Eh?

So.. in the scene where Walter decides that he wants to take the money instead of moving into the new house, I thought it was a really good idea. I didn't see it as taking a step backwards in the progress that generations before had worked towards. I mean, the people had to pay money to keep the neighborhood "safe".. so don't they lose? I mean, the family gets the money and then they could take it to buy another house?

I guess they don't want to back down and lose everything. But in reality, the "white men" are the losers in this case.

I don't mean to say that I didn't like the ending, because it was really redeeming. Sticking it to the bad guys always feels good, but I'm just saying-they could have used the money.

But.. looking at the bigger picture, if everyone just gave into a deal like that.. no progress would ever be made in anything. So.. Good job, Walter.

plants

Number Seven: physical effects stuff

I think the plant in the play is used as a visual prop representing hope for African Americans at that time, but Mama is the only one to see it. Ruth and Beneatha can only see an old dying weed. It's only Mama who sees its potential. In the end scene, Mama comes back into the empty apartment to bring her plant with her. So not only is the family moving away to bigger and better things, the plant remains alive. I guess now that I really think about it, it isn't really the same level. But it needs to compare somehow, right? There is something significant about the plant!

If it doesn't directly relate to the family, then it relates to the struggle of African Americans in the late fifties.

grapes

Number 5: What themes does the play present? To what extent do the thematic materials of the play have an effect on the dramatic experience?

I think the poem at the beginning explains that theme of the play, well-untill the very end.

Throughout the entire play, each of the characters has their own vision of what the insurance money would do for their lives. Ruth just wanted out of the old house, Beneatha wanted to become a doctor, Mama wanted what was best for the family, and Walter wanted the liquor store deal to work out. But in the end, the dreams all failed and Walter puts their self-respect up for grabs because they are so poor.

So their entire lives their dreams were "deferred", and I think this play shows the dream "explod[ing]". Walter loses the money and Mama begins to doubt that they will be able to move on up out of that old home.

But then Walter, probably a dynamic character, stood up to Lindner and preserved what their "father earn[ed] for them brick by brick" (148).

Finally, we get at least a poignant ending!

Basketball

I'm going to try to understand the theme of the play.

I think Laura is a dynamic character. She begins fragile, crippled (although that never changes), and afraid. Amanda assumes that there is no hope for Laura without the care of a "gentleman caller". When the last-chance Joe shows up for dinner, Laura's confidence is completely lost. And then Joe gives her the first kind of positive attention I think she has had forever. He is actually interested in her glass collection, so her spirits rise. Even after Joe leaves, she doesn't resort back to her old timid ways.. "at the end of the speech she lifts [her head] to smile at her mother" (I'm assuming the smile means confidence, but it could actually mean she went crazy)

I also think there is significance in Laura being the one to end the play. So.. at the beginning, Tom is the stable one, supporting the family and he opened the play. And in the end, Tom is gone and crazy and Laura ends the play. I think this means that maybe she is the stable one and we can assume that she must support her family (just Amanda at this point).

I guess I still don't know what the theme is though.

Reality TV.

Number Six talks a lot about physical effects and theatrical components and stuff.

If I were watching this play, I think the music would have had a big impact on the tone and theme of the play (not that I can figure out what the theme is) "The Glass Menagerie" theme that plays when Laura is being.. awkward.. I listened to it on youtube and it is really poignant. I think as an audience member, Laura would grow into an even bigger sympathetic character with this music. I can't really tell, but I think Tennessee uses shadows and curtains throughout the play. I would imagine that this would create a haunting mood- something that I really did not get with just the words in the script.

But I don't understand, because it seems like such a normal occurrence. Nothing magical really happens throughout the play, so why does it have to be so spooky?

Time Time Time

What amount of time is covered in the action? How much of the action is presented as a report rather than dramatized on stage? Does the play feel loose or tight in its construction?

The time was kinda crazy in this play. The time was "now and the past", so it covered a lot of time in a short play. Tom narrates from the future looking back on the experience that tore him away from his family. The action of the play only takes place in around three days. The "now" portion of the play takes place in what I assume to be the entire adult life of Tom, but it is presented as a short report, rather than acted out.

The construction of the play is loose. I never actually know what is going on in the background and I don't see a clear story line. If the construction were tight, I don't think Tom would have to address the audience and explain what was happened after each scene. Everything seems very surreal-like a memory.