Robyn’s Secret Hideout!

How does Bokononism try to solve the problem of violent, religious dogmatism?

The sole purpose of Bokononism is to point out characteristics of mankind, but with brutal tactic. Right from the start, Bokononism warns its followers that it is based off of lies. Most religions use positivity to get its points across, but Bokononism uses the exact opposite. It points out the negativities of humankind and shows how people feel like their actions are justified because they have religion to back them. Bokononism is a lie, but it proves that other religions are just as untruthful, as well. It shows how beliefs can lead to actions, those actions can lead to disputes, and ultimately death- for all of mankind. Bokononism aims to eliminate the beliefs that religion produces so people won’t have reason to act the way they do; it clearly states that there is no meaning, and that’s what its followers base their lives on. By eliminating the principles, Bokononism aspires to solve the problem of violent, religious dogmatism.

Comparison:

My answer and the Sparknotes answer had a lot of key similarities, but one thing I forgot to discuss is that people search for meaning in religion, and followers of Bokononism accept that there is no meaning to life. This is important because it shows how it tries to end people’s religious excuses for acting violent; if people live for no meaning, then they won’t have the need to be violent.

How does Felix mock the prevailing notion that “evil” is humanity’s biggest problem?

Felix Hoinekkers is a brilliant man that puts his genius to bad use. He was vital in creating the a- bomb, which killed thousands of individuals in mere seconds, and he developed ice-nine, which did result in the end of the world. However, most “evil” scientists who aim to create chaos don’t have the characteristics that Felix has. He’s not strong or powerful, but he acts like a young child. He spends his time assembling toys, fascinating about turtles, and playing games with strings. A man who is so child-like mocks the prevailing notion that “evil” is humanity’s biggest problem because it seems highly unlikely that a man who symbolizes youth could be the biggest crisis in the world.

Comparison:

My answer touched the jist of Sparknotes! However, one thing Sparknotes discussed that I didn’t is that evil often falls in the hands of someone who is morally irresponsible, not evil. Felix is an intelligent individual but he doesn’t have the morals of an malevolent person that fully comprehends sin and applies that compression to their actions.

How does the commencement speech delivered at Frank’s high school graduation mock the valorized status that science occupies as a means to discover “truth?”

The manner in which Dr. Breed gives at Frank’s high school graduation speech ridicules science. Since Felix was the person who was actually scheduled to give the speech but resulted in last minute cancelation, the school had to find another speaker last minute to cover. Dr. Breed and Felix are both scientists, but the kinds of science they cover are so different, probably like their speeches. As Dr. Breed covers for Felix, science often gets covered with lies, like religion. It gets covered so it will seem more believable, but that just creates illusion. I think Vonnegut carried out the speech the way he did because he wanted to prove that all truth is contaminated with lies, even those that are backed with something as valorized as science.

Comparison:

Uh yeah…. I’m kind of confused by Sparknotes answer. It didn’t even talk about truth! What the heck! The only thing that seemed even worth talking about is that people don’t understand why they do the things they do, but that still doesn’t have anything to do with the question. AP!

What does Mona symbolize about the human character?

For some reason, I really liked Mona’s character. I think it’s because I don’t fully understand her purpose in the novel, but I am going to write my way to understanding! Mona is adopted by “Papa” so his popularity in San Lorenzo can be raised. Even from that simple act, Vonnegut is showing how far a human will go to gain success, even if it means taking on an unwanted child. Mona agreed to marry the next president of San Lorenzo because the Book of Bokonon revealed that she would. However, she and Jonah aren’t even compatible; they have completely different beliefs (vin-dit), but she still agrees to marry him because that’s what she was told. Vonnegut pokes at the naturality of humans to do what they’re told, because it’s backed by something believe in- like most aspects of religion. Christians pray because the bibles says to do so, Muslims don’t eat pork because the Koran says it’s wrong, and Buddhists rub a statue of Buddha’s belly for good luck. Why? Because they’re unable to act on their own, without guidance or previous example. Mona commits suicide because she sees the rest of mankind dead around her. Instead of trying to start her life anew, she follows the example of everyone else. This also shows the stupidity of human character to follow other examples instead of creating a new path. Vonnegut uses Mona as a tool to show the idiocy and meaningless of mankind.

