...Is that all?

After completing the play Translations, it got me really wondering to what happened to Yolland. It is interesting that he suddenly disappears after he shares a romantic evening with Maire. It makes me think of Romeo and Juliet. Maire seems to know that he will return and where he will return. This is like the idea Juliet has to return to Romeo after faking her own death. In the end of that play though there is definitive knowledge to what happens to the couple: they die. But here the ending is left purposely ambiguous to what will happen to everyone in the play.



I think that this would be a good piece for the creative writing assignment. Writing a play is difficult because it involves much more dialogue between characters and stage directions, but I also think that they are a bit more fun. Having written screenplays before to add a different ending to a book or play, I know that they are hard work but they also allow for more creativity. Stage directions allow for the setting to be incorporated into the storyline without sounding awkward like some other creative stories may have it seem with random descriptions throughout. They also allow for the reader to describe how they picture the characters in their own mind. I think it would be nice for a creative writing assignment for students to write what they think happens at the end of the play.

English vs Irish

After reading the first Act of Translations, I was reminded of the cruelties that the English have imposed on the Irish after taking Ireland as a part of their empire.
"And from the very first day you go, you'll not hear one word of Irish spoken. You'll be taught to speak English and every subject will be taught through English and everyone'll end up cute as the Buncrana people." Bridget says on page 19.
This quote reminded me of a film from my childhood called "The Secret of Roan Inish. In one scene a boy is beaten for speaking Gaelic in school where he should be speaking English.
The bad sentiment between the English and Irish is beginning because of the enforcement of English culture on the Irish by language. In Frank McCourt's memoir Angela's Ashes he describes dislike towards the English at a young age. McCourt was taught at a young age that the English were evil while the Irish were good. McCourt goes on to believe that the English are the cause of all of the sufferings for the Irish people.
I think that this play will have a similar turn between the Irish and English people.

The end of innocence

I thought it was very interesting that Omishto seems to feel that she no longer needs her family or her house. She was changed by the storm and the hunt that followed, but on page 151 it is solidified that she is no longer a part of her home. She even believes that she no longer needs it. It is also sad that her mother does not think she will be returning after she goes to see the elders. Omishto and her mother no longer seem to belong to one another. It seems to be an even deeper separation than Omishto's struggle between the modern and Taiga ways. Omishto no longer needs her family or her mother to take care of her anymore. This seems to be turning into a coming of age novel, like Lucy. Lucy did not need her family or anyone else in her life, just herself. And it seems Omishto is headed in the same direction as Lucy.

Cover Art

Cover Art is very influential to a novel. I remember talking about the original cover of The Great Gatsby thoroughly in my English class before reading the novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald had actually been inspired by this piece of art, and integrated it into the story of The Great Gatsby.

So cover art is not totally separate from the novel itself. The cover of Lucy also seems to tell you about the story itself. A young woman is on the cover, and it is clear that she has darker skin and darker hair. This young woman could be Lucy who is from the West Indies, and I believe that it is her. Also, the woman does not appear to be wearing anything to cover her torso. I think that this follows the story because Lucy is constantly narrating about sexual encounters. Also, the woman may not be wearing anything because she is still finding where she fits in life, so she may be unsure of how to appear to others. The cover also includes a large area of red and orange. The color is fiery, and Lucy has strong emotions and a fiery personality. Lucy also has a very unstable relationship with her mother, and is constantly angry with her. Red is often a color associated with anger, so I believe it is fitting Lucy would appear with a lot of red. There is also an area of dark blue on the cover. This could represent Lucy's sadness she has for leaving behind her innocence by having to grow up so fast. It may also represent her sadness that she is still mourning the loss of her mother's total love and affection to her brothers.

Like Me But Kinda Different

After reading Jhumpa Lahiri's story "This Blessed House," it got me wondering how two such different people could be attracted to one another. Sanjeev and Twinkle seem to be different in many ways, except that they share the same culture and religion. But even that is different, because Sanjeev has lived in Connecticut while Twinkle has only just moved there after living in California. Their age difference may play a role into why they act differently to situations, but overall their personalities are different. In contrast, the couple Douglas and Nora are almost the same person it seems when they are introduced. They even dress the same, and act very similarly. So it seems interesting that sometimes people pick their mates because they are just like them while others pick their mates because they are totally different. It seems though that either way can work out or not work out. Being in a relationship with someone who has the same interests as you allows you to do things that you both enjoy together. But being in a relationship with someone who has different interests than you can allow you to be introduced to new things that you may start to enjoy. And if it wasn't for that person's introducing you to those activities then you may have never found your enjoyment for those things. In one of my English classes in high school we were reading Tamim Ansary's memoir West of Kabul, East of New York. Ansary was born and raised in Afghanistan and many of his family members were married to their cousins. My English teacher was explaining to us that people like others who are like them but slightly different, and that cousins fit this category nicely because they come from similar backgrounds but are still slightly different. So overall I think that the two extremes that Lahiri shows us in couples work, but the true solution is finding a relationship with someone who "is like me but kinda different." You get the best of both, sharing interests but also learning of new things.

O

The film "O" has a striking similarity to Othello, but it also very different. The film does offer a modern view of how Othello could happen. It was interesting that they chose the setting to be in a high-school. In a high-school, people tend to know other people's business through the gossip network and there are also many different cliques. I thought that this fit well for the setting, since it showed how Odin could believe Hugo's lies about Desi. It also showed how Odin didn't really fit into the rest of the groups, because he was not like everyone else. One difference that I didn't really like was that Odin died outside, and not in Desi's room. Seeing Othello die with Desdemona next to him shows their emotional attachment that Othello at the very least had here, but having Odin die outside showed how truly alone he was in his world.

