GDR#5

Do I believe Troy Maxson is racist? That question alone is an extremely tricky question on an even more slippery slope. Racism is all relative to the person who is considered racist and the person or people viewing them as racist. I have no doubt that some of my fellow classmates would absolutely view Troy Maxson as a racist. However I do not see him that way. I imagine him to be just an average man who has been yanked around many many times and because of that has a very unhealthy view of what he considers the “white mans world.” While many would see his world views as radically racist in todays time we have to remember that this is not set in todays time. It is set in a time when distrust of another race could save you from many heart aches and troubles even to the point that your safety could rely on your distrust of others. What some take for racism is actually lessons learned through many years of hardships and pain. Negros of that day were denied things they worked hard and fought harder for only to be told no because of their skin color. Troy Maxson is not the only example of this as there are numerous other negros who were denied the fruits of their labors because of skin tone. Many of these were in the civil rights era that most of us know of through history classes and the like. But what is sometimes overlooked is what happened when a black man wouldn’t accept no as an answer and would try to take what he felt he deserved. They were met with brutal treatments by many whites including the kkk but what was more frightening was when the police, the people sworn to protect the public would punish and mistreat them instead of protecting them the way they should. These are the reasons I feel Troy Maxson isn’t a racist but as I would consider a more practical man who is more concerned with the protection of himself, his family, and more importantly his sons.

GDR#5

What did Charley mean when he told Willy that the only things in this world are what you can sell? It seems to me personally that Charley was summing up a generation that was so preoccupied material possessions that they have forgotten things that should really naturally matter to human beings like family ties, friendship, loyalty and civic duty. This is after all the time period that spawned the saying "keeping up with the Jones." And I think that's exactly what Willy is saying. I personally believe that the thought process of many people at that time including Charley and eventually Willy reflect in what they say and their actions. Money is a cruel mistress as Willy learns throughout the length of the play, every one wants it, few really have it, and even fewer fully understand how to control it. Everything in the time period and in the story of Death of a Salesman revolves around money, what it can do, how much power it can bring you, how well liked or loved it can make some one. People argue that was the good days or these are better than those days, there is no clear cut answer to which is better but when it is all boiled down, sorted out and made clear there really is no difference. Then now it makes no difference man has always been obsessed with power in whatever form the age brings it. In the beginning it was physical strength but as evolution took effect and the years passed power was defined by the coin in your pockets. I believe this is what Charley meant when he was talking to Willy, that the only things that really matter in life are the things hold fiscal value or can be sold or traded to make money. I find it hard to accept this idea having a close brother, but when it’s looked at from and objective view one can live without family but no one can live without money. 

GDR#4

I've read through a few classmates views and opinions on this story and feel like many of them have really missed the mark. When I read death of a salesman I found a type of comedy in it that seemed to make the reality of what was happening hit a little closer to home. But for this exercise I couldn't decide if it should be comical or a little more serious. So I decided to give an actor for both situations. I really believe that something like that would be extremely interesting and as an avid movie lover I would be ecstatic to see that. Since I have seen only one movie like that in recent memory, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasus where there are four actors to play the part of one character.

For the comedic Willy character I have chosen Johnny Depp. When I think of someone playing a somewhat crazed character that constantly contradicts himself Johnny Depp is the first actor to come to mind. But for the more serious actor in the part of Willy I have chosen Christopher Plummer. He is an amazing actor who is capable of submerging himself into his character and bringing something new to the screen while still respecting the original idea of Willy.

For Linda my comedic and serious actor would be the same as I had barely finished reading Lindas name in the assignment before this actor came to mind and that's Betty White. Betty is a phenomenal actor who is still practicing to this day and has the talent to bring to screen a multitude of characters and personalities.
This is why I chose Betty White to play the part of Linda.

For Biff again the choice was clear and extremely easy for me I had no doubt that the perfect actor would be Jude Law. Jude is one of my personal favorite characters and I loved his performance in the Talanted Mr. Ripley which brings the idea of Biffs character to mind. A person who has kleptomania could easily be seen in a performance by Jude Law but more importantly would be the physical presence he has. Being a football star and very attractive man is a must so this is just another part of the role that Jude Law could fill very well since he was also a very good rugby player growing up. This is why I chose Jude Law for the part of Biff.

The part of Happy was much harder to find an actor for to me. So finally I tried to place someone who could have the serious and sexual aspect to them. So I chose Colin Farrell. Colin Farrell is known for his physical and mental attractiveness. He always seems to play an intelligent character in his movies but the main character character I know him as is his part as Alexander the Great. It shows someone who is determined to succeed and throws himself into what he's doing. This is why I chose Colin Farrell for the part of Happy.

MY American Dream!

This post was supposed to be about the average dream but since it wasn't done on time I've decided to change it up a bit and instead of writing about the American dream I've decided to write a little about my personal American dream. The past week and a half have been some of the hardest days I've faced with my MD in years. I tried helping my mom this past weekend move some things from our garage to our storage building. Then I had the bright idea to blow the leaves out of our yard with one of those big backpack blowers. I pushed my body to far to hard and before I was even done with the front yard I was on the ground, luckily my mother was there to help me get back into the house. My legs were locked up like they never have been and also weak. I can't stress how lucky I was that my mom was there to help me otherwise I would have been lucky to make it to the bathroom and making it upstairs to the kitchen would have been out of the question. So I would have gone all weekend without anything to eat. With that brief history I would describe my American dream as being healthy. I would be able to go play football or golfing on the weekends with my friends and not be in agony for days after. I would be able to chase my kids around and not have to worry about getting stiff and falling on my face. My American dream means me having a good job where I can work and not get fired because I'm in the hospital for a few weeks every year. I know this is not the average American dream but when I think of a dream of any kind all I can think of is just being normal and healthy. I have no doubt that although not the traditional dream its one that everyone can respect and appreciate.

Great times with great food

My fondest memories of childhood were of the times that me and my father shared in his big truck on cross country hauls. We've never gotten along that well but I took every chance I could get to go in the truck with my dad when I was a kid. Part of that was the food we always had. My favorite meal was from the mini pizza huts in some of the truck stops. They only had personal pan pizzas and breadsticks but it was still great. Nothing was better than getting a few pizzas and going into the drivers theater with my dad to take a break and watch a movie. Those were great times!

Dinner For One!

Tonight for dinner I cooked myself spaghetti. I used beef grown on my families farm with no steroids or other hormones. Ragu sauce that was made in New Jersey. I'm not sure where the noodles were made so I'm just gonna use my imagination and say the noodles were made in Italy by some sweet old woman. This assignment was actually harder for me than most other things I've had to write. The reason it's so hard is that I was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. This causes my thyroid to produce more chemicals than it should and as a result makes me not feel hungry. I've gone days without eating and never even realized it. To give an example of why this was a hard assignment just imagine trying to decide on what you want to eat when your hungry, all kinds of things sound good at that time. It's just the opposite when you try to make yourself eat and your not hungry, nothing sounds appetizing. Unlike a lot of people i've never worried about my weight or bothered counting calories. Ever since I was young I've always had a high metabolism and a healthy build which has made counting calories or generally eating healthy almost pointless. In the past few years I've also developed a very different view of eating than almost all of my peers. There's a few reasons for my views but I'll save that for another post, another time. I'll end this one by saying that even though I wasn't hungry when I cooked and ate my spaghetti it tasted great. I'm a pretty good cook!

First Blog for 1102

Well this my first time to ever blog anything, so here goes. I'm not sure exactly what to write since I don't think this is intended to be a personal blog. So well just leave it at this.