Last acts of MSND, lab, and Descartes

In this installment, as you might have guessed in the title, I will be tackling the last three subjects we've encountered in class. Three blog posts rolled into one! I know, I know, terribly exciting; but please do try to keep your demeanor settled, seeing as this is an educated, mature, environment.

The last acts of A Midsummer Night's Dream

It seemed like to me that in the last acts, Shakespeare just wrote what he had to in order for everyone to live happily ever after, even the audience. How conveniently they all just forgot the previous night, with nothing more than the faint impression a dream leaves, and that Demetrius is by chance the only one to walk out of the forest with the magic still on his eyes. Then Puck slyly secures the characters and audience by saying that if they are offended, not to be, because it all was an innocent dream. I really enjoyed the play within a play, especially when we saw it in the movie. The actors were really good at portraying bad actors.

The Lab at the Nelson

The lab held a lot of things that resonated with my personal life. I particularly enjoyed it because I seldom get the chance to go to the Nelson, and just sit, allowing my mind to wonder and contemplate the poem I had been given, which was beautiful in it's simplistic approach towards such a complex experience.

Descartes

Out of the three parts we read, I particularly liked the first one. I nodded my head at about every sentence. He says that what he is writing is simply a narrative of his life and what he learned, he is sharing it with us so that you can choose to apply some of his findings to your own life, or not. He says that he only knows what worked for him and doesn't profess to know what will work universally. I like this because he not shoving his beliefs down my throat, claiming that his way is the only way to live life. I sympathized and agreed with how he views school, learning, and leaving home, once again finding myself in about the same position, trying to find a balance and a purpose. I only wish I had as much motivation has he did to gain as much knowledge as he could. I get lazy and discouraged by the difficult to understand, complex subjects he seems to have grasped so easily. But hey, I'm working on it.

Julie

Descartes, How Sly You Are...

"I have no confidence in any of philosophy's results or in my ability to improve that situation." Descartes said this line near the end of the first part and I find this to be my favorite line during the whole reading.

Not only did I enjoy his 'method' and the discussion of his method (I could actually understand it all fairly well rather than have to try and rack my brain in order to comprehend it), but I just enjoyed the personality he placed in this selection as well. He placed this humility in juxtaposition with a pushing for his ideas and style. It was almost comical that he would constantly stop to remind us, the reader, that these ideas worked for him and may not work for us. Like a disclosure.

The idea that God exists and how he went about proving God was interesting as well. It seems like other people have used this idea to say God exists, that because we have perfections and imperfections, another being more perfect than us must been the one who has planted these into us. But this being can't have intelligence (though he does have something there) nor does he have a body. I found that idea different as well: God does not have intelligence nor a body because those are imperfections and God is perfect in every way. Hmm. Truly something to think upon...

Philosophy Talk with Brock and Jordan

Contradiction

In class we discussed that there was a possibility that Shakespeare was portraying love with a satirical twist, and even mocking himself through the play the Bottom, Flute, Snout, Snug, and the other men were displaying for the Theseus's wedding. Why then does Shakespeare contradict himself with the sappy love sick ending? Wouldn't he want to portray that "love" will not last and only end in disappointment and chaos, similar situations to what happened with the love juice?
Also, the ending was predictable. The play was successfully featured, and even when the two lovers killed themselves, the audience was appalled and in disbelief. It seemed as if they were blinded by happiness. I was secretly hoping for a twist at the end, but everything came to a happy and content conclusion.

3/28/11

I find Shakespeare's portrayal of women very intriguing. I agree with Kristen, his roles for women are very strong, fighting for what they want. Even though these women are strong, they are still limited by society. I find it interesting that he gives them strength for love, as though he's saying women can fight but they are always fighting for the wrong reasons.

Shakespeare's treatment of women is interesting, not only in this play, but in most of his other ones as well. Although they are almost always focused on romantic matters, they are still strong willed, but restrained by the culture they are portrayed in. I can't tell how much of this is Shakespeare's own opinion, or just a reflection of the time in which these were written. His women are strong, and usually always get what they want in the end, but all they ever seem to want is some lover or another. In A Midsummer Nights Dream, I especially disliked the relationship between Oberon and Titania. He does her a horrible wrong, manipulates her into getting what he wants, and then she has no reaction to it after the spell is lifted.
Pretty sure any self respecting fairy queen would kick his ass.

"This is the end, beautiful friends..."

I feel as though through all the disillusionment corrupting the characters' motivations that Shakespeare is trying to communicate how often we mistake infatuation and fantasy for true love. Titania dotes on Bottom's "fair long ears" although his ears are not fair at all. She allows herself to be influenced by the idea of Bottom's appearance that she has created in her own mind instead of seeing him for what he truly is: an ass! The end of the play could not be more appropriate for its theme. Two lovers willing to die for each other instead of submitting to the will of their parents reflects the protagonists' strife subperbly. I think Shakespeare is trying to emphasize how insignificant the love of one person is in the grand scheme of life; there is no way to tell who is truly your "significant other" so dying for them seems silly.