Conflict
King Lear
1) The leading character, King Lear, wished to divide his kingdom based on how much his daughters claimed to love him and retire by living for different periods of the year at each daughters house.
2) What stood in his way was the fact that his eldest daughters id not truly love him as they professed but rather, they simply wanted his kingdom; so instead of accommodating their father when he wished to stay at their homes, like they promised, they turned him away.
3) The high point of King Lear is when his eldest daughters and Edmund die; Lear finally comes to his senses and then dies on the body of the only child who loved him, Cordelia.
Death of a Salesman
1) The leading character in this play wanted to be the perfect salesman and become successful as his brother, Ben.
2) It was Willy's own personality that stood in his way. Willy was delusional and refused to acknowledge his short-comings and failures.
3) The high point of this play is when Biff tells his father that they are both a "dime a dozen" and admits that he is sorry for causing his father hurt . After this the father-son conflict ends and Willy realizes that Biff still loves him and always has.
Character Analysis
King Lear
1) The characters in King Lear are true to life. We see human nature coming out in the plays characters especially greed (through Lear's eldest daughters), unconditional love and loyalty (through Cordelia and Kent) and human folly in Lear's love of flattery.
2) Most of the human characteristics in King Lear is revealed through the dialogue and actions the characters carry out.
3) The driving force behind King Lear is his need for flattery. His madness also contributes as his mental state is quite unstable. This causes him to make rash decisions.
4) When King Lear does change and comes to his senses, it is because his beloved daughter, Cordelia, has been executed. This is true to life because the loss of a child could change any parent.
Death of a Salesman
1) The characters in this play are true to life, especially Linda. The characters all display the flaws in humans. For example, Willy and his mental illness, Biff with his inability to complete things he has started. also in Happy's need for his fathers approval and attention and in Linda's support of her husband.
2) The characters in this play, like in King Lear, are revealed through dialouge. Also, through their actions toward each other.
3) The driving force behind Willy is his need to be the "perfect" salesman and to emulate his brothers success. This need eventually drives him to madness. This was mainly because he became delusional and had visions of his brother visiting and telling him that time is running out and constantly reminding him that "he went into the jungle at 17 and came out rich at 21". This may have caused Willy feel that he is inferior.
4) Willy changes, in a sense both for the worst and for the better, when Biff admits that he is sorry for causing him hurt. Willy changes for the better in the sense that he now has relief from believing that his son had no respect for him and did not love him. He changed for the worst in the sense that he now believed that he needed to help Biff get a start in life and to do this he needed money; Willy is convinced that his life insurance will be that money, he then commits suicide.
Setting
King Lear
Critical Standards useful for Drama, Novel, Motion Pictures
King Lear
1) The chief emphasis in King Lear is the human character greed. Almost everyone in the play is trying to get more of something; Lear wants more flattery, his eldest daughters want power and Edmund wants wealth.
2) The purpose of the play King Lear is to illustrate what greed can cause people to do.
3) This play is realistic as it does not romantasize or sugar coat the greed of the eldest daughters or their mistreatment of their father. It also shows vividly how greed can cause families to fall apart. This is seen when Goneril and Regan have their younger sister killed and Goneril then kills her sister and herself. Their father then gives up hope and dies. In the end, the entire family dies simply because people wanted more than they had.
4) Yes, the play King Lear shows life as it is.
5) This play does present problems with human relationship. This is seen through Regan and Goneril's jealousy of Lear's love for Cordelia.
6) No, this play does not glamorize life or give a Disney ending; in fact, all the major characters DIE.
Death of a Salesman
1) The emphasis in Death of a Salesman
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
hurt as a theme in clear light of day
The novel Clear Light of Day has several different themes with one of the underlying tones being hurt. The setting of the novel is in a time when India was going through a time of change which caused rioting and the death of many young people. Because of this it can be said that the entire nation of India was in pain. This can again be seen when Gandhi was murdered. Raja, who was sick at the time, became so outraged that Bim has to tell him to calm down before his condition became worst.
The most obvious cases of hurt in the book however, focus on the main characters; Bim, Raja and Tara; the children of the Das family. As the book progresses one is able to see the ways in which the siblings hurt each other, whether on purpose or un-knowingly.
