Waiting for Godot

*Warning... I talk about God in this post... just to tell you
Also, I posted this on my other blog, but thought maybe I should put it up here too for anyone interested or who wants to discuss Beckett...

I went to see Waiting for Godot last night and had a fabulous time. I was so excited that we got bonus marks for going to this because I have been wanting to go all month, but really couldn't justify skipping a night of homework to enjoy myself. So, I ended up going guilt-free which made it SO MUCH BETTER!!!
I am a huge fan of Samuel Beckett, I really liked End Game, and not because I agreed with any of the concepts in it, but just because I find his ideas fascinating. How someone can be unsure of his or her existence really fascinates me. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have God in my life. I mean, I need God; he put me here, and helps me through everything. I think I would be a totally different person if I didn’t feel this way, yet I find the people who do absolutely captivating. To me it seems like life would be absolutely pointless, it wouldn’t really matter what you did at all if you were just waiting for a God who you didn’t even expect to show up. I have so many blessings in my life that came directly from God, so for me to sit and watch these two men contemplate God’s and their own existence, boggles my mind.

As well, I found in this play so many instances of the men not being able to do anything, or go anywhere because they were, “waiting for Godot”… I thought this was kind of symbolic towards Beckett’s own life? And how unsure they were of the place they were standing, “Are you sure it was here?” because people are often unsure if they are leading the life that God intends for them.
It seems that without God they are so unsure, their life is so meaningless, they don’t even remember what they did the previous day, and tomorrow they will not remember today. It seems to me that this would be a pretty pitiful life, yet I seem to enjoy watching someone else go through it. Maybe because it reaffirms the way that I feel… and everyone likes to be right once in a while…
Also, Vladimir’s constant fear of being alone, he keeps waking Estragon up when he falls asleep because “he feels lonely” because without a God in your life, a person is truly alone, and that idea is terrifying.
I know that some people think that this play is not really about God, or a lack thereof, but I did when I watched it. There were so many instances where he was referred to, or purposefully rejected, that to me it had to be about that.

I thought that the actors did a really good job performing the play as I always imagined it. They were a little bit younger than I pictured them.. obviously.. but I didn’t even make that much of a difference. Pozzo was absolutely hilarious, and so was Lucky. I was never able to picture what it would be like for Lucky to “think” so that was mind blowing. I am glad I didn’t bring any children though, because that scene could have been terrifying. Anyhow, I am a bit late posting this in case anyone was contemplating going tonight! But I hope that you all went because it was so good!

OK, now I seriously have to get back to my paper or I will never finish it!

Later everyone

Abby

Fantomina

Hi everyone!

I really liked this week's readings. I haven't finished Betsy Thoughtless yet, but I enjoyed reading it so far. I liked the carrying on of Miss Forward and her lover, and think the storyline is kind of cute...

I had read Fantomina already this term for another class, but I just reread it now online to get some quotations and to remember the full story. I really liked reading this. Most of the stories in this class I find myself trudging through, but tonight, when It was time to eat dinner, I was actually kind of annoyed that I had to take a break from reading it.

I liked reading this story because it was so familiar to things we see and read today. Like the reason that she starts this whole thing in the first place is because wants to see what it would be like, "having at that Time no other Aim, than the Gratification of an innocent Curiosity." Well... we all know that "curiosity killed the cat" as my grandfather would say, and she totally ended up way over her head with this guy. And even though she ended up unfavourably, I still admire her determination. She knew exactly what she wanted and made sure that she got it for as long as she could. And she was never really in the dark about anything, and he didn't really cheat on her because it was her the entire time. I guess I just liked how much control she had over him, and control he had no idea about.

Furthermore, I didn't really like the way that Mr. Beauplasir thought about "undoing" her, "In fine, she was undone; and he gain'd a Victory, so highly rapturous, that had he known over whom, scarce could he have triumphed more." It was like a contest that he had won, and she had won as well, but she realized too late it was a game she should not have been playing.

I was also kind of disapointed that in Chapter 6 Beauplaisir decided that she was going to end up as a prostitute anyhow, even though she did not start out as one, "by the Beginning of her Conduct, but that in the End she would be in Reallity, the Thing she so artfully had counterfeited."

