Tuesday, November 20, 2007
David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross
While some of the perverse language in this play seemed unnecessary, I found the context of this poem to be very realistic. All of the real estate men involved (Williamson, Baylen, Roma, Lingk, Levene, Moss, and Aaronow) let the stress of their circumstance cause them to make selfish and dirty decisions. I wonder why Mamet provided the two age ranges of the characters. Did the characters in their forties respond differently to the stressful situation than those in their fifties? Two of the characters in their fifties played important roles in robbing the real estate agency. They took a more drastic approach to keeping their jobs than the men in their forties. Maybe the men’s ages have little to no significance. I guess that facet of the play is left up to the reader. The ending to the play was fairly predictable and unfortunate. Poor Levene, the one trying the hardest to redeem himself within the agency, happens to know a bit too much about the missing files and is immediately placed in prison. I wonder why Levene didn’t put up more of a struggle upon being falsely accused. Naturally, the ones who actually committed the crime did nothing to stop Levene’s wrongful arrest. While the themes of selfishness and stress are evident within Mamet’s work, I did not come away from his play with a moral or any type of closure. Perhaps, he simply wanted to illustrate the possible effects of stress in the workforce. Overall, I enjoyed reading the said poem, because it stood out from the other works that we read this semester. Mamet definitely possesses a unique writing style. His confusing dialogue correlates greatly with the human thought-process. People rarely think in complete and fully coherent sentences. Mamet seems to represent this complicated way of thinking in his character’s conversations.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Vonnegut, Baldwin, and Hannah
Kurt Vonnegut’s “Fates Worse Than Death”
In this work, Vonnegut discusses in a jovial manner war and the inevitable extinction of the human race. I found his beliefs on the unity that television provides interesting. My cable has been out for over a month, and I feel lost without my daily dose of “The Morning Show” or “Good Morning America.” I listened to these shows while getting ready for class. Because I rarely have time to sit down and read the newspaper, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on in the world right now. I agree with Vonnegut’s views that television ignites apathy on wars and violence. Nowadays, it seems as if a vast amount of people believe in alternative and less volatile ways of national progression.
James Baldwin’s “Going to Meet the Man”
The “picnic” description at the end of this story is probably one of the more disturbing things that I’ve read in quite a while. To me, it seems as if Jesse would have been encouraged to form views opposite of his father’s after witnessing such a heinous act. Perhaps, he was so young when he experienced this event that he immediately became numb to it. Baldwin expresses how Jesse imagines himself holding the knife that the white man uses to cut the runaway slave. He screams with excitement when everyone rushes up to beat the black man in unison. This story shows the significant impact that parents have on their children and what they believe.
Barry Hannah’s “Midnight and I’m Not Famous Yet”
Because Hannah does not (or doesn’t seem to) provide much of a plot, I had an extremely hard time focusing on the story. The last few paragraphs seemed the most thought provoking. In these final paragraphs, he describes the negative impact that Vietnam had on the narrator. Unfortunately, this effect is not uncommon with war veterans (especially those who fought in Vietnam). Hannah’s conclusion was quite clever in that he compares the conclusion of a war to that of a football game.
In this work, Vonnegut discusses in a jovial manner war and the inevitable extinction of the human race. I found his beliefs on the unity that television provides interesting. My cable has been out for over a month, and I feel lost without my daily dose of “The Morning Show” or “Good Morning America.” I listened to these shows while getting ready for class. Because I rarely have time to sit down and read the newspaper, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on in the world right now. I agree with Vonnegut’s views that television ignites apathy on wars and violence. Nowadays, it seems as if a vast amount of people believe in alternative and less volatile ways of national progression.
James Baldwin’s “Going to Meet the Man”
The “picnic” description at the end of this story is probably one of the more disturbing things that I’ve read in quite a while. To me, it seems as if Jesse would have been encouraged to form views opposite of his father’s after witnessing such a heinous act. Perhaps, he was so young when he experienced this event that he immediately became numb to it. Baldwin expresses how Jesse imagines himself holding the knife that the white man uses to cut the runaway slave. He screams with excitement when everyone rushes up to beat the black man in unison. This story shows the significant impact that parents have on their children and what they believe.
