Week 15- Drama- Fences

My Reflections on “Fences” by August Wilson

        “Fences” by August Wilson was a long play that read like a story. With each page, I became more intrigued as the author explained the black experience of the drama. The tone of the drama seemed to match the attitudes of the time as well. In “Fences,” August Wilson depicted the life and times of Troy Maxson, an African American blue collar worker. 

        Troy Maxson had a tough life growing up. Conflict with his father caused him to leave home at age fourteen. He learned how hard things could be living on his own early in life. This lesson is something that stayed with him during his entire lifetime. His way of thinking often caused conflict among the family and was most likely a result of his upbringing.

        Troy Maxson was the main character of the drama. The story is told through his point of view. Rose is Troy’s wife and she is a main character also. During the play Troy has several conversations with Jim Bono (friend), Lyons (oldest son from prior marriage), Gabriel (his brother), and Corey (his son with Rose). Later on in the drama, a new baby daughter, Raynell, is introduced also.

        Troy encounters many conflicts during his lifetime. He has been in jail. He has seen discrimination at his work. He had a conflict with Corey about work and college as well. His brother (Gabriel) is a source of conflict because he is in an out of treatment facilities. He has experienced conflict with Rose as he exposed his adultery and news of a new daughter. He also feels constant strife with the devil for his life and wishes to keep it out with a fence. 

        Jim Bono and Troy make a deal concerning the fence also in the story. Jim told Troy when he built Rose a fence that he would buy his wife a new refrigerator. As the conflict with his wife heightens, he finally builds Rose a fence. 

        Troy appears so have an underlying conflict within himself concerning death. Many of these views were most likely an effect from a dysfunctional home life. Although Troy has some good times in the play, he doesn’t appear to be a very happy man. He mentions in the play that the pressure of being the provider of the family has gotten to him. He feels like when he is with his mistress that he can be happy and stress free. He doesn’t appear to be a very happy man. 

        Rose always stays by Troy’s side though. She is always caring and attentive to Troy as well. She even raises his baby for him when the mother dies during child birth. After Troy’s death, she continues to care for young Raynell. She wanted the fence to be put up to keep her family in as long as possible. Troy wanted to keep out death until it was his time to go. He passed away swinging a bat towards death.

A Raisin in the Sun - Week 14- Drama

A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun with Sydney Poitier is the version I watched. This version was made in 1961. It was in black and white also. This drama was about the struggles of a black family.

When the story began, this family was waiting on the arrival of a life insurance check. The life insurance check was worth $10,000 and was the result of the father’s early death. The money meant a lot to the mother, Lena. Lena had hopes of changing the lives of her family with that money. She had watched her husband work himself to death on a daily basis.

          The son, Walter, had other ideas for the life insurance money. He was tired of being a servant to other people. He wanted to start a liquor business with his business partners. He thought working for himself would make him feel proud and provide a better life for his family. Lena did not want the money from her husband’s death to be spent on liquor though. She was against the entire idea. She and Walter had disagreements because of their differing opinions.

Meanwhile, Ruth, Walter’s wife, is unhappy. Her son, Travis, has to sleep on the couch in their cramped home. She has to live in that little, stifling place. Her relationship with Walter is deteriorating as well. She is overcome with joy when the money arrives and has hopes of moving out of that place to a real house. She wants a better life.

When Walter finds out that Lena spent the money on a house, he is very upset. Beneatha, his sister, always argues with Walter about the money as well. She is a college girl with bigger ideas about the world. She is wrapped up in African heritage which is the source behind her character in the story. As Lena sees that Walter can’t feel like a man or the head of their family, she gives him the rest of the money to handle. She trusts him to do what is right for their family and put aside money for beneath a’s college.

Walter decides to use the money for the liquor business with hopes of making money for their family. His shady business partner Willie steals the money and disappears though. The entire family is devastated and doesn’t feel like they can move into the new house when this happens.

