Youth Festival 2018: Academic Task

 Youth Festival 2018: Academic Task: 

           This blog is part of my academic task. 

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar  University has celebrated three days of Youth festival which has given the name as Ashvariyam Youth festival. This festival celebrated on 26th October to 28th October. In this festival there were many events like  One Act Play , Skit , Mono-acting , Poetry Recitation , on the spot Painting,  Collage, Cartooning, Rangoli, Installation, Photography , Poster Making , Western group song and solo song , Bhajan , Group Traditional Orchestra  etc. So the task given by Dilip Barad  Sir to watch this events and do critical observation and try to connect with various literary terms. 

I attended serval events like One act play , Mono acting , Rangoli ,  Western group and solo song and Mimicry. 

1) One act play : 

I have watched only one play " Sikkani Triji Baju". This play is reflect the real life situation. This play is all about the condition of third gender in society. How society looks differently towards third gender people though they have the same feeling and emotions as other human being have but society didn't accept it. Our film and television portrayed this type of people as comical way. So people didn't habituated to look this people in sympathetic way. In this play also shows that how society looks towards this people. This play follows the aristocratic structure of play : Rising action , conflict and falling action.This play have also some tragic elements through we felt catharsis.

    When we read this play from feminist perspective it reflects the woman suffering in society. Because the woman has given birth to third gender child. She humiliated by society and family members. The situation becomes so critical that she forced to left the house with her child. She grown up the child single handed without help of others. So how she treated in society because she gave birth to the child which is third gender and not acceptable in society. 

    This play also reflects the  situation of third gender people in society. They do not treated as human being but society calling them "others ". So we can see how society differentiate this type of people by identifying them as others.

     Also in this play we can see the use of Good symbolically language. In this play this type of people consider as the eighth color of rainbow. This type of symbolical language was used in play. Which has significant meaning behind it. 

2 ) Mono acting : 

 Doing acting  all alone is very difficult task. I have seen two Mono-acting. One is about the condition of lady hawker. Which is performed by my fellow classmate. It reflects the condition of woman in the patriarchal society. This acting moving from comedy to tragedy. So it  becomes successful in generating catharsis in audience mind. It also reflects patriarchal power. At the end she questioning the audience about the ideal woman. Whom they consider ideal woman ? The one who fits in patriarchal mindset of ideal woman or the one who live freely and following her passions and embitions ? So this way she highlighted woman conditions. The second mono acting which I like the subject  was " Ashvathama". In this the girl connected the current condition of woman. She highlighted the situation of girl child. Girl child is killed in mother womb. So this both act was tragic act. It highlights women condition in patriarchal society and suffering of woman for her existence. 

3)  Rangoli:

There were many Rangoli in youth festival. Most of them is the typical traditional Rangoli. The one Rangoli which I like most is this Rangoli. In this Rangoli we can see Nature and technology together. The Nature and technology both are the important part of human life. In this Rangoli both is equally important. Now days technology is most significant part of human life. Facebook ,  Twitter, Google plus , What's app , Blogger , YouTube and Google maps make life easy and fast. With in that the Nature also very important part of life. So in this this two type of things brings together in one Rangoli. It also reflects tradition and modernity in art. 

4) Mimicry : 

  Mimicry consider as one of the difficult form of art. In Mimicry I saw some acts. By attending this session we come to know about the different sounds of things and animals around us. Normally we don't hear all the sound with concentration.  In this session there were many sounds like 

• Sound of table tennis 

• voice of peacock 

• Sound of train 

• Sound of drop of water 

• Sound of vehicle like Rickshaw and helicopter, car etc. 

• Sound of political leaders 

• Sound of cartoons etc.

        So there were many sounds coping by each performer. So each of them capable to coping various sounds one after another. I find one interesting thing that some of them try to creating a story and the sound of things going parallel with the story told by them.

