In Beckett’s short play, “Breath” and the “Endgame” they both share a theme of suffering. In the beginning of “Breath” it shows scattered items , we hear a faint cry and then becomes silent. The video shows depression, by putting the broken down items , because maybe the person taking the faint breaths feels broken. In the “Endgame” the stage was kind of similar , it looked old, dull and dark. Clov and Hamm had a daily routine which consisted of bickering. They were suffering because Clov couldn’t sit or leave and Hamm couldn’t stand or see, they were limited to what they could do. In the end of “Breath” there is a loud deep breath, and the stage got darker, sounding someone in pain, someone suffering.
-Bintou Samura – “Breath”
In the poem “The Virginal, vibrant, and beautiful dawn” and the play “Endgame” both have a theme of emptiness. Clove and Hamm are united by the pain they both suffer from in their lives. Despite irritating one another, they all live in a world filled with pain. Similarly, the swan in the poem suffers through the harsh winters. The earth is merciless towards the swan, and she continues to toil alone. Clove and Hamm reflect on their lives and realize far too late their lives were empty and lonely, despite having each other. Bintou makes a good point in referring to a theme of suffering as well. You can see throughout the play of “Endgame” that both men suffer both physically and mentally. Hamm constantly asks Clove if it is time for his painkiller for his physical pain. Then we can see the men suffering mentally since they know the end is near and there is nothing they can do to change it. However, unlike Clove and Hamm, the swan deals with her pain and tries to persevere despite the suffering the earth inflicts upon her. The men and the swan both lead lives void of substance; their empty lives are filled with suffering.
– Joseph Morreale
After reading “The Chestnut Tree” and reading the play “Endgame” there are many connections in themes that can be made. A few in particular that grabbed my attention is the talk of existence and emptiness/loneliness. In both of the readings, human existence and existence, in general, are discussed. This is shown in the play when Clov discovers a flea on him. In fear of a new start for humanity, Clov kills the insect. Also, the constant bickering between the two on whether Clov will leave or not. Thus suggesting that there is a co-dependency and in reality, they need each other to cope with the rest of their lives, or in this case for as long as they exist. In “The Chestnut Tree” Roquentin is trying to find the meaning of human existence. He comes to the conclusion that “existence is not something, which lets itself be thought of from a distance; it must invade you suddenly, master you…” In other words, there is no reason for existence it is here as a free gift.
-Keauna
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Movie time: 30 minute mark through 45 minute
In the book: Pg 778-784
Joseph Morreale: costume design
A big difference that I encountered when comparing the text to the production was how the characters were dressed and how the characters acted. After reading the text i was able to imagine how I thought the scene would be set up and how the characters would be dressed. When we then watched the film my prediction was completely wrong. The film pictured the characters dressed in dirty and old looking clothes. They seem to not have showered in a long time since their fingers were black. The sheet that was put over Hamm while he slept was very dirty as well. From the text i did not get the impression that the house and the characters were dirty and so dark. I also think that the only way to correctly picture Hamm’s parents are to watch the film. It is very difficult just by reading the text to fully understand that the parents live in a garbage can and are expressed as pale white and looking similar to a corpse. The plot of the text and the film is very similar just the costume design and the setting i would have thought would have been a little different.
Bintou Samura – acting
In this scene, Clov and Hamm are arguing again , Clov threatens to leave him . Only in the production while watching you could kind of see the frustration and feel the tension. Though the acting in the production is still rather calm like the book. In the book both Clov and Hamm are acting as if they’re having a normal conversation. Even though its aware that they are fighting , the acting doesn’t execute the situation enough. There’s a lack of expression as well because I think they could’ve showed their expressions much more or had it been more detailed. When they were happy they weren’t happy enough, when they were angry they weren’t angry enough and finally when they were sad they weren’t sad enough. The whole reading of the play the actors felt dull.
Keauna- directing
For this short excerpt of the book and film, the directing for the most part is similar. However, in the film, there are some things that are different. Which I believe helps convey the emotions of the character/actors more vividly. For example, the part where Hamm is asking Clov questions. As written in the book: “CLOV Yes. [He looks at Hamm fixedly.] You were that to me.” Instead in the film, Clov says this, but he doesn’t look at Hamm, he’s more so staring off into space. The camera is more focused on Clov face, and the blurred outline of Hamm is in the background. I think that by not letting Clov look at Hamm and the camera staying more focused on his facial expression gives us a hint at what he is feeling or that he’s realizing the situation he is in and will continue to be in for the rest of his days.
