Jeff and Lisa’s relationship is an interesting one to explore since it is far from the “norm.” Jeff seems to be so involved with the Thorwald’s that he often times brushes Lisa aside to watch his neighbors. The most enjoyable portion of this movie for me is the fact that Jeff’s and Lisa’s relationship is projected through the neighbors nearby. Miss Torso is depicted as a sexual object always dancing around her apartment in little clothing which relates to Jeff and Lisa in the sense that in their relationship Lisa is the one to instigate romantic interactions between the two of them. She visits Jeff often making him dinner and inviting herself to sleepover at his place without his consent. It is humorous that Jeff actually challenges Lisa for stating that she is going to sleep over. I think Miss Torso represents their relationship because they lack romantic interactions with one another whereas she (Miss Torso) exudes it. Miss Lonelyhearts on the other hand seems to struggle with loneliness and finding love. Jeff and Lisa’s relationship is projected through her character because even though they are together it seems as though Lisa does in fact feel lonely. Jeff isn’t exactly accepting of her love and shuts her out quite a few times throughout the movie thus resulting in Lisa’s own lonely heart. The Thorwalds seem to parallel Lisa and Jeff’s relationship the best. Mrs. Thorwald plays an invalid character whose husband is not particularly nice to her it seems. They are constantly seen yelling at one another which specifically parallels with Jeff and Lisa because they are often bickering with one another as well, whether it be something minor or major like their relationship, they are often times arguing. Additionally, the fact that the audience is led to believe that Mrs. Thorwald is killed by Mr. Thorwald closely works with Jeff wanting to break up with Lisa, or rather not wanting to marry her. The married couple’s relationship is similar to Jeff and Lisa’s in that the woman is portrayed as needy constantly calling for her husband. Many times the husband is caught rolling his eyes or sighing; this character if very similar to Jeff because it is clear that he is outright annoyed with Lisa at times. The composer is typically throwing lavish parties which certainly matches Lisa’s lifestyle. Perhaps the sad music he composes and plays reflects Jeff and his inability to come to terms with Lisa’s success.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Much Ado about Nothing: Are you satisfied with the ending of the play?
I was not particularly satisfied with the ending of this play as I felt like there were many gaps. It’s funny that I think there are gaps at the end of this play because Shakespeare seems to think he has tied everything together very neatly with the two marriages that take place at the end of the play. This type of ending would appeal to the audience of the time period for which it was written for because all the character’s simply live happily ever after but in reality, the marriages, in a sense, minimize the problem. They do not actually face the problems head on. Shakespeare certainly plays on gender roles throughout the entire play but reinforces it boldly at the very end of the play when Hero still ends up marrying Claudio. When Claudio publically humiliates Hero, her image is immediately tainted because the accusation is coming from a male character. It is important to note that when Claudio accuses Hero of being disloyal, Hero’s father immediately believes him and turns on his own daughter. Though I do not necessarily agree with this, it makes sense for Hero’s father to take the word of a man over a woman (regardless of his relation to Hero). The word of a man is far more valuable and “Much Ado about Nothing” emphasizes that gender difference. Even when the friar’s plan is suggested and executed, it does not do much for Hero. It is true that Claudio is remorseful and sad about Hero’s death but ultimately the plan is designed to help Hero get settled by marrying Claudio still. It does not appear that they are actually interested in proving that she is a loyal girl but rather still concerned about essentially marrying her off. She is used as an element to keep the plot going at the end of the play, which parallels with the idea of women being the weaker gender: they get rid of her character until she is needed again whereas Claudio remains present and active throughout the entire play. I also question Claudio’s and Hero’s relationship in the first place. Arranged marriages were far more prevalent in Shakespeare’s time but in this case it seems as though there is no real connection between the two characters. Apart from them liking each other’s exterior appearance, there really is no core to their relationship. Bennedick’s relationship with Beatrice is different from that of Hero’s and Claudio’s: it is more realistic. They pretend to not like each other when deep down they know that quite the opposite is true. While I was not pleased with Hero’s marriage to Claudio, I was pleased with Beatrice’s to Bennedick’s. Their relationship shows the progression of a true love story as opposed to Claudio who, after seeing Hero just once, is head over heels in love with her. I do not think Beatrice’s and Bennedick’s marriage is as gender bias based as it emphasizes on the idea of how people change and grow. At the beginning of the play Bennedick and Beatrice both put on a front as way of indicating that marriage/love is not for them. By the end of the play they do what they promised they would never do at the beginning of the play: they get married. In general, the use of marriages in comedy plays seems strange because it acts as a way to simply give the audience something to laugh and be merry about while the underlying issue still lingers. This kind of ending does not work of an audience in today’s day and age, but I suppose it could work for an audience of Shakespeare time who probably didn’t over-analyze every little detail like we do today.
Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry
How does the second poem, written a few years after the conference at Fisk University, serve as a kind of commentary on the first? Which of the poems in your opinion is more politically charged?
