Poets may arrange their material to encourage the reader to move rapidly through the lines or in a
way that encourages reflection. In the work of at least two poets you have studied, consider how
the pace of poems is created and its relation to the way meaning is delivered.
Emily Dickinson created poetry that included punctuation that was different and new. She used a lot of dashes instead of commas, when dashes were not grammatically correct at the time. As a person, Dickinson had no desire to live in the world around her. While alone, she could create her own boundaries of writing, and explore ideas that had not been discovered. Dickinson became an extremely well known poet for the risks she took in her writing, and the barriers she broke to make authentic works.
One of the largest and obvious aspects of why Dickinson's pieces are so successful is her meticulous grammar and word choices. She took time to make sure her poems sounded a certain way when they were read. Certain lines had to end with a specific letter, or certain words have to rhyme in specific places. All of the factors that play a part in her poems is what makes Dickinson so special. When people read her poems, they recognize where the dashes and commas are being placed throughout the piece. How the poem is read plays a huge role in how the meaning or story gets across. The dashes slow down the reader, so when there are no dashes or commas, readers tend to speak a line much faster. I have read her poems aloud pretending that there are no dashes, and the meaning/mood of the poem completely changed for me.
When reading "Hope" is the Thing with Feathers the first time without recognizing the dashes, I thought the poem meant that the author had heard of hope and had never experienced it. Even though the poem could have a happier/more upbeat air about it while reading it faster without pause, it seemed almost cynical. "I've heard it in the chillest land and on the strangest sea yet never in extremity it asked a crumb of me." When reading that whole stanza without any of Dickinson's grammar, I saw a darker, more cloudy vision of hope and how it could let someone down. I thought it was depressing. I said to myself "Wow. This woman has never experienced hope." When I read it again with the dashes I was shocked. The pauses made me stop and digest the poem in a different way.
When I read the poem with pauses, I was slowed down and calm. Reading it aloud, I sense a more uplifting and hopeful feeling. (Which was probably the goal of Dickinson.) The poem seemed less like "Ring Around the Rosie," and more like a children's rhyming story. I do not feel that this poem is childish in any sense, but I do believe that it is elegant in its own simplicity. To fully grasp and understand the poem it took me a few tries, but I certainly needed the specific pauses to get the full picture. "I've heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, it asked a crumb - of me." When I read "never" with the dashes, I understood how I judged the poem wrongly the first time around. Never had hope asked anything of Dickinson, even though it has brought her through so many tribulations. When there is a pause in that moment, it brings a different meaning to the word.
I feel that Dickinson really knew what she was doing with her grammar and word choice. She understood the idea that in order to get a specific meaning across to an audience, the piece has to be delivered in a very specific way. She used all writing mechanics to her advantage when creating her work. Readers cannot have the author read a poem to them in the exact tone intended with the exact length of pauses intended by the poet. This is the closest Dickinson could get to reading her poems aloud, and I believe that this is the reason her legacy has lived on for so long. It is almost like she is reading her poems to us through her mechanics, grammar, and word choice.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
Poetry Analysis
“Poets often withhold certitude, which can at the same time empower readers to think creatively.”
Consider the works of at least two poets you have studied in which ambiguity has enabled readers
to reach their own conclusions about meaning and implications.
Naomi Shihab Nye creates poetry that is able to capture an audience and peak their interest. She is inspires curiosity by telling stories in pieces, stringing them together by her own experiences and inner thoughts. She gives enough information and detail that her readers can understand the aura and meaning behind her ideas, but does not lay out a story perfectly. Readers have room to use their imaginations about her past and present self. The small moments she gives in detail are just a few pieces in the puzzle of her life and full testimony. When I read Nye's poetry I see each moment she describes as a flash. As I read, I see each stanza as a singular moment, movement, idea, or thought that Nye has experienced. Her writing is personal and real. She is an author who writes with metaphors to bring imagination and creativity into her work. Nye does not try to cover up or protect her hardships with a whimsical or distracting air, but instead uses vocabulary to her advantage to allow the issue she is discussing to be front and center. She works with and around her hardship so that it is the main focus of her piece.
Throughout Nye's work she shows clear small moments, but never gives a full picture or complete background information. Because she writes this way, readers become more drawn in to dissect and depict each word choice, as if there are clues to her life hidden in the structure of her work. It is easy to get pulled into a curious state, hoping for more clues about her past. Nye causes readers to use their imagination and search for more. A good example of this is in her poem The Words Under the Words. In this poem Nye speaks of her grandmother, introducing readers to who she is and what she represents to her. In this poem it is difficult to tell how close Nye is to her grandmother, but readers can easily understand that she cares deeply for her wisdom. There are certain aspects of this poem that can be easily received by readers, such as the fact that her grandmother is very caring. Nye depicts this through describing her grandmother's concerns in life, as well as how she spends her time. When Nye writes "She knows the spaces we travel through, the messages we cannot send - our voices are short and would get lost on the journey," it causes readers to think about how her grandmother lives, and how she treats relationships. When I read this, I initially thought that Nye was trying to say that her grandmother does not take all of her relationships seriously because she knows they will end. That was my thought process while quickly reading the poem for the overall picture. I soon learned that her writing requires complete attention and focus to fully grasp the ideas and purpose. I now see that part of the poem as another way that Nye views her Grandmother as knowledgable and wise. After reading the poem a few times I came to my own conclusion that Nye did not get to be with her grandmother often, but she was inspired by her older wisdom and simple yet strong ideals. I was able to pick this idea up by really dissecting the way that Nye writes. Even though Nye describes specific moments with her grandmother, when she speaks of her singularly, it is always in a vast way.
Consider the works of at least two poets you have studied in which ambiguity has enabled readers
to reach their own conclusions about meaning and implications.
Naomi Shihab Nye creates poetry that is able to capture an audience and peak their interest. She is inspires curiosity by telling stories in pieces, stringing them together by her own experiences and inner thoughts. She gives enough information and detail that her readers can understand the aura and meaning behind her ideas, but does not lay out a story perfectly. Readers have room to use their imaginations about her past and present self. The small moments she gives in detail are just a few pieces in the puzzle of her life and full testimony. When I read Nye's poetry I see each moment she describes as a flash. As I read, I see each stanza as a singular moment, movement, idea, or thought that Nye has experienced. Her writing is personal and real. She is an author who writes with metaphors to bring imagination and creativity into her work. Nye does not try to cover up or protect her hardships with a whimsical or distracting air, but instead uses vocabulary to her advantage to allow the issue she is discussing to be front and center. She works with and around her hardship so that it is the main focus of her piece.
Throughout Nye's work she shows clear small moments, but never gives a full picture or complete background information. Because she writes this way, readers become more drawn in to dissect and depict each word choice, as if there are clues to her life hidden in the structure of her work. It is easy to get pulled into a curious state, hoping for more clues about her past. Nye causes readers to use their imagination and search for more. A good example of this is in her poem The Words Under the Words. In this poem Nye speaks of her grandmother, introducing readers to who she is and what she represents to her. In this poem it is difficult to tell how close Nye is to her grandmother, but readers can easily understand that she cares deeply for her wisdom. There are certain aspects of this poem that can be easily received by readers, such as the fact that her grandmother is very caring. Nye depicts this through describing her grandmother's concerns in life, as well as how she spends her time. When Nye writes "She knows the spaces we travel through, the messages we cannot send - our voices are short and would get lost on the journey," it causes readers to think about how her grandmother lives, and how she treats relationships. When I read this, I initially thought that Nye was trying to say that her grandmother does not take all of her relationships seriously because she knows they will end. That was my thought process while quickly reading the poem for the overall picture. I soon learned that her writing requires complete attention and focus to fully grasp the ideas and purpose. I now see that part of the poem as another way that Nye views her Grandmother as knowledgable and wise. After reading the poem a few times I came to my own conclusion that Nye did not get to be with her grandmother often, but she was inspired by her older wisdom and simple yet strong ideals. I was able to pick this idea up by really dissecting the way that Nye writes. Even though Nye describes specific moments with her grandmother, when she speaks of her singularly, it is always in a vast way.
My Grandmother in the Stars is another one of Nye's poems that discusses her grandmother and their relationship. This poem is much different than The Words Under the Words, but there is a strong connection between the two pieces. I feel that each poem helps readers to piece together who Nye's grandmother was, since they each describe and depict different aspects of her. While reading My Grandmother in the Stars I saw how strongly sentimental Nye is towards her grandmother. This poem solidified my thoughts that Nye and her grandmother are far apart. I get a sense that she sees strength in her grandmother because of the amount of wisdom in years she possesses. When Nye writes, "Just now the neighbor’s horse must be standing patiently, hoof on stone, waiting for his day to open. What you think of him, and the village’s one heroic cow, is the knowledge I wish to gather." I think about how vague yet specific those lines are. Nye does not explain in detail why she wishes to gather that specific part of her grandmother's knowledge, but as I reader I can piece together what the reasoning is based on the author's word choice. With parts of Nye's writing like this quote, I like to think that maybe she wants her ideas to be vague, but only so that they can be thought about in depth and be questioned by her audience. If readers think closely and carefully about what Nye is saying, they can use their imagination to come up with conclusions that make sense to the context of her ideas.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Staging proposal
Since My Love My Love has already been adapted into a musical, I would want my version of the story to be unique and interpretive to the authors ideas. It is important to respect the main ideals and goals throughout the story, but my version would showcase metaphors and keep the audience invested with an opportunity to have things left to the imagination. I appreciate the whimsical aspect of the story and how it hones in on how the gods affect the lives of who believe in them. I believe that there are many important details in the story that can be looked over if not carefully analyzed. I would want to adapt a more vague, creative performance that brings to light those details, and leaves room for many questions or ideas from the audience that I personally had while reading the book.
