My Act of Resistance

Part 1:
Today, wore a sign that said "My purity is my sanity," along with Shoji and Aliyya. Throughout the day, I did not get any bad feedback from my peers. Occasionally a few people would ask why I was wearing the sign. I personally decided to wear the sign to show that keeping your "purity" or your virginity is not a bad thing. It protects you from so many things such as; HIV/AIDS, other STD's, and pregnancy. Yes, there are condoms and they are like more than 90% effective in preventing pregnancy but it is not 100%. There is still a slim chance the worst could happen. Also, condoms stop most STD's, not all. Abstaining is the only way to stay fully protected from all sexual dangers/negative consequences. Also, abstinence will avoid all of the mental baggage from having sex. Overall, this was a good experience. I didn't talk with anyone who truly and fully disagreed with the message we was trying to portray. There were a couple people, my close friends, who made a couple jokes at my sign saying that it was a little feminine. However, that helped me to prove my point that females are not the only ones who need to worry about abstaining. That's why there was a 'representative' from each gender. Females= Shoji & Aliyya Males = Montrell. YAY!!!!!!!

Part 2:
Originally I planed to be silent for a week to demonstrate how people who work in sweatshops have no voice in the way they are treated. During this week I was not going to wear any brand that uses sweatshops like Nike. However, I was not able to start when I wanted to. I wanted to start Thanksgiving morning. That entire weekend I was forced to talk because my brother and grandfather had come to Milwaukee to celebrate the holiday. I still want to do this even though it probably will not be counted for a grade. I will officially start my other resistance this Wednesday. I can't start tomorrow because I have a huge TOK presentation to do and I have prepare non name brand outfits. Lastly, I am wondering if I should extend my term of silence as a means to show how dedicated I am to this cause and regretful I am for not starting when I wanted. If anyone gets to this point, please respond so I can know what to do.

Lysistrata Post #10: Final Thoughts

Im sad we are done and moving on from Lysistrata. :'( [Tearz pouring from my face LOL!!!] But it was a great reading from the humor (puns especially) to the symbolism present. I think "Lysistrata" destroyed "Hedda Gabler" and "The House of Bernarda Alba." The humor played a major role but overall it did a much better job of grabbing and keeping my attention. I also felt it allowed the men to play a bigger role than the other two plays, more so than Bernarda and her story. One thing I believe it lack in was length. I wish it was longer so that I could still be laughing at the puns and the actions between the men and women. More or less, change can be good and its time to move on to a new piece. Question is, can it top "Lysistrata?"

Lysistrata Post #9: The Boycott Was Awesome!!!

This play was not only hilarious but remarkable because of the fact Kathryn Blume was able to illustrate her purpose and do it by herself. I doubted that she could perform a one woman play without too much confusion but she delivered a wonderful play. It didnt follow the plot of Lysistrata exactly but I understood that certain characters or scenes were similar to those in the "Lysistrata" play. (Lysistraten = Lysistrata; Jack = Kineasis; ect.) What made the play more enjoyable was the fact a lot of friends from school was there. Michael Guardalabene especially made it funny with his over response to the acting (at appropriate times of course.) Overall, I loved it and would definitely go see it again and recommend it to my friends.

Lysistrata Post #8: Lysistrata vs. Everyone Other Female

Finally, we have a winner!!!!!!!! A woman who was successful in achieving her goal. No doubt she stands above Adela, Hedda Gabler, and just about every other woman we look at in the past plays. Lysistrata was able to portray masculine and feminine qualities. She was the base and strength to the other women and held her ground as a confident "general." What was really surprising was how the women in Lysistrata scared and manipulated the men using household items. The other women in previous plays used masculine tools; i.e. the pistols and Bernarda's cane. Two last things I found pleasing, the women did not commit suicide. The stood their ground and defend their beliefs through the ups and the downs. Lastly, the women in Lysistrata also demonstrated a strong bond between "sisters." Its sad how they demonstrated a deeper connection than the blood sisters in "The House of Bernarda Alba." They tore each other down instead of building each other up to over come and conquer their mother.

Lysistrata Post #7: What Do The Men Really Love?

Again we know that the men believe that the "hell" with women is not as bad as the "hell" without them. (Can never forget the fact they caved in one day, weak minded fools.) However, the a very important question presents itself, "Do the men really love the women, or just the pleasure they provide?" I completely believe they only loved the women because of the sex they provided. In the beginning we already saw that the men viewed the women as objects or property. The men also overlooked every other aspect the women were responsible. They were not enthusiastic at all that their house would be untended to and their children neglected. Kinesais was very dehumanizing to his child when he said please take "it" (referring to his kid) to the house. Another play should be made to illustrate how the women would fight back to gain their respect and not just to end a war.