“Of De Witt Williams on his way to Lincoln Cemetery” is a poem about a “plain black boy” whose casket is being taken to the Lincoln Cemetery. The speaker of the poem mentions places such as “the Pool Hall” and “the Show” where the boy spent much of his time when he was alive. There is mention of the casket being taken “down through Forty-seventh Street:/ Underneath the L.” A person familiar with Chicago would know that these places are very much prevalent to criminal activity, typically committed by African American’s of the lower class. In this poem the reader is not told how the main character dies. In “The Boy Died in My Alley” we are introduced to a more serious, more somber tone. Though “Of De Witt Williams on his way to Lincoln Cemetery” does not exactly have a happy tone, it appears that De Witt Williams’ death is not nearly as tragic as the boy who died in the alley in the second poem. The speaker in “The Boy Died in My Alley” indirectly describes the neighborhood in which he lives in. The speaker states, “The Shot that killed him yes I heard/ as I heard the Thousand shots before.” Given this piece of text, the reader can agree that the neighborhood is probably one in which the sound of gunshots is nothing uncommon therefore hinting at an extremely dangerous neighborhood. For someone to hear a gunshot and not be concerned about it is the tantamount of seeing someone lying dead on the floor and merely walking past them as though it were not something of great importance. The second poem by Brooks appears to be far more intense than the first. The poem depicts the black society as a group of emotionless and undisturbed peoples. The dying boy’s “cry climbed up the alley” and “up to the wind.” Nobody was willing to help the boy even though his cry pierced through the night. The speaker, probably an African American living in the neighborhood, sates “I joined the Wild and killed him with knowledgeable unknowing.” It is important to note here that the word “wild” is capitalized. The capitalization of the word probably suggests that the speaker’s view on the people living in the neighborhood, who did not help the boy, is negative. Comparing people with “the Wild” conveys a serious tone, which we do not necessarily get from “Of De Witt Williams on his way to the Lincoln Cemetery.” The death in “The Boy Died in My Alley” is tragic as it tells the reader that the boy begged for help but no one stopped to do so. The unwillingness for people to help him can suggest that the people living in the area are too far gone- too disconnected to care for anyone or anything; the people are exhausted. In my opinion, the second poem is definitely more politically charged. When a group of people become emotionally unattached due to the poor living conditions, the government is usually a direct correlation to the happenings in the given area.
Persepolis
Persepolis, a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, tells the story of a young girl’s childhood into adulthood with the main storyline focusing on the Islamic war taking place in Iran during the late 80’s and early 90’s. At one point in the novel, Marjane’s father tells her that “politics and sentiment don’t mix.” Though Marjane’s father makes this claim, their family history and their daily life seem to tell a different story. The claim Marjane’s father makes seems to be awfully flawed not only for the Satrapi family but for anyone directly involved in the war and destruction happening in Iran.
The Satrapi family proves this statement to be false for many reasons. When Marjane’s mother is verbally harassed by a man, she is genuinely distressed. The man, who has been highly influenced by politics, degrades Marjane’s mother by (verbally) sexually harassing her. The fact that the stranger’s words upset her hints at the correlation between politics and sentiment/emotion. Another part in the novel that politics and sentiment play a role is when they get pulled over for being suspected of drinking alcohol. They were all nervous and panicked by the idea of getting in trouble with the government, Marjane’s father especially who orders Marjane and her grandmother to run inside before them to spill all the alcohol down the toilet. Apart from almost getting in trouble with the government and sending Marjane to Austria, for Marjane’s father this statement holds some truth. Marjane and her mother on the other hand will undeniably disagree with the comment. Marjane’s mother contradicts the statement after she is accosted by the man with the obscene comment at the store and told by another to adjust her veil as she expresses pain and agony. Marjane also contradicts the statement when she marries Reza and later divorces him. She marries him so she can spend time with him outside of closed areas (such as the home) and then expresses regret to her grandmother for having done such a thing.
Though males could just as easily as women get in trouble for various things, it seemed to me that males had more privileges than females in the novel. For instance, in the second part of the movie when the school assembly was called to encourage girls to wear longer veils because the shorter veils stimulated the males more easily, the male gender was favored significantly. I got the feeling that the Iran was becoming a male dominated country, so it is possible that the words held lighter meaning for Marjane’s father than they did for Marjane and her mother?
