great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

First Person:

“My head is spinning, overcome by the rhythms of that distant waltz, by the odor of damp, fragrant plants: I fall exhausted on the bed, touching my cheeks, my eyes, my nose, as if I was afraid that some invisible hand had ripped off the mask I’ve been wearing for twenty- seven years, the cardboard features that hid my true face, my real appearance, the appearance I once had but then forgot. I bury my face in the pillow, waiting to keep the wind of the past from tearing away my own features, because I don’t want to lose them. I lie there with my face in the pillow, waiting for what has to come, for what I can’t prevent. I don’t look at my watch again, that useless objet tediously measuring time in accordance with human vanity, those little hands marking out the long hours that were invented to disguise the real passage of time, which races with a mortal and insolent swiftness no clock could ever measure. A life, a century, fifty years; I can’t imagine those lying measurements any longer, I can’t hold the bodiless dust within my hands.”

Third Person: 

“His head is spinning, overcome by the rhythms of that distant waltz, by the odor of damp, fragrant plants: he falls exhausted on the bed, touching his cheeks, his eyes, his nose, as if he was afraid that some invisible hand had ripped off the mask he’s been wearing for twenty- seven years, the cardboard features that hid his true face, his real appearance, the appearance he once had but then forgot. He buries his face in the pillow, waiting to keep the wind of the past from tearing away his own features, because he don’t want to lose them. He lies there with his face in the pillow, waiting for what has to come, for what he can’t prevent. He doesn’t look at his watch again, that useless objet tediously measuring time in accordance with human vanity, those little hands marking out the long hours that were invented to disguise the real passage of time, which races with a mortal and insolent swiftness no clock could ever measure. A life, a century, fifty years; he can’t imagine those lying measurements any longer, he can’t hold the bodiless dust within his hands.”

It was hard going from each point of view, because you almost forget who the author is talking about: himself or me?

Jacqueline Devine:

Although these works do have a common feeling of suffering like Francesca mentioned in her post, I find the bleakness between all these pieces to be one of the most evident themes. Just like Endgame’s absurd plot, “Breath” is a rather cold and dark piece. The constant sound of breaths combined with the raw images of trash creates an empty feeling. On that same note, Mallarme’s poem leaves the reader with a bitter note as the swam is “in his exile rendered motionless” despite its “defiance,” which is similar to Beckett’s ending in Endgame for Hamm and his inevitable loneliness. Finally, Sartre’s writing on the chestnut tree and its mere basic and fundamental existence compares to Endgame through the feeling of nothingness in the reality of it all. Both Hamm and Clov exemplify this bleak emotion in their never ending, pointless actions within their stark living conditions.

I watched around 30 minutes of the production, starting with page 775. The biggest contrast between the production and the text is the directing. For instance, the tone of voice that the actors choose to use or the director tells them to use. I did not notice how angry at each other Hamm and Clov are throughout the whole play. It becomes very distinct once the director shows the anger in their faces and the loud, bitter tones in their voices. This is shown in the scene where Hamm rants about Clov one day being alone on page 779. Hamm is almost yelling at the top of his lungs after Clov says, “I cant sit down,” but the text merely says Hamm is impatient. I also noticed how the director really emphasized the humor when Clov was pushing Hamm around trying to find the center of the room from page 776. This comical aspect stood out much more in the production than in the text because of the amount of bantering the characters do back in forth. Overall, the directing was very similar to the text, but I definitely think the director emphasized some emotions and parts more so than others.

1. Did the character Monkey from Journey to the West answer his call and find his true purpose through Campbell’s Heroic Journey model or did he in fact fall back to his old self?

2. Does Bartleby have the trait of nobility like that of a tragic hero or does his story actually exemplify an anti- hero because of his lack of response to the issue at hand?

Jacqueline Devine:

This semester I’ve noticed how much I need to work on my free-writing. I struggle with being able to put my thoughts into structured sentences in a limited amount of time. I am okay when it comes to actually writing an essay where I can clearly think out my ideas, and I have time to outline my strategies. But with free- writing, I have a difficult time because I become anxious about the time limit, and my thoughts start to become jumbled from stress. I hope to improve this as the class continues with our in- class writing practices. On the other hand, I think I have grown in my oral communication skills through our group discussions. I am getting out of my shyness a bit more as we discuss our opinions freely. I enjoy this aspect of our class, and it has helped me become better at speaking in front of my peers.

Jacqueline’s Question:

Choose one heroic theme, the Traditional Hero, the Satanic Hero, or the Anti- Hero, and compare the characteristics of Monkey from Journey to the West and Bartleby from Bartleby, The Scrivener that make them fall under the same heroic model.

