New Year’s Sacrifice- Sharon Cheung
“Everybody called her Hsiang Lin’s Wife. They did not ask her her own name; but since she was introduced by someone from Wei Village who said she was a neighbour, presumably her name was also Wei. She was not very talkative, only answering when other people spoke to her, and her answers were brief.”
In Chinese culture, many of the choices we make in life are based on whether it will be helpful to us in our afterlife. My parents always taught me old Chinese sayings/lessons. For an example, they have always taught me when I was young that the amount of food I leave on my plate today is how much “garbage/trash” I’ll have to consume in my afterlife. This was said by people in the villages they grew up in. Chinese idelas and beliefs are important in our culture. I could relate to the wife in the story since I understand the reasons for the way she acts. Divorce is looked down upon in Chinese culture. Couples stay together even if they do not love each other for the sake of their children. Some even stay married for the money.
It is easy to feel like a outcast when your beliefs and values are different from society’s. It is hard for her to reject her ideals and go against society’s norms, especially as a women. In her culture, men are dominant. Her name is never mentioned in the story and only referred to as Hsiang Lin’s wife. The women was known by the man’s wife and not her own person. Females were not important in society. It is common for Chinese households to have a working male and a stay at home mother. The male was the breadwinner that put dinner on the table. It is hard for the woman in the family to exert agency. Therefore, they stay quiet and go along with what society wants them to do. I believe that this cultural norm should be changed especially as the world is changing today. Women have more rights and just as many opportunities as men. Chinese beliefs should transition over to more western beliefs.
I think this story shows an important aspect in every culture. There are certain beliefs and values that are negative and demeaning of the people in it. I believe that the view that divorced and widowed women are “unclean” should be exterminated. They see it as bad luck but in today’s society, a divorce means that the two simply do not work out. A widowed woman could not prevent the death of her husband. I agree that some of these beliefs do not have a place in today’s modern society.
Oroonoko- Sharon Cheung
Video: 1:30-3:05
“He begged Trefry to give him something more befitting a slave, which he did, and took off his robes: nevertheless he shone through all, and his osenbrigs…could not conceal the graces of his looks and mein; he had no less admirers than when he had his dazzling habit on: the royal youth appeared in spite of the slave, the people could not help treating him in a different manner, without designing it. As soon as they approached him, they venerated and insinuated it into every soul. So that there was nothing talked of but this young and gallant slave, even by those who yet knew not that he was a prince. “(28)
If one is among a group of people, wearing the same clothes and with similar features, they would blend in. There would not be any difference between them to call someone more “royal” or of a higher status. When Prince Oroonoko was among the slaves, he was wearing the same clothing as them. Even though he tried his best to be one of them, he gave off a sense of authority. Even those who didn’t know he was a prince, they treated him with veneration. Some people are born with a royal appearance and others give off the sense of power. Oroonoko was one of them. Even if someone is not dressed like a ruler, they are still given the power of authority. This goes against a democratic society. Through the character of Prince Oroonoko, the author shows that some people are meant to be in power and rule.
In the video, the commentator mentions how beauty is a big signifier of his royal designation. This is true in that a ruler needs to be put together well in order for people to think of him as a higher power. Even though Oroonoko was dressed like a slave, he still stood out. He had certain features that a ruler has. The man in the video describes Oroonoko as “beautiful, great, and roman looking”. He is referred to as a “manly man”. The lady who wrote Oroonoko defames the looks of the African Americans in the story so there was no social justice here. Oroonoko’s admirers did not decrease when he was dressed like a slave. The author says even without his “dazzling habit”, people still venerated him. This shows how appearances are important and beauty is one of the requirements for royalty.
Frankenstein- Sharon Cheung
“‘Boy, you will never see your father again; you must come with me.’
“‘Hideous monster! Let me go. My papa is a syndic–he is M. Frankenstein–he will punish you. You dare not keep me.’
“The child still struggled and loaded me with epithets which carried despair to my heart; I grasped his throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at my feet.
2:45- 6:00
The Youtube video shows the scene where the monster kills William. The video is done in black and white to show the seriousness of the scene. The monsters voice is distorted and deepened to give him a more “monster” character. There is innocent music in the background when William is first introduced. This portrays him as a innocent child but automatically shifts when he starts to call the monster those names. It shows how family can have a influence on how you see and portray people. Children do not learn hateful words unless they are taught. Victor along with the rest of the family influenced William to see him as not a human but a “ogre”. I think the actors in this video did their best to portray this. We can see the height difference and how the monster towers over William.
