A Look Into the Texts of Summer Semester

1. Shepard, Sam. True West. Samuel French, Inc. New York, 1981.
• This was my favorite text of the semester because of its deep emotions and controversies that it brought up. I felt like it was going to be a typical boring play, but the raw and twisted characters came out and really kept my attention. I chose this text for my first research paper, and it opened my eyes to the symbols and even deeper meanings that I didn’t discover when I first read it which I found to be an interesting experience.
2. Proulx, Annie, Larry McMurtrty, and Diana Ossana. Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay. New York. Scribner, 2005.
• I really enjoyed the story more than the screenplay; however, I did like both. I thought that the intensity of Ennis and Jack’s relationship was relatable and yet different to many people. I also thought it showed the struggles of one’s sexuality because of society during that time period. In addition, I found that their passion and love defied the specific categories of gay or straight portrayed how love is indescribable.
3. The Matrix. Dir. Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. DVD. Warner Home Video, 1999.
• I know that many people are going to have a movie as close to their top choice, but I am no different. Although the ideas that are portrayed seem a little unrealistic to me, the story line was very interesting. The action scenes and use of special effects was incredible and kept the movie exciting. Despite the “mooshy” factor of the ending where Neo is brought back to life through love, this was still my favorite part.
4. Carver, Raymond. Where I’m calling from new and selected stories. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
• The short stories by Carver were all very different and brought up new ideas for each one. I liked how Carver left no hard issue untold about by including issues such as alcoholism, being taken advantage of by family, and even the idea of jealousy and wanting what others have. even though I found the stories to be formatted oddly with the storylines a little too brief and to the point, I still enjoyed learning about Carver’s point of view on the issues.
5. Synge, JM. Riders to the Sea. 2008. Nature Theater. 23 June 2009.

• When I first read this play on my own, I hated it. However, after having a class discussion and learning background of it, I started to appreciate the text more. I liked the use of symbols and the discussion we had about family and gender roles during that time period. Although I found the characters to be quite odd, I can realize the literary value of the work.
6. All’s Well That Ends Well. By William Shakespeare. Kingsmen Park, Thousand Oaks. 17 July 2009.
• Although this play was not my favorite, I still enjoyed it a little bit. I liked the story line and the humorous ending. However, just like in the play Macbeth, the language made it hard to follow the plot. I thought the costumes and set were magnificent but the people needed to speak more clearly and connect with their characters a bit more.

7. William, Shakespeare. Macbeth. New York: Dover Publications, 1993.
• Just like the play Riders to the Sea, this play was very difficult to understand without a discussion from the class. After the discussion, the whole play became clear to me. I started to connect to the characters and understand their motives. I felt so sorry for Macbeth because of his fall from his role as a hero and the loss of his wife. Overall, I liked the work, but the Old English was way too difficult to understand by myself.
8. Silko, Leslie M. Ceremony. New York: The Viking Press, 1977.
• I liked the story and the main character, Tayo. However, this book was hard to follow sometimes because of the wording, and was a slow read because it didn’t have a lot of action til later in the book. I liked the inclusion of culture and tradition. But I did not like the ending at all.
9. Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Books, 1972.
• This book seemed very odd to me. I thought the pictures of naked people were a little much, and the writing never really got to a specific point. I did like the comparisons to a person’s point of view to an artists and how the themes of perception are present in everyday life. Overall, I think the book was just a little strange for my tastes, but had some good ideas in it.
10. Macbeth. By William Shakespeare. Kingsmen Park, Thousand Oaks. 26 June 2009.
• Going to see this play was incredibly painful. Some people shined in their roles, while others could not grasp the motives and really portray their character. It was hard to hear what people were saying because the sound system was having problems. Although I credit a lot of my dislike on the fact that I hadn’t read the play or been to the class discussion, the performance was still not up to standards.

Using John Berger’s Ideas of Perception in “Ways of Seeing” and Applying it to William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Leslie Marmon Silko’s “Yellow Woman”

“It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it” (Berger 7).  In John Berger’s book, Ways of Seeing, Berger looks into the way people view the world and how that impacts them in their life.  This idea of perception can be applied to both to play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and in the short story Yellow Woman by Leslie Marmon Silko to reveal how perception can change a person’s life forever.

