This was an interesting story to say the least. It was not my favorite piece of literature we have read this Spring. On a positive note, it was funny to hear the Tyrone family go back and forth in their ridiculous, repetitive conversations. On another note though I did not like this play because everyone is dependent upon someone or something. I had a hard time relating to the characters and not getting frustrated. There is not a happy ending, yes I know life doesn't always end like Hollywood's perfect endings but this story just ends in pain caused upon by each other.
Maybe Mary's dependency upon Morphine is related to her dependency of her husband, Tyrone.
Tyrone: "You're a fine armful now. Mary with those twenty pounds you've gained"
Mary: "I've gotten too fat, you mean, my dear. I really ought to reduce."
Tyrone: "You didn't. Not as much as I'd like to see, anyway."
You can tell how much she values her husbands opinion of herself over he own opinion. At this point in their relationship, I don't think she has a voice anymore. Whenever, I read characters I envision myself as that character to understand them better. I had a very hard time putting myself in Mary's shoes. Maybe its the fact that I'm strong-willed and don't rely on other people's opinion that made me cringe the entire time reading Mary's character. Needless to say, I think the reason why she is addicted to Morphine is because she relies solely on her husband to support her mentally and physically. Since she can't support herself mentally with her own free will then she relies on a drug to stimulate her.
Another reason I was not a fan of this story is the repetitive pattern of their lives. They wake up everyday and do the same events. It's like Groundhog day, everyday for the Tyrone family. They are all slowly dying due to their addictions. Edmund has Tuberculosis and is dying. All of the men have serious drinking problems, where they drink till they pass out. While Mary has her Morphine addiction. Its just a sad sad family with no hope, literally dying in a living room. Their all just wasting away....
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The River Merchant's Wfe: A Letter
The River Merchant’s Wife really drew me in the more times I read it. I began to understand where the woman was coming from and her transitions through life. The poem begins with the wife being a child and develops into her womanhood, the transitions of her life. The first stage of her life depicts the innocence of her as a young girl and her future husband. “Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.” There was innocence in their friendship as children, until the arranged marriage changed their lives. Their innocence transitions into a deep, extreme love and filled with sorrow.
The first transition from children to adults is when they are married. “At fourteen, I married My Lord you….At fifteen I stopped scowling….” At first, the merchant’s wife despised the fact that her childhood and innocence was taken from her. She was forced to marry the merchant. However, at the time this was normal. Parents arranged for their children to be married and the children didn’t have a say in the matter. Personally, I cannot imagine having someone choose for me who I will marry. Marriage is such a big leap of faith into the next journey in our lives and you’re choosing to take that journey with your marriage, together. The merchant’s wife does not get to choose what journey she will embark upon. Although the poem does not indicate why her husband left her, we can assume it was out of both of their control. This journey with her husband is a sorrowful and painful journey. “And you have been gone five months. The monkeys make sorrowful noise overhead. You dragged your feet when you went out. “
I can relate to this poem in many ways because I was once put in the situation of having to deal with long-distance relationship. Being away from someone you care about for a long amount of time, makes you sad. You wake up every day to get through the day so that it makes the future comes faster of when you will see your loved one. Time seems to drag by. In my case, whenever I got the chance to see my boyfriend, I jumped at the idea and took a road trip. Even if we got to see each other for ten hours, it made my whole week go by faster and put me in a happy mood. Unfortunately, the merchant’s wife does not get this opportunity. “If you are coming down through the narrows of the river Kiang, Please let me know beforehand, And I will come out to meet you As far as Cho-fu-Sa.” Their approximate distance is equivalent from Peoria to Chicago. In my head, I’m thinking oh that is not far because we can get there by car in three hours roughly. However, we have the luxury of cars/trains. The merchant’s wife did not have that luxury; she had her feet to carry her that distance. After about a four mile walk, I’m ready for a nap so I cannot even imagine walking from Peoria to Chicago to see my loved one. She loved him enough that she would have traveled any distance just to see her husband.
So far this has been my favorite poem we have read so far; mostly because I can relate to it. I like the transitions of the merchant’s wife from childhood to a woman. However, it is not so much the transitions of one’s life that make this poem so different but the outline of a beautiful love story.
The first transition from children to adults is when they are married. “At fourteen, I married My Lord you….At fifteen I stopped scowling….” At first, the merchant’s wife despised the fact that her childhood and innocence was taken from her. She was forced to marry the merchant. However, at the time this was normal. Parents arranged for their children to be married and the children didn’t have a say in the matter. Personally, I cannot imagine having someone choose for me who I will marry. Marriage is such a big leap of faith into the next journey in our lives and you’re choosing to take that journey with your marriage, together. The merchant’s wife does not get to choose what journey she will embark upon. Although the poem does not indicate why her husband left her, we can assume it was out of both of their control. This journey with her husband is a sorrowful and painful journey. “And you have been gone five months. The monkeys make sorrowful noise overhead. You dragged your feet when you went out. “
I can relate to this poem in many ways because I was once put in the situation of having to deal with long-distance relationship. Being away from someone you care about for a long amount of time, makes you sad. You wake up every day to get through the day so that it makes the future comes faster of when you will see your loved one. Time seems to drag by. In my case, whenever I got the chance to see my boyfriend, I jumped at the idea and took a road trip. Even if we got to see each other for ten hours, it made my whole week go by faster and put me in a happy mood. Unfortunately, the merchant’s wife does not get this opportunity. “If you are coming down through the narrows of the river Kiang, Please let me know beforehand, And I will come out to meet you As far as Cho-fu-Sa.” Their approximate distance is equivalent from Peoria to Chicago. In my head, I’m thinking oh that is not far because we can get there by car in three hours roughly. However, we have the luxury of cars/trains. The merchant’s wife did not have that luxury; she had her feet to carry her that distance. After about a four mile walk, I’m ready for a nap so I cannot even imagine walking from Peoria to Chicago to see my loved one. She loved him enough that she would have traveled any distance just to see her husband.
So far this has been my favorite poem we have read so far; mostly because I can relate to it. I like the transitions of the merchant’s wife from childhood to a woman. However, it is not so much the transitions of one’s life that make this poem so different but the outline of a beautiful love story.
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