May162012

The Power of Power

In most of the books we’ve read this year, power and control have been major themes. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad discusses the power of language and the gift of expression (along with Kurtz’s enchantment/control over the natives and whoever else heard his voice). In Things Fall Apart, one of the most important things in life (if not the most important) to Okonkwo was being strong and powerful. He was intensely afraid of weakness. Now, in M. Butterfly, we see that the lack of power Gallimard experienced all his life will make him eager to accept any situation that gives him power. He tells the audience that he was always the shy, wimpy, pimply guy who was afraid girls would reject him. Finally, he “gained power over a beautiful woman” (1.11 pg 36) (and acts like a complete jerk…but that’s besides the point). This helps explain why Gallimard could have been able to ‘overlook’ or just refuse to see the truth about Song. He “knew this little flower was waiting for me to call, and, as I wickedly refused to do so, I felt for the first time that rush of power—the absolute power of a man” (1.11 pg 32).

Even in the second scene of Act 1, we see that society pities Gallimard in a sort of inferior way. They laugh at him, call him ignorant, and say he was “overly anxious”, but in reality he wanted a sense of power. A sense of power that these people prove (by looking down on him in a pitiful tone) he had no where else but in his relationship with Song.

And, since Song is a spy and has her own agenda, she understands what this feeling of power can do. She plays up her helplessness in order to keep Gallimard interested. Together they prove the incredible power of having power.
-Annsley 

power m butterfly 

2PM

Gallimard: “I had finally gained power over a beautiful woman, only to abuse it cruelly.” (M. Butterfly, Act I, scene 11)

Gallimard says this after having received letters from Song and he realizes that he has her completely wrapped around his finger. Gallimard relishes this power, because he has never had it before. For example, when he describes his first “experience,” he was in the submissive position, and he only got the girl because his friend Marc helped him out. Having gained this power over a woman all by himself, naturally, the first thing he does is abuse it. He leaves Song hanging for weeks on end only to wait for her to desparately admit that she belongs completely to him. His realization of his power leads us to wonder if he will ever be able to relinquish it. However, knowing this story is based on a real life event, the entire situation is completely ironic since Song is really a man and is playing the role of butterfly to get Gallimard wrapped around his/her finger and to get information from him because he/she is a spy. What do you guys think of Gallimard’s power over Song, or his lack thereof? In this quote does he appear as the “man” or “woman” in his relationship with Song?

-Ashley

david henry hwang m. butterfly gallimard power control 

March82012
If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you bring? I have been asked this question many times and my answer sometimes includes a ping-pong table, sun glasses, and a book titled, “How to Build a Boat.”  I have never been stranded on a desert island, but Prospero has.  The play, The Tempest, is set on an island in the New World where Prospero and Miranda must live away from their home of Milan.   What three things would Prospero bring to a desert island? This first thing Prospero would pack is his magic.  Prospero gains his power from his magic.  Without it he would be powerless and weak.  Power is one characteristic that reminds him of his great life back in Milan.  The constant reminder of what he left behind pushes Prospero find a way back home. The next item on Prospero’s list is a book titled, “Manipulation 101.”  Prospero’s power doesn’t only come from his magic, but from his ability to easily manipulate others.  When He first arrived in the island, Prospero quickly gained control over Caliban and Ariel making them his indentured slaves.  With the ability to exploit those around him, Prospero gains authority over all existing forms of power and is able to create his own hierarchy of command. And finally, Prospero would bring his daughter, Miranda.  Like Prospero said in the play, Miranda is 1/3 of himself.  Miranda is Prospero’s only human connection to his past and the his only reason to have a bright future.  We see Prospero’s devotion to Miranda throughout the play.  Without Miranda, Prospero would not be civil and seek pure revenge for what his brother did. So, what three things would you bring if you were stranded on a desert island?  This question doesn’t ask how or why you got onto the island, or even how you would get off.  The question is about the time you spend on the island and what is most important to you.   What does Prospero care about and what does that reveal about his character? Do the things we bring define who we are and what we stand for? -Rachel F.

If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you bring?

I have been asked this question many times and my answer sometimes includes a ping-pong table, sun glasses, and a book titled, “How to Build a Boat.”  I have never been stranded on a desert island, but Prospero has.  The play, The Tempest, is set on an island in the New World where Prospero and Miranda must live away from their home of Milan.  

What three things would Prospero bring to a desert island?

