Stephen:
It is evident that the theme of nihilism is present in Beckett’s Endgame. The characters in Endgame are caught in an unsolvable situation. Hamm is blind and immobile and Clov is seemingly, forever enslaved to Hamm. Nell and Nagg are trapped in trash bins. So it seems like that everybody is entrapped in an unfortunate circumstance and they cannot escape from it. Similarly, in Mallarme’s poem, a swan is able to “shake free of [its] agonies,” but the pain and suffering will never truly go away. It is now a part of the person’s experience. “The horror of the earth will remain,” means that the daunting past may come back again in the future to haunt you again. And this ties back to nihilism because supposedly, life is meaningless and we can never “beat” or “win” it. Life itself, is a constant cycle of struggle. Being born into this world will only mean more suffering for the person.
Davida:
Stephen, your observation in regards to indicating the theme of nihilism was accurate. While you focused on the characters in Endgame, I would like to emphasize the setting. Throughout Beckett’s Endgame, Hamm would ask Clov about the changes occurring outside of their current location, a room. In response, Clov would report back that everything around was zero, motionless, and dead, as always. Similarly, in the poem, “The horror of the earth” that the swan was engulfed in comes to show that the environment in which both the swan and the characters in Endgame existed would not change, would always remain the same. “The land in which to exist” that the swan desires for does not seem to ever become a reality, and just as the characters in Endgame fail in their search for that purpose in life, the swan does not attain it either. The video touches up on these aspects too considering the setting throughout the video is empty, blank. The contents that appear in the room in the video are there, but they do not change since the “hard lake is haunted beneath the ice.”
Fritz:
Davida makes a valid claim, yet aspects of absurdism are also evident in Endgame. Clov is the hopeless swan who wished and longed for that little speck of happiness, but could never attain it or see it. The swan in the poem is “struggling to resist,” Clov begins to experience regret for not having imagined or “sung” a song about a world which to exist in. From what was shown in the video, it was apparent that the creator longed for a speck of happiness, as well. The video would change angles, alternate scenes by showing different part of the room, yet his dream of finding that content state did not appear. With the eerie music in the background and the dark atmosphere, the video implied that the purpose in life was nowhere to be found, hidden or not, it did not exist. Yet, the hope to find it did not seize to exist.
Brian:
My group members successfully touched up on themes that I agree with. Also, the moods that are portrayed through the short film Breathe and the poem Virginal, Vibrant and beautiful dawn are similar in that they both deal with struggle, endurance and a sense of being stagnant. The static objects in Breathe along with the audio cues of an individual’s hard inhale/exhale give an idea of unhappiness or fatigue. This idea is expanded upon in the poem where the swan endures winter for an unknown reason in which the poem ponders upon. Similarly, this reflects onto Endgame since the these moods existed in Beckett’s play too. Hamm’s constant outbursts of telling his roommates to talk lower caused the audience to see the struggle and inability to ensure that he was so experiencing.
Tags: Uncategorized
Davida:
For my post, I decided to focus on the very first 20 minutes of both the film and the script. From what I witnessed, I can see that the director chose to use the same lines as of those in the play. However, I also noticed that some of the words that were used in the film were a bit changed when used in the play. For instance, Hamm used the word “queer” instead of the original word “strange” from the play. I believe that is because of the time difference. The play was written almost 5 decades before the release of this film. I find that this slight change in language fits even better and is more appropriate to enhance the comprehension of the audience. When factoring in multiple perspectives, the film and the play are one in the same, considering that even the gestured were followed according to Beckett’s script. Due to the fact that both works were carried out identically and replicated flawlessly, the concept and the morals that Beckett wanted to pass on through his script was similarly conveyed through this film.
Fitz:
After reviewing both the script and the film starting from 20 minutes, I believe that both are very similar if not exactly the same. Also, I would like to emphasize the significance of the character Hamm, as he sits in his armchair awaiting his death. Hamm does a profound job in making the play come to life, through his tone, his facial expressions and his gestures. With this, he also brings out Beckett’s original message which is to point out that life is cyclical and that a human’s existence is “always the same thing,” routine, making no difference or mark on anything that is of greater value and power, such as nature. Another feature of Hamm’s that was seen in both the film and the play was his vulnerability while still being in control. In other words, although Hamm is blind and unable to do much on his own and fears that his existence is meaningless, he is still portrayed as the one who controls the rest of the people in the room.