Wuthering Heights: (Theme 1) She states that a major theme within the novel is the corruption of love by custom or class. Although the love is limited by society’s expectations, the author brings them together by their death- reuniting them with never-ending love. However, the host points out that that seems like passion and not love.

Great Expectations: (Symbols) The one thing that is represented throughout the book is Miss Shaviham’s moldy house- which is the central symbol in the novel. It’s a sad house where everything is dead. The sad house is when Pip first falls in love and realizes his desire to be in the upper-class, but represents how his desires will crumble- like everything in the house. The host also states that the house resembles what Dickens thought about the upper-class; the house was broken, rotting and unneeded.

Hamlet: (Theme 1) The central theme throughout the play is the theme of uncertainty. Hamlet has to be certain that he knows the truth before he takes any action, and it effects his relationship with all the other characters. His lack of trust in everyone leads him on a quest of uncovering the truth, and ultimately creates his death.

Macbeth: (Motif) The witch’s prophecies are the plays major motifs. They set the play in motion and what predicts Macbeth’s death. However, the prophecies are only single-handled. They predict the outcome, but they don’t explain how to get there. This underlying fact makes the characters responsible for their actions. The characters get the information, but they don’t have to do anything with it- they choose to.

Pride and Prejudice: (Theme 1) The main theme in the novel is love, but not the amazing lovey-dovey love. The novel centralizes on the fact that in order to have love, one has to triumph certain obstacle. In the novels case, Mr. Dacry, Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet, and Ms. Bindley are all examples of obstacle that both Darcy and Lizzie must overcome before they can have the undying love that both of them are searching for. The host states that love is the one thing that can break down barriers- like how it broke down the social barriers in the novel.

Rosenberg, Ruth. “Seeds in the Hard Ground: Black Girlhood in The Bluest Eye.”  1987. Black American Literature Forum. 1987. Scholarly Journal. 28 April 2010.

“The Bluest Eye.” Sparknotes.com. Web. 28 April 2010.

“Blue Beauty.” Bookrags.com. Web. 28 April 2010.

Robyn Fernando

Ms. Robison

21 April 2010

Bette Davis Films- Bette Davis was famous for playing insensitive characters in almost all of her films. By having Martha refer to Davis, Albee is correlating the distinctiveness between the two. Davis plays unsympathetic characters, and Martha is unsympathetic.

Parnassus- It is usually appears as Mount Parnassus, named after the mythological Parnassus. When referred to in Literature, it’s usually referring to the home of poetry. So by mentioning it, Albee wanted to point out that George thinks Nick is God-like, because he’d be able to drink at Parnassus.

1962 (The process of biology; genetic research)- Around this time period, knowledge of cloning and stem cell research was just starting to develop and progress. About a decade earlier, the structure of DNA as a double-helix was discovered. By alluding to genetic research, Albee is revealing his opinions on the subject and showing how biology is progressing and history stays the same, like Nick progresses and George stays the same.

Illyria- Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night is set in Illyria. In the play, the environment of love is explored and is revealed to contain many delusions and games. George’s allusion to it. Refers to the games that every character in the play plays, testing the love between them.

Penguin Island- The novel Penguin Island, by Anatole France, is about human nature and reality and illusions. Albee alludes to it as a direct correlation to what he is trying to achieve with his play. The play reveals the importance of truth and illusion, as does France’s.

New Carthage- Carthage is an ancient that holds the story of two star-crossed lovers, Dido and Aeneas. The city once held rich love, but it was destroyed from war. George alludes to it because he is connecting that Carthage was destroyed because of deadly behavior, as his and Martha’s marriage will if he doesn’t do something.

Micronesian Tortoise- These turtles are known for living long lives, due to their powerful authority over life. George calls Martha’s father a Micronesian tortoise because he believes he will live forever, or at least, always be in his and Martha’s life forever.

The “unfit”; Eugenics-This is alluded to in the play because it correlates to how George and Martha can’t have children and Nick and Honey choose not to. Eugenics is selective breeding (Honey chooses not to breed), and “unfit” refers that Martha cannot breed.

Monoliths- A monolith is a geological feature, like a mountain, that reveals its true formation after erosion. After George and Martha and Honey and Nick’s relationship have both been put to test by various games, their relationships have both been eroded- exposing them for what they truly are: illusions.