Lysistrata Post #6: Life With Women Is Hell, Life Without Them Is Hell Too

The men in Lysistrata would agree with this statement to a certain extent. I pretty sure (but could be absolutely wrong) that they thought women were a pain in the rear end. They more than certainly thought women were inferior and were only responsible for tending to the house, the kids, and their very own needs. But that flies out of the door when the most important thing the women provide is at risk. When sex was held hostage, the men tried to fight their way through and end the sex strike. However, that was unsuccessful and they caved in only in 24 hrs. This sad fact, shows that the men would rather live with women, than without them.

Lysistrata Post #5: T-Pain Connects to Lysistrata

Man right after reading this scene, I thought of one of T-Pain singles on his new album, Chopped & Skrewed. The second verse in my opinion illustrates this scene perfectly, how the female was kissing on him and leading him on. Then out of nowhere like Myrrhine, she flips the script and busts out with a deal of her own. Well, here are some of the lyrics:

[Verse 1: T-Pain]
Have you ever seen
A dime piece all alone at the bar (bar-bar)
Straight out of a magazine
And you just want to let her know who you are (are-are)
So you say let me buy you a drink
Or a little conversation
If that's what you want to do (do-do)
And she said love is about to end
And you said y dont u come to my crib
And She said I can't leave my friends

[Chorus 1:]
Now you've offically been chopped and screwed
Screwed-Screwed
Chopped-Chopped
And Screwed
You've offically been
dance-dance
Screwed
And Ewed-Ewed
Chopped
Screwed-Screwed
You've offically been chopped and screwed
And-And
Screw
Chop-Screw-Screwed
You've offically been Screwed
Screwed
Screw-Screw
Chop-Chop
And Screwed
You've officially been
Dance-Dance
Screwed

[Verse 2: T-Pain]
Have you ever been in the VIP room
Of your favorite street club (club-club)
And you got a shawty on you
Kissing on your neck
Making you feel like she so in love (love-love)
Now you done grabbed you a couple a drinks
And you feeling like it's about time to cuddle up (up-up)
And you said shawty what's really up
And she takes big sip out yo cup
And she said it'll be 60 bucks

Lysistrata Post #4: Myrrhine & Kinesias

WOW!!!!!!! This scene was priceless!!!! The women really played a number on him. Lysistrata warmed him up by saying how much his wife missed him and how much she loved him. Lysistrata described it to the point where Myrrhine could not do anything without mentioning Kinesias. Then she comes in for the kill. She offered to have sex with him and he was ready to go right there on the spot. LOL, but she drives him crazy with all the things she brings. LOL, one of my favorite quotes from this scene was "I was up before I was up.." Anyways, this part shows that the women in the play are fully capable of stepping outside their traditional roles. No one thought they could be excellent strategists in this "war of the sexes."

Lysistrata Post #3: Language of the Spartans??

Why was the Spartans speaking the way they were? I found it kinda difficult to fully understand what they were saying and I thought it misrepresented to a certain extent. If I recall correctly, then the Spartans were not considered as intelligent as the Athenians. They were very barbaric but very good military strategists. Everything else about the Spartans was sub-par. However, they were not stupid. Also, in my opinion, this brings the idea that everyone from the south speaks this way and is somewhat less-intelligent. Idk if this is just me noticing this but it kinda bothered me.

Lysistrata Post #2: Spectacle, The Importance of Props

LMAO, this play was hilarious from the beginning to the end. Every scene had some kind of humor to it with the reactions of the men and women or just from the numerous puns. Two of the scenes that I found extremely funny was between the Koryphaios of Men and Women, Lysistrata and the Commissioner, and between Myrrhine and Kinesias (especially the last scene mentioned!) But in these humorous parts, there is a common ground they share, the importance of the props. The props include bowles of water, torches, and in general household items. I saw the fire representing the men's sexual desire, hot and out of control. The water is for the women's calmness and ability to overcome their desire while "extinguishing" men's desires. The household items the women used when confronted by the Commissioner and the archers i imagine being spindles, brooms, knives, forks, anything they could use to defend themselves. LOL, Myrrhine showed the true power and control the women had. She used bedroom items to intensify the sexual fustration in her husband, and then left him for dead. Overall, im trying to say, the person makes the tools, not the other way around. The women demonstrated this perfectly using unusual, strange, and unexpected "weapons."

Lysistrata Post #1: Who Will Give In First??

