The Glass Menagerie

Laura Wingfield is very different from any other girl, she is a 32 year old that still lives with her mother, is not married and has no children. Laura has a physical defect, a limp.  The physical and emotional stress has made Laura live in a world of her own, a world she created.  Laura is the only character within the play that never does anything to hurt others, she displays pure compassion and honesty.  In The Glass Menagerie, Laura Wingfield can be best described as shy, lazy, and modest.

​The first trait of Laura Wingfield is shyness.  Laura lives in a world of her own, a world of little glass ornaments and plays old phonograph records.  An example of Laura shyness would be when Jim O’Connor, her high school crush comes in for dinner.  Laura tells her mother that she will not open the door and will not stay for dinner, however her mother results in finally convincing  her to open the door. When Laura opens the door and O’Connor shakes her hand he notices that her hands are very cold, this possibly being a sign of shyness.  Laura is so nervous that she cannot even attend business school without becoming sick.  "I couldn’t go back.  I threw up on the floor.”  Laura is definitely sensitive in a way that at the slightest social encounter she freaks out.  She does not like being around other people other than her family.  “And everyone was seated before I came in.  I had to walk in front of all those people.  My seat was in the back row.  I had to go clumping all the way up the aisle with everyone watching.”  This suggests  Laura's extreme shyness and also the limping demonstrates how delicate she is.  Amanda, Laura’s mother attempts to get her involved with different people and takes her to a young people's league at a church but Laura speaks to no one  and nobody spoke to her.  When Laura sits on the couch and Jim sits beside her for company, she sits up nervously.  Laura can hardly speak because of the strain of being alone with a stranger.  Although she has feelings for Jim, Laura is unable to enjoy his company because of her shyness, she uses her shyness to avoid reality.  Laura also uses her glass animals as an escape, the glass ornaments represent Laura's fragility, Laura is fragile and delicate as is her glass figurine.

​The second trait of Laura Wingfield is lazy.  Laura in a way is lazy, she does not do much and everything she does is half way done.  Laura does not go to school and did not want to finish either, she started a business class and only went for couple of weeks and later dropped out.  Laura does not work, she stays home all day cleaning her glass collection and listens to records.  Amanda begins to notice how lazy Laura is when she says “I put her in Business College-a dismal failure! Laura was Frightened so it made her sick at the stomach.  Now all she does is fool with those pieces of glass and play those worn-out records.  What kind of life is that for a girl to lead?”  Even Amanda "Laura's mother" admits that her daughter does not do anything.  When Jim O’Connor asks Laura how she spends her time, she responds by saying she does not do alot  “I don't do anything much.  Oh please, don't think I sit around doing nothing!  My glass collection takes up a good deal of time.  Glass is something you have to take good care of.”  emphasizing Laura's  lazyness all she does  is clean her glass collection and uses her limp as an excuse.

​The third trait of Laura Wingfield is diffident.  Laura has a lack of confidence, she is very distinct  from the others around her and she knows it.  She is very different like the unicorn and it shows, Laura is very unsocial and unwilling to do anything that’s going to harm or make her feel uncomfortable. It is not until Jim O’Connor comes to dinner that Laura has confidence, she is willing to open up with Jim.  Laura transforms into a beautiful new girl, Jim made Laura feel secure and built up her confidence.  Jim even tells Laura that there is nothing wrong with being unique.  “I wish you were my sister. I'd teach you confidence in yourself.  The different people are not like other people, but being different is nothing to be ashamed of." Other examples of traits, Jim O’Connor sits on the floor and invites Laura to sit down; she does but sits far away from him.  Jim asks why she sits so far away that he cannot see her.  Laura also refuses to go back to school because she throws up, yes what she did was embarrassing but that is no excuse not to go back to school. Laura later begins to think that being out of her world is not as bad after all, after Laura dances with Jim she feels part of reality like everyone else.

​Laura Wingfield learns that she is capable of forgetting her physical limp.  Laura responds to Jim because he sees that she is different, Jim does not see her disability he sees her beauty.  Jim is able to push Laura to do things she would never do for example, asking for his autograph and to dance.  When Jim arrives Laura starts to bloom out of her shyness, she opens up revealing what is truly inside of her. She is willing to accept the outside world into her own.   

 

Schizophrenia in relation to a beautiful mind

An illness with psychological or behavioral manifestations and important in functioning due to a social, psychological, genetic, physical chemical, or biologic disturbance that is not limited to relations between an individual and society.  Mental illness is done by the mind relating or suffering from a disorder of the mind. 

Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others (Watkins, 20).  Some common symptoms are such as delusions some people think they have special powers.  Another is hearing, seeing, feeling, or even smelling things like hallucinations a good example is to hear voices talking.  A good example of schizophrenia is the movie called “A Beautiful Mind”.  John Nash starts seeing three people who are not real during the time when he entered graduate school.  He believed the visions that he sees were real, until his wife tells him.  People with schizophrenia are not normal however; they are still very brilliant people.  People who have schizophrenia cannot tell the difference between what is real and what their imagination (Watkins, 26) is.  This happens to 1% of the population and usually starts in early adulthood around 15 to 25 years of age, and usually happens after having a particular stressful time (26).  Some major treatments for schizophrenia are medications called “antipsychotics”, and they are usually taken with therapy.    Another treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy it has been successful for patients recovering from symptoms of delusions, hallucinations, or depression.  Schizophrenia can be treated however; a cure has not been discovered.

