Meeting the poet and author

In this semester, I had met two authors. Both of them are poets too. They were Shirley Lim and Wong Phui Nam. The meeting were a new experience to me becuase normally i just read the biographies of the authors and now i could see them. In these meeting we got the chance to ask them the questions such as why did they wrte a particular piece of work and others. Shirley came to introduce her new novel, Sister Swing. From her introduction, I have an urge to read the novel becuase it sounded like very interesting. Although meeting of Wong was a bit boring, but I learned a lot from him in how to read a poem. For example, the rythm and the impotant of diciton in a poem and how to read a poem. I have read the works by Wong and Shirley since my first of of degree. Wong's works are very serious. In contrast, Shirley's work are lighter. Most of her works are baout chienese society in Malaysia. Besides, Shirley is a cheerful woman and she talks a lot without hesitations. This is because she is a lecturer. Wong is a economist. He is a serious man, he made jokes too. There are so much things to ask about their works. but the meeting was just an hour.

I hope through the course I can meet more authors in future.

Survival of the fittest!

We have finished the reading and the analysis of the forth play “The Streetcar Named Desired” by Tennessee William. The character whom I sympathize the most is Blanche Dubois because she is a tragic character. She is once a rich southern belle and she has a loving husband. But all her good days have passed. She loses everything including her job as a teacher. She is unable to accept the reality. Therefore, she has sexual affairs with men in order to fulfill her material needs and her sexual needs. Her bad reputation has caused her to move away from Laurel and she intends to start a new life in New Orleans. I admire her that she wants to leave all her past and begin with a new life. But she does not make it due to the fact that she is unable to accept the change. She is still has a strong hold to her upper society ethic. She criticizes her brother-in-law whom she feels he behaves like an animal because he gets drunk and abuses her sister. I pity Blanche that her past has been discovered by Stanley as he wants to take revenge because of her criticism. Besides, Blanche wants Mitch to marry her because she wants a better future as she has grown older and she is unable to sell herself to earn money and fulfill her sexual desire. I feel she just want someone to provide her with shelter and food and why Stanley wants to treat her so badly. He spreads past to Mitch and Mitch refuses to accept her. Her only hope is gone. We cannot blame for her inability to accept change because for a person to change or adapt to a new environment is not something that can be done within a few months times. We needs time to adapt ourselves and change. This happens to Blanche too. Stella has made it because she has moved to New Orleans since she is sixteen. She has spent more than 20 years in that society. Therefore, she is able to accept the culture and norm of the society

Going theatre

Last Saturday, I went to watch my first play in KL PAC with a few friends. The title of the play is " The Homecoming" by Harold Pinter. It was a great experience to watch a real live performance. The seats in Pentas 2 were all filled with different generation theatre goers. when i entered the theatre, the actors are in their place. this made me more excited to watch the play. . The play is a western play, but the play is directed by a Malaysian director. All the casts are from Malaysia. The actors and actoress can speak very well and clear English accept a new actor. This is about a family conflict. When the eldest son, Teddy comes back from America. He brings his wife, Ruth to meet his family. The moment when they enter the scene, I could sense that there is something wrong with the wife. In the end, I was shocked when I knew that Teddy is willing to leave his wife to mess around with his brothers and his father. I feel the play is too short and I wish the play could be longer. Going to theatre is enjoying and i wish I can watch more theatre.

The importance of speaking standard language

The third play that I have learned is “Pygmalion” by Bernard Shaw. After reading this play, I have realized that the way a person speaks depict a person’s status and class. If a person speaks a bad language, he or she might seem to have come from a lower class society and less educated. If we speak standard language, he or she is seemed to have come from upper class society and educated. In the play, Higgins says people who speak standard language will separate them from class to class and soul to soul. Therefore, Eliza wants to learn standard language from Higgins so she can become a floweriest in the shop which will be visited by the rich and educated. She does not want to become a flower girl who earns a living by just selling flowers on the street. After the teaching by Higgins, people have a different perception towards her. Others think that she is educated and comes from upper class society because she speaks like a queen. I agree with Higgins because in our society too, when you speak standard language to other people, they will respect you and treat you better. This is because they will assume that you are rich and well educated. On the other hand, when you speak bad language, others will not respect you and do not provide a good service for you. Therefore, we have to be cautious with the language we use in communicating.