Macbeth describes the tale of a man and his wife and how his perceptions of his life after knowing his future changed forever.  Macbeth is seen as a hero because of his loyalties to the king, but he falls from this role as hero once he learns that he will one day be king.  Macbeth’s views are guided by his manipulative wife, Lady Macbeth.  Although Macbeth has the will to overcome his guiding wife, he sees his marriage as with significance and importance and would never jeopardize that.  In addition, Macbeth’s heroic inner characteristics have been blinded by his greed.  Another person in the play whose perceptions are fogged, is the first king, King Duncan.  He sees Macbeth as a loyal man that would never do wrong.  This pressure is another factor to Macbeth’s downfall.  King Duncan needed to prepare himself for distrust, especially since his original Thane of Cawdor betrayed him. However, King Duncan remains blind to Macbeth’s true intentions because he cannot see past the good deeds Macbeth did while on the battlefield.  In the end, both men are killed.  Both murders show that perception and seeing the world with a clear eye is incredibly important to life.

Yellow Woman is a tale about a woman who leaves her family to follow a man who is supposed to guide her in her life.  She has sexual intercourse with him and actually longs to be with him.  She sees him as someone who can help her improve her life.  However, seeing him makes her forget about her family at home.  She has a husband, children, and parents.  The man appears to the reader as a manipulative thief.  His view of the world is that everything is at his disposal.  However, when the time comes, he lets her go.  This shows that perhaps he did care for her after all by letting her return to her stable life.  The young woman continues to yearn for the man long after she leaves him and goes back to her family.  This feeling will stay with her for the rest of her life. The woman has forgotten how she used to view the world, and only has eyes for the man.  While it seems evident that the man will never change his ways.  Both the guiding man and the young woman see the world in their own way and once their visions intertwine, it has changed their lives forever.

Everyone’s perceptions are different, whether it is how they see the world, or how they see others.  But this vision influences how they see world.  This idea of seeing is seen in both both to play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and in the short story Yellow Woman by Leslie Silko.  In both texts, the way people see either cost them their life, or kept them yearning for something they will never be able to achieve.

Transformation in “True West” by Sam Shepard

True West is a play by Sam Shepard which describes the rivalry between two brothers who have been reconnected.  Austin, the younger of the brothers, seems to have his life established as an aspiring screenwriter with a wife and kids, and returns to his childhood hometown to house-sit for his mother.  Lee appears to be the undisciplined older brother who lives his life haphazardly.  True West by Sam Shepard uses literary tools such as setting, symbols and motifs, foreshadowing, a dramatic foil, and an artistic metaphor to reveal the theme of identity transformation.

The play is set in a suburb 40 miles outside of Los Angeles, California near the Mojave Desert.  Although the historical context of the work is that it is set in the late 1970’s, the key ideas are universal and could apply to anyplace or time.  The play takes place in the kitchen of Lee and Austin’s childhood home; a small table and house plants are scattered on set.  The importance of the being back in their childhood home is that the nostalgia for events that took place in that same kitchen, bring up the same feelings that they felt as young boys.  In addition, the kitchen is where most of their drinking takes place.  The significance of their drinking is that it allows for honesty when the boys converse.  Lee drinks throughout the whole play, while Austin only drinks towards the end.  When Lee pours the beer all over himself at the end of the play, it shows that he is covering himself in the truth of his past and the events that took place in that same kitchen when he was a child.  Another important part of the setting is that the house is located near the desert.  Although Lee had been living in the desert before returning to the house, it has also become a place of longing for the brothers.  The desert represents the old western American dream of lands unchartered where a man could create a new identity.  Both the kitchen setup and the longing for the desert reveal that even though the men appear self-assured in the beginning of the play, in actuality, they are lost.

