yeah, that pun was intended, if u don't get it, wait and think about it a sec....... ok now, yeah, ok.
so over all, i liked Lysistrata and i liked it even more after c-in The Boycott. i think that the language was not as bad as i was expecting and the puns weren't as good as i was hoping for, but decently indecent for a high school class. i think i'll prolly take this book to st8 4n6 n we'll get a reading outta it, we have some gr8 actors and almost all 4n6 n db8 kids have dirty minds (generally speaking, not the rule, but tends 2 b a commonality) so the acting will b enhanced by the fast interpretation of the puns. i really liked that the book was easily interpreted through many lenses, historical, marxist, feminist, etc. i like that it was a happy medium of the other 2 plays we read; the womyn weren't the catty, annoying, rather weak girls that the Alba daughters were, and none of them were the globally manipulative, my-way-or-the-highway person that Hedda was. essentially, i have mostly good things to say about the book, i liked it (this is honestly a good yr, last yr i think i liked 2 books- The Metamorphasis and Night). so, even though this seems really short for me, this is about it. i really think that the imagery inhanced the play because we, as readers, had to interpret and create mental images to understand the play and it was easy to do that because of Aristophanes' language and use of imagery. i loved the puns and metaphors, they made me laugh. and i liked how it was so diverse in it's ability to b interpreted. ok, this is me being officially finished, can't wait fer the next book.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
extended metaphor (ha ha, i crack myself up)
ok, so since i've kinda run outta things to comment on i'll do my last commentary-esk blog on the extended metaphor of the town and the yarn. ok, so i c this in a marxist lite. first, the womyn are the proletariat rising up against the dirty, capitalist bourgeoisie, the men. next, the yarn that these womyn want to spin is a utpoia and the explaination of how to spin yarn is the plan for creating this utopia. scrubbing it in a public bath can mean exposing all the corruption of the current government to the people so that they know what's really going on, kinda like airing ur dirty laundry. cudgeling the leeches and vermen is expelling the corrupt officials from office and making sure the problem won't repeat itself and cause the yarn to unravel because of imperfections. the next step is essentially getting the people on the same level, making them equal like standard distribution of land. then culling the colonies is opening up free trade so that the econ can survive and flourish and even brining all the communist states together to help revolutionize the rest of the world to create a tru workers' paradise. the idea that this is being done by womyn fits in with communism too cuz hey were all about equality of all ppl n they tended to allow womyn to do more and hold higher, bttr positions. suddenly i'm feeling that the book could be a key for communist revolution all over. there are a lot of places where u can do a marxist reading and get even more outta this play. it sounds like the steps that should have been taken by Kruschev after gettin rid of Stalin to truly insure the survival of the USSR and communism (rather that Stalinism) are in this play. it's unfortunate that these leaders weren't up on their classic greek plays and IB english cuz they may still have power and not b the "bad guys" in our history books.
** disclaimer: i am not a commi, just a historical thinker and an opportunist
** disclaimer: i am not a commi, just a historical thinker and an opportunist
double dehumanization
r-rite so by now, we've all figured out that Peace in the end is not only a concept, but a woman, and a really pretty one at that. the men's reaction to this is um, enthusiastic to say the least. now, i've talked about this b4, but it really bothers me n imma xplain it again and in bttr depth. 1st there's the standard thing we look out for (well, i look out for as a "femanazi"), dehumanization and degradation of womyn. this is easily seen in the way that the men goggle her and her naked body. they know nothing but that they like what they see, she is a body, a piece of a&$ if you will. she doesn't have an opinion or a vote or even a brain, she's just flesh. the men continue this kind of treatment as they split her up and argue over who gets the "mountains" and legs and "gulfs". now, it's bad for this 2 happen @ all, but in a book where the theme is the power of womyn? really, that's sad. now, don't worry, the men get their turn. i think it's degrading and dehumanizing that the men are portrayed as animals so in need of a good screwing session that they will agree to anything and are drueling over Peace like dogs over a porter house steak. now we can read further into the text. pg 104 is about nothing but Peace's butte, i mean the Promonyory of Pylos. here we see that these men can't talk about real problems because their minds r 2 busy w/um, the Netherlands. (yeah, bad pun, but u should b usewd 2 it by now.) the idea that they argue about geography over a female's geography and are thinking about nothing but biology is really sad and over simplifies the male mind (ok, maybe not, but imma try 2 stay positive n try not 2 offened ne more guys than i already have). in essence, these men have been reduced to animal status and their higher thinking skill have been removed, they are no longer humans with a frontal lobe that allows decision making, but rather animals driven by instinct to continue the species. in general, i think this was a poor way to end the book and a sad interpreation of a book that had a powerful message.
