1. Warming up with Walk Down Memory Lane #1: Literary Terms, Weeks 1-6
2. Viewing a performance of Lucky's speech and entertaining few questions about Lucky
- How is Lucky "lucky"? In other words, how is his suffering less than that of Didi and Gogo?
- To what extent is his name ironic? Or, how is he suffering more than Didi and Gogo are?
- Offering you a little more background on Theatre of the Absurd.
- Find one specific detail that we know about Lucky (the rope, the baggage, his movements, his speech, his relationship to Pozzo, etc.) and connect it to the Theatre of the Absurd.
From shmoop: "At least Lucky can see the rope around his neck. Vladimir and Estragon can’t."
3. Acting out Waiting for Godot, end of Act 1 and beginning of Act 2
4. Posting a Socratic-style question on today's blog in relation to the focus questions and/or Absurdism
4. Posting a Socratic-style question on today's blog in relation to the focus questions and/or Absurdism
HW:
1. Continue drafting your culminating essay. Next TUESDAY will be a workshop day, and you want to have at least three pages of draft complete by then.
Final draft due Thursday, April 24 by 3:00 pm.
2. NEXT WEDNESDAY will be your final "Tuesday" writing.
1. Continue drafting your culminating essay. Next TUESDAY will be a workshop day, and you want to have at least three pages of draft complete by then.
Final draft due Thursday, April 24 by 3:00 pm.
2. NEXT WEDNESDAY will be your final "Tuesday" writing.
“But yesterday evening it was all black and bare. And now it’s covered with leaves”
ReplyDeleteWhat is the tree symbolizing?
I interpreted the tree to be a foil to Vladimir and Estragon. Just like a tree, they are waiting for something that never appears to come. A tree is simply immobile, just like their thoughts seem to be at a stop as they cicle back to the same idea
DeleteI thought that the sudden appearance of the leaves not only represents the inevitable passage of time but how it can slip away so fast when you are not watching. Thus, by spending their time waiting for Godot they are losing a bunch of precious time.
DeleteI think the tree symbolizes some kind of hope that the two have. I found it odd however that the tree continued to grow leaves from the time they left to the time they came back. It would seem that the leaves growing back were a symbol of hope, but they were seen even before they boy came and told them to wait another day. Hope seems absent in this as they are both very indecisive in what they are trying to do in the situation. It could have been seen as hope before too as they referenced hanging themselves. But now the tree seems to be somewhat backwards. Almost as if it is just there to represent the amount of time that has seemed to pass. Although short it seems as though the time spent there has been extremely long. So I wonder if the tree represents hope, or an exaggerated passing of time.
Delete"And Lucky and Pozzo, have you forgotten them too?" What is the symbolic meaning behind Estragon forgetting about Lucky and Pozzo? What is the significance?
ReplyDeleteGood question, and here's the follow-up: What is the purpose of including outsiders, such as Pozzo, Lucky, and the Boy in this play at all? What is their effect on Didi and Gogo?
DeleteI could be wrong since I'm still confused about Lucky and Pozzo and the boy, but I think the point is that they actually don't seem to have an effect on Didi and Gogo; they are still waiting for the same thing and debating the same issues day after day.
DeleteI think the concept of forgetfulness in some ways relates to the concept of inaction. Without memory, it is difficult to orientate one's self to the world and determine how to react. Also, if something is forgotten, can it have any effect on the world? Maybe this contributes to the absurdist idea that there is no real meaning in the universe. If we can't remember, we can't develop a narrative within which we can derive meaning and purpose.
Delete“Unless they are not the same...”
ReplyDeleteVladimir seemed to be very confused and repeated this a few times, I wonder if it will come back with other encounters with characters.
Why does the boy say "Mister Albert...?" on pg. 39? Is this a reference to Camus?
ReplyDeleteOoh...I hadn't thought of this, and I like it. Much of this play is metatheatrical (for example, whenever they say "It's awful!" or something similar, they're kind of referring to the audience's experience watching the play as well. To allude to Albert Camus, father of existentialism, would not surprise me at all.
DeletePozzo: I don’t seem to be able.... to depart.
ReplyDeleteI chose this line because I think it is representative of Vladimir and Estragon’s relationship. Yet Pozzo is the one to say it, this is what co fuses me?
*confuses
DeleteYes! And here's a follow-up question: Are Pozzo, Didi, Gogo, Lucky, and the Boy all in the same boat? Do they represent the state of humankind?
DeleteI noticed this too, it’s interesting that Pozzo says this because for an entire page Didi and Gogo discuss being unable to part. I think what Mrs. Leclaire brings up is interesting, how they are all in the same boat. What are they all searching for? Compassion? Love?
DeleteWe could start all over again perhaps
ReplyDeleteThat should be easy
It’s the start that’s difficult
You can start from anything
Yes but you have to decide
When will they decide to change something?
The “yes but you have to decide line” is interesting and frustrating when reading this book. When are they going to realize they are wasting time and will decide to make a change? Will they find it within themselves or from someone else?
DeleteThis comes back to existentialism/absurdism, I think. It's not that the world is meaningless, but you have to actively seek purpose in your life. Part of that is making decisions. You'll see this emerge in a clearer way in R and G Are Dead.
Delete"What is there to recognize? All my lousy life I've crawled about in the mud" (51)
ReplyDeleteTo me, this line seems to capture the attitude of Estragon throughout the play but I'm wondering if Beckett is implying anything about the audience or people in general or suggesting that they feel and act similar to Estragon in this sense.