Tags: Uncategorized
Davida:
The theme that is present in My Cloud that can be seen in Aura is the disappearance of youth. Also, it is how the human being changes and his/hers experiences and encounters alter as one matures. Although this is evident in many instances throughout the book, it is mentioned by Felipe in the beginning, “This day is just like any other day…newspaper.” (832) Through this quote and the paragraph prior to it, readers are exposed to the thoughts that comprise Felipe’s mind on a daily basis. Felipe’s worryfree youth has long ceased to exist and instead his life is infiltrated with choices, tasks, and ensuring a financially stable life for himself. In comparison to the character in My Cloud who said “And it was the flood,” he meant that as his youth diminished, the flood started filled with people’s stories followed by worries and the trait to care about people. Felipe’s daily, boring routine is just a mechanism to get by, and with the loss of his youth and the lack of success, “It will never taste like the cloud from when I was young.”
Fritz:
“Perhaps Aura is waiting for you to release her from the chains in which the perverse, old lady, for some unknown reason, has bound her.” (842) In this scene, just as in My Cloud, the loss of one’s youth is portrayed as a fatal terror, an unimaginably harsh incident in one’s life. The old lady has bound Aura for one purpose, the inability to let go of her precious beauty at a young age, and more importantly, the live she experienced with her husband because of her lovely youth. In My Cloud, as the narrator learns that it is possible to change the cloud (life through imagination) with no help, the creations saw no bounds. Once it was clear that the narrator can “create with it my own forms,” many new subjects appeared, as if achieving the ultimate goal or desire with imagination and representation through a cloud. Consuelo, refused to release Aura from the “chains” of her imagination and instead created a new form (Aura) to reach her desired limit (youth).
Brian:
Wasted youth is a theme that appears in both “My cloud” and “Aura” where the protagonists in both these stories lose something very symbolic and important to themselves. The cloud and Aura both reflect on the protagonists in their stories and what they might be missing out on from their youth. Felipe resembles Consuelo’s husband to Consuelo and his relationship with Aura symbolizes what Consuelo misses from her husband. As Consuelo’s youth slipped away from her fingers, she lost her loved one and affection that came along with him. “My young doll…my young doll with green eyes. I filled you with love.” (844) The protagonist from my cloud realizes he will never have as fulfilling a cloud as the one from his youth.
Stephen:
The common theme, the disappearance of youth is also shown in Carlos Fuentes’s Aura. As Consuelo grows old, she cannot do things that she was able to do before. Yet, she still asserts her influence and manipulates the minds of Aura and Felipe into her youthful desires. Felipe questions Aura’s loyalty to Consuelo in the quotes, “She’s trying to bury you alive. You’ve got to be reborn Aura.” (849). Felipe continuously criticizes Aura’s decision to stay in this prison-like mansion with Consuelo. Felipe notices that Aura is very loyal to Consuelo and encourages her to “reborn” to be a new person. Aura is wasting or “burying” her youthfulness for every minute she remains as a subordinate of Consuelo. Felipe also suggests that they can run away and take their “youthfulness” somewhere else to start a new life. However, Aura is a reminiscence of Consuelo’s youth and Consuelo uses her to manipulate Felipe for her own gains.
Tags: Uncategorized
Stephen:
On page 848, Carlos Fuentes writes, “Your sleep is heavy and unsatisfying. In your dreams you had already felt the same vague melancholy, the weight on your diaphragm, the sadness that won’t stop oppressing your imagination.” Felipe goes from feeling indifferent about taking up the job to becoming disenchanted. Soon, Felipe comes to realize that he is a victim of Senora Consuelo’s suspicious and dark natured intentions. In this quote, Felipe expressed his unhappiness and dissatisfaction of Consuelo spying on him the night before. It also shows that Felipe’s fearful dreams are coming alive. Felipe could not really sleep well at night because he is always thinking about the dark fantasies of Aura and Consuelo. The use of the second narrative allows the audience/readers to step into the shoes of Felipe. The writer wants the readers to feel the “heavy” breaths and the immense “weight on your diaphragm” that Felipe has when he is trying to sleep. This enhances our perception of the restless nights that he goes through frequently. We are thrown into the reality of Felipe and we are able to step into his dark and sullen environment.