  

6) Painting :

     I have not seen any  of paintings but I try to interprete with the help of their photographs. The paintings reflects me too movement ,  conditions of women ,  harmful effects of using technology and smart phones , Differnce between Digital classroom and traditional classroom , useing smartphone and technology ( Usb code, SMS,  Pdf file , pen drive )  for saving papers. So all these things are connecting  with the current time. 

7) Installation : 

Installation the idea itself the progressive way to giving message by using useless things. In this it gives the message of cleanliness , traditional musical instruments ,  religion and traditional festival celebration  like Navratri..etc.

 This thing also seen as the modern art. Using the boots and hat ,  lock and key. It reflects control over the people. Hat is represtative of mind and boots representative of Body. Key and lock symbolise connection between both mind and body. It is always together.

Thinking activity : The Birthday Party

Thinking activity : The Birthday party 

This blog is part of my academic activity. To open task link clear Here.

Q 1) Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?

Lulu 's two scenes omitted from movie because probably director don't wanted to show violence into his film. It may disturb readers. Also the center of the film is Stanley ,Goldberg and McCain. So male is the center of the film. If director  show  the scene in which Lulu harassed by Stanley. We felt more sympathy for Lulu not Stanley. So may be it is the reason for omitted the scenes.

2) Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?

  Movie is successful in giving us the effect of menace. When Meg insist Stanley to play Toy drum at that time the voice of toy drum increase and create violence. Also Stanley trys to frightened Mag. Silence and long pause and unsettled and uncomfortable laugh of character create effect of menace. In text  the conversation between Stanley and Goldberg and McCain the torrent language create effect of menace. 

Q 3)   Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text.

 Yes I feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie. When Stanley trys to frightening Mag and suddenly door knocked by someone. Stanley was beaten by Goldberg and McCain  the whole night. Next morning Stanley even not able to speak single word. During Blind Man 's bluff play Stanley was helpless when McCain broke Stanley 's spectacle. 

Q 4) What do you read in 'newspaper' in the movie? Petey is reading newspaper to Meg, it torn into pieces by McCain, pieces are hidden by Petey in last scene.

Newspaper has a symbolically significant in the movie. Newspaper can be used for hiding self from unnecessary things or situation. In the scene in which Petey reading newspaper and mag is working and asking current news. It shows power position in relationship. Petey in superior position and Mag in inferior position. Newspaper also reflects reality. Petey hide the pieces of newspaper because he not wanted to show Mag reality. Stanley tried to going against Goldberg and McCain may be fight for truth but this pieces of newspapers shows truth is broken and can not stand up against them. By hiding pieces Petey just wanted to go far from the reality that Stanley taken by Goldberg and McCain to unknown place.

Q 5) Camera is positioned over the head of McCain when he is playing Blind Man's Buff and is positioned at the top with a view of room like a cage (trap) when Stanley is playing it. What interpretations can you give to these positioning of camera?

Camara is positioned over the head of McCain when he is playing Blind man 's

Buff. It shows his frustrating nature. He start broken the things when he can't find anyone. When Stanley is playing at that time Camara positioned at the top with a view of room like cage. It shows how Stanley becomes helpless and frightened. During this game his spectacle broken by McCain. McCain not broken the spectacle but he broken the intellectual  vision of Stanley as artist. Now his life is under the cage of McCain and Goldberg. Camara movement happening according to power position. It shows the power struggle between the characters. 

Q 6) "Pinter restored theater to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretense crumbles." (Pinter, Art, Truth & Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture). Does this happen in the movie?

Yes,  I find enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue which has no connection with other one.  But director also used out door scene in the beginning and at the end. Also very interestingly play opens in movie. Pinter more focus on the life of human relationship which also reflects in movie the characters always struggling for power. So the power struggle between the characters keep going on. 

Q 7 ) How does viewing movie help in better understanding of the play ‘The Birthday Party’ with its typical characteristics (like painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger)?

    Yes , movie help to understand play. While reading you can't feel the menace, danger of silence. But while watching movie, it becomes successful in create effect of horror and lurking danger. The expression of the character help into create effect of horror. So movie help into understand the some basic things of play. 

