SEDUCTION OF YOUR NEICE

Hey everyone! I FOUND THIS VIDEO! THAT RELATES TO OUR CLASS DISSCUSSION! YAY!

Uighurs in China

I believe most people have at least heard of the conflict going on in China, but here's a very easy to read and informative piece by PBS about it: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/features/uighurs/
It's very important - it's a terrible thing thats going on right now.

"Two Goofballs" Motif

After reading Hamlet and the beginning of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, it became clear to me how the two characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern follow the “two goofballs” motif, as they are silly, slow, and easily manipulated. They often confuse their own selves and are, in general, not that smart. The idea of “two goofballs” is a very common motif seen in our pop culture today, with references in several well-known films, such as Dumb and Dumber and Step Brothers. In Dumb and Dumber, the two main characters, Harry and Lloyd, open a corkscrew and accidentally kill the last remaining member of a species of bird, an instance which displays both their foolishness and inattention to their surroundings. Movies that contain the two goofballs motif do so to provide for comedy, and I think it's interesting that this literary element can trace itself back to Hamlet and possibly even earlier plays.

Rhinoceros ... (the play)

Hey guys so when we were giving our short presentations I was in the group that focused on theatre of the absurd. When I was researching, one of the plays that came up was called Rhinoceros. I mentioned this briefly in our presentation but I'd thought I go into it a little more on the blog because I found it very interesting and just kind of weird overall. Rhinoceros is a play by Eugene Ionesco and was written in 1959. It is a three act play all about a small French town where all of the people turn into rhinoceroses. Everyone goes through this change except one character named Berenger. Although this character doesn't turn into a rhinoceros himself, he becomes fascinated by everyone else who does. As I was researching the play more I came across a lot of websites that said the play was a response to the "upsurge of Nazism" during WWII. This seemed to be a large topic/theme that was in theatre during this time. What do y'all think? Would y'all like to see a play like this?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros_(play)

Kind of random

Subjective reality is crazy to think about but what's even crazier to think about... DREAMS (see there’s kind of a correlation between the two). I started thinking about his when my brother brought up that he only dreams in black and white which I think is wack. Also where do y'all think dreams come from? Is it our subconscious having it's time to shine or just random thoughts or something else??? And while we're at it what's your craziest dream? I'm curious.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's Identity

As we read in the article in Rosencrantz Guildenstern the other day, both Ros and Guil are often mistaken for one another. While reading the the first 34 pages last night, this instance occurred. The reason behind this was not that they looked anything the same, but speaks to the importance of their character, a singular one.

In Hamlet, Ros and Guil hold a very minor part. They function as one character. Ros never does anything without Guil and visa versa. This is even seen in the title, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern most likely both die at the exact same time. When one dies, so does the other. Many of their traits are seen in each other. Do they just not have a distinct personality or are they not important enough to have 2 distinct characters? Or is there another reason for doing this?

What do y’all think??

" The Myth of Sisyphus"

Camu in his essay "The Myth of Sisyphus" argues that the Sisyphus is the absurd hero because he finds meaning in his torment, "One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well." 

Camu's essay in general is very similar to the central principle of Marxist theory which is that the bourgeoisie oppresses the proletariat by making their work seem meaningless. Thus, for the proletariat to overthrow the bourgeoisie and establish the dictatorship of the proletariat they must find meaning in their work. Camu is suggesting that if we follow this premise of Marxist theory than we shall  overcome the absurdity of life. 

Therefore, I am proclaiming the Workers Council of AP English IV. The Soviet shall overthrow the bourgeoisie and restore meaning to our work.