The Glass Menagerie 3

Personal-

This play showed a feeling that many people have experienced, even if they don't know it. Tom feels obligated to care for his sister and mother, even though he has dreams of traveling the world. Most people have a family member or friend who they feel they can not let down, and so they put their needs before their own. In real life, the results of this are usually very different from what happened in the play. Tom does eventually leave his family behind in search of himself. Most people spend their time taking care of this other person until they fade from their lives, at which point they have put their own wants off for so long, they no longer see a point in pursuing them. I also feel that if more people did as Tom, the world would be chaos. We all depend on people and we all have people who depend on us. It is a fact of life.

The Glass Menagerie 2

Question #3-

I believe the protagonist in this story to be Tom, and the antagonist to be Amanda. Laura is simply there to serve as something they can disagree and fret over. Jim, a minor character, plays the most important part, as Tom mentions in the beginning of the play. He helps to move not only the play along, but the characters as well. He is the one who breaks the glass shell that Laura has kept herself holed up in, and he is the one who eventually causes Tom's departure through a chain of events. Had he turned down the dinner invitation, perhaps Laura would have not found herself able to move on from her glass animals and victrola. Tom may have never grown the guts to tell his mother what he really thought, and would have spent an unknown amount of time working in the warehouse, pushing his dreams aside. Although he is only there for one night, he drastically changes the rest of the characters' lives.

The Glass Menagerie 1

Question #1-

This play uses nonrealistic conventions. The fact that Tom is the narrator and an actor in the play makes it very interesting, but at the same time very out of touch with reality. At the beginning of the play, it mentions that Laura and Amanda are eating without the use of utensils or food, only mimicking the action. However, Tom also mentions that the entire play is a memory and when people recollect in real life, the food in the background was not as important as the fact that the people were eating. While the props and narrator may not be realistic, the ideas behind the story are. It shows the struggle between families- certain family members feeling depended on by the others, bitter hate for being trapped in a house and unable to go out. Tom's narration gives the story a realistic sense of his inner thoughts. When people remember in real life, often times our own selves narrate the story. That is what Tom is doing, and the audience can connect.

Othello Acts 4 5

Personal- One of the themes of Othello is jealousy. I think that this play was written to show how jealousy plays out when acted upon. It is classified as a tragedy because of the many deaths which occur at the end. While in real life, jealousy can end your life, most of the time it just ends friendships and relationships. When we allow jealousy to consume us, like it did Iago, we suffer the consequences as well as those people we seek revenge against. He is alienated from his wife, he takes advantage of his friend, and lies to his boss. But, finally his plan backfires on him. He incurs a punishment, although it is too light for how many deaths he caused.

Othello Acts 4 5

Question #4- Dramatic suspense is created through dramatic irony. The audience obviously knows Iago's plan and how he is deceiving everyone, but the characters do not. Someone posed the question of "How haven't the other characters figured out his plan yet?" I think the main reason for this is because of their lack of knowledge between the audience and the characters creates the effect that the characters' must be blind to Iago's tru nature. However, he has never given them reason to doubt before. If anything, he has made himself seem more reliable by telling Othello the "truth" about Cassio and Desdemona. And this ignorance is what makes the play a tragedy.

Othello Acts 4 5

Question #2- The play "Othello" is a Shakespearean tragedy. It also has romantic undertones, especially in regard to Othello's love for Desdemona. The classification of the play is very important to understanding it. "Othello" is different from most Shakesperean tragedies because all of the characters are still alive in Act 4. Because the audience knows that it is going to end in tragedy, suspense is created. What characters will die and who will prevail are questions which come to mind. Also, the audience knows that the title character, Othello, will die, but the numerous other deaths are not as expected. Not many of the characters who lived even wound up with a happy outcome.

Othello Acts 1 2 3

Personal- Iago reveals his own characterization through his thoughts and actions. As with most Shakespeare, my favorite character is the one who brings about all the trouble. He is unbelievably smart and canniving. What makes this play interesting are the ploys he comes up with and his ability to deceive everyone. As an audience, we like to think that we would not fall for such obvious betrayal, but it has happened to everyone. His chameleon personality allows him to blend in with the intelligent and dumb alike. Such a unique characters adds importance to the story. One lesson is teaches is to watch your back. The person you may think is going to be there for you may actually be the one troubling you. Through this play, Shakespeare inspires serious themes through interesting characters and story lines.