Q 8)        With which of the following observations you agree:

o   “It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party."

o    “It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Friedkin”.

  I am agree with second observation. The movie directed by William Friedkin very well directed Movie. It is impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play. Director become successful to give justice to the play. Movie follow each and every expression which written in the play. So the movie is very faithful to the play. 

Q 9 ) If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie?Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters. 

If I am director or screenplay writer I would like to highlight the character of Petey. I will show him as a strong resister  against Goldberg and McCain. 

List of characters role as per my choice : 

Stanley    : Ranbeer kapoor

Petey        : Nashrudin shah

Mag          : Kiran kher 

Goldberg : Anil Kapoor 

McCain    :  Irfan khan 

Lulu          :  Aditi Rao Hydri

Thinking activity : Waiting for Godot

  Thinking Activity : Waiting for Godot  

    This blog is part of my academic activity. To view task link click here.

Q 1) What connection do you see in the setting (“A country road. A tree.Evening.”) of the play and these paintings?

                   

The connection between the painting by Caspar David Friedrich and the play is  Longigness. A country road suggest a Hope of someone coming. A Tree suggest liveliness or Birth. Evening suggest Death and despair of desire. Loss of something. So thus the painting and play swinging  in between hope and despair. Road also connecting with waiting for someone. In between waiting for someone person do meaningless things for  passing time. So this all things are connecting with human life.

Q2) The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree -The tree has four or five leaves - ?

                    

In act 1 barren tree suggest absurdity in life and death of hope. It also shows the impact of world war ll. Society turns into ditch. In the second act tree with  five leaves suggest hope of something good. Hope of Godot will come. So the play moving from hopelessness to hope. Also it swings between Hope and despire. Nature doesn't effected by human emotions. Cycle of Nature keep on moving. Nature is not effect by human happiness and sorrow.

Q3)  In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot?

Night can be signifies as death and moon signifies as hope. Both Vladimir and Estrogen were waiting for night with the hope that Godot will come. So for Them night was important. Vladimir asked himself that will night never come? So indirectly he wanted to say that will life never end ? So night is connecting with death. Also it can been seen as hope that  Godot will come.

Q4) The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?

The director feels the setting with some debris it shows the effect of WWll. Debris means destroy in pieces. Which is useless and meaning less. Human life is also like this it is full of useless and meaningless things. It filled with so much useless things like religion , social values and morality that people can't think to live with out this meaning less things. Person consider it not debris but garden of paradise. So people finds useful and meaningful things in the meaningless things.

Q5)  The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?

The main core of the play is Nothingness.  Vladimir and Estragon both waiting for Godot. Boy the messanger told them "Godot will come tomorrow ". So while waiting they do many things to passing time. But this all things become meaningless because Godot not come. Even both have think to committed suicide but they can't do that.

Q6. )  Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)?

Waiting for Godot both as a positive and negative play because at the one side it shows the reality of human life. How we passing our life with meaningless purpose. It questions  existence of our life. It make us free from idea of God. It make us aware about our own importance in our life more than God. People can do anything without fear of God. It shows nature of Nature that doesn't effected by anything. It keep going on. This things also reflect human life that if some one died it doesn't effect others  life. Human life keep going on.

  This play is also somehow effect on people's mind negative way. If person finds his life meaning less it leads  his life towards depression.

Q7) How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?

                      

Estragon and Vladimir both suffer from same fate. Both have boots and hat but both focus on different thing Estragon focus on boots rather than hat. Vladimir focus on hat rather than boots. So people  have both in their life boots ( materialistic things ) and hat ( intellectual sense ) but person focus on only one things. Estragon wears boots it represents materialistic things. It represents artificiality of life , human body. Estragon not satisfied with his boots it hurts him. It shows unsatisfied nature of human.

Vladimir wears hat it shows intellectual power of  thinking man. He constantly thinking about Godot. He can remember everything because of that he suffers a lot. His thoughts hurts him a lot. Hat represent mind and rational life. He becomes helpless because he remember everything so he can't escape from the things. Because he constantly think he can't sleep.  So it shows that person should be balance both mind and heart.