Davida:
On page 845 of the story, Montero takes readers into his dark abyss, “In the depths…toward the abyss…” Through those lines, one can see that the character of Señora Consuelo as two people. Initially, the “old lady’s bloody gums” appear in front of one’s eyes, leading to the heard echo of Aura’s voice and her holding the teeth that were those of the old lady’s, which seems contradictory. This symbolism indicates that Aura is a creative representational character that the Señora imagined to depict her in her youth. The bloody and unpleasant scene that is described for readers beforehand also shows readers how two women, in two different places, were performing the same action of skinning a living thing, indicating the presence of both Montero’s crazed delusion of Aura and her oneness with the Señora. The author’s attracts and emphasizes the true existence of his fictional world to readers through the use of the second-person singular. Additionally, he causes the fictional world to seem a reality to readers as they go read. As one soars through the gruesome image of both women skinning live things, it becomes evident that Montero’s insanity leads him to imagine “as she skins the imaginary kid with the imaginary knife.”
Fritz:
“You remember Aura as she was a few moments ago… the Señora did.” (842) In this quote, Montero indicates the theme of helplessness, both his and that of the Señora’s. Since Aura and the old lady are one, as Aura is “begging you to set her free,” it can be seen that the Señora needs help escaping something that is beyond her control. Although Señora Consuelo tries to cope with it through an imaginary replica of a younger her, Aura, her inability to help herself causes her to confuse and ask Montero for his everlasting love and affection, and this is attained a little later when Montero has sex with Aura. Montero’s helplessness is present in this entire quote since he himself finds the need to distract himself from such insanity, from his inability to help such a beautiful young soul with green eyes, “his Aura.” The use of the second person enables readers to feel the desperation that Montero almost screams and aches about through the progression of the story. As he goes through this confusion and misery, the readers cannot help but feel his pain and become him.
Brian:
The second person nature in which “Aura” by Fuentes is told, gives the story a more personal touch and relates the protagonist to the reader on a more intimate level. The use of the word “you” when referring to the main character reflects on the reader and makes them react more closely to the text. The style is effective, however the main character is a historian with a lot of context given about his personal life which makes it slightly difficult to relate to. “She’ll come back Felipe. We’ll bring her back together…I’ll bring her back” (852) This line from the last page of “Aura” gives an accurate representation of the effect that the second person narration provides for a stronger and a more compelling conclusion to the story. The anticipation for Felipe to touch Aura builds up only for him to have a revelation that he is caressing Consuela’s old and fragile body. Phrases from the last page such as “you want to” give a sense of urgency and make the writing more powerful. There are many themes that are evident however some of them include revival and hope for the fictional world that Consuelo has constructed for herself. Also, this stems from the inability to part with something so dear to her, her youth. Her not being able to let go, and by saying “let me recover my strength,” she implies that she needs more time because now the insanity has gotten even to her and she needs a break, she need to write a “new story.”
Tags: Uncategorized
Davida:
The text “Kaspar” includes the recurring theme of illiteracy. Illiteracy, the lack of knowledge in a particular subject; ignorance is evident throughout the given works. Specifically, this theme is evident in the text “Kaspar” through the main character Kaspar Hauser’s inability to read and write, and even stand upright. Throughout the reading, I felt as if he was in a dazed and stupefied state. His life, in my opinion, and most likely in reality, was nothing but a blank page. Also, as I was trying to understand this text, I thought that it had to do with the majority of the population in the early 1900’s. Since obtaining access to information was not the big issue at hand, schooling was and I believe that this text emphasized or intended to mention how uneducated people of the early 20th century were. Due to Kaspar’s bland tone, depression and struggle is also present in the text, however the specific cause of the depression stems from the lack of knowledge.