The monster’s alienation from society caused him to do perform destructive acts such as murder. He was rejected by society because of his appearance and was fed up with the abandonment from all those around him. The contrast between him and Victor is that Victor creates life while he takes life. He decided to approach William, hoping a child will not see him as a monster but as a human being. He was wrong. William reacted the same way Victor did. He saw him for his ugly appearance and called him “monster” and “ugly wretch”. His first intention was not to hurt the child. He was feeling lonely and discontent with how people treated him. He wanted someone to see treat him normal. After William reacted the way Victor did, the monster wanted revenge so he killed him. This way, Victor would feel pain and sorrow.
Metamorphosis: Sharon Cheung
Metamorphosis:
“My dear parents,’ said the sister banging her hand on the table by way of an introduction, ‘things cannot go on any longer in this way. Maybe if you don’t understand that, well, I do. I won’t pronounce the name of my brother in front of this monster, and so all I say is: we have to try to get rid of it. We’ve done everything humanly possible to take care of it and to put up with it” (3.17)
Gregor’s family did not take the shock very well when they found out he transformed into a bug. His father got physical with him and started throwing apples at him. The video I chose depicts how the family reacted to his transformation. It is very dramatic as we can see from the acting and music in the background. The acting is over dramatic and the expressions are exaggerated. We see and sense the emotions the characters are feeling. The overemphasis of the characters emotions in the trailer make the story seem like a comedy. The actors do a great job in expressing how the family felt towards Gregor. They felt pain and anger which we see through the yelling and tears. His sister would not even say his name in front of him, who she calls a “monster”. She also refers to him as a “it” and not a human being. Gregor is seen as a bug or a home pest that they have to exterminate.
Gregor has provided for his family his whole life. He worked to help provide for his parents and sister who wanted to attend music school. However, his sister states, “We’ve done everything humanly possible to take care of it and to put up with it.” It is ironic that they can not do the same for him. If they get rid of Gregor, who would be able to pay the bills and support them?
The family no longer sees them as a son or a brother but a pest in their home that needs to be exterminated. The video trailer shows some scenes through the eyes of Gregor. We are able to see the looks that his father, mother, sister, and other visitors give him. The expressions and emotions toward the whole situation is very well depicted in the video.
Bartleby
Video: 0:40-5:00
I thought it was interesting how the video producer made Bartleby look. It matches his personality.
He is tall, skinny, and has bags under his eyes. He is given a sad expression on his face which does not change throughout the entire video. “At first Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As if long famish- ing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents. There was no pause for digestion. He ran a day and night line, copying by sun-light and by candle-light. I should have been quite delighted with his application, had he been cheerfully industrious. But he wrote on silently, palely, mechanically.” Bartleby never leaves the office– he sleeps and works there 24/7. It is his home. He barely eats, hence why he is portrayed as a skinny character is the video. His boss should be happy that he is such a diligent and hard worker. The narrator also called Bartleby a “perpetual sentry in the corner”– he never left his spot like a soldier stationed to keep guard. We see the stacks of paper that fills up on his desk. He is like a robot that does a mundane task over and over again without stopping. He did his job from sunrise to sunset with no break. In the end, his exhaustion eventually caught up to him. Everyone strives for a job on Wall Street. They would do whatever it takes to land a job there, but Bartleby however is the opposite. He “prefers not to” do the task that is given to him by his boss. There are three other scriveners in the story that are the typical office workers, that listen to their boss and follows all the orders. They eat coffee and donuts.
The video also has no spoken dialogue which I thought was interesting. It correlates to the fact that Bartleby doesn’t say that many lines throughout the story. The music in the background also makes it sound haunting and scary towards the end when Bartleby commits suicide. The scenes where he is electrocuted and put through a paper shredder symbolizes his depression and emptiness. The wall that is outside his window symbolizes the prison that he feels like he is in. He is like a prisoner in the office, like many Wall Street workers feel like also. He often stares out the window which symbolizes his isolation and deteriorating health.