Also, in Chapter 8 I was really reminded of a torrid affair that you would see on a contemporary movie, he left her in her night gown and then an hour later she was all dressed and at some fancy event, going about her life as though she had had an uneventful afternoon… Except this scheme was so much more intricate, instead of the protagonist trying to keep the affairs a secret from her husband and society, she is keeping the affairs a secret from the very man she is having the affair with. I think this would be wild to see played out on the big screen. "— Slippers, and a Night-Gown loosely flowing, has been the Garb in which he has left the languishing Fantomina; — Lac'd, and adorn'd with all the Blaze of Jewels, has he, in less than an Hour after, beheld at the Royal Chapel".

Her transitions from Fantomina, to the Rude Country girl (Celia), to the Widow (Bloomer), and then the mystery woman, and finally into herself, whom beauplaisir had only "admired from afar" were so unbelievable that they were believable. I did get a kick out of the section in Chapter 16 when the writer addresses the audience and says, "I know there are Men who will swear it is an Impossibility, and that no Disguise could hinder them from knowing a Woman they had once enjoy'd." I don't know why I found that funny, but I did. I don't think these days anyone could meet up with an ex-boyfriend and them not know them, whatever they were wearing, even if years passed. Fantomina is meeting him in a matter of days and he is not noticing. This was hard for me to accept.

Oh, and in Chapter 22, when she talks about how a man always wants to be with someone new, "because they were the same Person; but the Widow Bloomer was a more new Acquaintance than Fantomina, and therefore esteem'd more valuable." reminded me of a movie I saw a few years ago when this girl gets hurt by a man and decides to pretend she is a relationship expert and writes an article equating men to cows in the sense that boy cows will not mate with a girl cow more than once, you always have to bring in a new cow. Ha ha, it was a silly movie, and she ended up realizing she was wrong in the end anyhow...
Anyhow...My point is that this idea of men always wanting something new and that they get tired of the same girl after a while is still very prominent in literature and movies today... Not that I agree with it or anything....

Again, I admire how strong she is in her ability not to get hurt by this philanderer, in chapter 26. "she could not forbear laughing heartily to think of the Tricks she had play'd him, and applauding her own Strength of Genius," She did this to him, it is not fair to really call him a cheat because no one really knows if she would have cheated on her, if he had met a woman not as beautiful. As her mother put it at the end, "The Blame is wholly her's"

Anyhow, this was a bit of rambling, but I really did like reading this story and hopefully I will get another post up about Betsy once I read more of the book.
Later

Abby

My Essay Topic

Who hoo.. so many posts today! I am trying to catch up on the past two weeks!

I am going to write my essay about women who use the Bible to prove their worth. I like this topic because I quite like the Bible and I quite like Women. Ha ha.... I just like the idea that women are proving their place by using the same tool that men used to opress them for so long.
Anyhow, I have to get ready to go run some errands and then take off for the Airport, so that's all for now.

If anyone has read any women who have done this and are not on the course reading list, please let me know because perhaps I could use them in my essay!
Thanks ladies (and Jesse)
Abby

What does being FAT have to do with skill as a writer???

OK, I am going to talk about the text a bit and then explain my title…

Rivella
I really didn’t find this book very interesting.. maybe that it helped pave the way for woman writers.. but if this is what was given to me as an example of “women writing” I am not sure I would be a big fan of it either….Perhaps that is because I have read so many other things that were much more organized and the addition of quotation marks would have been nice… But it is comparable to other (male written) texts of the time in its ability to keep my interst...

I thought it was neat that she told the story through the eyes of a man, and as well that she was revealing private information about her contemporaries… It would have been neat to know the situations surrounding these events. The narrator also kind of bothered me though because he is supposedly in love with her, but then in the end he kind of oppresses her by trying to convince her that she has no place in politics? I guess this is just showing how hard it was for women in this time period, men were always trying to control them. This quotation really says it all, “what is not a crime in men is scandalous and unpardonable in woman” (47) How can someone put that in print???

Now, to the title. Is her body size really indicative of her ability to write??? He keeps talking about her “growing fat” as though it was the end of the world. As though she cannot be a good writer? This is ridiculous!

***personal section beginning

This part of the story really bothered me because I have been having some trouble in this area lately.

