I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art this past week to see an exhibit that I was really looking forward too. I really do not enjoy going to museums because I feel that they are boring. I only went to see a special exhibit called the Psychobarn on the roof top garden. Cornelia Parker created it and she based it off the red barn in the 1960 film Psycho. After viewing the movie you might think it is the exact house but that is what she wants. She wants you to decide what it is so you can be the judge to what it is. It has a beautiful view of the city and going there with a significant other is a great thing to do. You will have a great time and it is a very cheap exhibit to pay for. The house itself is very creepy and old looking it really does remind you of a haunted house. The way the Manhattan skyline is in the back of the barn provides a contrast like some sort of illusion. I believe that is why the pieces name is called the Transitional Object. I recommend that people should go visit this exhibit because it was a great experience. I had a problem trying to relate this to a topic in class because it was literally just a house. Many people came out that day to see it and seems to be a popular spot for people in the city.

In Act II of Othello and I we come away with one thing that is for certain; Iago is without a doubt the villain and antagonist of this story. He manipulates all characters of the play for his need of revenge. We first believe that he is just jealous that Othello appointed Cassio as lieutenant but later we learn the real reason he is going through all of this trouble. He is doing this because he has suspicions of Othello to have slept with his wife. The other conflict that is taking place in this play is that Othello has married a senator’s daughter. You may ask yourself why that is such a problem right? The only reason why this is an issue is because Othello is black. He is a warrior that is in power but he will not accept that due to the color of his skin. This shows that racism has been around a very long time. Iago manipulates Rodrigo to make it seem like he is trying to help him get Desdemona but in reality he has a whole different plan. You see his plan in his soliloquy where he says he wants it to seem like Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio and he wants to steal money from Rodrigo. He also manipulates his wife to speak on behalf of Cassio to persuade her to become closer to Cassio.

It was interesting to see that Othello was accused of using “charms” on Desdemona to make her fall in love with him. She shoots that down and says she married him under her own free will. Brabantio has such a problem with Othello due to his skin color but he just disregards the work he does on the battlefield, which he should get a lot of respect for. He drowned the Turks and that is a cause for celebration. He is valued as a great warrior but it seems that is just not enough in the eyes of the senator. He does not want his daughter to love a man that is black. You are able to see that blacks are viewed a certain way, even Iago says that Desdemona is “making the beast with two backs.” He convinces the senator to search for the daughter and really convinced him that it was a problem due to the vulgar way he spoke about Othello and his daughter.

We see the direction that Iago plan is going in and the more I read this play the more I dislike Iago. He is ruining the lives of all in the play based strictly on his own jealousy. He has no prove of the other accusation of that Othello slept with his wife either. He tries to shame Cassio by getting him very drunk causing him to do an act that he would not normally do and he is doing this all to take down Othello. While reading this it made me think of a few questions:

1)Why do you think that Brabantio has such a problem with Othello marrying his daughter who claims she loves him, when he doesn’t have an issue with him being a powerful member of society? It is very different from what we have read in the past because warriors are very well respected.

2)Do you believe Iago main motive to destroy Othello is because of the promotion he gave to Cassio or because he believes he slept with his wife, Emilia?

3)Why do you believe Iago always talks about women in a negative, derogatory way? Do you believe the play agrees with the way he speaks about women?

4)What do you predict will happen at the end of the play when everyone finds out about Iago’s plan? Do you believe Iago will be punished and put to justice for his lies?

Attending Jersey Boys was a great decision. I finally got to see the hype about these 4 singers. It is such a remarkable story of 4 regular guys that had their dreams come true the moment they started to sing. The uniqueness of their voices was what directly pulled me in as well as the story behind it. You love a story of the underdog. You see an everyday person from a state right next to mine, where I have on vacation numerous times become one of the most famous groups. You see them go from the streets to the big stage of Broadway. It gives you that feeling that anything is possible if you work hard enough. I have heard of references of their songs so much and to hear it in person was breathtaking. Hearing it on the radio doesn’t do the live version justice. The voices being so pure and unique are something you do not hear everyday. It is interesting to see how they used their street knowledge to help them get over adversity. They had many personal challenges like the Mob and gambling problems but they always had each other to get them through it. It was so serious that it almost tore the group apart but that is what friends are for. They are there for you no matter what and they are your backbone. That is why this musical touches the hearts of its viewers because it is so real and authentic. I believe that I enjoyed this mostly due to the fact that it had that Italian taste to it. My favorite genre is Italian crime especially organized and since they had to deal with the Mafia it gave me that aspect.

Going to these Broadway plays has really taught me a lot. It brings me to Li Bo poetry to be honest. I will be away for the whole summer for an internship away from my friends, family and girlfriend. I am doing what Li Bo said and not to be stingy with my money. Yes, I have got a lot of tickets for very cheap but it still cost a decent amount. It is something that makes me happy and it is a way to escape the pressures of classes and the reality of me being away from all my loved ones for 2 and a half months. After reading his poetry I am making sure that I make memories and live my life not worrying about what is to come but to live in the present. I will be alone while I am away but I am ok with that. I wont be lonely because I will be happy with myself and feel a sense that I made the most of personal life before I had to leave.