Songs of Myself: Sharon Cheung
Section 32 of Songs of Myself is all about animals. Walt Whitman compares humans to animals and describes how we differ from one another. Animals are carefree, without worry, and look at life with a healthy attitude. Humans are plagued with distress, anger, guilt, and sadness. He is trying to achieve a place in his life where he can come to the same state as the animals. He wants tranquility and peace in his life without all the chaos. The video shows a family on a farm reciting the stanza of the poem. They are away from the busy city life with busy streets, technology and all of the media. They are on a farm that is surrounded by nature. It is peaceful with horses and cattle around them. They’re life is simple like the animals. There are trees and sunlight shining down on their face. It is a simple life they live. They portray a healthy and happy family like the animals they care for. It also seems like they live a simple and minimalistic life, which is also something animals have. They are not materialistic and depend on expensive material. They focus on the important and necessary things in life. They eat and rest. He states, “Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things, Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago, Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.” In the stanza, he also mentions a stallion in which he shares a special connection with. He lets the stallion roam freely. In the video, it shows a stallion who is not chained down and is able to walk and run freely. The horse is in nature where he belongs. We see it roll around on the ground happily which shows a happy and carefree horse that isn’t being restrained by its owner. The animal lives in the moment and does not stress about the past or present. Whitman is hoping that as humans, we achieve a similar state in which we are free from all the negativity in our lives and live in tranquility. He wants us to not dwell in the past but to live for the present. Human happiness is important to him and that is why he feels a strong connection to the animals.
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King Lear: Blog #1
King Lear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqL2DDXYoG0&list=LLXvWVHNOoXpWR_iQFdHLOrQ&index=22&t=0s
The video I chose shows a artistic project that is produced by the Goat Theatre on King Lear. It uses music as a way of telling a story. The video uses a combination of gestures, music, and words to bring forth the message of Shakespeare’s King Lear. It utilizes a variety of artistic elements such as sounds, color, clothing, and facial expressions to highlight the themes in the story. The video shows all of the characters wearing black articles of clothing. There is not a bright color in sight. I believe the producer is trying to convey the dark nature of the plot by using minimal colors in his/her work. It represents the theme of blindness and darkness in King Lear himself. He was blinded by his greed and arrogance that he did not see his daughters did not truly love him. He did not see how they “loved” him for his wealth.
I believe the digital user found the drama and suspense most appealing about King Lear. There is suspenseful and haunting music that plays in the background that sets the tone for the story. The drums that are being played as well as the chant like voices in the background represent the craziness and madness that Lear goes through throughout the play. The loud drumming sound also gives off a powerful sense since the characters are loyalty. The facial expressions the actors make give us a visualization of the emotions the characters go through. It allows the viewers to feel the emotions the characters in the play feel. The video brings Shakespeare’s play to life with the powerful dancing and loud, booming voices of the characters. The producer also uses minimal props and decorations to have the audience focus on the characters themselves and the emotion they are giving off. He/she finds the nature of King Lear most appealing. It was interesting to see how a piece of literature can be translated into something as artistic as a song.
Don Quixote- Blog #2
Don Quixote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLd4A4dZHbM
Don Quixote falls in “love” with a maiden named Dulcinea. He gives her the name Dulcinea because it sounds somewhat like a princess. The name has a soft and gentle sound as opposed to her actual name, Aldonza Lorenzo. They have never met and she may not even be real but Don Quixote insists that she is the reason he is fighting. He created her in his mind and describes her as a beautiful damsel who lives far away in a castle. He makes many comparisons of her features. He says, “for her hairs are gold, her forehead Elysian fields, her eyebrows rainbows, her eyes suns, her cheeks roses, her lips coral, her teeth pearls, her neck alabaster, her bosom marble, her hands ivory, her fairness snow, and what modesty conceals from sight such, I think and imagine, as rational reflection can only extol, not compare.” She is described as the ideal and perfect woman but in reality, she is actually a young woman who has manly features with a loud voice. She has the qualities that would be good for manual labor which is the exact opposite of how Don Quixote describes her. In the video I chose, the video producer decides to make a comparison between Dulcinea to Disney princesses. It was an interesting depiction of the characters, especially since the characters are very much like the story of Cinderella. Don Quixote is Prince Charming who only sees the beautiful princess who is elegant, beautiful, and wears fancy clothing. However, in reality, the princess (Dulcinea) is actually the opposite. The viewers can see similarities in all the disney characters and their plot. The story of Don Quixote is like a fairy tale movie. He is fighting for a princess, like a prince, and goes on a long, adventurous journey to try to get to her. However, unlike the fairy tales, they do not end up together. I believe the video is an accurate representation of his life because he made Dulcinea feel like a real character when she was just in his imagination. She is like the characters in fairy tales that don’t exist. His description of her perfectly aligns with Disney princesses. She is described as beautiful, virtuous, and overall perfect.