Drama & Me...

Wrapping Up week 14

2006-10-18T21:38:00.000+08:00

Now that I'm towards the end of this semester, I start to think back about the past 13 weeks. Teaching the Language of Drama - a course that I would say makes me ponder a lot. Its not that I knew more things after studing the 5 plays but it was the lessons learnt from it. Personal experience. Studying those 5 plays often makes me reflect upon my ownself - whatever I do and whatever decision that I make. Those 5 plays let me look at different women personalities and how thay actually face their "problems' withe different solutions. It really wakes my inner self. I used to take my life seriously but not as serious as now- after all those pondering and some real hard personal experiences. God's will, I would say, that this paper gives me both the education for my degree and the education for my life. Overall, my comment is that - Thank God for this subject.

Wow....

2006-10-13T23:45:00.000+08:00

My class got to watch Pygmalion and my comment is WOW! It was a wonderful movie to watch. It was a direct adaptation from the play that I studied in class and the actors and actresses played a good job in the movie. Although it is a black & white version, compared to A Streetcar Named Desire, I prefer Pygmalion! The storyline, frankly speaking is similar to My Fair Lady but then somehow or rather its not the same. The ending in this movie is rather a happy ending, as assumed by many - Eliza's return to Prof Higgins. But then when I compared it to the play that I read in class, I was a little disappointed as Eliza actually married Freddy. I was thinking to myself, why couldn't Eliza and Prof Higgins get married instead? Everything happened for a reason.....
Ah...nevermind. At least I'm thankful that this play doesn't end in a tragic way. After studying all those tragic plays, at least I get to a play that is not tragic. Pygmallion makes me reflect on a lot of things. For example, I was thinking, is language a measuring tool of a person's position in the society? In my opinion, yes. Why I said this? Well, different people speak in different accent and by listening to people's speech, it unviels a lot about the person. Look at Eliza in the beginning of the play, her English was purely from the lower class of the society. But then, as her character develops in the play, her spoken English was improving to the state where she speaks better than the Queen herself. The value of education....

Myths and magic....

2006-10-11T18:09:00.000+08:00

Pygmalion, my latest interest.....when I actually referred to the original myth I was amazed. I like that myth where dreams becomes reality. But then I have to remember, myths are myths, they don't happen here, now, today. Pygmalion's determination and belief really touch his God but in reality, as for me, I really doubt it sometimes. Reading the myth had made me think of the dreams and visions that I used to have but now, all I can say is that "what you see is what you get". We can't live forever in our dreams. We have to face the reality.
But looking at the positive side of it, I came to realization that no matter how difficult it is to complete a task, as long as you have the determination, you will be able to accomplish it. It's just the matter of time. Patience is the magic word.

Malaysian touch

2006-09-27T08:57:00.001+08:00

We have Midas' Touch so lets have some Malaysian Touch. I mean Anike. Doesn't it looked like we have Malaysian Touch in it? First, lets look at the setting, Temasek (Quite near to Peninisular Malaysia) and the description of the clothes of the characters : songket, kain pelikat (it comes out well in my imagination). The interesting part is that I was not the only one who noticed the Thosai that the guards had for breakfast but some of my friends noticed that too! Diverging from my initial prejudice towards Anike, I think now I begin to see the play in the Malaysian. The choice of words and expressions in the play clearly signifies the Malaysian language (Bahasa Melayu).
Wong Phui Nam attempted something different in this play where we, as reader, had this sense of belonging towards this play. It gives readers the feel of being in Nusantara and the pre-Malacca's sultanate settings. I guess my perception towards this play is slowly moving to a positive light.

Antigone vs Anike, photocopy or what?

2006-09-25T10:20:00.000+08:00

As I read Anike, I can predict what is going to happen next and who's going to die in the end of the play. Much to be influenced by Antigone and Hikayat Hang Tuah, I began to feel like Anike was just a remake of Antigone and with no much difference. Even some of the utterances are the same! I finished reading the whole play in less than half an hour. With the prior knowledge that I have inside my brain, I was kind of skimmed through the whole thing without really going into the text. This is gonna be wrong but I just can't help myself from reading it through real fast. I could know who is going to say what and where are those people going to. With some localize effects on the plot, setting and characterization; all I could say is that Anike is indeed a remake and simplified version of Antigone. I not sure how many readers are going to agree with me but the truth is, this is how I felt. May be as time goes by, I could see something different in Anike.

Flattery, honesty...which kills?

2006-09-20T15:23:00.000+08:00

As for me, both kills but I would rather to be killed by honesty than to be killed by flattery. Imagine the pain that you have to go through when all those beautiful words unfold to be the best killer weapon on earth - beating the biological or neuclear weapon. Honesty hurts but its only for a while.....look at Lear, the "flatter weapon" (I created that term for Goneril's & Regan's strategy) that killed him by breaking his heart.

Goldrain.......hailstones

2006-09-13T15:13:00.000+08:00

When I first learned about the phrase Gold Rain & Hailstones I kept wondering if I does make any sense to me. I don't remember learning this saying when I was in school. But if this saying is translated in Malay, then it looks familiar to me : Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri, lebih baik di negeri sendiri.

