Blog Entry # 7

After reading these two plays many of the symbolism and themes remain in the shadow to me because of how complex the genres involved are. Surrealism and Absurd theatre both connote using confusing and irregular forms of plots and dialogues to convey the author’s message. For Albee in The Zoo Story it seems quite apparent that he is dealing with the subject of alienation. Pirandello also touches on this subject through the character known as THE SON in Six Characters in Search of an Author. But here we see the difference is that the son would rather alienate himself from the world rather than face his family and the situation he is forced to be involved in. “Well, go away then, if you want to! [The SON looks at her with contempt and hatred. She laughs and says] You see, he can’t, he can’t go away! He is obliged to stay here, indissolubly bout to the chain.”(pg 191) We can see the same characteristic through Peter in Pirandello’s drama. He too wished to unchain himself from the household that contains his family. They both wish to be free of their shackles but even though Peter is able to achieve this temporarily he will have to return and be in the same position as The Son. As an audience we may not see this initially we are lead to believe the alienation symbolism solely pertains to Jerry’s character but we fail to realize alienation can occur also if one chooses to be away from others in society.

Blog Entry #6

In all honesty the popularity of this play comes as a surprise to me as it touches on a very controversial topic but El Guindi does a fantastic job of making every character look like a bad guy. The main theme or the play itself is the situation. El Guindi uses the situation to illustrate the various feelings that were in the air around the time the attacks had taken place. Feelings that incriminated a whole race and made it seem as if those who accused them were horrible bigots. But are the same time those were doing the blaming showed a great sense of patriotism those being blamed almost felt that they indirectly played a role in the incident that took place on that day. One of the underlying motifs that Yussef addresses is the fact that the freedom that is enjoyed in America is seen as a luxury around the world but the populace does not realize.

In the drama Carl states, “Believe it or not, safeguarding the innocent is as important apprehending the bad guys.”(pg 174) As if to say for the safety of the community’s freedom some must lose theirs. El Guindi uses this as a theme that the audience must realize as the watch Khaled be subject to physical abuse without any substantial evidence of his involvement in the attacks. But he also makes it apparent that it is not just people who look like Khaled that have been subject to such treatment through Bartlett’s statement, “Yesterday the Irish and the Poles, today it’s you (Khaled). Tomorrow it might be the Dutch.” El Guindi’s way of saying for society to keeps it balance someone must receive the blame/hate for crimes/hardships faced by the greater population.

Blog Entry #5

Clifford Odets drama could be reconstructed to fit modern days by addressing the issues concerning the economic downturn of the past six years. Only the year of 2011 provided the best scenario do modernize Waiting for Lefty through the different groups that came to existent during the Occupy Wall Street movement. By using the same structure of the play by having different scenarios and short stories the drama could address the different groups advocating their cause during the gatherings. Really the age group that Odets aimed for was the young adults of the 1930’s. This is the same age demographic that made up the many factions of Occupy Wall Street. The best setting would probably having it in take place in New York where the movement began and having the different short stories represent the various groups that came to existent throughout the country. I think each story Odets used in his original wouldn’t need much tweaking because the main issue his play addressed was social class and inequality. Even though the play is set around “the Great Depression”, Occupy Wall Street was trying to address the issues with their main slogan “We are the 99%.” This new retooled drama would probably not have the same effect Waiting for Lefty had during its time but it would still be effective in persuading its audience on the issues it addressed. Simply because of the fact that the concept is still very powerful in the way it involves the different groups involved with the movement or the subject matter.