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- In “Bartleby the Scrivener” and “The Metamorphosis” we are introduced to two main characters who are in one way or another, outcasts in society. In terms of Feud’s opinion of the unconscious mind (a repository for socially unacceptable ideas, wishes or desires, traumatic memories, and painful emotions) in what ways do both of these literary works compare?
- Looking at Saikaku Life of a Sensuous Woman, we get to know about the journey of a woman’s promiscuous life. She experiences many ups and downs. At the end, she is an elder and lives alone. From the beginning up to that point do you believe she went through the five stages of grief? If so provide specific examples for each stage.
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In “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, the theme is ignorance which compares to the ending of “The Metamorphosis”. First off in “Allegory of the Cave” one of the prisoners goes out into the real world for the first time and when he comes back and tells his mates they get angry at him for believing other wise and seeing more as if it is a crime to be optimistic. In “The Metamorphosis” Gregor whom has gotten comfortable with his new transformation,but his family who didn’t care to ask what happened, weren’t . Instead of accepting him his family wants him gone. “You just have to put it from your mind any thought that it’s Gregor.” (pg.238). So this indicates what the family is trying to tell themselves, they know its Gregor but they choose not to see it. Just like the prisoners who have the truth right in front of them and choose not believe it.
-Bintou Samura
Plato’s “Allegory of a Cave” argues the physical world is merely a shadow of the real world and suggests life is not what it seems. One of the prisoners escapes the cave and discovers the real world is more than just the shadows cast on the cave walls. He explains that “if [the prisoner] again recalled his first dwelling, and the “knowing” that passes as the norm there, and the people with whom he once was chained, don’t you think he would consider himself lucky because of the transformation.” By achieving enlightenment and transforming into an aware person, the prisoner is able to appreciate the real world. By contrast, Gregor is aware of the real world but does not appreciate his life or his role in it. “The Metamorphosis” details the transformation of a man into a revolting beetle. Gregor realizes how valuable his life and family is after it is too late, and he is not as fortunate to get a second chance at life as the prisoner in the cave.
-Joseph Morreale
Towards the ending of “The Metamorphosis” and “Allegory of the Cave”, they are same in the aspect of awareness of their surroundings and how it relates to themselves. In “The Metamorphosis” we know that Gregor wakes up as an insect and that causes a great disturbance in the family. So when Gregor decides to kill himself, the family is relieved. It’s like a dark cloud has been removed from over their heads and their future began to look brighter. When they decided to go out for the first time in months, the mother and father begin to notice a change in Grete. They became aware of her own transformation, which is an adult. “While they were talking in these terms, almost at one and the same time Mr. and Mrs. Samsa noticed their increasingly lively daughter…they thought it was about time to find a suitable husband for her.” Now compared to “Allegory of the Cave” when the prisoner escapes and runs out of the cave and sees the real world he gets excited. He’s suddenly aware that there is more to his world than just shadows on the cave walls.
-Keauna
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Who is responsible for Georg’s decision at the end of the story?
I feel that Georg’s dad is to blame for how the story ended. As the story progresses the reader is able to observe the true relationship between Georg and his father. At first it seems like they have a normal father and son relationship however we soon find out this is not the case. It seems like min the story what Georg’s father says George must listen to. At the beginning of the story Georg sounds like a man who is enjoying life since he is writing a letter to his friend and is getting married soon. The story as well as Georg’s life soon turns dark when the author describe the room that his father was in as dark. This represents the relationship that Georg and his father has. The father, throughout the story, continuously puts his son down by talking negatively about his friend, his fiance, and his life. The father claimed “I condemn you to death by drowning!” Soon after, Georg took his own life by jumping off a bridge. Georg’s dad is fully responsible for the suicide of his own son due to all of the negative comments he made towards Georg.
-Joseph Morreale
What is the significance of the very last line of the story: “At this moment, almost endless traffic rolled across the bridge”?