My performance would be held in a black box theatre and would have a more interpretive feeling, as there would be a nararator. None of the characters would speak, except maybe Desiree. The narorator would be very detailed, but allow the characters to explain most of the more vague ideas throughout the story. There would be a lot of dancing and the characters would have to be over the top with their facial expressions and movements since they are not speaking. Lights and props will set the stage for where the characters are during each scene, and backdrops will change quickly throughout the show. Colors in costuming will differentiate between characters. Peasants will be in certain clothing and rich people will be in another. At first I was hoping for everyone except Desiree would be wearing a mask, but I feel that it would be too difficult to show emotion. I feel that the route of the performance could go either way though. If everyone was wearing a a mask though, I feel like it would help to emphasize how alone Desiree really is throughout the story. Either way there would still be a narrorator and a lot of strong and large movements.
The gods in my performance would be represented by large cape-like pieces of fabric. They would be attached to string and move accordingly throughout the different scenes. It would take a lot of technologically savvy materials and people to bring this idea to life. Each fabric would be a different color to represent each god. In the scenes when Papa Ge is depicted as "dripping in blood," there will be blood splatter on the dark colored fabric, and if there was a way to achieve the look of blood coming off of the fabric I would love that as well. I feel that if the characters are not speaking the performance has to be extremely detailed in all other aspects. Movements have to be big, lights need to be complicated, and props need to be used efficiently and vastly.
My performance would be held in a black box theatre and would have a more interpretive feeling, as there would be a nararator. None of the characters would speak, except maybe Desiree. The narorator would be very detailed, but allow the characters to explain most of the more vague ideas throughout the story. There would be a lot of dancing and the characters would have to be over the top with their facial expressions and movements since they are not speaking. Lights and props will set the stage for where the characters are during each scene, and backdrops will change quickly throughout the show. Colors in costuming will differentiate between characters. Peasants will be in certain clothing and rich people will be in another. At first I was hoping for everyone except Desiree would be wearing a mask, but I feel that it would be too difficult to show emotion. I feel that the route of the performance could go either way though. If everyone was wearing a a mask though, I feel like it would help to emphasize how alone Desiree really is throughout the story. Either way there would still be a narrorator and a lot of strong and large movements.
The gods in my performance would be represented by large cape-like pieces of fabric. They would be attached to string and move accordingly throughout the different scenes. It would take a lot of technologically savvy materials and people to bring this idea to life. Each fabric would be a different color to represent each god. In the scenes when Papa Ge is depicted as "dripping in blood," there will be blood splatter on the dark colored fabric, and if there was a way to achieve the look of blood coming off of the fabric I would love that as well. I feel that if the characters are not speaking the performance has to be extremely detailed in all other aspects. Movements have to be big, lights need to be complicated, and props need to be used efficiently and vastly.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Notes Poem Set 1
My Father and The Fig Tree
-Father loves figs
-Daughter eats figs
-Fig --> gift of allah
-Father never planted figtrees
-Father speaks arabic
-The last time the father moved to Dallas, Texas
--> Huge fig trees
Blood
-Arabic themed poems?
-About her father?
-Father told her who she really was
-"when we die, we give it back"
-True arab actions
-"Today the headlines clot my blood"
-Fig theme
-Waving of flags --> cultural
-What news does she speak of?
The Words Under the Words
-Grandmother
--> Grapes when sick
-Grandmother's son lost to America
-Grandmother is humbled and used to chaos
-Allah is everywhere
-"Pocket's full of stones"
Two Countries
-Poem about loneliness?
-Skin lonely and drab from not being touched/lost
-Could easily be a spoken word poem
-Rhythm and flow
-Metaphors that relate skin to life
-Father loves figs
-Daughter eats figs
-Fig --> gift of allah
-Father never planted figtrees
-Father speaks arabic
-The last time the father moved to Dallas, Texas
--> Huge fig trees
Blood
-Arabic themed poems?
-About her father?
-Father told her who she really was
-"when we die, we give it back"
-True arab actions
-"Today the headlines clot my blood"
-Fig theme
-Waving of flags --> cultural
-What news does she speak of?
The Words Under the Words
-Grandmother
--> Grapes when sick
-Grandmother's son lost to America
-Grandmother is humbled and used to chaos
-Allah is everywhere
-"Pocket's full of stones"
Two Countries
-Poem about loneliness?
-Skin lonely and drab from not being touched/lost
-Could easily be a spoken word poem
-Rhythm and flow
-Metaphors that relate skin to life
Friday, April 14, 2017
Class Post -Costumes
How would you costume the role of Desiree to show that she lives in the Village but she's "different"?
The peasants in my performance would be wearing all black with Voodoo looking masks covering their faces. I would want the masks to be made with straw and have a blank expression. To contrast the idea that they are peasants, maybe there would be a few rips in their all black attire, but for the most part they would be bland and would not wear shoes. The rich would contrast by wearing all black as well, but instead wearing large and heavy pieces of jewelry. Their masks would have a blank expression as well, but also be made out of similar material as the peasants, just better kept. The peasants would have straw spewing out of the mask, whereas the rich would look cleaner cut. Desiree would look the same as all the other peasants, wearing the same black tattered clothes, except her face would be out without a mask. I want to do this to show symbolically that the Gods have lifted this 'sameness' out of her that her world encompasses. I would want Desiree to have a chance to be free and have many different emotions and see things that others can't (since they are blinded and stuck in their old ways with the masks.) I would want her to interact with everyone else through movements, and similar to my idea for the last quiz, I would want the gods to not be portrayed as people, but by drapes/sheets. Since the gods seem to fixate/control Desiree's fate throughout the story, I want it to seem like they are almost living in/as her. It is interesting to combat the idea that the gods do not have bodies to posses, but allow Desiree to have a face. I feel like this will add a very complex and new layer to the story. At the end of the story before Desiree dies, I would have Papa Ge go through her and knock her out of the room to the outside, and as he goes through her, a mask would end up on her face, with all of the colors of the different gods, OR I would have Desiree get kicked out of the Hotel and be behind the gates, and when she dies and the 'butterflies' come off her she would have the mask on.
Things to think about:
-Would anyone be able to talk but Desiree??
The peasants in my performance would be wearing all black with Voodoo looking masks covering their faces. I would want the masks to be made with straw and have a blank expression. To contrast the idea that they are peasants, maybe there would be a few rips in their all black attire, but for the most part they would be bland and would not wear shoes. The rich would contrast by wearing all black as well, but instead wearing large and heavy pieces of jewelry. Their masks would have a blank expression as well, but also be made out of similar material as the peasants, just better kept. The peasants would have straw spewing out of the mask, whereas the rich would look cleaner cut. Desiree would look the same as all the other peasants, wearing the same black tattered clothes, except her face would be out without a mask. I want to do this to show symbolically that the Gods have lifted this 'sameness' out of her that her world encompasses. I would want Desiree to have a chance to be free and have many different emotions and see things that others can't (since they are blinded and stuck in their old ways with the masks.) I would want her to interact with everyone else through movements, and similar to my idea for the last quiz, I would want the gods to not be portrayed as people, but by drapes/sheets. Since the gods seem to fixate/control Desiree's fate throughout the story, I want it to seem like they are almost living in/as her. It is interesting to combat the idea that the gods do not have bodies to posses, but allow Desiree to have a face. I feel like this will add a very complex and new layer to the story. At the end of the story before Desiree dies, I would have Papa Ge go through her and knock her out of the room to the outside, and as he goes through her, a mask would end up on her face, with all of the colors of the different gods, OR I would have Desiree get kicked out of the Hotel and be behind the gates, and when she dies and the 'butterflies' come off her she would have the mask on.
Things to think about:
-Would anyone be able to talk but Desiree??