Yes...is Beckett suggesting that life is simply a lousy crawl through the mud?
DeleteI was thinking that the mud symbolizes waiting more than life itself. When you are waiting for something it can seem to take forever, like trudging through mud. Now you could argue we are all waiting for death so life is a slog through mud, I just don't personally agree with that.
Delete“Estragon: All the dead voices. Vladimir: they make a noise like wings.” I don’t understand this quote very well, but it caused a somewhat long and repetitive exchange, so it seems important. Who are the dead voices? Could they be Vladimir and Estragon’s past voices or lives?
ReplyDeleteIn a sense, I think that the dead voices may be Estrogon and Vladimir right now. They hear themselves repeat all of the same things yet never remember. Their words never resonate with eachother, and they almost just hang in the air. It's as though their words are becoming less and less opaque to eachother. In particular Estragon in relation to his memory as well as his replies and unawareness of Vladimir. It's almost as if they really are decaying.
Delete"Yes of course it was there. Do you not remember? We nearly hanged ourselves from it. But you wouldn't. Do you not remember?" What is the meaning behind Vladimir and Estragon wanting to hang themselves, and why is it significant that Estragon can't remember this or the day prior?
ReplyDeleteI feel like it emphasizes the fact that neither Vladimir nor Estragon puts a huge emphasis on life or death. The fact that Estragon can't even remember that he was contemplating suicide suggests that he doesn't value his own life.
Delete"Happy?/ Perhaps it's not quite the right word". What would truly make the characters happy?
ReplyDeleteI think that because the characters are waiting on something, they can never truly be happy. There is another saying that goes "life is what happens when you're busy making plans for it" and I think that this is a similar scenario where since the characters are so involved in waiting, life and the happiness of living in the present escapes them. Beckett may be hinting that the waiting itself is what is keeping them from happiness.
DeleteI think that Vladimir and Estragon make each other happy. Even though Vladimir and Estragon bicker a lot and argue, they remain together and talk through each of their feelings and keep each other occupied while waiting for Godot.
DeleteI think they're waiting on something bigger--a purpose, perhaps represented by Godot--to make them happy. When Godot continually fails to show up, they seek happiness in each other. But again, that fails. They are unable to find happiness in a larger, cosmic sense or within their own individual lives.
DeleteMy first thought to answer your question was, "Godot shows up". But considering it for more than half a second, I don't think that could make them happy. Either Godot is a disappointment and wasn't worth the wait, or he is a riot and shakes them out of this repetitive depression. In between those two extremes would be that Godot is exactly what Didi and Gogo expected, which is impossible because neither recall who he is or why they are to meet him. If Godot is a disappointment, they meet him and move on with their lives. If he is fantastic, they meet with him and go on with their lives. I don't think there is any way in this specific situation to make the characters happy.
Delete“True.”
ReplyDeleteEstragon and Vladimir repeat this over in over in this last conversation. As this was repeated, I wondered if they will ever find truth and, if they do, where it exists in their world. Could they ever obtain a sense of truth?
like leaves
ReplyDeletelike ashes
like sand
53
this line strikes me because there’s a lot of similes being repeated multiple times. what is the importance of this?
I noticed this too, especially the repetition of "leaves." Is Beckett playing with the double-meaning of "leaves"?
DeleteThe way time works in this novel seems to be contradictory to what exists in real life as shown with the the the play itself on film and the text on pg. 44, why is that so?
ReplyDeleteI always think back to Foster's chapter on irony--the standard archetypes don't work the way they're supposed to in Beckett's work. Time should move forward. A road should symbolize a journey. Leaves on the trees should symbolize rebirth or growth of some kind. Yet, we're deprived of the satisfaction of experiencing any of these archetypes.
DeleteI really don't understand it either, it baffles me how Estragon cannot remember anything from the previous days but Vladimir can. Maybe time stops as they are waiting by the tree? I don't know, just a guess.
Delete"Estragon: Like leaves.
ReplyDeleteVladimir: Like ashes
Estragon: Like leaves"
What does Estragon and Vladimir's back and forth about the dead voices on pages 52 and 53 reveal about the differences between the perspectives of the two characters?
I found that Vladimir is much more pessimistic as he sees the death of objects like “ashes.” Leaves usually symbolize life, so I believe that Estragon is a bright and optimistic character
Delete"In the meantime let us try and converse calmly, since we are incapable of keeping silent"
ReplyDeleteCalmly is important because I've noticed a lot of unreasonable, violent mood shifts between all of the characters. We know they can't keep silent but we also know they ant stay calm
Since you brought this up I find this really interesting as well. It's as if being calm is what makes them "incapable of being silent," because if you were calm, then you wouldn't have to worry about anything. It seems like Vladimir and Estragon are stuck in this never ending loop - they try to be calm but it only forces them to become more unhinged.
DeleteThe placement of the boots and hat at the beginning of Act 2. Everything seems unintentional and sporadic, but Lucky’s hat and the boots will be in the same spot by Act 2 suggesting some order to the chaos.
ReplyDeleteThis is just my interpretation, but I take the hat to represent our cerebral / spiritual desire to be part of something greater than us--to be a part of a larger design. The boots are what grounds us to an earth that we will one day be buried in. In this play, why is it that the boots never fit and the hats are being taken off, inspected, and exchanged?
Delete