English A1 Literature

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Granada | Spain (by Nacho Coca)

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[welovemissdalal]

I'm submitting but it isn't posting.. ? -Fayafi

ma 3am byusal eshi! is it long? iza la2 u can put it as a question

[welovemissdalal]

 here is just definitions and stuff about the types of humor in the play.

Types of Humor in “Accidental Death of An Anarchist”

 Farce  --> A light dramatic work in which highly improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters, and often slapstick elements are used for humorous effect.

Travesty --> false representation or grotesque imitation

Farce/Travesty

  A comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations is termed as farce or travesty. A farce is a style that aims to entertain the audience by means of unlikely, improbable and extravagant situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humor of varying degrees of sophistication. It can include sexual innuendo and word play, or a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases, culminating in an ending that often involves an elaborate chase scene. Farce is also characterized by physical humor and the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense.

  Irony

  Irony is a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs and hence is a popular type of humor. Irony is portrayed through words or actions to express something completely different from the literal meaning.

Situation Irony It occurs when the exact opposite of what is meant to happen, happens. Dramatic Irony  It occurs when the audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not aware of Verbal Irony Verbal irony is the use of words to mean something different from what a person actually says. While verbal irony implies a different meaning to what is actually said, sarcasm is mainly used as a sharp and direct utterance designed to cause pain.

Satire

Satire is defined as a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own. Satire is a branch of comedy, which makes use of witty language to convey insults or scorn. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to reprimand by means of ridicule, burlesque, derision, irony, or other methods. Although satire is usually meant to be funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humor, but an attack on something or some subject the author strongly disapproves of. Often human error is poked fun at albeit in a very serious manner.  Often mistakes made by those in power and celebrities are made fun.  Very sophisticated and requires much knowledge on the situation at hand.

Function of Humor in “Accidental Death of An Anarchist”

  The play has been classified as “didactic farce” because Dario Fo uses farce as a medium to teach his audience about the corruption, duality and hypocrisy of the state authorities.

To prevent catharsis, to evoke thought and leave the audience’s minds flooded in conflicting ideas. “Provoking laughter with anger”… “Laughter is the identifying mark of humanity, since in laughter the human being becomes fully conscious of his own potential, of his individuality and of his ability to assert his autonomy from convention and rule.”

Propagandist theatre; aiming to propogate revolutionary ideas and exhorting the audience to change and stand up against social ills

Keeps the audience attentive and makes the play enjoyable

[welovemissdalal]

How do I post stuff :'(

submit!

[welovemissdalal]

Dario Fo as a political activist

1.    What does political activism mean?

—  vigorous action: vigorous and sometimes aggressive action in pursuing a political or social end.

—  Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social change, political change, economic justice, or environmental well being.

  2.    Dario Fo

·       He was born on the 24th of March 1926 in Leggiuno Sangiano, Varese, Italy.

·       He is an actor, playwright, director, and composer.

·       He discusses subject such as; corruption, crime, power, sexism, and many more in his controversial plays.

  3.    The beginning of his political activism

·       In the second world war his family was active in the anti-facist resistance.

·       He married another political activist, Franca Rame.

·       Through the 1960’s and 1970’s, along with his wife, he produced and acted in several agitprop plays.

·       In the 1970’s he wrote what is to become his the most intentionally recognized play, “The Accidental Death of an Anarchist.”

4.    Dario Fo’s means of activism

·       Agitprop: derived from agitation and propaganda.

·       Comedia dell’arte: is a form of theatre using masks in the acting process; originating in Italy.

·       Political theatre: political theatre has been a widely used subject since Ancient Greece, because of the ease making connection with the audience and directly point out the message in a creative theatrical way.

  -Dana T  =3

[welovemissdalal]

"Accidental Death of an Anarchist" is the basis of actual affairs that occurred in Italy which shows Dario Fo's controversial satire. After further understanding the play, it is noticed that Dario Fo wrote this work because he was conscious and had comprehended the corrupt and dishonest, however clever and complicated tactics of the Italian government to sustain authority and control in social democracy. Throughout the play, Fo uses comedy as a means of educating his audience by conveying his political views about the role of the government in Italy at that time. Dario Fo gives great importance throughout the play to the protagonist, the Maniac, who's character is changed as the events of the play go on. By this, Fo is portraying the deceit and disguise of the division of police and accentuating how preposterous the government is. Through his characterization of the Maniac, Dario Fo aims to allow the audience discover the reality about the death of the anarchist. 

-Danna Moughrabi

[welovemissdalal]

okay so i wasnt really suree what im supposed to post butt whateverr haha okay so the presentations over the past week really helped in bettering my understanding of the message of the play especially those speaking of the history of italy and its turmoil and pino pinelli and how he was innocent which all in all justifies why Dario Fo wrote his play, in order to adress the situations in italy and highlight the corruption of power. the presentations talking about the humour in the play really opened my eyes not only because our presentation was part of it *cough cough* i was awesome ehmm anyways they showed that eventhough it was all comedy and funny and humourous the presentations highlighted that the use of humour was intentionally used to mock the society in which fo successfully does through out the play using farce and satire and irony as salma and yara mentioned. in conclusion all the presentations really made the message of the play more clear and i cannot wait till we can act it out! :D 

[welovemissdalal]

Ciao il mio inglese famiglia A1 ti amo alla luna e ritorno

after you read it you may wonder what it means well I will not tell you so go google it.. 