The props were simple. Four chairs and a round sofa. That's all for the whole 2 1/2 hours. I do admire the back drop, using computer projected images and that save up on the props.

This is only the second time that I am watching a play. The first was 30 days in September, which was staged in Actor's Studio, Bangsar 2 years ago. Much to be influenced by the last play I watch, I find my self confused at the beginning of this play. There was only two actors and playing multiple roles. I had to pay real close attention on whatever that was going on else getting myself lost in the play. I salute the actors for being able to carry out different roles speaking multiple types of English (American English& Malaysian English) and yet speaking so well in Malay.

The play reflects the reality that we live in. The struggle that Amy went through is a common sight among Malaysians - trying to be like Westerners but ended up losing their own roots. It was sad to see Amy ended up in this way - can't speak proper Malay and not understanding the culture. Perhaps she got carried away too much by her parents' upbringing and her environment.

We often take things for granted, thinking that there is always a tomorrow. Until we lost our dear ones, only to realize that we need to appreciate.

After all, it was a good play to watch...good work Jit Murad & Lin Jaafar!

Dejected

2006-09-11T09:23:00.000+08:00

As I read King Lear again and again, I began to sympathize Lear as in Act 2 where Goneril & Regan started to reject his presence. How on earth they could do that to their own father? When he loses his powers, he loses everything that he ever had - his home, children and his knights. All was left was only Kent and the Fool - not of his own flesh and blood. In todays context, we say that both his daughters are materialistic and power-crazed. I am sure that Lear was lost and totally in disbelieve that his two daughters would give him such a treatment.

Lear, oh, Lear

2006-08-27T23:19:00.000+08:00

My readings on King Lear had made me blur, in the sense that I get too much of Shakespeare's language. Half of the time I don't really understand what was being written in the play. The other half of the time - trying to make sense of whatever I have read. Gosh!!!! I keep telling myself that I can do it (finish the play & understand FULLY the content). Reading King Lear made me remember of the days where I did Sonnet 18. My classmates (most of them) and I could still remember the poem - at least the first line. We could not remember any other poems (so well) but only Sonnet 18. I think it was because of the language in the poem - so abstract yet so beautiful. The impact of Shakespeare's sonnet can be seen even today ("Shall I compare thee to the summer's day"...I type this without referring to the Literature textbook). This time around, I think I would remember the dialogue in the play - but until now I still have not remembered any.
Keeping a positive mind on this 'tragedy', I couldn't really decide if I should pity Lear for all the hardship that he had to go through. But after all, without the tragedy then we would have no King Lear (as a play). I reality, this things do happen in the modern society - betrayal and revenge. We cannot escape the fact that sometimes, our dearest, closest relative would betray us. The pain and suffering is more painful if we are betrayed by our family members compared to someone without any blood ties. Where is the love?

Pride & Arrogance

2006-08-17T19:43:00.000+08:00

Ever believed that pride and arrogance can eventually destroy you? Well, I do. No matter how powerful you are or how respected you are; if you are arrogant, God will eventually take everything from you. I do believe in divine intervention in our lives. No matter what we do - we have to remember that GOD is watching us. Believing in God can make one step on the ground or I should say have some conscious that they shouldn't be proud. We are who we are and there's no power-showing business here.
Creon's fate was just. His pride and arrogance had made him look down on (weaker) people and accuse the innocent. We can see Creon's eventual fate in the play Antigone ; he was blinded by his pride. It makes me think of how power and position can destroy a person. To be humble is a good attitude. If one is humble, there's no way one can look down on other people. ~A humble person makes a brighter day.~

He or She?

2006-08-06T22:23:00.000+08:00

I decided to explore a little bit more on Tiresias...and the results; shock, amazed, confused....Well, he is amazing! Being a man and a woman (7 years). Greek mythology has long amazed me but Tiresias adds to my surprises. At first, I was confused reading about him but soon I began to see the real picture. I used to think that Greek myths are mere stories but as I read more sometimes I do feel that some parts of it can be factual. Tiresias has somehow or rather been blessed by Zeus for his life and he did survive till the 7th generation (can't remeber where I read it from). Drama can be real exiciting with some myths and legends in it else it would be so factual - factual in the sense that it's so like our daily life. Adding so supernatural forces with lighten up the play - Good work, Sophocles!

Tragic & Sad....

2006-07-26T13:16:00.000+08:00

It's rather sad to read Antigone because I don't enjoy tragic stories...where most characters die. I prefer if the protagonist lives and the antagonist die...or at least go insane or something like that. Well, I don't want to spoil Sophocles's story so I'll just accept it as it is. (Actually I would really like it if Creon did go insane towards the end of the story ). Reading Antigone had somehow or rather gives me a deep thought about our daily lives. It crosses my mind about how we can't fight fate. I suppose most people believe in fate and God's will. As for me, I can see that we are not the authors of our own play; I suppose not many people agree with me on this. Well, literature has become part of my life where I learn lessons in life. As for Antigone, I shall say that : Don't be stubborn and it is important if we could just LISTEN to others before taking our own course.........