pg 92 and phallus
ok, so i'd like 2 start out with an insite in2 my twisted mind/ pop culture refrence. so everytime i read the word "erection" i can't help but think about this Adam and Andrew song, "Emo Kid". In the song there's a line that says "hearing songs about getting dumped give me an erection"and everytime i read "erection" in this book i wanna start singing the song. ok, that's enough on that.
ok, so quick historical idea and slight queer reading (maybe, not sure). ok, so back when this was written there was supposed to have been a lot of "gay" activity and it was supposed to have been widely accepted, so here's the quesiton, was the commissioner gay? so he throws open the Sparten's cloak to reveal his erection (emo kid song) and then says that he has one 2 n shows the Spartan. then there's a lot of talk about things bein "up in the air" and going to explode. now, i think this is something to b xplored. the guys of this time had no problem being open and talkin bout their personal um, problems, showing vulnerability, which is something that's considered girly or weak or even "gay" now. if a guy is really emotional he's accused of being gay. now these men are a change, they are militaristic and really matcho by that standard, but then they sit around and talk about their erections and how they feel because of their womyn not screwing them?! major twist, i think. i think this may b used to advocate that being gay is not a matter of being weak or less manly, but merely likeing the same sex as you. this would be especially tru if the commissioner was gay because he seems 2 b the guy w/the most power. idk, i think this could b a poweful idea to use and re-read the book with. i mean it is said that Greek society viewed homosexual activity VERY differently than our society does, but i think this could quite possibly b a text 2 use 2 bring back that acceptance.
ok, so quick historical idea and slight queer reading (maybe, not sure). ok, so back when this was written there was supposed to have been a lot of "gay" activity and it was supposed to have been widely accepted, so here's the quesiton, was the commissioner gay? so he throws open the Sparten's cloak to reveal his erection (emo kid song) and then says that he has one 2 n shows the Spartan. then there's a lot of talk about things bein "up in the air" and going to explode. now, i think this is something to b xplored. the guys of this time had no problem being open and talkin bout their personal um, problems, showing vulnerability, which is something that's considered girly or weak or even "gay" now. if a guy is really emotional he's accused of being gay. now these men are a change, they are militaristic and really matcho by that standard, but then they sit around and talk about their erections and how they feel because of their womyn not screwing them?! major twist, i think. i think this may b used to advocate that being gay is not a matter of being weak or less manly, but merely likeing the same sex as you. this would be especially tru if the commissioner was gay because he seems 2 b the guy w/the most power. idk, i think this could b a poweful idea to use and re-read the book with. i mean it is said that Greek society viewed homosexual activity VERY differently than our society does, but i think this could quite possibly b a text 2 use 2 bring back that acceptance.
imagery and Myrrhine
ok, so here's the poop on the scene with Myrrhine and Kinesias, well my interpretation of the poop ne way (yeah, i just used MASH phrases). so first of all the imagery in this scene was incredible, kind of akward (esp. to read in class) but uncredible nonetheless. the idea that Aristophanes was able to create such a vivid scene for us merely with words is an incredible thing 2 me. i mean you can picture this going down in your mind. he's all hot and bothered and she finally comes out and then she takes forever, going back into the Akropolis (sp?) multiple times and making him wait longer only to roll out of bed w/o actually giving him anything more than a kiss and maybe a glimpse of flesh, only making his condition worse. kind of low, but aparently not low enough, o that was a bad one, my fault.