Pagan- The play takes on a whole pagan, unreligious act. By referring to it, Albee is indicating that every character is acting out of no inclination to God, therefore not caring about what sins they commit. IE: adultery & murder (abortions).

Albatross- In metaphor, an albatross is used to reveal a worrisome burden. By having Martha say that she is not an albatross, she’s saying that she was not the person that was being a burden. George, however, was the burden when she was on her quest to look for a man that would make her father proud.

Punic Wars- The Punic Wars are the war that destroyed the ancient city of Carthage, also destroying the memory of the rich love that was once there and replacing it was fragmented remains. As the Punic Wars destroyed the city, the constant games between Martha and George destroy their marriage, leaving them with an illusion of what they wanted their marriage to be like.

Cyclops- George calls Martha a Cyclops because she isn’t able to see the whole picture. Having only one eye makes her confuse reality with illusion. Also, a Cyclops is an imaginary figure of Greek Mythology, an imaginary figure like Martha’s son. By alluding to, Albee is either trying to point out that Martha confuses truth and illusion because she is unable to see the difference, or that the son is imaginary.

Monstre! Cochon! Bete! Canaille! Putain!-Martha and George use overdramatized words like these to insult each other to reveal Albee’s opinion of the society. In the play, Martha and George childishly use these words to show that Albee thinks the society is highly articulate and capable of using words like these but too lazy so they replace compassion with games.

Walpurisnacht- “Walpurisnacht” is a German word that refers to the day before May Day, when witches are supposed to create havoc. Albee titles the second act this because this is the act where games reach a dangerous level, just as dangerous as the witches. This nightmare-ish act is when Albee shows the breakdown of modern society, like believed family and marriage.

Dies Irae- “Day of Wrath”, it is a famous Latin Hymn that is used to describe the Day of Judgment. George starts reciting it in the last act because it is the day of wrath for all of them. It when illusions are finally demolished and only truth is left.

Daguerreotype- Is a photo that is created by an obsolete process that takes much time, but is only there on the surface and can be scratched off. By alluding to it, Albee is showing that everything that is keeping both the couples together is a result of the illusions that both create. Those illusion were created over an extensive time, but once they are “scratched off”, the truth is left over- there’s nothing.

Sacre du Printemps- Meaning Sacred Spring is alluded to reveal what is left over after “the exorcism” takes place. All that is left now is the truth, and Albee alludes to sacred spring because the relationships in the play are no longer corrupted by illusion. All that they have left now to keep them together is sacred, and can bloom like spring.

It is, but isn’t possible to live life with out illusions. As McKenzie pointed out today in class, people depend on illusions to keep them going and give them hope. When you first meet a person, you’re not meeting who they really are. You’re meeting an image of what that person wants you to meet. For example, I don’t act like my crazy self around strangers because they’d think I was a basket case; I put up the illusion of a proper young lady because that’s the norm.
It’s possible to live without illusions, but it would make everything and everyone completely different. Honestly, I think people are boring. If people didn’t hold up an illusion 24/7 then life would be boring. The only reason most people act they way they do is because they want attention, so if that attention-loving illusion was gone, then people would just sit there.
Also, I believe that America is built on illusions. The American Dream idea is that every American leads a perfect live filled with happiness and prosperity. People get so consumed with the idea that everything needs to be perfect- perfect family, perfect house, perfect job, etc, that they force themselves to become something they’re not. In reality, most Americans aren’t even close to the “American Dream”. Unemployment rates are record high and homelessness is becoming a major crisis across the country.
When I talked to my older brother brother about an illusion that I uphold, he was shocked. He had no idea that I create false impressions of myself- and he’s not an idiot . After I told him about it, he said I probably keep up that illusion because it’s the only way I know how to act. I was forced to grow up quit quickly because of family issues and ended up becoming extremely independent as a result. When I was younger, I would hold up a front that I was invulnerable to anything anyone said to me or anything that hurt me because I didn’t want anyone to look at me and say, “Oh, what a poor little girl”. As I got older, that toughness became a part of me, and now I am that girl who doesn’t let anything bring her down. Since I’m an illusion, I have no idea who I really am.

So…. I don’t know if we’re supposed have have like some kind of format for our second movie post, but I’m just going to post a guyt reaction.

