Today in our Play Reading class we read one of the most depressing non-Shakespeare plays that I've ever read.
That play was Our Town.
For the first two acts it was very dull, because Thornton Wilder wrote in the style of basically everyday life performed on a stage.
I liked the idea of it. Everyday life on the stage, but it could get a little dull, because there are no props, no backdrop or scenery, and since it was 1912 the costumes were very simply stylized. It was simple to the point where it got boring and shiny objects would catch my attention.
But during the Third act, which was very short, everything took another turn, every ones heads shot up.
Here's the outline of the third act:
Our main character Emily has died in child birth and is buried, she then takes her place among the towns dead. She becomes hysterical, and our omniscient narrator offers her the chance to go back to one day, the least important day she could think of. Despite the pleadings from her fellow dead, she returns to her hometown of Grover's Corners, where she walks into her house, seeing her mother making breakfast and her father ambling around the house, she is sadly elated, but her happiness is diminished when her mother won't look at her. Emily begins to cry as she screams at her mothers back to look at her.
She then asks the narrator to take her back to her grave, where she is consoled the dead. Her husband George enters the cemetery and lays down at Emily's grave. Emily looks at him, and turns to Georges mother, who had died the year before, and asks her; "Mother Gibbs, they don't understand do they?" Mother Gibbs replies; "No dear, they don't understand"
And that's how it ends.
I hated the play until the last act.
It was...it was just indescribable. The acting was brilliant, and the thinking behind that act was indescribable.
The idea that we DON'T understand. We don't understand death, and we understand very little of life.
We don't understand death in the way that we believe it to be a sad event, and that's it. In more emotional terms, death can only be fully understood by people who are dead, they go to the cemetery after they die to forget, and if you return you will only find sadness for what you had. Emily puts it this way after she returns from Grover's Corners:
Mother Gibbs: Were you happy?
Emily: No. i should have listened to you. That's all human beings are, just blind people.
There's also a line afterward spoken from the town Depressive; "That's the happy world you wanted to go back to, ignorance and blindness."
That's the world we live in. People going on the feelings of others. Walking on a cloud of ignorance, believing that we have a million years to go on until suddenly you're dead and you regret all your lost time.
What I find most intriguing is Emily's line to the narrator, which was; "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
The Narrator replies; "No. The Saints and Poets maybe, they do some"
We don't realize what it is to live until we're on the outside looking in.
It was painful for me to watch Emily scream at her mother to look at her, when her mother couldn't hear her.
It opened my eyes to how very little we look at each other. And if there's any truth to the play, we're lost.
Because without looking at each other, there is no true being. We can't truly appreciate each other without it.
And that's what motivates Emily to ask Mother Gibbs; "They don't understand do they?"
Its a very powerful ending.
And no, I'm not depressed, I'm just putting the act in perspective and...Internet soul searching? Yeah, that's it.
And my 'Change the font' button has now broke.
Dammit.
Beatles: Not guilty for getting in your way while you're trying to steal the day. Not guilty and I'm not here for the rest, I'm not trying to steal your vest. I am not trying to be smart, I only want what I can get.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Public Service Announcement
We are now venturing into the realm of either certain death or the grave possibility of certain death.
And no, its not my sisters irritating/amusing high-pitched singing that I'm hearing as I type this, it is much worse.
In my World History class, that I love so well, and have mentioned several times in my last few posts, we have been given an impossible task.
We are to write an essay, although they did not use the word essay, they,oh so coyly, referred to it as a 'Research Assignment'.
They lie.
It is, in fact, an essay. My assigned topic is the Religious Reformation in Switzerland.
Needless to say, I have no idea what that is, I do however have an idea where it comes from, but its involved in the title, so it automatically doesn't count.
This is where I turn to you, my window.
My filthy, sin-ridden window that is daily greased with an incomprehensible oil of obscenities and swearing, that bring sorrowful tears to my corrupted face.....
..Hi.
Okay, here's my point, if you know anything about The Religious Reformation in Switzerland, please inform me, because I'd very much like to pass the class.
I'm not sure if there's anything else to say, so buh bye.
