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"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"

2007-05-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

I loved “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” .I’ve been meaning to watch it for so long but never did… The way it was filmed was so good it makes you feel like you’re on drugs also.. the fact that it was just one bad trip after another made the underlying theme hard to see while watching it. Over all, crazy movie but really good pick.

In the movie “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo are in pursuit of the “American Dream”. In the process they make beasts of themselves by taking drugs, trashing hotel rooms, gambling and living an all around irresponsible life. The two main characters escaped their real lives by taking an excessive amount of drugs. Their lives consisted of a blur of acid trips and drug binges keeping them from experiencing reality. Figuratively and literally, the drugs turn the two men into beasts. During one of Raoul’s many drug binges the entire room of people in the casino look like beasts and during a later drug binge Raoul himself is wearing the tale of a beast. In efforts to relieve their “pain of being a man” the two characters fill their life with pain by using LSD, acid, ether,marijuana etc. In the end it seems that a life of excess, which many Americans crave, is not the American Dream and becoming a monster will not erase reality. An acid trip that lasts a couple of hours isn’t real life. When the high fades the two men have to face the truth, whatever that is. In an attempt to rid their lives of pain, they rid their lives of beauty by turning into beasts. In the end the two main characters just dug themselves deep into a ditch full of fear, loathing and excess.

"The Importance of Being Earnest"

2007-04-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

1) I loved “the importance of being earnest” because it is just my kind of humor: satirical and witty. It’s a hilarious mockery of high society and somhow the characters are all individually funny. I especially thought that Gwendolyn’s lecture on the name Jack was hilarious. She said “Jack is a notorious domesticity for John” and that she would pity any woman married to a man named John because she would never know “the entrancing pleasure of a single moment’s solitude”. My ex boyfriend’s name is John… Anyway, overall I would tell anyone and everyone to read this play. It is easy to read and full of witty one-liners.

2) The witticisms of the characters in “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde helped to build the personality of each individual character. In fact, the witty dialog does not only build the characters but it helps to further the plot. For example, when Algernon overheard Jack tell Gwendolyn the address of his country home, he wrote it on his on his shirt cuff. In this instance humor is most certainly used to be funny however, it is also used to enlighten the reader as to what will happen next. Throughout the play each character is satirically entertaining in his own way. Algernon’s life seems to be in disarray. He is mildly stressed throughout the play because of his bunburrying and other ploys. Algernon’s constantly clever comments label him as a light-hearted, smooth-talking wise guy. Jack’s witty remarks, on the other hand, add to his serious nature. He often plays off of Algy’s comical view on life. For example on page 5 Algernon and Jack discuss the engraving on the cigarette case.
"Algernon: Yes, but that does not account for the fact that your small Aunt Cecily, who lives at Tunbridge Wells, calls you her dear uncle. Come, old boy, you had much better have the thing out at once.
Jack. My dear Algy, you talk exactly as if you were a dentist. It is very vulgar to talk like a dentist when one isn’t a dentist. It produces a false impression."
Later in the play we meet Cecily’s, Jack’s ward. She is young, naïve and strangely obsessed with the name Earnest. Her wit is displayed through her imagination and speech. At one point as she says, “I have never met any really wicked person before. I feel rather frightened. I am so afraid he will look just like every one else”. Gwendolyn is Jack’s fiancé whom is also obsessed with the name Earnest. Her witticisms give the reader the impression that she is shallow and assertive. On the topic of the name Earnest she says “In matters of grave importance style, not sincerity is the vital thing”. Through the use of humor and wit Wilde was able to accomplish a brilliantly funny play in which the humor helps develop the plot and the characters.

"Taming of the Shrew"

2007-04-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

1. Shakespeare's “Taming of the Shrew” was really fun and enjoable to read despite the sometimes difficult language . It was so entertaining I didn’t want to put it down. I’ve read Shakespeare’s more serious dramas but this play was the easiest for me to read and understand. I would recommend it to anyone who has a sense of humor. I know there’s a movie “Taming of the Shrew” … Now that I’ve read the play I’m interested to see if my imagination matches up with the movie.

