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.
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