What happens when choreography is added to a movie such as the presentation of “The Matrix” provided by the orientation staff of Centenary College? In order to answer this question I will break the interactive representation down into seperate topics: reasons for the presentation and an honest critique.
The most obvious reason for performing a show in accordance with “The Matrix” is to captivate and maintain the viewers’ attention. Another reason to add the interaction is to course the viewer into deeper thought about the movie. An excellent example of this is the colored jellybeans used to represent the pills in the movie. This guides the viewer to having to make the choice for himself, whether he could live with the truth or his ignorance. On an educational level, the show served as a tool to prepare everyone for English class, if they have not prepared themselves.
In my honest opinion I feel the interaction was somewhat juvenile. The most entertaining part was the fight scene, which did nothing to invoke contemplative thoughts, but to merely incite laughter. However, I am glad that the school was considerate and took so much time to stage such elaborate entertainment for the evening.
What is the “pathway from slavery to freedom” for Neo? What was Neo’s bondage? What is considered to be his freedom? And what steps did he have to take along his pathway? Does his name hint to his fate at the end of this path? If so how? Living in the matrix. He was a slave to lies and ignorance. Neo’s freedom is the peace he reaches once he believes in the matrix and in himself. Although his pathway was somewhat rocky his guiding light was always knowledge. In the beginning he refused to believe in the new knowledge and the he was the one reborn to save the rest of civilization. His second step was that he had to free his mind. His final step was to have confidence in himself and in the matrix and to take advantage of the matrix by enlightening everyone else. The word neo means signifying a new or modern form of some belief, but most importantly it also means designating those who advocate this new belief. At the end of his pathway Neo finds his confidence and begins to free all people, therefore advocating this new belief he has on life.
In my attendance of the piano recital, performed by Dr. Zeltser at Hurley, I heard a wonderful selection of music, presented to the freshman class, to represent the Dionysian and Apollonian attributes. From strictly listening to the music I observed essential themes to both the Apollonian etudes and the Dionysian etudes.
To me the Apollonian music had a light and dainty tone. This evoked playful and cheerful emotions. With the sheets being written by Bach, Scarlati, and Schubert, the music itself was well thought out and organized. The etudes portrayed the Dionysian side as very commanding, deep, and complex; inducing all sorts of emotions. The pieces literally jumped out and took me by force. This left me with the impression of chaos and disorder, which can be directly related to the characteristics of the Greek god Bacchus, also know as Dionysus. When Dr. Zeltser performed the piece combining the Apollonian and the Dionysian, I could definitely pick out each characteristic I previously identified for both groups. For a brief comparison all of the pieces played in the concert share the similar trait that they were in minor cords, giving them somewhat of a dark undertone.
Overall I found the concert to be very entertaining and enjoyable. Dr. Zeltser choices of music were wonderful in illustrating the differences between the Dionysians and Apollonians. The pianist himself was excellent in my opinion, which accounts for nothing since I have never attempted to play a piano.
Q: Why do you feel the need to place restrictions and limitations on the Centenary Bar? And what would the consequences be if you were to eliminate the rules placed on the Bar?
A: “Apollo lays down the law to keep society unified.“ To be model Apollonians we must fallow in his footsteps of laying down the law. Our way of laying down the law is to make Centenary Bar a Closed Bar to certain members, where they must drink only in the Bar.
Another reason we set rules on the Centenary Bar is because we feel by making these restrictions and limitations they will establish and maintain order and structure. Without these limitations on the Centenary Bar people would take advantage of their ability to drink freely , all the while the closed bar would become an open bar allowing people to drink wherever and whenever it pleases them most. It is an obvious assumption then that here would no longer be a Centenary Bar!
This free reign then allows people to give in to their hedonistic desires, a trait only the Dionysians possess. Our perfect Centenary Bar would turn into the very idea the Dionysians are fighting for today. So it is these rules that separate us, the Apollonians, from them, the unruly Dionysians. This leaves us with the ultimatum to live with rules as model Apollonians, or to do away with order and turn into the animals we despise.
I recently watched the soap opera Passions to observe and take note of the similarities between the modern show and the slightly more ancient greek tragedy Electra. Although it may sound as though there are absolutely no connections to be made between two stories, there are a couple of clear ties.
One of the most noticeable concepts stolen from Electra and used for Passions is when Ethan attempted to kill his father. This action is directly related to the actions Oretes took against his mother, in Electra.
The only other idea I am aware of that was stolen from Electra is that not only are the intents equal but the motive for both parties to commit their acts is out of revenge. However, the situations that surround the characters do vary. Fortunately this can be attributed to the fact that here in the present we no longer participate in the sacrifices of children to gods.
Because lifestyles from today and from 400 - 500 B.C. are so different it creates a problem when making a modern greek tragedy. This attributes to why there are so few similarities that can be found in both Electra and Passions.
