King Lear, in my opinion, is both mad and crazy. He turns away his beloved daughter because she refuses to flatter him and divides his land foolishly into two between his other two daughters who only flattered him to get a piece of the kingdom. He starts to come to his senses when the fool is introduced to us. The fool in King Lear is not like the typical fool in other Shakespearean books. He speaks of what he sees and tells the king honestly. Among all the other members of the King's court only the fool and Kent remain loyal to him.
King Lear's life becomes a tragedy as soon as he dismisses Cordelia. He becomes even more ignorant and his arrogance becomes even more distrubing.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Reflection on the play
The play emphasised the problems that young people face today and as a result the manyt problems that they can get themselves into if they are not helped. The play mainly focused on the character of Kayla and how she viewed everyone who was apart of her classroom. in her diary she wrote about how each one of them was special and the qualities she admired in each of them. She was considered as the quiet weird one. In the end of the play, she committed suicide as their problems became hers.
The play also focused on the misguided ones such as Leslie who was the bully of the class. She later became involved in a gang and though her attitude towards everyone was bad before it became increasingly worst. There was "chatty" one who felt that it was her right to be involved in everyone's business and to help them. But it is her "miss know it all" attitude that was her downfall.
In addition, the playwrit was able to involve the audience in every aspect. It appealed to the audience's sense of humor and sense of saddness. By the end of the play, almost everyone was either near tears or in tears.
The play also focused on the misguided ones such as Leslie who was the bully of the class. She later became involved in a gang and though her attitude towards everyone was bad before it became increasingly worst. There was "chatty" one who felt that it was her right to be involved in everyone's business and to help them. But it is her "miss know it all" attitude that was her downfall.
In addition, the playwrit was able to involve the audience in every aspect. It appealed to the audience's sense of humor and sense of saddness. By the end of the play, almost everyone was either near tears or in tears.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Reflections
In the beginning, we see that King Lear is a stubborn old man who likes to be flattered. He foolishly gives his land (wealth) away to both of his disloyal daughters after the third refuses to flatter him with how much she loves him. In giving away his land he gave away his power. After Cordelia's response to his question, he disowns her. Cordelia is then approached by Burgundy who tries to save her relationship with her father but as she had none, told her that she has lost a husband as well. france then takes her hand in marriage as the queen of France and departs with her, but not before she confronts her sisters about their cruel intentions. We see King Lear's stubborn side when he refuses to Kent's reasoning. He becomes blinded by his daughter's false love.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Answers to tutorial questions
Kent and Gloucester opened the play. They were discussing Gloucester's bastard son. I dont think that Edmund felt any diferent than before. If he did feel any emotions whatsoever, it might be happiness that he now has a brother though he may be illegitimate. King Lear had plan to divide his kingdom into three between his daughters. In order for them to get a part of the kingdom they had to flatter their father with how much they love him. Goneril was the first to answer him saying that she loved him more tha words can say and more than space and liberty. Regan's response to her father's question was a little different for she claimed to have loved her father more than her sister Goneril, claiming that she came too short in her answers. Cordelia's answer however shocked her father into disbelief. When came time for her to tell her father how much she loved him her answer was "nothing". That meaning that he knew how much she loved him and she and she did not have to exprss in words how much she did. I belive that her answer was deserving and that she needed not to impress him to make her love seem insincere. Cordelia told her father that he "begot" her "bred" her and "lov'd" her and that she return all of theses back to him as are fit. She then brought uo the argument that if her sisters said that they love him, then why do they have husbands. In additon she claimed that when she got married half of her affection would be to her husband but as she would not marry all of her love belongs to her father. Corelia is in no sense of the word being cruel to her father. However i do see the point that he was trying to make, that if her sisters had to express how much they loved him then so should she: what goes for one goes for all. King Lear is furious with her response and disowns her. In doing this kent becomes furious with the King for his foolish behaviour pointing out that he was tricked by his two older daughters and their false pretense of affection towards their father.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Mira Masi's Significance
Aunt Mira was both married and widowed at an early age. She was forced to work at her late husband's famly's house as their maid and became aged beyond her years. After an invitation to live with the Das family, she moved in and began a new life although she could not remarry. She formed a bond with the four children but mainly with Tara. Along with the "well", Aunt Mira can be said to be a strong symbol of death, since her husband died, then the cow and both Mr. and Mrs. Das. It seems as though she was trying to get away from this terrible torment but it finally caught up with her in the Das' family home as there ws no where else to run. She bacame the caretaker for Baba but grew increasingly frustrated with his condition. She saw Tara as the daughter she never had but after Tara left it was even more frustrating to her. It was like everyone was "dying" and leaving her alone. Aunt Mira also saw Raja as her husband because, in essence, under her outward appearance, she was very young at heart. With him being constantly gone, she began to feel the loss of her husband all over again; to her it was like Deja Vu. Bim cared for Aunt Mira physically but not emotionally so that she could stop the emotional suicide of Aunt Mira before her final demise.