Along with the pressure from the white neighborhood to stay out of their neighborhood and the news that their money was stolen is a little too much for this family. They do not know what to do now. Ruth doesn’t want to stay where they are. Lena feels sad and angry that her husband’s hard work was for nothing. Beneatha is mad that Walter just gave the money away. Walter just feels devastated and feels the pressure of being the head of the family. He knows he has let his family down.

The family comes together in the end. Walter makes the decision as he runs the family to move into the white neighborhood although it will be difficult. Lena still gets to make a difference for her family through this decision. Ruth gets to move into a real house. This black family suffering through tough times again forges ahead at end of drama in hopes for a better life.

Week 13 Drama

“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell

       “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell was an interesting play. It was written in 1916. While reading the play, there was a mysterious element to it. It felt like a murder mystery. 

       As the story begins, the description of Mrs. Wright seemed strange. The author may have created this feeling in order to implicate Mrs. Wright murdered her husband John Wright. Often, in murder mysteries, the one that committed the murder appears oddly calm after wards. This is the feeling I got when reading Mrs. Wright’s description.

       As the play continues, the county attorney (Henderson), the sheriff (Peters), and the neighboring farmer (Hale) begin to look for clues as to what/who may have killed Mr. Wright. The two women in the play, Mrs. Peters (sheriff’s wife) and Mrs. Hale (neighbor’s wife) are also looking for clues. The men talk about Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping abilities and begin to think of her as a bad homemaker. They seem to miss all the clues and make fun of the women who seem to be more on track with what happened. 

       The women knew something was up when they first spotted a bad stitch in the quilt Mrs. Wright was making. They thought something must have made Mrs. Wright nervous all the sudden because all other stitches in the quilt looked perfect. When they found the broken cage and dead bird, even more suspicion became evident in the play. They also mentioned Mrs. Wright’s character before she married Mr. Wright and after. Her behavior had changed dramatically.

       While the men wasted time and made fun of the women for looking around and discussing quilting, the women began to piece together what may have happened. I felt the drama implicated through the women that it was not a happy marriage, Mr. Wright may have been abusive, and Mrs. Wright may have killed him. The possible motive could have been that he killed her bird, wrung its neck, and broke the cage. Maybe that was the last straw that caused the murder. As the men mad fun of the women for discussing Mrs. Wright’s worry of her fruit during this time, they women told the men that women worry about trifles. This is where the title of the story comes from.

Week 13 Drama

“Naked Lunch” by Michael Hollinger

        “Naked Lunch” was written by Michael Hollinger. It is a play written in 2003. This is a shorter play that is about a couple named Vernon and Lucy.

        As the play begins, the scene is set on Vernon and Lucy having lunch. It seems to be going well but then something happens. Something immediately appears to be wrong as Vernon is eating his steak and Lucy is only eating her corn cob slowly. So, the story begins there as the relationship begins to be discussed.

        Vernon can’t understand why all of the sudden that Lucy has become a vegetarian. He feels slighted as he has gone to a lot of trouble preparing a romantic meal for Lucy with hopes of being romantic later. It also mentions that this was an effort to get back together on Vernon’s part as well. 

        The reason for the breakup seems to become clear at that point. Vernon seems to be a bully. He wants to know why Lucy won’t eat meat and thinks it is because of him. As she begins to explain, he gets more infuriated. Lucy can’t seem to get in to understand no matter what she says. At that point, Vernon tries to make Lucy eat the steak he has prepared for her. He can’t seem to understand why Lucy feels this way. Their romantic meal has now turned into a disagreement where one of them is turning slightly hostile. 

        The title of the poem, “Naked Lunch,” seems to go along with the play in two ways. Vernon mentions he had hopes of getting naked later, but instead Vernon and Lucy’s true feelings become exposed. Lucy succumbs to the pressure Vernon places on her to eat meat. She doesn’t try to get him to understand and just gives up.

Poetry Week 12

Reflections on Poetry Week 12

    For week twelve, I chose the following poems: “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” “Memorandum,” “To an Athlete Dying Young,” “Thinking about Bill, Dead of AIDS,” and “This Is Just to Say.”

