Through being considered clever I have suffered much…
If you put new ideas before the eyes of fools
They’ll think you foolish and worthless into the bargain;
And if you are thought superior to those who have
Some reputation for learning, you will become hated.
TJ Gong
Walking With Him Until I Am Not
Medea
2 responses to “Medea”
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Crime and Punishment
◎ Author
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
(November 11, 1821~February 9, 1881 (aged 59)
1. He was a Russian fiction writer, essayist, and philosopher.
2. His literary output explores human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual context of 19th-century Russian society. His Notes from Underground (1864) was considered by many as a founder or precursor of 20th century existentialism.Biography
‧Early life
He was the second of six children
His father was a retired military surgeon and a violent alcoholic.
‧Beginnings of a literary career
He met a poet, Nikolai Nekrasov.
In 1845, his first work, the epistolary short novel, Poor Folk.
Vissarion Belinsky and announced, “a new Gogol has arisen!”
‧Exile in Siberia
Post-prison maturation as a writer.
‧Later literary career
He was financially crippled by business debts.
He was writing Crime and Punishment.
He died on February 9, 1881◎The plot summary
Raskolnikov, a drop-out student, chooses to live in a tiny, rented room in Saint Petersburg. He refuses all help, even from his friend Razumikhin, and plans to murder an unpleasant elderly money-lender, Alëna, and profit from her wealth—his motivation, whether personal or ideological, remains unclear. When Raskolnikov kills Alëna, however, he is also forced to kill her half-sister, Lizaveta, who happens to enter the scene of the crime.
After the bungled murder, Raskolnikov falls into a feverish state. He behaves as though he wishes to betray himself, and the detective Porfiry begins to suspect him purely on psychological grounds. At the same time, a chaste relationship develops between Raskolnikov and Sonya—a prostitute full of Christian virtue, driven into the profession by the habits of her father—and Raskolnikov confesses his crime to her. The confession is overheard by Svidrigaylov, a shadowy figure whose aim is to seduce Raskolnikov’s sister, Dunya. Svidrigaylov appears to have a hold over Raskolnikov, but when he unexpectedly commits suicide, Raskolnikov goes to the police himself to confess.
He is sentenced to penal servitude in Siberia; Sonya follows him, and the Epilogue holds out hope for Raskolnikov’s redemption and moral regeneration under her influence. -
Death of a salesman
Arthur Miller (1915-2005)
Think about it
– How do you define “a successful person”?
– Do you think it is essential to be a successful man/woman?
– Do your parents build their dream on you?
– Do you tell your parents what is really on your mind?
– Are you lonely?Willy’s dream comes from two persons.
(1) Willy’s and Ben’s father (a flute salesman)
He was well liked by people. When he died, people from different towns went to his funeral.
Willy thinks the number of people going to the funeral represents whether he/she is successful.(2) Ben ( Willy’s brother )
“He walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich!…”
He invited Willy to Alaska but Linda disagreedWilly’s dream is:
– to be well liked
– to be a successful salesman as his father did
– his sons to be successful salesmen
– to be richThe reality of Willy’s life
Charlie: “He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back- that’s an earthquake….”
The family relationship
Happy: “Dad is never so happy as when he’s looking forward to something”
Linda: “I tell you (Biff) he put his whole life into you and you’ve turn your back on him….his life is in your hand.”
Willy: “Why can’t I give him (Biff) something and not have him hate me?”
Biff: “Pop! I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you!”
Loneliness
Happy: “My own apartment, a car, and plenty of women, and still, goddamit, I’m lonely.“
Willy: “She is nothing to me, Biff. I was lonely, I was terribly lonely.”
Linda: “Willy. I made the last payment on the house today. …there’ll be nobody home…”
Personal reflection:
There are many themes in this play. However, I choose only some of them in my report. That is because these themes attract me a lot and I would like share with all classmates. For the conflict between Willy and Biff, and the wrong expectation of Linda and Willy on their children, it is still quiet common situation even now and in most of family. This play is one that reveals the social development and the true family relationship in a changing world. When the American dream comes true, people shall think again what material life can bring and what they have lost.
TJ Gong 
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