Barry Hannah’s “Midnight and I’m Not Famous Yet”
Because Hannah does not (or doesn’t seem to) provide much of a plot, I had an extremely hard time focusing on the story. The last few paragraphs seemed the most thought provoking. In these final paragraphs, he describes the negative impact that Vietnam had on the narrator. Unfortunately, this effect is not uncommon with war veterans (especially those who fought in Vietnam). Hannah’s conclusion was quite clever in that he compares the conclusion of a war to that of a football game.
Roethke and Bishop
Selected Favorites from Theodore Roethke
For the most part, I found Roethke’s poems difficult to read; however, there were a few that I thoroughly enjoyed.
“Frau Barman, Frau Schmidt, and Frau Schwartze”
In this poem, the narrator speaks of three women that used to work in Roehtke’s father’s greenhouse. Since he was a young child when he knew them, he speaks of their influence on his life and how he still recollects their past together. I think it is interesting how the people we meet as children affect our lives forever. My grandmother was one of these influential people in my life. Unfortunately, we often times do not realize the impact that these people have instilled until it is too late to thank them.
“Cuttings” and “Cuttings (later)”
As a person fond of nature, I really enjoyed the way Roethke describes the dehydrated plant stems in this poem. He illustrates their struggle and effort to pull up water from the earth in a personifying way. When reading it, I experienced the labor expended by the thirsty plants, as I’m sure Roethke intended.
“My Papa’s Waltz”
I read this poem in high school and remember discussing whether or not the father physically abuses his young son; however, upon reading some articles on the matter, it seems as though Roethke might be simply describing his father’s drinking habits. The wording that Roethke uses is exceptionally well composed. For example, he writes “My mother’s countenance/ Could not unfrown itself” to express his mother’s frustration. At the end of the poem he status, “You beat time on my head/ With a palm caked hard by dirt…” Perhaps this line causes readers to assume that they have an abusive relationship. I, however, think that Roethke is expressing how quickly he was forced to mature with an alcoholic father.
Selected Favorites from Elizabeth Bishop
I really enjoyed reading Bishop’s poetry. Her writing is not only original, but thought-provoking.
“The Fish”
The description that Bishop uses to illustrate the battered veteran fish was extremely effective. While describing something seemingly unattractive, she uses analogies to make the fish seem more venerable. For example, she compares the brown skin hanging from its body to wallpaper. I also enjoyed the way she describes the fish’s lifeless reaction to being caught. It’s almost as if the fish had grown apathetic over the years.
“The Armadillo”
In this poem, Bishop describes the helpless behavior of an armadillo. Through her writing, she seems to be emphasizing the importance of preparing for the unexpected. The armadillo has no way of protecting itself against the fire, which eventually took its life. He relied on his usual methods of protecting himself, which were inadequate.
For the most part, I found Roethke’s poems difficult to read; however, there were a few that I thoroughly enjoyed.
“Frau Barman, Frau Schmidt, and Frau Schwartze”
In this poem, the narrator speaks of three women that used to work in Roehtke’s father’s greenhouse. Since he was a young child when he knew them, he speaks of their influence on his life and how he still recollects their past together. I think it is interesting how the people we meet as children affect our lives forever. My grandmother was one of these influential people in my life. Unfortunately, we often times do not realize the impact that these people have instilled until it is too late to thank them.
“Cuttings” and “Cuttings (later)”
As a person fond of nature, I really enjoyed the way Roethke describes the dehydrated plant stems in this poem. He illustrates their struggle and effort to pull up water from the earth in a personifying way. When reading it, I experienced the labor expended by the thirsty plants, as I’m sure Roethke intended.