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Chapters 10-16 Notes
Chapter 10:
-Desiree gets into the city
--> Surprised/awed by all of the sights and people
-Sees that everyone is wearing shoes
-->Gets scared and has anxiety attack
-->starts running, trips on the concrete, gets bruised up
-Desiree falls asleep with women on the street
-->she gets to the hotel the next day, beautiful/large
-Desiree saw vendors waiting to get through the gates, tried to reason with each one for her to pass through, they each gave her a hard time
-->Patience
-She was embarrassed, ran from the hotel back to water
-Found fruit
--> tried to sell for shoes
--> woman selling dresses was kind, fond of gods, gave her shoes and dress and comb
Chapter 11:
-With new confidence, she went back up to the hotel
-->She went to the gate and saw Daniel and his father in a car
-->French vs. creole (understanding)
-->Father did not approve of her
-->Daniel inquired
-Desiree entered the gates and spent a long time outside waiting and watching Daniel
-Daniel comes outside and lays with Desiree, she sings to him (he speaks creole)
-->brought him back inside, he falls asleep on her
Chapter 12:
-Desiree wakes up in Daniels room
-His godmother/nurse tells he to leave
-->Desiree and Daniel say no
-->Nurse reasons with them
--> Father comes in, argues, doesn't want Desiree there
-Father does not believe in gods
-->Nurse convinces him to let her stay (kinda) and she does
-Desiree soon believes she is meant to be Daniel's wife
-With all the strength Desiree was putting into Daniel, she grew weaker
--> He began to comfort her some nights
-The two fell in love
-The butterflies in Desiree's cage tried to keep escaping, she wouldn't let them
-->Held on to crippled Daniel and his love
-Nurse tells Desiree she has to go
-->Daniel says that he will go ill if she goes
--> Nurse claims the gods entrapped her
-->Daniel told the nurse to make her into a beautiful girl so his father won't say no to her
-->People gossiped, spoke of how dark Desiree was
-Desiree saw Papa Ge, got scared
Chapter 13:
-Daniel decides to unveil Desiree at a grand ball for his father's return from France
-All of the people at the party showered her in compliments
-Daniel's father would not look at her
-->Desiree danced for everyone at the party
-After the party Desiree was blinded by happiness, but snakey things started happening around her
(naive)
-The nurse told her to choose a suitor and leave Daniel but Desiree refused
-Desiree ran outside out of fear, saw papa ge in the guard, and could not catch a butterfly
Chapter 14:
-Daniel goes to Andrea's house constantly
-->leaves Desiree all by herself
-He speaks of how perfect Andrea is and Desiree laughs and agrees
-The nurse does not approve of anything and grows weary
-Daniel's father hosts a party for Andrea's return, Desiree is not invited
-Desiree witnesses Andrea's beauty, is astonished and numb
-Andrea and Daniel go to meet Desiree, and Andrea asked to "keep her"
-Desiree got put into a separate room
Chapter 15:
-Desiree grows weak and lonely
-Daniel goes south
-Nurse comes to comfort and explain that Andrea and Daniel are getting married
-Daniel comes back, explains to Desiree that he still 'loves her' and he and Andrea want to keep her
-Papa Ge shows up
-->All the gods speak through papa ge and he tells her to use the knife on Daniel
-->enraged, Desiree leaves to Daniel's room
-->Tries to kill him can't, ends up in a trap, Lucius throws her out
-->Desiree speaks to the other peasants about her story, they explain that 'thats is life'
Chapter 16:
-Desiree waits and waits for two weeks outside the gait
-She doesn't eat or sleep, only awaits Daniel
-->watches the wedding being planned/taking place
-Waves to nurse and Daniel, neither notice or respond
-Thunder roars over the island
-The two get married, and leave together
-Desiree stays there until she is dead
-Butterflies surround her, until they leave her body there dead and lifeless
-Her dead body stays until Daniel's father tell Lucius to take it away
-Her body is thrown and it starts to rain, resembling tears on her dead face
-Desiree gets into the city
--> Surprised/awed by all of the sights and people
-Sees that everyone is wearing shoes
-->Gets scared and has anxiety attack
-->starts running, trips on the concrete, gets bruised up
-Desiree falls asleep with women on the street
-->she gets to the hotel the next day, beautiful/large
-Desiree saw vendors waiting to get through the gates, tried to reason with each one for her to pass through, they each gave her a hard time
-->Patience
-She was embarrassed, ran from the hotel back to water
-Found fruit
--> tried to sell for shoes
--> woman selling dresses was kind, fond of gods, gave her shoes and dress and comb
Chapter 11:
-With new confidence, she went back up to the hotel
-->She went to the gate and saw Daniel and his father in a car
-->French vs. creole (understanding)
-->Father did not approve of her
-->Daniel inquired
-Desiree entered the gates and spent a long time outside waiting and watching Daniel
-Daniel comes outside and lays with Desiree, she sings to him (he speaks creole)
-->brought him back inside, he falls asleep on her
Chapter 12:
-Desiree wakes up in Daniels room
-His godmother/nurse tells he to leave
-->Desiree and Daniel say no
-->Nurse reasons with them
--> Father comes in, argues, doesn't want Desiree there
-Father does not believe in gods
-->Nurse convinces him to let her stay (kinda) and she does
-Desiree soon believes she is meant to be Daniel's wife
-With all the strength Desiree was putting into Daniel, she grew weaker
--> He began to comfort her some nights
-The two fell in love
-The butterflies in Desiree's cage tried to keep escaping, she wouldn't let them
-->Held on to crippled Daniel and his love
-Nurse tells Desiree she has to go
-->Daniel says that he will go ill if she goes
--> Nurse claims the gods entrapped her
-->Daniel told the nurse to make her into a beautiful girl so his father won't say no to her
-->People gossiped, spoke of how dark Desiree was
-Desiree saw Papa Ge, got scared
Chapter 13:
-Daniel decides to unveil Desiree at a grand ball for his father's return from France
-All of the people at the party showered her in compliments
-Daniel's father would not look at her
-->Desiree danced for everyone at the party
-After the party Desiree was blinded by happiness, but snakey things started happening around her
(naive)
-The nurse told her to choose a suitor and leave Daniel but Desiree refused
-Desiree ran outside out of fear, saw papa ge in the guard, and could not catch a butterfly
Chapter 14:
-Daniel goes to Andrea's house constantly
-->leaves Desiree all by herself
-He speaks of how perfect Andrea is and Desiree laughs and agrees
-The nurse does not approve of anything and grows weary
-Daniel's father hosts a party for Andrea's return, Desiree is not invited
-Desiree witnesses Andrea's beauty, is astonished and numb
-Andrea and Daniel go to meet Desiree, and Andrea asked to "keep her"
-Desiree got put into a separate room
Chapter 15:
-Desiree grows weak and lonely
-Daniel goes south
-Nurse comes to comfort and explain that Andrea and Daniel are getting married
-Daniel comes back, explains to Desiree that he still 'loves her' and he and Andrea want to keep her
-Papa Ge shows up
-->All the gods speak through papa ge and he tells her to use the knife on Daniel
-->enraged, Desiree leaves to Daniel's room
-->Tries to kill him can't, ends up in a trap, Lucius throws her out
-->Desiree speaks to the other peasants about her story, they explain that 'thats is life'
Chapter 16:
-Desiree waits and waits for two weeks outside the gait
-She doesn't eat or sleep, only awaits Daniel
-->watches the wedding being planned/taking place
-Waves to nurse and Daniel, neither notice or respond
-Thunder roars over the island
-The two get married, and leave together
-Desiree stays there until she is dead
-Butterflies surround her, until they leave her body there dead and lifeless
-Her dead body stays until Daniel's father tell Lucius to take it away
-Her body is thrown and it starts to rain, resembling tears on her dead face
Monday, April 10, 2017
Script
*look up*
PG: There Must be room for me in all of your plans!
*look to erzulie*
PG: I hope you will carry out my plans Erzulie. There are big ones coming, and even bigger consequences for those who are weak.
Erzulie: What are your plans? Will you teach them to love each other? Will they Love us again?
PG: Something like that.
Erzulie: Please don't do anything to them! Help Agwe make them love us!
PG: You are foolish to think I would ever carry out anything Agwe has started. I am stronger than him, you must understand this.
Erzulie: We are all powerful PG, some just smarter than others.
PG: I see all sides. You Gods think of only the rich outcome you will receive. There is no love without death. I am the Demon who understands and can control people more than you ever could imagine. I can make them feel pain, suffrage. Nothing is more powerful than that.
Erzulie: Love is. You are cold-hearted
PG: and you are naive
PG: There Must be room for me in all of your plans!
*look to erzulie*
PG: I hope you will carry out my plans Erzulie. There are big ones coming, and even bigger consequences for those who are weak.
Erzulie: What are your plans? Will you teach them to love each other? Will they Love us again?
PG: Something like that.
Erzulie: Please don't do anything to them! Help Agwe make them love us!
PG: You are foolish to think I would ever carry out anything Agwe has started. I am stronger than him, you must understand this.
Erzulie: We are all powerful PG, some just smarter than others.
PG: I see all sides. You Gods think of only the rich outcome you will receive. There is no love without death. I am the Demon who understands and can control people more than you ever could imagine. I can make them feel pain, suffrage. Nothing is more powerful than that.
Erzulie: Love is. You are cold-hearted
PG: and you are naive
Dualities and Short Class Writing
Rich vs Poor
God vs Human
Agwe vs Asaka
Erzulie vs Papa Ge
Ti Moune vs Community
Rain vs Shine
Prosperity vs desperation
light skin vs dark skin
European vs native Caribbean
Ti Moune vs M.Bienconnu
The problem with the confrontation is that M.Bienconnu is trying to help Ti Moune understand that the problem lies within her and not Daniel. While the two are speaking it is clear that Ti Moune is so one sided/one minded that she cannot grasp what M.Bienconnu is saying without completely shutting it down. Ti Moune aspires something that can easily be seen as crazy by her fellow community. It is not that they don't believe that Daniel will love it necessarily, because who knows? They do believe though, that she is crazy for thinking she can make a journey that far for one boy that did nothing but cause everyone trouble. (The death smell, storm, etc.) Ti Moune says "You are saying that Daniel Beaxomme cannot love me?" When that is not what M.Bienconnu said at all. He told her to be tranquil and keep her heart where one can feel it's beat. I believe that they needed to go a little deeper in conversation, and it can be seen as M.Bienconnu's fault for not being clear with Ti Moune. There is a great misunderstanding between the community and Ti Moune, but since her ideas are young and wild, the other people don't want to waste their time. Ti Moune would have made her journey regardless of who was trying to stop her, but I believe that the other people could have been more persuasive to make her stay.