A motif is a recurring thematic component or a central idea that relates to thought while a symbol is a representation of something that usually relates to visibility.  Both these literary tools are present throughout True West and work together to portray the main theme of transformation.  The key motif for the play is the old man, who is an offstage character that is ubiquitous in the lives of Lee and Austin.  The old man serves as a model for the change and independence in the character of each of the brothers.  The brothers are on a search for their identity and the old man is an inspiration for the brothers not to conform to societal ideals, but to live how they choose to, even if it is different than the norm.  This concept of transformation goes hand-in-hand with the houseplants and their role as symbols in the play.  The houseplants signify the order and expected structure of the community.  Austin’s only job is to water the plants while he is house-sitting for his mother, displaying that he is still stuck in the conventional ideas that society has made him feel that he must achieve.  As the play progresses, Austin begins to forget about the plants and leaves them to die.  This scene demonstrates Austin breaking free from the metaphorical restraints that he has felt throughout his life to be someone that he did not feel he could be. He must break out of that image to discover himself.  When the mother returns home from Alaska, it is because she misses her plants.  For her, the plants represent control and regularity, which she has become accustomed to.  After seeing that the plants have died, the mother leaves the house, unable to deal with the feeling of disorder and confusion that has ensued in her home.  This exposes the mother as the guiding force in the brothers’ lives, especially Austin, which made them feel like they had to alter themselves to follow the mold of the public.  The symbol of the houseplants and killing what it represented shows that the influence of the old man directing the boys to their true identity.

Foreshadowing is an important literary device in True West because it provides insights into the future and about the characters themselves.  The first use of foreshadowing transpires in act one scene four when Lee has stolen Austin’s car keys and dares him to call the police on his own brother.  Of course, Austin would never consider such an irrational course of action because of the family ties that the brothers share.  However, Lee does not feel this same sentiment and says that “What kinda’ people kill each other most… Family people. Brothers.” (Shepard page 29).  Lee views family as more prone to violence.  When Lee utters these lines, he finds that he has come to terms with the fact that he will one day fight to the death with his own brother.  However, this destiny takes longer for Austin to understand and come to terms with.  Another use of foreshadowing occurs in act two scene seven when Lee is busy working on the script he has just been hired to write, and Austin has gotten himself into a drunken stupor because he is not pleased by the situation.  In his drunken state, Austin says “[Saul] thinks we are the same person” (Shepard page 44).  This quotation is very important because it exposes that even though they seemed very different at the beginning of the play, the two are quite similar in creative processes. Lee and Austin switch roles in this scene as Lee becomes the concentrated worker and Austin becomes the disturbance.  This scene foreshadows the full transformation that the men undergo later in the play.  Lee has already gone from his unruly state to starting to care and work towards a goal, while Austin is starting to leave his rigid lifestyle to become more carefree.  In both cases, the application of foreshadowing displays something new about the characters while divulging something about future events.

A dramatic foil is a character used to represent certain ideals to compare and contrast another character.  The foil in True West is the character Lee.  Lee is described as a man who lives a life of frivolity and feels free of any pressures of life.  Lee does not care what people think and does not let pressure to be a certain way influence how he lives his life.  In contrast, Austin starts out in the play as a rigid hopeful screenwriter who seems to have it all.  However, Austin feels like he is trapped by the pressures to be something and someone that he is clearly not.  As his brother, Lee is a constant reminder of what Austin really wants out of life, to be his own person and to have the sensation of independence.    In addition, the foil can also encompass certain qualities and highlights those qualities to show the similarity in characters.   For example, the foil character, Lee, has a constant yearning to get away from civilization by escaping to the desert is a need that is also present in Austin. Shepard presents his views that the biggest wrongdoing a character can do is to lose touch with the land.   The land of the men that Lee is so strongly trying to get to is the desert which is place of neutrality and hope.  As the foil, Lee presents what is important to him and reminds his brother of what is important as well.  When the mother returns home, she says “I can’t stay here. This is worse than being homeless.” (Shepard page 70).  Having their mother home brings back old feelings of when the men were just boys and having their mother turn away from them and their historical roots, and they resort to violence.  The physicality of the fighting represents the metaphorical fighting against losing themselves while also losing touch with the land.  In addition, the brawl brings about an epiphany for Austin as he realizes his connection to the land and feels an ever stronger urge to return to the desert.  The use of a dramatic foil helps the contrasting characters recognize the characteristics that they want to obtain and break past the characteristics that society or they themselves have bestowed.