The interactive orals today allowed me to broaden my horizon and view the play differently and from a different perspective, it allowed me to fully understand how Italy was in the 1960s and 1970s.

Italy before the Piazza Fontana bombing was divided,and had many political parties which lead to disorder. After the bombing many results occurred such as the year of lead, the strategy of tension and the accidental death of an anarchist. What is the strategy of tension? The strategy of tension is a tactic that aims to divide manipulate, and control the public opinion using fear propaganda and psychological warfare used by parties to gain control.

Media in Italy during the 20th century was censored and watched by those in power to make sure that the people were being fed what they wanted them to be aware of. Television was first under government rule because it was mainly a source of power and only became free for the public to control in 1967. Music during the 1970s was filled with political messages, to the point that young Italians were only interested in songs that have "political impregnate". The only theatre that was permitted at that time was the "bourgeois" theatre which was the theatre with conventional plots and endings that satisfied the government in the messages it delivers. Dario Fo however was one of the most representative writes, that sought to attract the working class audience with agitprop drama he criticized the Italian state and other corrupt enemies of communism. Many groups tried to ban him from stage and screen but despite their efforts he continued to share his life and ideas to those around him.

TALENE HADDADIN 

[welovemissdalal]

Productive discussion on Skype! May we all get 3's :) *out of 3*

Get well soon Miss Dalal <3

[welovemissdalal]

I just wanted to say that I love you all, and that when we graduate you will all be the reasons I will be crying even you Miss Dalal.. MY FAMILYY MAKES ME SO HAPPY :') -Talene the Queen I know I should be a poet because I just rhymed but I am trying to be humble okay love you guys and if you see this Miss Dalal today and not in a weeks time I hope you get better soon !!

:D :D

[welovemissdalal]

Aeschylus, proto feminist or misogynist?

Sorry if I am not very formal...  Here we go:

We have to establish first, what is a misogynist and what is a feminist? A misogynist is a person who hates or extremely dislikes the female race. A feminist's definition is unclear however. Is a feminist a person who sympathizes with women, a person who understands them, or a person who fights for them? In my point of view a feminist is probably a mixture of all of these.

Aeschylus, with his famous Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Helen, seems to portray the whole shebang of female characters. He portrays the wise, the desirable, the strong, the valiant and the evil.  Helen, the cause of the famous war between Troy and Greece. She is desirable, yet Aeschylus critizes her using the chorus, and they deem her promiscuous and the sole cause of the war. Cassandra, the wise concubine princess the king brought back from war. She is wise, yet the chorus mocks her and does not believe her when she foreshadows how Agamemnon the king is going to die (he does die in the end, Clytemnestra kills him). Clytemnestra, by far, one of the most powerful female characters in history, is portrayed, as a heartless cruel woman who kills her husband to get the throne. 

Throughout, these females are shown to be wise, and their words true, however the chorus mocks them, badgers them, bashes them and makes the audience, with a built-in dislike and disrespect for women, dislike them even more. This may sway the reader to judge Aeschylus as a misogynist, however there are a few contradictions to this conclusion. 

All these female characters, are in the end, the emboidment of truth and strength. From our conversations in class and the research I have done, I have to come to a conclusion that this Aeschylus doesn't portray the women psyche, he instead, shows that a woman might prosper. At that time, when a woman was shown to be weak, degrading and just a sexual plaything to make children, Aeschylus gave strength to them. Yes, he gave it to them paired with evilness, cunningness, and a common bashing of words, yet his character's actions proved that he was not a usual hater of women.

In conclusion, we could say, in a time, where males dominated and women were "halfway between an animal and a human", Aeschylus was what you could call a protofeminist. He did not help others understand women, he did not help others sympathize, he did not fight for them publicly but maybe looking back at his works now, we can see that he is way past his time. His plays lead us to believe that he, himself understood woman, and he, in his own way fought for them using their characterization as wise and their superior powerful actions. As for the sympathy it is hard to judge without reading the other plays, or maybe discussing it with him over tea. (LOL, laugh).

I hope this helps. 

-Yara 

[welovemissdalal]

Reflection on presentations: All presentations were great and provided many useful info regarding the play. The jeopardy was a blast!!!Thanks ibrahim fayafi and rabee! :3

[welovemissdalal]

First time I read the play, I thought that Medea was over-reacting a bit, even though she had the right to get vengeance. However after the presentations and learning about how oppressed women were in Ancient Greece, and learning the story of Jason and the Argonauts, my opinion changed. I now believe that Medea was not over-reacting at all, and that she has the right for revenge. However she could've toned it down with the hubris - Serene

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Gods of the Greeks

Hey guys! It's Serene. 

Here is some information about the 12 Olympians for whoever's interested

Zeus is the god of the sky, thunder, and justice. He is also the god of Mount Olympus, or king of the gods (the main god). Husband of Hera.

