Andre's Mother (Extra Credit)

In Terrence McNally's, "Andre's Mother", the play focuses on 4 people. The scene is a convesation between the people of Andre's death and his mother holding balloons in his memory. They reminice about Andre and how important he was. Cal, is Andre's partner and Andre has died. He was never really accepted into society as being gay, not even his mother has fully accepted him. In reading the play, Andre's mother is quiet and has no comment. Not one comment about anything that Cal is saying about her son. She is left there holding her balloon that she will have to eventually let go, listening to how good her son is. She is there miserable and trying to keep herself strong, but on the inside she is slowly breaking down. She is shocked and is left with regret for not accepting her son and not spending time in getting to know who her son really is. She hasnt given the chance to allow her son to live and express who he really is regardless of his sexual orientation. She is there not knowing how to react or feel, she feels sorrow and complete lonliness of the fact that if only she knew and accepted her gay son, he could have died knowing that he was accepted by the one person that he admired. Her body language, leaves it to the climax of the play. Throughout the whole time, she is left still and quiet and the audience is waiting for her to explode or break down in crying. But she continues to hold it together while the audience listens to Cal, on how Andre was a good person. They watch her very carefully even more so, as she is being still to see how she is breaking down on the inside. A sympolic spectacle in the play are the balloons. The 4 white balloons are held by each person. Each person lets go of their balloon one by one, as sign of accepting Andre as  human being for who he is and saying goodbye, and letting go. Cal and Andre's mother are left alone at the end holding their balloons saying their goodbyes. Cal can let Andre go, letting his balloon go, knowing that he accepted his partner as who he is and was loved by a special person. He knows he can die freely knowing that he was free with Cal. Andre's mother has a hard time letting go of her balloon, because she has to live the rest of her life knowing that she never accepted her gay son while he was alive. The white balloons represent their acceptance to Andre. The theme of this play is acceptance. Each person freely accepted Andre for the person he is and his sexual orientation. Andre's mother is left alone in life not being to get the second chance to accept her son and realizing it when it was already too late. The protagonist of the play is Cal. Cal constantly reminds Andre's mom how good of a person he is and is the only character out of the 4 present, that took the time to accept Andre, live a life knowing Andre, and saved Andre in a sense that he accepted him more than his own mom. The antagonist would be Andre's mom. Never knowing who her son's identity is, she is left to a relationship with her son that is missing acceptance and love. Her son wanted her to know who he really is but the fear of being rejected caused Andre's mother to never get to live a life knowing her gay son. She hindered her son from being who he truly is around her. In reading this story, it is a life lesson about acceptance and to live life to the fullest. Fear is only an obstacle but should never remain even in death. Acceptance is an important issue in today's society. And we are given the freedom to be. So lets take the chance to be free and to accept before it is too late.