In act two scene nine, when the mother returns home from her vacation, she says “Picasso.  Picasso’s in town.”  Austin states that “Picasso’s dead, Mom.”  However, the mother rejects his comment by replying “No, he’s not dead.  He’s visiting the museum” (Shepard page 66).  Although the mentioning of Picasso seemed random and out of place, the background on this artist made the reference to him quite clear.  Picasso is known for his work in the style of cubism which takes a few different viewpoints to illustrate human figures.  This method distorts the picture, just as looking at certain situations in life can become distorted.  For example, in True West, Austin’s view is distorted by his aspirations to be a part of Hollywood, when in reality, he feels trapped with this ambition that has been thrust onto him.  In addition, Lee’s view is distorted by others believing that he cannot amount to anything in life, when in reality, he has an amazing creative process that is a great asset.  By the end of the play, both the brothers are able to see past their originally distorted views on life and break free of the pressures of others.

Throughout True West, Austin and Lee struggle to find themselves despite the expectations of others to be either a screenwriter or to fail in life.  Shepard examines how the brothers move past these demands using literary tools such as setting, symbols and motifs, foreshadowing, a dramatic foil, and an artistic metaphor.  In the end of the play, the brothers return to their animalistic roots by physically fighting which represents the change that they have undergone.  If either of the men survives the brawl is a mystery.

Works Cited

Braiman, Jay.  Literary Devices.  2007.  03 July 2009.

<http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/lit.htm>

“Cubism.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2009.  03 Jul. 2009

<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/145744/Cubism>.

Haidle, Noah. SparkNote on True West. 2009.  03 July 2009.

<http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/truewest/>.

Shepard, Sam.  True West.  Samuel French, Inc.  New York, 1981.

“Ways of Seeing” by John Berger and the Concept of Perception

Ways of Seeing by John Berger discusses the ideas of perception with examples using portraits, photographs and film.  His use of these basic images signifies the images of the world.  Subsequently his explanations about viewing an image can be applied in everyday life when viewing scenery or looking at a person.

Berger opens by explaining why seeing is so important.  One of his reasons is that seeing helps one establish their place in the world.   This explanation can be taken literally in that a person can be at home on their couch in middle Ventura.  However, a person’s place in the world is directly connected to where they are in life.  So that same person could be in college, struggling with bills and working on their English homework.  This person requires a critical eye in order to see past the simple location of their body and see where their mind and thoughts are.  Another reason why seeing is so important is that seeing allows for an explanation for the world around us.  Although Berger uses the term “explanation”, I believe that the word “clarification” fits better with what he is trying to say.  Seeing can be deceiving therefore what we see cannot be a complete explanation for what is going on.  However, the sights can provide some clarification without truly knowing what is occurring.

This idea of explanation of sights was described in more detail.  Berger believed that the true explanation of what is occurring, which I believe cannot be discovered through sight, is not as gratifying as the sight itself.  Berger uses the example of a sunset.  Seeing the wonderful colors and disappearing sun is almost indescribable.  However, the sunset is factually the earth turning away from the sun.  The knowledge of the action does not quite fit the sight of the action.   I think this idea and example resonates with everyone because we have all had a time in our life where we have seen great things, but the actual explanation does not seem to match the magnitude of what we are seeing.  Berger also states that a view cannot be a libel or a purposeful lie because even though it might seem like a lie or deceiving, all sights are truthful and can only be misconstrued if the observer chooses to do so.  I wonder, what are some reasons someone would twist a situation so that what they see to be false?

When we see an image, we see it differently than any other person.  This is because we have different beliefs and knowledge that factor into our judgments.  Therefore, each time a person sees the same image, they can feel differently about its meaning because their beliefs and knowledge have changed since the last time it was viewed.  Also, art mystifies meaning in that it describes things that in other situations might be apparent.  However, in creations of art, the artist is able to point the observer in the right direction of what kind of reaction or meaning they would like the other to get of it.

Art has changed dramatically since the introduction of the camera.  Although both portraits and pictures depend on the subject being depicted, other factors drive these two apart.  The meaning of a picture from a camera changes with the lighting and angles, whereas a portrait’s meaning changes with the brush strokes and colors.  In addition, the camera reproduces images and breaks it into many meanings.  Does the reproduction of an image take away from its complete original meaning or just partially?