At the end of the story Kafka ends with , “At this moment, almost endless traffic rolled across the bridge”? which represents the saying “life goes on”. The traffic implies the cars keep going and with Kafa saying endless that means it just continues there’s no stop. Unsurprisingly this happens right after Georg jumps off the bridge but before he jumped, the piece says, “ … he spotted an autobus that would easily drown out his fall.” (pg. 7) He intentionally waited to kill himself so that when he did no one would notice, and after that more cars came on, inevitably no one would hear the sound of his fall or about his death. Assuming that he knew the traffic was ahead he jumped at the moment so he could not be saved nor , giving himself a silent death.
-Bintou Samura
Many people see this ending as somehow unrealistic. Do you agree? Why or why not? How does it being realistic, not entirely realistic, or both contribute to your understanding of the ending?
In my opinion, the ending to “The Judgement” is both realistic and unrealistic. In one way it is realistic because of the family dynamic between Georg and his father. It seems that Georg is always in his father shadow and want to appease him. For example, as shown here “Maybe it was because, during the time in which his mother was still alive, his father had hindered Georg from developing his own activities by imposing his, the father’s, own opinions.” Thus in his adult life, Georg remains under his father, despite becoming engaged and making friends. He still lives with him and works in the business as well. It is understandable that there would be some tension between the two, especially after the death of the mother. Similar to what Joseph mentions in his post about Georg and his father relationship. So, the ending is realistic where the father seems fed up and Georg is trying to calm him down. However, what doesn’t seem realistic is Georg killing himself. When the father says to him “I condemn you to death by drowning!” and Georg “felt” himself chased out the room, it’s like the father put a spell on him.
-Keauna
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During this class period I have developed more in group work, meaning participating and communicating with my peers via written communication and also in free writing. Though I need to work more on oral communication, participating in class, sharing my thoughts and also I continue to struggle with quizzes and essay writing.
-Bintou Samura
Bintou, I think to do better in class you should feel confident in the answers that you have and express them even if you are not sure if they are correct. If you do not say what you what and you end up being correct you will feel like you should have sad something and regret your decision. Be confident in your answers and express them without worrying about the consequences. For the quizzes, the questions are usually pretty fair as long as you read the whole assignment. Just make sure you continue reading carefully and i think you will improve your grade as the semester goes on.
– Joseph Morreale
So far this semester, I have participated more in group work. Writing weekly posts has allowed me to engage with my classmates about texts, unlike classes I have taken in the past. I have been doing well on the quizzes and the essay, and I hope to improve my writing skills further as the semester progresses. An area that needs improvement is oral communication, because I have not participated much in classes discussion this semester. In order to succeed this semester, I need to participate in classes discussions more frequently and continue to write well.
– Joseph Morreale
At this point in this semester, I believe my work is good in terms of the written portion. The written portion of the class such as; the weekly posts, the essay, and the quizzes has not been a problem for me. It helped improve my critical thinking skills and broaden my vocabulary. However, like Bintou I do need to work on my oral work which is participating more in class discussions.
-Keauna
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In “Journey to the West”, would you say Monkey is more like the main character from “Life of a Sensuous woman” or Bartleby in “Bartleby the Scrivener”? Explain why do you think these two characters are similar and what character traits do both posses.
-Bintou Samura
Compare the obstacles that Monkey in “Journey to the West” and the Sensuous Woman in “Life of a Sensuous Woman” had to overcome to achieve enlightenment.
-Joseph Morreale
Following the Heroic Journey model, between the woman in Life of a Sensuous Woman and Bartleby in “Bartleby the Scrivener” which journey(s) are similar. How are they similar?
-Keauna
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The Narrator as an Anti-Hero
Throughout the story the narrator is fighting through an internal conflict on whether or not to fire Bartleby for his behavior. At first Bartleby seemed like a great worker until Bartleby started to answer with “I would prefer not to” when asked to work. The narrator saw that there was a problem with Bartleby but when the narrator questioned Bartleby on why he does not want to work, constantly answers with “I would prefer not to”, and just stares into a daze, Bartleby refused to answer the narrator. The narrator finally decided to fire Bartleby and asked him to leave the office after debating it for most of the story. When the narrator found out that Bartleby did not leave, the narrator claimed, “Since he will not quit me, i must quit him. I will change my offices; I will move elsewhere…” Instead of acting to help Bartleby, since the narrator can see there is a problem, the narrator just left Bartleby and did not help him. This is classified as an Anti-Hero. An anti-hero sees the truth but instead of trying to help a person they just leave the person alone, trying to avoid the person with the problem like the narrator did to Bartleby.
