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.