Blog#1(Spring). "Just Accepted at Radcliffe. What a Conundrum!" Girl, Interrupted.

MRS. GILCREST. My Lord! What beautiful skin! You remember me, don't you? Barbara Gilchrist, Bonnie's mom. Bonnie was in your lit class, wasn't she?
SUSANNA. Yeah. How's she doin'?
MRS. GILCREST. 'Just accepted at Radcliffe. What a conundrum. I'm a Wellesley girl myself, but these days young women should make up their own minds, don't you think?

Just to bring you back to what we watched today, the completion of the scene we ended with:

Girl, Interrupted is based on a memoir by Susanna Kaysen about the eighteen months she spent at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. It is the same psychiatric hospital that Sylvia Plath spent time at in 1953 and that she writes about in The Bell Jar. (The reason we're watching this movie just became a lot clearer, didn't it?)

Not worrying about Plath yet: though several of you have already seen the film (all girls, for some reason), most of you haven't: and Andrew's response at the end of fifth period probably speaks for many of your responses, which was basically, "What the hell?#@>?" It's a disorienting film, for sure. Susanna struggles with her focus and balance; Polly who burned herself; Georgina, "the pathological liar"; Daisy and her chickens; Lisa, chaos on two feet; all raise the question of, indeed, what the hell? How did they get this way? What is the treatment they receive at Claymoor doing for them? Will they get better? Can they get better? And what's all this have to do with The American Dream? Answers are forthcoming.

First: what was your response to the first 40 minutes of the film we watched today? And what scene, moment, or image stuck with you, and why?

Second, for second period, answer the following question: do you recognize the world Susanna exists in? Yes, it's 1968 and it's Boston, but if the film still resonates for an audience, it's because we can, on some level, relate and understand what Susanna's experiencing. Is her world all that different than yours? Where does her world (that is, home and school) intersect with yours?

Second, for fifth period: are you surprised that Susanna is struggling with her emotional and psychological balance? Can you make a case that her imbalance is, on some level, a rational response to the life she's living? If so, how? If not, why not?

So that's two questions, guys. Everyone answer #1, and second period does the first part of #2 and fifth period does the second part of #2.

We'll see you all tomorrow and we'll discover what other fun things are in store for Susanna at Claymoor. 

Blog #32. "I Just Killed Your Fucking Radio." Do The Right Thing.

Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys a community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I think there are plenty of good people in America, but there are also plenty of bad people in America and the bad ones are the ones who seem to have all the power and be in these positions to block things that you and I need. Because this is the situation, you and I have to preserve the right to do what is necessary to bring an end to that situation, and it doesn't mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don't even call it violence when it's self-defense, I call it intelligence.
Malcolm X

These two quotes end the movie, and as Spike Lee said in the published screenplay of Do The Right Thing:

King and Malcolm. Both men died for the love of their people, but had different approaches for realizing freedom. Why not end the film with an appropriate quote from each? In the end, justice will prevail one way or another. There are two ways to that. The way of King or the way of Malcolm. 

Just to remind you of the ending:

And:

I wish I could find the final final scene between Mookie and Sal: Sal throwing the crumpled hundred dollar bills at Mookie (who's "like a son" to him), and the final exchange about what they're going to do now. Sam in second period sees this ending as a hopeless one.  I disagree. We'll talk about that tomorrow.

Before I ask the usual questions, here is some information that could help with putting the ending and the film itself in context. Please go to the following links. Howard Beach is what the crowd is chanting during the riot, referring to the incident I described at the end of class (not, though, in Bensonhurst, as I said). Eleanor Bumpers and Michael Stewart are name checked by the crowd as well. And as I said a couple days ago, the film was accused of wanting to incite riots. And like you guys, it left much of its audience scratching its collective head. What exactly is Spike Lee saying in this movie? On the other hand, its brilliance is grounded in that exact ambiguity. As Matthew Dessem writes:

Lee does a magnificent job of slowly applying pressure, so that when things turn violent, it's almost a relief, and I think that's part of the reason so many critics were up in arms about the movie. Lee doesn't say anything about institutionalized racism that would have been out of place on the editorial pages of the New York Times, and certainly the events of Do The Right Thing were not beyond the realm of possibility. Lee's crime, it seems to me, was to make a film where a perceptive viewer will identify to a disturbing degree with the anger felt by all of the characters, to understand why Sal smashes Raheem's boombox and why Mookie throws the garbage can. It's an article of faith in American discourse that racism is a solvable problem, an error of perception. It's also an article of faith in American films that racism is an error the characters make, for which the viewers judge them. But as Do The Right Thing forcibly reminds us, everyone has his reasons.