Latinologues

In reading Rick Najera's dramas, one is able to see and feel the scene as you flip the pages and read the spanish diction in each of his plays. In reading, " Captured by Feministas" and "You Know How to Whistle, Don't You?", the audience is able to capture a message from this hispanic author and see a play right before their eyes.
   In "Captured by Feministas", the whole story was well put together that the audience can easily envision how the author wanted to play this scene. In reading this drama, it can be said that the genre is tragicomedy. In reading the conversation that the captured man had with the feministas, there was so much action involved but there was lightness to his words that added comedy to the situation. In reading the story and analyzing the characters, it can be seen from two different points of views. In reading through it once, it can be said that the captured man is the antagonist. He is seen as the villian, the man who puts women or underestimates women and sees them as below men or even below mankind. The women are then seen as protagonists, taking control of the situation and standing up for womens rights, saving the day, and making sure they are seen as humans and equals. In another point of view, the women are like men, capturing the man and treating him like a victim. The women are seen as men, with guns all tough and inhuman wanting to kill the man, so it can be said that the women are antagonists and the man is the protagonists.  Diction also plays another important part in reading this drama for the audience to envision this scene. In reading it, the names of each of the characters are hispanic names, and the different spelling of cetain words. For example the captured man makes a point that he would want to spell "women" as "womyn" with a "y" and asks the question to the women " who needs men?" In reading the whole scene, the captured man is convincing the feministas to let him go by praising women and seeing them as idols or as their equals. His fear and his diction adds comedy to the story which lightens the mood but also makes women laugh at the man who is vulnerable to the situation against a group of women. The theme is clearly expressed in the title and in this play. Feminism. It is all about women being free and being humans and seen as mens equals. It is all about seeing women as capable of doing what women can and seeing then as individuals as well.  In reading the play, I truly enjoyed it. The words and the way it was written, catched the audiences attention word by word. The opening scene makes you wonder what happened and in reading the dialogue you are forced to be in between a conversation between a helpless man and strong women. It was humorous and full of life and description that it was clear to what the author wanted his audience to envision and what he wanted his audience to learn in the end.
   In reading, "You Know How to Whistle, Don't You?", this was a different play that had a different message in the way it was written with the characters, imagery, and diction. In reading this I believe the genre is tragedy. In seeing the converstation and how each line for each character was said in a specific way. The author clearly wrote in paranthesis to the audience how each line was read, whether it was read plainly, angrily, threatening of if one of the characters weeped. The story was full of anger and depression against the rage of not being to be free in ones homeland. There is so much hate for Fidel castro that the characters want to be free. In reading this from the play, Castro is seen as the antagonist, causing injury or problem to the characters. He is seen as a villian to the characters, a man and a woman, who want to be free to live and marry, and these two are seen as the protagonists In fact, America is seen as the hero. The characters want to escape to California and start a new life there, so in order to escape being enslaved in cuba, they turn to America as their savior. In reading this play, it can be easily read since the author clearly puts how each line should be read. In choosing specific spanish words, or a sentence in spanish, it shows or represents the spanish pride and what this story is all about. In how the author is describing each line, it can be easily read and the audience can imagine the scene in their minds. In reading this play, the audience can easily see the theme in the repeating diction or line "Cuba Libre". This means, Free Cuba. In seeing the repetition in words, the theme is about freedom. National freedom. The couple wants to live, love and breathe freely but are imprisoned in their own country by a dictator. They can no longer be who they are or live a life freely in the home country that they were born in and love, they have to turn away in order to live. In reading this play, I can feel the tension of the characters as they are fearful for their lives and how escaping is only their option. In reading this play, I imagine myself fleeing america to another foreign country because of being enslaved by my own country there is no other choice but to live. It gives me a chance to be thankful and respect what I have. The play gives the audience insight into what people in other countries are suffering from, and to never take advantage of what we have.

To be or not to be.....

William Shakespeare is famous for his writings. There are many hallmark cards and quotes used in papers or in every day language that is from his writing. One of his famous works is the soliloquy in Hamlet when Hamlet is left alone thinking and talking to himself on what is to be or not to be. This famous line is known around the world but the message is never conveyed directly. Hamlet asks the famous question, "to be or not to be?". What he is addressing is the real question of "to live or to die?". He goes on describing what life is about and what death is too. What the purpose of life is. He compares both sides to living and dying. He asks himself if it is nobler to live and suffer throughout life with many troubles and sufferings ahead or is it better to live, since it is almost like sleeping. Hamlet then goes into deep thought and thinks maybe it is better to die because when you sleep you dream. So it would be like living in a dream where you can not suffer. But then the dream can become a nightmare.  A nightmare one that can not forget and one that can escape. He also values and views life as a beauty. He sees life as a world of exploration and wonder where you can explore ones curiosity with no limit. Hamlet is burdened with the sides of living and dying and what it is like to be or not to be.
    The reason why this soliliquy is famous is because of the diction itsself. William Shakespeare is a famous writer because of not just the story he presents to his audience but the message itself and how he portrays each message. The way he describes thoughts and feelings and scenes is described with lyrical words that it can be seen and pictured not just read. In this famous soliloquy, Hamlet goes in depth in his thought. He is lost in his conversation and his own debate of life and death. What makes this so famous, is how we, humans, can relate to that, and this is one of life's mystery that we can not solve. With our intellect, we have discovered science, math, and have gone to the ends of the earth to unbury lost treasures. But this is a treasure that we can not bury. This question of life versus death is one that is planted in our mind but is left to be unquestioned for the human mind to ponder and make what they believe life is. This is a question that we can not solve and is only a mystery that only as humans, can solve for ourselves. But it is a mystery that does not require a common measurement or common language. It is what we make of it and how we view life. We can either see life as worth living or worth dying for. I can truly identity with this soliloquy especially in my day and age. In college as a young student, I am still trying to find what life is all about. I am still growing and learnign everyday and even when I am to the point where I find that I have found what I am looking for, there is always more to life that leads me to wonder and question where I am at and who I am. There is always room for questioning, wondering and living. Are we all living a life or living a dream? Is life worth it or is it worth dying for? As a young woman in todays world, I want to see the world and experience it in my own skin. In order to do so, I choose to live and I choose to make a life that is worth living for. Life is what we make it. And it is up to us. To be or not to be. That is the question.