***I just deleted this story because I was just informed that more than just my class read this blog... so anyhow, Short version is this man I used to work for told me i was "just about too fat to live"

I am SO UPSET. Most of these things we have been reading about are “long ago tales” of female opression that we don’t have to deal with and have never really even thought of. Well unfortunately this is still a problem of today! I mean, it was one comment, from one guy, who I never really liked to begin with, but it just made me feel so objectified and worthless. And…. As most of you who have met me will know.. I don’t really have a problem with self-esteem, but reading this book really reminded me of how upset I was and it makes me sad that I am living proof that this is still happening today.

It also makes me sad to think that if I am getting feedback, that alot of other people must be getting it too...
People shouldn't be judged by their size, especially when the talent has nothing to do with the body. Like writing... what you look like shouldn't have anything to do with your merit as a writer. I understand the predicament if you wanted to be a gymnast or a figure skater... there might be some balance issues.. but you never know until you try...

Bathsua Makin

I found this piece a pretty easy read and and even found it kind of humourous. She was a pretty clever lady and, as most of these women we have read are, she is a real champion for women’s rights. I always kind of laugh at these silly feminists out there, but when I think about the status of women back then, I realize that they had so much more to fight through. It is hard for me to really think of life back then because I have never had anything kept from me because I am a women. I played sports with the boys when I was younger, and even when I got older and played on women's teams I was respected for my abilities. I even think that more doors have been opened for me because I am a girl, so maybe it is going too far???

Never in my life has anything been more difficult for me, I enjoy being a girl and think my life has actually been easier. I have never had to wait in line at a bar, my car always gets fixed immediately, Cab drivers always wait until I get inside safely before speeding off, and amongst lots of other great things, I get paid a ridiculous amount of money to stand (or sit!) behind a table and ask people, “Would you like to try a new beer?” with a smile on my face… I think being a women is the greatest thing ever and it makes me so sad to think that there was a time when it wasn’t this wonderful!
Maybe these are menial things that I am mentioning, but there are so many other things that are great about being a woman. I never really considered that going to school wouldn't be an option. I write stories all the time and want to be a writer when I am older and never even considered that it might not be an option. I've never considered that any of my dreams wouldn't come true, and as we read more and more of these texts I realize that these women had to fight so hard for what I consider my right.

Reading texts like this make me sad. As if “Women are not endued with such Reason, as Men; nor capable of improvement by Education.” That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard and cannot imagine a time when this was conventional thinking.
And as well, I want to praise her for advertising her school at the end. She’s got to get the word out somehow.

*** personal note

One thing about being a girl that is NOT terribly exciting is weddings… I have a wedding in my family this weekend and I have been going out of my mind in preparations. I have been running around like the energizer bunny for the past few weeks trying to make sure everything will be perfect… tonight I have to drive to Moncton Airport to pick up relatives at midnight and tomorrow is going to be SO HECTIC. This would be a good time to be a boy.. buy a tux and show up 5 minutes early… that would be nice…ha ha.. OR I wish I could go back to being 10 and my only responsibility was to make sure I didn’t get any wrinkles in my dress before the pictures…. Speaking of dresses... I better make sure mine still fits.. ha ha.... That will be fun.. buying a new dress the day before the wedding!

Women Speaking in the Church

Hi All,
This is about a something I read in my 18th Century Class, but it deals with women, and if anyone else is thinking of writing their essays on Women speaking in the Church, or just women writing in general, this is a pretty cool lady to look at.


Women's Speaking Justified
Hi everyone!I am going to talk about Margaret Fell Fox’s Women speaking justified today because it is my favourite thing that we have read so far. I really liked this. Particularly because she is able to use so much direct scriptural evidence to prove what she is saying. It is so often that people say they are “quoting” scripture when they are actually paraphrasing something they have heard (not read) somewhere along the line. I think that it is so important to look at the Bible when people debate whether or not women should be able to speak in the church. I am not going to force religion on anyone here, so if you are getting worked up… you can simmer… I am not going to try and convince you to believe in God, I am just going to talk about the Bible and what it says about women.

My first point is not about women speaking, but about the regard in which God holds them. Look at the story of Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5 : 1-11). He holds Ananias, the husband, responsible for his actions, and he holds Saphira individually and personally responsible for her behaviour. Ananias was not held responsible for his wife, and Saphira was directly accountable to God. She could not excuse herself with the claim that she was submitted to her husband and so shift responsibility to him. (They Lied about their kindheartedness, if you are not familliar with the story)

Furthermore, on the day of the Pentecost, God made an egalitarian proclamation when He poured out the Holy Spirit without regard for gender. It is also said that Paul’s central egalitarian proclamation was: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave not free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). This part of the Bible is about even more than just gender. In Jesus Christ, God removed the hierarchical distinctiveness that had arisen in regard to race, social class, and gender. However, because of this, women functioned as equals with men.