2. Throughout “Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare there were many instances in which conflict was displayed in a humorous light. One particularly significant conflict is the argument between the two main characters, Katherine and Petruchio, when they first meet. Petruchio wishes to marry Katherine, despite her many unappealing qualities, because she is extremely wealthy. Before meeting Katherine, the shrew, Petruchio plans to ignore her foul mouth. He says, “say that she rail; why then I’ll tell her plain she sings as sweetly as a nightingale. Say that she frown; I’ll say she looks as clear as morning roses newly washed with dew… If she do bid me pack, I’ll give her thanks, as though she bid me stay by her a week.” When Katherine approaches Petruchio she is rude, unpleasant and vulgar just as he expected. As a response to mostly every remark she makes, he is witty, confident and unaffected by her shrewdness. Throughout the duration of their conversation he ignores her nastiness because he does not care about the kind of person she is as long as she brings wealth into the marriage. Humor is generated from the situation because Petruchio is determined to marry her for her dowry and nothing else. Throughout the conversation makes witty remarks and acts just as arrogant as she is. This comical scene followed by their offbeat wedding was just the beginning of Petruchio’s attempt to “tame the shrew”. The humor seen in the argument may have been generated by his overall comical presence as well as his carelessness regarding Katherine’s personality. Petruchio had made the decision that he would marry her before they had even met so when they spoke it is not surprising that he was unconcerned with anything she said. The humorous in this argument did not seem to be concealing anything except Katherine’s opinion. Pertruchio’s humor worked. After all, he got what he came for, her hand in marriage.

"The Lottery"

2007-03-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

1. I found the story “The Lottery” to be extremely disturbing… although very suspensful and therefore fun to read. I can't believe that these villagers were so devoted to tradition that they actually continuously stoned someone to death every year. I had a hard time with the underlying meaning here.. I got the feeling that it was not just about tradition but maybe a message about society at the time. The story was weird because the tone in the beginning of the story was mostly happy and playful and there were no obvious signs of what “the lottery” actually was. I just assumed that it was a good thing. Because of the suspense and excitement throughout the story I thought everyone wanted to win the lottery. The story starts off being a “beautiful summer day” and ends up being horrible. It was also strange that although everyone was well aware of the outcome, the whole process seemed like no big deal… it was just another day to get on with. “Mr. Summers said soberly, "guess we better get started, get this over with, so's we can go back to work”. This short story actually reminded me a little of the movie The Island, orobably because of the ironic use of the word " lottery". In the movie when someone won “the lottery” they thought they were chosen to go to “the island” but in reality they were chosen to be killed.

2. In the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson suspense is used to build a bizarre climax. The tone in the beginning of the story seems light-hearted but by the end it dramatically changes. The shocking ending, in which Mrs. Hutchinson is “stoned”, was foreshadowed by the text on several occasions, although, these moments are not obvious to the reader unless the ending is known. In the second paragraph it seems as if the children are innocently playing while they gather stones but they are actually gathering them to throw at the lottery “winner”. The text specifically says, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones . . . Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix-- the villagers pronounced this name "Dellacroy"--eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys”. During the lottery there are several signs that the villagers are anxious and nervous that they might be chosen; Mr. Adams and Mr. Summers “grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously” as he approached the box, Mrs. Delacroix “held her breath while her husband went forward”. In this small village, the lottery is a tradition that seems to be held supported by everyone involved. The lottery is portrayed as a highly anticipated and strangely casual event that happens once a year. It is extremely unclear to the reader that the villager who wins “the lottery” will be “stoned” by their neighbors, friends, and family. Mrs. Hutchinson, much like everyone else, was a supporter of the tradition until she is chosen, claiming that “it isn’t fair”. The author wants the reader to understand that upholding a tradition which only results in pointless violence against eachother is extremely harmful to society. Although other villages have eliminated “the lottery” the elderly called it crazy to do so. The reader gets the notion that for many of the villagers the lottery has become boring and out dated. The whole process is meaninless and serves no purpose. The village has lost many parts of the original ritual but they refuse to eliminate the killing, this makes the reader question what is really happening. The lesson to take away from this story is that a society with a heirarchy such as this one will lead to self destruction. Progression is necessary for a healthy society and living in the past is deadly, literally.

