Abstract This paper looks at the play 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which presents a typical insight on the disturbed and somewhat revengeful life of a married couple, George and Martha. The writer examines the plot of the play, the writing style and the social message it was trying to portray in the late 1950's.
From the Paper "The era when the play was first performed is that of the late 1950s, a period dominated by a loving American President (D.Eisenhower), and good family values were considered as well as emphasized at all levels including American politics and culture. Thus, having a car, owning a house, and having kids were all deemed to present symbols of a perfectly happy family. In spite of all these aspects, there were events in the lives of people, which more often not than remained hidden, and the subject play strives to highlight those hidden feelings, and characteristics of people who continued to live their lives often pretending, or creating a world of their own in their attempts to hide their true feelings of hatred, revenge and lack of being successful in their real lives. The couple of George and Martha do exactly this and from the beginning of the play right to the end, their entire conversations and acts exemplify their hatred for each other. It is also observed that neither George nor Martha make any attempt to stop their negative and sometimes insulting behavior against each other, as evidently witnessed by their colleagues Nick and Honey, another married couple who have just begun their married life as well as their career."
Abstract This paper compares the criticism and reactions to the 1962 original production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and the 1980 revival of Edward Albee's landmark work. The author states that play has thrived over the passage of time, having become an undeniable classic in the playwright's lifetime. Calling it a stark, gritty portrayal of marital disillusion and power-plays, combined with the awkwardness of public betrayals of vulnerability and deeply guarded secrets, the paper says the original production revolutionized American theatre and has even been seen as the high point of Broadway in the last 40 years. However, according to this author, the 1980 revival, although critically acclaimed in its own right, did not enjoy the prestige or controversy of the original.
From the Paper "Albee's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf opened at the Billy Rose theatre in October 1962 and starred Arthur Hill, Uta Hagen, George Grizzard, and Melinda Dillon; it consequently ran for 664 performances. The play essentially depicts the interactions of two married couples in an academic setting; the older married couple, George and Martha, represent a bickering, disillusioned older couple. George is a professor who is overpowered by his alcoholic, bitter wife who had hoped that he would have achieved a more stellar position in the academic community. The long-married couple is united by an unseen child who is later exposed to be nothing more than imaginary. The couple is paralleled with a younger couple, Nick and Honey, who are starting out in life and appear to be following a path similar to that of George and Martha. Nick is beginning his own career as an academician, and Honey, bubbly and empty-headed, has falsely entrapped Nick into marriage with a false pregnancy. The psychological, social, and emotional dynamics are portrayed during the proceedings of an awkward dinner party."
Tags: theater, Edward, Albee, Nick, Honey, George, Martha, marriage, play
Abstract This paper analyzes Chester Finn's article "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Test?", which concerns national education testing. It explores Finn's view that national educational testing is the solution to the problems confronting education today.
From the Paper "Chester E Finn Jr has written an article that supports establishing national testing standards for schools. This is not a balanced article that considers the advantages and disadvantages of the issue and ..."
Tags: education, big bad test, finn, national, education, testing
Abstract This paper explains that a title of a play is often an indication of what the play might be about, where a story takes place or must be interpreted, such as Edward Albee's plays, "The Zoo Story", "The Sandbox" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". The paper then goes on to analyze and interpret the titles of each play. It first relates that "The Sandbox", which the writer believes is the weakest of the three plays, sets the play inside a sandbox that represents more than just a child's sandbox or the beach. Next, the paper explains "The Zoo Story" does not take place in a zoo, but rather depicts the main character's life, which is like a zoo. Lastly, the paper discusses the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", suggesting that the title of this play is the hardest to interpret.
From the Paper "One interpretation is that the title is a description of Jerry's life. While Peter lives a very civilized life in an upper-class neighborhood in New York with his wife, children, and pets, Jerry lives in "a four-story brownstone rooming house." From his description, we learn that the other tenants in the boarding house are from all walks of life and include a "colored queen," a drunken landlord, and a Puerto Rican family. The way the house is set up is representative of a zoo. The people live in their own sections of the house much like animals in a zoo and have seemingly nothing in common."
Tags: interpretation house casket sexual, fear of reality
This paper examines how Tolstoy attempts to persuade us to find meaning in life by presenting two distinct sets of supporting characters and by demonstrating why Ivan Ilych is afraid to die and what causes his suffering.
2,180 words (approx. 8.7 pages), 1 source, 2001, $ 67.95
Abstract The paper analyzes the title character of Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych", making clear the author's intention that each of us must discover how to lead a meaningful life. Tolstoy attempts to persuade us to his point of view by presenting two distinct sets of supporting characters and by demonstrating why Ivan Ilych is afraid to die and what causes his suffering. In addition, Tolstoy warns of the social conditions that prevent most people from accomplishing in life what Ivan Ilych could only achieve in death.
From the paper:
"Two hours before his death Ivan Ilych finally asks the right question. After three days of screaming through agonizing pain, he laments that his life ?was all not the right thing,? and passes into death wondering "what is the right thing"? (151). With this final realization and questioning, the title character of Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych" makes clear the author's intention that each of us must find the right thing and discover how to lead a meaningful life. Tolstoy explains that even at this final moment, Ivan Ilych is capable of redeeming himself and making this discovery, that though his life had not been what it should have been, this could still be rectified (151). If Ivan Ilych can do it at the last minute, the rest of us still can."