This first thing Prospero would pack is his magic.  Prospero gains his power from his magic.  Without it he would be powerless and weak.  Power is one characteristic that reminds him of his great life back in Milan.  The constant reminder of what he left behind pushes Prospero find a way back home.

The next item on Prospero’s list is a book titled, “Manipulation 101.”  Prospero’s power doesn’t only come from his magic, but from his ability to easily manipulate others.  When He first arrived in the island, Prospero quickly gained control over Caliban and Ariel making them his indentured slaves.  With the ability to exploit those around him, Prospero gains authority over all existing forms of power and is able to create his own hierarchy of command.

And finally, Prospero would bring his daughter, Miranda.  Like Prospero said in the play, Miranda is 1/3 of himself.  Miranda is Prospero’s only human connection to his past and the his only reason to have a bright future.  We see Prospero’s devotion to Miranda throughout the play.  Without Miranda, Prospero would not be civil and seek pure revenge for what his brother did.

So, what three things would you bring if you were stranded on a desert island?  This question doesn’t ask how or why you got onto the island, or even how you would get off.  The question is about the time you spend on the island and what is most important to you.  

What does Prospero care about and what does that reveal about his character?

Do the things we bring define who we are and what we stand for?

-Rachel F.

True Life truelife Prospero If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you bring? The Tempest William Shakespeare Miranda power important English desert island island 

1PM

Prospero’s Power

In Act 5 scene 1, Prospero announces that after he’s done seeking justice upon his adversaries, he will “break [his] staff and.. drown his book” (149). If one had not read the play, a person might believe that Prospero has changed for the better, that he has realized the harmful consequences of possessing power and has decided to remove the very notion of power from his life. But Prospero’s “realization” is not this simple because he conveniently realizes the destructive effects of his magical abilities when he is coming into another source of power, his restoration as the Duke of Milan.  Without being reinstated to his position of former power, Prospero would most likely not have considered doing away with his cherished books.  Not only that, but in the epilogue there is no mention that Prospero ever saw this thought through.  So, is Prospero truly a merciful ruler, as everyone seems to believe, or in actuality is he a sneaky trickster with the upper hand?   

AMY

the tempest prospero magic power 

March62012

“But release me from my bands/ With the help of your good hands./ Gentle breath of yours my sails/ Must fill, or else my project fails,/ Which was to please. Now I want/ Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,/ And my ending is despair,/ Unless I be relieved by prayer, Which pierces so that it assaults/ Mercy itself, and free all faults./ As you from crimes would pardoned be,/ Let your indulgence set me free. (Epilogue, 9-20)

As we wrap up on the Tempest I want to discuss a little bit about the epilogue. Knowing this was Shakespeare’s last play this epilogue is in a sense, his last hoorah. At the end of the play Prospero frees everyone from the charms he has been keeping them under and now that we have reached the end of the play he addresses the audience and suggests that he too, is trapped. Thus, he gives the audience the ultimate power. This helps develop Prospero’s character as one that is not power hungry but merely seeking justice. He gives the audience the ultimate power to send him back to Milan (breath of yours my sails must fill) or to keep him trapped on the island. Also, in addressing their hands he is basically just asking them for an applause. He also addresses death with “my ending” which reveals that now that the play is over he is now ready for death, In the very last line he says, “Let your indulgence set me free.” The use of indulgence as the note in the book states, has another meaning besides enjoyment, addressing theological indulgences during the time where buying indulgences from the church could free you from the punishment merited by sin. This double meaning contributes that the play itself can be an escape from sin and reality for the audience and in indulging in it it sets Prospero free. It’s ironic that Prospero is ultimately under the control of the audience considering the entire play he appears as the most powerful one. Do you guys think this was a good way for Shakespeare to end his last play or should he have done something different with the epilogue?