Macbeth…long lives the King!

Watching Macbeth was a pleasure because the plot is interesting as compared to The Midsummer Night Dream. Macbeth is a tragic hero in the movie. He is the King’s favourite knight because he wins the wars and protects the Scotland. But in the end, he is killed by Mac duff because Macbeth betrayed his country and killed the innocents. Three witches prophesize that one day he will become the king and Banquo’s son might be the heir. Macbeth and her wife want to take control of their fate by murdering the king and Macbeth is elected as the king of Scotland. I feel Macbeth should wait for his turn to be king because everything is fate. If the thing is belong to you, one day it will be yours. Due to his pride, he feels that he is more suitable to become king but not the King’s son, Malcolm. Macbeth tries to kill anyone that he feels the person is a threat to his throne. Macbeth becomes irrational and emotionally disturb because he has sleepless night. All his knights flee to join forces with Malcolm to attack Scotland. In the end, Macbeth loses everything including his life. I learn a lot from this movie that our fate is in god’s hand, we should not try to control our fate. If this happens, we will end up tragically.

Fool, the jester

Fool: Mark it, Nuncle:
Have more than thou showest,
Speak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest,
Ride more than thou goest,
Learn more than thow trowest,
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep in-a-door, And thou shalt have more
Than two tens to a score. I iv L116-126

I agree with this utterance by the Fool that we should not give away every thing we have. We have to think for the sake of our future, save some for our rainy days. This utterance is towards Lear. The Fool teaches him to save some for himself. It is because of his foolish act to be fully trusted in her two daughters, Goneril and Regan he gives everything to them without thinking that one day they might go against him. He hopes that his two daughters will take care of him as he grows older. But thing turns out not as he wanted. His two daughters allow him to stay with them with condition. This incident is not only happening in Elizabethan era. It is happening now in our society. For example, a person that I knew of sold her properties for her only son to study medicine in UK. But when the son became a successful doctor and he bought a house, he sent the mother to old folk home because he did not want to stay with her. The mother had nothing left. Therefore going to old folk home is an obligation. This situation is same as Lear that his two daughters do not want him and he has to go into storm and stays in the heath. There are many examples of this incident. We should learn that do not give every thing away even it is your beloved or someone that you trusted the most. Save some for the future use because thing is unpredictable.

This semester, we are going to study one of the shakespeare's play which is "KIng Lear." before reading this play, we are aked to wacth two movies. thew frist movie is called Reduced Shakespeare Company. The movie is acted out by only three people , they try to act out all shakespaere's plays within a few hours. It is a interesting show. I had never thought that acting out Shakespeare's play can be so much of fun. During the foundation year, our TESL club planned to act out King Lear, i felt it would be very difficult beacuse we don't understand the language and how are we going to find the prop that siut that era. from this movie, i learn that we can actually act out the play in the modern setting. For example, they act out all the 13 shakespeare's comedies with a football macth setting. The prop does not influence the play. It is how the actors makes the play interesting.

The second movie is "Shakespeare Wallah". it is a three hours show and it was a hard time to finish watching the show because it is black and white. I agree with what happen in the story that nowadays, less and less people is interested in wacthing a theatre. People prefer to watch something entertaining such as singing concert. For example, when Sanju's girl friend, a well known singer, came to the threatre every audience is distrated from watching the play. This shows that people show more inter in celebrity than wactchina play. People do not feel watching theatre is also entertaining and knowledgeable. Puting up a theatre requires a very high expenses. As a result, the treatre is less put up. The ending of the movie is bad becuase Sanju and Lizzie have to be separated becuase the different of culture.