Hera is the queen of gods, and she is the god of marriage, family, women, and motherhood. Wife of Zeus.

Poseidon is mainly known as god of the sea. However, he is also lord of earthquakes and storms. He is the father of cyclops. Also, he created horses.

Hades is lord of the underworld and earthly wealth, such as rubies and gold. He is really an Olympian. Since he doesn't reside on Mount Olympus like the other gods and goddesses but resides in the Underworld. However, he can be considered one due to him being part of the "Big Three", who are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

Demeter is the goddess of fertility, agriculture, harvest, and nature. Her daughter is Persephone.

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, and desire.

Apollo is the god of music, poetry, archery and truth. He is also the god of the Sun. He was also the protector the young boy. In our play, Medea is his grand-daughter. He is the son of Zeus and Leto (A goddess, descendant of two Titians. She was pregnant when Zeus married Hera), and his twin sister is Artemis.

Artemis is the goddess of maidens, the moon, and the hunt. She was also associated with the wilderness and wild animals. Moreover, she was the goddess of childbirth, and she protects a girl up to the age of marriage. Her twin brother is Apollo. One of the virgin goddesses.

**Together, Artemis and Apollo were also sometimes seen as the bringers of sudden death and disease, with Artemis targeting girls and women while Apollo targets men and boys.

Ares is the god of war, hatred, and bloodshed.

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, crafts, knowledge, and strategic battle. One of the virgin goddesses.

Hephaestus is the god of weird unpronounceable names. Just kidding! :3 He is the god of fire and the forges, and he is the blacksmith of the gods.

Dionysus is the god of wine, parties and merriment.

Hermes is the god of roads, travel, hospitality, heralds, diplomacy, trade, thievery  language and writing, persuasion, athletics, astronomy, and astrology. Talk about being an over-achiever, gosh. He is most known for his winged boots.

  Although there were only 12 Olympians, there were also hundreds and hundreds of other lesser gods, such as:

Hestia - goddess of the hearth and home, one of the virgin goddesses Iris - goddess of the rainbow, messenger of the Olympian gods, often represented as the personal messenger of Hera

Hypnos - god of sleep and dreams

Nemesis - goddess of revenge

Nike - god of victory (So that's why the brand Nike chose that to be its name ...)

Hebe - goddess of youth, daughter of Zeus and Hera

Tyche - goddess fortune, chance, and fate

Hecate - goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, ghosts, and necromancy

... and many many many more.

It's obvious how much the Greeks relied on the gods to explain anything unusual, or anything they had no explanation for. They would create a god or goddess to explain anything they found no answer for.

[welovemissdalal]

Rabee3s reflection

the oral presentation of jason and the argonauts showed justified madea’s anger and actions towards jason as we see the contributions she has made in order for jason to succeed in his quest for the golden fleece and after what she has been through such as the lose of her family’s trust and the constant murdering she had to go through just to help out jason really shows us that madea deserves to be angry towards him as he has betrayed her. as for the second presentation, eventhough it wasnt completed, the voices of women showed how much the men’s loyalty toward the women mattered as their anger is due to a man betraying them and this further justifies madea’s anger and other voices as stated helped me sympathize more with madea instead of thinking she was a murderous psycopath.. #yolo

[welovemissdalal]

I'm enjoying the presentations so far, everyone's presenting a lot of useful information ... And Jeopardy was a blast!

Include your names! who is thiss?? :D 

[welovemissdalal]

Reflections (shebeh reflection) ...

Ibrahim, Rabee and Fayafi's presentation:

Personally I loved the presentation only because I won in Jeopardy. 

Just kidding :)

The presentation gave a very clear and interesting outlook on one of the most important aspects in the Ancient Greek culture. Understanding the most important values and the deadliest sins increases our overall understanding of the play. For example, it helps in characterization because now we can analyze a character's relationship with society and its rules. Medea technically goes against society when she kills her children, because "blood guilt" , as Rabee mentioned, is one of the deadliest sins.  

As for Ibrahim's discussion on the Greek Gods, it aids us in comprehending the cultural context in the play (despite the fact that there is no actual scene in the play that includes a god or goddess)

Serene and Danna's Presentation:

Serene and Danna's presentation was great! (knowing that phoebe buffay's songs in FRIENDS resemble a chorus made my life a little bit better) The presentation thoroughly explained to us the function of the chorus and thus we can use it to analyze the function of the chorus in Medea specifically. We talked about how the choice of a female chorus is atypical, and Serene mentioned an interesting point about how having a female chorus allows a more intimate relationship between the chorus and the protagonist (since the protagonist is a female). They also mentioned how a chorus holds a specific attitude towards an event or character... In Medea, a shift in attitude takes place where at the beginning we see the chorus sympathizing with Medea and by the end of the play they question her actions and disapprove of them. 

Yara and Mohammed's Presentation:

Yara "Aflatoneh"

:D

Their presentation was really cool, I liked how they took Sophocles' definition of "tragedy" and analyzed each part, because it helped me understand the type of play we are dealing with. During the presentation we analyzed the catharsis of emotions, something with an L , and if the characters are simple or complex. This  of course helps in our understanding of basically everything (characters, events...)