Anxiety disorder occurs when you’re confronted with a possible threat, danger, or negative event, particularly something over which has little control (Norton, 8).  It involves fear of embarrassment or humiliation in situations where someone is exposed to the scrutiny of others or must perform (Norton, 9).  There are many different types of anxiety disorder. Most people who experience a traumatic event will have reactions such as shock, anger, nervousness, fear, and event of guilt. The person may avoid people, places, thoughts, or situations that may remind him or her of the trauma (Norton, 102).  This causes them to detach and hide from family and friends, also lose interest in activities.  They also get excessive emotion; problems relating to others, including feeling or showing affection, difficulty falling or staying asleep, and irritability.  The person may also suffer physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, and diarrhea (Norton, 55).  One anxiety is obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a potentially disabling illness that traps people in endless cycles of repetitive thoughts and behaviors (Norton, 19).   One repeats things over and over, and wanting to be in control all the time.  Some examples are checking, washing, counting, and repeating, fear of making a mistake, and need for order.  OCD people do these things to reduce anxiety or prevent terrible things from happening.  The anxiety produced by these thoughts leads to an argent need to perform certain rituals or routines.  People with OCD may be aware that their obsession and compulsion are senseless or unrealistic, but they cannot stop them (Norton, 19).  Although the cause of OCD is not understood, studies have shown that a combination of biological and environmental factors may be involved.

Within the article Kim Noble the woman with 100 personalities,  Kim is a painter and lives in a small terrace house in south London with her daughter Aimee.  She has many personalities with their own names.  Some are children.  Some are male.  However; Kim has a dominant personality Patricia.  Patricia is usually the one that handles all the business and the money.  One of the many personalities is Judy she comes out at meals a 15 year old who believes she’s fat.  Kim states that this began when she was around three.  Doctors believe this happened to Kim due to her childhood, she suffered from abuse and her parents were never around.  Through time Kim started to refuge in these personalities to protect her from what was happening.  Kim is a brilliant woman no matter her struggle that did not hold her back.  She succeeded and became artist.

There are a lot of people with mental illness and just because of the mental disorders does not mean that they can’t succeed.  They are very intelligent people.            

 

                                                                  

                      

  

 

Reflection on artistic works

The On Stage at the Mat show was filled with several incredible performances that shared both similarities and differences. A particular piece that drew my attention was Tower performed by Rep 1. I definitely felt that the choreography was very hard hitting, edgy and also had a range of strength within the movement. The choreography was very precise, for instance in the beginning of the piece when one dancer comes out strong and is followed by a group of dancers who initiate everyone else’s movement. The costumes fitted the piece perfectly; the color choices were very organic and neutral which made the piece have a greater effect as a whole. There was great partnering work, the dancers worked extremely well together; there was a lot of weight transfer within the movement and a feel of the dancers being dependent of one another. The choreography made their connection stronger; there were a lot of slides incorporated within the piece which definitely displayed the dancers’ ability of control and really maintaining their center in order to not fall of the stage. The second piece that I really enjoyed was Pretty Gritty performed by Rep 2; Pretty Gritty is an extremely entertaining piece. I feel that it differs from Tower in a way that Pretty Gritty has more joyful movement in a sense. Although Pretty Gritty might differentiate from Tower both pieces do have similar qualities, for example both pieces are very demanding to the audience eye. Pretty Gritty incorporates the use of tambourines, at this point in the piece I feel is where the audience is fully engaged in the performance. The quality of the movement incorporated with the use of tambourines is so expressive, and exciting. The costumes for Pretty Gritty consist of very vibrant colors such as yellow and orange, the costumes truly make the work as a whole come alive. Overall the On Stage at the Mat show showcased many professional quality works that where very enjoyable and exciting to watch.  

 

(Tower)

 

 

 

(Pretty Gritty)

 

Significant quotation from The Handmaid's Tale and meaning

"He was not a monster, to her. Probably he had some endearing trait: he whistled, off key, in the shower,he had a yen for truffles, he called his dog Liebchen and made it sit up for little pieces of raw steak. How easy it is to invent a humanity,for anyone at all, what an available temptation." pg.145


This quotation demonstrates a memory of Offred's. She remembers watching a documentary about a woman dealing with a guard. The memory emphasizes how the woman felt that her lover was not a cruel person, Offred begins to see this perspective within her own situation. As she spends more time with the commander, she starts to develop feelings for him which questions why he would seem like a decent character. Offred relates to the woman in the documentary because she finds herself dwelling on her emotions for the commander, he is the reason for constructing the unjust structure within the society they live in. In a sense the commander is a monster, he just is not a monster in Offred's eyes although he is to blame for the cruelty within the town of Gilead.     