“My Papa’s Waltz”
I read this poem in high school and remember discussing whether or not the father physically abuses his young son; however, upon reading some articles on the matter, it seems as though Roethke might be simply describing his father’s drinking habits. The wording that Roethke uses is exceptionally well composed. For example, he writes “My mother’s countenance/ Could not unfrown itself” to express his mother’s frustration. At the end of the poem he status, “You beat time on my head/ With a palm caked hard by dirt…” Perhaps this line causes readers to assume that they have an abusive relationship. I, however, think that Roethke is expressing how quickly he was forced to mature with an alcoholic father.
Selected Favorites from Elizabeth Bishop
I really enjoyed reading Bishop’s poetry. Her writing is not only original, but thought-provoking.
“The Fish”
The description that Bishop uses to illustrate the battered veteran fish was extremely effective. While describing something seemingly unattractive, she uses analogies to make the fish seem more venerable. For example, she compares the brown skin hanging from its body to wallpaper. I also enjoyed the way she describes the fish’s lifeless reaction to being caught. It’s almost as if the fish had grown apathetic over the years.
“The Armadillo”
In this poem, Bishop describes the helpless behavior of an armadillo. Through her writing, she seems to be emphasizing the importance of preparing for the unexpected. The armadillo has no way of protecting itself against the fire, which eventually took its life. He relied on his usual methods of protecting himself, which were inadequate.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire
Even though I read this story in high school, I noticed more subtleties and felt like I obtained a better understanding of Williams’ purpose the second time around. Williams addresses the sometimes unhealthy relationships between men and women and seems to be acknowledging the fact that every romantic relationship suffers at least one flaw. He illustrates this idea with the characters Blanche, Stella, Stanley, Eunice, and Steve. The two married women in the story experience physical abuse from their husbands. The only woman not married, Blanche, cannot seem to overcome her intense loneliness and “need” to be loved by someone else. She tries to compensate for these overwhelming feelings by sleeping with anyone who will have her. I found Tennessee’s main themes to be personal insecurity and the negative effects of lustful relationships. With these two themes in mind, I find it extremely hard to believe that Stella and Stanley or Eunice and Steve are actually in love with one another. Stella and Eunice probably continue pursuing their marriages because their insecurities cause them to fear being alone. Stanley and Steve, on the other hand, seem to be more into the physical aspects of their relationships and most likely stick around for the sex. Through my own personal experience, I understand how easily girls can get caught up with verbally or physically abusive guys. I also know how hard it can be to escape from the situation. Unlike the two aforementioned women, Blanche is forced out of her marriage when her homosexual husband commits suicide. Like Eunice and Stella, she seems to suffer from insecurity (and probably many other psychological problems), because the loss of her husband causes her to sleep around. She is so afraid of being single—alone—that she demands attention from anyone who will give it to her, regardless of how negative and unhealthy that attention might be. While the somber and uncomfortable tone of this story makes it somewhat difficult to enjoy, I think women who suffer from physical or mental abuse would gain a better understanding of their own conditions and perhaps be encouraged to take action simply from reading its content.