Man, this play was OC in the very beginning!!! Sex is such a important factor in the Greek culture!! Nonetheless, it is very interesting and almost kinda fun to guess who will give in first. The men treat their wives like objects or even pets. They allow them to do very small and unimportant tasks in and outside of the household. But when it comes to sex, they have these uncontrollable urges. Almost to the point where they use the women, take what they want, dump them to the side. The women in "Lysistrata" are almost as guilty to this crime. When Lysistrata first introduces the theory of abstinence, the other ladies go crazy, saying they would give anything except sex to end the war. Its kinda hard to even guess who will give in first because both genders are almost addicted to sex.

Final Thoughts on Hedda Gabler

This play was ok..... it had its ups and its downs. I wished it could have been less dense so that the reading would be easier, but it didnt kill me. A couple more motifs could have been added to the play, i know it was not the author's purpose to write a play with motifs to satisfy other people, but i could have enhanced it a little in my opinion. One thing i did like about Hedda Gabler was how Ibsen had most of his characters connected to each other. Each character had and their relationship with the others was essential to understanding the book. Out of ten, Hedda Gabler would get a 6.5 from me. Well, its time to move on to the next play, Lysistrata (hope thats how you spell it). From the work we did so far, seems like it is going to top Hedda Gabler and The House of Bernarda Alba thanks to the use of puns.

Final Thoughts on the House of Bernarda Alba

I am actually kinda glad i read this play. So far, the House of Bernarda Alba is my favorite play this year. It was very interesting from beginning to end and i enjoyed reading every page. Reading it was also pretty easy. The play was not dense or boring at all. I was always interested in finding out the plot and what was going to happen next. I laughed a couple times when I read some of Maria Josefa's and Bernarda's actions. Most of the time it was because it was funny, others because i really couldn't believe that they did that. Like when Bernarda didn't want her mother going to the well not because she could fall in it, but the idea that the neighbors could see her from their windows. One thing i really appreciated about the play was all the symbols and motifs it had. It was fun discovering what each one meant, how it contributed to the play, and what themes could possibly derive from it. On a scale of one to ten, the House of Bernarda Alba would receive a 8 or 8.5.

Aunt Julie VS. Poncia

As I look back on the two plays, I was able to see a lot of similarities and differences between tons of characters. One of the most interesting in my opinion was comparing and contrasting Poncia and Aunt Julie. These two women for me seem to have guardian angel type qualities. Poncia was the person who tried to keep the pace most of the time despite her views of her employer and her family. Aunt Julie especially had these guardian characteristics. She sacrificed all she had so that others would benefit. She took in Tesman and cared for him while looking after her sister. She continued to watch over George after he was a grown man and got married. Julie put forth her time, effort, money, and dignity to try to keep George and Hedda happy. On the other hand, these two characters are different. Poncia has more self-confidence, courage, bravery, or to a certain extent, she is more masculine. She was not afraid to speak her mind to anyone in the house, not even with Bernarda. This was kinda amazing seeing a maid stand up to her boss knowing that she could be fired at any moment. Julie doesnt have those qualities. She lests people take advantage of her too often. Julie tries so hard to get Hedda to accept her. She buys things in an attempt to make Hedda feel less embrassed to be around her. If that was me, i would not have tolerated the amout of disrespect Hedda dished out, nor would Poncia.

Sisterhood: Does It Exist In The House of Bernarda??

I know this is just a play and all but, is there any examples that show the daughters of Bernarda bonding and sticking together??? What happened to the phrase, "Blood is thicker than water"?? I know that no relationship of any kind is perfect and there will be conflicts. That is inevitable (footnote today's TOK discussion..... YEA MR. GATEWOOD!!!) I know this for a fact because it happens in my family often. My siblings and myself have our differencences and various opinions. Sometimes our..... idk how to say it........ sibling rivalry (if that sounds right) takes the best of us and causes us to argue and fight. Few times we even held long grudges against each other. However, at the end of the day, we love and care for one another and i dont believe that we would tear each other apart like the daughters of Bernarda did. Through out the entire book we have observed countless acts of betrayal, deception, selfishness, jealousy, ect. I believe there were only a couple times where the sisters appeared as if they cared for one another. The only clear example i have is when Ameila tried to get Adela to stop having a secret relationship with Pepe el Romano.

Some Pics Of Characters from Hedda Gabler

I almost thought of these pics I found when I was doing the criticism of Hedda Gabler. These are sketches of each character and the act that it corresponds too. There are other sketches of each character (except Berta and Lovborg.) They are all from a production of Hedda Gabler. All of the info is listed on the website and it also has photos from when they actually did the play. Im wondering if they look like what you imagined?? Some of them do but others are questionable.