re-reading this after finishing the book does cause me to notice something though, Myrrhine uses the word "Peace" with a capital "P". Here's the rub (o, another bad one, gotta watch that), Peace is a woman, so when she says, "no cheating about the Peace," does she mean that he shouldn't b cheatin on her with this amazingly gorgious woman? on that question i kind of think that he wouldn't seein as he defends the woman who left him high and dry (o, srry) because the Koriopahaos (sp?) essentially calls her a mean hearted slut. idk, i think idea is interesting, i mean the guys drule of Peace at the end and argue about splitting her up, so is that what she's talking about?
re-reading this after finishing the book does cause me to notice something though, Myrrhine uses the word "Peace" with a capital "P". Here's the rub (o, another bad one, gotta watch that), Peace is a woman, so when she says, "no cheating about the Peace," does she mean that he shouldn't b cheatin on her with this amazingly gorgious woman? on that question i kind of think that he wouldn't seein as he defends the woman who left him high and dry (o, srry) because the Koriopahaos (sp?) essentially calls her a mean hearted slut. idk, i think idea is interesting, i mean the guys drule of Peace at the end and argue about splitting her up, so is that what she's talking about?
expansion of the comment and quazi-historian review of the play
ok, so i just commented on J'mag's blog and thought, wow, i should expound on that in my own blog cuz it's totally a mini comentary! ok, so here it is:
J'mag asked the question why didn't the womyn use their children as a means of stopping the war rather than abstaining from sex. so, historical context: Greek society was militaristic, generally speaking (yeah, i just brought geography into it!). because they lived in a militraristic society, fighting was a common thing and so was the idea that the men would have stopped fighting based on the affect that it had on their children and that their children missed them is kind of rediculous. the idea of military service wasn't like it is 2day. they didn't think, omg he's gonna have 2 go 2 war and he's gonna get shot and killed! no, these ppl thought, ok, time 4 u 2 sign up n go fight n if u die, well, that's the god's will. ok, maybe they weren't that cruel, but it wan't like 2day that u sign up for the military and maybe go to war, u signed up n u went n u were IN THE ARMY no reserves stuff. the society didn't function around the idea of loss of life like we do, they were kinda like Stalin in that regard, it was that winning of the war, not the loss of life that they cared about. (i just realized how many of us talked about Stalin in these blogs, hmm, IB Global anyone?) i think that's a big difference in our reading of the play and the society that it was written for. they thought of military service as normal and we think of it as sacrificial.
J'mag asked the question why didn't the womyn use their children as a means of stopping the war rather than abstaining from sex. so, historical context: Greek society was militaristic, generally speaking (yeah, i just brought geography into it!). because they lived in a militraristic society, fighting was a common thing and so was the idea that the men would have stopped fighting based on the affect that it had on their children and that their children missed them is kind of rediculous. the idea of military service wasn't like it is 2day. they didn't think, omg he's gonna have 2 go 2 war and he's gonna get shot and killed! no, these ppl thought, ok, time 4 u 2 sign up n go fight n if u die, well, that's the god's will. ok, maybe they weren't that cruel, but it wan't like 2day that u sign up for the military and maybe go to war, u signed up n u went n u were IN THE ARMY no reserves stuff. the society didn't function around the idea of loss of life like we do, they were kinda like Stalin in that regard, it was that winning of the war, not the loss of life that they cared about. (i just realized how many of us talked about Stalin in these blogs, hmm, IB Global anyone?) i think that's a big difference in our reading of the play and the society that it was written for. they thought of military service as normal and we think of it as sacrificial.