I really didn’t like this version. It seriously caused me physical pain. Hamlet totally did not know how to act. Like he freaked out at a part when he was supposed to be calm. It was extremely hard for me to pay attention because the movie was so horrible. I do like, however, how Ophelia tried to take back Hamlet’s love letter after Polonious gave it to the king. It showed that she wasn’t just a prop in Shakespeare’s play but actually a teenage girl with human emotions. The main reason why I didn’t like it (besides the horrible acting) is because it was filmed as a “modern day” film. The text and language used in the movie did not fit the imagery and the scenes. I think it would have been better if the director/producer translated the text into modern language. People who have read the play would know what alluding to based on the plot.

This film looked cheaply done, and I would not recommend it to ANYONE!!!!!

PS: I have very limited access to a computer while I’m on the jazz trip..

I think that Kenneth Branagh’s version of Hamlet covered the text nicely, but it was extremely dull. In some of the scenes, I literally LOL-ed. For example, Polonious’ death scene was ridiculous! After Hamlet murdered him, his body was left on the ground pouring out a river of blood for like ten minutes while Hamlet and Gertrude had an argument. Another scene that made me laugh was the one after Hamlet was sent to England, where he had a soliloquy for like five whole minutes. The camera slowly zoomed out as he just stood there doing nothing. I also pictured Hamlet a lot younger (and hotter ), because the text made him seem like a teenager who was driven mad by love, but the Hamlet in the play is like 50!! That deeply disappointed me.
In my opinion, the best scene in the film was Hamlet’s meeting of the ghost and Ophelia’s realization that he was crazy. Branagh did an excellent job with effects making the ghost scene seem haunting, unlike how most readers (including myself) read it in the book. When I read the scene between Ophelia and Hamlet with Polonius and the king watching, I did not picture Hamlet that crazy. He was throwing Ophelia around like she was a sack of potatoes! His acting abilities immensely fulfilled the status of a crazy persons.
Overall, I think think this version was nicely done and funny.

Janie isn’t mad about Tea Cake’s gambling because it’s part of who he is. She loves every part of him- not because he’s rich or has a lot, but because he’s everything that she’s been looking for all her life. She wants him to be who he is not hide anything from him.

At first, money represented protection. Nanny made Janie marry Logan because he had money, and she would always be safe with him. However, Janie doesn’t care about always being protected; all she wants is the vision of love that’s she’s dreamed. When she meets Joe, he has $300 and he offers safety and protection, but she goes with him because she feels like he’s a chance for change. Her life does change, drastically, but not how she wanted it to. Instead of being in love, she finds herself being placed on a pedestal once again. Joe is the riches man in the town and rules it. He can give her anything she wants, but he doesn’t have what she needs. When she meets Tea Cake, he’s dirt poor. His personality and sweetness captivate her, and pull her in like a helpless child. So she leaves town with him and a secret stash of her own money. At this part of the novel, money represents the trust they have between each other. When he takes the money, her trust in him begins to fade and she questions her own faith. However, when he returns and promises to get the money back and more, her trust in him returns.

Throughout the novel, the mule motif has been present. During Janie’s first marriage, to Logan, there are mules who are put to work. They are pushed extremely hard by their master, as Logan tries to do with Janie. When Janie marries Joe and moves to Eatonville, there’s a mule there that is ridiculed by everyone in the town. He’s a poor created that is also pushed to hard by his master and ends up being in an unhealthy state. Finally, Janie works up the courage to say leave the poor creature alone. She felt bad for it because it was being mistreated and disrespected- just like she was. The motif of mules parallel Janie.

The buzzards are paralleled to Joe. After the mule dies, the buzzards wait until the head takes his fill, then the rest get what he’s left behind. Joe is the mayor of the town, and as mayor he gets the best of everything. He has a big house, owns the store, and is pretty much in charge of everything. He gets whatever he wants and the people of the town get what he leaves for them. When the buzzards ‘talk’ amongst themselves it parallels Joe and the town.

I am not a tragically imperfect person who strives to be flawless, but I do remember the day when I felt incomplete because there were very important people in my life who looked down on me; I felt like a failure. I worked and worked myself to become something I’m not so I could please,  but only to find out that nothing matters unless you’re true to yourself.  There are still times when I think about how it would feel to be someone else, but I shy away from those thoughts because they’re damaging to my esteem and spirit; I have no regrets. I am me and love myself just the way I am.