1. Alma Singer and Oscar are similar due to the primary reason that they are both on a search. Both of their searches are due to the death of their father. In both cases the search was driven by the love and admiration of their father. They both admired their father’s ways for their own reason and wanted to find some way to cope with the loss of their loved one. Probably the main reason that Alma Singer and Oscar are similar is their search for self. Though their method of searching may be a little different, the main reason and is exactly the same. Some of the differences which are present between Alma and Oscar. The main difference that I noticed between Alma and Oscar was the relationship with their mothers. I noted that Oscar was more unenthusiastic with his mother obtained a new boyfriend, while Alma actually tried to find someone for her mother.
2. The way that Binx can be put into the context of HoL is the similarities in the search. Binx is unsure of what he is really searching for, and in History of Love, Alma is on a search. The similarity is the search, while the reason and source of the search is different. The similarity however is the search for self, and the fact that both are searching for “something” in order put themselves in context with the world.
3. Leo Gursky is is old man who is living in New York and living as a blacksmith. Leo tries to get noticed as much as possible so that people are able to notice him, Leo’s greatest fear is not dyeing unnoticed and what he gave to his is a lot. He really seemed to love his son and if the situation was right, would have been a great father.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Hol connects to other readings
1. Alma and Osker are similar in that they both share a child's naivety among other things. Through their stories they grow to become much more mature thanks to their searches. They both have lost a parents which fuels their search yet in the end they find something much different then what they initially began looking for. They are different because Alma doesn't quite go the extremes that Osker does in his search. Alma also seemed more generally satisfied with the result of her search than Osker did.
2. Binx's search is very similar to Leo's search. They both are searching for a purpose or greater meaning in life. After Leo lost his love he spent the rest of his life doing mundane things like Binx but in the end finds that his life had great meaning all along just like Binx finds his life's meaning or purpose was right under his nose the whole time.
3. Leo Gursky is a grumpy old man when we first meet him. He's also a one-love-for-life kind of man which may have fueled that grumpiness but he is also a good man with normal desires. He wants to be remembered and loved like anyone else. Leo gives his son inspiration and pride. Leo's son has a father who wrote amazing literature that touched many lives, which no doubt helped inspire Issac when he discovered that. Leo has years of experience from around the world which any son would be grateful to have a parent share with him.
2. Binx's search is very similar to Leo's search. They both are searching for a purpose or greater meaning in life. After Leo lost his love he spent the rest of his life doing mundane things like Binx but in the end finds that his life had great meaning all along just like Binx finds his life's meaning or purpose was right under his nose the whole time.
3. Leo Gursky is a grumpy old man when we first meet him. He's also a one-love-for-life kind of man which may have fueled that grumpiness but he is also a good man with normal desires. He wants to be remembered and loved like anyone else. Leo gives his son inspiration and pride. Leo's son has a father who wrote amazing literature that touched many lives, which no doubt helped inspire Issac when he discovered that. Leo has years of experience from around the world which any son would be grateful to have a parent share with him.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Last Blog By hesham
1. How are Alma Singer and Oskar similar? Different?
Alma Singer and Oskar are some what similar in their attitudes and circumstances. They have similar circumstances in that they both lost their beloved father at a very young age. They both idolized their fathers for their traits and seek to become like them. Oskar loved his father’s engaging scientific mind, while Alma loved her adventurous traveling father. They both have mothers who love them very much, who seem distracted, but underneath they were trying to cope with the loss of their husbands. The difference between Oskar and Alma was while Oskar hated his mothers boyfriend, Alma was trying to find the “perfect man” for her mother.
Attitude wise, they both have very curious young minds. Both Oskar and Alma just happen to know all these trivial facts that no one tends to notice or think about. For example Alma knew the edible test along with Oskar’s many trivial facts. They both have a thriving passion in their lives. Oskar was an inventor, idolizing many great figures in that field. While Alma loved traveling and nature, idolizing the paleontologist from her father’s book.
And the most obvious aspect of similarity was there search. Oskar was set out to discover the meaning of the mysterious key he found in his father’s closet, to get know more about his father. Alma set out to unite her mother with the mysterious man that asker her to translate The History of Love. But underneath they went through this search for their own self development, and to try to cope with their realities. Weather it was Oskar trying to cope with his father’s death, or Alma trying to cope to her mother’s unhappiness.