God vs Human
Agwe vs Asaka
Erzulie vs Papa Ge
Ti Moune vs Community
Rain vs Shine
Prosperity vs desperation
light skin vs dark skin
European vs native Caribbean
Ti Moune vs M.Bienconnu
The problem with the confrontation is that M.Bienconnu is trying to help Ti Moune understand that the problem lies within her and not Daniel. While the two are speaking it is clear that Ti Moune is so one sided/one minded that she cannot grasp what M.Bienconnu is saying without completely shutting it down. Ti Moune aspires something that can easily be seen as crazy by her fellow community. It is not that they don't believe that Daniel will love it necessarily, because who knows? They do believe though, that she is crazy for thinking she can make a journey that far for one boy that did nothing but cause everyone trouble. (The death smell, storm, etc.) Ti Moune says "You are saying that Daniel Beaxomme cannot love me?" When that is not what M.Bienconnu said at all. He told her to be tranquil and keep her heart where one can feel it's beat. I believe that they needed to go a little deeper in conversation, and it can be seen as M.Bienconnu's fault for not being clear with Ti Moune. There is a great misunderstanding between the community and Ti Moune, but since her ideas are young and wild, the other people don't want to waste their time. Ti Moune would have made her journey regardless of who was trying to stop her, but I believe that the other people could have been more persuasive to make her stay.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Chapter 6-9 Notes
Chapter 6:
-Plants started to grow after the storm
-everyone was happy except Desiree
-Desiree wants to leave, does not know how
--> she goes to M. Bienconnu to ask about Beauxhomme
-->Backstory of the rich family, fell in love with other peasant girl, fought for Napoleon
--> Father cursed his son, said he could never leave France
-She felt discouraged after speaking to M. Bienconnu, walks home sad
--> decided her only happiness lies with going to Daniel
-Tells Tonton Julian she is leaving, he says the journey is too rough
-Desiree is 16
-Parents both argue about Desiree leaving
-Mama E. decided they need to consult the gods before she leaves
Chapter 7:
-Mama E. brings Desiree somewhere to talk to the gods, has tight grip on her hand
-Desiree is set on escaping as soon as her mother loosens her grip
-houngfor(?) --> where they are going
-Desiree tried to snatch her hand away, Mama E. grabbed it again
-townspeople sang a song to the gods
-Desiree sees Papa Ge in the distance
-Mother and daughter go into a room(?) and a man speaks for her real mother(?)
-Then the gods show up
-We meet Erzulie, vain, beautiful, expensive, tells the women of their love for each other
-Agwe comes, angry at Erzulie for trying to "ruin his plans"
-(gods are taking bodies of normal people, possessing them)
-Erzulie and Agwe fought about having a plan for the people to "love them"
-->foreshadowing to what is going to happen
-->Look towards Desiree (foreshadowing)
-Papa Ge shows up
-->scares the other gods off
-->scares Desiree off
-Desiree leaves, running for her life from Papa Ge
Chapter 8:
-Desiree walks and walks through the woods and the road
-->has a dream of what the gods really look like, and that Daniel is in danger
-Stops to ask ladies for directions
-->they laugh at her
-She walked and walked and got food from random people
-->claims it was a girl from the gods
Chapter 9:
-Desiree gets to her destination and meets a young orphan
-->teaches orphan about wish cages
-->tell her how to make one
-Desiree teaches the girl to catch a butterfly and sends her off to meet her parents
-Wants the orphan to be her parent's new daughter. Hopes for everyone to be happy and get their wish
-Plants started to grow after the storm
-everyone was happy except Desiree
-Desiree wants to leave, does not know how
--> she goes to M. Bienconnu to ask about Beauxhomme
-->Backstory of the rich family, fell in love with other peasant girl, fought for Napoleon
--> Father cursed his son, said he could never leave France
-She felt discouraged after speaking to M. Bienconnu, walks home sad
--> decided her only happiness lies with going to Daniel
-Tells Tonton Julian she is leaving, he says the journey is too rough
-Desiree is 16
-Parents both argue about Desiree leaving
-Mama E. decided they need to consult the gods before she leaves
Chapter 7:
-Mama E. brings Desiree somewhere to talk to the gods, has tight grip on her hand
-Desiree is set on escaping as soon as her mother loosens her grip
-houngfor(?) --> where they are going
-Desiree tried to snatch her hand away, Mama E. grabbed it again
-townspeople sang a song to the gods
-Desiree sees Papa Ge in the distance
-Mother and daughter go into a room(?) and a man speaks for her real mother(?)
-Then the gods show up
-We meet Erzulie, vain, beautiful, expensive, tells the women of their love for each other
-Agwe comes, angry at Erzulie for trying to "ruin his plans"
-(gods are taking bodies of normal people, possessing them)
-Erzulie and Agwe fought about having a plan for the people to "love them"
-->foreshadowing to what is going to happen
-->Look towards Desiree (foreshadowing)
-Papa Ge shows up
-->scares the other gods off
-->scares Desiree off
-Desiree leaves, running for her life from Papa Ge
Chapter 8:
-Desiree walks and walks through the woods and the road
-->has a dream of what the gods really look like, and that Daniel is in danger
-Stops to ask ladies for directions
-->they laugh at her
-She walked and walked and got food from random people
-->claims it was a girl from the gods
Chapter 9:
-Desiree gets to her destination and meets a young orphan
-->teaches orphan about wish cages
-->tell her how to make one
-Desiree teaches the girl to catch a butterfly and sends her off to meet her parents
-Wants the orphan to be her parent's new daughter. Hopes for everyone to be happy and get their wish
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Chapter 4-5 Notes and Five Senses Chart
Chapter 4:
-two men searching for the rich man --> have not come back in days
--> town growing anxious, police were not gentle
--> Desiree was only upset about the man not getting better
-Desiree cared for the boy (he devotion concerned Mama Euralie)
-When he was really sick, Mama E believed that it was the Rich people punishing them and not the gods.
-Mama E was afraid for her husband, Desiree was afraid for the Boy
--> both grew weary and anxious
-Big rainstorm, had to carry man up the hill to the stone house of M. Bienaime
--> rain ruined the whole town, killing people, destroying houses and possessions
--> all of the village gathered into the remaining stone houses
--> Mama E cursed gods out
-Man became almost dead
--> smell of death covered the whole cabin
-Mama E going a little crazy at the girl, boy, and universe
-Papa Ge shows up in the night--> described in a very scary, evil form
--> girl cries out to agwe and erzulie, and papa ge disappears
Chapter 5:
-The storm stopped
--> Mama E.'s faith is restored
-Man is able to keep his eyes open
--> Desiree believes that the two have united with one another
-Daniel's father comes for him on a helicopter
--> they take him away
-Desiree is crushed, upset that the father did not single her out of the women who were surrounding his son
-Tonton Julian describes his journey
--> Beauxomme owns a hotel in the richest part of the city
--> He could not get passed the guards for three days
-Even though Tonton took a long and difficult journey, he got paid 5 gourds
--> Mama E. Believes that her family has a very bright future ahead, now that the situation with the boy is out of their way
Sight
1) But she looked down at that unconscious man, and swore to him in her heart
2) "lighting zigzagged across the sky"
3) "Staring into the darkness as though she expected to make out a shape if she looked hard enough"
4) "all was still"
5) "to her watchful eyes, a shadow appeared in the darkness"
Smell
1) "A smell of death invaded the cabin through his festering sores"
2) an old woman weakened by the smell of rotting flesh
3) Smell of flowers when the earth was healthy, now only the rich have this
4) Desiree could smell/sense the richness of the hurt man
5) The gods could feel the scent of greed lingering by the men who cut down all of the green
Hearing
1) Needles of rain poured down and softened the earth to mud
2) "...she listened to the wind, the rain, and the thunder outside, alert for other sounds of danger."
3) "The silence lulled her"
4) She had never before seen the messenger of death, but had heard of him
5) The waters hurled by the wind beat at the cabin door
Taste
1) The sense of evil he brought permeated the cabin
2) Everyone has a bad taste of what the gods have brought upon them (mostly erzulie)
3) Lack of taste -no food
4) fruitful amount of spiritual taste (but is this questioned when the gods bring darkness?)
5) poor vs rich --> taste/want different things
Touch
1) "In the muddy currents, some splashed around and grabbed shrubs or an outstretched hand to save themselves"
2) Desiree used the rainwater to wash her patients wounds... ...then she tried to keep his wounds dry
3) "She bared her breasts and held his head to the soft warmth of her bosom"
4) "she sat, cradling the head of her patient"
5) "We know how harsh the sun has been, now feel how sweet it is"
-two men searching for the rich man --> have not come back in days
--> town growing anxious, police were not gentle
--> Desiree was only upset about the man not getting better
-Desiree cared for the boy (he devotion concerned Mama Euralie)
-When he was really sick, Mama E believed that it was the Rich people punishing them and not the gods.
-Mama E was afraid for her husband, Desiree was afraid for the Boy
--> both grew weary and anxious
-Big rainstorm, had to carry man up the hill to the stone house of M. Bienaime
--> rain ruined the whole town, killing people, destroying houses and possessions
--> all of the village gathered into the remaining stone houses
--> Mama E cursed gods out
-Man became almost dead
--> smell of death covered the whole cabin
-Mama E going a little crazy at the girl, boy, and universe
-Papa Ge shows up in the night--> described in a very scary, evil form
--> girl cries out to agwe and erzulie, and papa ge disappears
Chapter 5:
-The storm stopped
--> Mama E.'s faith is restored
-Man is able to keep his eyes open
--> Desiree believes that the two have united with one another
-Daniel's father comes for him on a helicopter
--> they take him away
-Desiree is crushed, upset that the father did not single her out of the women who were surrounding his son
-Tonton Julian describes his journey
--> Beauxomme owns a hotel in the richest part of the city
--> He could not get passed the guards for three days
-Even though Tonton took a long and difficult journey, he got paid 5 gourds
--> Mama E. Believes that her family has a very bright future ahead, now that the situation with the boy is out of their way
Sight
1) But she looked down at that unconscious man, and swore to him in her heart
2) "lighting zigzagged across the sky"
3) "Staring into the darkness as though she expected to make out a shape if she looked hard enough"
4) "all was still"
5) "to her watchful eyes, a shadow appeared in the darkness"
Smell
1) "A smell of death invaded the cabin through his festering sores"
2) an old woman weakened by the smell of rotting flesh
3) Smell of flowers when the earth was healthy, now only the rich have this
4) Desiree could smell/sense the richness of the hurt man
5) The gods could feel the scent of greed lingering by the men who cut down all of the green
Hearing
1) Needles of rain poured down and softened the earth to mud
2) "...she listened to the wind, the rain, and the thunder outside, alert for other sounds of danger."