Q8)Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?

Yes I think the obedience of lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic. Lucky represent all the human who chained one or another way if the other person try to free them they harm that person because they habituated with that situation and felt so much comfortable with it that they don't want to come out from that. Same thing happened here Vladimir tried to free  Lucky but he  harm him. Even after his master blind he didn't want to free still he follow his orders. We all follow the God even we don't know he exist or not but still we follow him blindly. So we all like Lucky who blindly follow religion with the fear of God.

Q 9)Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? Or  . . .

According to me desire and success is Godot. Human has uncountable desires in the life. If one will fulfill so people never get satisfaction the crave of getting better things keeps growing. Also successful life will never come because the successful life means person is happy and satisfy with the things. But in reality true success never come because person never get satisfaction and happiness after getting things. It remains for  some movement.  So these desire and successful life become Godot that will never come and it has never end. Though it gives purpose of living  life to the person.

Q10) “The subject of the play is not Godot but ‘Waiting’” (Esslin, A Search for the Self). Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?

  

Yes , I am agree that the subject of play is not Godot but waiting. Waiting is the important thing in the play. Estragon and Vladimir do many things during waiting. In our life we all are waiting for death. In between we do many things to kill the time. The play focus on what we do in our lives. Person abusing each other, spending time unnecessary things like dancing and signing. Vladimir and Estragon contradict each other and question everything , abused each other , doing exercise, hanging. So they do variety of things to killing time.

Q11 )   Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?

Yes I think the play like this can be better understandable if it wil be read first than viewed. Reading of the play helps to understand the things in the better way. If you first viewed play without reading you can't understand it properly. The core meaning of the play not be understandable only by viewing it. It also requires reading and thinking. After that viewing that play helps to understand it.  The play has small dialogue but each and every word has its own importance. In movie you can't find time to think deeply upon it. So reading will be better before viewing the play.

Q12) Which of the following sequence you liked the most:

o   Vladimir – Estragon killing time in questions and conversations whilewaiting

o   Pozzo – Lucky episode in both acts

o   Converstion of Vladimir with the boy

    I like the conversation between Vladimir and Estragon for killing time. They both doing very interesting thing to asking questions each other rather than blaming each other. They both ask each other question about everything. It consider as a intellectual conversation.

Q13) Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?

Yes , I feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe. The boy comes to tell Vladimir that Godot will come tomorrow at that time Vladimir told him to tell Godot  that he saw us. So he constantly waiting for Godot in the next act the same thing happens that boy told that  Godot will not able to come today he will be come tomorrow. Though this thing happens again Vladimir told him to tell Godot  that he saw him. So it's shows effect of existential crisis and meaninglessness of human existence.

Q14) Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism? 

Existentialism questions upon existence of human beings . It questions why we are living here ? What is the purpose of our lives?  So In  finding the answer this question person can't able to even find that. Same things happens here Vladimir and Estragon both waiting for Godot even they not know whether Godot really existing or not. They try to waiting for them but at the one point of life they both filled with frustration so they try to committed suicide.

Q15). Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?

If we do the politically reading of  the play Vladimir - Russia ,Estragon - France, Pozzo - Italy and Lucky – England then Godot can be considered as Germany and Hitler. It also suggest it's capitalism. Like Godot Germany also ruled over the world. All the country inferior under the rule of Hitler.

Q16.) So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?

Pozzo represent  England and lucky represents lreland. England and lreland also some problems with each other on the land. They struggle a lot for separation from England.

Q 17 ) The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy;s question, Vladimir says: 

"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?

VLADIMIR: 

 Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?

How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situation and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?

In the Both acts boy and Vladimir do same conversation. In act 1 Vladimir told boy to tell Godot that you saw us. But in act 2 Vladimir told boy to tell that you saw me. So in act one he cares about Estragon but in second act he become self center person who doesn't care about Estragon. It shows how situation changes the mindset and behaviour of the person.