2. Can you put Binx's search in to the context of HoL?
Binx’s search can be incorporated into the context of History of love in that the main narrators (Leo and Alma) are on their own searches as well. In all the three searches, they are all trying to find their place in life. Binx is confused and stagnant in his routine of going to the movies and dating his secretaries, so he is trying to find a more meaningful life for himself through his search. Leo is trying to a find his place as well toward the end of his life; he is trying to find his place in life and preserve it, so that he can die knowing that he is still alive in people’s hearts. And Alma is trying to find herself in the world by searching for the Alma in the book, which will help her cope with her father’s death and her mother depression.
3. What kind of person is Leo Gursky? What does he have to offer his son?
Leo Gursky is a desperate loner. He senses that death is closing in on him after his heart attack incident, thus he is always thinking about his own death in every context he is in. He feels that if he were to die now then no body would notice his death, so in order to get noticed he would create as many scenes as possible. For example he would go out to movies, buy a bucket of popcorn and just spill it to get people’s attention.
Leo Gursky is a lonely due to his feeling of an unaccomplished life. He had lost his family in the war. He lost his one and only love and was forced out of his son’s life. He spent the rest of his life working as a locksmith, a job he never saw himself ever getting in to. He is a refuge who was forced to flee to his native country. All these events lead him to this unhappy life, full of emptiness and loneliness.
Even though Leo Gursky seems like an old senile person I believe that he is a great man. He is a great writer, with great heart. He was man enough to back out of Alma’s life for her own wellbeing. I believe his heart always belonged to her and his son, putting their well being against his own happiness. I believe in the event of Leo raising up his son, he would have been a great father. He would have been a role model for his son’s writing passion, and would have greatly assisted his son’s writing skills. He would have been a compassionate father, teaching his son about love through the stories of himself and Alma. And he would have been the supporting backbone of every obstacle in his son’s life, teaching him through his own unfortunate past.
4. Am I gonna miss blogging in here?
yes and no.
Yes, because it was fun reading all of my peer's opinions and discussing them in class.
No, it was very a tedious task for me that I always did last on Sunday nights.
Alma Singer and Oskar are some what similar in their attitudes and circumstances. They have similar circumstances in that they both lost their beloved father at a very young age. They both idolized their fathers for their traits and seek to become like them. Oskar loved his father’s engaging scientific mind, while Alma loved her adventurous traveling father. They both have mothers who love them very much, who seem distracted, but underneath they were trying to cope with the loss of their husbands. The difference between Oskar and Alma was while Oskar hated his mothers boyfriend, Alma was trying to find the “perfect man” for her mother.
Attitude wise, they both have very curious young minds. Both Oskar and Alma just happen to know all these trivial facts that no one tends to notice or think about. For example Alma knew the edible test along with Oskar’s many trivial facts. They both have a thriving passion in their lives. Oskar was an inventor, idolizing many great figures in that field. While Alma loved traveling and nature, idolizing the paleontologist from her father’s book.
And the most obvious aspect of similarity was there search. Oskar was set out to discover the meaning of the mysterious key he found in his father’s closet, to get know more about his father. Alma set out to unite her mother with the mysterious man that asker her to translate The History of Love. But underneath they went through this search for their own self development, and to try to cope with their realities. Weather it was Oskar trying to cope with his father’s death, or Alma trying to cope to her mother’s unhappiness.
2. Can you put Binx's search in to the context of HoL?
Binx’s search can be incorporated into the context of History of love in that the main narrators (Leo and Alma) are on their own searches as well. In all the three searches, they are all trying to find their place in life. Binx is confused and stagnant in his routine of going to the movies and dating his secretaries, so he is trying to find a more meaningful life for himself through his search. Leo is trying to a find his place as well toward the end of his life; he is trying to find his place in life and preserve it, so that he can die knowing that he is still alive in people’s hearts. And Alma is trying to find herself in the world by searching for the Alma in the book, which will help her cope with her father’s death and her mother depression.
3. What kind of person is Leo Gursky? What does he have to offer his son?
Leo Gursky is a desperate loner. He senses that death is closing in on him after his heart attack incident, thus he is always thinking about his own death in every context he is in. He feels that if he were to die now then no body would notice his death, so in order to get noticed he would create as many scenes as possible. For example he would go out to movies, buy a bucket of popcorn and just spill it to get people’s attention.
Leo Gursky is a lonely due to his feeling of an unaccomplished life. He had lost his family in the war. He lost his one and only love and was forced out of his son’s life. He spent the rest of his life working as a locksmith, a job he never saw himself ever getting in to. He is a refuge who was forced to flee to his native country. All these events lead him to this unhappy life, full of emptiness and loneliness.