3) "The silence lulled her"
4) She had never before seen the messenger of death, but had heard of him
5) The waters hurled by the wind beat at the cabin door
Taste
1) The sense of evil he brought permeated the cabin
2) Everyone has a bad taste of what the gods have brought upon them (mostly erzulie)
3) Lack of taste -no food
4) fruitful amount of spiritual taste (but is this questioned when the gods bring darkness?)
5) poor vs rich --> taste/want different things
Touch
1) "In the muddy currents, some splashed around and grabbed shrubs or an outstretched hand to save themselves"
2) Desiree used the rainwater to wash her patients wounds... ...then she tried to keep his wounds dry
3) "She bared her breasts and held his head to the soft warmth of her bosom"
4) "she sat, cradling the head of her patient"
5) "We know how harsh the sun has been, now feel how sweet it is"
Friday, March 31, 2017
Oral Reflection
Overall I felt that my oral went better than I expected it to go, although I did have a lot of mistakes and bumps through my process. This project was very fun to complete, and I really enjoyed going out of my comfort zone to complete a task that made me analyze the characters. I am usually pretty good at reflections, and I enjoy doing them, but the oral was much more difficult for me than the actual performance. I think this was more difficult because of time management, and planning. It was hard for me to pre-plan what I was going to say, since I would have rather liked to just talk. During my oral I was so caught up in the requirements for it, that I was slipping up, and having to catch myself during other ideas. It didn't feel natural to me, since I wrote everything I wanted to say prior, and then had to break it down into notes, and remember the whole original idea from the note. I think it is important to reflect and break down my work, but I don't feel that this oral gave me a better understanding of my project. Speaking about it and trying to justify everything made my ideas more confusing to me.
My partner and I really didn't block our piece or movements, we did almost everything naturally. This probably made our scene stagnant, but we moved by what we were saying to each other. Having to go back and justify this was harder than I thought it would be, and that is where I struggled the most with my oral. I was not able to fully grasp relating my movements back to character development or my ideas without feeling like I was going out of the 'performance' topic of my oral. I enjoyed speaking about the technical part of my work, and how my ideas formed though, which helped me to understand how I could have improved on my story. If I were to do this over again, I would give myself more time to plan. It was difficult for me to do my oral over, since the first one accidentally got deleted. I feel like this was a good learning experience for me to understand how the oral presentations work, and what I can do next time to improve.
My partner and I really didn't block our piece or movements, we did almost everything naturally. This probably made our scene stagnant, but we moved by what we were saying to each other. Having to go back and justify this was harder than I thought it would be, and that is where I struggled the most with my oral. I was not able to fully grasp relating my movements back to character development or my ideas without feeling like I was going out of the 'performance' topic of my oral. I enjoyed speaking about the technical part of my work, and how my ideas formed though, which helped me to understand how I could have improved on my story. If I were to do this over again, I would give myself more time to plan. It was difficult for me to do my oral over, since the first one accidentally got deleted. I feel like this was a good learning experience for me to understand how the oral presentations work, and what I can do next time to improve.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Written Draft of Oral
1) intro
I chose this story because I feel that it allowed my partner and I a lot of freedom and potential to add on to the existing ideas. Throughout The Children of The Sea, I felt that there was tension between the two characters, since they are only writing to each other. This story had a rich emphasis on how the dialogue was formed between the two characters. Each character knew one another, but there was a strong and binding barrier between the two, that helped readers stay attached to their interactions. I loved how the characters seemed both conflicted, but sure of their choices. There was strong imagery throughout this story created by the words of the characters. This story was lively, but tedious, revolving around separation. The Children of The Sea is imaginative and dream-like. It is written with a whimsical air, while also highlighting a vivid and poetic vision of hurt and suffrage. The story moves quickly, with transitions between characters, but the details and style in which it is written levels out the active story with a meticulous fix on expression and phraseology.
2) vision
I wanted to break the barrier between the two characters, and allow the audience a sense of resolution to the many unanswered questions posed throughout the story. My partner and I chose to add on new ending to the story to create a new realm of life for the characters, and allow them to bring their written imagery to life. I wanted to keep the highlighted themes alive, such as chaos/suffering, desire to escape and everlasting love. With my ending, I also wanted to create new themes, such as inevitable death, greed, acceptance/rebirth and reunion. I wanted to keep the characters with the same personalities and opinions about their challenges, while shedding light on what could happen if the story went deeper. I wanted the whimsical tone of the author's writing to encapsulate my story, which caused for the creation of a very striking way for the characters to meet. With the amount of style and symbolism throughout the original story, I felt that there was no other way for the characters break the crux of their story and meet unless it was in a profound and unusual way.
3) literary features
I wanted to shed light on the back-and-forth dialogue between the characters, and put it to action in real time. I asked myself: how would the characters really react to each other in person? Do they feel the same way about all the same things? What if they disagreed? It was tough to really dissect each character, and decide who really thought what. In my eyes, they could both be heroes, but each needed a unique niche that was holding them back. We struggled to come up with a prominent climax for our scene, since the story left us with so many options. I felt as if the author created the allusion that both the characters were in complete agreeable with one another, and were on the same page, and it took me awhile to really grasp that they were not reading each other's letters. Once I realized that they were not responding to each other, but to themselves in their writing, I knew there needed to be a conflict between them. Since the author allowed them to balance on their own, when I had the two characters met for the first time, I wanted the status they felt between one another, as well as their original thoughts about each other to be turned on their heads.
4) what you specifically did in your performance to achieve that -- you can talk about staging and relationship with your scene partner a bit but you must reflect A LOT on your specific acting choices, techniques
My partner and I performed in a black box theatre, and used props and lighting to help us deliver our script. In my performance I made sure to raise and lower my voice to show my emotional state and growing anger throughout the scene. My body language changed from comfortable to tense throughout the scene, since my character goes through many changes in his emotional state. I tried to make my body into harder angles facing my partner so it seemed like I was frustrated with her specifically. I would turn out when I was showing frustration towards myself. Eye contact was crucial throughout our performance because it showed what the characters were thinking regardless to whether they said their emotions or thoughts. I looked out past my partner if I was thinking about my past or future, and I would look to the ground or the opposite side of my partner if I was discussing my own actions or faults. This helped to give a bigger impact when I was facing and looking at my partner, since she could then use my actions to give a starting point for her counter-actions/lines.
5) what was successful/what you could have done differently
I feel that my partner and I could have shown a deeper-rooted reason behind our character's actions. I feel that we portrayed our script well on stage, but we could have gone deeper into our idea and process of writing to create a more established and matured idea. I did not feel that we gave our bigger and more dense idea justice, since we did not have enough time to fully understand the new world we created for our characters, causing their dialogue to be based on their older, and more surfaced thoughts and opinions.
I chose this story because I feel that it allowed my partner and I a lot of freedom and potential to add on to the existing ideas. Throughout The Children of The Sea, I felt that there was tension between the two characters, since they are only writing to each other. This story had a rich emphasis on how the dialogue was formed between the two characters. Each character knew one another, but there was a strong and binding barrier between the two, that helped readers stay attached to their interactions. I loved how the characters seemed both conflicted, but sure of their choices. There was strong imagery throughout this story created by the words of the characters. This story was lively, but tedious, revolving around separation. The Children of The Sea is imaginative and dream-like. It is written with a whimsical air, while also highlighting a vivid and poetic vision of hurt and suffrage. The story moves quickly, with transitions between characters, but the details and style in which it is written levels out the active story with a meticulous fix on expression and phraseology.
2) vision
I wanted to break the barrier between the two characters, and allow the audience a sense of resolution to the many unanswered questions posed throughout the story. My partner and I chose to add on new ending to the story to create a new realm of life for the characters, and allow them to bring their written imagery to life. I wanted to keep the highlighted themes alive, such as chaos/suffering, desire to escape and everlasting love. With my ending, I also wanted to create new themes, such as inevitable death, greed, acceptance/rebirth and reunion. I wanted to keep the characters with the same personalities and opinions about their challenges, while shedding light on what could happen if the story went deeper. I wanted the whimsical tone of the author's writing to encapsulate my story, which caused for the creation of a very striking way for the characters to meet. With the amount of style and symbolism throughout the original story, I felt that there was no other way for the characters break the crux of their story and meet unless it was in a profound and unusual way.
3) literary features
I wanted to shed light on the back-and-forth dialogue between the characters, and put it to action in real time. I asked myself: how would the characters really react to each other in person? Do they feel the same way about all the same things? What if they disagreed? It was tough to really dissect each character, and decide who really thought what. In my eyes, they could both be heroes, but each needed a unique niche that was holding them back. We struggled to come up with a prominent climax for our scene, since the story left us with so many options. I felt as if the author created the allusion that both the characters were in complete agreeable with one another, and were on the same page, and it took me awhile to really grasp that they were not reading each other's letters. Once I realized that they were not responding to each other, but to themselves in their writing, I knew there needed to be a conflict between them. Since the author allowed them to balance on their own, when I had the two characters met for the first time, I wanted the status they felt between one another, as well as their original thoughts about each other to be turned on their heads.
