The Use of Costume in The Tempest

I believe that the costume designers of the 2010 film adaptation of “The Tempest” did an amazing job. Each character’s costume reflects his or her personality. Miranda is dressed in white, reflecting the virginal and innocent quality of the character. Trinculo and Stephano both wear bright and jovial colors, mirroring the humor they bring to the movie. Prospera wears blue, a color just as complex as her character. While the color blue subconsciously is associated with trust, it also can be seen as very cold. Prospera is a character of contradictions. The audience feels sympathetic for her because of the hardship she has faced and her clear love for her daughter, but one cannot overlook her treatment of Ariel and Caliban. Perhaps the most telling of the costumes (or the lack there of) are those that belong to Caliban and Ariel. Both characters are practically naked reflecting their status and treatment in the play. They are slaves to Prospera and are treated as animals (especially Caliban). Plays and movies allow audiences to both hear and see a story. Costumes are incredibly effective in portraying status of the character, the time period of the work, and even the personality of the character.  

Prospero versus Prospera

The changing of the male character of Prospero to the female Propera not only represents a shift in society, but also gives “The Tempest” different implications. Once, only men were allowed on the stage. Helen Mirren’s performance as Prospera turns this notion upside down. Yet, with Mirren’s performance comes a new facet of the play to study. A play centered around greed, revenge, and the search for one’s view of what is just, the creation of a female lead adds the power struggle between females and males to be considered. With the character of Prospero, it is taken for granted that his brother usurps his power simply because of greed. With the character of Prospera, one must ask his or herself if her dethroning was backed by the inherent societal fear of women holding powerful positions. Look at the United States today, we are considered to be one of the most progressive countries in the world and we have yet to have a female president. During this election we have the chance of having the first female president, but there is still a portion of the country that will not vote for the female candidate solely based on her gender regardless of their political beliefs. Having Prospero be Prospera shows tremendous growth in the roles of women in literature and society, but also creates a new dimension of the play for audiences to explore.

Illusions Quick Write

Are illusions a good thing in life? Would it be better to live with some illusions or to know the actual truth of/reality of every situation?

We all go through life with a different view of the world. In many ways we are all living in our very own world and are trapped in our own illusions. These illusions are sometimes effective ways of coping with the world around us, but they also can be quite dangerous. Throughout history, we have seen many leaders who create their own reality leading to violence, death, and tragedy. When we create our own realities and weaken our grip on the actual world around us, we are vulnerable of  becoming stagnant and even regressive members of society. I believe the truth is always hard to find seeing as we all have our own truth. However, in today’s world especially, it is incredibly important that we try to find the most accurate reality that we are able to. With one presidential candidate famous for publically saying one thing and turning around and denying it, and another who is constantly under scrutiny for her “lies,” it more important than ever that Americans remain conscious of the world around them. Society is constantly evolving and progressing, but sometimes we are under the illusion that more progress has been made than what has actually happened. Some believe whole heartedly that the days of racism, sexism, and homophobia, but one only has to look around and see that is not that case. While comforting to believe we live in a perfect world, this is simply not the case. Illusions make life easier, but by no means make the world better.

Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey

Before this year, I had never dedicated a lot of time to reading poetry. To be honest, my only knowledge of poetry existed from in class readings. However, over the summer, I was sitting in on a workshop about intersectional feminism and one of Rupi Kaur’s poems in her collection Milk and Honey was included in the presentation. I scribbled down the name and ordered it that night. I instantly fell in love with it and read the entire collection during a long road trip. Subsequently, I have gone back and reread the collection several times, focusing on small portions as I read. One of the poems that resonated with me in particular speaks about how discussing the biology of a women’s body is taboo in American society, yet objectifying that body is completely fine. The last stanza is particularly powerful. Rupi Kaur writes, “the recreational use of/ this body is seen as/beautiful while/its nature is/seen as ugly.” I think with everything that is happening today, especially in the presidential race within the last few weeks, this poem is incredibly relevant. There is a double standard in society. Presidential candidates are allowed to make vulgar and sickening comments about women’s bodies and his actions towards those bodies, and it is justified as “locker room talk” while women are forbidden to speak about their own bodies. This so called “locker room talk” is at the root of the sexism problem in America. Making a sexist comment behind a closed door and not in the presence of woman doesn’t mean that sexism doesn’t exist in today’s society or that you aren’t sexist. It means that the problem of sexism towards women in today’s society is that much harder to fight because so many that are only contributing the issue believe they aren’t part of the problem. Rupi Kaur forced me to open my eyes and ask myself why I am so uncomfortable with the natural workings of my body, yet I am so used to being catcalled while running in downtown Annapolis that it no longer phases me. I think every teenage girl and boy should read this poem. As uncomfortable and even inappropriate that many would find it, I believe we would all be better off for having experienced and recognized this discomfort that society has forced upon us all.

Faulkner Visiting Severn School

I swear all these kids are idiots. All they do is run around like chickens with their heads cut off comparing their grades. The worst part is they do it in front of the teachers to see. Right in front of their faces, like they want their sympathy. Like they are saying Look at me. Look at me caring. Look how much I care. I tell them to go bother someone else. I tell them Good God do you want the teachers to see you like this. I tell them to just study and work hard. Because I  tell them If you don't stop moaning and grumbling on until one can't hear himself think. Mumbling and grumbling, and asking about grades and report cards, and those dumb groans going One point more. One point more. One point more until every student is gathered to see how they can get that A. If it had been me when she had the conversation about extra credit it would have just been me and that teacher and not the whole darn school listening in. It would just be me and her and not every darn student in the school going One point more. One point more. One point more and we would be quiet.

Vardaman – Developmentally Delayed or Just a Child?

In William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, the character Vardaman, the youngest member of the Bundren family, provides readers with a view of the world through a child’s eyes. His mental acuity and whether or not he is developmentally delayed is widely debated among those who study the novel. Personally, I believe he is just a young child who recently lost one of the most important people in his life, his mother, and is therefore traumatized. Some of the oddest chapters in the novel are written from Vardaman’s perspective. One of the chapters (and one of the well known lines from the novel) is a whole whopping five words long. Vardaman says, “My mother is a fish,” (84). While it may seem like an absurd statement, it is completely logical when you view it from the mind of a six year old. Addie Bundren dies the same day that Vardaman catches a fish and chops it up into little pieces. In his mind since the fish and his mother die on the same day, they must be connected. I can see where he is coming from. He also believes that Doctor Peabody kills his mother. Again, I can see it from his perspective. A man shows up and then suddenly his mother is dead. What I find interesting is how Vardaman’s response to his mother’s death isn’t very different from grown adults. We all grieve in our own ways, but there are clear patterns that emerge in individuals’ ways of mourning. Common responses include, trying to make logic out of the illogical and placing blame on someone who isn’t necessarily responsible. Vardaman does both. At six years old, children are just beginning to develop their reasoning skills. The “my mother is a fish” statement is his way of forming a logical reason for his mother’s death. For a child, a sickness that takes one of his or her parents at a young age does not seem logical (it doesn’t seem logical to even most adults).  Since he is just beginning to form logic, the fish being his mother does not seem very farfetched for him. Vardaman blaming Dr. Peabody for his mother’s death is his way of channeling his anger and confusion towards a tangible object. Again, his mother’s death doesn’t seem logical to him. This is his way of creating logic, something that most adults do as well. Vardaman has his issues, but he did just lose his mother. He is at an incredibly sensitive time in his development, and his responses are completely normal as odd as they are.