Beatles: Long distance information give me Memphis Tennessee. Try to find the party trying to get in touch with me. She would not leave her number but I know who placed the call. 'Cos my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall.
And no, its not my sisters irritating/amusing high-pitched singing that I'm hearing as I type this, it is much worse.
In my World History class, that I love so well, and have mentioned several times in my last few posts, we have been given an impossible task.
We are to write an essay, although they did not use the word essay, they,oh so coyly, referred to it as a 'Research Assignment'.
They lie.
It is, in fact, an essay. My assigned topic is the Religious Reformation in Switzerland.
Needless to say, I have no idea what that is, I do however have an idea where it comes from, but its involved in the title, so it automatically doesn't count.
This is where I turn to you, my window.
My filthy, sin-ridden window that is daily greased with an incomprehensible oil of obscenities and swearing, that bring sorrowful tears to my corrupted face.....
..Hi.
Okay, here's my point, if you know anything about The Religious Reformation in Switzerland, please inform me, because I'd very much like to pass the class.
I'm not sure if there's anything else to say, so buh bye.
Beatles: Long distance information give me Memphis Tennessee. Try to find the party trying to get in touch with me. She would not leave her number but I know who placed the call. 'Cos my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Vive Le Revolution!
Well, today was Revolution Day Numero Deux.
And boy was it satisfying...
Mrs. Vevle was talking about all the gruesome ways they executed people. I knew about the guillotine, and swords, pitchforks, what have you, but there is one style of execution I had never even PONDERED before.
That, my dear readers, would be; Death by stale Baguette.
That's right, they killed people with BREAD.
Baguettes are hard to rip apart in general, and imagining what they're like when they're a week old is like the equivalent of a baseball bat.
And I can't imagine beating someone to death with a loaf of bread would be a quick and painless death.
Much like killing someone with a butter knife....
Yuck.
And that's when Mrs. Vevle goes into her 'I'm going to mentally terrify you for the rest of your life' monologue. It went something like this:
"You live out in the countryside, and you have a small one-story house, you have a barn with a couple cows, and some chickens, and a horse if you're lucky. Your family is asleep on the floor, and you can hear the mob in the city. The noises are getting louder, and louder, and louder. You know that they're coming for you, the house next to yours is burned to the ground, you know what they want. Because if its not 'Vive Le Revolution!' you. Are. Dead. Its unacceptable, you are now an enemy of the revolution.
Now they're inside your house, and they're after your family, they're after your children. They are KILLING your children right in front of you. And its not quick and easy, they didn't always use swords, sometimes they would use rocks, and butter knives, and pitchforks."
I was disturbed, to say the least, but it was the best World History class ever, ever, ever, in the history of World History classes.
Short of Henry the eighth day....
Then in Lit. & Comp. we got to watch Act 1 of 'Romeo and Juliet', but not the version with Leonardo DiCaprio, the 60's version of it, with Olivia Hussey, who was also in that Christmas horror movie I mentioned 'Black Christmas'.
I liked it, for some odd reason. I regret to say however that, something in said play has swept the school like plague in England.
Its the line in R&J right when the play starts, when Sampson and Gregory bite their thumbs at the Montagues.
Now everyone is biting their thumbs at everyone and quoting the play.
All day its:
"Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?"
"I do bite my thumb, sir"
"But do you bite your thumb at US, sir?"
I love it, personally, but I really do wish people would say the line that comes right after that.
"You....Lie!"
Beatles: It's been a long long long time, How could I ever have lost you, When I loved you. It took a long long long time, Now I'm so happy I found you
And boy was it satisfying...
Mrs. Vevle was talking about all the gruesome ways they executed people. I knew about the guillotine, and swords, pitchforks, what have you, but there is one style of execution I had never even PONDERED before.
That, my dear readers, would be; Death by stale Baguette.
That's right, they killed people with BREAD.
Baguettes are hard to rip apart in general, and imagining what they're like when they're a week old is like the equivalent of a baseball bat.
And I can't imagine beating someone to death with a loaf of bread would be a quick and painless death.
Much like killing someone with a butter knife....