Even though Leo Gursky seems like an old senile person I believe that he is a great man. He is a great writer, with great heart. He was man enough to back out of Alma’s life for her own wellbeing. I believe his heart always belonged to her and his son, putting their well being against his own happiness. I believe in the event of Leo raising up his son, he would have been a great father. He would have been a role model for his son’s writing passion, and would have greatly assisted his son’s writing skills. He would have been a compassionate father, teaching his son about love through the stories of himself and Alma. And he would have been the supporting backbone of every obstacle in his son’s life, teaching him through his own unfortunate past.
4. Am I gonna miss blogging in here?
yes and no.
Yes, because it was fun reading all of my peer's opinions and discussing them in class.
No, it was very a tedious task for me that I always did last on Sunday nights.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
History Of Love Questions
1. How are Alma and Oskar Similar?
Alma and Oskar are similar in a few different ways. Both are mourning the loss of their father, they both try to emulate their father, Perhaps most importantly both are on a mission to find out more about their fathers. Oskar is on a quest to find out what the key meant to his father. Alma on the other hand begins her quest in an attempt to find her mother a new love towards the end she is trying to find out what the significance the book had to her father and what type of a person he was.
2. Can you relate to Bonx's search to the History Of Love Context?
I think the two stories are similar. Binx had never felt more alive then when he nearly died in combat in the Korean war, now Binx Bolling is trying to find a meaning to his low key life in Louisiana where life and death are not a daily issue. Leo Gursky was once deeply in love with someone who he felt would never leave his side. After all of his family and all he knew was exterminated by the Nazi war machine he moves to America to find that the person who he thought would always love him and moved on and that he couldn't have a relationship with his son. Now he is looking back on his life trying to find a purpose. Leo wants to know how he impacted the world. He wants to know that his son knew him and wishes that his writing could have some how impacted him. What he finds is that his writing impacted his son and others. Bird lost his father at a very young age and is looking for a meaning for his life through a religious mission. His older sister fills his mind with these great stories about their father and he believes that his purpose it to be the messiah or at least one of the 36 lamed vovnik. Alma begins by searching for some way to make her mother happy again but in the end she is just trying to find more out about what type of person her father is and what Gursky's book "the history of love" had to do with her/her father. All the characters are searching to find them selves and their purpose. Binx searches as an existentialist. Leo searches as lover, writer, and father. Bird searches as a son / person of devout faith. Alma searches as a daughter.
3. What type of person is Leo Gursky? What does he have to offer his Son?
Leo Gursky is a lonely person who feels that all his life's work was for nothing. He believes his novel was lost and that his son didn't even know that he existed. It is not until the end of the book when he meets Alma in central park that he sees that his writing impacted the life of his son and of others. Gursky like his son is a talented writer by writing the history of love he is able to tell him why he wasn't a part of his life. This however isn't all that Gursky has to offer. I think that Leo could have been a great father to his Son had be been given the opportunity. He obviously cares about him very much and I believe that under normal circumstances he would have been able to raise him and even mentor him with his writing.
4. Is Bird a religious fanatic?
Yes!
Alma and Oskar are similar in a few different ways. Both are mourning the loss of their father, they both try to emulate their father, Perhaps most importantly both are on a mission to find out more about their fathers. Oskar is on a quest to find out what the key meant to his father. Alma on the other hand begins her quest in an attempt to find her mother a new love towards the end she is trying to find out what the significance the book had to her father and what type of a person he was.
2. Can you relate to Bonx's search to the History Of Love Context?
I think the two stories are similar. Binx had never felt more alive then when he nearly died in combat in the Korean war, now Binx Bolling is trying to find a meaning to his low key life in Louisiana where life and death are not a daily issue. Leo Gursky was once deeply in love with someone who he felt would never leave his side. After all of his family and all he knew was exterminated by the Nazi war machine he moves to America to find that the person who he thought would always love him and moved on and that he couldn't have a relationship with his son. Now he is looking back on his life trying to find a purpose. Leo wants to know how he impacted the world. He wants to know that his son knew him and wishes that his writing could have some how impacted him. What he finds is that his writing impacted his son and others. Bird lost his father at a very young age and is looking for a meaning for his life through a religious mission. His older sister fills his mind with these great stories about their father and he believes that his purpose it to be the messiah or at least one of the 36 lamed vovnik. Alma begins by searching for some way to make her mother happy again but in the end she is just trying to find more out about what type of person her father is and what Gursky's book "the history of love" had to do with her/her father. All the characters are searching to find them selves and their purpose. Binx searches as an existentialist. Leo searches as lover, writer, and father. Bird searches as a son / person of devout faith. Alma searches as a daughter.