Even though I read this story in high school, I noticed more subtleties and felt like I obtained a better understanding of Williams’ purpose the second time around. Williams addresses the sometimes unhealthy relationships between men and women and seems to be acknowledging the fact that every romantic relationship suffers at least one flaw. He illustrates this idea with the characters Blanche, Stella, Stanley, Eunice, and Steve. The two married women in the story experience physical abuse from their husbands. The only woman not married, Blanche, cannot seem to overcome her intense loneliness and “need” to be loved by someone else. She tries to compensate for these overwhelming feelings by sleeping with anyone who will have her. I found Tennessee’s main themes to be personal insecurity and the negative effects of lustful relationships. With these two themes in mind, I find it extremely hard to believe that Stella and Stanley or Eunice and Steve are actually in love with one another. Stella and Eunice probably continue pursuing their marriages because their insecurities cause them to fear being alone. Stanley and Steve, on the other hand, seem to be more into the physical aspects of their relationships and most likely stick around for the sex. Through my own personal experience, I understand how easily girls can get caught up with verbally or physically abusive guys. I also know how hard it can be to escape from the situation. Unlike the two aforementioned women, Blanche is forced out of her marriage when her homosexual husband commits suicide. Like Eunice and Stella, she seems to suffer from insecurity (and probably many other psychological problems), because the loss of her husband causes her to sleep around. She is so afraid of being single—alone—that she demands attention from anyone who will give it to her, regardless of how negative and unhealthy that attention might be. While the somber and uncomfortable tone of this story makes it somewhat difficult to enjoy, I think women who suffer from physical or mental abuse would gain a better understanding of their own conditions and perhaps be encouraged to take action simply from reading its content.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Richard Wright and Langston Hughes
Richard Wright
“The Man Who Was Almost a Man”
In this story, Dave struggles with his vulnerability and insecurities. He wants more than anything to gain respect and be regarded as a man by his family and community. His approach to achieve this goal, however, unfortunately, causes these significant people in his life to respect him even less. Is Dave’s decision to fire the gun in an unsafe place a reflection of his maturity or intellect? Should a person be respected as an adult when he reaches a certain age or when he is capable of thinking as an adult? I think the latter suffices. Perhaps, the conditions in which Dave grew up in—constantly working in the field and being treated like a child—kept him from maturing intellectually. Just the fact that he “needs” a gun to be a man shows that he is not quite ready to make that forward step into adulthood, but would he have ever been under the said conditions? In my personal opinion, Dave’s final decision to run away from home and become independent from his family and opinions of his community was the first positive step to becoming a man. While he still seemed attached to the gun at the end of the story, I think that by escaping from the people that instigated and sustained his insecurities, he would realize his power as an individual apart from his weapon.
Langston Hughes
Hughes does an excellent job portraying the condition of blacks in America during the early-to-mid 1900’s. All of his poetry, in some way, expresses the frustration of blacks and their united hope that one day they would truly obtain freedom. One of my favorite poems of Hughes is “Mulatto.” His usage of dialogue between the young boy and the white man interested me. I also thought that he effectively used descriptive scents and images to describe a black woman’s body and its insignificance to the slave owner. “I, Too” was another poem that caught my attention. The optimism that the speaker of the poem uses reminded me a lot of Booker T. Washington’s positive outlook on blacks in American society. Like Washington, the speaker in “I, Too” realizes that change cannot occur instantaneously with the declared freedom of his race; however, he looks confidently and calmly into the future, and, despite the pain that America had caused him thus far, he still ends the poem stating, “I, too, am America.”
“The Man Who Was Almost a Man”
In this story, Dave struggles with his vulnerability and insecurities. He wants more than anything to gain respect and be regarded as a man by his family and community. His approach to achieve this goal, however, unfortunately, causes these significant people in his life to respect him even less. Is Dave’s decision to fire the gun in an unsafe place a reflection of his maturity or intellect? Should a person be respected as an adult when he reaches a certain age or when he is capable of thinking as an adult? I think the latter suffices. Perhaps, the conditions in which Dave grew up in—constantly working in the field and being treated like a child—kept him from maturing intellectually. Just the fact that he “needs” a gun to be a man shows that he is not quite ready to make that forward step into adulthood, but would he have ever been under the said conditions? In my personal opinion, Dave’s final decision to run away from home and become independent from his family and opinions of his community was the first positive step to becoming a man. While he still seemed attached to the gun at the end of the story, I think that by escaping from the people that instigated and sustained his insecurities, he would realize his power as an individual apart from his weapon.