Blackface

Since we have seen the different film adaptations of Othello, I was particularly disturbed by the Laurence Olivier in blackface. Even with the black makeup, you could still tell that he was a white man. It seemed very insulting to see Othello played in such a way. In my history class we watched clips from an old film on the rise of the KKK, and some actors were also in blackface. It really highlighted the discrimination towards black people. It was very insulting to not only see the way that they presented these people in blackface but also the way that they were presented in the film did not show that they were thought of as being equal to the white Americans. The film adaptation of Othello that we watched in class used a black actor for the role of Othello and seemed much more authentic. There are racist remarks used against Othello in the play, but presenting a white actor in blackface makes the racism much more apparent. It makes it seem as if black actors are not thought of as qualifying for the role of Othello, which is the role of a black man. I'm interested to see how the film "O" is going to present the play in a modern adaptation.

Iago

Whenever I read Othello, it always annoys me that everyone allows Iago to play them all. He uses his conniving ways to get everyone to do what he wants. He is able to play with them while they have no knowledge. Othello should not believe that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio, but since he trusts Iago he is convinced she is. And Roderigo believes that Iago will help him win Desdemona over, but Iago is just using him for his master plan. In the end Iago is successful in convincing everyone that he is helping them, and not just helping himself. He is very manipulative and a true villain. The play would not be as interesting without his character intruding in each situation and relationship. He really controls most everything that happens throughout the play, and he does not do it in a good way.

Othello

The first time I read Othello was freshman year in high school, which was roughly four years ago. Having already read it, I know what is going to happen but this is true for most of Shakespeare's plays. People know that in a tragedy, everyone will die. Othello of course is no exception. It is interesting to have read it before and to recall everything while I am rereading the text. Even in the first Act Iago's sneakiness is apparent. I certainly do not want to give anything away, but it is interesting to see that Shakespeare immediately gives us the key features for each character. Motives are put on the table for why Othello would not be liked by all, and these motives are more important thus far for the central characters to dislike him rather than is race. Racism was something that existed during this time, but it is interesting to see how here a black man or Moor as the text states could come to a military position of power while in our own country hundreds of years later this would have been unheard of. But the issue of interracial couples not being accepted is still prevalent even if some would choose to ignore it.

The Yellow Wallpaper

While reading Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" it is very interesting how the narrator becomes to enthralled with this wallpaper. Ordinarily, people don't stop to think about most things around them. Most of us take wallpaper patterns and colors for granted. Yet in her altered state of mind, it becomes an obsession to her. She has nothing elso to do all day but "rest" and simply stare at this pattern. No wonder she doesn't seem to get better in mind! This confusing wallpaper is consuming her life, and strangling the life out of her. I think this wallpaper is much more than wallpaper, it is symbolic of society and its rules. You can't seem to understand why society has certain rules, that's just the way it is. It's like this wallpaper that she can't figure out, it is just too complex to understand. And after staring at it for so long, she sees a woman trapped in the wallpaper. At this time, women were definitely trapped by society and rules. They had strict roles that they had to abide by and had little freedom. But they were trying to break free from the bars that were imprisoning them. They were trying to free themselves from all the rules and laws that prevented them from being equal to men, like the "woman" in the wallpaper is trying to free herself from the pattern.

Anonymous?

Woolf comments on an argument that a Bishop has brought up to her: that no woman during Shakespeare's time would have been able to write as well as he did. And Woolf agrees with this statement that any woman during Shakespeare's time would not have been able to, they simply did not have the ability to. They were oppressed; they were forced to marry young and could not receive the same education as a male. And even if they had possessed his ability, as Woolf imagines in her story of Shakespeare's sister, they would not have been able to achieve the same success. And Woolf suggests that even if a woman had been able to write something, she would not have signed her name on it. This totally reminded me of the movie "Casanova." Yes, Heath Ledger is wonderful to watch in it, but it does relate. Heath's love interest (Sienna Miller of course) is a feminist writer who publishes her works under a man's name. She is afraid to publish the work under her own name because it is so radical. Ironically, the "Womanizer" (because pop-culture references are fun) falls in love with the feminist. But back to women and writing-- even in this film which is set to take place in another country (Italy and not England) in another time (1750s and not 16th century), it is evident that women could not be well-known writers. They were being held back by the patriarchal ideals that were set in place. It's very sad to think of just how much struggle women have gone through over the years, and they are still not the equal to men in many ways. Women were not even given the right to vote until 1920 in the US (although as a fun fact women in my homestate of NJ could vote from 1776-1807 since the only requirement was to own land to vote so a widow could vote and some ballots included the term "she"), demonstrating that truly were inferior to all men when black men were given the right to vote before them. Women were not given the opportunity to work to their mind's potential and it is depressing to know that they are still not given the same opportunity as men.

Metaphor on Writing

Writing is like going someplace you have never gone before. You have somewhat of an idea of what it is going to be like once you arrive, but you still don't know until you get there. While you are writing, you may have an idea of where you are going but may not be sure exactly what you are going to say. Through the process of writing you will be able to gain insight into where you are going. But at times you may get lost and need to ask for directions. This also occurs in writing, you may get stuck on an idea and may need to ask someone else to help you. There is nothing wrong with this. It is better to stop and ask for directions when you are completely lost on a journey, then to never be able to end up where you are supposed to go. You may not know what the journey will be like while you are on your way, but while you are on the journey you will learn more. As with going to a new place, you learn as you go through your writing. You may learn more from research, or new ideas may come to you as you write. That is the beauty of writing and learning. There is always new places for you to go and learn. And when you travel, you learn from your experience in a new place.