3.Buñuel uses two actresses to play the part of Conchita to show how dynamic Conchita is. When we are first introduced to Conchita she is very timid and inexperienced always pushing Matthieu away. When Matthieu touches Conchita in their first encounter Conchita rejects him. Conchita actions were very uneasy, and she was uncomfortable with his passes towards her. Then when the second actresses enters she is more open towards Matthieu passes, and she is very comfortable with herself and her sexuality. When she is in the room with Matthieu she makes passes at him to, and when she is dancing nude at the club she is comfortable with all the men watching her. The other actresses would be shy and she probably wouldn’t have even taken her clothes off in front of all those men. Buñuel uses two actresses to show the various sides that Conchita has and to show how complex Conchita is.
7. The final moment of the film is like the climax. The sewing of the white cloth with the blood on it indicated that Conchita might have had sex with Matthieu, the music helps to make it more dramatic, and the explosion right after Conchita and Matthieu argue leads to end, like the final straw of their relationship. Matthieu is so enticed by the white cloth and the lady sewing that he zones out forgetting Conchita is there. I thought about that idea of retaining the pure imagine. The sewing up the cloth and trying to get it back white like it has never been touched. It was like when Celestina would show up the heads of girls who were longer virgins so that they could keep that pure image. Matthieu was enticed by that pureness of Conchita, but when he has sex with her there is no longer a desire, or chase it’s like he begins to lose interest like Calisto did.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Celestina - Day Five
Act 18:
Areusa wants to kill Calisto because it is his desires to be with Melibea that causes the deaths of Pármeno, Sempronio, and Celestina. Areusa feel like it would only be right to kill Calisto because if it wasn’t for him then everyone would probably be alive. I don’t think Calisto deserves to die because he didn’t take part in Pármeno, Sempronio, and Celestina’s death, they died over greed and if anything he was caught in their web of lies. When Areusa says "Punish him with a beating, but don't kill him"(176). I don’t think she wants to add to everything that’s already going on. Here she kind of doubts herself a bit. Areusa doesn’t want to do anything harsh to him because it really isn’t Calisto’s fault that Celestina is dead.
Act 19:
I think it’s better he dies in an accident because if he was murder it would have been more suspicion. Then it would have been this continuous cycle of revenge. I don’t think it makes a difference in how he dies. Either way he is gone. I think Melibea’s reaction was expected. She seemed hurt and from her reaction you can tell that she’s going to kill herself. That was the only way she thought she would get over his death.
Act 20:
I wasn’t surprised at Melibea’s death I was excepting it to happen. I did think that her father would stop her, but it wasn’t much he could do because she had her mind already made up. It was like Calisto died so Melibea dies to because it’s like for me that is the only way for the story to end.
Areusa wants to kill Calisto because it is his desires to be with Melibea that causes the deaths of Pármeno, Sempronio, and Celestina. Areusa feel like it would only be right to kill Calisto because if it wasn’t for him then everyone would probably be alive. I don’t think Calisto deserves to die because he didn’t take part in Pármeno, Sempronio, and Celestina’s death, they died over greed and if anything he was caught in their web of lies. When Areusa says "Punish him with a beating, but don't kill him"(176). I don’t think she wants to add to everything that’s already going on. Here she kind of doubts herself a bit. Areusa doesn’t want to do anything harsh to him because it really isn’t Calisto’s fault that Celestina is dead.
Act 19:
I think it’s better he dies in an accident because if he was murder it would have been more suspicion. Then it would have been this continuous cycle of revenge. I don’t think it makes a difference in how he dies. Either way he is gone. I think Melibea’s reaction was expected. She seemed hurt and from her reaction you can tell that she’s going to kill herself. That was the only way she thought she would get over his death.
Act 20:
I wasn’t surprised at Melibea’s death I was excepting it to happen. I did think that her father would stop her, but it wasn’t much he could do because she had her mind already made up. It was like Calisto died so Melibea dies to because it’s like for me that is the only way for the story to end.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Celestina - Day Four
Act 12:
Celestina gets what she deserves. Celestina tricks backlashed on her and she should have known something bad was bound to happen especially if she wasn’t holding up her part of the deal. The servants were acting in greed because the only reason they murder her was because she didn’t share her earnings with them. But if Celestina is known for her tricky and conniving ways the servants should have known she was lying when she said she would share. Celestina kind of gave hints that she wants going to share her earnings and I think the servants were being naïve and holding her words at for what they were. I don’t sympathize because all of them should know by their better judgment not to trust each other. Ultimately they are all each other enemy and they are all liars, and there is really no one to sympathize for.