"Bernice Bobs Her Hair"

2007-03-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

1. I really enjoyed reading “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”. Once I started reading, I literally couldn’t stop, I needed to know what was going to happen next. The story’s pretty much a typical good girl goes bad kind of thing but there is a strong message of identity behind it. I still can’t figure out if I am happy or mad that Bernice ended up cutting off her cousins braids in her sleep. I think I’m mad because that is a plain evil thing to do, especially after Marjorie’s apology. I probably would have reacted the same way Marjorie did if I found out that my cousin stole my boyfriend. I think what Marjorie did wasn’t half as bad as what Bernice did to her. Revenge is not the way to go. Before this story I always thought that identity was a fixed thing but now that I think about it many people change their identity when inclined to “fit in” or make people like them.

2. In “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” by Fitzgerald the nature of identity, especially teenage identity, is represented as something changeable. In the beginning of the story Bernice, although considered boring and dull, was her own person. She was kind, timid and reserved. None of the boys would dance with her but she had no desire to be popular, she thought she was fine the way she was. Bernice’s cousin Marjorie, who was very popular with the boys, had tried to change Bernice but labeled her “hopeless” and treated her with disgust. Several weeks into Bernice’s visit with her cousin, after threatening to leave, she was finally persuaded to let Marjorie teach her how to be popular. She taught her how to be witty, likable and fun. Bernice soon attracted everyone’s attention with her story of how she planned to bob her long, lustrous hair. There are several accounts in which hair set her apart from the other girls, in a way it defined who she was. When Marjorie found out that Bernice had been seeing her boyfriend she tried to sabotage her newly found popularity by telling everyone that her charming story had been a lie. In hopes to maintain herself as a well-liked socialite, Bernice went to the salon and bobbed her hair. The moment she did her identity completely changed. Marjorie’s plan had worked but Bernice’s had failed, she had lost the attention of everyone. After a sincere apology from her cousin Bernice still wanted revenge and decided to cut her cousin’s blond braids in her sleep. It seems as if Bernice had become someone completely different than the girl in the beginning of the story. She was no longer sweet and innocent but evil and malicious. Bernice changed dramatically throughout the course of the story becoming someone she never wanted to be in order to “fit in”. This story conveys the message that a person’s identity can be affected by something as superficial as a haircut.

"The Yellow Wallpaper"

2007-03-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

1. Since I am posting this blog late I already know how a lot of people felt about “The Yellow Wallpaper” from talking about it in class and I was pretty much just as disturbed by it as everyone else but I still found it very entertaining and enjoyable to read. I think the story labels women in the late 19th century society. They were controlled by men and were confined to the kitchen. It was unacceptable for them to express themselves at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more mentally ill women in 19th century than any other time.

2. The story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was written as a response to the oppression of woman in the late 19th century. The narrator is identified as John’s wife throughout the entire story which implies that she was defined by her husband. She was forced to hold back her creativity, or any form of expression for that matter, because of her womanhood. As a result of women's lack of power the narrator becomes severely insane. In the beginning of the story the narrator and her husband move into the old nursery of a beautiful mansion. She explains the yellow wallpaper on the walls as “revolting” and “dull” with “flamboyant patterns”. The bed was nailed to the floor and the windows were covered with bars. She was essentially confined to this room; a prisoner of her own life. In this paternalistic society, the woman of the house was expected to tend to the housework and care for the child, however, the narrator of this story was not the ideal domestic woman. She was creative and expressed herself through writing although her husband did not approve. After much time of hiding her self-expression she began to see a woman “creeping” in the patterns of the grotesque yellow wallpaper. The more obsessed the narrator became with watching the “women in the wallpaper” the more insane she became. It soon became clear that the figure in the wallpaper represented female confinement and oppression. The woman trapped in the wallpaper may have even been the narrator herself. She was trapped by society, her condescending husband and the idea that it self-expression was inappropriate. The narrator wanted to liberate herself from this life and the only way she could do so was to become completely insane. By the end of the story the narrator, who is now completely mentally ill, believes that the woman has finally come out of the wallpaper and therefore so has she. They have both broken free of the male oppression and are now in control of their own lives.