deconstruction
r-rite, so i haven't been able to get these womyn's oath outta my mind, so i'll share my ideas on it w/u n c what u think. first, the idea of the cup... all i can think of is The Da Vinci Code. so in there it talks about the picture of the last supper and how the woman in there is Mary and how there are symbols in there about fertility. etc. so the "U" or "V" shaped space is supposed 2 b like a woman's uterus. now, a cup is shaped like a "U" and thus we can interpret the cup to b like the uterus of the woman taking the oath. now, in talkin w/u guys the water that "taints" the wine in the cup has 2 possible meanings, sperm or a penis. either way it's symbolic of a guy tainting the uterus. i really think that the line "who moves my direction in erection" is a clever line. really, not only does it rhyme it gets the poiont across really well. it communicates "i won't screw ne body" w/o blatently saying it. i think that the rest of the oath creates great imagery and is icily mean. i can see the images of the womyn being complete suductresses (is that a word?) and then telling their husbands, "ik i'm hot, but not for you rt now, maybe later." i think that's brilliant on the part of Aristophanes, he creates imagery in a play that's meant to b preformed, thus word images inside physical images. brilliant! i think that adds a lot to a play, the audience suddenly gets a lot of brain imput and that means at least part of it sticks and they process more leaving a greater impression! i also like the amount of aliteration that he uses is great. the double sounds make people remember what they're hearing bttr. i think it was a great way to get the idea and theme of the play's plot out there and stuck in the minds of the audience.
The Boycott (part one)
ok, so Nic took me 2 c the Boycott (yeah, he took me cuz i was plannin on sluffin off that nite rather than going, but when he WANTED to go to c a play i couldn't say no) and i thought it was AMAZING, like 4 real, great play!
ok, so first of all, splitting the name Lysistrata into a first and last name was genious! Next, she did a great job turning the scene between Kenisis and Myrnie into the scene between Jack and Izzy. i think she did a good job incorperating modern humor into that scene 2, if uk what i mean. the frog, crazy insane genious!!!!! i love that that thing totally hopped and poped all ovr!!!! 4 real!! i was kinda surpirzed at the performance though, it was kinda a 4N6 performance on seriods cuz it had lights n sound that came through speakers rather than her makin it herself, but yeah, it was pretty funny, i had a hard time concentratin on the play as i would a play and found myself kinda kritiking (yeah, i use the db8 spelling, get ovr it) it in my mind- which left me feelin kinda bad. (we'll get to that in part 2 just cuz i don't feel that i can put the good and bad parts of my Boycott exploration together.) next, i think the way that she staged it was really smart. all of her props were interactive and that adds something. i'm not really sure how to xplain it, maybe it's a theatre nerd thin, but yeah, it was pretty cool 2 c her bring inaimate obj's to life. she did some unexpected thin's 2 like the crazy rant about how not havin sex revolutionized the world and the way that parents and kids interact. i thought that was cool. i liked that she kinda modeled the prez after JFK (rt dwn to the cheatin) and the vice prez after Cheney. the idea of reese witherspoon (yeah, i can't spell her name, i don't really care) was kinda funny in my eyes, but yeah. i guess that's about it, i mean it was good theatre and it used Lysistrata as the base so it was a good connection of our lit n some modern culture.
ok, so first of all, splitting the name Lysistrata into a first and last name was genious! Next, she did a great job turning the scene between Kenisis and Myrnie into the scene between Jack and Izzy. i think she did a good job incorperating modern humor into that scene 2, if uk what i mean. the frog, crazy insane genious!!!!! i love that that thing totally hopped and poped all ovr!!!! 4 real!! i was kinda surpirzed at the performance though, it was kinda a 4N6 performance on seriods cuz it had lights n sound that came through speakers rather than her makin it herself, but yeah, it was pretty funny, i had a hard time concentratin on the play as i would a play and found myself kinda kritiking (yeah, i use the db8 spelling, get ovr it) it in my mind- which left me feelin kinda bad. (we'll get to that in part 2 just cuz i don't feel that i can put the good and bad parts of my Boycott exploration together.) next, i think the way that she staged it was really smart. all of her props were interactive and that adds something. i'm not really sure how to xplain it, maybe it's a theatre nerd thin, but yeah, it was pretty cool 2 c her bring inaimate obj's to life. she did some unexpected thin's 2 like the crazy rant about how not havin sex revolutionized the world and the way that parents and kids interact. i thought that was cool. i liked that she kinda modeled the prez after JFK (rt dwn to the cheatin) and the vice prez after Cheney. the idea of reese witherspoon (yeah, i can't spell her name, i don't really care) was kinda funny in my eyes, but yeah. i guess that's about it, i mean it was good theatre and it used Lysistrata as the base so it was a good connection of our lit n some modern culture.