One of the most focused upon incedent of hurt in the book is what Raja did to bim and her persapective on it. Raja and Bim, as young children had always had a close relationship. As they got older however, Raja seeks "freedom" from the "dead house" which he has been confined to all his life. He eventually leaves Old Dehli in search of the Hider Ali's who had moved because of the rioting. Bim however, sees his decision as a direct insult to her and also sees it as him abandoning her after she had looked after him during his long sickness. After a while, Raja eventually marries Hider Ali's daughter and because of this he become Hider Ali's son. Raja then becomes Bim's land-lord and rather than telling her that she no longer has to pay rent because of their family bond, he tells her that the rent will remain the same. Bim is again insulted and hurt.
Another incident of hurt in the book involves Bim and Tara. When Tara was young, she had very low self esteem and confidence. She thought that if her long hair had a bit of curl to it she would be more beautiful. Bim, upon hearing Tara express her desire for curly hair to their aunt, then tells Tara that if she were to cut her hair it would grow back with curls. This was of course a lie. Bim then takes her up to the roof and proceeded to cut all of Tara's long hair. Tara, after being informed that when her hair did grow back, it would be exactly the same, breaks down and cries realizing what a crule thing Bim had done to her. Tara decides that she would never forgive Bim.
Towords the end of the book, we are able to see once again that Bim feels hurt and abandoned. Both her siblings have long been married and moved out. She had been left in the "dead house" had not and was now left to take care of Baba the rest of her life. She feels betrayed at being left behind. Raja never visits and the now refined and seemingly self confident Tara, only visits evry three years. Because of this, Bim may feel that she has been cheated and dealt an unfair hand by life.
We are able to see that all the siblings have in some way hirt each other; Raja, by "abandoning Bim, Bim by cutting Tara's hair, and Tara by abandoning Bim as well.
The most obvious cases of hurt in the book however, focus on the main characters; Bim, Raja and Tara; the children of the Das family. As the book progresses one is able to see the ways in which the siblings hurt each other, whether on purpose or un-knowingly.
One of the most focused upon incedent of hurt in the book is what Raja did to bim and her persapective on it. Raja and Bim, as young children had always had a close relationship. As they got older however, Raja seeks "freedom" from the "dead house" which he has been confined to all his life. He eventually leaves Old Dehli in search of the Hider Ali's who had moved because of the rioting. Bim however, sees his decision as a direct insult to her and also sees it as him abandoning her after she had looked after him during his long sickness. After a while, Raja eventually marries Hider Ali's daughter and because of this he become Hider Ali's son. Raja then becomes Bim's land-lord and rather than telling her that she no longer has to pay rent because of their family bond, he tells her that the rent will remain the same. Bim is again insulted and hurt.
Another incident of hurt in the book involves Bim and Tara. When Tara was young, she had very low self esteem and confidence. She thought that if her long hair had a bit of curl to it she would be more beautiful. Bim, upon hearing Tara express her desire for curly hair to their aunt, then tells Tara that if she were to cut her hair it would grow back with curls. This was of course a lie. Bim then takes her up to the roof and proceeded to cut all of Tara's long hair. Tara, after being informed that when her hair did grow back, it would be exactly the same, breaks down and cries realizing what a crule thing Bim had done to her. Tara decides that she would never forgive Bim.
Towords the end of the book, we are able to see once again that Bim feels hurt and abandoned. Both her siblings have long been married and moved out. She had been left in the "dead house" had not and was now left to take care of Baba the rest of her life. She feels betrayed at being left behind. Raja never visits and the now refined and seemingly self confident Tara, only visits evry three years. Because of this, Bim may feel that she has been cheated and dealt an unfair hand by life.
We are able to see that all the siblings have in some way hirt each other; Raja, by "abandoning Bim, Bim by cutting Tara's hair, and Tara by abandoning Bim as well.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Baba's significance within Clear Light of Day
In the book Clear Light of Day by Aniita Desai, Baba is the youngest child of the Das family. He was born when the mother seemed to be aged, because of this he was born with disabilities and mental developmant problems. While growing up, Baba took a long time to learn to walk and he never quite learned to speak. It was their aunt,Mira, who took an intrest in him as a child because his mother thought of him as a distraction from her "bridge" games. Aunt Mira thought him how to dress himself and become somewhat independant. she gave him some pebbles as toys when he was young as toys and Baba still had them, and still played with them even when he was a grown man.
Although Baba is very quite in the book, his presence is always felt. His playing with the pebbles, by scattering them and gathering them up again, was a constant sound within the book. It was stated on page 62 that "Everyone in the household knew the sound they (the pebbles) as he scattered them across the tiles. . . It was the sound of the house, as much as the contented muttering of the pigeons on the veranda. it gave time a continuity and regularity that the ticking of a clock in the hall might convey in other homes". Here we are able to see that Baba's presence is indeed felt as it is part of the make-up of the Das family's home.