Yuck.
And that's when Mrs. Vevle goes into her 'I'm going to mentally terrify you for the rest of your life' monologue. It went something like this:
"You live out in the countryside, and you have a small one-story house, you have a barn with a couple cows, and some chickens, and a horse if you're lucky. Your family is asleep on the floor, and you can hear the mob in the city. The noises are getting louder, and louder, and louder. You know that they're coming for you, the house next to yours is burned to the ground, you know what they want. Because if its not 'Vive Le Revolution!' you. Are. Dead. Its unacceptable, you are now an enemy of the revolution.
Now they're inside your house, and they're after your family, they're after your children. They are KILLING your children right in front of you. And its not quick and easy, they didn't always use swords, sometimes they would use rocks, and butter knives, and pitchforks."
I was disturbed, to say the least, but it was the best World History class ever, ever, ever, in the history of World History classes.
Short of Henry the eighth day....
Then in Lit. & Comp. we got to watch Act 1 of 'Romeo and Juliet', but not the version with Leonardo DiCaprio, the 60's version of it, with Olivia Hussey, who was also in that Christmas horror movie I mentioned 'Black Christmas'.
I liked it, for some odd reason. I regret to say however that, something in said play has swept the school like plague in England.
Its the line in R&J right when the play starts, when Sampson and Gregory bite their thumbs at the Montagues.
Now everyone is biting their thumbs at everyone and quoting the play.
All day its:
"Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?"
"I do bite my thumb, sir"
"But do you bite your thumb at US, sir?"
I love it, personally, but I really do wish people would say the line that comes right after that.
"You....Lie!"
Beatles: It's been a long long long time, How could I ever have lost you, When I loved you. It took a long long long time, Now I'm so happy I found you
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tiny Little Internet Drama
I love life today, it was wonderful.
First I went to school and had a tiny breakdown, which I quickly recovered from, then had the best day of World History day ever.
French Revolution Day!
We finally reached all the gorey stuff in this semester, which is basically a Saw movie combined with a really boring lecture.
And. It. Rocks.
Guillotines, Radicalism, and staring at pictures of 'Liberty leads the People' for 90 minutes. It is the highest form of true American entertainment, not NASCAR, or a baseball game.
Instead it is World History with Ms. Vevle.
Then I went to Bruegers for lunch and bought a French Toast bagel, then I met up with Panda and GuitarHero, where we proceeded to walk to the Landmark Commons, where Ravyn (Kathryn) was waiting with a shoebox of money.
"Guys!" she called to us as we left the elevator. "You wanna donate to Haiti?"
Ravyn loves to help people, she's very nice. So I donated, and Panda donated, and GuitarHero was broke so he couldn't.
Afterwards was Algebra, which sucked, but it always does so its just mundane now. Then was my favorite class of the day, Lit. & Comp.
We're reading Romeo and Juliet, which is fantastic. I played the Nurse today...
Then I got home and logged onto the Internet, where I went to Parox's website, and on this website, there is a girl named BlackJack, who I dislike, and who recently started a site of her own.
Since that time, she has been advertising like crazy, which bothered everyone. Finally we told her to stop and she had a little tantrum and declared not to come back to the site 'NEVER EVER NEVER' again.
I loved it.
She annoyed me, she's gone.
Then today, her toadies Chloe and Buttercup declared 'You were so mean to Jackie! We're never coming back!'
I related it to spoiled kids running away from home.
I've had the time of my life....
Beatles:Well, I got a baby crazy for me Yeah, I got a baby won't let me be Wo, baby baby, Clarabella Baby baby, Clarabella Baby baby, wo wo, yeah uh
First I went to school and had a tiny breakdown, which I quickly recovered from, then had the best day of World History day ever.
French Revolution Day!
We finally reached all the gorey stuff in this semester, which is basically a Saw movie combined with a really boring lecture.
And. It. Rocks.
Guillotines, Radicalism, and staring at pictures of 'Liberty leads the People' for 90 minutes. It is the highest form of true American entertainment, not NASCAR, or a baseball game.
Instead it is World History with Ms. Vevle.