Blog Entry #4

After seeing the magnificent performance by TCU Theatre of Promerance’s The Elephant Man I was left with almost the same emotional sentiment towards Merrick. I first thought that watching the play would skew the way I had originally visualized the drama but the show was very similar to the way I had imagined it. One might say that you are limited to the director’s vision of the play when watching it as a show but never do we considered the fact that our imagination can limit the way we view things. It is through seeing it in someone else’s mind that we really open the possibilities of interpretation. For example the pinheads in the play were portrayed to be mentally ill but I originally just imagined them with actual deformed cone shaped heads. The director opened my mind to the fact that Promerance was addressing another societal issue within his play. The live performance allows for the stage craft to add emotional effect to the performance as they do not have to fit the realistic barriers present in the movie. The rotating stage added considerable effect to the show and this would not have been possible in the film. But at the same time the film is able to depict more realistically what John Merrick, the elephant man, might have gone through during the time period the play is set in. The film is able to capture this period with more accuracy than the play because through the many actors and sets involved there is a real sense of attention to detail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJKdahwqC98

Blog Entry #3

In Buried Child, Sam Shepard draws attention to societal issues concerning domestic affairs by slowly bringing to light why the family in the story is so shattered. In terms of the plot Shepard has the exposition present throughout the play as we never really understand who the characters are until the end. This allows for multiple issues to be addressed throughout the drama. The main societal issue that the drama addresses is incest. This is a serious subject as throughout most modern societies it is an act that is considered to be unacceptable. Shepard’s stance on this subject can be seen through the effect the incident in the drama had on the family. Before it happened they were very comfortable with each other and the lives they were living but it was the relationship between Halie and Tilden the bonds to shatter. This is made apparent to the audience by Shelly’s comments about how they’re lives used to be and the picture of Halie holding the baby. “She’s looking down at the baby like it was somebody else’s. Like it didn’t belong to her.”(Buried Child)

Marsha Norman’s purpose in this drama was clear from the point that Jessie told Mama she was going to kill herself and there was virtually nothing she could do to stop her. It is as if Norman was trying to provide a gateway to people who had considered that “option” to help those around them understand why it seemed like practical “solution” to them. Because in modern society it is seen as taboo but in the end if one has decided to take that choice those around are practically helpless to save the individual and must accept/live with the fact. “Don’t and try and stop me, Mama, you can’t do it.”(‘night Mother)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsE8ELDOHKI&feature=related

Blog Entry #2

The usage of Tennessee Williams’ “plastic drama” allows for the imagery to evoke emotion in the audience. One of the most powerful images created by Williams is the scene in which Tom asks Laura, even though the question was rhetorical, a way to escape the life he has been given and not chosen. “You know it don’t take too much intelligence to get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura. But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail? [As if in answer, the father’s grinning photograph lights up. The scene dims out.]” (Pg.485-486) Williams’ uses to coffin to symbolize the box that Tom feels his is living in. And the picture of his father serves as a reminder of the one man who was able to escape the coffin without removing a single nail. When Tom finally decides to leave he states, “I descended the steps of this fire escape for a last time and followed, from then on, in my father’s footsteps, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space” (Pg. 506), as if to say he has chosen to be the next man to leave the coffin in such mysterious fashion. Williams’ uses “plastic drama” through the image of father that torments both Tom and Amanda. Tom is tortured by the picture because he lives the life that he wants for himself and for Amanda it serves a cruel reminder of her youth and how much she loved the man that left her.

Blog Entry #1

The advantage of using a drama to tell one’s story is the fact that it allows for the author to leave a sense of mystique surrounding the plot of the story. Readers must dive into more depth and analysis of each of the character’s dialogue to truly understand the story and relate to the characters and symbols offered by the author. Like in the short story “A Jury of Her Peers” as readers we are led to believe that Glaspell has chosen to use Mrs. Hale as the antagonist and are given significant signs of the plot through her thoughts in the story. The dramatic form allows for exactly what the form’s name delineates more drama than the short story form. It also allows for the reader to use their imagination to fill in the blanks of what goes on between the lines of the different characters. But it must also be noted that this is a double-edged sword. For many readers this can be an irritating obstacle as to figuring out the full plot of the story and the symbols the author has deliberately put into the drama. Half of the essence of the storyline is embedded in the symbols within the drama. The challenge of reading a drama lies in the fact that it is meant to be seen rather than read that is why most drama are hard to follow. The author has written it with the intention of an audience enjoying its portrayal on the stage.