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.