Fritz:
Another root of depression that is witnessed through the text is Kaspar’s nihilistic nature. Kaspar is portrayed as a character that lacks motivation and has no meaning in life. In the beginning, he is seen as lazy. He constantly just sleeps and eats and does everything all over again, in a repeating cycle. He has no idea what to do with his life and seems to not care about it or even deeply consider the possibilities of the world beyond his cellar. Until a man in black appears and changes everything for Kaspar, his story remains the same. The man in black takes it upon himself to teach Kaspar how to read and write and shows Kaspar a new meaning in life. Kaspar has no idea why the man is doing this for him, but this immensely changes his life. Kaspar starts leaving his cellar and begins to have a slight awareness of the outside world, because the man in black gives him a little push of hope. However, once Kaspar is left alone once again, he simply acts like a trained dog, finding no point in using his brain and thinking a little further of what to do next.
Brian:
“Acrostic” by Killofer has a similar theme of being somewhere with poor conditions with no chance for change. The characters discussing relocating gives them hope over where they live because they don’t have any sort of opportunity. This theme connects to “Kasper” since the characters are dependent on their surroundings to provide for them and they have limited abilities. The dialogue in “Acrostic” is depressing and gives a feel for the hopelessness that the people of this setting might’ve felt that would make them feel like they are already dead. The black and white visuals of the comic along with the rain give this depressing message of poor living conditions. The emphasis of words in each box also show the desperation of the narrator to seek somewhere else to move but they make it seem like a dream and that it doesn’t exist. “Going home is just like dying” is the final message of the comic, but the glasses of what could be alcohol and the rainfall make it seem unlikely that there will be change.
Tags: Uncategorized
Fritz, Brian, Davida:
“During Gregor’s speech he was not still for a moment, but was moving away towards the door, without taking his eyes off Gregor, but really gradually, as if there was a secret ban on leaving the room” is an example of the evidence that appears of the chief clerk’s reaction. From the initial appearance of Gregor in front of the chief, the chief was trying his hardest to leave because he was unsure of what just appeared in front of his eyes. Mr. Samsa, however, becomes more violent and angry rather than scared when he realizes that Gregor will not be able to provide the family with money anymore. “No request of Gregor’s was of any use; no request would even be understood” is a quote that portrays Gregor’s relationship with his dad. Also, I would like to emphasize that this was the case even before his transformation, since Gregor’s opinion did not matter, and he was only good for the money he equipped them with. The chief clerk’s reaction was fear, however his dad displayed disappointment. “Well,” said Mr. Samsa, “now we can give thanks to God.” “Well, … it’s all taken care of,” cleaning woman assured Gregor’s parents that all of his stuff from his room was cleaned, including his body. Both Gregor’s father and the maid showed signs of relief that they had one less burden to worry about.
Tags: Uncategorized
Originally posted in the Assignments page:
Jean: “What better could I have hit on! One must always be romantic to capture a woman.”
This quote assimilates and strongly agrees with Strindberg’s claim in regards to women never being parallel with men. Although the entire dialect contributes to his view on equality between men and women, this quote exemplifies how men attain their endeavor. Initially proceeding the conversation using genuine and heartfelt words, Jean later resorts to his original intent, to soften Miss Julie and to manipulate her into believing his caring nature. Unfortunately, this revelation is an ideal that can be seen as reality in today’s day and age, as well.
Jean: “You take my strength from me, too, so that I
become cowardly.”
Above is another quote that portrays Strindberg’s outlook on the matter of gender equality. A key aspect that causes the relationship between men and women to be similar to parallel lines never crossing is the necessity for men to feel dominant. The need for men to feel more superior can be noticed in our daily lives and likewise in this play. This quote also goes to show that in the moment when men feel exposed or to open with their emotions when speaking to women, they regard that as the female stealing their manly strength and bravery, causing them to be cruel.
Additionally, Strindberg’s term “half-woman” can relate to Miss Julie’s past when she was placed in the middle of an argument between her mom and dad. Hating and loving both at the same time caused her character to be a certain way.
Tags: Uncategorized