Langston Hughes
Hughes does an excellent job portraying the condition of blacks in America during the early-to-mid 1900’s. All of his poetry, in some way, expresses the frustration of blacks and their united hope that one day they would truly obtain freedom. One of my favorite poems of Hughes is “Mulatto.” His usage of dialogue between the young boy and the white man interested me. I also thought that he effectively used descriptive scents and images to describe a black woman’s body and its insignificance to the slave owner. “I, Too” was another poem that caught my attention. The optimism that the speaker of the poem uses reminded me a lot of Booker T. Washington’s positive outlook on blacks in American society. Like Washington, the speaker in “I, Too” realizes that change cannot occur instantaneously with the declared freedom of his race; however, he looks confidently and calmly into the future, and, despite the pain that America had caused him thus far, he still ends the poem stating, “I, too, am America.”
Monday, October 15, 2007
Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce
Mark Twain
“The Art of Authorship”
I both agree and disagree with Twain’s view on the human mind. I agree that people are sometimes incapable of understanding certain concepts; however, I also believe that people often choose not to comprehend what they do not naturally understand. Without constantly exercising one’s mind, a person can easily become lazy and want only to think about what is already known or what is easily understood. Twain believes that the mind decides for the person what it wants and does not want to learn. I disagree with this thought. When he states, “Yes, and likely enough when the structure is at last pretty well up, and attracts attention, YOU feel complimented, whereas you didn’t build it, and didn’t even consciously superintend (407), he implies that we as humans take credit for our brains when we did not create them and have no control over them. Perhaps, Twain implicitly refers to God in his beliefs. In this case, I would agree with him more fully. Overall, this work encouraged me to think and solidified some of my own beliefs on the human mind.
“How to Tell a Story”
Through a series of humorous explanations and comical sample stories, Twain explains to the reader the dos and don’ts of telling a story. He describes the significance of the pause and stresses the importance of not laughing before the story is over (which is definitely something that I tend to do). I admire Twain’s humbleness when he states, “I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told (408). Just the sample stories that he chose as examples were funny enough. His choice of wording and overall style almost made his writing sound out of the page. I could easily imagine him telling the story with pauses and intonation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this work and might actually consider his advice!
Ambrose Bierce
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
Bierce definitely tricks his readers in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” The descriptions of the scenery and emotions felt by Peyton Farquhar are so exact and realistic that it is hard to believe that most of the story is comprised of mere hallucinations. With such incredible talent, Bierce’s imagination and thoughts on the moments right before one’s death seem almost empirical. Almost every idea that Bierce supplies on the topic makes perfect sense; however, I am not sure that I would have been able to originate these thoughts and images on my own.
“The Art of Authorship”
I both agree and disagree with Twain’s view on the human mind. I agree that people are sometimes incapable of understanding certain concepts; however, I also believe that people often choose not to comprehend what they do not naturally understand. Without constantly exercising one’s mind, a person can easily become lazy and want only to think about what is already known or what is easily understood. Twain believes that the mind decides for the person what it wants and does not want to learn. I disagree with this thought. When he states, “Yes, and likely enough when the structure is at last pretty well up, and attracts attention, YOU feel complimented, whereas you didn’t build it, and didn’t even consciously superintend (407), he implies that we as humans take credit for our brains when we did not create them and have no control over them. Perhaps, Twain implicitly refers to God in his beliefs. In this case, I would agree with him more fully. Overall, this work encouraged me to think and solidified some of my own beliefs on the human mind.
“How to Tell a Story”
Through a series of humorous explanations and comical sample stories, Twain explains to the reader the dos and don’ts of telling a story. He describes the significance of the pause and stresses the importance of not laughing before the story is over (which is definitely something that I tend to do). I admire Twain’s humbleness when he states, “I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told (408). Just the sample stories that he chose as examples were funny enough. His choice of wording and overall style almost made his writing sound out of the page. I could easily imagine him telling the story with pauses and intonation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this work and might actually consider his advice!
