English ISU 2019 - Isu on the difference of appearance vs reality in Hamlet, Death of a Salesman PDF

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Isu on the difference of appearance vs reality in Hamlet, Death of a Salesman and Handmaid's tale. ...

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ENG 4U1 Hamlet—Media: Dynasty William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play with a multitude of recurring themes, appearance vs reality being one serving an important function of exhibiting the fact that appearances can be deceptive and often do not show the truth of one’s actions. This play can be compared to the CW’s reboot of Dynasty, a soap opera which follows the lives of the Carrington’s and the Colby’s—America’s most affluent and problematic families. Jeff Colby is the spawn of Cecil Colby and Dominique Deveraux, and he considers Fallon Carrington, the spawn of Blake and Alexis Carrington, to be his close companion. Throughout season one, viewers start to yearn for Jeff and Fallon to become romantically involved as his feelings for her prevail. After starting a company together and dedicating hours of labour to it, Jeff is willing to let Fallon buy him out, and his sister Monica reveals to Fallon that it is because he is in love with her. However, after learning that Fallon’s father Blake is responsible for Cecil’s incarceration, it is evident that Jeff’s motives are not driven by love, but rather by a desire to see the Carrington legacy die. Blake and Cecil’s feud is what drove the father of the Carrington children to bribe the judge with nearly a million dollars to deem Jeff’s father guilty of a crime he did not commit. Once this is finally revealed, it is also revealed that Jeff enacted a plan of revenge against the Carrington’s by ensuring Fallon would fall for him in order for him to destroy her and everyone she loves, and viewers are able to spot the scenes exemplifying appearance vs reality. For instance, the Carrington’s hold their annual charity gala. Fallon, who is romantically involved with her family’s chauffer, leaves the party abruptly to search for an object she believes her father is hiding from her in his room. Jeff begins to search for her, and see’s her and the chauffer’s being intimate with one another. Fallon calls Jeff to inform him of news related to their business, and Jeff is seen declining her call as he is intimate with other women. Earlier in the show, he stated that he was explicitly not looking for

any romantic relationships, but viewers assume this is because Fallon is the only woman he wants to be with. It appears that after seeing her with another man, he is open to the idea of being with others as well due to being hurt and accepting that she is not in love with him, but really, the look of explainable anger and pain on his face is due to the fact that his revenge is not going according to plan. If Fallon is still linked romantically to Culhane, this ensures that she does not have any romantic feelings for Jeff, and he will be unable to marry her and accomplish his goal of slowly deteriorating the legacy of the Carrington’s from the inside. Similarly, Hamlet seeks revenge against his uncle Claudius for the murder of his father. In order to enact this revenge, Hamlet tells his friends that he will pretend to be crazy. This plan works extremely well as Hamlet is able to convince his mother, former lover, Claudius, and a multitude of other characters that he is not mentally stable. Though Hamlet appears to be insane, he is strategic, manipulative and aware of his surroundings. For instance, in the middle of berating Ophelia, Hamlet asks “[where] [her] father [is]” (Shakespeare 3.1.130). He shows an awareness for potential spies, though to others it may appear he is too far gone in his own world to notice anything around him, let alone acknowledge that the relationship between Ophelia and her father is close and they may be conspiring against him. In Dynasty, the explanation for Jeff’s impulsive and questionable actions regarding his shared company seem to be driven by love, but this façade is committed in order to seek revenge against Blake Carrington. Similarly, in Hamlet, it is a common belief Hamlet’s actions are a result of love as he begun acting odd after his relationship with Ophelia comes to an abrupt end, but he is putting on an antic disposition to enact revenge against his uncle. The function of appearance vs reality in both Dynasty and Hamlet is to show viewers that people are often deceptive and not what they appear to be. Being able to detect deception or see the impacts it has

on others when they are unable to shows how easily many can lose themselves in their anger and forget that revenge, no matter the situation, is not worth it. Though both Jeff and Hamlet’s anger was justified and reasonable, their ultimate disrespect for the natural order of things caused their undoing’s.

ENG 4U1 The Handmaid’s Tale—“Cosmic Love” Florence + The Machine In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, appearance vs reality is a theme that is used to show the impacts of Gilead’s toxicity on citizens and how they can be blinded by the intensity of isolation in a totalitarian state, and unable to perceive that they are not fighting their battles alone. This can be compared to Florence + Machine’s song titled Cosmic Love about a woman who is so consumed with her unrequited love that she does not realize the love is in fact a mutual feeling. In Cosmic Love a verse that reads, “The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out / You left me in the dark,” is meant to demonstrate the singer’s isolation and loss of hope. The singer is so consumed by her love and she feels as though she is unable to trust her lover. The intensity of her love prevents her from seeing that the man she cares for does in fact return her feelings. Later in the song, she does realize she is not alone, stating that “Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too / So I stayed in the darkness with you,” This shows that after a certain period of isolation she realizes that she is not alone. This is imperative to the theme of appearance vs reality because she appears to be alone, but she is loved. This is similar to The Handmaid’s Tale as Offred is so consumed by Gilead’s restraints and her small acts of indulgence that she feels as though she is alone. Offred feels as though she has no female companions in Gilead. After her arrival at the Commander’s house, before she experiences Serena Joy’s bitter and hostile nature, she admits she wanted to make her a motherly or sisterly figure as in her old home, the commander’s wife merely ignored her. She also does not find a friend in Ofglen, often admitting she wishes she would just be able to walk in silence, but that her desire to hear the news outweighs her annoyance.