My second point is regarding the definition of Ministry. People are so worked up about women speaking in the Church, but they fail to look at the Scripture for their reasons for this, and they forget the point of Ministry in the first place. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1Jn. 4: 19). As we respond to His love, He discloses himself through us. Thus, ministry is about knowing Him and making Him known. This is something on which gender has no bearing. Everyone is able to spread God’s word, and no one should be impeded in this.

Paul accepted women with absolutely no problem. They functioned as teachers: Priscilla (Acts 18). They functioned as prophets: Deborah, Miriam, Huldah and Anna and Phillip’s four daughters (Acts 2). Specifically, “Your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2: 17). Why would a woman function as a prophet if she were not meant to speak the word of the Lord? Women also functioned as Apostles; an example of this is Junia of Rome, (Rom. 16:7).

Another point that we often forget about God is that He made us in His image… we are not meant to make Him in our image. Since God is Spirit, He does not have gender, so the image of God has nothing to do with the masculine or feminine. I know that I am referring to Him as “He” in this argument, but this only proves the inadequacy of language, it does not prove that God is male.

My Favourite part of the reading was when she talks about “those that speak against the woman’s speaking.” When Christ’s children fight against each other, they are actually making the Devil’s work easier by creating the disharmony he so desires. “Let this word of the Lord, which was from the beginning, stop the mouths of all that oppose Women’s speaking in the power of the Lord; for he hath put enmity between the Woman and the Serpent; and if the seed of the Woman speak not, the seed of the Serpent speaks.” When people restrain other people who are trying to spread God’s word, they are actually doing the opposite of what they think they are intending.

I guess this topic is a big one to me because I just see no reason to stop a qualified individual from doing something that God has asked them to do. I do agree that not everyone is qualified to speak in the Church; however, gender should not be one of the deciding factors.

I think this plays into alot of the women writers that we have been reading. They are qualified to be writers, so why should their sex keep them away from it. I am so glad that we do not live in this world today. I would not be too accepting of it.

The Rover

Hi everyone!

I read this play in the summer when we first got the reading list, and I really found it to be a neat little read. I especially liked how firey these women are. I really like it when women (well people really) stick up for themselves. However, it is especially interesting in this case, because of the time period and social conventions. I did find it quite humourous as well and found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

Knowing that Behn lived off the money she made as a writer, it is sometimes hard to imagine that she didn’t “sell-out” and write what she knew the people wanted to hear. Knowing that if her works did not sell… she would not be able to sustain herself financially… It is admirable that she stuck to her convictions and did what she wanted. I also like the fact that she “made up” her own history and made her private life what it should be, private. I think it is absolutely hilarious that she spread rumours about herself and her life so that no one could really tell what was true and what was not. She certainly was an anomaly for her time, and I have a lot of respect for that.

This play is considered a comedy, but it takes on some pretty serious issues, namely the role of women in a male-dominated society. She makes the vulnerability of women very clear throughout the play and I found the rape scenes to be particiularily unsettling.

I really liked how the female protagonists were so interesting and confident. Angelica stands up for herself after being betrayed, something that many women today still have trouble doing. Hellena knows what she wants and certainly goes after it. And I liked Lucetta simply because of her independence. All of these female characters are so stong and smart, characteristics not normally given to women in this time.

I did enjoy this play and respect Aphra Behn for taking such risks!

Female Orations

Hi Guys,

I found Margaret Cavendish pretty spastic in her decisions on how to act. To me all these changes should have taken years to discover. I could accept reading different opinions of someone at different times in their life, however it seems as though she wrote this all at once? How can someone think all these things at the same time? The discrepancies are rather radical, don't you think? Anyhow, I am certainly interested in tomorrow's discussion on this one...

Furthermore, this could be because it is past my bedtime, but "Nature's Cook" and "Of Many worlds in this world" didn't strike my fancy... I am looking forward to hearing about them tomorrow as well....

KAtherine Phillips is easy to read and I like her poems, "The Epitaph on Hector Phillips" was sad, but I always think it is sad when children die....