4) what you specifically did in your performance to achieve that -- you can talk about staging and relationship with your scene partner a bit but you must reflect A LOT on your specific acting choices, techniques
My partner and I performed in a black box theatre, and used props and lighting to help us deliver our script. In my performance I made sure to raise and lower my voice to show my emotional state and growing anger throughout the scene. My body language changed from comfortable to tense throughout the scene, since my character goes through many changes in his emotional state. I tried to make my body into harder angles facing my partner so it seemed like I was frustrated with her specifically. I would turn out when I was showing frustration towards myself. Eye contact was crucial throughout our performance because it showed what the characters were thinking regardless to whether they said their emotions or thoughts. I looked out past my partner if I was thinking about my past or future, and I would look to the ground or the opposite side of my partner if I was discussing my own actions or faults. This helped to give a bigger impact when I was facing and looking at my partner, since she could then use my actions to give a starting point for her counter-actions/lines.
5) what was successful/what you could have done differently
I feel that my partner and I could have shown a deeper-rooted reason behind our character's actions. I feel that we portrayed our script well on stage, but we could have gone deeper into our idea and process of writing to create a more established and matured idea. I did not feel that we gave our bigger and more dense idea justice, since we did not have enough time to fully understand the new world we created for our characters, causing their dialogue to be based on their older, and more surfaced thoughts and opinions.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Reflection of Final
I am very proud of how the overall performance turned out. Veronika and I worked very hard to achieve the outcome that we did. Our progress from start to finish was very extensive, and I had no idea that the outcome would be as it turned out. I feel that my partner Veronika and I worked very well together, and we both wanted to be successful. Both of us were determined from the start, to get the performance where we thought it needed to be. I believe that having a parter with the same work ethic and determination helped us to achieve a goal.
I am glad that we split up the roles the way we did because Veronika grew so much as an actress with her role. Both of the characters were very dynamic in their own ways, and I worried at first that Veronika and I would not be able to portray all of the inside emotions of our characters. I feel that by working together to bounce off of each other's emotions, we were able to show how our characters felt about each other, as well as what they were separately dealing with. Memorization was key with this script since what the characters were saying was not exactly simple. I thought that if we did not have everything exactly down, that our ideas and motions would not get delivered successfully. Even though we did not get everything perfect for the final performance, we both embraced the roles enough that even if the lines were not perfect, we understood how the characters would act and what kind of things they would say. It was kind of funny how after the performance we both knew that we personally messed up a few lines, but had no idea that each other did! I would have never known that Veronika was not saying the perfect line because she portrayed the character so well.
I fell that our script was at the best place it could have been. We worked very hard to make it feel dreamlike, similar to Krik? Krak!. I wanted to make sure that what we were writing sounded like an add on to the author's original writing. I do not know if we completely achieved this, but I do feel that we were very successful in bringing a complicated idea to life. I worried that it would not be understandable, and the whole idea would come off as confusing. I believe that we portrayed a more whimsical idea, while also keeping the characters real and true to who they were in their original stories. Using lighting and props helped us to get our ideas across onstage.
As an growing performer, I am very glad that I was able to write and direct what I was acting in. I was able to experience a whole new side of putting a performance together. I have a new appreciation for those who spend time mastering lighting, and everyone who works backstage with sets and changing scenes. Doing everything with one other person on stage made me realize how complicated putting on productions can be, especially those that have more that a few scene changes! I loved working with another person to complete a goal we were both passionate towards. If I could do this assignment over again, I would start going over scene changes/lighting/props much sooner than we did. I feel that if Veronika and I were more comfortable with what we were doing on stage with the furniture and where we were placed under the spotlights, we could have been completely focused on our characters instead of the possible technical errors.
I am glad that we split up the roles the way we did because Veronika grew so much as an actress with her role. Both of the characters were very dynamic in their own ways, and I worried at first that Veronika and I would not be able to portray all of the inside emotions of our characters. I feel that by working together to bounce off of each other's emotions, we were able to show how our characters felt about each other, as well as what they were separately dealing with. Memorization was key with this script since what the characters were saying was not exactly simple. I thought that if we did not have everything exactly down, that our ideas and motions would not get delivered successfully. Even though we did not get everything perfect for the final performance, we both embraced the roles enough that even if the lines were not perfect, we understood how the characters would act and what kind of things they would say. It was kind of funny how after the performance we both knew that we personally messed up a few lines, but had no idea that each other did! I would have never known that Veronika was not saying the perfect line because she portrayed the character so well.
I fell that our script was at the best place it could have been. We worked very hard to make it feel dreamlike, similar to Krik? Krak!. I wanted to make sure that what we were writing sounded like an add on to the author's original writing. I do not know if we completely achieved this, but I do feel that we were very successful in bringing a complicated idea to life. I worried that it would not be understandable, and the whole idea would come off as confusing. I believe that we portrayed a more whimsical idea, while also keeping the characters real and true to who they were in their original stories. Using lighting and props helped us to get our ideas across onstage.
As an growing performer, I am very glad that I was able to write and direct what I was acting in. I was able to experience a whole new side of putting a performance together. I have a new appreciation for those who spend time mastering lighting, and everyone who works backstage with sets and changing scenes. Doing everything with one other person on stage made me realize how complicated putting on productions can be, especially those that have more that a few scene changes! I loved working with another person to complete a goal we were both passionate towards. If I could do this assignment over again, I would start going over scene changes/lighting/props much sooner than we did. I feel that if Veronika and I were more comfortable with what we were doing on stage with the furniture and where we were placed under the spotlights, we could have been completely focused on our characters instead of the possible technical errors.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Progress
So far in the completion process of the Krik? Krak! my partner and I have done a lot of work to make out scene sensible and true to our idea, as well as the characters involved. We worked to revise and add more or less to each moment, so each of us has an even amount of lines and importance throughout the scene. It took awhile to come up with a complete idea, since I came up with something a little bit more free-ing as far as writing the script goes. There were a bunch of ways we could have gone with the characters, but I am confident that the way the script is written will help the audience to get a bigger taste of each character's personality (in my partner and I's opinion.)
I am glad we got to perform in front of the class because it was difficult to tell what parts were lacking, and which lines could be confusing to an audience. I am very aware now of how my performance looks like to an audience, and how important it is to be clear with the lines and defining the characters. Most of the feedback we got was about how both of us needed to be louder and use more emotion and gestures to get our points across. It was difficult to do this since my partner and I did not have our scripts memorized, but I know that we definitely need to be louder and make sure we stick to a slower pace. I feel like some important parts of the script got lost to the audience since we were too quiet, and went too quickly.
After reading through all of the comments, I was able to add more to the script to create a real climax and slow our performance down a bit. I added more lines to where the girl kills herself, since I feel that this section goes by way more quickly, making things seem fake and unimportant. I also added more lines towards the ending, making the guy turn his anger more toward the girl, before turning on himself. It is important for the audience to see this transition.
Even though I felt like we added a lot to the lighting/sound/prop work, I know that we need different objects and furniture in some places, and less in others. I also know that we need to focus the lighting more, making sure that it is clear to the audience when the two characters are apart and when they are together. I realized that with all of the scene changes, we are going to need to have specific music for certain moments to fill up the space between scenes as well as throughout the scripts to convey the specific emotions and aura of each scene.
I am excited to continue working on our scene, and I hope to make our performance easier to understand. I think my parter and I took on a lot with this idea, and I hope that it comes together well in the end. I think were are off to a good start, and with this new feedback, we can have a wider range of awareness for what our performance needs.
I am glad we got to perform in front of the class because it was difficult to tell what parts were lacking, and which lines could be confusing to an audience. I am very aware now of how my performance looks like to an audience, and how important it is to be clear with the lines and defining the characters. Most of the feedback we got was about how both of us needed to be louder and use more emotion and gestures to get our points across. It was difficult to do this since my partner and I did not have our scripts memorized, but I know that we definitely need to be louder and make sure we stick to a slower pace. I feel like some important parts of the script got lost to the audience since we were too quiet, and went too quickly.
After reading through all of the comments, I was able to add more to the script to create a real climax and slow our performance down a bit. I added more lines to where the girl kills herself, since I feel that this section goes by way more quickly, making things seem fake and unimportant. I also added more lines towards the ending, making the guy turn his anger more toward the girl, before turning on himself. It is important for the audience to see this transition.
Even though I felt like we added a lot to the lighting/sound/prop work, I know that we need different objects and furniture in some places, and less in others. I also know that we need to focus the lighting more, making sure that it is clear to the audience when the two characters are apart and when they are together. I realized that with all of the scene changes, we are going to need to have specific music for certain moments to fill up the space between scenes as well as throughout the scripts to convey the specific emotions and aura of each scene.
I am excited to continue working on our scene, and I hope to make our performance easier to understand. I think my parter and I took on a lot with this idea, and I hope that it comes together well in the end. I think were are off to a good start, and with this new feedback, we can have a wider range of awareness for what our performance needs.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
School of Rock Post
I am very pleased with how the show turned out overall. This year's cast was lively and ready to get out and do their best. The theatre program is clearly progressing, and since I have had the opportunity to be apart of this show, I am so excited to definitely be apart of what is to come in the next year. Even though I did not start out wanting to be involved in the musical, I am very glad that I got the chance to participate. I know that theatre has always been a passion of mine, and this show has given me the chance to grow as an actress and a team player.
It was very fun to work with John and Lexi during our scenes, and I felt that we were able to achieve a good balance between each other. Everything really came together in the last few weeks of practice with everyone working their hardest. I could hear how much the songs and voices improved over time, and how the cast was able to mend their voices together to create the atmosphere needed in each scene.
Everyone was very supportive of each other throughout practice, and especially during the show. I felt that we all helped each other out, and kept a positive vibe throughout the entirety of the three shows. I am very appreciative of all the encouragement and good energy that went on backstage, and throughout rehearsals. I know that I still have a lot to work on in all areas of theatre, but I hope to improve as time continues. I was able to see how important character development is, and how difficult and fun it is to reach out of a comfort zone. I commend the whole cast for their great work, and I can't wait to see how the CA theatre program will evolve and expand in the time to come.