When a man is prosecuted for rape, Ofglen participates, knocking him unconscious. It is later revealed that her was part of the same resistance as her and did it so her would not have to bear the pain of being ripped apart. Though Offred appeared to be alone, friendless without Moira, she did have an ally in Ofglen. Additionally, Offred states “But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It's lack of love we die from” (Atwood 103). One of the factors that keep Offred sane and grounded in Gilead are the fact that she is able to indulge in memories of her loved ones, such as Luke, her daughter, Moira and her mother, every so often. If she was unable to hold onto these memories, it would be much harder to tolerate her adoptive family and the dehumanization she faces. This quote is significant as in the novel, it is an act of love from Nick which saves Offred, as opposed to Moira’s self-sufficient escape plans which were motivated by her mere boredom in the Red Centre. Offred is also a less skillful survivalist than Moira as it is the image of her loved ones and hope that she will see them again that keeps her compliant in Gilead. In a similar fashion, Offred’s isolation is demonstrated through her constant comparison of Luke to Nick. She narrates her experience with him as though telling Luke a story, stating that she imagines it is Luke there with her instead of Nick. This shows she does not feel as though she can trust Nick, and that she feels as though she is alone in Gilead, but this appearance is false. Nick, who Offred has many times considered to be an Eye, is actually a part of a resistance. When the black van arrives at the Commander’s house to pick up Offred, Nick reveals to her that she is safe and requests that she put her trust in him. The function of appearance vs reality is to provide hope. Though both the singer and Offred appear to be isolated, they are not alone. During times filled with hardships, hope is crucial to incorporate as this literary trope provider’s viewers with a light sense during such dark times.

ENG 4U1 Death of a Salesman—Art: “Failure 1.0” Colin van der Slujis In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman prides himself on appearing to be successful. His belief that looks and being well-liked is false, and his overall false pretence of pretending everything is fine is one that is exemplified throughout the novel. Similarly, Collin van der Slujis is an artist who is able to convey the theme of false appearance vs reality in his art. Both works show how facades can lead to one’s downfall. Collin was born and raised in Maastricht, The Netherlands, and he currently resides there. He began to partake in graffiti when he was in the sixth grade, and later went on to study variety of art at a multitude of schools such as college in Goes, and the Academy of Art and Design St. Joost in Breda in 2004. He attained a master’s degree in fine art. Slujis dedicated a total of eight years to studying a variety of art. In his art he explores texture, graffiti style, collages, spray painting and lines. Collin was born and raised in Maastricht, The Netherlands. He began to partake in graffiti when he was in the sixth grade, and later went on to study variety of art at a multitude of schools such as college in Goes, and the Academy of Art and Design St. Joost in Breda in 2004. He attained a master’s degree in fine art. Slujis dedicated a total of eight years to studying a variety of art. This specific art piece titled Failure 1.0 is from his second exhibit, “no concessions.” The tone is graduated, contrasting and changing. The thick white mark making on the suit is very visible, unblended and unrefined. The composition is portrait format. It is vertical and centered with no clutter in the background, but a specified amount of clutter on the person’s face. The art is free and flowing as opposed to being told in fragments. It is unbalanced as there are more aspects on one side than the composition of the body is symmetrical, but the aspects on the other side ensure that it can not be classified as this. It is not formal or rigid.

The mood of the portrait is chilling, gloomy and somber. Overall, there is no use of negative or positive space paired with visual composition to tell a story. Rather the reflective message is conveyed through the tone and the efficient use of colour. Though grey and black are prominent colours in the artwork, there are a few vivid colours, both warm such as orange and cool such as blue, used to contribute to the overall impact of the pieces message. The man in the art appears to be a pristine businessman, but his thoughts range from depression depicted by blue and content depicted by the warmer range, are all over the place. His mind is unstable, and the fragments falling off are used to show this will impact others around him. Similarly, Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman believes success is equated to being attractive rather than intelligent or a critical thinker. His lack of control over his own emotions contributes to his ultimate demise. He, like the man in Collin’s art work, wants to appear successful and pristine, rather than consider the multitude of feelings going on inside his head. For instance, Willy describes his son as “a lazy bum!” (Miller 5). Moments later, he tells Linda that “[there] [is] one thing about Biff—he’s not lazy.” (Miller 6). Furthermore, he expresses his distaste with being contradicted while arguing with Linda about the type of cheese she bought for him. This shows he has truly lost his grip on reality. Similarly, Willy praises and then curses the Chevrolet; he tells Linda that he’s very well liked, and then says that people don’t seem to take to him. This shows us he is losing his mind or has told so many lies he no longer can differentiate from the truth. Like the man in Slujis’ art, the fracturing pieces of Willy’s mind are impacting those around him and contribute to his suicide at the end of the novel. The function of appearance vs reality is done in both pieces to show how easily one can be responsible for their own detriment, adding to the impact of both messages of the works and portrayal of Willy Loman as a tragic hero.

Works Cited Atwood, Margaret Eleanor. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Anchor Books, 1998, 1986. Print. Collin van der Slujis. Failure 1.0. June 2, 2018. "Guilt is for Insecure People" Dynasty. The CW. KASN. October 11, 2017. Atlanta, Georgia. Miller, Arthur, 1915-2005. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New Folger's ed. New York: Washington Square Press/Pocket Books, 1992 Welch, Florence. Cosmic Love. Lungs. Republic Records. 2009....