Act 13/14:
Calisto seems to be grieving more because of his reputation and what might have been said about him rather than because Pármeno, Sempronio, and Celestina death. At first it seems that he is grieving because he is sad they are gone, but then he starts to say what will become of him, how have they tarnished his name. By the end of chapter 14 it is apparent that Calisto is all about self-image and as far as he is concerned he wasn’t around and was out of town. At this point Calisto is only concerned about himself and his love Melibea.
Celestina gets what she deserves. Celestina tricks backlashed on her and she should have known something bad was bound to happen especially if she wasn’t holding up her part of the deal. The servants were acting in greed because the only reason they murder her was because she didn’t share her earnings with them. But if Celestina is known for her tricky and conniving ways the servants should have known she was lying when she said she would share. Celestina kind of gave hints that she wants going to share her earnings and I think the servants were being naïve and holding her words at for what they were. I don’t sympathize because all of them should know by their better judgment not to trust each other. Ultimately they are all each other enemy and they are all liars, and there is really no one to sympathize for.
Act 13/14:
Calisto seems to be grieving more because of his reputation and what might have been said about him rather than because Pármeno, Sempronio, and Celestina death. At first it seems that he is grieving because he is sad they are gone, but then he starts to say what will become of him, how have they tarnished his name. By the end of chapter 14 it is apparent that Calisto is all about self-image and as far as he is concerned he wasn’t around and was out of town. At this point Calisto is only concerned about himself and his love Melibea.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Celestina - Day Three
Chapter 7:
In the chapter the emphasis is coming from Celestina. I think Celestina emphasis so much on the gap between age and youth because she feels like she’s been around long enough to know everything there is to know and when you’re young you’re still learning like you’re going through the learner phase of life and so your knowledge of everything around you isn’t fully developed. I think there is a parallel between age and wisdom, the younger you are the less wisdom you retain, but when you’re older you’ve dealt with some of the tricks of life and you know more so you feel you hold more knowledge than someone who is younger than you. Celestina always uses her age to her advantage especially when people doubt her because when she tries to prove herself or make a point she always says she’s been around longer and how she’s been doing her job for years that by now she is a master at her trade and she makes it seems as though because she is older she could never be wrong.
Chapter 8:
When Sempronio’s says: “not everything is white that isn’t black and not everything yellow and shiny is gold.” Sempronio is saying that we can’t hold everything at face value. Not everything is what it’s meant to be. It’s like we can’t always expect everything to be what it is because that’s not always the case. One thing that I think about when I read this quote is what my mother and my grandfather would always say to me “Everything that glitters isn’t gold because shit glitters in the sun when flies are laying on it” and they would say this meaning that everything holds two meaning. Not everything is going to be painted out perfectly and clear for you.
Chapter 9:
“Out of goodwill or under pressure from us, Celestina will at least give us a piece of whatever she gets.” They are trusting her because first she Sempronio’s mother and then she was apart and helped raise Pármeno so it seems that they are banking on that motherly tie they have with her. It’s this idea that your family /flesh and blood would never betray you or at least you think and hope that that’s the last person who would trick or betray you. I think that’s what they are going off of not realizing that sometimes it’s your family that will betray you as if they were a stranger and sometimes you have to keep a closer watch on your family than a stranger.
Chapter 10:
Melibea is conflicted because she desires to be with Calisto, but she must worry about her reputation and her family name. Calisto isn’t a man that her family approved of for her she doesn’t want to make her family look bad or bring them any slander by marrying or wanting to be with someone who isn’t of their standards or their kind. One example that I can think of is Twilight because the idea of being with someone who isn’t like you goes against everything you were taught and know, but then again it’s what also draws you closer to that person and desire them more.
Chapter 11:
Calisto is more so the slave of Celestina because she is pulling all of the strings. Everything that is done between Calisto and Melibea is done on the term of Celestina. But in his eyes he is at the fate of Melibea, but Celestina is the middle man in their “relationship”.
In the chapter the emphasis is coming from Celestina. I think Celestina emphasis so much on the gap between age and youth because she feels like she’s been around long enough to know everything there is to know and when you’re young you’re still learning like you’re going through the learner phase of life and so your knowledge of everything around you isn’t fully developed. I think there is a parallel between age and wisdom, the younger you are the less wisdom you retain, but when you’re older you’ve dealt with some of the tricks of life and you know more so you feel you hold more knowledge than someone who is younger than you. Celestina always uses her age to her advantage especially when people doubt her because when she tries to prove herself or make a point she always says she’s been around longer and how she’s been doing her job for years that by now she is a master at her trade and she makes it seems as though because she is older she could never be wrong.