Here is the website for those who want to see the rest of the photos. www.aprilsoroko.com/portfolio/40/
Click on the pictures to see a larger version.

More Alike Than I Thought!!

Our group had a very original and unique creative response to Hedda Gabler. We imitated the Jerry Springer show and made it the Jerron Montgomery show. The character i was assigned to play was George Tesman. When our roles were first assigned, I did not want to be Tesman because I believed I was nothing like him. He is child like, ignorant, and naive. George at first glance was the reciprocal of myself. When it came time to present, I had enough practice and felt comfortable with my lines, some of them I even adlibed. However, I still did not agree with my classmates who compared me to Tesman...... That is until this past weekend and today. I am more like him than I could have ever anticipated. I have a very child like, scarcastic, and (when im playing around) dumb-founded personality. I make some of the simplist remarks appear like they could change the world. Despite our unusual behavior, both of us are very intelligent (well in my opinion i think we are). Even though we are similar, there are qualities that seperate Tesman and myself. Tesman's naive nature is not a mistake, he acts like that on purpose. I am like this only when I am playing with other people. For the most part, I know when and when not to act this way, when to be serious.

Quotes From Songs That Relate To the Plays

I love music and i believe it can relate to any and everything. So i decided to make a small list of quotes from songs that relate to the plays.

-You always on top, tonight im on the bottom, cause we, Trading Places (Usher) Talkin about how George and Hedda switched gender roles

-Im the biggest boss that ya seen thus far (Rick Ross) Referring to Bernarda ruling over everyone in her house hold

-We broke broke broke phi broke, we aint got it (Kanye West) George's inability to buy all the things Hedda wants

-You've been hit by.. a smooth criminal (Michael Jackson) Adela sleeping with her sister's fiance

-So you got so many diamonds, you wear all the finest clothes, and your grill is shining, as you're driving down the streets of gold, BUT YOU CANT BLAME ME IF I SET THIS STAGE ON FIRE (Lil Wayne) Judge Brack exposing Hedda and her secrets

-There's a piece of me who leaves when you because you're sent from..... sent from heaven (Keyshia Cole) Adela and her obsession for Pepe el Romano

The Power of a Backward Shot

Guns, one of mans most deadly inventions available to almost anyone. In the hands of a person, it is able to take someone else's life.

Hedda Gabler/Tesman craved for power and the ability to control others. Her pistols are often described as a symbol of power. Shes uses them to exert her will and was able to kill anyone of the men she pointed them at. She was able to manipulate anyone into doing what she wanted. Hedda preyed on people such as George and Lovborg. However, she was unable to control this power and Judge Brack was able to easily take the pistol away from her when it was pointed at him. Ironically, she was unable to control people but not the tool that she used to do this task. Sadly, the tools of her trade in my opinion out grew her. The power she wanted was too much for her to handle and back fired on herself........... literally.

Bernarda & Hedda; More Alike or Different?

As i read Hedda Gabler, i began to see more and more similar qualities between Bernarda and Hedda. Both of these women are controlling, mean, and demanding. Each one of them has their tool that represents their power; Bernarda and her cane, Hedda and her pistols. Hedda and Bernarda go against the stereotypes and are viewed as very masculine characters. Both can be considered the head of their respective households. However, there are characteristcs that set them apart. Hedda in my opinion is weaker than Bernarda. Hedda "punks" out and commits suicide because she does not want to be exposed. Bernarda on the other hand finds ways to keep her secrets down. After Adela kills herself, Bernarda does not commit suicide in fear of her daughters death getting out. So my question is are these two characters more alike or different??

Power Rangers and Bernarda Alba

This was the most random dream i ever had. This weekend i dreamed of the original Might Morphing Power Rangers. The twist was that the characters from The House of Bernarda Alba were the actors in the TV show. The daughters were the power rangers, Bernarda was Zordon, and Poncia was Alpha. So everything was cool in the beginning, Zordon/Bernarda would set the rules and the rangers would follow them and do the missions while Alpha/Ponica assisted. One day Zordon was like, "Rangers you have to stay here because the outside world had become too dangerous for you..." Everyone was mad but they followed what he said except for the Green Ranger/Adela. She would not listen and just started fighting back. Alpha was doing what Zordon said but was thinking to herself, "I knew this would happen. Only if she had listen, we could have avoided this." Then thats when i woke up. LOL it was kinda weird but cool at the same time. Maybe ill get a chance to see the end tonight!!!!

Quotes From Kanye

50 told me go head switch the style up and if they hate then let them hate and watch the money pile up. -Kanye West