Baba's Significance
Baba was the youngest out of the four Das children, howver his mental incapacity prohibited him from having a normal life and being a part of the family physically. Because of his condition, he was constantly forgotten. He stayed by himself on a regular basis, either listening to music on his gramophone or playing with his pebbles given to him by Mira Masi. Baba becomes severly insecure about his surrondings as no one took the time to show him his surrondings. Baba becomes amputated from his family and his engulfed in his own world.
The Cultural and Religious Aspect in Clear Light of Day
In Clear Light of Day, Anita Desaihas pointed out the political and religious battle between Hindus and Muslims. she also shows us their way of life and the role ofnthe parents in India. She is inviting us to be a part of India through Tara's and Bimla's eyes.
The way of life, religion and beliefs that we call culture is much different in the Eastern Hemisphere than that of the Western Hemisphere. in places such as the Caribbeanand America both males and females work at their separate jobs to provide for their family. However, in India, New and Old Dehli to be exact, the women stay home and more or less take care of the children while men go out to work as the sole breadwinner to take care of their family.
The typical woman in India spends less time with their family and more time in front of the mirror looking pretty. This is strongly pointed out in Cear Light of Day as Mrs. Das spent no time with her family. Her daily routine consists of spending time in front of the mirror and going to the Club with her husband. The children are then, practically, left to raise themselves. We first meet Mr. Das when Raja explained to him his wishes to go to Jamia Millia College. His father spoke out for the first time and expressed his dissatisfaction with Raja's choice of college. Shortly after this, both parents died leaving the four children to take care of themselves since Mira Masi was incapable of taking on such responsibility. Neither parent was mourned for, for they were basically strangers to their own children.
In a sense Anita Desai has introduced us to the culture of India and what is accepted there. However, there was Bimla who Desai describes as not being the typical India woman. She was not married as she did not want to, she smoked (and this was not culturally expected in India) and she taught at a women's college. It is shown that Bimla has strayed away from the stereotype way of living for Indian women and has created her own.
From the beginning of the book, Desai has already established that there is an ongoing war in India between the Mulims and the Hindus. It can be said that the world is divided between four main religions: Jewish and Christianity and and Hinduism and Muslim.
It is pointed out in the book that no one is safe from the other side as each religion is trying to eradicate the other. The Das family belongs to the religion of Hinduism, though it is not mentioned in the book that they neither speak of their religion nor practice it. Raja is the only member of the family that shows an interest in the religious beliefs in India. Though in the beginning, Raja is completely Hindu, he begins to change his perspectives of Muslims as he became associated with Hyder Ali and his friends. He now saw Muslims as friend rather foe. Raja became what I call bi-religious and neither his family or friends accepted this. In getting more closer to Hyder Ali and his family, Raja has neglected his families and his position as man of the house after his father died. Anita Desai has centered the focus of religion mainly on Raja in order to show a young man living in India can become confused about his religious identity.
The way of life, religion and beliefs that we call culture is much different in the Eastern Hemisphere than that of the Western Hemisphere. in places such as the Caribbeanand America both males and females work at their separate jobs to provide for their family. However, in India, New and Old Dehli to be exact, the women stay home and more or less take care of the children while men go out to work as the sole breadwinner to take care of their family.
The typical woman in India spends less time with their family and more time in front of the mirror looking pretty. This is strongly pointed out in Cear Light of Day as Mrs. Das spent no time with her family. Her daily routine consists of spending time in front of the mirror and going to the Club with her husband. The children are then, practically, left to raise themselves. We first meet Mr. Das when Raja explained to him his wishes to go to Jamia Millia College. His father spoke out for the first time and expressed his dissatisfaction with Raja's choice of college. Shortly after this, both parents died leaving the four children to take care of themselves since Mira Masi was incapable of taking on such responsibility. Neither parent was mourned for, for they were basically strangers to their own children.
In a sense Anita Desai has introduced us to the culture of India and what is accepted there. However, there was Bimla who Desai describes as not being the typical India woman. She was not married as she did not want to, she smoked (and this was not culturally expected in India) and she taught at a women's college. It is shown that Bimla has strayed away from the stereotype way of living for Indian women and has created her own.
From the beginning of the book, Desai has already established that there is an ongoing war in India between the Mulims and the Hindus. It can be said that the world is divided between four main religions: Jewish and Christianity and and Hinduism and Muslim.
It is pointed out in the book that no one is safe from the other side as each religion is trying to eradicate the other. The Das family belongs to the religion of Hinduism, though it is not mentioned in the book that they neither speak of their religion nor practice it. Raja is the only member of the family that shows an interest in the religious beliefs in India. Though in the beginning, Raja is completely Hindu, he begins to change his perspectives of Muslims as he became associated with Hyder Ali and his friends. He now saw Muslims as friend rather foe. Raja became what I call bi-religious and neither his family or friends accepted this. In getting more closer to Hyder Ali and his family, Raja has neglected his families and his position as man of the house after his father died. Anita Desai has centered the focus of religion mainly on Raja in order to show a young man living in India can become confused about his religious identity.
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