How absurd can you get?

Absurdity was achieved with this brilliantly constructed play. I liked how Printer, as a playwright, was successfully able to capture the atmosphere of the setting (West London right after World War II) and the spirit of the characters from his imagination to bring them to life. He is able to make the reader feel like he/she is present in the succeeding events of the play. The characters show absurdity from the words that come out of their mouth and the constant and useless repetition. It has a humorous side to it as do all “absurd” plays have, but not too funny. Printer once said: "As far as I am concerned, The Caretaker IS funny, up to a point. Beyond that point, it ceases to be funny, and it is because of that point that I wrote it." According to this quote, the main goal behind writing an absurd play was not only for comical reasons but to point out the social issues affecting the country and perhaps to mock the current political situation at the time.
Based on experience, I did not particularly enjoy reading works for this genre in Drama. I would prefer to follow logical events in a literary work such as a play rather than laugh about something that makes absolutely no sense. As previously mentioned, the playwright did a great job in portraying the absurdity of characters from their speech to their actions but not enough for my taste. I’m considered as more conventional since I prefer the element of logic to be present in the works I read.

1. Write a brief descriptive paragraph that summarizes your IOP. Be sure to include the topic, your thesis, and the hook and any visual aids you used.

My IOP presentation is about Lucy and how her character portrays white guilt which is one of the main themes of the novel, Disgrace. soon after I started reading the novel, I found an interest in the issue of white guilt which arose among the white population of South Africa during the Post-Apartheid Era. I argued how this great guilt that Lucy bears reduces her to the state of dogs; the same state the blacks were in during the Apartheid regime.

I don't think my "hook" was effective enough to grab the audience's attention at the beginning of the presentation. I do, however, think that the photo of a sign of a public domain prohibited to blacks and dogs in the middle of the PowerPoint was very powerful and expressive of the phenomenon that emerged during the Apartheid Era that the black race was almost equal to state of dogs. I related Lucy's white guilt to many individuals of her race at present and how she feels she is taking responsibility for the wrongs that they committed over the previous centuries.

Visual Aids used:

1- PowerPoint slides:
The slides didn't hold enough visual effects to impress the audience aside from some pictures.
The backgrounds of the slides were green since the color is most commonly known as that of guilt

2- A Charcoal Drawing of Lucy:
Quite original and catchy
ð Rough representation of Lucy's physical features and signs of guilt (small wrinkles and bags under the eyes caused by insomnia).
ð Words in relation to the theme written in the background: "White Guilt" and "body = tax"

In general, I am satisfied with my topic and presentation aside from its failure to reach the allotted time. I believe I reached the purpose of understanding Lucy's character's relation to white guilt as well as that of a lot of the white race today and how they are copping with the huge burden their ancestors bestowed upon them in the past. This is the general idea of what I was trying to achieve through my presentation.

Reaction to the Novel Oracle Night

I found the novel, Oracle Night, very entertaining and fascinating to read. Although simple and an easy read, it carries mystery that comes with the reality of the blue notebook that truly captures the reader, in my opinion. I very much enjoyed the mystical element of the notebook and how it had the ability to bring Sydney to a world of his own and make him lose touch with reality or so he thought. For example, he explains to his best friend, John Trause, that he thinks the notebook is taking control of him in his mind whenever he writes in it: "I know. Its all in my head. I'm not saying it isn't, but ever since I bought the notebook, everything's gone out of whack. I can't tell if I'm the one who's using the notebook or if the notebook's been using me." I also enjoyed the story that Sydney was writing and how it is linked in one way or another to his own life, experiences, and love life. I did find interesting how he made his main character, Nick Bowen, decide to break free from his "dull" life and flee to a remote place, Kansas. I found it very random how decides he wants to turn over a new leaf and start a new life (without his wife and old job) after a gargoyle statue nearly crushes hi to death. The main point is that the novel was able to keep me turning its pages which is quite rare when it comes to school assigned books.

1. In what way or ways do you "connect" with the book The Rock of Tanios by Amin Maalouf? In what way is it accessible or familiar to you?