Last Wednesday, Professor Giora Shoham of Tel A Viv University spoke to a crowd of about 75 centenary students and faculty on the topic of Hitler, Auschwitz, and the role mythology. As a noted author of 70 books and an international criminologist Professor Shoham graced us with his expertise on Hitler's obsession with mythological destiny and anti-semiotic views. Whereas the content of the discussion was undeniably fulfilling, Professor Shoham presentation in itself left something to be desired. To start, Giora's overall stage presence was altogether unimposing, by sitting at a table downstage left, he showed me nothing more than that he was uninterested in me as an audience. Also I could barely hear him speak, this may be due to a faulty mike or crowd noise. Speaking of crowd noise, they made the discussion altogether dreadful, assaulting our speaker with a barrage of noises, whether cell phones ringing or tired kids sleeping, or freshmen flirting. I do appreciate his views on De-personification however, as he proceeded to explain the Nazi's supposed justification for killing Jews. By, distancing themselves from the person and grasping onto the "Jew", they felt no remorse for their heinous acts. Shoham then went on to speak about Hitler's fixation on Mythology. Hitler felt that he was destined as a follower of Germany and a Leader the Nazi party to triumph over his enemies. This was proven to be untrue. After his talk, Shoham was then bombarded by an assault of very trivial questions, to say the most. In my opinion, had the discussion been, over dinner maybe, with a few people and a glass of wine and fresh salad. Interacting with this man would have been the experience of a lifetime.
Kissing the horizon of distant gulf,
Waiting above, the sun begins to fall.
Trickling down the deep sapphire curtain.
From onward lookers hopes slowly fade,
While the unforgiving waters fail cease.
As thoughts drift, eyes grow heavy and weary.
Endurance and courage diminish.
Sleep now prevails over our lost sailors.
Dew settles on the ocean's audience.
Finally the empty vessel docks ashore.
Once again, amber climbs the morning mist.
What aspect of Henry V relates to my everyday life? I feel that the ability to display different traits Henry V to the various people he speaks with is what I can relate to. For instance when Henry speaks with his soldiers he is confident, assured of a victory, and sure of his place in the hierarchy. However, when we examine his prayer, we discover he is exactly the opposite. In his speech to God he humbles himself and asks for the divine intervention he knows he needs to gain the victory over France. Lately I have noticed that I converse differently with the different people I come across on a day to day bases. For example when I speak with Professors and elders I uses a wider and more intelligible vocabulary as well as avoiding using body language as opposed to the language I might used with friends. With friends I might also incorporate slang and sarcasm. For extremely close friends I am more willing to show them my vulnerable side then those friends I am not close with. For these friends I will put on a "front" where, hopefully, I will only show them my strong, confident good side. As far as acquaintances go I will refrain from sarcasm and pay close attention to what I say, so as not to offend anyone. And when conversing with members of the opposite sex I will use more body language at this time than any other. As a side note, I feel that most individuals do in fact change demeanors as they interact with different types of people weather the realize it or not.
I recently attended a showing of the play Henry V written by William Shakespeare and performed by the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express. I feel that they did a wonderful job in presenting the play as it would have been presented in the Globe during Shakespeare's day. For instance at the beginning of the play the actors tell the audience that the lights will remain on through the duration of the play to imitate the same ambiance that we, the audience, would find at a real Shakespearean play. After this brief tidbit of history, the I notice the extremely plain background, also very close to what I would find if I were to attend Henry V at the Globe. As far as the acting goes I was pleased. The only thing I found worth complaining about was that one actress laughed in every scene she participated in. I am unsure as to if this is due to poor acting, or just simply her interpretation of the characters' role, leaving me quite confused. Other then the above mentioned I feel that this performance was quite beneficial in my understanding of Henry V. For example when reading a speech I am at the disadvantage of not being able to read the tone as well. In the play I was able to pick up on tones such as sarcasm, anger, doubt, and confidence, as well as any physical gestures the actors deemed necessary. Over all I rate this performance as a nine on a scale to ten, because it was actually beneficial to me and was historically accurate.
How effective do I feel the C. K. Williams reading was?
In the traditional since the purpose of a poem reading is to hear the poet reading his own works. Through this he can convey to his listeners, admirers the actual rhythm and musical integrity Williams intended for his poems. But I also feel that this is the only time that we as examiners of his poems can learn the background, though process surrounding the poem, and its true intent. This insight could prevent the time wasted in class when student are guessing as well as the teachers forming opinions to what the poet is conveying.
Therefore I feel the most effective reading would be one with a healthy mix of reading and insight. And since this reading by C. K. Williams was not a mix at all of the two, I don't not feel the reading was as effective as it could have been. Although in its traditional purpose I feel the reading was in fact effective for the audience to hear the rhythm the poem takes on as Williams intends.