Rue Saint-Denis is located in Paris, France and is commonly known as a popular Paris red light district. Though prostitution is illegal in Paris, the area is well known to be filled with sex workers. The two central streets, called Rue Saint Denis and Rue Saint Martin, are one of the oldest streets in Paris and meet together at an archway entrance. The arch was built in 1671 and resembles the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile (which came later on in history). This red light district also has many shops and restaurants, outside of sex shops, and it is not considered an extremely unsafe area, as many tourists do visit the area for fun. Because of the tourist attraction, it is rumored that the working women within the district seek to scam people with their temptations and charge large amounts for their services. Although the area has a deep historical background, it has also been mentioned in works such as Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.

Jacqueline:

Our group chose the theme of action to relate to Monkey’s name of Wake- to- Vacuity. From the beginning of the story, it is apparent that Monkey is a creature of action. When his fellows search for the source of the stream, Monkey volunteers to be discover what is on the other side of the waterfall. When Monkey shouts, “’I’ll go in! What a monkey! For today his fame will spread wide,’” it is shown that Monkey is eager to become elevated above the rest of the monkeys. His name of Wake – to – Vacuity hints at the fact that Monkey might be on a long journey towards enlightenment, and his motives for his actions prove this. He demonstrates this theme of action through his decision to set out and find the answer to the group’s mortality problem. As Monkey exclaims, “’Tomorrow I shall leave of you all and go down the mountain. Even if I have to wander with the clouds to the corners of the sea or journey to the distant edges of heaven, I intend to find these three kinds of people,’” it becomes questionable for a second time whether or not Monkey is taking his actions for him or for the others. In each instance, Monkey’s reasoning for action are uncertain, and it seems as though he has a long way to go before he gets to the emptiness, just as his name suggests.

Francesca:

The meaning of action typically means to achieve an aim or to commit an act. As Jacqueline has mentioned, that from the beginning of the story that Monkey seems to be a creature of action. We see this early in the chapter when Monkey takes on his first action. The Monkeys finally find out where the stream takes them to and they say “If any of us had the ability to penetrate the curtain and find out where the water comes from without hurting himself, we would honor him as king.” Monkey then of course is the first to volunteer as Jacqueline described his eagerness, which then helps because he becomes The Handsome Monkey King. As we move further into the chapter, Monkey has decided to take on the action of leaving and going down the mountain to find three people. These people are intended to help him figure out how to become immortal. As Monkey begins his journey, Monkey is brought to “The Mountain of Mind and Heart”, where he meets an immortal by the name of Patriarch Subodhi. Subodhi eventually gives Monkey a new name. “You will hence be given the religious name ‘Wake-to-vacuity’ (wukong). All right?”. The name ‘Wake-to-vacuity’ I believe connects with the theme of action because once Monkey complete his first task by going into the waterfall he began his journey to enlightenment. Once you find “Vacuity” which is the meaning of emptiness, you have nothing else to do. As Monkey continues to go on this Journey to find these people, he will continue to take action. Once he has found his answer his task is done and all if left is emptiness.

Annie:

We choose the theme of action that suits to Monkey’s name of wake to vacuity. Having action, ones not afraid to do something and that is what we see in monkey. In the beginning we can tell that Monkey is a character that’s above the rest, he is active. The monkeys said “we none of us know where this stream comes from” although they were curious enough to find where the stream goes no one was actually brave enough except Monkey. Exactly how Jacqueline puts it that “Monkey is a creature of action” his first action in the first chapter was when he volunteered to go through the waterfall which led him to become the Monkey King. In the name Wake to Vacuity, like what Francesca said vacuity is the meaning of emptiness and the name itself that Subodhi gave monkey wasn’t just any name, but also religious. The actions of Monkey is very persistent for example he left the waterfall to find how to be immortal, basically he does what he wants. From the text, “to break the stubborn vacuity one needs to wake to vacuity”, Monkey’s actions are at times stubborn and uncertain and as he continues his journey, little by little the emptiness will be filled.

The theme that stands out to me the most in this poem is humility. Humility means to be modest and unconcerned with one’s worth.  This poem gives off the belief that a higher being exists, and this higher being is much more important than the average person. When the poem states, “Accept being unimportant,” it is understood that the reader should regard themselves as lowly and of little value, especially when compared to world as a whole. The poem then goes on to exemplify this theme of humility as it states, “Do not be concerned with loss or gain. This is called, ‘accepting disgrace willingly.’” The author is trying to get the reader to understand the importance of not being worried about their worth. Humans shouldn’t be prideful, but instead, they should accept their mortality. They should come to terms with the fact that humans make mistakes, and this is just their nature. The poem closes with the lines, “Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.” This statement brings home the theme of humility by saying that people shouldn’t primarily be worried about themselves. They should show humility and extend themselves to the world and to others with love, just as they would do for their own self.