The Moviegoer
The search in Binx’s terms is “what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everdayness of his own life.” It is obvious throughout the course of the novel that Binx is stuck in the rut of the everyday routine, and he is searching for something more out of life. The novel most definitely exposes ideas of existentialism as I believe Binx’s search is about finding some sort of meaning to life. True, he is stuck in this everyday routine, but it appears that by the end of the novel he has some answers regarding his search. At the beginning of the novel Binx is unable to commit. He does not experiment much and lacks confidence. Instead of marrying and starting a family (settling), Binx instead has flings with his secretaries at work. His inability to commit, in a sense, implies him running away from the search. The most experimenting Binx does prior to taking the search seriously is taking a different route to the movie theater. This, to any normal person, would be considered something not very exciting. The first big step that Binx takes in advancing with his search is going to Chicago. Of course, I do not think that just because he travels to Chicago his search is complete, but I do think that it helped him to think of his life from a distance far more consciously. In addition to that, it is important to note that at this point in the novel, Binx puts somebody else’s (Kate’s) needs before his own which could be a parallel to Kierkegaard’s theory. I don’t think Binx actually knows that he is doing this but with this act, he transitions from the aesthetics stage into the ethics stage. As I read this portion of the novel, I kept thinking about how refreshing it is to travel. Sometimes when we get tired of working and going to school and doing the things that we do every day, do we not take weekend trips just to recharge our batteries? I feel as though Binx going to Chicago is certainly the beginning of his “awakening.” In the epilogue when Binx says that he has no inclination to say much on the subject, I do not think that it is because he has not fulfilled the search. I think that Binx has simply accepted the search and is moving forward with it. Perhaps he says that he does not have much to say on the topic because he has not completely (emphasis on completely) found what he is looking for? Just because he may not have sealed the search completely, I do feel as though he has, to an extent, found what he is looking for. At this point in the novel Binx is married to Kate. His decision to finally commit could signify acceptance of the search and even though it appears that he has fallen right back into the everyday routine, it appears that he is far more confident than before. The way Binx assuredly tells the reader about his life in the epilogue encourages the reader that he is living life the way he sees fit. The kind of search that Binx set out to accomplish in not one that can be checked off your to-do list so easily. I think it is a search that will last a lifetime.
09 March 2012
What I did: A haircut isn’t complete without a style! Today, I blow dried my manikins hair using a round brush and styled it using products. I used Morrocan oil to soften the hair and help tame the frizz. To keep the style from shifting, I used a lot of hairspray to ensure that it stayed put!
Reflection: Styling hair comes rather easy to me. I’m so used to doing my hair all the time that working on the manikin didn’t feel akward. I felt very comfortable and ac
tually had fun with it which was quite different from cutting it where I was nervous and afraid of messing up.
This is me drying the manikin's hair!
Time: 1 hour
Total time: 15 hours and 30 minutes
07 March 2012
Before cutting the hair, washing the hair is crucial. It helps to keep the hair in place and makes it easy for the stylist to manipulate it!
What I did: Today, I actually cut the hair! I met with Penny and we got busy cutting my manikin’s hair right away. It took a while
because she was explaining everything in detail. Also, it took a while because it was my first time cutting hair!
Reflection: Nervous and anxious, I walked into Penny’s studio and we began talking about cutting my manikin’s hair. She was explaining everything in so much detail and I felt like I was learning so much. It was awesome! I never knew that cutting hair revolved around geometry! The scissors felt weird in my hand and it was rather difficult to hold both the comb and the scissors in my hand, but Penny said that the reason they (hairstylists) did that was because it would take too long to put the scissors down each time. I really feel like this was a great experience and I’m glad I got the chance to do it.
Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 14 hours and 30 minutes
05 February 2012
What I did: Styling hair is fun to do and required in most hair salons after a good cut. Today, I braided my sisters hair and experimented with her hair in general.
Reflection: I found that I actually enjoyed working with her hair. It took me many tries to actually get the braid to look good but I was really proud of my work at the very end! I also think, that styling hair is going to be more fun for me than actually cutting it!
Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Total Time: 12 hours and 30 minutes
Practicing braids on my sister's hair!
03 February 2012
What I did: Today, I researched products. After finishing a haircut, it is important to style the hair and leave the customer feeling good about themselves. Styling hair involves the use of good products. I learned that if you want to add immediate volume to the hair, using a volumizing gel/spray will help swell the hairs. Nioxin is a wonderful product that was actually created by doctors in a lab and is used by most hairstylists (my project facilitator included). Putting oils in the hair will help to hydrate it as well as add shine.
Reflection: I was really interested in reading/learning about products that are used for the hair. I am fascinated that a little bit of gel can help create more volume or that a little bit of oil can add shine and hydration to the hair. I actually use Argon oil for my hair and I have noticed that when I do not use it, my hair is dull and dry. When I do use oil, my hair looks healthy and shiney.
Time: 1 hour
Total time: 11 hours
28 January 2012
What I did: To get familiar with my manikin head, I took some time to just just touch the hair and explore. I combed the hair out and examined the ends. I haven’t washed the hair yet but my project facilitator advised that I wash her hair before we cut it.
Reflection: It was weird! In a way, I was a little bit grossed out about touching the hair just because it’s not mine and stuff like that really does gross me out. It wasn’t really until that very moment that I realized that if I were to become a hairstylist, I would have to touch all sorts of hair types. I even asked Penny what it was like and if it bothered her. She replied by saying that it wasn’t “too bad” and that over time, “you get used to it!”
Time: 45 minutes
Total time: 10 hours
Getting to know my manikin head
Dafina 