Significant quotation from The Handmaid's Tale and it's meaning

"The trouble is I can't be with him, any different than I usually am with him. Usually I am inert. Surely there must be something for us other than this fertility..." ch.39, pg.255


This quotation strongly emphasizes how Offred would like to make her and the commander's relationship something more than just a sexual attraction. The quotation suggests how gullible Offred truly is about their intimacy. Offred is living a fairytale, she is attempting to make the relationship seem real when in reality that would most likely never happen; the commander is only using her to his benefit. The quote in a sense demonstrates how Offred is alot like a puppet not to mention the commanders property. She is only utilized as a form of entertainment but yet Offred is somehow still in denial about the situation. The reader can conclude that Offred is clearly not excited about what is going to happen with the commander, however she forces herself to make the best of it and do it anyway.           

Significant quotation from The Handmaid's Tale

"I wait, I compose myself. Myself is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born." The quotation above symbolizes Offred's thoughts just before she participates in the ceremony. The quotation expresses the thought of a speech being more for a public audience and displaying the best things about one self, rather than Offred expressing how she truly feels about society. "A thing made is created for a purpose" demonstrates Offred's place in the society she lives in. She is descibed as a character with heroic qualities because of her internal rebellion. The only place where Offred is able to be completely free is inside her head, her outer self is artificial meaning she must act as society does. Even in Offred's thoughts her sense of judgement is emphasized. She appears to be self conscious about her thoughts because of what she knows and the way she was raised. Offred's earliest memories are of her aunt teaching her to be a hanmaid. It would be easier for Offred to accept that her current setting is a comfortable lifestyle, but Offred is not made that way. 

     

Chapters 5-8 of The Handmaid's Tale

Select one quote from the selection that you feel is significant.


"Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary." This quotation found in chapter 6 of The Handmaid's Tale describes the way that Offred is feeling from seeing the bodies that have been hung. She appears to be okay and capable of dealing with the situation, but in reality Offred is terrified of what she has just witnessed. The quotation also suggests the remembrance of Aunt Lydia and how she believed that Gilead will someday become normal. Lydia's words are used to symbolize the idea of over looking truly horrifying circumstances and making them seem normal. Within the quotation there is an emphasis in which the town of Gilead prevails by letting the towns folk not think or even acknowledge what a different world would be like. The fact that Lydia expects for their current society to seem ordinary is a hyperbole. Attempting to make such drastic situations accepted as a common/ordinary lifestyle is an extreme.  

Significant quotation from The Handmaid's Tale

"We learned to lip-read our heads flat on the beds turned sideways, watching each others mouths. In this way we exchanged names from bed to bed". The previous quotation represents the theme of women being used as political instruments. A theme is the universal idea described in a literary work. This quotation describes how trapped the narrator and her friends feel within society. They are prohibited from speaking at all and even using their real names. In this time period women cannot vote, or do anything that could possibly make them individuals they have absolutely no say when dealing with making choices. In spite of all of their restrictions, they find ways in order to rebel/bend the rules and reveal their names. This act of doing definitely emphasizes the importance they feel for their identities. In The Handmaid's Tale there is obviously a notable abscence of real names/individuality in the book which suggests why the narrator will try to protect the people she loves.    

 

Examples of Principal Taxation (Economics)

Adequacy taxes should be just enough to generate revenue required for provision of essential public services and broad basing taxes, should be spread as wide as possible section of the population.  There are two types of taxation direct and indirect.  Those who benefit from services should be the ones who pay for them.  People should pay taxes in proportion to the amount of services or benefits they receive.  Taxation is a payment levied by government for which no good or service is received directly in return.  The amount of tax people pay is not related directly to the benefit people obtain from the provision of a particular good service. Direct taxes are paid by taxation on the income of the wage earner. This form of taxation is unavoidable, and for simplicity usually collected before the worker collect his/her wages.  Personal, corporate and property taxes are examples of direct taxes. Indirect taxation is often avoidable and is not taken from wages. An example of indirect taxation is VAT (Value Added Tax) or sales tax placed on goods and services. This is tax, but not all people have to pay it, and can choose not to. The fairest tax is one based on your financial ability to support government activities. An alternative to the ability-to-pay principle of taxation is the benefit principle of taxation, which is the idea that individuals should be taxed in proportion.

English Sonnet (The Cupcake Fantasy)

I love to eat cupcakes, they are the best:

Cupcakes are filled with fun, sparkly frosting,

Frosting surrounded the table that rest,

Cleaning up the frosting was exhausting,

A moment when cupcakes fill up a spark,

My tummy starts grumbling for a small bite,

The love of cupcakes spread around the park,

Cupcakes I love you with all of my might,

Seeing and eating cupcakes all night long,

Not sure if its a dream make not one sound,

Cupcakes inspire me, I should write a song:

Cupcakes! over there I spot one on the ground,

Don't you dare come near my cupcake you fool,

Hold on, where did he go? What is this drool?