"The worst fault you have is to be in love."
"'T is a fault I will not change for your best virtue."
~ Jaques, Orlando, As You Like It
The biggest thematic element in As You Like It is love. Love in this play is positively connoted; often you will see modern stories and movies portraying love, but also incorporating a much more realistic perspective of it. In the play, love magically fixes everything. It turns evil people into positive, happy people (Oliver falls in love with Celia and suddenly stops his scheming). Love makes some others ridiculously optimistic and frankly, a little annoying (Orlando turns into a poet). As You Like It is very unrealistic and shallow, but not in a negative sense - it just doesn't have a whole lot to it. We discussed in class today that if Shakespeare's writings were essays that you wrote for class, As You Like It would be the religion essay: an overused theme composed of mostly BS with maybe an insightful thought or two.
Two songs today that could be related to the play and a more modern novel are "Poison and Wine" by the Civil Wars and "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. "Poison and Wine" would be more realistic because it examines poignancies in relationships, conflict of emotion for another person. "Love Story" would relate to the play because it describes a fairy tale-like situation in which everything magically turns out well in the end.
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Poor Frank / Internal Conflict - Short Story Blog 1 (Week Three. Eveline)
"He rushed beyond the barrier and called to her to follow. He was shouted at to go on but he still called to her. She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition."
~ James Joyce, Eveline
So, during the story, the main character Eveline is faced with a dilemma - do I leave for Buenos Aires with my fiance who I don't really love to escape my domestic problems, or do I stay home with my imminently abusive father because my mother's death wish was for me to keep the family together? That's some deep stuff. Let's take a closer look.
Obviously, Eveline has had some problems from her past. Her father physically abused her brothers and her mother (I think, but don't quote me). However, I don't think he didn't love her; they had some good times together and he always worked hard for her and the family. Eveline loved her mother, so when her mom was dying and told her to take care of the family, this probably created a lot of the conflict she is feeling. But there is still a whole other level added to this internal tug-of-war. Eveline is engaged to Frank, a man who really loves her and is willing to provide for her and make her happy; she always thinks of him as a "savior" though, not someone she can love, like you are supposed to do when you have a fiance. Basically, he is her lame excuse to leave her family and temporarily escape from her home life. So what it boils down to is the decision between a safe, loveless life free of concern or a more emotionally oscillating life filled with love, resentment, and catharsis. In the end, she chose her family. I think she made the right choice.
~ James Joyce, Eveline
So, during the story, the main character Eveline is faced with a dilemma - do I leave for Buenos Aires with my fiance who I don't really love to escape my domestic problems, or do I stay home with my imminently abusive father because my mother's death wish was for me to keep the family together? That's some deep stuff. Let's take a closer look.
Obviously, Eveline has had some problems from her past. Her father physically abused her brothers and her mother (I think, but don't quote me). However, I don't think he didn't love her; they had some good times together and he always worked hard for her and the family. Eveline loved her mother, so when her mom was dying and told her to take care of the family, this probably created a lot of the conflict she is feeling. But there is still a whole other level added to this internal tug-of-war. Eveline is engaged to Frank, a man who really loves her and is willing to provide for her and make her happy; she always thinks of him as a "savior" though, not someone she can love, like you are supposed to do when you have a fiance. Basically, he is her lame excuse to leave her family and temporarily escape from her home life. So what it boils down to is the decision between a safe, loveless life free of concern or a more emotionally oscillating life filled with love, resentment, and catharsis. In the end, she chose her family. I think she made the right choice.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
A Lovely Change of Pace / Paradox - Poetry Blog 3 (Lonely Hearts)
"Who knows where it may lead once we've begun? Can someone make my simple wish come true? Do you live in North London? Is it you?"
~ Wendy Cope, Lonely Hearts
The way I see it, this poem is paradoxical in two different ways.
1) The Conditions and the Situation: Each person who is writing in this "Personals" column has a different story, a different need, a different sexual orientation. However, all of these people want the same thing - love. Although these people come from diverse places and have different backgrounds, all of their hearts yearn for the same thing.
2) The Description and the Situation: The title "Lonely Hearts" suggests that each person writing in this column is alone, and not happy about it. All of these people may be alone in their life, but they are linked by what they seek. Everybody wants companionship; this brings about a tone of universality although the people are all considered lonely - there is someone out there who is like them (and hopefully someone who is for them).
The "Situation" aspect of both paradoxes is the same - love. This is made apparent through the uniformity of the last lines of each stanza - "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" or "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" Also, the last stanza, "Who knows where it may lead once we've begun? Can someone make my simple wish come true? Do you live in North London? Is it you?" is what links all of these people together and creates a common wish for which we all strive in the end.
~ Wendy Cope, Lonely Hearts
The way I see it, this poem is paradoxical in two different ways.
1) The Conditions and the Situation: Each person who is writing in this "Personals" column has a different story, a different need, a different sexual orientation. However, all of these people want the same thing - love. Although these people come from diverse places and have different backgrounds, all of their hearts yearn for the same thing.
2) The Description and the Situation: The title "Lonely Hearts" suggests that each person writing in this column is alone, and not happy about it. All of these people may be alone in their life, but they are linked by what they seek. Everybody wants companionship; this brings about a tone of universality although the people are all considered lonely - there is someone out there who is like them (and hopefully someone who is for them).
The "Situation" aspect of both paradoxes is the same - love. This is made apparent through the uniformity of the last lines of each stanza - "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" or "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" Also, the last stanza, "Who knows where it may lead once we've begun? Can someone make my simple wish come true? Do you live in North London? Is it you?" is what links all of these people together and creates a common wish for which we all strive in the end.
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