-Joseph Morreale
I would say Bartleby is the traditional hero because at the lawyer’s firm he is given a proposition from the narrator who is the lawyer but does not accept it & replies back , “I would prefer not to.” Although he didn’t take action but simply turned it down no action is also a sign of action. As for the other scriveners who worked there did what the lawyer said and they all did good a job, the usual, but he stated, “I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener, the strangest I ever saw, or heard of.” Bartleby was great at his job but chose to be different from the other scriveners by making different choices. He rebelled in the calmest way & was awed by the narrator. Instead of the narrator getting rid of Bartleby he observes him more and going toward he is amazed – and curious of – by Bartleby .
-Bintou Samura
With a character like Bartleby, it’s a little hard to tell what kind of hero he is. To some, he might not even seem like a hero. However, in my opinion, Bartleby is a Byronic hero. In the beginning of the story, Bartleby comes off as an introvert. But as the story moves along, it becomes clear that he may be dealing with problems such as mental illness and poverty, as said by the narrator. Furthermore, throughout the story, he only speaks when spoken to, and he always answers with “I would prefer not to”. Or would deny anything asked of him, which seems like an act of rebellion. Towards the end, we find out that he used to work for the Dead Letter Office. Here is the reason why I believe Bartleby is a Byronic hero. He’s working at this job, most likely day and night trying to make a living, then all of a sudden he’s fired. He now sees life in a different perspective, he begins to defy social norms. Which is why he acts the way he does with the narrator. And as the story progresses Bartleby succumbs to nihilism, eventually, he passes away.
-Keauna
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The red light district located in Paris, Pigalle is referred as Quarter Pigalle. Although prostitution is very illegal in Paris this area is filled with strip clubs, sex shops, and bars with prostitutes waiting. Apart from prostitutes there are also beggars and homeless people loitering the area. Outside the clubs are pimps trying to lure you into the club and other females, the most popular club there would be Moulin Rouge which attracts most tourists, couples and especially men. The average “working girls” are usually about 20-35 and according to tourists they usually end up spending about 200-300 euros on bottles that the girls order but as for the other business its more pricey. Everything is covert and secretive, not even photos are allowed of any of the girls. As for their motives, I believe its for the money since the poverty is high in France.
-Bintou Samura
Paris’s red light district is refereed to as Quartier Pigalle. It is rumored to get its name from World War II troops calling it “Piggy Alley”, however, the district was actually named after the famous Parisian sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle. As Bintou has said, the district is filled with sex shops that tourists visit, as well as the prostitutes that roam the streets looking for work. Even though prostitution is illegal in France, I do think that this red light district is beneficial. It not only attracts the people looking for prostitution, but it is a tourist attraction that creates money for France. People travel from all over the world just to visit this red light district. With any vastly populated area there are homeless people that wander the street, which puts a damper on the tourist attraction. Even though this district has a lot of history, the district can disappear if France decides to crack down on prostitution. However, this seems unlikely to happen given the amount of money this tourist attraction makes.
-Joseph Morreale
When you hear Moulin Rouge what do you think of? Does a book or movie come to mind? How about the song “Lady Marmalade” originally sung by Patti LaBelle? Which was later remixed in 2001 by Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil’ Kim. If so would like to know the origin of Moulin Rouge? Well built in 1889 the Moulin Rouge is a cabaret which means it is centered on women and entertainment. Such as music, songs, dance and drama. It soon became one of the legendary spots for its topless revue shows. Alongside Le Divan du Monde which now functions as a concert space. These two places are located in the Quartier Pigalle also known as the red light district. The Quartier Pigalle, as said by Bintou and Joseph is the main attraction for visitors around the world to come in contact with nightclubs, adult shows, sex shops, prostitution and so forth.
– Keauna
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