-Ashley 

shakespeare tempest Prospero epilogue audience power 

February292012
During the marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda, Prospero brings in his spirits, Juno, Iris, and Ceres, or better known as the Greek goddesses, Hera, Iris, and Demeter. Iris represents the rainbow, or the sky and sea mixing together. She is also the handmaiden to Juno, and tells the goddess Ceres that Juno,  ”…Bids thee leave these, and with her sovereign grace, here on this grass-plot, in this very place, to come and sport. Her peacocks fly amain. Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain” (4.1 80-83). Iris is telling another goddess to entertain the other goddess, which connects to the theme of power struggle between inhabitants on the island, even goddesses. Ceres is the goddess of fertility and earth which goes hand in hand with Juno’s status of goddess of marriage. Ceres also demonstrates a power struggle between herself and the goddess Venus by saying, “Since they did plot the means that dusky Dis my daughter got, Her and her blind boy’s scandaled company I have forsworn” (4.1 97-100). Venus plotted to capture Ceres’s daughter in the underworld by having the Dis (or Hades) fall in love with her and steal her away from the living earth. Ceres no longer is allowed to be with her daughter because she lost control of those around her. After Ceres makes her point, Juno descends from the heavens and blesses Ferdinand and Miranda for marriage. The theme of power struggle is dominant throughout the book, even with little scenes of spirits like Ceres, Juno, and Iris. I found this image and thought it was super cute but also shows how Ceres worships Juno and the power inequality between them when Ceres says, “Highest Queen”.  -Amanda

During the marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda, Prospero brings in his spirits, Juno, Iris, and Ceres, or better known as the Greek goddesses, Hera, Iris, and Demeter. Iris represents the rainbow, or the sky and sea mixing together. She is also the handmaiden to Juno, and tells the goddess Ceres that Juno,  ”…Bids thee leave these, and with her sovereign grace, here on this grass-plot, in this very place, to come and sport. Her peacocks fly amain. Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain” (4.1 80-83). Iris is telling another goddess to entertain the other goddess, which connects to the theme of power struggle between inhabitants on the island, even goddesses. Ceres is the goddess of fertility and earth which goes hand in hand with Juno’s status of goddess of marriage. Ceres also demonstrates a power struggle between herself and the goddess Venus by saying, “Since they did plot the means that dusky Dis my daughter got, Her and her blind boy’s scandaled company I have forsworn” (4.1 97-100). Venus plotted to capture Ceres’s daughter in the underworld by having the Dis (or Hades) fall in love with her and steal her away from the living earth. Ceres no longer is allowed to be with her daughter because she lost control of those around her. After Ceres makes her point, Juno descends from the heavens and blesses Ferdinand and Miranda for marriage. The theme of power struggle is dominant throughout the book, even with little scenes of spirits like Ceres, Juno, and Iris. I found this image and thought it was super cute but also shows how Ceres worships Juno and the power inequality between them when Ceres says, “Highest Queen”. 

-Amanda

juno ceres iris rainbow power tempest William Shakespeare goddess 

February142012
Shakespeare’s The Tempest was written in the latter part of his life, therefore parts of the plot have been influenced by his other works. Similiarly to Macbeth, dynamic power struggles and greed are the driving forces behind the play’s plot. In the begining, Antonio decieves his brother, Prospero, and steals his throne. Antonio states that his garments have never sat so well upon him (71), divulging that his newfound power has only benefitted him, even though it came at a very high cost. Once Prospero has been exiled and he lands upon a deserted island, he befriends the native King, Caliban, and wastes no time in stealing his throne. Caliban reflects upon his situation saying, “this island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother, which thou tak’st from me.” (37). Ironically, Prospero has just inflicted the same fate upon Caliban that his brother wreaked upon him. This reveals that Prospero is not exactly an innocent victim because he applies his same punishment unto his servants. I find it ridiculous that characters’ would use revenge, betrayl, and greed to get ahead in their society when these things have only brought about pain and suffering to others; whatever goes around comes around so it was unwise for Antonio and Prospero to hurt others because karma is not kind. -Amy

Shakespeare’s The Tempest was written in the latter part of his life, therefore parts of the plot have been influenced by his other works. Similiarly to Macbeth, dynamic power struggles and greed are the driving forces behind the play’s plot. In the begining, Antonio decieves his brother, Prospero, and steals his throne. Antonio states that his garments have never sat so well upon him (71), divulging that his newfound power has only benefitted him, even though it came at a very high cost. Once Prospero has been exiled and he lands upon a deserted island, he befriends the native King, Caliban, and wastes no time in stealing his throne. Caliban reflects upon his situation saying, “this island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother, which thou tak’st from me.” (37). Ironically, Prospero has just inflicted the same fate upon Caliban that his brother wreaked upon him. This reveals that Prospero is not exactly an innocent victim because he applies his same punishment unto his servants. I find it ridiculous that characters’ would use revenge, betrayl, and greed to get ahead in their society when these things have only brought about pain and suffering to others; whatever goes around comes around so it was unwise for Antonio and Prospero to hurt others because karma is not kind.

-Amy

the tempest greed power 

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