3. What type of person is Leo Gursky? What does he have to offer his Son?
Leo Gursky is a lonely person who feels that all his life's work was for nothing. He believes his novel was lost and that his son didn't even know that he existed. It is not until the end of the book when he meets Alma in central park that he sees that his writing impacted the life of his son and of others. Gursky like his son is a talented writer by writing the history of love he is able to tell him why he wasn't a part of his life. This however isn't all that Gursky has to offer. I think that Leo could have been a great father to his Son had be been given the opportunity. He obviously cares about him very much and I believe that under normal circumstances he would have been able to raise him and even mentor him with his writing.
4. Is Bird a religious fanatic?
Yes!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Big macs and karma stand up show
At first impression I was skeptical of the going to a “school” show, especially when it was an alleged “comedy” show. Somehow I never knew that “funny” and “school” could fit together in so much harmony. But it was up to Vijay’s Big Macs and karma show to convince me otherwise. I didn’t have much background as to what the show was about and who it was by; all I knew was that it was a female performer. As the show started I expected a white or black performer to come on, but rather it was an Indian young woman. She dressed in a very “mixed” way; she wore jeans along with a native Indian top. As I later found out it was a way of symbolism to represent her assimilation into the American culture; half Indian, half American.
The show was about Vijay’s life in America. She started out telling us about her background and her parent’s background. She told us that her parents were very old fashioned and religious people. They were Hindu so they don’t eat meat, but the first thing they did in America was to eat at McDonalds. During the show Vijay described her mother as the religious and superstitious person while her dad was an atheist and very carefree. She then continued to humorously describe events of her younger years, and her conflicting up bringing. She always saw events with two very different perspectives; an American way, and an Indian way.
She then concluded the show with a traumatic event; the loss of a loved one. That loved one was her father; whom I have come to admire through the numerous representations in her stories. I was truly saddened and shocked by the introduction of such a depressing event to a “comedy” show. But I also believe it was a brilliant technique to wrap up a great stand up show that mixed various aspects of religion, morals, traditions, and acculturation.
The show was about Vijay’s life in America. She started out telling us about her background and her parent’s background. She told us that her parents were very old fashioned and religious people. They were Hindu so they don’t eat meat, but the first thing they did in America was to eat at McDonalds. During the show Vijay described her mother as the religious and superstitious person while her dad was an atheist and very carefree. She then continued to humorously describe events of her younger years, and her conflicting up bringing. She always saw events with two very different perspectives; an American way, and an Indian way.
She then concluded the show with a traumatic event; the loss of a loved one. That loved one was her father; whom I have come to admire through the numerous representations in her stories. I was truly saddened and shocked by the introduction of such a depressing event to a “comedy” show. But I also believe it was a brilliant technique to wrap up a great stand up show that mixed various aspects of religion, morals, traditions, and acculturation.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Linking novels
(I was surprised upon learning that Nicole Krauss (The History of Love) and Jonathan Safran Foer (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) are married. Its just that they both wrote good novels - by "good" I mean fun to read and has to be read between the lines for they have deeper meanings. )
1. Alma and Oskar are similar in such a way that they are both in search of something tangible and concrete. Alma is searching for Alma Mereminski, the lead lady in the book her mom is translating. She is also hoping to unite with her mom the mystery man who asked her mom to translate The History of Love. Oskar is searching for a certain "Black" who could have owned the key he found from his dad's things. He is also eager to find out what object the key opens because of the hope that he'd learn more about his dad. Alma's search is for her mother; to try to cure her mom's loneliness and Oskar's search is for learning more about his father and is for indentifying who he really is. Both Alma and Oskar lost their father. Alma lost her father due to pancreatic cancer 7 years ago and Oskar lost his father from the 9/11 attacks. Both struggled not only to search for whatever they were looking for but also in coping with their fathers' deaths. Both Alma and Oskar have adventurous spirits. Alma enjoys the thought of survival and the wilderness. In fact, she writes How to Survive in the Wild. Oskar loved playing treasure hunts, puzzles, etc with his father. Both were discreet and did not give up easily on their search.