Since I am Lebanese and most of the events of this book take place in Lebanon, I am able to connect to it in more ways than one. First and foremost, the Arabic words that occasionally appear in slang in some of the passages were quite familiar. Because I know what they mean, I have an advantage in the understanding the overall plot and characters. For example, words like bouna (father), hajje (wise woman), Khweja (sir), and Khouriyya (priestess) are terms used by the local people of the village as appellations in indication to those of a certain social rank. Another aspect quite obvious to me is that the religious views depicted are those of a Christian community. I was able to notice this from common Arabic Christian names that various characters have. Examples of these names are: Tanios, Elias, Roukoz, Gebrayel, Gerios ...etc. I found it a little shocking that Mr. Webster wasn't able to notice this important characteristic in the the community until later in the novel. Then I realized that as a member of the Lebanese culture, one would notice these slight indications, like names and specific religious practices. There are also the customs often performed in the village which are common. Playing the famous game, Tawle and preparing traditional dishes like Kishk or Ghamme which remain to this day. Last but not least, the foreign intervention comes as no surprise in the novel. Throughout the history of Lebanon the world's superpowers have always interfered in national matters. this is due to Lebanon's military and political weaknesses.People who are unaware of this issue might find unusual how the English, French, Egyptians, and Ottomans are involved in the events of the novel. These various aspects play an important role in enriching the novel with a cultural background and making the book more accessible and appealing to the Lebanese.

The mock epic poem Don Juan is considered by many scholars to be Lord Byron's greatest work. What are your thoughts as to the literary worth of the fi

Judging from the overall canto, I would say the two cantos are indeed good poetry. I haven't read any of Lord Byron's other works or enough poetry for that matter to make a distinguished judgment on whether or not the cantos live up to the standards of outstanding poetry. I can tell though, from the satirical tone, to the various allusions and references, to the expressive language, that Byron certainly has reached very high in the world of poetry. The language of each stanza was relatively poetic yet simple enough for the reader to understand and be able to follow the canto all through. I found appealing the fact that Byron would use every chance he got for caustically criticizing the society, especially the aristocrats, through Don Juan's numerous experiences. He would criticize the hypocritical lifestyle that he once lead and indirectly states his opinion against it. This aspect is one of those that make Byron's poetry so original and unique.

It's not much but here goes ( Remark: Both the stories mentioned are, like many others, true):

The "Promised" Land

Hot blood dribbles down a schoolbag,
As the tiny, dying body is rushed
To the nearest hospital.
Alas, there are none.
A mother wails as she watches
Her children's corpses set ablaze,
And slowly melt into each other.
Silently, she too puts herself to sleep.
A half burnt doll is left abandoned.
Carcasses lay piled up
Like garbage, ready for disposal.
This is how things are done here,
With a blind eye,
In the "promised" land.
These little caged birds had dreams.
If infants of this great nation
See no justice,
What is left for the generations to come?
Will there be generations to come?
Oh Holy Land,
There will come a time
Where your sun will shine.

Apologies for the "vivid" images but in the end, one has to convey the whole truth, avoiding euphemisms!

Reaction to "Disgrace"

I found the novel, "Disgrace" to be quite entertaining and enlightening to the paramount issues in South Africa such as the racial segregation caused by the Apartheid legislation. The events were laconic and interesting in most parts of the book which motivated me to read further. The novel touches upon the racial discrimination that was occurring in South Africa in the 90s through some of its characters. This troubling issue and call for awareness, I admired most in the story. Though despite the sensitive topics discussed, I don't see how, based on my understanding of the theme(s), this novel acquired international acclaim. When I heard that it was so famous, I knew that there had to be a deeper meaning in the book's context than just cliché racism issues. Also, I do not think it should be one of the few books we study to gain academic knowledge. I would recommend it for reading for fun but not part of a course's curriculum. I don't mean to be a pessimist about the overall theme and its influence on the audience but I found myself not moved by the negative ending the author has chosen.