I kind of like her poems because she has all this passion that she really isn't supposed to have. And furthermore, she teachers young virtuous women how to act, so she knows the necessity for refinement. What I think is kind of neat though is that she still gets to experience this passion because it is directed towards a woman. I wonder what everyone has to say about that. She talks in her poems about acting so proper, and had these poems been about some "stud" in the neighbourhood, she would have been 'appalled' by herself! Anyhow, I just remark on that when I read it.

The Behn one looks a little long for this hour of the night... so I will read it in the morning... See you tomorrow everyone!

Abby

Medieval Nun info Links!

Hi Everyone!

Here is the link to the Virtual Tour of that Dilapitaed nunnery if you were interested in looking at it.
http://www.scottish-island-shopping.com/iona/vtour/panorama_nunnery.htmshopping.com/iona/vtour/panorama_nunnery.htm
It was One of only two Augustinian Orders in Scotland, the nunnery earned itself the name 'An Eaglais Dhubh' - the black church - after the colour of nuns' robes.

And again.. if you were wondering about how their days were spent... I thought I would put that on here as well.... In case you were thinking it was an easier life...
•They ate simple food, dressed in simple clothes (habits) and spent their days in silence, praying or working
•3 AM – Matins
•5 AM – Lauds
•6 AM – Prime
•9 AM – Terce
•12 PM – Sext
•3 PM – None
•6 Pm – Vespers
•8 PM - Compline

If it was still dark out after they finished their 3 am prayers they were allowed to go back to bed... but they had to get up again at 5... so it really wasn't as great as it seems.

And I am going to try to Add some pictures in here as well....

Apparently Blogger doesn't like my images... Sorry... you all saw them in class anyhow!

Have a good day....

Abby

Queen Elizabeth I

I really liked the information this week about Queen Elizabeth I as well.

"On Monsieur's Departure" was a really interesting poem that made me think about what it would be like to lose someone and not be able to grieve about it. To me, I felt like because she was in a position of power and constant scrutinty, she was unable to have private time. She was never alone, and therefore she could never grieve the loss of this man. She had to pretend that she didn't care he was gone. It makes me sad that people in those positions don't have the luxury of privacy or the ability to feel things the way that others do. It is sad because they obviously have feelings like the rest of us, but they have to act like they don't. I don't think that is really fair.

I also got a real kick out of her responses to Parliament when they tried to force her to get married. I really liked how she stuck up for herself. She was right in refusing to marry someone she didn't love and waiting with the intentions of finding the right person. I admire Queen Elizabeth because she cared enough about herself and her own well-being to say no to the Parliament of the time which I am sure was a very seldom occurance.

I really liked reading her letters and laughed out loud on more than one occasion.

See you in class!

Abby

Anne Askew - Ballad

I also really liked "The Ballad which Anne Askew made and sane when she was in Newgate"

My favourite lines were,
Faith in the fathers old
Obtained rightwisness
Which Make me very bold
To fear no world's distress

I liked that she had so much faith in God and in the afterlife that she had no worries about this world and the distress that she could encounter. That is perhaps why she was able to stay with her beliefs until her death. She knew that there was more to hear that this world could offer her. I admire her for her for faith.

Anne Askew

Hi there,

I really enjoyed this week's readings, especially Anne Askew and Queen Elizabeth I.

I didn't know who Anne Askew was until I started reading about her the other day. But I am glad that I do now. I have alot of respect for someone who can stand up for what they believe in regardless of the consequences. I can't imagine being burned at the stake, and do not really know whether I would be able to do it. I think there are very few people who really could.

I liked how powerful and self-assured she was, especially in her recount of her Examination. I especially liked when she said, "I had rather read five lines in the Bible, than to hear five masses in the Temple." I liked that she had the audacity to say this to someone of authority.

As well, I liked that when he was trying to push her into a corner she stayed strong and "made no answer but smiled." I was impressed by her coyness and ability to stay in control when obviously being ambushed and unfairly questioned.

I think it was awful that she was tortured and burned at the stake because I think a woman like this should have been cherished and admired.

Share a little Magic!

Hi guys,
I just got this email. Can you all please take a second to click on this link, and maybe send it along to as many other people as you can. Mastercard does this every year and it is totally legitimate. There are over 200 children in Saint John alone looking for a Big Brother or Big Sister. If enough people click on the link, then Mastercard will donate alot of money which helps fund matches.
Thanks so much~
Abby

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