    “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” by Anne Bradstreet was a sweet poem. It seemed like the woman speaking in the poem really loved her husband. The wife seemed very happy in the poem. It sounded as though her husband pleased her. This poem doesn’t seem like it would be written during seventeenth century Puritan times. The woman speaking in the poem appears to be professing her undying affection for her mate. The last line in the poem sounded like something lovers anticipate and tell each other when they talk about going to Heaven.

    “Memorandum,” by Billie Bolton was an amusing poem that looked different than other poems in the book so far. It looked like a memo. The poem had a woman scorned type of feel to it. In the poem it sounded like the woman speaking was not treated very nicely during the relationship. It also sounded like she decided that she was tired of how the man was treating her. The poem seemed to be a letter at the end of a relationship. It resembled a kiss off letter as well.

    “To an Athlete Dying Young,” by A. E. Housman was a poem about an athlete. The speaker of the poem seemed to speaking to the athlete in some way. This poem could have been said at a funeral of an athlete. The athlete being referred to in the poem seemed to no longer be alive. It is always sad to see a young person with talent die young. Young people seem invincible, but everything can change in a moment. This poem seemed to capture that feeling.

    “Thinking About Bill, Dead of AIDS<“ by Miller Williams was written in 1989. The beginning of the poem sounded like the start of AIDS. No one really knew what the mysterious new disease was. The person speaking in the poem seemed to be referring to someone who was afflicted with AIDS and lost the battle. Several things mentioned in the poem about how Bill was treated seem to be how people are treated with AIDS still today. It is a scary disease, but more things are known about the transmission of HIV/AIDS today. The poem sounded like everyone abandoned Bill because they were scared of getting his disease.

    “This is Just to Say,” by William Carlos Williams was a short poem. It had a comical tone to it as well. It was written in 1934, but sounded as if it could apply today. It could be applied in situations where people either live or work together. It sounded like the speaker ate the food on purpose and wanted to rub it in the other person’s face. That is what sounded comical in the poem. Normally, if someone ate something that belonged to someone else, they wouldn’t laugh or tell them how delicious the food was. That would be mean. The person speaking must have had a reason behind the actions that were spoke about in the poem.

Week 11 Poetry Blog

     For week eleven, I chose the following poems: “I, Too,” “Motto,” and “High to Low” by Langston Hughes were three of the poems chosen. “Dusting,” and “Sometimes the Words are So Close” by Julia Alvarez are the other two poems I chose.

       “I, Too” by Langston Hughes seems to depict the life of an African American. The speaker of the poem feels like telling everyone that he is an American just like they are. In the first stanza, the speaker of the poem does not seem to be bothered by the fact that he is sent to the kitchen to eat when company comes. He wants to shout he is also an American and knows that a day will come soon when he will be allowed and welcomed to eat in the dining room with people of all color. In the second stanza, he speaks of a day when he will not be asked to eat in the kitchen. This poem seems to depict how many have felt over the years when faced with prejudice.

       “Motto” by Langston Hughes is another poem I chose. Even though it is short, it has a cute ring to it. The speaker of the poem must be telling his motto in life. He seems to feel like he is a cool person. He goes so far to say that being cool is the reason he stays alive. As the poem ends though, the speaker lets the audience know that he needs to feel like everyone likes him, but he must show others that kindness in return.

       “High to Low” is the last poem by Langston Hughes that I chose. The speaker seems to be talking to someone that he doesn’t think highly of. This person seems to belong to the same race as the speaker. The speaker feels that they are low. He doesn’t think they are representing their race well. The speaker seems quite irritated by the other person in this poem. He even speaks about the children of the other person not having a neat appearance. The speaker seems to also be trying to convey to the other person his disappointment. The speaker obviously feels like the high person in this poem. The speaker feels like the low person can do a better job representing their race.