It was very fun to work with John and Lexi during our scenes, and I felt that we were able to achieve a good balance between each other. Everything really came together in the last few weeks of practice with everyone working their hardest. I could hear how much the songs and voices improved over time, and how the cast was able to mend their voices together to create the atmosphere needed in each scene.
Everyone was very supportive of each other throughout practice, and especially during the show. I felt that we all helped each other out, and kept a positive vibe throughout the entirety of the three shows. I am very appreciative of all the encouragement and good energy that went on backstage, and throughout rehearsals. I know that I still have a lot to work on in all areas of theatre, but I hope to improve as time continues. I was able to see how important character development is, and how difficult and fun it is to reach out of a comfort zone. I commend the whole cast for their great work, and I can't wait to see how the CA theatre program will evolve and expand in the time to come.
Monday, February 13, 2017
UPDATED Final Script and Lighting/Sound Cues
*plain black box*
>Stagining #1
-Separate lights go up on both girl and boy
-Boy’s side has a blue tarp underneath him
Girl: I am writing to you from the bottom of the banyan tree, manman says that banyan trees are holy and sometimes if we call gods from beneath then, they will hear our voices clearer. Now there are always butterflies around me, black ones that I refuse to let find my hand. I throw big rocks at them, but they are always too fast.
Guy: I go now as though it was always meant to be, as though the very day that my mother birthed me, she had chosen me to live life eternal, among the children of the deep blue sea, those who have escaped the chains of slavery to form a world beneath the heavens and the blood-drenched earth where you live.
Girl: Last night on the radio, I heard that another boat sank off the coast of the Bahamas. I can’t think about you being in there in the waves. My hair shivers. From here, I cannot even see the sea. Behind these mountains are more mountains and more black butterflies still and a seas that are endless like my love for you.
Guy: Perhaps I was chosen from the beginning of time to live there with Agwe at the bottom of the sea. Maybe this is why I dreamed of the starfish and the mermaids having the Catholic mass under the sea. Maybe this was my invitation to go. In any case, I know that my memory of you will live even there as I too become a child of the sea.
-Lights go down
*Girl is alone*
*The boy is dead*
-Lights go up on the girl on her side of stage
Girl: I cannot fathom why the universe hands me such bad luck. My love is gone, and so goes my only peace of mind in this existence. I need to be with him. I need to hear his comforting voice. I need to hold his hand. The world that I live in is so violent and I don’t have enough power to make it peaceful. The noise will not stop. I am trapped.
I cannot handle this anymore…
-Lights go down
-Audience hears sound of sea
>Staging #2
-Lights go up on girl in middle of stage
*Girl is on “cliff”*
Girl: This is it, what will be next? I am but a being in the natural world, leaving to the supernatural. Will our spirits meet when I go? I hope to float like a butterfly... to you.
*She jumps*
-Lights go down
*back to plain black box*
*Guy enters the scene*
>Stagining #3
-Lights go up on both sides
*She awakens on the floor*
*she sits*
Girl: What is this place? *looks at hands* I feel weightless…
*looking around*
*confused*
Guy: *Turns to girl* Why are you here? This cannot be your time. *to himself* you possessed so much life when I left you.
Girl: *sees the boy* *steps back* Am I blind? Is it just a fantasy?
*surprised*
Guy: *walk towards girl*
Girl: *gets up* *walks towards him*
Guy: I knew you would come, but not this soon. I would have waited as long as you needed to live your life in our last form.
*walk around each other*
Girl: I couldn’t fathom living, knowing that you were gone.
Guy: Did you write to me?
Girl: Of course. Everyday.
Guy: Me too.
Girl: What happened then? Were you hurt? Could you feel death?
Guy: There was no where else to go. I jumped like the rest off the boat. I drowned, peacefully. My senses were numbed, there was no pain. The only thing I could feel was the deep ocean caressing my whole existence… and the warmth of love I had from you. Once I was here enough time though, I felt your soul. I knew you must have been hurt in some way.
Girl: I wasn’t hurt. I flew to you and now we are here. All I wanted since you left is to be somewhere with you.
Guy: *a little angry* Now that you are with me, I feel powerless without someone representing my life on earth. We are so likeminded, you should have lived out a legacy we could have shared. You could have made a difference on behalf of both of us.
Girl: *looks down* *a little sad*
I could not change my destiny to be here. We all have a different walk to live, and this is mine.
Guy: No, it was mine. My death was not voluntary, it was true. You were selfish. Now we both have to look down and see all of the violence. Up here we are both peaceful, but trapped. There is nothing you can do to help. I can only feel the pings of anger and hatred filling into the place I called home. One day it will boil over, and I will only sense the dull emptiness of my people gone and defeated.
*Starts to rant, upset and emotional*
Guy: My family, one by one, giving their lives over to the XXX, fighting for our people. I cannot help them. I cannot do anything. I feel dull and numbed to the cause I devoted myself to. I needed to be there, I needed to help. I should have known the boat would sink. I could have done so much more, I could have been smarter, I could have fought in a different way.
Girl: *quietly* I was trapped. This was my escape, our escape. You could have died either way, land and earth could not change what was meant to be. Accept your freedom. We are here now, healthy and unbound.
*Guy turns to girl*
Guy: I left a coward.
Guy: I was selfish, bound to my desire for freedom. Instead of standing up for my kind, I fled, representing nothing. Leaving you, leaving everyone.Things should have been different.
Girl: *walks over to guy* But they’re not. You lived the life you were supposed to live. A coward refuses to face their truth, but you accepted yours head on, and completed a task that most people are so afraid to face. You wanted freedom for yourself and our people, and you brought other people one more reason to keep a legacy alive.
Guy: Then why can’t I be in peace?
*Girl is consoling guy, lights go out*
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Costumes, Props, etc. of Children of the Sea
Costumes:
Girl-
At the beginning
-Casual (but nice) long skirt or dress
-Short sleeve top (if wearing a skirt)
-Mourning clothes --> Darker, more plain.
-Sandals
In the afterlife
-White everything
-White dress or skirt
-Casual, summer-like
-Light fabric
-Nicer shoes (Light colored)
Guy-
At the beginning
-Boat clothes --> brown, raggedy, ripped, old
-Maybe ripped pants or shorts (brown or grey)
-Dirty shirt, maybe a button down, maybe something more casual
-Sandals
In the afterlife
-White everything
-Light fabric
-Pants and button down shirt
-Nice Shoes (dress shoes, lighter colors)
Props:
Both guy and girl will have diaries and pencils/pens
Description of Set:
First scene-
-Boy and girl on either side of stage, something separating them in the middle, maybe a wall
-Maybe a blue tarp on the boy's side to show how he is on the boat, maybe he is standing on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean
Second scene-
-Girl is in the middle of the stage standing at the top of the "cliff" (portable stairs or tall box) blue tarp fills the stage underneath her
-(Pillows underneath the stairs will not be shown when she is jumping off the cliff)
Third scene-
-back to first set, boy and girl on either sides of stage, except both sides are completely plain, with nothing separating them in the middle.
Girl-
At the beginning
-Casual (but nice) long skirt or dress
-Short sleeve top (if wearing a skirt)
-Mourning clothes --> Darker, more plain.
-Sandals
In the afterlife
-White everything
-White dress or skirt
-Casual, summer-like
-Light fabric
-Nicer shoes (Light colored)
Guy-
At the beginning
-Boat clothes --> brown, raggedy, ripped, old
-Maybe ripped pants or shorts (brown or grey)
-Dirty shirt, maybe a button down, maybe something more casual
-Sandals
In the afterlife
-White everything
-Light fabric
-Pants and button down shirt
-Nice Shoes (dress shoes, lighter colors)
Props:
Both guy and girl will have diaries and pencils/pens
Description of Set:
First scene-
-Boy and girl on either side of stage, something separating them in the middle, maybe a wall
-Maybe a blue tarp on the boy's side to show how he is on the boat, maybe he is standing on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean
Second scene-
-Girl is in the middle of the stage standing at the top of the "cliff" (portable stairs or tall box) blue tarp fills the stage underneath her
-(Pillows underneath the stairs will not be shown when she is jumping off the cliff)
Third scene-
-back to first set, boy and girl on either sides of stage, except both sides are completely plain, with nothing separating them in the middle.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Children of the Sea script progress
*plain black box*
Guy: Perhaps I was chosen from the beginning of time to live there with Agwe at the bottom of the sea. Maybe this is why I dreamed of the starfish and the mermaids having the Catholic mass under the sea. Maybe this was my invitation to go. In any case, I know that my memory of you will live even there as I too become a child of the sea.
Girl: Last night on the radio, I heard that another boat sank off the coast of the Bahamas. I can’t think about you being in there in the waves. My hair shivers. From here, I cannot even see the sea. Behind these mountains are more mountains and more black butterflies still and a seas that is endless like my love for you.
*Lights go down*
*Girl is alone*
*The boy is dead*
Girl: I cannot fathom why the universe hands me such bad luck. My love is gone, and so goes my only peace of mind in this existence.
I cannot handle this anymore…
*Lights go off*
*Audience hears sound of sea*
*Girl is on “cliff”*
Girl: This is it, what will be next? I am but a being in the natural world, leaving to the supernatural. Will our spirits meet when I go? I hope to float like a butterfly... to you.
