Sunday, February 3, 2008
Rhinocerous Journal
I toyed with doing the reflection on this blog, but I haven't recieved the response I needed to convince me, so, I sent you the formal assignment today. If you want to talk about your reflection ideas or reactions to the text, come talk to me in our little cyberclassroom. I'm here waiting!
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18 comments:
So we can do our reflections here or not?
Kind of unrelated, but is Wikipedia a credible source?
If it isn't, I can still find another book, but it would help me.
No on the reflections, unfortunately Aaron. Although this is a great forum for that concept, I did not get the kind of response that made me think it would work. Feel free to engage in conversation here: questions, comments, bounce ideas off me and your fellows. What I had in mind was more of a community of speakers all reflecting on the work together. I can't see it working when only a couple of students would really be involved. I also want to avoid others just reading the blog instead of reading the text and being engaged in the thinking and reflecting in an active way.
Wikipedia is not a credible source John Powell (the information can be too spotty to be reliable). Look elsewhere!
Just so you know Mrs. cook, getting books on all of these acting people is nearly impossible. There is absolutely nothing (that I found) at The Hamilton Library. I have a huge advantage because my father happens to work at UC and has been providing me with books after I look them up on the UC library catalog. I provided books to my fellows for Grotowski and now have a dozen books with a couple each on Buchner, Meyerhold and Wedekind that I plan to share as much as I can.
I know the internet is acceptable, but there are rarely good sources there either and I know books are preferred for these projects. I didn't know if you were aware of the degree of difficulty obtaining strong book sources sometimes.
And why can't the few of us just you this and make our reflections right here and comment on each other's reflections.
I hope I'm wrong in saying this but I think three or four people will not really be doing reflections anyway so why not just let us do them here and bounce ideas off of you and whoever we can get??? I would really like using this way as our method of reflecting....... :(
I'll feel stupid just making comments to the wind right here if they don't count...
Well... waiting more than a minute for responses could help you. I'm all for digital reflections, so why don't we just start a seperate thread, agree when to post, and agree when to comment on other people's reflections?
Well, Aaron, I have to have everone on the same footing. Whether or not students choose to stay in step is their option, but it is my responsibility to make sure that everyone is assessed in an equivilant fashion.
I have to have some way to measure participation in the activity, and, if I know only a few will do it, them I am pressed to come up with a seperate but equal way to assess those whom I know will not. Then, those students will cry foul and say that they had to write more than the others. Folks always have some kind of excuse to back up the unfairness, llike they had to work, or their computer is broken, or they are not allowed to use the internet, etc. I have enough on my plate being on leave and trying to do this all on line; it is not going to work for me to assess seperate groups seperatly. I UNDESTAND YOUR POINT, but I have to do what I have to do here to keep everything balanced.
As far as the sources are concerned, I know that these folks are not the most common names around. That's why each only requires two sources. Try thinking outside the box with sources too. Maybe, instead of finding a book on Meyerhold, you could research film making of the timeperiod and see what you come up with? Those same research source ideas you used for your RI...applying that breadth and depth to the research we are doing now is what the research objective for IB theatre is all about.
As far as bouncing ideas off me and others in this forum...by all means, bring it on! Perhaps you can use what is discussed here IN your reflections. THat would be a great compromise, I think.
What is your policy on internet sources?
Can we use just internet sources?
Anyway, alright on the Rhino journals.
What do you think of the use of very precise settings? I never really understand the extensive detail in Ionesco's settings. I assume those were written by the original stage manage but is the detail so important that it needs over a page of explanation?
Can we come up with our own set ideas for our Brechtian piece? Don't answer that I already know.
But on that strain would costume and lighting and the whole shebang be good incorporations for our Rhino reflections? Because a challenge I see is that Ionesco incorporated very elaborate lighting and stage effects and Brecht very rarely had realistic set designs, rather there would be just enough to know what the scene is supposed to be. the trouble is elaborate staging is pretty important for the part where Mrs whats her face dives down to her transformed husband or in the cafe when everyone sees the Rhinoceros go by... Hmm curiouser and curiouser.
I think that as for all plays, the director's notes are merely there for the accuracy of a production if thusly desired. It's entirely possible for the staging to be largely transmuted by using different ideas while still conveying a same general message or even applying a different theme to be shown through the work.
Leaving a generic message.
After reading Aaron's question, my question is something along the same line. Do we need to use the setting they provide and show how that setting is Brechtian style, or should be change the setting and discuss how Brecht would make it in his style
But Mr. Echt, what about when the text lends itself to certain staging i.e. the Satan speech has to be on a stage for Seagull and there has to be some sort of high rise on the stage so they can look down on the Rhinoceros. Staging is often but not always open to interpretation...
I understand your arguement, and am too tired to thoroughly respond... ask me tomorrow!
Mrs. Cook, one more question. I am halfway through the play and I am just having trouble with my journal regarding what else to say. I stated the majority of the Brechtian styles in the first journal entry and those things apply to everything throughout the play. So I am having difficulty deciding what else to say besides a summary.
YAY! we read Rhinoceros!
It's not my favorite Ionesco play but it does have the most direct application to politics and society.
I read somewhere that the original German production had something like 50 curtain calls!!!
It really seems like an insightful way to simultaneously acknowledge what happened in Germany but more importantly it doesn't blame people for becoming Rhinos but it does suggest that humans are better than Rhinos if you can stop yourself from transforming. It's a pretty wild metaphor but for Ionesco it's almost blatantly obvious! :D
I am of course an avid fan of Ionesco, but were there any criticisms you guys had?
I have none. I love this play for its absurd straight-forwardness. I find the final monologue to be so textured...what a great culmination for his character, and the message is so evident as you watch his deliberation happening. I'm glad you see the cultural context of it, Aaron! Anyone else?
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