Dear Miss Beatrice Fisher-Hart,
I give my deepest sympathies to you from the recent death of your mother. Her death was an accident and you should remember that she’s happier where she is now than she was here on earth. On a lighter note, I was so happy that you were able to develop your character of Thisbe, by working with your grandmother, because it really deepened your connection with Thisbe and allowed the audience to connect with her better. The show and actors sounded absolutely amazing! I can’t imagine what it would be like to perform in front of so many celebrities! Were you ever nervous acting in front of them? That most have been a dream in itself performing in front of so many famous people! Throughout the novel, you have developed as a person and an actor, but I still think you need to find the true person inside of you because you seem to be acting with your own feelings. I am confused as to how someone would not be able to convey their own thoughts and feelings through expression, but maybe that’s just your personality. It was really interesting that you connected your parents’ holding hands as an act in the audience and your spying on them from backstage to your actual life. This realization you made confirmed how much you have matured throughout the novel! I am also glad that you and Hale married for your true feelings for one another, and didn’t mind the age difference that was so troublesome to other people. However, it is still confusing to me why you didn’t want your grandmother to attend her own daughter’s funeral! Did it cause you too much pain to have your grandmother, whom you adored so dearly, to be paying her respects to your mother? Well, whatever the case I am sorry for the loss of your mother, yet I am happy for your promising acting career!
Sincerely,
Rachel
Sunday, December 16, 2007
House Lights, Week 6, Post A
VOCAB
Lexicon (214)- the vocabulary of a group
Trepidation (238)- anxiety, fear
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
“We faced each other in the small chill of post dawn, with mist hovering above the grass and sun streaking through the pines” (213). This is an example of imagery because the description of the mist and the sun appeals to the sense of sight, which allows the readers to imagine the scene more clearly.
“I don’t know what that means” (225). This is irony because the phrase had two entirely different meanings in the novel. The first time the grandmother said this, it was meant as an accusation against Beatrice, however this time it was meant as a gift to her.
“On the other side of the glass, snowflakes small as sparks began to appear” (250). This is an alliteration because of the repetition of the letter “s” in “snowflakes small as sparks”.
QUOTE
“There was no wall between me and them, no barrier of thought, of will or intellect, between me and the girl Thisbe” (215). This thought marks a turn of events in which Beatrice genuinely identifies with her character Thisbe. This connection allows her to become a part of Thisbe and as a result Beatrice is able to fit into her role much better, which all of the actors notice and appreciative.
THEME
A theme in this novel is to follow your dreams because they really can come true! Beatrice aspired to be an actress since she was a teenager and as she grew as an actress she was able to take part in several performances throughout her career, even while receiving setbacks along the way, such as the distanced relationship with her mother and father. Yet Beatrice was able to overcome these obstacles and fulfill her lifelong dream, which she loved.
Lexicon (214)- the vocabulary of a group
Trepidation (238)- anxiety, fear
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
“We faced each other in the small chill of post dawn, with mist hovering above the grass and sun streaking through the pines” (213). This is an example of imagery because the description of the mist and the sun appeals to the sense of sight, which allows the readers to imagine the scene more clearly.
“I don’t know what that means” (225). This is irony because the phrase had two entirely different meanings in the novel. The first time the grandmother said this, it was meant as an accusation against Beatrice, however this time it was meant as a gift to her.
“On the other side of the glass, snowflakes small as sparks began to appear” (250). This is an alliteration because of the repetition of the letter “s” in “snowflakes small as sparks”.
QUOTE
“There was no wall between me and them, no barrier of thought, of will or intellect, between me and the girl Thisbe” (215). This thought marks a turn of events in which Beatrice genuinely identifies with her character Thisbe. This connection allows her to become a part of Thisbe and as a result Beatrice is able to fit into her role much better, which all of the actors notice and appreciative.