Then I went to Bruegers for lunch and bought a French Toast bagel, then I met up with Panda and GuitarHero, where we proceeded to walk to the Landmark Commons, where Ravyn (Kathryn) was waiting with a shoebox of money.
"Guys!" she called to us as we left the elevator. "You wanna donate to Haiti?"
Ravyn loves to help people, she's very nice. So I donated, and Panda donated, and GuitarHero was broke so he couldn't.
Afterwards was Algebra, which sucked, but it always does so its just mundane now. Then was my favorite class of the day, Lit. & Comp.
We're reading Romeo and Juliet, which is fantastic. I played the Nurse today...
Then I got home and logged onto the Internet, where I went to Parox's website, and on this website, there is a girl named BlackJack, who I dislike, and who recently started a site of her own.
Since that time, she has been advertising like crazy, which bothered everyone. Finally we told her to stop and she had a little tantrum and declared not to come back to the site 'NEVER EVER NEVER' again.
I loved it.
She annoyed me, she's gone.
Then today, her toadies Chloe and Buttercup declared 'You were so mean to Jackie! We're never coming back!'
I related it to spoiled kids running away from home.
I've had the time of my life....
Beatles:Well, I got a baby crazy for me Yeah, I got a baby won't let me be Wo, baby baby, Clarabella Baby baby, Clarabella Baby baby, wo wo, yeah uh
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Ripped to Shreds
There should be something to talk about but there isn't, besides Aunt Patty getting kicked out of the TCL Kitchen...
That was dreadful.
Those shmucks wouldn't know good cooking if it bit them in the pachenga (ass).
Although, this is Minnesota, where butter is a spice and gravy is a beverage, so good cooking is hard to find, and therefore those people with their nasally voices and their ugly black and white spotted outfits, wouldn't know.
Anyway, that's why I hate that show, because they don't know real talent.
Continuing on, I killed two birds with one stone this morning.
Well, actually it went more like; I threw the stone at the bird, who miraculously grew arms, threw it back at me, and as it flew through the air, it tripled to three times the size of my head, and it killed me instead.
Here's what happened:
In my acting class, our teacher Lucinda told us to walk through the room like we were moving through certain substances (Lava, Feathers, Molasses, etc.)
And when it came to lava, I did what I believed was appropriate, which is running around and screaming.
So, I figured it would be more entertaining if I tripped in burning lava, so I did.
Which in hindsight was not such a good idea.
Because when I tripped, the knee of my jeans ripped, sadly because I liked these jeans, and therefore revealing my knee, which was promptly skinned and turned into a hat.
Seriously, it still hurts now at 7:47 at night...
Sad.
And painful.
Secondly, I found out that I have been prominently featured in several Youtube videos, filmed by my friend Kathryn.
Some of them are a little embarrassing, as I am singing songs from the movie Anastasia in some of them, in others I am being hugged by random people, and in the other I am having a tickle fight with Darius (my high buddy).
I don't have a problem with it, just a little embarrassing.
Time for Algebra homework!
Beatles: Well, come on pretty baby, won't you walk with me? Come on, pretty baby, won't you talk with me? Come on pretty baby, give me one more chance. Try to save our romance! Slow down, baby, now you're movin' way too fast.
That was dreadful.
Those shmucks wouldn't know good cooking if it bit them in the pachenga (ass).
Although, this is Minnesota, where butter is a spice and gravy is a beverage, so good cooking is hard to find, and therefore those people with their nasally voices and their ugly black and white spotted outfits, wouldn't know.
Anyway, that's why I hate that show, because they don't know real talent.
Continuing on, I killed two birds with one stone this morning.
Well, actually it went more like; I threw the stone at the bird, who miraculously grew arms, threw it back at me, and as it flew through the air, it tripled to three times the size of my head, and it killed me instead.
Here's what happened:
In my acting class, our teacher Lucinda told us to walk through the room like we were moving through certain substances (Lava, Feathers, Molasses, etc.)
And when it came to lava, I did what I believed was appropriate, which is running around and screaming.
So, I figured it would be more entertaining if I tripped in burning lava, so I did.