       “Sometimes the Words are So Close” by Julia Alvarez is one of the poems I chose also. The speaker of this poem seems to be an inspirational speaker. The speaker seems to be telling the audience that she feels alive when her words are down on paper. The words of her poem seem to be giving directions to the audience as well. She wants the audience to take to heart what she has to say. She must be speaking from the heart. That must be why she feels so close to the words of the poem.

       “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez is the last poem I chose. The speaker of the poem seems to be in conflict with her mother. It seems like the speaker of the poem doesn’t feel valued by her mother either. It seems like the speaker of the poem wants to rebel and nothing like her mother. The speaker of the poem wants to exercise their own type of individuality. The mother must be trying to get the speaker to conform from erasing everything the speaker tries to do. Many daughters feel like they know everything and experience turmoil with their mother as they get older.

Poetry Week 10

My Reflections on the Poetry from Week 10

     For the poetry assignment this week, I chose four poems from Emily Dickinson and one poem from Robert Frost. The poems I choose were:  “If I shouldn’t be alive,” “Water, is taught by thirst,” “I felt a cleaving in my mind,” and “The Bustle in the House,” by Emily Dickinson. The poem I chose by Robert Frost was “Fire and Ice.”
 
    “If I shouldn’t be alive,” by Emily Dickinson is one of the poems I chose. This poem is a short poem with a message about dying. Dying seems to be a common theme among poets. This poem seems to be about if she should die, she will still be thinking of someone. It sounds like it could be someone she loves. If she doesn’t get to thank them while she is still alive, she will be thanking them from her grave. The last phrase about her granite lip seems to represent the silence that comes with death as the body that was once alive turns into a hardened, stiff corpse. The last phrase seemed to say that even though the lips will be sealed, the person she wanted to thank should know that she would be thanking them if she could.

    “Water, is taught by thirst,” by Emily Dickinson is the next poem I chose. I found this poem interesting. It mentions a word and then what teaches the word to mean something. I thought the phrase about peace is taught by battle stories was a powerful statement that stood out. Without battle times, peace times would not feel as nice. The same is true about peace time. Without it, battle time would  not be known. When the current time is plagued by battle or war, everyone longs for  peace time to come again. No one wants to see people dying. No one wants to see families lose loved ones. It is definitely heartbreaking to see children lose a parent as well.

    “I felt a cleaving in my mind” by Emily Dickinson is another poem I chose. It is also a short poem. The speaker in the poem seems to be struggling with the thoughts of something. It is not clear what has confused the speaker of the poem. It seems like the speaker is really trying to understand what is going on, but just can’t wrap their brain around the concept. In this poem, every other line rhymes, and that type of poem has a nice flow to it. Many things could be on the speaker’s mind. They could be confused on how their lover is acting. They could be confused about the problems in the world. I have often felt that way when hearing a child has been harmed, especially when it is a child harmed by their mother.

    “The Bustle in the House,” by Emily Dickinson is the last poem I chose by this author. Love and death are mentioned in this poem. There is a different feeling in the house the morning after someone dies. Everyone is solemn as sadness overcomes the house. The speaker mentions cleaning up and putting away the heart like someone would clean the house. When a spouse dies, the one left behind does feel like their heart has been broken. So when the poem mentions packing up the heart and not using again until eternity, it sounds like how someone feels when their spouse or loved one dies. Some people feel like they will never love again. They also look forward to the day they will see that person again.

    “Fire and Ice,” by Robert Frost is the last poem I chose. This poem is also a short poem. The theme of this poem is the end of the world. The speaker of the poem mentions he would like to agree with the ones who say the world will end in fire. The speaker seems to enjoy a life of desire and associates more with those who favor the fire theory. Then, the poem shifts and goes on to say if the speaker should die twice, he would pick the other way. I thought this may mean that if he could do things over, he would live his life a different way. He would live a better life not associated with fire. The last line of the poem seems to say it would be okay if the world ended in ice, but it wouldn’t be as good as fire. It would just suffice.