THEME
A theme in this novel is to follow your dreams because they really can come true! Beatrice aspired to be an actress since she was a teenager and as she grew as an actress she was able to take part in several performances throughout her career, even while receiving setbacks along the way, such as the distanced relationship with her mother and father. Yet Beatrice was able to overcome these obstacles and fulfill her lifelong dream, which she loved.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
House Lights, Week 5, Post B
Dear Miss Beatrice Fisher-Hart,
I can’t believe how your life is so full of opportunity and adventure, yet how distanced you are from your mother and father! Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without the support of my mother and father because they help me with so many things. But somehow, you are able to persevere through the difficult situation with your family and can focus on becoming an actress, which I really admire you for. I’m glad that you could feel a strong bond, like the relationships you never had with your mother and father, with the other cast members because I believe it is important for everyone to have a strong support system. Also, I feel really connected to you when you are on the farm, because I love going to my aunt and uncle’s cabin, which is in nearly the same setting as the farm was for rehearsals. Being on the farm and participating in the theatre are two of my favorite things and to have them combined would be amazing! The way you described the farm made me feel like I was right there beside you, “The quality of light…the smell of damp wood and earth in the stable…the sound of the grasses as you walked wetly through them on your way to the farmhouse kitchen” (176). This description made me have a flashback of the countless cool summer mornings I’ve spent on the farm, which is so calming compared to the suburbs! However, I am still wondering if you were truly surprised when your mother came to the farm? Didn’t you expect her to show up, due to the circumstances that she and your father were in? Did you find it troublesome that your mother stood behind your father, even though you knew and she knew that his actions were wrong? Anyways, I am really looking forward to seeing how your role as Thisbe turns out, I hope you break a leg that first performance!
Sincerely, Rachel
I can’t believe how your life is so full of opportunity and adventure, yet how distanced you are from your mother and father! Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without the support of my mother and father because they help me with so many things. But somehow, you are able to persevere through the difficult situation with your family and can focus on becoming an actress, which I really admire you for. I’m glad that you could feel a strong bond, like the relationships you never had with your mother and father, with the other cast members because I believe it is important for everyone to have a strong support system. Also, I feel really connected to you when you are on the farm, because I love going to my aunt and uncle’s cabin, which is in nearly the same setting as the farm was for rehearsals. Being on the farm and participating in the theatre are two of my favorite things and to have them combined would be amazing! The way you described the farm made me feel like I was right there beside you, “The quality of light…the smell of damp wood and earth in the stable…the sound of the grasses as you walked wetly through them on your way to the farmhouse kitchen” (176). This description made me have a flashback of the countless cool summer mornings I’ve spent on the farm, which is so calming compared to the suburbs! However, I am still wondering if you were truly surprised when your mother came to the farm? Didn’t you expect her to show up, due to the circumstances that she and your father were in? Did you find it troublesome that your mother stood behind your father, even though you knew and she knew that his actions were wrong? Anyways, I am really looking forward to seeing how your role as Thisbe turns out, I hope you break a leg that first performance!
Sincerely, Rachel
House Lights, Week 5, Post A
VOCAB
Ennui (178)- feeling of weariness and discontent
Self-abnegation (199)- self-denial
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
“…the sound of the grasses as you walked wetly through them on your way to the farmhouse kitchen” (176). This is an example of imagery because the reader can hear and feel the grasses as they hit one’s leg, it’s almost as if the reader is also walking through the grass because the sound and feeling is so descriptive.
“The can was full of water, and when every so often a drop fell from the leaky spigot, it made a cool plip” (193). This is an onomatopoeia because the word “plip” is being used to recreate the sound that the drips of water made.
“ ‘Who has she known her whole life?’ ‘Her parents.’ ‘Whose law has she lived under her whole life?’ ‘Her parents.’ “What does she want more than anything?’ ‘To leave them?’ ” (197). This is an instance of a symbol, because the questions Hale is asking Beatrice about her character symbolize what is happening in her own life. Also, Beatrice is becoming closer to the other members of the cast than she is to her actual family, so Hale’s questions also symbolizes that he is aware of the troubles she is going through.
QUOTE
“Touch could seal a pact, or substitute for words; it could communicate reminders of responsibility, duty, and one’s correct role, whether submissive or dominant” (186). Beatrice realizes that what a person means is not only affected by the words they speak, but also the body language. She recognizes that the few times her mother would stroke her face were in times of serious family issues, which portrays her mother as one who tries to cover things up.
THEME
A theme in this novel is that there are different kinds of families, there is no family that is perfect for everyone! For instance, Beatrice learns that she has been yearning for a family which is not only admired, but also has depth to it, and she find this family setting on the farm, with other cast members.