Overall, the idea of perception is important and affects everyone despite where they come from, their ethnicity, their gender or any other factors.  The ideas presented by Berger can be used in everyday life as well as when looking at a portrait by a famous artist.

Work Cited

John., Berger,, and Et Al. Ways of Seeing (A Pelican Original). London: British Broadcasting Corp, 1972.

“Riders to the Sea” by J.M. Synge and Understanding Maurya Through Her Emotions

Riders to the Sea by J.M Synge discusses the struggles of a family in dealing with death.  This play takes place in Ireland.  This location is important because Ireland is an island and this creates isolation and gives power to the sea to create such isolation.  Throughout the play, Maurya comes to terms with her situation and better understands herself through first mourning, then fear, and finally through acceptance.

The play begins by introducing the old woman, Maurya, who has been lamenting, an old Latin term meaning sorrowful mourning, for days over her lost son, Michael, by sleeping and moping.   Her daughter, Cathleen, keeps herself busy by doing chores around the house.  When Nora, Maura’s other daughter enters, she brings with her a bundle of clothes that were found on a dead body that washed up by the seas to the north.  However, the daughters keep this new information hidden from their mother once she wakes by hiding the clothes in the turf loft. The turf loft is where carbonized vegetable tissue is stored so that dry fuel is always at hand.  Was it really more beneficial for her daughter’s not to tell Maurya about the clothes?  Would she have been better off if she didn’t have to wonder about what happened to Michael any longer?

Bartley, Maurya’s last remaining son, decides to sail to another city to sell a horse despite the poor weather.  I think that Bartley’s decision was careless and irresponsible.  He should have been thinking about his family when he went to sell the horse.  He knew that he would be leaving his family with fears, and putting his task off until another day seemed wise.  Now Maura is not only mourning Michael’s disappearance, but now is full of fears for Bartley.  Maurya has already lost her husband and five sons to the sea.  The possibility of losing another son to this tyrant would leave Maurya destitute, or a woman without suffering extreme poverty, without the men of her family.  The sea symbolizes the transcendence from the formalities of earth to the non-formalities of the sea.  In other words, the sea represents the voyage from life into death.

While Maurya goes after Bartley to bless his voyage, Cathleen and Nora examine the clothing they had hidden before.  They were able to confirm that these clothes were indeed their brother, Michael’s.   Maurya returns home claiming to have seen the ghost of Michael riding behind Bartley. Some of the villagers bring the body of Bartley, who has fallen off his horse and drown in the sea.  Maurya becomes eerily calm and accepts that it was God’s time to take her Bartley and all her sons before because they will be together in heaven.  There is not any more pain that the sea can inflict on her or her family.  I thought that Maurya’s final show of feelings seemed odd for a mother.  The play briefly stated that when she lost Michael, Maurya wept greatly, however, with Bartley, she shows only acceptance.  Although I feel that acceptance displays Maurya’s character of a sorrowful woman, I thought a more dramatic reaction would be more fitting.

This play describes the hardships that a woman faces with the deaths that occur in her family.  We learn a lot about Maurya through her reactions.  Her mourning displays her affection and emotion, her fear displays that she still has fight left in her to keep her family safe, and acceptance displays that she believes in God’s plan.  Would her daughters have the same reactions, or did their original concealing of their brother’s clothes distinguish them from their mother?

Works Cited

Synge, JM.  Riders to the Sea.  2008.  Nature Theater.  23 June 2009.

<http://whisperdownthewritealley.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/e1b-riders-to-the-sea-by-jm-synge/>

Connection of Characters In “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx et. al.

The story “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx is about the connection between two men as they enter adulthood at the age of 20.  Ennis starts out as the character with his life together with a fiancé back home, while Jack seems to be the traveler with nothing stable.  Although these characters seem very different, they had a lot in common as well.  Both were “rough-mannered, rough spoken, and inured” meaning accustomed to, “the stoic life”.  The story and the screenplay Brokeback Mountain both provide insights into the connection between the characters, but also have a different affect on its audience.