One of their differences is that Alma is a teenaged girl and Oskar is just a young boy. Another is that Oskar not really witnessed his father's death but he was the only one who heard his father's phone calls on the day of his death and Oskar kept it, carried it as a burden while Alma lost her father in a disease and has no one to blame. Another difference is their relationship with their father. Oskar was really close with his father and I am guessing that Alma isn't because she did not really mention her father very much. Last is the way they reacted to their mother's feelings toward their father's death. Oskar was not happy that his mom found somebody new and was able to cope with his dad's death while Alma tried to cure her mom's loneliness by finding someone for her mom.
2. Binx is a guy who prefers to stay in the background, watching movies. He is uncertain who he is and where he belongs. He feels that his life lacks substance and would rather date girls and watch movies than do something noteworthy. He felt the need to answer questions, make decisions, and live with the effects those decisions have on other people's lives. His search is unknown. I think I can only relate his search in The History of Love's context in such a way that he is searching for something that is lost - something that has been lost due to the fast-paced lives people choose to live. In The History of Love, Alma is searching for the girl Alma who has been mentioned several times in the book her mom is translating. Leo, the author of the said book is also searching for his lost book. At the same time, he is searching for his place or role in the world and in other people's lives which is why he does everything to be noticed.
3. Leo Gursky is an old man who works as a locksmith in New York. When he was younger, he loved his good friend Alma Mereminski. After the Nazis threatened Poland, Alma left Poland. She had a baby with Leo but married another man. Right after the war, Leo felt invisible. He felt the need to be sure that he existed and that he had to be seen at least once a day. He did everything to be noticed and to seek attention. He feared dying alone in his apartment with no one seeing him. Looking at him deeper, he is a man who lost a lot in life; he lost his young love, he lost his book The History of Love which is a book of his love for Alma, and he lost the opportunity of being a father to his son. It could just be summed up that Leo Gursky is someone who lost his life completely after a sharp turning point in his life. Thinking of what Leo has experienced though, I think he has a strong spirit. He also loves true and deep and is a forgiving person. What Leo can offer his son (literally) is his book which is his and Alma's love on paper. Another is love itself; his love for Alma, Isaac's mother. I also believe that Leo is very proud of his son being a writer like him. So maybe another thing he can offer is his passion in writing.
1. Alma and Oskar are similar in such a way that they are both in search of something tangible and concrete. Alma is searching for Alma Mereminski, the lead lady in the book her mom is translating. She is also hoping to unite with her mom the mystery man who asked her mom to translate The History of Love. Oskar is searching for a certain "Black" who could have owned the key he found from his dad's things. He is also eager to find out what object the key opens because of the hope that he'd learn more about his dad. Alma's search is for her mother; to try to cure her mom's loneliness and Oskar's search is for learning more about his father and is for indentifying who he really is. Both Alma and Oskar lost their father. Alma lost her father due to pancreatic cancer 7 years ago and Oskar lost his father from the 9/11 attacks. Both struggled not only to search for whatever they were looking for but also in coping with their fathers' deaths. Both Alma and Oskar have adventurous spirits. Alma enjoys the thought of survival and the wilderness. In fact, she writes How to Survive in the Wild. Oskar loved playing treasure hunts, puzzles, etc with his father. Both were discreet and did not give up easily on their search.
One of their differences is that Alma is a teenaged girl and Oskar is just a young boy. Another is that Oskar not really witnessed his father's death but he was the only one who heard his father's phone calls on the day of his death and Oskar kept it, carried it as a burden while Alma lost her father in a disease and has no one to blame. Another difference is their relationship with their father. Oskar was really close with his father and I am guessing that Alma isn't because she did not really mention her father very much. Last is the way they reacted to their mother's feelings toward their father's death. Oskar was not happy that his mom found somebody new and was able to cope with his dad's death while Alma tried to cure her mom's loneliness by finding someone for her mom.
2. Binx is a guy who prefers to stay in the background, watching movies. He is uncertain who he is and where he belongs. He feels that his life lacks substance and would rather date girls and watch movies than do something noteworthy. He felt the need to answer questions, make decisions, and live with the effects those decisions have on other people's lives. His search is unknown. I think I can only relate his search in The History of Love's context in such a way that he is searching for something that is lost - something that has been lost due to the fast-paced lives people choose to live. In The History of Love, Alma is searching for the girl Alma who has been mentioned several times in the book her mom is translating. Leo, the author of the said book is also searching for his lost book. At the same time, he is searching for his place or role in the world and in other people's lives which is why he does everything to be noticed.