The Boycott part 2 (you'll understand in a minute)
So, i told u all the awesome thin's that i think were perfectly amazing, now i have a couple complaints, just minor ones though.
ok, numero 1
this chick changed the speaker of the house back in to a man, womyn finally got the job and then she goes and reverts?!?! no comprendo!!!!! correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm pretty sure this is a book that has the power of womyn as a major theme and this is what she does?!?! not ok in my eyes.
numero 2
she obviously doesn't know how a real press confrence works. ppl don't just ask questions willy nilly b4 the speaker gives their little prepared speech. Stupid Tufalooans.
numero 3
um, i've never had amathis, or what ever booze they were lookin for from Lincoln, but from what i understand about alcohol and drugs (uk, reasearch in health class, etc.), LSD/acid type things cause those types of hellucinations, not being drunk as a skunk.
That's it, as i said in part 1, i really loved the play, but i really had 2 get those thin's off my chest.
ok, numero 1
this chick changed the speaker of the house back in to a man, womyn finally got the job and then she goes and reverts?!?! no comprendo!!!!! correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm pretty sure this is a book that has the power of womyn as a major theme and this is what she does?!?! not ok in my eyes.
numero 2
she obviously doesn't know how a real press confrence works. ppl don't just ask questions willy nilly b4 the speaker gives their little prepared speech. Stupid Tufalooans.
numero 3
um, i've never had amathis, or what ever booze they were lookin for from Lincoln, but from what i understand about alcohol and drugs (uk, reasearch in health class, etc.), LSD/acid type things cause those types of hellucinations, not being drunk as a skunk.
That's it, as i said in part 1, i really loved the play, but i really had 2 get those thin's off my chest.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
First Impressions of Lysistrata
r-rite, so to start this off i'm going to inform u of the sad fact that debaters (now on refered to as db8rs) are relitively dirty minded people. we all know that i'm a db8r and so i need say no more. now, i'm thinking that Lysistrata is definately a book that my team (and its extended family at a couple other skools) should read together. it's incredibly entertaining because of the puns that are included and the slightly dirty nature of those puns. i wasn't surprized at first, but slowly i got to the point that all i could think was "i don't believe he wrote that!!!" the inability of the womyn in the story to wrap their minds around the idea that they wouldn't b having sex for a while kind of floored me. stereotypically it's the guy that u c having issues cuz he's not "gettin ne" but hearin the womyn complain about not screwing their husband? that's pretty rare. i did think the opening was interesting because the womyn seem not to really pay attention to to much that Lysistrata says. first they don't show up 4 the meeting and then they oppose most of what she says. something about that seems odd 2 me. normally, the "leader" is followed from the beginning and this time they're all being nay sayers cept the chick from the "podunk town up north" (thanks Long, and yeah, that is how i'm gonna refer to Sparta since Lampito talks like an uneducated chick from a farm). idk, maybe it's just me, but aren't leaders spose 2 b so carismatic that you can't help but get behind them? (and i'm gonna yell at the 1st person who says Obama there cuz the election is gonna b over by time ne 1 reads this entry.) o well, i guess that's it for now cuz i can't really think of ne thin else 2 say at this point in the book cuz nothin's really happened yet.
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