The story begins with Ennis and Jack’s characters being introduced with some background on their childhood.  They come from very different places but have been brought together to work on Brokeback Mountain to herd some sheep.  Their relationship at this point seems strictly professional and maybe slightly friendly, but their romance has yet to be revealed.  Later in the story, the men become sexually involved and pass it off as a onetime thing that is of no one’s business.  However, their connection to one another is created at this time.  Once they receive their payment from work and go their separate ways, the men are overcome with a feeling of sadness and emptiness.  Ennis goes home to marry Alma, his fiancé, while Jack travels to Texas to start a new life.  I hated this part because I really wanted the men to turn around and go back to each other.  They tried to pass of their connection as a silly thing that didn’t matter, but it is already obvious that it is so much more.

After four years pass, the men reconnect when Jack, a now married man with a child, comes to Ennis’ town where he still lives with Alma and now has two daughters.  The men embrace in the hallway which quickly turns into a passionate kiss.  Alma witnesses this event, but cannot bring herself to say anything.  Over the next couple years, the men meet up again a couple times a year to be alone together, while they tell their wives that they are away fishing or camping.

Alma finally divorces Ennis after a hard couple of years, and even makes remarks about his relationship with Jack when Ennis comes to visit his daughters.  But now that Ennis is alone and broke, it has become more difficult to leave town to be with Jack.  Jack does not understand because he feels such a deep connection with Ennis that he doesn’t comprehend that they can’t be together more often.  The discussion becomes more heated as Jack explains that they could have had a wonderful life together.  Jack goes on to say that “You’re too much for me…I wish I knew how to quit you” (page 21).  This scene reveals that this boyhood crush has turned into a profound love.  This scene really resonated with me because his words expressed his feelings so well, which was a turning point for him.  The men part and months pass.  Ennis finally calls Jack’s home to make plans to see each other again; however, Jack has passed away.  Ennis goes on with his life knowing that he had felt was true love was like and felt nostalgia for the wonderful times that he and Jack shared.  Was Ennis regretful of not starting a life with Jack, or did he feel his reasons were valid enough to keep their relationship private?

I read the last scene of the screenplay to compare with the story.  I found that the screenplay used a lot of the descriptions from the story which was important for the actors in order for them to truly understand the characters.  The screenplay used a lot more dialogue than the story which is understandable because it is going to be turned into a movie.  However, I thought the lack of words really displayed how the men did not need to converse, but were comfortable enough with each other not to speak.  In addition, the inclusion of pictures was helpful in connecting with the characters because I was able to put a face to a name and description.  I think that the screenplay described the budding love as a slower and growing process, rather than in the story which describes their attraction as more of an instantaneous event.

Works cited

“Inured.”  Def.  1.  Webster’s American English Dictionary.  3^rd ed.  1999.

Proulx, Annie, Larry McMurtrty, and Diana Ossana.  Brokeback Mountain:  Story to Screenplay.  New York.  Scribner, 2005.

Looking Into the Influence of Others Using “Where I’m Calling From” by Raymond Carver

Raymond Carver’s Where I’m Calling From is a collection of short stories that provide an overview of Carver’s life.  His use of simple language and known vocabulary make the situations more relatable to the reader.   “Fat” and “Little Things” are a couple of the stories which go into the influence of other people in one’s life and reveal inner problems.

The story “Fat” from Carver’s book is narrated by a young woman, , as she retells the events that occurred one night when she was working as a waitress to her friend.  In walks “the fattest man I’ve seen,” (page 64) says the woman narrator’s coworker after the fat man is seated.  After serving him dinner, dessert, and several orders of bread, she speaks to the fat man a bit.  She says how she wishes she could put on some weight, and he says that he has always eaten like this and can only put on weight.  In this scene, the two make a connection which becomes apparent when the narrator goes home with her husband.  As she lies in bed, she feels incredibly fat and huge and ends by saying that her “life is going to change” (page 69).  The fat man is never referred to as any else other than “fat man”, revealing that his appearance is a major part in his influence on the narrator.  This change that the narrator refers to displays that the fat man has changed her outlook on life.  In addition, the narrator’s insecurities are unknown until she mentions at the very end about how fat she feels.  The presence of the man at her work brought out these insecurities, but if the narrator chooses to work on them is a mystery.