Blog # 2 " The Flea"

2007-02-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

1. At first glance the poems “The Flea” and “Woman’s Constancy” by John Donne seemed confusing but once I read them a couple of times I was able to understand and interpret them both in my own way. I think in both poems he is blaming a woman for his suffering. In “The flea” he is suffering because a woman is wont go to bed with him and in “Woman’s Constancy” he is suffering because a woman doesn’t really love him. It is interesting to see that the speaker is portrayed in both poems as a male figure with woman problems. Overall, I found both these poems to be really entertaining, engaging and amusing. Even though I enjoyed both poems I have decided to focus on “The Flea” in part 2 because I feel as if I understood it better. I also found the irony and the hidden meaning to be kind of unusual in “The Flea”. I hope the following interpretation of the poem is not confusing.

2. In John Donne’s poem “The Flea” it is ironic that such a worthless creature is used to seemingly represent love and togetherness. It is known to the reader that a flea is an annoying and unpleasant pest and that anyone bothered by it would easily be tempted to kill it. In this particular case, the speaker uses the flea as a symbol of their love to fool his lover into bed. In line 2 of the poem the speaker says, “How little that which thou deniest me is”. He tries to convince the woman of how small the thing is that she is denying him (her body). The speaker then refers to their blood that is mingling together in the flea as more than they would do with each-other because the woman does not wish to “mingle” with the speaker. This fact that the woman is religious and refuses to sin is important and, as you will later see, contributes to the irony of the poem. By using a pest as worthless as a flea to represent the bond between the two people it suggests that the speaker may have an ulterior motive. Besides using the flea as a symbol of his love he is using it to get her into bed. In my opinion, the speaker seems to be setting-up the woman. The ironic nature of using a flea as a romantic symbol affects the message of the poem because the speaker knows all along that the woman will kill the flea. The speaker blatantly tells his lover that to kill the flea would be “three sins in killing three” and since we, the reader, know by now that this woman is against sin she is expected not to kill it. Regardless of her beliefs she kills the flea and he proceeds to tell her that she has triumphed because “the flea’s death took life from thee”. This implies that the speaker feels that the fact that she killed the flea should remove the part of her that beliefs sex is a sin. It seems as if the speaker will do anything to get his mate to abandon her religious beliefs. The speaker is extremely clever in the way he goes about manipulating, or attempting to manipulate, his companion.

Blog #1 'Dream Deferred'

2007-02-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

1. After reading ‘Dream Deferred’ by Langston Hughes I felt kind of inspired not to put my dreams on the back burner. The poem was a little depressing considering all of the negative things that happen to a dream deferred but, at the same time it was uplifting because it inspired me to not put aside my dreams so often. The poem makes me want to act on my dreams rather than let them rot in the back of my mind. I feel like if you want something you should go get it because, according to this poem, a dream deferred is bad news. Overall, I liked this poem a lot because of its relevant message and unpleasant yet effective imagery.

2. Throughout the poem ‘Dream Deferred’ by Langston Hughes the author graphically lists several bad consequences of postponing our desires. He suggests that if we shelve our wishes or goals or aspirations they will become worthless, devalued or burdensome. The overall tone of the poem is overwhelmingly negative but yet it manages to send a positive message. In line 4, Hughes compares a dream deferred to an oozing sore implying that a lingering dream will eventually become like an infection in which the only cure is to fulfill the desire. In the last line of ‘Dream Deferred’ Hughes asks the question [what happens to a dream deferred] . . . does it explode? This line suggests the ultimate worst outcome of a dream deferred, self-destruction. The word “explode” is connotative of a ticking bomb. In this case the ticking bomb is inside the subjects head. The “explosion” may be representative of the moment when a person comes to realize that their dream is no longer obtainable. Hughes suggests that if we put a dream aside for long enough we will loose all hope of it ever being accomplished and, therefore, the dream will essentially die. As a result of this explosion the individual may become depressed, angry or filled with regret. The message behind this poem is that the time is now to accomplish our goals, if we put them aside it is sad but certain they will whither away.