Of the three plays I have seen this semester the most entertaining and enjoyable play would have to be School of Rock. It was funny and breath taking. Watching these young kids play these instruments was amazing. They are so talented and it really makes you appreciate their talent. I grew up loving the movie and everyday at the train station I see a poster for the musical. It made me want to go see this musical and I am so happy I did. Seeing it live makes it so much          better and that’s why I believe that I enjoyed the musical more than the movie itself. There really were not any major differences from the two due to the fact that it was based off the movie. When they perform at the Battle of the Bands at the end of the musical it was the best part. You really got to see the talent that these young kids have.

I had a little trouble trying to connect this musical to something we have learned in class but the only thing I could think of was Medea. He was obviously not as bad as Medea in the sense that he was not evil. But Dewey did lie about whom he was to get what he wanted. Just like Medea manipulating the men of the Athenian society. He pretended to be someone he was not so he can perform in the Battle of the Bands. Although Medea always knew who she was, she did lie to Creon about her intentions for revenge. It is not a great connection but it was one the closest thing that reminded me of what we learned in class.

Dewey was caught and they realized the progress he had made and were not that upset with him. The kids still wanted to learn and play with him. The kids touched his heart and it really made him turn his life around. He is no longer a lazy bum without a job. His job is too teaching these kids music and he is no longer a wannabe rocker. He found what makes him happy and what he was good at. That is being a mentor to these young kids and it was great to see the development of this.

A few weeks ago, I went to go see the play Wicked with my girlfriend. I had such a great experience with mom when seeing The Color Purple that I wanted to go back to see a play that everyone has always talked about. I was such a fan of the Wizard of Oz as a child that I knew I would instantly love Wicked. My brother recommended it to me so I thought it would be a good idea to go see it. First thing that stood out to me was the costumes in the show. The wicked witch of the west green costume was incredible. It really reminded me so much of the movie but seeing it in person were even more incredible. What I loved about this play was the story of this play. You see why the wicked witch, Elphaba, has become who she is. If you have just seen the Wizard of Oz you thought that she was always evil but when watching this prequel you are able to see why. Her and her friend Glinda are very different people and view life very differently. You struggle to see why they were friends due to the fact that they have opposite personalities and fight over the same lover, Fiyero. You see the downfall of Elphaba and her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba is a person who fights political injustice and tries to undo mistakes who ultimately fails and becomes the way she does. It is amazing to see the other side of the story.

I immediately connected this story to Antigone. I did this because in that story you see that everyone has a past and everyone has different reasons for their actions. Antigone thought it was right to bury her brother due to fact that it was her family but Creon believed that it was his right to make it against the law to bury Polynieces because he rebelled and went against him. Everyone has their own opinions and reasoning for their actions. We cannot judge someone’s actions until we really see their side and their reasoning for being the way they are. Sometimes we do not understand why someone is acting a certain way and that is because we don’t take the time to know. That is what this play shows us. We are able to see the importance of seeing that there are two sides to every story. We see the importance of friendship and trust or lack there of and how it can effect a person.

When my mom dragged me to go see the musical The Color Purple I was not a happy camper. I don’t want to see any musical especially not about a story I have never even heard of before. Let me tell you, I was wrong about that. I could not connect personally with this story but I did have a deep feeling of emotions while viewing this play. It was a great story about how powerful love is. The main protagonist Celie was forced to marry a farmer that was very mean and this makes her separated from the ones that she loves. You see a shift in Celie and by the end of the play you see her really become her own person. That was what made me feel so deeply about this play because you see the struggles that she was having but you see her rise above it and overcome adversity. This was the first play I have ever seen so I do not know if I can compare it to anything else but I was amazed by the voices on these actors. The singing was incredible as well as the acting. Honestly, I feel the reason that it made me feel the way I did was because she had someone have such a positive influence and change their perspective on life. Her new friends Shug and Sofia have show her that there is more to life and she needs to be positive because there is more to life than being treated poorly.

It was very different than the Athenian plays were the up and coming young leaders sat in the front. Since the plays are very expensive it seemed that older people were sitting in the front rows since they had the money. My mother and me were standing the whole play. Although my legs got tired it was definitely worth it. I was not sitting in the front but we did get a great discount for standing.

This play reminded me a lot of the proverbs we learned about in the beginning of the semester. It is teaching us about life and how powerful love is. It can over power all the bad things that you have in your life. Sometimes a new perspective on life is all we need to get past and rise up against the adversity in our lives. It teaches us a lesson that we can use and incorporate in our everyday lives. It goes way past an extra credit; it is about what we can learn from these experiences. I am very happy that I went to go see this heart-warming play because it makes me want to go see another very soon. It is safe to say that my first Broadway experience was a successful one.

I also got to see how women and people of color were mistreated. This took place in 1600’s Georgia when slaves were present. She was mistreated because she was a woman and she was black. In class we talked a lot about gender discrimination and it was the main conflict of this play. She was treated as an inferior due to the color of her skin and her sex.