We are again able to see Baba's quite role when Bim is waiting up for Tara to return from one of the outings with the Misra sisters. Bim is waiting on the veranda and Baba is there with her, playing with his pebbles. Baba serves as a type of companionship or friend for Bim in this scene.
Baba is also significant in that he has taken over his fathers role at the office upon his death. The role was originally intended for Raja, but he adamantly refused to walk in his fathers footsteps. Raja then suggest that Baba deal with the paper-work. Upon hearing this, Bim ridicules Raja for even suggestiing such a thing knowing Baba's state. The clerks who worked under the father however stated that Baba would not really need to come to the office because the father rarely did anything but sign papers. all the work was left up to the clerks. Baba is significant here because, in a sense, he has taken over his fathers role as provider for the family, although he is not really aware of this fact.
Baba's presence is also impertant as a source of comfort for Bim. This is seen when Baba plays music on his record player at a very loud volume. she seems to prefer the noise to the quite of the house. It serves as a distraction from all her worries.
We are able to see Baba's significance in the book because he serves as a source of distraction for bim and a comforting presence. He is a very big part of their lives because his presence and little noises are a part of the make up of the house. Baba is also needed because he has stepped in, albeit, unknowingly, into his fathers role at the office and, in my view, family provider.
Although Baba is very quite in the book, his presence is always felt. His playing with the pebbles, by scattering them and gathering them up again, was a constant sound within the book. It was stated on page 62 that "Everyone in the household knew the sound they (the pebbles) as he scattered them across the tiles. . . It was the sound of the house, as much as the contented muttering of the pigeons on the veranda. it gave time a continuity and regularity that the ticking of a clock in the hall might convey in other homes". Here we are able to see that Baba's presence is indeed felt as it is part of the make-up of the Das family's home.
We are again able to see Baba's quite role when Bim is waiting up for Tara to return from one of the outings with the Misra sisters. Bim is waiting on the veranda and Baba is there with her, playing with his pebbles. Baba serves as a type of companionship or friend for Bim in this scene.
Baba is also significant in that he has taken over his fathers role at the office upon his death. The role was originally intended for Raja, but he adamantly refused to walk in his fathers footsteps. Raja then suggest that Baba deal with the paper-work. Upon hearing this, Bim ridicules Raja for even suggestiing such a thing knowing Baba's state. The clerks who worked under the father however stated that Baba would not really need to come to the office because the father rarely did anything but sign papers. all the work was left up to the clerks. Baba is significant here because, in a sense, he has taken over his fathers role as provider for the family, although he is not really aware of this fact.
Baba's presence is also impertant as a source of comfort for Bim. This is seen when Baba plays music on his record player at a very loud volume. she seems to prefer the noise to the quite of the house. It serves as a distraction from all her worries.
We are able to see Baba's significance in the book because he serves as a source of distraction for bim and a comforting presence. He is a very big part of their lives because his presence and little noises are a part of the make up of the house. Baba is also needed because he has stepped in, albeit, unknowingly, into his fathers role at the office and, in my view, family provider.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
comments on video
dime a dozen . . . .
in this scene, biff finally confonts his farther about his lack of success and the fact that he was trying to commit suicide. willy of course denies that, he then tries to walk away but biff attacks him and makes him sit and listen. he then tells his father that he is nothing special that both willy and himself were a dime a dozen. willy denies this as well. he shouts that he is "willy loman", meaning he is an individual.
this scene is dramatically significant because it is here that the audiance sees that biff realizes that the dream he was working for was nothing. he realizes that his father has caused him to be a fool; filled his head with hot air.
i believe this is the point where both willy and biff come to a bit of an epiphany. biff realizes he is fighting for something worthless and willy realizes he has lost the respect of his son.
in this scene, biff finally confonts his farther about his lack of success and the fact that he was trying to commit suicide. willy of course denies that, he then tries to walk away but biff attacks him and makes him sit and listen. he then tells his father that he is nothing special that both willy and himself were a dime a dozen. willy denies this as well. he shouts that he is "willy loman", meaning he is an individual.
this scene is dramatically significant because it is here that the audiance sees that biff realizes that the dream he was working for was nothing. he realizes that his father has caused him to be a fool; filled his head with hot air.
i believe this is the point where both willy and biff come to a bit of an epiphany. biff realizes he is fighting for something worthless and willy realizes he has lost the respect of his son.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
is willy lomans family responsible for his demise?