Ennui (178)- feeling of weariness and discontent
Self-abnegation (199)- self-denial
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
“…the sound of the grasses as you walked wetly through them on your way to the farmhouse kitchen” (176). This is an example of imagery because the reader can hear and feel the grasses as they hit one’s leg, it’s almost as if the reader is also walking through the grass because the sound and feeling is so descriptive.
“The can was full of water, and when every so often a drop fell from the leaky spigot, it made a cool plip” (193). This is an onomatopoeia because the word “plip” is being used to recreate the sound that the drips of water made.
“ ‘Who has she known her whole life?’ ‘Her parents.’ ‘Whose law has she lived under her whole life?’ ‘Her parents.’ “What does she want more than anything?’ ‘To leave them?’ ” (197). This is an instance of a symbol, because the questions Hale is asking Beatrice about her character symbolize what is happening in her own life. Also, Beatrice is becoming closer to the other members of the cast than she is to her actual family, so Hale’s questions also symbolizes that he is aware of the troubles she is going through.
QUOTE
“Touch could seal a pact, or substitute for words; it could communicate reminders of responsibility, duty, and one’s correct role, whether submissive or dominant” (186). Beatrice realizes that what a person means is not only affected by the words they speak, but also the body language. She recognizes that the few times her mother would stroke her face were in times of serious family issues, which portrays her mother as one who tries to cover things up.
THEME
A theme in this novel is that there are different kinds of families, there is no family that is perfect for everyone! For instance, Beatrice learns that she has been yearning for a family which is not only admired, but also has depth to it, and she find this family setting on the farm, with other cast members.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
House Lights, Week 4, Post B
Dear Miss Beatrice Fisher-Hart,
Wow, what a journey your life has been so far! At the beginning of the novel you seemed extremely naïve and were afraid to step outside of your standard ways. But as you encounter more situations, you learn from some of your errors and try to correct them, which I truly applaud you for. However, you still seem to hide from accepting the truth in some situations, such as your father’s sexual harassment charges and your grandmother’s plan for your grandfather’s suicide. I understand that it must be hard for you to accept these events, but sometimes good people just happen to do bad things, it shouldn’t mean they are a completely different person because of a single event. Also, I can’t imagine how depressed you must have been when Silke died, just a day after your 20th birthday! She was a wonderful person and her personality really showed in the way she made you feel a special love, your heart must be in terrible pain from her death. I really enjoyed the thoughts going through your head as you contemplated your grandmother’s role in your grandfather’s death, “Had Margaret Fourcey really built a career on the ashes of her first husband?...Which was Maggie Fourcey’s greater asset: skill at lying, or skill at truth-telling?” (141). It was interesting that you used her name, instead of calling her grandmother because it showed the distance coming between the two of you. You also bring up a good argument, whether your grandmother is a liar or honest, because her past actions have been a bit risky. In addition, I loved the part where you and John were dancing in the rain after Silke’s memorial service. I can totally relate to this because when my grandmother died, my family went out for dinner one night and we just laughed with each other, it was a great release of emotions, yet still bittersweet. On a lighter note, good luck with your acting career! I hope that your role in Hale’s play will bring you great success!
Sincerely,
Rachel
Wow, what a journey your life has been so far! At the beginning of the novel you seemed extremely naïve and were afraid to step outside of your standard ways. But as you encounter more situations, you learn from some of your errors and try to correct them, which I truly applaud you for. However, you still seem to hide from accepting the truth in some situations, such as your father’s sexual harassment charges and your grandmother’s plan for your grandfather’s suicide. I understand that it must be hard for you to accept these events, but sometimes good people just happen to do bad things, it shouldn’t mean they are a completely different person because of a single event. Also, I can’t imagine how depressed you must have been when Silke died, just a day after your 20th birthday! She was a wonderful person and her personality really showed in the way she made you feel a special love, your heart must be in terrible pain from her death. I really enjoyed the thoughts going through your head as you contemplated your grandmother’s role in your grandfather’s death, “Had Margaret Fourcey really built a career on the ashes of her first husband?...Which was Maggie Fourcey’s greater asset: skill at lying, or skill at truth-telling?” (141). It was interesting that you used her name, instead of calling her grandmother because it showed the distance coming between the two of you. You also bring up a good argument, whether your grandmother is a liar or honest, because her past actions have been a bit risky. In addition, I loved the part where you and John were dancing in the rain after Silke’s memorial service. I can totally relate to this because when my grandmother died, my family went out for dinner one night and we just laughed with each other, it was a great release of emotions, yet still bittersweet. On a lighter note, good luck with your acting career! I hope that your role in Hale’s play will bring you great success!