So:

1. Your reaction to today's viewing? In second period, there was a collective "Oh, my God." In fourth period there were a lot of questioning of what happened and why. So what do you think of the movie now that you have finished it? And what moment especially stayed with you and why?

2. If you were asked by someone who hasn't seen the film, "What is it about?," what would you answer? Don't just address this in 2-3-4 sentences, but really think about this and give a response that shows some grappling with the mess this film is.

3. For second period: who is to blame for the riot? And why?

3.  For fifth period: why does Mookie throw the trashcan? And do you agree with him? Why?

4. Is this a hopeful ending? Or, as Sam and I'm sure others of you feel, a hopeless ending? And why?

This is the last blog entry of the semester.  Make it a good one. See you tomorrow.

Blog #32. "Pop, What Can I Say? I Don't Wanna Be Here, They Don't Want Us Here. We Should Stay In Our Neighborhood." Do The Right Thing Part 2.

Pino: I'm sick of niggers, it's a bad neighborhood. I don't like being around them, they're animals.
Sal: Why are you so full of hate?
Pino: My friends laugh at me all the time, laugh right in my face, tell me to go feed the Moulies.

Indeed, Sal's question may be the main question of Do The Right Thing: why is everyone so full of hate? Or, as the late Rodney King asked, "Why can't we all get along?" The neighborhood is heating up even as the sun goes down, and the consequences will be incendiary.

Names dropped in today's viewing: Al Sharpton; Jesse Jackson; Tawana Brawley (the graffiti behind Mookie and Jade read "Tawana Told The Truth"); Kunta Kinte. The neighborhood is not in Harlem,  but in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn (Radio Raheem's t-shirt reads Bed-Sty Do or Die). For those of you who have been on Mars for the past sixteen or seventeen years, Jackie Robinson, whose jersey Mookie wears through most of the movie, integrated baseball in 1947, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

So:

1. What do you think of the film now, having seen another 40 minutes of it? Did your reaction change now that we pretty much into it (there's 30 minutes left of it)?  What scene or moment in today's viewing particularly stood out for you—and why?

2. Pino and Radio Raheem, two characters who generally elicit strong negative reactions in my class when it views the film. Do you regard them negatively? Why or why not?

3. Sal asks Pino in the quote above, "Why are you so full of hate?" Pino doesn't answer, but if we are astute movie watchers, we know. Why is he so full of hate?

That's it. Get to class on time tomorrow, hope I've figured out the new movie system, and we'll finish the film.

Blog #31. "Fight The Power!" Do The Right Thing

Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant shit to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother fuck him and John Wayne
Cause I'm Black and I'm proud
I'm ready and hyped plus I'm amped
Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
Don't worry be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn if I say it you can slap me right here
(Get it) let's get this party started right
Right on, c'mon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
Make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be

So sings Public Enemy in what becomes the unofficial theme to Spike Lee's hugely successful and hugely controversial 1989 film. People talked and raged about this movie (as you see more of it, you'll see why). Pro-violence? Anti-white? Designed to get black people to attack white people? Movies like this don't get made anymore, not even by Spike Lee. Lee was 32 when he made this movie, shooting on location in Brooklyn. The street on which he shot still had active drug dealing on it, so he got security from Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam. Imagine a Hollywood film made today with security provided by a group of severe looking black men in suits and bow ties? Then again, Lee was clearly making a film that was not anything typical for mainstream Hollywood. The credits with Rosie Perez fighting and dancing and thrusting? A cast of mostly unknown black actors? The language? Lee's first film, She's Gotta Have It, was an indie hit, while his second, made by a major studio,  School Daze, was a critical and commercial disappointment. Do The Right Thing was designed to make a splash, to get people talking...and it did both.

So let's get this party started right.

1. What do you think so far? Like? Dislike? Mixed reaction?  Why?

2. What scene or moment really struck you in what we viewed today? How so?

3. Which character appeals most to you right now—and why?

Tomorrow: give me your outline for your paper. And we'll keep watching.  Just to get you excited for it, watch the scene below from what we'll see tomorrow.  It's one of the most famous scenes in the movie.

Blog #30. "I Mean—We Are Very Proud People." A Raisin In The Sun, Act Three.

I was just watching the last act from the Kenny Leon television production starring Sean Combs as Walter. Compared to Danny Glover, Combs is a much quieter performance, but powerful nonetheless. We'll look at both performances in the next couple days.

