"Will Somebody LISTEN to me?"

At the end of Act One, Walter and Mama present their differing views on life and what is important in life. What are these views and with whose view do you most connect/understand/empathize? Why? (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Friday, April 29, 2011.)

The Magic Beneath

Symbolism, I believe, is the magic beneath. It is the beauty of life, it is essence of being, it is that gasp of the heart when you read that perfect line. So much of the full meaning of The Glass Menagerie comes from the symbols Williams weaves into this poignant story. Which symbol--the unicorn, the candelabrum, the fire escape, electricity, Jim and Laura's waltz, the Paradise Dance Hall, Blue Roses, jonquils, the photograph of Mr. Wingfield, light, Laura's limp, etc--was the magic beneath the lines of the play for you? Explain what this symbol means and how it helped you to fully understand the many messages of the play. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Sunday, April 24, 2011.)

"You manufacture illusions..."

The characters in The Glass Menagerie live in the same apartment, but in very different worlds. Tom seeks a world of adventure in his movie going while Laura lives in a world of old phonograph records and tiny glass figures. What about their mother? In what world does she live? How does this world comfort or protect her from her reality? What is Tennessee Williams saying about her illusive world? (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight April 20, 2011.)

Voices from Beyond...

Today, we read "Mrs. Charles Bliss" by Edgar Lee Masters. Read now the epitaph of Reverend Wiley. Compare their views and tones. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight Friday, April 15, 2011.)
Rev. Lemuel Wiley
I preached four thousand sermons,
I conducted forty revivals,
And baptized many converts.
Yet no deed of mine
Shines brighter in the memory of the world,
And none is treasured more by me:
Look how I saved the Blisses from divorce.
And kept the children free from that disgrace,
To grow up into moral men and women,
Happy themselves a credit to the village.
Edgar Lee Masters

The Heart Knows...

Today, we read Emily Dickinson's poem "Not with a Club the Heart is Broken." Now read this poem by Stephen Crane, and answer this prompt: "What is Crane's tone about love? Compare his view and the view of Dickinson. Which poem do you prefer? Why?" (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight Thursday, April 14, 2011.)

LOVE WALKED ALONE
Love walked alone.
The rocks cut her tender feet,
And the brambles tore her fair limbs.
There came a companion to her,
But, alas, he was no help
For his name was heart's pain.

By Any Other Name?

When Steinbeck first wrote this novel, he titled it "Something That Happened." Then, he remembered Robert Burn's poem "To a Mouse," from which he took the title. Which is the better title for this work? Why? (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Sunday, April 3, 2011.)