Chapter 8:
When Sempronio’s says: “not everything is white that isn’t black and not everything yellow and shiny is gold.” Sempronio is saying that we can’t hold everything at face value. Not everything is what it’s meant to be. It’s like we can’t always expect everything to be what it is because that’s not always the case. One thing that I think about when I read this quote is what my mother and my grandfather would always say to me “Everything that glitters isn’t gold because shit glitters in the sun when flies are laying on it” and they would say this meaning that everything holds two meaning. Not everything is going to be painted out perfectly and clear for you.
Chapter 9:
“Out of goodwill or under pressure from us, Celestina will at least give us a piece of whatever she gets.” They are trusting her because first she Sempronio’s mother and then she was apart and helped raise Pármeno so it seems that they are banking on that motherly tie they have with her. It’s this idea that your family /flesh and blood would never betray you or at least you think and hope that that’s the last person who would trick or betray you. I think that’s what they are going off of not realizing that sometimes it’s your family that will betray you as if they were a stranger and sometimes you have to keep a closer watch on your family than a stranger.
Chapter 10:
Melibea is conflicted because she desires to be with Calisto, but she must worry about her reputation and her family name. Calisto isn’t a man that her family approved of for her she doesn’t want to make her family look bad or bring them any slander by marrying or wanting to be with someone who isn’t of their standards or their kind. One example that I can think of is Twilight because the idea of being with someone who isn’t like you goes against everything you were taught and know, but then again it’s what also draws you closer to that person and desire them more.
Chapter 11:
Calisto is more so the slave of Celestina because she is pulling all of the strings. Everything that is done between Calisto and Melibea is done on the term of Celestina. But in his eyes he is at the fate of Melibea, but Celestina is the middle man in their “relationship”.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Celestina - Day One (Chapters 1 - 2)
1. The opening scene opens in a garden because it seems to symbolism the beginning or growth of the story/plot. When I thought about the garden the first thing that came to mind was The Garden of Eden. It is the place where first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve lived after God created them. The garden is also used to explain the origin of sin and mankind’s wrongdoings. When Melibea curses Calisto it is because of the love he bears for her is forbidden: “Why do you scheme to bring ruin upon yourself by pursuing a virtuous women like me? Be gone, you selfish foo. I can’t bear to think a man felt it right in his heart to tell me of the delights of forbidden love” (1). Calisto praises Melibea’s beauty by basically calling her one of a kind. But to Melibea it seems that he is insincere with his actions and his words. Melibea thinks that he wants to sleep with her because she calls it “forbidden love” and this could be the reason why she questions what he schemes on a virtuous women like her she doesn’t deem his praise and the things that come out of his mouth as love, but instead some secret plot or plan. This is why she doesn’t seem to trust him or his words.
2. Calisto’s illness doesn’t seem like a mere illness, but it seems more like defeat. His charm didn’t work as he thought it would but he is more so upset because of the rejection from Melibea. When he is discussing Melibea he says he worships her and he treats her as if she is some type of God: “‘Aren’t you a Christian?’Me? No, I’m a Melibea. I worship Melibea, I believe in Melibea and I adore Melibea” (4). Melibea is his want/ desire, but he can’t have nor get her so he suffers from it. Calisto is so fixated on her that when he doesn’t get her he goes on a rage wanting to be locked away in the dark not wanting to talk. When they start to talk about women they talk about how women make men renege. Like women are the curse of men that make them commit sins. Like they are some type of devil or curse: Just think of the pea-brains under the flimsy fabrics holding those tresses in place, the giddiness under the ruffles, finery and long, regal dresses, the whims sluicing behind those painted temples. That’s why people say, “Instrument of the devil, sin of sins, ravagers of paradise.” Don’t you remember that bit in the prayers for the Festival of St. John where it says, “This is women, the ancient curse of man that cast Adam from the delights of paradise that sent the human race to hell” (7). They try to put all the blame of mankind on women and their devilment. It’s like they saying from day one women have been at the fault of men down falls because their cunning and beauty, a devil in makeup. They also talk about a woman’s feelings and how they are hard to fathom so it’s hard for a man to figure out what it is that they want or how they really feel.