For a slightly varied view on this reading see Kim Krueger's entry
How relevant were the Frankenstein videos?
I personally did not find the Frankenstein videos helpful in anyway. The only thought these movies stimulated was the many differences from the book that I noted in my head. My be this was the purpose, and if so then yes the movies could very well have been relevant to the course taken in my English class. Otherwise I feel the movies were a waste of time, because they carried very little entertainment value. The first movie I watched was solely a comedy, were I feel the writer must never had read the actual book Frankenstein. This movie contained several other monsters such as the werewolf and Dracula. Throughout the movie Dracula tries to revive the monster of Frankenstein by trying to retrieve the brain of the comic relief. The werewolf acts as the super hero trying to prevent the monster from being reborn. In the second movie I watched it should was more of a sequel to Frankenstein. The main character, the nephew of Dr. Frankenstein, is a professor who spends his whole life trying to disassociate himself with his uncle. Once a student presses the subject the nephew reveals his uncles whole story, later performing the same experiments. Neither of these movies seem to me to be honest to the book.
What was the purpose of the elaborate costumes since there were no specifications as such in the written play itself?
I feel the costumes were meant to give the tone the written play did, that the preformed play con not. Our main character Electra wore rags of a peasant girl or slave, which is an outfit not normally assumed a girl in a family of such wealth would possess. This outfit emphasis the attitude Electra has and the ways she feels to be a slave. One the other hand her mother, Clytaemnestra dresses in a beautiful shining deep red gown. This costume most definitely displays her level of wealth and pride in such things. This shows that s she is completely opposite of her daughter. While Electra morns, Clytaemnestra celebrates. Another interesting character is Chrysothemis. Her clothes are neither flashy nor terribly worn and neglected. This I feel also represents her attitude towards family relations. Chrysothemis, although mournful about her father's death, chooses to continue life. These costumes altogether benefit the play be emphasizing the moods, tones and attitudes of each character, with out detracting from the play what so ever.
Did I enjoy Mrs. Van Thyn's speech at Kilpatrick on her life during the Holocaust?
Although, I do admire and respect Mrs. Van Thyn and everything she was forced to endure, it is for this reason I wish she would have explored these experiences more in-depth. And in all honesty this would have to be the first FYE event that I stayed awake for in its entirety. Although I did find Mrs. Van Thyn's speech entertaining as well as enlightening, I do feel she could have examined more her experiences once she was taken prisoner in the camps. Mrs. Van Thyn's talk seemed to skim the surface of the holocaust in general, with a very little input of her own experiences. The only experiences she did give merely skimmed the surface of her background. She never gave vivid description of the camps she stayed at, nor did she describe the role she played at theses camps. She did tell the audience that she was lucky to be in the group that the nazis preformed experiments on. She may have denied theses descriptions in order to spare ourselves from the gruesome horrors.
One of the exhibits I saw at the Meadows Museum was the Jacob Lawrence exhibit. He had three different collections: John Brown, Hiroshima, and The Genesis Series. I found his exhibits to be closely related to Maus, because each collection tells a different story in pictures. Although the artist, Jacob Lawrence, and the author of Maus, Art Speigleman, use pictures to convey stories, they use words as well to enhance or clarify things for the viewer. In his first collection, Lawrence gives an autobiography in pictures of John Brown and the religious uprisings he lead. Lawrence used words as his title to explain the actions in each piece. For the Hiroshima collection Lawrence graphically depicts what happened to the normal people of Hiroshima. These people have skulls for faces and the rest of the body is red, representative of blood. Each picture is a different scene of what a person would be doing that morning, unaware of their impending death. For instance there are pictures of a family eating breakfast, people in a park, a kid flying a kite, or farmers raking their fields. This collection I feel pulls the most emotion from the viewer, emotions similar to Maus. For his final collection, Lawrence tells the story of creation through tiny background windows in his pictures. Each picture is formatted the same way with a verse on the right side and on the left a reverend, his audience, and the action in the windows. And for both the Hiroshima and The Genesis collection, Lawrence used poem that inspired his creativity, left in the galleries to further clarify the collections for the viewer.
Check out Mamina's entry to view pictures and read an in depth analysis of the Hiroshima collection
For Journal 15 I attended a musical performance in Hurley by the Centenary's Chamber Orchestra. The first half featured Opera singers, which I have never really experienced before. I noticed they used facial expressions as well as tone of voice and words. For the last piece in the second half Conductor Eric McIntyre chose a comical one that was written by Mozart titled A Musical Joke that made fun of the common mistakes average composers make. I thought it was the perfect way to end a performance, because it left the audience amused, awake, content, and with something to talk about afterwards. I found the performance itself to be overall well done, professional, and enjoyable. I am sure that Conductor McIntyre as well as his students are pleased with themselves and their performance.
For an entry on the same topic see Brett Fowlkes