Plays we have read:
The American Dream by Edward Albee: This play is about a married couple. Over time their marriage has deteriorated. At the point in their lives where the play is set both the women and the man have gone completely insane. Only the girl’s mother has the only hope of being sane. The woman argues with her friends over simple things such as whether a hat is beige or wheat colored. Albee wrote this abstract play in order to show the problems of middle class life.
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Salesman: This play is about a man named Will Lowman. He is a salesman. We are never sure what he sales or if he is even a good salesman. He is always trying to live up to a certain standard. We find this standard to be unachievable. Willy has two sons Biff and Happy. Happy tries to live the same way as his father and Biff has realized that it is not worth it. Willy also has a wife who he treats more as a mother figure than a wife. In the end Willy’s inability to connect with Biff and Linda, and his inability to “succeed” drive him insane and drive him to commit suicide.
Hamlet by Shakespeare: Hamlet is a young man who is returning to Elsinore from college in Germany. He is returning because his father has died and his mother has gotten married. She has married Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. Hamlet of course feels betrayed by this action. Hamlet learns, from his father’s ghost that Claudius murdered him and Hamlet is instructed to murder Claudius. Hamlet does not fulfill this filial duty until the very end of the play. Throughout the entire play we question who Hamlet really is. We also question who is really on Hamlet’s side and who is against him. I am not really sure about the meaning of this play.
At first I wasn't sure about splitting up the plays and the books into two post but I think it could work. For the sake of organization on your blog, however, I probably would keep them together. I like the summaries but I think you might want to include more of your response to each story. It is always good to know what happened but it is the deeper thoughts and meanings that will help you on open prompts. It might be nice to include a few examples just to help you remember in the future.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how effective it is to just simply summarize the texts we have read. While some may find it helpful to have a nice refresher, I would have liked to see you maybe pick up on specific aspects of the play which make that play special. For example, you could have maybe talked about Willy Loman and how his life embodies a failed American dream, and cite specific examples to support that.
ReplyDeleteAnyone can sparknote these plays and get a quick refresher; it's your input about each one that actually makes a difference.