Ambrose Bierce
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
Bierce definitely tricks his readers in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” The descriptions of the scenery and emotions felt by Peyton Farquhar are so exact and realistic that it is hard to believe that most of the story is comprised of mere hallucinations. With such incredible talent, Bierce’s imagination and thoughts on the moments right before one’s death seem almost empirical. Almost every idea that Bierce supplies on the topic makes perfect sense; however, I am not sure that I would have been able to originate these thoughts and images on my own.
Cummings: Selected Favorites
“in Just-”
While all of his poetry seems to speak of nature, “in Just-” contained just the right wording and style to capture the excitement of springtime. Cummings uses playful words to illustrate the life and joy that Spring ignites in children (and adults, for that matter). Appearing to skip randomly across the page, his words (i.e. “puddle-wonderful” and “mud-luscious”) seem simple, yet evoke the same anxiousness that exists when Spring arrives in the reader.
“somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond”
Before glimpsing at the length of the poem, the reader can already predict that strange spelling and punctuation will follow simply be looking at the title. In this poem, Cummings relates his love interest to the blooming of a rose in the springtime. He compares almost everything that he mentions, whether significant or insignificant, to the coming of Spring. I favored this poem over many of the others that we read, because it has the potential to relate to people on a more personal level. With delicacy, Cumming’s word-choice was very honest and touching.
“anyone lived in a pretty how town”
His usage of paired contradictions to express his overall view proved not only unique but intriguing, as well. I interpreted this poem as saying that no matter how different people may seem, they are essentially indistinguishable in their general goals. The careless way he, more than likely, purposefully wrote this poem makes me think that he deems people as predictable and simple. He uses a complicated strategy to reveal the simplistic and similar though process behind every human despite any meaningless differences that exist.
“O sweet spontaneous”
Out of all the words that Cummings could have capitalized in this work, he choice the first word, “O.” Aside from the very words in his poetry, perhaps Cummings was trying to prove another point. His random capitalizations and punctuation might symbolize his thoughts on the spontaneity of nature. In this work, he almost seems to be mocking scientists who analyze the patterns of nature. He states that the earth is spontaneous and insinuates that those who try to understand nature are naïve. I enjoyed his final comments in this work: “to the incomparable/ couch of death thy/ rhythmic/ lover/ though answerest/ them only with/ spring.”
While all of his poetry seems to speak of nature, “in Just-” contained just the right wording and style to capture the excitement of springtime. Cummings uses playful words to illustrate the life and joy that Spring ignites in children (and adults, for that matter). Appearing to skip randomly across the page, his words (i.e. “puddle-wonderful” and “mud-luscious”) seem simple, yet evoke the same anxiousness that exists when Spring arrives in the reader.
“somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond”
Before glimpsing at the length of the poem, the reader can already predict that strange spelling and punctuation will follow simply be looking at the title. In this poem, Cummings relates his love interest to the blooming of a rose in the springtime. He compares almost everything that he mentions, whether significant or insignificant, to the coming of Spring. I favored this poem over many of the others that we read, because it has the potential to relate to people on a more personal level. With delicacy, Cumming’s word-choice was very honest and touching.
“anyone lived in a pretty how town”
His usage of paired contradictions to express his overall view proved not only unique but intriguing, as well. I interpreted this poem as saying that no matter how different people may seem, they are essentially indistinguishable in their general goals. The careless way he, more than likely, purposefully wrote this poem makes me think that he deems people as predictable and simple. He uses a complicated strategy to reveal the simplistic and similar though process behind every human despite any meaningless differences that exist.
“O sweet spontaneous”
Out of all the words that Cummings could have capitalized in this work, he choice the first word, “O.” Aside from the very words in his poetry, perhaps Cummings was trying to prove another point. His random capitalizations and punctuation might symbolize his thoughts on the spontaneity of nature. In this work, he almost seems to be mocking scientists who analyze the patterns of nature. He states that the earth is spontaneous and insinuates that those who try to understand nature are naïve. I enjoyed his final comments in this work: “to the incomparable/ couch of death thy/ rhythmic/ lover/ though answerest/ them only with/ spring.”
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