3. Leo Gursky is an old man who works as a locksmith in New York. When he was younger, he loved his good friend Alma Mereminski. After the Nazis threatened Poland, Alma left Poland. She had a baby with Leo but married another man. Right after the war, Leo felt invisible. He felt the need to be sure that he existed and that he had to be seen at least once a day. He did everything to be noticed and to seek attention. He feared dying alone in his apartment with no one seeing him. Looking at him deeper, he is a man who lost a lot in life; he lost his young love, he lost his book The History of Love which is a book of his love for Alma, and he lost the opportunity of being a father to his son. It could just be summed up that Leo Gursky is someone who lost his life completely after a sharp turning point in his life. Thinking of what Leo has experienced though, I think he has a strong spirit. He also loves true and deep and is a forgiving person. What Leo can offer his son (literally) is his book which is his and Alma's love on paper. Another is love itself; his love for Alma, Isaac's mother. I also believe that Leo is very proud of his son being a writer like him. So maybe another thing he can offer is his passion in writing.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Platanos & Collard Greens
Issues among races, cultures, and traditions always amuse me. Although differences among people are infinite, only one similarity could bind and unite them.
Platanos and Collard Greens is a play about the relationship of Freeman (an African-American) and Angelita (Latina). Angelita's mom disapproves of her relationship with Freeman because of the mere fact that he is black. It reached the point where Angelita's mom pretended to have a heart attack when she and Angelita were arguing about Freeman. Angelita was then forced to break up with him. The issue which plays on Angelita's mom is her beliefs being deeply rooted from the traditional thinking of the Latinos.
I think I enjoyed watching the play because the issue tackled was interesting and is very typical in today's world. Not only was the play funny but it also made some sense. The cast was pretty good. Freeman's friend (I forgot his name!) is the best, not as a friend but as a stage play actor. He sure has the talent and was fun to watch. I liked it when he rapped and danced. He and Freeman was a good duo in such a way that they were so natural and real in terms of acting. Freeman's dad was fun to watch as well, especially when he tried to demonstrate to his son how he danced to impress Freeman's mom and how he dreamed of the "hot" Latinas. Freeman's mom, by the way, is a Latina - a Dominican. Melody and the other Latina had not-so-big parts in the play but their speeches made sense. It was so funny when both girls were dancing- the typical Latino and the African-American style.
What I didn't like about the play was that the setting did not show much creativity. It was just the stage and six chairs. The music and light effects tried to made up for the lack of a stage back-drop or something. Also, there wasn't costume change - this may not have been as important but I think their clothes could have added a little "spice" to the presentation.
I know the main theme of the story but I don't get what the playwright is trying to imply in the end. Is he trying to point out that relationships among African-Americans and Latinos/Latinas work out as long as they remain discreet about it? or that African-American and Latino/Latina relationships just don't work because of their cultural differences?
And stupid as this may seem, I don't know why the title was such. Do platanos & collard greens represent the African-Americans and the Latinos?
Platanos and Collard Greens is a play about the relationship of Freeman (an African-American) and Angelita (Latina). Angelita's mom disapproves of her relationship with Freeman because of the mere fact that he is black. It reached the point where Angelita's mom pretended to have a heart attack when she and Angelita were arguing about Freeman. Angelita was then forced to break up with him. The issue which plays on Angelita's mom is her beliefs being deeply rooted from the traditional thinking of the Latinos.
I think I enjoyed watching the play because the issue tackled was interesting and is very typical in today's world. Not only was the play funny but it also made some sense. The cast was pretty good. Freeman's friend (I forgot his name!) is the best, not as a friend but as a stage play actor. He sure has the talent and was fun to watch. I liked it when he rapped and danced. He and Freeman was a good duo in such a way that they were so natural and real in terms of acting. Freeman's dad was fun to watch as well, especially when he tried to demonstrate to his son how he danced to impress Freeman's mom and how he dreamed of the "hot" Latinas. Freeman's mom, by the way, is a Latina - a Dominican. Melody and the other Latina had not-so-big parts in the play but their speeches made sense. It was so funny when both girls were dancing- the typical Latino and the African-American style.
What I didn't like about the play was that the setting did not show much creativity. It was just the stage and six chairs. The music and light effects tried to made up for the lack of a stage back-drop or something. Also, there wasn't costume change - this may not have been as important but I think their clothes could have added a little "spice" to the presentation.
I know the main theme of the story but I don't get what the playwright is trying to imply in the end. Is he trying to point out that relationships among African-Americans and Latinos/Latinas work out as long as they remain discreet about it? or that African-American and Latino/Latina relationships just don't work because of their cultural differences?
And stupid as this may seem, I don't know why the title was such. Do platanos & collard greens represent the African-Americans and the Latinos?
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