Which in hindsight was not such a good idea.
Because when I tripped, the knee of my jeans ripped, sadly because I liked these jeans, and therefore revealing my knee, which was promptly skinned and turned into a hat.
Seriously, it still hurts now at 7:47 at night...
Sad.
And painful.
Secondly, I found out that I have been prominently featured in several Youtube videos, filmed by my friend Kathryn.
Some of them are a little embarrassing, as I am singing songs from the movie Anastasia in some of them, in others I am being hugged by random people, and in the other I am having a tickle fight with Darius (my high buddy).
I don't have a problem with it, just a little embarrassing.
Time for Algebra homework!
Beatles: Well, come on pretty baby, won't you walk with me? Come on, pretty baby, won't you talk with me? Come on pretty baby, give me one more chance. Try to save our romance! Slow down, baby, now you're movin' way too fast.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Guitar Gently Weeps...
Well, today was great.
I wore my sisters shirt to school today (looked good on me too), I ate pizza for lunch (delicious), I talked with friends from school (and had Jesus cookies), arranged to tutor Gina in World History if she helped me with Algebra (she talks a lot, but is nice) and sat with Dare on the bus.
The really interesting part comes when I get home.
I finished my homework and started to watch the amazing show "Friends" when suddenly my phone rang.
I checked and it was GuitarHero, so I answered. And get this:
For the past few months, he's been holding a special place in his heart for a guy whom shall be called Sandy (=P). And it finally paid off today when he asked GuitarHero to go to Target to get a new iPhone case.
Yay!
So he agreed and that was the last I heard of it.
Then tonight he called and was like "You've gotta help me"
I asked what was wrong and he said "Sandy ditched me, I have NO IDEA where I am"
So you can imagine how panicky I got.
I stayed on the phone with him non stop for 50 minutes. In those 50 minutes, he boarded a bus, a bus he had no idea where it went.
So we exchanged panicked asking for directions, if anything looked familiar, and our mutual hatred of Sandy.
Finally, after spending 40 minutes on a bus that as far as he knew, lead to nowhere, he got downtown. Where he got on a bus, and got home safe.
Needless to say, he might never talk to Sandy again, I may never talk to Sandy again...
Its not a good thing to do to someone,
On the up hand, he wants to chill this weekend.
It would be fun.
Beatles: Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC. Didn't get to bed last night. On the way the paper bag was on my knee. Man I had I dreadful flight. I'm back in the USSR. You don't know how lucky you lucky you are boy Back in the USSR.
I wore my sisters shirt to school today (looked good on me too), I ate pizza for lunch (delicious), I talked with friends from school (and had Jesus cookies), arranged to tutor Gina in World History if she helped me with Algebra (she talks a lot, but is nice) and sat with Dare on the bus.
The really interesting part comes when I get home.
I finished my homework and started to watch the amazing show "Friends" when suddenly my phone rang.
I checked and it was GuitarHero, so I answered. And get this:
For the past few months, he's been holding a special place in his heart for a guy whom shall be called Sandy (=P). And it finally paid off today when he asked GuitarHero to go to Target to get a new iPhone case.
Yay!
So he agreed and that was the last I heard of it.
Then tonight he called and was like "You've gotta help me"
I asked what was wrong and he said "Sandy ditched me, I have NO IDEA where I am"
So you can imagine how panicky I got.
I stayed on the phone with him non stop for 50 minutes. In those 50 minutes, he boarded a bus, a bus he had no idea where it went.
So we exchanged panicked asking for directions, if anything looked familiar, and our mutual hatred of Sandy.
Finally, after spending 40 minutes on a bus that as far as he knew, lead to nowhere, he got downtown. Where he got on a bus, and got home safe.
Needless to say, he might never talk to Sandy again, I may never talk to Sandy again...
Its not a good thing to do to someone,
On the up hand, he wants to chill this weekend.
It would be fun.
Beatles: Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC. Didn't get to bed last night. On the way the paper bag was on my knee. Man I had I dreadful flight. I'm back in the USSR. You don't know how lucky you lucky you are boy Back in the USSR.
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