his family. As we find out, this is the most harmful thing Jason could have agreed to do, since his bride is poisoned when Jason brings the children to come speak with her. Overall, the irony keeps the reader on their toes, forcing them to constantly question the relationship between the inner motives and actions of the characters.

"Death of a Salesman" Response

Throughout Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, I continuously found myself attempting to picture how it would be transformed into a live performance. Although I recognize the importance of all elements of theatrical production, I believe spatial relations and lighting would play the most important role in effectively portraying the plot and essence of the play.

- Spatial relations: A successful production of this play would need to have extremely dynamic placement of the actors, props, and scenery throughout the dialogue. Throughout the play, the interpersonal emotions and conflict are significant and I think that the appropriate portrayal of these elements depends partially on spatial relations. For example, during the second act when Biff catches Willy cheating on his wife with another woman, I can picture Biff slowly stepping further away from his father and closer to the door as his father scrambles to get the woman out. This would help the audience recognize Biff’s extreme shock and anger as well as exemplify a drastic shift in the play.

-Lighting: Throughout the play, the setting of the play often switches from present to past. These flashbacks aid in representing Willy’s increasing depression and insanity. Although this shift was apparent in the text form of the play, it may be somewhat harder to portray to a live audience. In order to prevent viewer confusion, I would consider using different lighting to indicate if the current dialogue/acting is taking place in the present or past tense. For example, in the scene where Willy flashes back to the day of Biff’s championship football game, I can picture the light being brighter and more vibrant than the previous scene. It would be interesting if the lighting of the flashback was always a variant of the lighting from the previous present tense scene. This would help signify the important relationship between them.

"Fires in the Mirror" Response

Throughout the play Fires in the Mirror I noticed two significant words that appropriately represent the play’s overall themes, relationships, and conflicts.

- Identity:

I observed that the identity (individual as well as group) played a significant role in this play. Each character’s identity was expressed in different ways. An interesting example I found was when Ntozake explains that identity is made up by “everything that’s ever happened to us” (p.4). Similarly, physical traits including skin color, hair style, and clothing were included to indicate which group/race each character was affiliated with. For example, Anonymous Girl explains looking in the mirror as a child and focusing on her black skin. She also mentions her school experiences of different hair/clothing styles and the “biting off” of these styles by members of different groups.   

I believe that in order to understand the conflict of this play, it is important to understand that individual identity, group identity, and race identity are all intertwined.

-Injustice:

The two acts of violence that occurred in this play created feelings of injustice in each of the separate groups involved.

- Carmel Cato (a black man) explains that blacks never have any justice and that the Jewish people are “very high up – they runnin’ the whole show” (p.38).  

-  Norman Rosenbaum (brother of a Jewish man) angrily explains that the police are capable of arresting more than one of the “gutless individuals” who stabbed his brother and that he will not settle “until there is justice” (p.28).

I found it interesting how apparent each side’s vision of injustice was and how these feelings created an even larger gap between the two groups.

September 10, 2010

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