Sincerely,
Rachel
House Lights, Week 4, Post A
VOCAB
Platonic (135)- relating to a philosophy of Plato
Paltry (167)- ridiculously small, yet insulting
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
“…began tapping out a soft-shoe, airy as an angel food cake, on the wet granite” (141). This is an example of a simile because it compares the light tapping of John’s foot to the lightness of an angel food cake. The simile allows the reader to imagine exactly how the shoe tapping sounded.
“She looked old. Her crepey neck, her blue-veined ankles. Her lips were pressed together hard, radiating vertical lines” (143). This is imagery because it appeals to the reader’s sense of sight, the reader is able to envision how Margaret appears to Beatrice as she lays on the bed. The tightly pressed lips also appeal to the sense of touch, because it is easy to imagine how tightly clenched her jaw was at this point. (I looked up crepey, but it’s not actually a word- so I’m not sure what the author meant it to be, or if it’s invented?)
“Her voice was the softest thing in the world, like warm milk, or new grass, or baby hair” (155). This is both a simile and figurative language! This is a simile because the author compares the mother’s voice to the unlikely texture of milk, grass and hair. It’s somewhat ironic that she compares the softness of her mother’s voice to the softness of material items. However, since the voice is being compared to physical objects, it also appeals to the sense of touch (Can’t you just feel the velvet of a glass of milk on your lips?)
QUOTE
“What Ezra said worried me beyond the scope of him and me – the whole idea of injury not requiring intent” (160-161). Beatrice begins to realize that she injured Ezra without meaning to, but this has a greater significance than just the relationship between Beatrice and Ezra. Beatrice felt she was continually hurt by her parents when they kept information hidden from her, but not she begins to realize that they didn’t mean to cause her any pain.
THEME
A theme in the novel is to appreciate the differences in the people around you, because everyone contributes certain strengths! Beatrice starts to recognize the individuality in each of the actors she works with and values each person more.
Platonic (135)- relating to a philosophy of Plato
Paltry (167)- ridiculously small, yet insulting
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
“…began tapping out a soft-shoe, airy as an angel food cake, on the wet granite” (141). This is an example of a simile because it compares the light tapping of John’s foot to the lightness of an angel food cake. The simile allows the reader to imagine exactly how the shoe tapping sounded.
“She looked old. Her crepey neck, her blue-veined ankles. Her lips were pressed together hard, radiating vertical lines” (143). This is imagery because it appeals to the reader’s sense of sight, the reader is able to envision how Margaret appears to Beatrice as she lays on the bed. The tightly pressed lips also appeal to the sense of touch, because it is easy to imagine how tightly clenched her jaw was at this point. (I looked up crepey, but it’s not actually a word- so I’m not sure what the author meant it to be, or if it’s invented?)
“Her voice was the softest thing in the world, like warm milk, or new grass, or baby hair” (155). This is both a simile and figurative language! This is a simile because the author compares the mother’s voice to the unlikely texture of milk, grass and hair. It’s somewhat ironic that she compares the softness of her mother’s voice to the softness of material items. However, since the voice is being compared to physical objects, it also appeals to the sense of touch (Can’t you just feel the velvet of a glass of milk on your lips?)
QUOTE
“What Ezra said worried me beyond the scope of him and me – the whole idea of injury not requiring intent” (160-161). Beatrice begins to realize that she injured Ezra without meaning to, but this has a greater significance than just the relationship between Beatrice and Ezra. Beatrice felt she was continually hurt by her parents when they kept information hidden from her, but not she begins to realize that they didn’t mean to cause her any pain.
THEME
A theme in the novel is to appreciate the differences in the people around you, because everyone contributes certain strengths! Beatrice starts to recognize the individuality in each of the actors she works with and values each person more.
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