Abstract Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? brings together two couples in a college town, one couple older and more experienced, the other younger and new to the academic world, for a night of psychodrama approaching outright psychological torture.
From the Paper "Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? brings together two couples in a college town, one couple older and more experienced, the other younger and new to the academic world, for a night of psychodrama approaching outright psychological torture. The older couple has clearly performed this ritual many times before, and over the course of the night, while they pass through a series of stages leading form one interpersonal position to another, they cannot be said to be changed by the experience. After all, as noted, they have tortured one another like this before and will do so again. On this night, Martha may give away more secrets or take the drama in a different direction, but still the couple has done this before. The younger couple, on the other hand, experience something new which challenges their view of the accepted order and tests their view ..."
Abstract This paper is a case summary of the fictional character of Martha from Edward Albee's award-winning 1962 play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." The paper is presented from the point of view of the therapist, a practitioner of humanistic psychology.
From the Paper "As described by Albee, Martha is a large, boisterous woman of 52, looking somewhat younger. She is ample, but not fleshy. Albee (1963) calls Martha an amply-endowed earth-mother with only her husband to oversee, a man she refers to as "the shadow of a man flickering around the edges of a house" (p. 226). Martha's background offers insight into her present emotional state and behavior. She has a loud and abrasive attitude. Martha is loud and aggressive, and does everything possible to make herself noticed. She is abusive most of the time but that is because she is afraid of being ignored. Her mother died when she was very young, and she was raised by her father."
Abstract This paper examines the importance of truth and illusion in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" by playwright Edward Albee. The paper shows that these themes are central to the plot, making for great suspense as the audience realizes the tragedy of the facade that characters Martha and George have created to avoid facing reality. The paper shows that the issues of truth and illusion allow the author to demonstrate the fragile fantasy which supports the American dream. As an absurdist, Edward Albee believed illusion created a false contentment and this is shown by the shambolic nature of the two marriages in the play. The paper shows that Albee believed that however harsh the reality, people had to learn the difference between truth and illusion.
From the Paper "Another important role of truth and illusion in the novel is that it allows Albee to demonstrate his views on American society. By calling the central characters George and Martha, he makes an unmistakable reference to George and Martha Washington. Albee uses their marriage as a microcosm for the imperfect state of America. The marriage of George and Martha is essentially based on fantasy and illusion, as is that of Nick and Honey, seemingly representative of the conventional American couple. Therefore, Albee is asking his audience to question the American society represented by the marriage of George and Martha, and to begin to consider whether the American dream is actually based on similarly false illusions."
Compares and analyzes the book "The Culture of Fear: Why Americans are Afraid of the Wrong Things" (Barry Glassner) and "The Stranger Next Door" (Arlene Stein) which deal with false beliefs.
Abstract A major question that can be asked in the study of sociology is how members of society come to believe the things they do. The next question that can be asked is what happens if members of society come to believe things that are not true. Two books that deal with this subject are "The Culture of Fear: Why Americans are Afraid of the Wrong Things" by Barry Glassner and "The Stranger Next Door" by Arlene Stein. Both of these books describe different means of people arriving at the wrong conclusions, different types of false beliefs and different impacts of these beliefs. However, the one thing the two books do share is a focus on illustrating how people in society can come to believe the wrong things. The purpose of each book is to allow people to see that their beliefs can be influenced and that this can create an incorrect view of issues impacting society and themselves. This paper critically analyzes and compares both books. It begins by detailing the argument of each book and comparing the arguments. The evidence each author uses is then be considered. The impact each author has on their book is the next consideration, including whether their own views have helped or hindered an understanding of the social issues they are discussing. Finally, the analysis is concluded by judging each book overall to determine which author is most effective in making a convincing argument.
From the Paper "The argument of Glassner's book is summed up by the titled, The Culture of Fear: Why Americans are Afraid of the Wrong Things. Glassner argues that the majority of fears that the public have are grossly exaggerated. The exaggeration that occurs is attributed mainly to the media, who tend to report on certain items to increase ratings. The reality in this is that what happens everyday is not as interesting to the public as what happens rarely. For this reason, car crashes do not get a lot of media coverage. In short, car crashes are too normal an occurrence to be considered major news. In contrast, a plane crash will be reported because it is rare enough to warrant public interest. Glassner notes the same occurrence on talk shows and in magazines. The individual with a common disease, even if serious or fatal, is not likely to gain much media coverage. However, the individual with a rare disease is likely to gain media coverage, because of the rarity. In short, if something is rare in some way, it is likely to be seen in the media."
Tags: exaggeration, Oregon, Citizens, Alliance, homosexuality, CAN
An examination of the how the concept of time affects the characters of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" by Edward Albee and "Rabbit, Run" by John Updike.
