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For Wednesday’s class, please continue reading Waiting for Godot. Try to read as far into Act Two as you can. Thanks!

A link to the handout I distributed in class can be found here.

Holly Ivey

9/16/16

Peer/ ENG 2850

Waiting for Godot Act 1

Partnering, pairings, couplings, duos, companions, they are essential for many things including any good “buddy flick”, a good meal, and the perpetuation of any species. So, its not surprising that pairings have become a recurring theme throughout our reading assignments thus far, including Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

The first assignment we read, The Life of Lazirillo de Tormes, was entirely an account of the several pairings or partnerships Lazaro partook in over the course of his life. In spite of Lazaro being repeatedly told, and then coming to believe himself, that he mustn’t depend on, or trust, anyone to ensure his survival. He was in fact never actually alone. The mere act of taking care of himself required him to pair-up with either an employer or partner up with another individual that offered a mutually beneficial situation. Although Lazaro suffered greatly with many of these companions, he also gained valuable tools for continued survival.

Similarly, in the 3^rd episode of “The Uncertain Hour” Podcast, we are informed that, because studies suggest it is one of the most successful tools to prevent families from suffering in poverty, Oklahoma has invested heavily in programs that foster long-term coupledom or two-parent households.

Which finally, brings us to Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot“, where we are introduced to the main characters; long-time companions that refer to one another as Didi and Gogo. They are so co-dependent that it is hard to tell where one starts and the other ends, to the extent that they are virtually interchangeable individuals. This is a partnership of equals. Even though they each at different times ponder, “if [they] wouldn’t have been better off alone, each one for himself.” (58). For reasons not divulged to the reader they feel tethered or obligated to the other, and so together, they suffer the wait for Godot in hopes that he will offer them an option that will benefit both of them.

Meanwhile, as they wait, they encounter yet another pair; a local townsman and landowner named Pozzo who is literally tethered to his slave of nearly 60 years (ironically named Lucky). Unlike Didi and Gogo, this pairing, more similarly to many of Lazaro’s many pairings, has a distinct power imbalance. Yet, in spite of, or maybe because of this, they too are completely co-dependent. Unlike Didi and GoGo who both wonder about the possibilities of separation, Pozzo is burdened with the decision of how to untether and abandon the aging and less desirable Lucky, regardless of Lucky’s wishes. He wants to “…[kick] him out on his arse”(31) and has the power to do so, but, instead, feels obligated to take Lucky “to the fair” where Pozzo unrealistically thinks he will “…get a good price for him.”, thus ensuring Lucky a future with another master. Consequently, Lucky suffers extreme physical stress trying to convince Pozzo of his value within their coupling. In addition, the typically stoic and self-possessed slave suffers severe emotional trauma when Pozzo suggests, “the best thing would be to kill [him].”(31). Although Pozzo is cruel, and one would think being set free either from Pozzo or his own mortal coil would come as a relief, sadly Lucky bears this psychological chain to Pozzo possibly because it is virtually the only life he’s known.

Finally, following the theatrics of Pozzo and Lucky, in the last moments we are introduced to a boy in the service of Mr. Godot. He too is half of a pair of siblings that both serve Mr.Godot, All we are told of this pair is that the boy and his brother have similar yet separate responsibilities for Mr.Godot. We also glean from the interaction between the boy and Didi on page 55 that for reasons unknown to the boy, Mr.Godot beats his brother but not him. Indicating they have very different relationships with Mr.Godot.

In summation, throughout all these readings we are given an opportunity to examine a few different kinds of pairings. I find Becket’s use of pairings as a literary device both interesting and puzzling. I believe it raises the following questions:

First, seeing as DiDi and GoGo are so similar, why did the author feel the need to split them into two characters? What insight is provided about the nature of pairing up in general? Does the Author feel Didi and Gogo’s union to be beneficial to either person, or is he indifferent to the consequences, if any, of them staying together?

Lastly, The Author spends considerable time making us aware of how insensitive and cruel Pozzo is towards Lucky, except for the short moment that he seems to be earnestly conflicted with what to do with Lucky now that he doesn’t want him anymore. He blames Lucky for not having kept himself desirable so as not to put Pozzo in the position of having to make this decision. What is the author trying to say about power dynamics both in interpersonal relationships as well as in society as a whole? What is he trying to say about the concept of obligation within power structures?

 

 

 

 

For our class on Monday, September 19th, please read Act One of “Waiting for Godot,” by Samuel Beckett.

For our class on Monday, September 19^th, write a reading response on The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes. Your response should focus on a single episode of the story, no more than a few pages in length. (However, you may refer to the rest of the text, if appropriate.)

Your response should be about a page or so in length, and need only be a single paragraph.

Follow the “Claims, Evidence, Analysis” format that we have been reviewing in class.*

 

*You may write about the same episode that you considered along with your group in class. However, you may not rewrite your paragraph from class exactly. You can develop upon your group work, but please make your reading response original. The handout we used in class can be found here.

Chapters 5-7

Pardoner’s strategy of selling popal indulgences reminds me current marketing strategies.

Whenever place Lazaro’s fifth master, pardoner, arrives, he bribes the local priest for their help to gather as more people as possible for his preaches. In these preaches, he sells popal indulgences. From my point of view, businesses are doing the similar act when they are paying the mass media to broadcast their products or services to the mass, so people will buy them. One of the most essential goals of advertising is to reach as more people as possible. Pardoner knew the importance of a mass and paid local priests to bring more people to his preaches, so he could sell more of his product.