The story “Little Things” is narrated by an omniscient figure that is ambiguous to the events that occur.  The story begins by showing a married couple obviously having problems.  The man is packing his things ready to leave their home while the wife yells that she is “so glad [he] is leaving” (page 152).  Were their problems caused by a single event, or just because of circumstances that made them change as people and grow apart?  As the man is about to leave, he demands that the baby in the woman’s arms should leave with him.  The woman refuses and backs away as the man approaches.  He grabs the baby’s arm, while the woman holds on to the arm opposite.  As each of the couple hold on tightly, the baby is harmed which is apparent by the last line “He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this matter, the issue was decided” (page 154).  The violence from both the parents seemed sudden, but in their nature because neither backed down or voiced that they were hurting the baby.   What were the motives of each of the adults for holding on to the baby?  Was it for love for the baby?  Or to spite the other?

Overall, I found the theme of Carver’s short stories to be sad and twisted.  He brought up issues and controversies in both “Fat” and “Little Things” that gave insight into the characters and showed new sides to them that were not evident in the beginning of the story.  Overall, Carver displayed how apparently decent people can get themselves into atrocious situations due to misbehaviors and the revelation of their true characters.

Work Cited

Carver, Raymond. Where I’m calling from new and selected stories. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.

“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare and the Fall From Heroism

The first half of the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare describes how Macbeth falls from his role as a hero.  Macbeth learns nothing from the haunting and guilt he feels and gets himself into more of a dilemma.  In the second half of the play, Macbeth reveals his true weakness and tragic flaw of desire as a hero by returning to the witches and letting his wife go mad with guilt.

The second half of the play begins when Macbeth travels to the cavern of the witches to see if his fate has changed.  The weather of when Macbeth sees the witches is thunder and lightning which symbolizes disruption of moral order.  This foreshadows Macbeth disrupting his role as a hero, but also represents his original fall from heroism in the first half.  In addition, the witches represent chaos and and conflict because their presence brings betrayal and disaster.  He learns that he must beware Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who opposed Macbeth’s place on the throne.  Macduff flees to join Malcom in England.  In the meantime, Macbeth orders for his men to “skirr”, meaning “to move rapidly or scour”(page 74), Macduff’s castle.  When this news reaches Macduff, he vows revenge and plans to invade Macbeth.  Macbeth should have realized what trouble learning his future can cause from the first time he encounters the witches.  However, his desires to be king and have power have blinded him to his decent character.  Does Macbeth undergo all these insane acts to be a ruler because of his own will or because of the encouragement from his wife?  Is it a combination of both his inner desires and Lady Macbeth’s as well?

Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth begins to sleep walk and imagines blood staining her hands, showing her guilt for encouraging her husband to kill King Duncan.  Instead of being able to make a plan against the invading Macduff, Macbeth is struck by fear and overcome by grief.  While in battle, Macbeth encounters the vengeful Macduff, and realizes that it is all over.  After Macbeth is beheaded, Malcom is crowned king of Scotland.  Macbeth’s main motive for becoming king was to make his wife happy.  However, keeping her safe should have been his main concern, rather than worrying about being king.  Macbeth’s desires overcame him, and even what he loved most in the world was pushed aside because of his pride.  Would Macbeth change what he did since he would know the outcome, or would he still be lead by his cravings to be powerful?

The disastrous consequences of Macbeth’s ambition reflect the chaos of Scotland.  Shakespeare depicts the land as a shaken one with a social order destroyed.  Kenneth Muir writes, “Macbeth has not a predisposition to murder; he has merely an inordinate ambition that makes murder itself seem to be a lesser evil than failure to achieve the crown.” In other words, Macbeth believed that his acts of immoral killings were irrelevant because of his eventual means of becoming a king.  In the second half of the play, we see how Macbeth truly loses himself in his desires from when he returns to the witches and when Lady Macbeth dies.

Work Cited

William, Shakespeare. Macbeth. New York: Dover Publications, 1993.

“Ceremony” by Leslie Marmon Silko and the Clash of Cultures

The book Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko describes the struggles of a man, Tayo, who is half Native American, half white.  Trying to fit into one culture while being attached to another leaves him lost and confused.  Another problem Tayo faces is the trauma that he experiences after going to war and having to deal with these feelings.  A theme that seems intrinsically connected to this book is that of the destructiveness that comes with contact of cultures.