I do believe Will's family holds some responsibility for his demise.
Firstly, Linda refused to confront Willy although she knew he was trying to kill himself. If she had at least tried to ask him about it he may have changed his mind. Instead she puts the pipe back in his reach regardless. She also supports his every word, thereby filing him with even more hot air. I believe if she was at least honest to herself and helped him face reality he may not have committed suicide.
Willy's sons were also responsible for his death. Biff caused his father grief by being a disappointment who Willy had placed all his hope in. Then he when he confronted Willy on being a failure himself I believe this pushed Wily to his death even faster.
I also believed that Happy contributed to his fathers demise. This is said because he was an utter failure. He had pride in being the assistant to an assistant. I think his father realized that both his sons were just like him. Failures.
Firstly, Linda refused to confront Willy although she knew he was trying to kill himself. If she had at least tried to ask him about it he may have changed his mind. Instead she puts the pipe back in his reach regardless. She also supports his every word, thereby filing him with even more hot air. I believe if she was at least honest to herself and helped him face reality he may not have committed suicide.
Willy's sons were also responsible for his death. Biff caused his father grief by being a disappointment who Willy had placed all his hope in. Then he when he confronted Willy on being a failure himself I believe this pushed Wily to his death even faster.
I also believed that Happy contributed to his fathers demise. This is said because he was an utter failure. He had pride in being the assistant to an assistant. I think his father realized that both his sons were just like him. Failures.
Monday, January 17, 2011
tragic characters: lear and willy
I do believe that Willy and Lear are tragic characters.
Willy put his whole life into his sons, Biff and Happy, and they turned their backs on him. Willy always believed that biff would be this great, successful businessman and it turned out that Biff is still searching to find himself, which disappoints Willy. He feels he is responsible for Biff's failure and that his favorite son hates him. This guilt eventually leads Willy to commit suicide believing that this was the only way to restore Biff's respect for him. This is tragic because Willy truly hopes this is the answer but in reality he does nothing but hurt his son and family further.
Lear does not learn his mistake until it is too late. He has given his kingdom to his two greedy daughters and banished the one who truly loves him. This causes him to suffer from regret; it is so intense that Lear eventually goes mad. Lear thinks he has lost Cordellia's love, just as Willy thinks he has lost Biff's. He then tries to rectify this but in the end, all his daughters die and he dies from grief.
Willy put his whole life into his sons, Biff and Happy, and they turned their backs on him. Willy always believed that biff would be this great, successful businessman and it turned out that Biff is still searching to find himself, which disappoints Willy. He feels he is responsible for Biff's failure and that his favorite son hates him. This guilt eventually leads Willy to commit suicide believing that this was the only way to restore Biff's respect for him. This is tragic because Willy truly hopes this is the answer but in reality he does nothing but hurt his son and family further.
Lear does not learn his mistake until it is too late. He has given his kingdom to his two greedy daughters and banished the one who truly loves him. This causes him to suffer from regret; it is so intense that Lear eventually goes mad. Lear thinks he has lost Cordellia's love, just as Willy thinks he has lost Biff's. He then tries to rectify this but in the end, all his daughters die and he dies from grief.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
comparison between willy loman and king lear
similarities
-both lear and willy are leading characters in their plays.
-lear flaws caused his family to be hurt, likewise, willy's suicide caused his family emotonal hurt.
-for both fathers there is a breakdown in the relationship with their favorite child. in willy's case this occurs because biff finds him cheating. with lear its because he banished cordellia,
-both characters have mental issues.
-both characters are blind to reality.
differences
-willy's death benefits his family in that they now have money from his insurance.
-willy has the support of his wife while there is no wife present in king lear.
-their flaws are different, willy has a fragmented view of the american dream while lear is blind to the fact that his eldest daughters do not love him.
-both lear and willy are leading characters in their plays.
-lear flaws caused his family to be hurt, likewise, willy's suicide caused his family emotonal hurt.
-for both fathers there is a breakdown in the relationship with their favorite child. in willy's case this occurs because biff finds him cheating. with lear its because he banished cordellia,
-both characters have mental issues.
-both characters are blind to reality.
differences
-willy's death benefits his family in that they now have money from his insurance.
-willy has the support of his wife while there is no wife present in king lear.
-their flaws are different, willy has a fragmented view of the american dream while lear is blind to the fact that his eldest daughters do not love him.
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