Pardoner also sell popal indulgences by playing a trick with constable on the mass. Constable accuses pardoner to be a fraud. While constable accuses him, he falls to the ground howling, with his mouth foaming. And only after an indulgence is placed on his head and pardoner’s prayers, he recovers his senses. After this trick, people start believing that indulgences are holy and start buying them. Nowadays, advertising companies play the similar tricks on us whenever they are advertising some kind of products or services. For example, toothpaste company advertise its new toothpaste. How does the ad of toothpaste usually go?! Someone brushes his or her teeth. And after the first brush, his or her teeth becomes white as never before. It can not be true in reality because our teeth will never become whiter after one brush with any kind of toothpaste. Even though people are well informed that the ads are not always necessarily true, but they still spend their money based on them.

Lazaro dressed up and finds some friends.

It is interesting how Lazaro finds friends right after he earns some money and “respectably” dresses up. In chapter six, Lazaro earns enough money to buy respectable second hand clothes which he never had before. (p112) In the very next chapter, he finds another job, “with the help which I got from friends…” he says. (p113-114) It is unusual because before the chapter seven, Lazaro did not mention anything about his friends. I assumed because he did not have any before. However, it changes in the chapter following by six where he earns some money and “respectably” dresses up. 

Questions

Do you think advertising is another type of trick or not? Why or why not?

What do you think the total percentage of our spending due to out needs? What do you think the total percentage of our spending due to advertisement?

What role does money play in friendships?

Please finish The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes for our class on Wednesday, September the 14th. Also read the introduction at the beginning, by Juan Goytisolo.

Here is a link to the CEA review material we went over at the end of class. Please take another look at it, including the example paragraph. We will be returning to it soon. You can find it here.

Karen Monique Oliveira
Eng 2850
Professor Peer
09.10.2016

The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes
Chapters 3 and 4

Recurring Theme of Hope

As a reader, I personally feel a hope for Lazaro with every new chapter and every new quest for a master. It seems as though Lazaro also carries with him a sense of hope even though he has gone through hell and back with his past two masters. This is something about his character that I find admirable. On page 57 after an old man said he could be his servant, Lazaro states “ I had decided that my new master was obviously a man who bought things in quantities, and that his meal was probably all ready and was exactly what I needed and was pinning for.” After reading that I was amazed at his positivity after everything he had gone through, even as just a reader I was not as hopeful for him. But this makes me think of the importance of hope as a theme in every story and in life in general. What is the point of anything if without hope? Everything that we do lies within the theme of hope whether we see it that way or not and especially for someone who is born under difficult or less than desired circumstances, hope is what maintains the story going. If the chapters began with Lazaro having a defeated attitude then we would not experience with him that sense of something better coming and perhaps the journey would not be as interesting and timeless.

Making a little, last a long time.

Another point I wanted to touch on was the idea of making a little last a long time, which is something that that comes up in previous chapters as well. On page 63 Lazaro talks about eating a little and making it last him a long time. Which is true, he would have to make bread crumbs last him for days. What this reminded of was the podcasts we listened to “The Uncertain Hour”, in the second episode we listened to a lady talk about how she got off of welfare and had too collect aluminum cans and then exchange them for money. After a while, she would collect enough to make about $600 which she said she could make last a while but it also came with making sacrifices such as knowing what was the most important to buy. She said she’s always been poor and all they do is try to get by. I feel as though Lazarillo lives his life in a similar manner and that in poverty, everyone is simply living day by day and when they come into any sort of food or money or necessity, they plan on making it last for as long as they can since they are uncertain as to when they will ever come into that again.

Humanistic Parts of Lazarillo

I think of all the chapters, in the third one we get to see how Lazarillo still possesses child like qualities. He has hope and he also has kindness which I believe stems from his own humanism, as well as when strangers show him kindness. After begging for food and collecting quite a bit he returns home and on page 70 as he is eating, he thinks about how he should offer the old man some, even though he should probably think about saving it, he still thinks of the old man. This shows that generosity is a state of being and not necessarily based on your wealth. Another thing that shows Lazarillo’s humanity is how he identifies with the old man. On page 73 he goes on to say that he is quite fond of the old man as he can see he doesn’t have much and was doing what he could. He said he chose to pity him rather then resent him and that he would bring back what he could to the lodge to help him get on. This shows that he has developed a sense of empathy towards people because of his own past experiences and this is a part of being human that not all accept, but he did. And that’s how a lot of people get on in the world, through empathy of others.
Authority Complex

Lastly, I wanted to discuss this idea that Lazarillo is always on the search for a master. The old man explains to him that “a gentleman is obliged to nobody” . He speaks that the idea of belonging to someone at their mercy, as somewhat of an illusion. So much so that he left his wealth in his old town because he did not want to answer to anyone unless it was God or the King. He is a prideful man and I believe that this concept does effect Lazarillo because in the next chapter , he only gives his master about a week before he dashes. Its also something that still exists today, this idea that we have to work for somebody else which of course for the most part is necessary in order to survive but it makes me think how often are we reminded that we can also become our own boss? For the most part the idea is to get an education, so that we can work for someone else who will pay us a good salary. I think having a mentor is important but a master is where things get tricky.

I wanted to share a link to the text I showed you in class yesterday, the “Liber Vagatorum” or Beggars’ Book. This text – a translation of which you can find online for free here – was published in Germany in 1528, with an introduction by Martin Luther. However, similar books were published across Europe, in various languages. The Thieves’ Cant, interestingly, was spoken internationally.