*She jumps*
*Lights go down*
*back to plain black box*
*Guy enters the scene*
*She awakens on the floor*
Character Analysis
My character is the man from "children of the sea" who writes letters to a girl that he is in love with. In our performance he will die and be reborn in a spiritual realm, waiting for the girl. He is around 19 or 20 years of age, and will appear tattered and worn out from the experience he had on earth. In our performance he will be optimistic and humble, similar to his reactions in the story. His attitude will change when he sees the girl for the first time again, acting happier and even more alive than he was on earth. His walk will be slow, maybe weak at first. He does not show a strong sense of power in any way, but does have a good awareness of self. His voice will be kind and ethereal almost, speaking slow and steady. He seems much more grounded to me in the story than his counterpart. He was her safeground throughout the story, almost like writing to him kept her in check, even though he was never able to read it. My character had a lot to worry about throughout his experience in the story, as he was fleeing on a boat from Haiti to save his life. Writing to the girl helped him to keep a piece of home with him on his journey, and keep parts of himself sacred. The characters will meet, and both characters will be happy, but he will be much more calm, since he presumably dies before the girl, and has already experienced the afterlife he is in. His motivation is to understand his next life and to gain a sense of clarity and peace with the girl, so they can both move on from whatever experiences were in their recent past.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Brainstorming Ideas
My group decided to do my idea of an afterlife scene off of "Children of the sea". We have not figured out character choices yet, since both of us could fluctuate between either. We have started to finish the script so we can get an idea of how the blocking is going to work, as well as how the characters will be emotionally. For the most part, the blocking will be very simple, but the lines will be more profound and audience-catching. We are trying to continue Danticat's poetic writing, so the characters will seem like they are in the same mind-set and space. The main goal for this scene is to help the audience understand exactly what the idea is, since bringing dead characters to life can be complicated. Overall I feel that we are off to a good start, and will build the scene up over time.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Top 5 Choices
1) #6 Dilyara --> Dramatic story, interesting ending
2) #4 Ethan --> Backstory of 1937, a lot of opportunities
3) #7 Yichen --> Characters from different stories
4) #2 Sarah --> Fills in gaps
5) #1 Jack --> Can explore what happens after night women
2) #4 Ethan --> Backstory of 1937, a lot of opportunities
3) #7 Yichen --> Characters from different stories
4) #2 Sarah --> Fills in gaps
5) #1 Jack --> Can explore what happens after night women
Monday, January 23, 2017
Background info on Endgame
Author: Samuel Beckett
-Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet, who lived in Paris for most of his adult life and wrote in both English and French
-Born: April 13, 1906, Foxrock, Republic of Ireland
-Stabbed by a pimp in 1937
-The play opens on a bare stage in gray light. It is a room of Hamm's house. (He's also blind.) The first character to appear is Hamm's servant, Clov, who goes through a long routine – he opens the curtains on the windows and pulls the sheets off of all the other characters. He then goes to his kitchen.
-When Hamm awakens, he calls for Clov, and the two of them discuss the possibility of things ending.
-Hamm calls again for Clov so that Clov can take him for a tour around the room in Hamm's wheelchair. As Clov returns Hamm to his original spot, Hamm becomes obsessed with being in the exact center of the room.
-Hamm then demands that Clov look out the window and report what he sees, which is nothing. Clov says that he is sick of their farce, day after day. Hamm, for his part, worries that the two of them are beginning to mean something. Clov discovers that he has a flea. Both of them worry that the flea might have babies and start up the world from scratch again. Clov kills it dramatically with a can of insecticide.
-Later, Hamm asks Clov to kill him, but Clov says that he can't.
-Clov wonders why he never refuses Hamm's orders, and Hamm says that it is because Clov is unable to. Hamm recalls a madman that he knew, who thought that the entire world was ashes.
-Once again, Clov threatens to leave. Hamm and Clov get into a long debate about how Hamm would know if Clov left or if Clov died in the kitchen.
-Hamm has Clov awaken Nagg, so that Nagg will listen to his story. Hamm recounts what is probably the story of how he obtained Clov from Clov's father, who was one of Hamm's subjects before the end of the world. At the end of the story, Hamm tells Nagg that there are no more sugarplums. Nagg curses him at length, and returns to his bin.
-Hamm makes Clov bring him his dog again. After he does so, Clov begins to tidy things up around the room. When Hamm asks what he is doing, Clov says that he is trying to put things in order, because order is his dream. Hamm demands that Clov check on his parents, and they learn that his mother, Nell, is dead, and Nagg is in his trash bin crying. Neither Hamm nor Clov show any sign of sympathy for Nagg.
-Hamm asks Clov if he has ever been happy. Clov says no. Hamm makes Clov bring him under the window because he wants to feel the light, but he realizes that there is none. When he gets back to the center of the room, Hamm asks Clov to kiss him, but Clov refuses. Hamm makes a speech in which he talks about how the end happened right in the beginning and yet they continued on. Hamm forces Clov to check the windows again for action outside. Clov becomes extremely frustrated with him, and when Hamm again asks for his stuffed dog, Clov rushes over and hits him with it.
-Clov, looking out the window, thinks that he sees a boy, and decides to go find him. Hamm says that he doesn't need Clov anymore, but asks him for a few parting words for Hamm to hold in his heart. Clov recalls all the promises of happiness people made to him when he was growing up, and then thinks how happy he will be when he finally falls. Clov goes to the kitchen. Hamm calls for him, but he does not respond. Hamm calls for his father, but he does not respond either. Hamm decides that this is good, and casts away his few possessions. He makes a short speech on the nature of ending and then covers his face with his handkerchief. Clov stands in the doorway the entire time, dressed to go, but unmoving.
Theme:
Died: December 22, 1989, Paris, France
-Met his wife in a hospital
-Plays are related to dark humor
-Plays focus on human despair and the will to survive in a world that offers no help in understanding
-Awarded nobel prize for literature
-Died soon after his wife
Plot:
-Endgame is set after some sort of apocalyptic disaster (though we never learn the details). Hamm, his servant Clov, his father Nagg, and his mother Nell are trapped together in Hamm's home.
-Language and communication
-Compassion and forgiveness
-isolation
-defeat
-suffering
-pride
-existence
Theatre:
-Minimalism
-Absurdism
-Not a lot of furniture
-Dark lighting
-Dark walls and floor
-Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet, who lived in Paris for most of his adult life and wrote in both English and French
-Born: April 13, 1906, Foxrock, Republic of Ireland
-Stabbed by a pimp in 1937
-The play opens on a bare stage in gray light. It is a room of Hamm's house. (He's also blind.) The first character to appear is Hamm's servant, Clov, who goes through a long routine – he opens the curtains on the windows and pulls the sheets off of all the other characters. He then goes to his kitchen.
-When Hamm awakens, he calls for Clov, and the two of them discuss the possibility of things ending.
-Hamm calls again for Clov so that Clov can take him for a tour around the room in Hamm's wheelchair. As Clov returns Hamm to his original spot, Hamm becomes obsessed with being in the exact center of the room.
-Hamm then demands that Clov look out the window and report what he sees, which is nothing. Clov says that he is sick of their farce, day after day. Hamm, for his part, worries that the two of them are beginning to mean something. Clov discovers that he has a flea. Both of them worry that the flea might have babies and start up the world from scratch again. Clov kills it dramatically with a can of insecticide.
-Later, Hamm asks Clov to kill him, but Clov says that he can't.
-Clov wonders why he never refuses Hamm's orders, and Hamm says that it is because Clov is unable to. Hamm recalls a madman that he knew, who thought that the entire world was ashes.
-Once again, Clov threatens to leave. Hamm and Clov get into a long debate about how Hamm would know if Clov left or if Clov died in the kitchen.
-Hamm has Clov awaken Nagg, so that Nagg will listen to his story. Hamm recounts what is probably the story of how he obtained Clov from Clov's father, who was one of Hamm's subjects before the end of the world. At the end of the story, Hamm tells Nagg that there are no more sugarplums. Nagg curses him at length, and returns to his bin.
-Hamm makes Clov bring him his dog again. After he does so, Clov begins to tidy things up around the room. When Hamm asks what he is doing, Clov says that he is trying to put things in order, because order is his dream. Hamm demands that Clov check on his parents, and they learn that his mother, Nell, is dead, and Nagg is in his trash bin crying. Neither Hamm nor Clov show any sign of sympathy for Nagg.
-Hamm asks Clov if he has ever been happy. Clov says no. Hamm makes Clov bring him under the window because he wants to feel the light, but he realizes that there is none. When he gets back to the center of the room, Hamm asks Clov to kiss him, but Clov refuses. Hamm makes a speech in which he talks about how the end happened right in the beginning and yet they continued on. Hamm forces Clov to check the windows again for action outside. Clov becomes extremely frustrated with him, and when Hamm again asks for his stuffed dog, Clov rushes over and hits him with it.
-Clov, looking out the window, thinks that he sees a boy, and decides to go find him. Hamm says that he doesn't need Clov anymore, but asks him for a few parting words for Hamm to hold in his heart. Clov recalls all the promises of happiness people made to him when he was growing up, and then thinks how happy he will be when he finally falls. Clov goes to the kitchen. Hamm calls for him, but he does not respond. Hamm calls for his father, but he does not respond either. Hamm decides that this is good, and casts away his few possessions. He makes a short speech on the nature of ending and then covers his face with his handkerchief. Clov stands in the doorway the entire time, dressed to go, but unmoving.
Theme:
Died: December 22, 1989, Paris, France
-Met his wife in a hospital
-Plays are related to dark humor
-Plays focus on human despair and the will to survive in a world that offers no help in understanding
-Awarded nobel prize for literature
-Died soon after his wife
Plot:
-Endgame is set after some sort of apocalyptic disaster (though we never learn the details). Hamm, his servant Clov, his father Nagg, and his mother Nell are trapped together in Hamm's home.
-Language and communication
-Compassion and forgiveness
-isolation
-defeat
-suffering
-pride
-existence
Theatre:
-Minimalism
-Absurdism
-Not a lot of furniture
-Dark lighting
-Dark walls and floor
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