A few final questions as we finish this most magisterial of American plays. But first, take a look at the scene from the original 1959 production starring the great Sydney Poitier, Claudia McNeil as Lena, Ruby Dee (whom we'll see again next week in Do The Right Thing) as Ruth, Diana Sands as Beneatha, Glenn Turman (for you Wire fans, he played the mayor in the first couple seasons, the one defeated by the white councilman Carcetti), and John Fielder as Lindner (he shows up again in the 1984 revival). Watch the first three minutes, then skip ahead to 6:25 and watch the rest. I find it strangely dated, but maybe you'll disagree. We'll watch the same scenes from the Bill Duke and Kenny Leon productions in the next couple days.

So:

1. Why Joseph Asagai? What role do you see him playing here? Why put him in here and give him such prominence in Act Three?

2. The ending of the play has been read by many as a "happy"ending. Is it? Why or why not?

3. What line in Act Three jumped out at you, and why so?

That's it. See you all tomorrow. (By the way, it's been reported—notice the passive voice—that this play is the only work by an African-American that high school students read. Is that true? I'll follow up on this in the next couple days.)

Blog #29. "That Money Is Made Out Of My Father's Flesh." A Raisin In The Sun Act Two, Scenes 2 and 3.

In thinking about the play this morning, I came to marvel at the way Lorraine Hansberry managed to incorporate as many disparate voices in it as she did. There's the family itself, as we've talked about. But then there is George Murchison (who leaves the play with such a sweet kiss off from Lena); there is Mrs. Johnson, who was cut from many revivals of the play; there is Mr. Lindner, the reasonable representative from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association; there is Asagai, who will return in Act Three. It's as if Hansberry put all of America—at least the America the Youngers would encounter—on the stage. It's not always a pretty picture.

I hope everyone had a good, relaxing break. To start off our conversation tomorrow and for the next couple days, address the following questions.

1. For the girls only.  Imagine the play without Mrs. Johnson (as it was for many years, as noted above). What would we miss by her absence? What does she bring to the play? Go ahead and quote from the play in your answer. Try to not repeat each other—add to the discussion with your comments.

1. For the boys only. Also cut in the original production and revivals that followed (it's missing from both the Bill Duke production we've been watching as well as the Kenny Leon television production with Sean Combs and Audra MacDonald which we'll glimpse at in the next couple days) is the scene at the end of scene two between Walter and Travis. Just as I asked the girls, imagine the play without this scene.  What would miss by its absence? What does it bring to the play? Go ahead and quote from the play in your answer. As always, try to not repeat each other—add to the discussion with your comments.

2. For everyone. Perhaps the most gut wrenching scene in the entire play occurs at the end of Act Two. You know which one—when Walter, when the whole family, discovers what happened to the $6500 dollars Lena entrusted to him. You reaction to the scene? Your reaction to Walter?

3. Finally, the aftermath to the scene with Lindner (this never gets cut). Look at pages 119-121, from Walter kicking the white man out to Lena's "It expresses ME!"  What strikes you about the way the Youngers deal with the first overt racism we see in the play?  Go ahead and quote from the scene (and everyone, do not use the same quote).

That's it. See you all tomorrow for the final push to finals. There will be a quiz on Tuesday,  the assignment of an out-of-class paper in the next couple days, and a revised schedule to take us to Christmas.

Blog #28. "Mama, There Ain't No Colored People Living In Clybourne Park." A Raisin in the Sun, Act Two, Scene 1.

Talk about what goes around...A little over 50 years after A Raisin in the Sun was first produced, playwright Bruce Norris writes a sequel of sorts to Hansberry's play. Clybourne Park is the unfriendly neighborhood where Lena has put down a payment for a house. Norris's play looks at the effect of their coming on the white people living in the neighborhood...and then looks at the effect of a white couple moving into what is now a black neighborhood fifty years later. The play was a smash on Broadway and won both a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize. Proof for us that the waters that roil in Hansbery's play still bubble today.

Just a couple questions for tonight's reading.

1. What moment or line int he scene particularly grabbed you or struck you? And why?

2. Period Two: look at the scene between Walter and Ruth on 87-89. This gives us a new way of looking at the couple, given what we we've been seeing. What do you think happened to their marriage? Why is Walter so cruel to his wife? And why is Ruth so forgiving? Obvious questions probably, but worth acknowledging so we can move past the Walter is a mean husband reaction many have had.

2. Period Five: goodness, Lena bought a house! Their problems are over! Okay, I'm being sarcastic. How doesn't this potential move their problems? There are obvious reasons, of course, but consider too the less obvious problems associated with a move to Clybourne Park.

I understand that there will be overlap—there are only so many answers—but again, try to bring something new to your response: add to what your classmates say, look at what is implicit or not yet brought out by the other answers.

See you all tomorrow.