Abstract This paper discusses and analyzes the two books "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" by Edward Albee and "Rabbit, Run" by John Updike. Specifically, it discusses at least one character from each book in light of his/her relationship to time. It shows how time plays an important role in both books, and heavily affects both characters as they search for meaning in their unfulfilled lives.
From the Paper "In "Rabbit, Run," one of a succession of "Rabbit" novels concerning the main character, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, Rabbit is a man who often lives vicariously through the deeds of his youth, because his present and future are so depressing. Because his real life is out of control, he is consistently running away from it, trying to recreate his life in better circumstances, but he cannot forget his old life, and so he is constantly caught in a paradox of time, where he cannot control the present, all he can do is remember the past. This happens throughout the book, and his memories of the past always seem to rule his choices for his future. "Out of all his remembered life the one place that comes forward where he can stand without the ground turning into faces he is treading on is that lot outside the diner in West Virginia after he went in and had a cup of coffee the night he drove down there" (Updike 214). Thus, Rabbit is a prisoner of his past. He was successful as a basketball player in high school, but his adult life has never been as successful, even though he expected it to be, and so, he cannot reconcile his pleasant past with his not so pleasant present."
Abstract This paper analyzes numerous films of the 1960s which focused on specific social issues, such as the sexual revolution, women's rights and feminism, the military/industrial complex, domestic violence and the breakdown of societal mores and ethics. The five important films referred to are all considered as quintessential examples of 1960s cinema--"The Apartment", "Dr. Strangelove", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Cool Hand Luke".
From the Paper "In the 1960 comedy/drama "The Apartment", starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston and Edie Adams, director Billy Wilder focuses on the main character, C.C. Baxter (Lemmon), an ambitious and somewhat gullible young insurance clerk who tries to advance his social standing by lending his apartment key to several high-ranking executives who are prone to cheating on their wives. But when Baxter meets and falls madly in love with Fran Kubelik (MacLaine), the apartment building's elevator operator, it suddenly dawns on him that Fran is the same woman that his boss (MacMurray), a so-called happily married man, has been taking to his apartment for numerous sexual romps."
Comparison of two stories, "Nectar in a Sieve" and "Don't Be Afraid Gringo" and their representation of their respective economic situations through the lens of female-male relations.
1,275 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 2 sources, 2002, $ 48.95
Abstract Perhaps the most fascinating feature of both the novel, "Nectar in a Sieve", and the oral history, "Don't Be Afraid Gringo", is how very similar the two stories are; although they are separated by decades in time, and thousands of miles in space. To a large degree, this may be attributed to the fact that both works concern cultures experiencing a similar crisis: the social impact of core-periphery economic exploitation upon traditional family existence in 1950s India and 1980s Honduras. This paper will argue that both text's representation of their economic situations - of mercantilist core/staple producing periphery exploitation, semiproletariate relations with the comprador elite, family/church socialization and factory/military oppression - are depicted through the lens of female-male relations and family life in traditional cultures.
Abstract This paper compares the presentation of marriage in "The Real Thing" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" In one, marriage is not very real; in the other, it is a battle between two people who need each other.
Abstract The paper discusses how the philosopher Socrates was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for his teachings to the youth and community of Athens. The paper shows how Socrates' dialog during his trial was at least partially aimed at proving to his critics that he was not afraid of death, but his arguments failed, primarily due to the weakness of those arguments. The paper focuses on those faults and demonstrates that while there may have been no man wiser than Socrates, his arguments against his fear of death were far from wise. The paper highlights how in the end, his own convictions could not convince the masses, or future readers, of a strong argument against the fear of death.
From the Paper "The first weakness of Socrates' argument is actually presented within the context of his explanation of the term "wise." As Socrates explains, when asked who was wiser than Socrates, the god of Delphi, through the Pythian oracle, stated that there was "no man wiser." Socrates, not able to believe such a claim, sought to prove the god incorrect by seeking those wiser than he. He sought to find refutation against this claim, showing his belief that the oracle could be wrong.
"Yet later, when discussing his reasoning for not fearing death, he mentions that the same oracle "made no sign of opposition" to his oratory during court. He states this is "proof that what has happened to [him] is a good, and that those...who think that death is an evil are in error." This argument is already a failure, since Socrates has admitted questioning the validity of the claims of the gods. While he questions the statement that he is the wisest man, he expects us to believe that he does not question a lack of a sign or signal against his oratory in court as proof of death as a positive event. This contradiction lends to the weakness of his argument."
Abstract Both Voltaire and Moliere concentrated on expanding the period of Enlightenment with the exploration of the human soul through growth and change in literature. The philosophers of the Age of Reason (the Enlightenment) believed that each person has a rational will, which makes it possible to make and carry out plans. Animals, they declared, are slaves of their emotions. When an animal is afraid of something, it tries to escape. When an animal is angry, it fights. However, people can figure out the best course of action when they are afraid, angry, or in trouble. In addition, people can make themselves do the right thing, instead of doing only what may seem easier or more appealing. Both Voltaire and Moliere promoted these concepts and employed them directly within their respective works "Candide" and "Tartuffe". It is the purpose of this paper to examine the primary characters of "Candide" and Orgon separately and together to form a larger concept of who they were and what they represented in their stories.