2. Calisto’s illness doesn’t seem like a mere illness, but it seems more like defeat. His charm didn’t work as he thought it would but he is more so upset because of the rejection from Melibea. When he is discussing Melibea he says he worships her and he treats her as if she is some type of God: “‘Aren’t you a Christian?’Me? No, I’m a Melibea. I worship Melibea, I believe in Melibea and I adore Melibea” (4). Melibea is his want/ desire, but he can’t have nor get her so he suffers from it. Calisto is so fixated on her that when he doesn’t get her he goes on a rage wanting to be locked away in the dark not wanting to talk. When they start to talk about women they talk about how women make men renege. Like women are the curse of men that make them commit sins. Like they are some type of devil or curse: Just think of the pea-brains under the flimsy fabrics holding those tresses in place, the giddiness under the ruffles, finery and long, regal dresses, the whims sluicing behind those painted temples. That’s why people say, “Instrument of the devil, sin of sins, ravagers of paradise.” Don’t you remember that bit in the prayers for the Festival of St. John where it says, “This is women, the ancient curse of man that cast Adam from the delights of paradise that sent the human race to hell” (7). They try to put all the blame of mankind on women and their devilment. It’s like they saying from day one women have been at the fault of men down falls because their cunning and beauty, a devil in makeup. They also talk about a woman’s feelings and how they are hard to fathom so it’s hard for a man to figure out what it is that they want or how they really feel.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Decameron (Day Five)
7.5: The theme in this book seems to be jealousy. In the prologue the narrator looks down and feels that a jealous man deserves anything that is coming his way. The narrator oppresses this idea of male dominance in the marriage. The narrator talks about how the women is pint down and lock away like she is a prisoners, while the husband is free. The narrator says that “whatever a wife does to a husband who is jealous without a reason is certainly to be praised rather than to be condemned” (508). Our society is in the middle. Compared to this text our society is in the middle while there is this idea of women independence and dominance in the air there is still more male dominance so it’s hard to say whether or if we can truly say that we regressed or progressed.
8.3: Boccaccio uses this idea of not knowing and tricky to fool Calandrino. Bruno and Buffalmacco both are tired and hungry from helping Calandrino try to find these magic rocks. Calandrino picks up a ton of rocks and is still trying to go in search for more in the heat. When Bruno and Buffalmacco act like they can’t see Calandrino and he falls for it thinking he found the rock that brings humor into the vignette. Also when they are throwing stones at him on the way home as if they can’t see him and he so caught up that he foolishly falls for the trick, walking through the town thinking no one can see him, not realizing that Bruno and Buffalmacco got the people to go along with the idea to make him think he was invisible even though he is not.
8.8: Passion is still celebrated today. There are lots of people who have more than one wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, and there spouse is okay with the idea of sharing. For some people they rather share what they have than to lose it in whole. People would rather have a part of something to then to give it away altogether. At the end of 8.8 when it said the four made a packet to stay with each other and now the two husbands had two wives and the two wives had to two husbands. The idea of it being okay to not be faithful in a relationship/ marriage. Making it okay to cheat and not be monogamous. Which goes with today’s society because it’s this idea that it’s oaky to not be monogamous and it seems like it is more so common in society today than before.
8.3: Boccaccio uses this idea of not knowing and tricky to fool Calandrino. Bruno and Buffalmacco both are tired and hungry from helping Calandrino try to find these magic rocks. Calandrino picks up a ton of rocks and is still trying to go in search for more in the heat. When Bruno and Buffalmacco act like they can’t see Calandrino and he falls for it thinking he found the rock that brings humor into the vignette. Also when they are throwing stones at him on the way home as if they can’t see him and he so caught up that he foolishly falls for the trick, walking through the town thinking no one can see him, not realizing that Bruno and Buffalmacco got the people to go along with the idea to make him think he was invisible even though he is not.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Almodovar's "All About My Mother"
4. The 'range' of women in the film, including straight women, a pregnant HIV+ nun, transsexual prostitutes, lesbians. What do you think the film states about gender, femininity and sexuality? The film questions the idea of femininity. In the film you have Lola who is man/women who is having sex with women and getting them pregnant, and Manuela she asks Rosa how she could sleep with Lola since he is a woman/man even though she did it to. The film seems to question whether or not there is a barrier between being masculine and feminine. In the film there is a lot of transsexuals. Manuela’s friend talks about being confused with a drag queen and being a transsexual, he says how he is no drag queen because he doesn’t walk around pretending to be something that he isn’t because he is a women at all times although he still has his male sexual organ. He talks as if he is an actual woman like he himself embodies what a woman would. Even in the film there were men who were trying to sleep with woman knowing they were men so it’s like almost saying questioning whether there is an, if any variance between a man and a women.
5. Who is the "mother" of the film's title? Might there be more than one "mother"? (Also, who is the speaking "I" - 'my mother' - of the title?) Why and how? The mother refers to Rosa and Manuela. I think that the speaker could be Rosa’s son because Manuela son dies and he never seems to really know the truth, but Manuela promised Rosa that she would tell Esteban everything and would hold nothing from him so it could possibly be him speaking and referring back to his childhood story. The story could also be told by both of the Esteban’s because the first half could be the oldest one up until he dies and then the second half could be Rosa’s son because he is the last of the Estebans and it would make since for him to finish the story that his brother left off on seeing that Rosa and Manuela is his mother and he is telling the story of both of his moms.
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