Tayo is both Native American and of white culture, however, neither culture fully accepts him.  They see the other half of him as impure and ignore the purity of the half that they see in themselves.  Silko looks deep into the Native American culture to see the interactions it has with the white culture and the destructiveness that goes along with such interactions.  Tayo embodies this interaction by having features of both cultures; green eyes and dark skin.  Tayo inner conflicts with himself represent the great conflicts that occur in the world around him.  It is about finding a balance between the two and learning to embrace both and not forgetting about one or the other.

The first interaction with the white culture after being raised with his Native American family is with his teachers.  They told Tayo that his stories were untrue and then presented him with new outlooks on science and nature.  This leads into a problem that is created by pollution on the reservation lands by mines that were put in by white military companies.  In addition, Native Americans are drawn to white towns in the hopes of good jobs and good pay but instead are bombarded by racism and denies them high positions  However, Native Americans are swooned by the draw to white bars and face other problems such as alcoholism.

This approach that Silko has introduced in her book is mainly focused on cultures and traditions.  These ideas are important and connect to other ideas in the book which is why they are ever present throughout the book.  Silko is able to create a new outlook on this approach of culture by including the descriptions of two different cultures, how they interact, and how they change with the influence of one another.

Work Cited

Silko, Leslie M. Ceremony. New York: The Viking Press, 1977.

“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare in Kingsmen Park

The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare takes place during the middle Ages in Scotland. The main character Macbeth shows his loyalty to the king after aiding in a battle. When travelling home with Banquo, they both learn of their fates. Macbeth will be first deemed thane of Cawdor and eventually king, while Banquo’s heirs will be a line of kings. After Macbeth’s is pronounced thane of Cawdor by King Duncan, his wife, Lady Macbeth wants him to seal his fate as king by killing Duncan. Macbeth does so, and he pronounced king. Macbeth becomes paranoid and order for Banquo and his son Fleance to be killed, but Fleance gets away. Meanwhile, Macduff’s disapproval of Macbeth being king is heard by Macbeth and he orders for Macduff and his family to be killed. Macduff flees to England to be with Malcom where they plot revenge. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth is subconsciously overcome by guilt, and kills herself. Macbeth becomes miserable and no longer focuses on the invading Macduff. In the end, Macbeth is beheaded and Malcom is declared king.
The play discusses the internal struggles of man while he must decide between what is right and his own desires. The complications with his decision involve other characters. For example, Lady Macbeth encourages her husband quite strongly that he should secure his place on the throne. While on the other hand, King Duncan praises Macbeth on his loyalty and even rewards him by pronouncing him thane of Cawdor. The theme of ambition destroying conscious displays the idea of heroic flaw. Macbeth started out as a hero when he proved his loyalty on the battlefield, however, his flaw was his mortal desires. Another important idea of the play is the reoccurring ghosts and hallucinations. These occur repeatly throughout the play, and are warnings or foreshadowing. For example, the floating dagger that is covered in blood points towards the king’s chambers. This represents Macbeth’s soon to be death, and king Duncan’s murder early in the play.
Watching the play be acted out was much easier than trying to read the play on my own. However, I was still clueless for a lot of the play because the language was hard to understand. Rather, I had to deduce what was occurring onstage by watching how people acted and their tone of voices. The set was well crafted, and the already existing trees made you feel like you were in a forest, just as the play is set. In addition, I really liked the costumes. They displayed who each character was and their role in society.
Overall, I found the play hard to follow. Although the synopsis in the guide was a bit helpful in distinguishing the key events, it took some time into the play to really understand what was going on. To make this play more enjoyable, the opening that told people to turn off cells phones and introduced the theater company should have included a brief synopsis and explanation. Moreover, the addition of more comic relief would have made the tragic events a little easier to deal with. I think that if I had read the play and studied the key concepts before watching it live, it would have made it much more enjoyable.

Work Cited

Macbeth. By William Shakespeare. Kingsmen Park, Thousand Oaks. 26 June 2009.