Poem of the Day: “State Evidence” by Sharon Olds
This week's lessons can be found on this blog post:
For A Block - ELA Lessons for 3/23 - 3/30
For F Block - ELA Lessons for 3/23 - 3/30
Today's Lesson: Read Wit by Margaret Edson, Pages 39-51
Assignment: If you would like to comment on the text, you may use the questions, below. I posted the film if you would like to see it performed. Anyone is welcome.
Reading Questions
1. How could Vivian’s cancer treatment be considered a paradox?
2. What paradox is unearthed in John Donne’s sonnet “If poisonous minerals”?
3. In terms of characterization, what parallel is made between Vivian and Jason? How could the comparison be described as ironic?
4. How dis Vivian treat her students? How was it similar to E.M. Ashford? How was it, ultimately, completely different?
Wit (2001)
Reminder: Look at last Vlog for important info. See brief excerpt, below:
The State of Massachusetts has set guidelines about our learning experiences. At the time of this posting, there will be:
- No directed curriculum
- No deadlines
- No graded assignments
Did you know March 26 is Robert Frost's birthday? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you an R. F. poem I've remembered for years: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.
ReplyDeleteIf anybody asks, I found this punctuation in the version illustrated by Susan Jeffers.
DeleteWhose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
I love this poem. Thank you so much Owen for this wonderful "Poem of the Day!"
DeleteAnd now for something completely different: John Donne's Holy Sonnet V
DeleteIf poysonous mineralls, and if that tree,
Whose fruit threw death on else immortall us,
If lecherous goats, if serpents envious
Cannot be d*mn'd; Alas; why should I bee? [Why are humans the only creature on Earth that have to be judged?]
Why should intent or reason, borne in mee,
Make sinnes, else equall, in mee, more heinous? [And why do you forgive me if I've been so bad?]
And mercy being easie, 'and glorious
To God, in his sterne wrath, why threatens hee? [Why go to all this trouble, anyway?]
But who am I, that dare dispute with thee? [Who am I kidding? I can't question your methods. I don't even stand a chance!]
O God, Oh! of thine onely worthy blood,
And my teares, make a heavenly Lethean flood,
And drowne in it my sinnes black memorie. [You know what, just delete all records of me.]
That thou remember them, some claime as debt,
I thinke it mercy, if thou wilt forget. [I would feel much better if you left me alone.]
Was Mr. Donne out of his mind? Forgotten history repeats itself, so by asking to be forgotten, the speaker put succeeding generations at risk.
In which edition is it Holy Sonnet IX? It's #5 in the Ashford edition, based on Gardner.
DeleteVivian and Jason are very similar, especially when they talk about their area of expertise. There was one moment in the playwright where Vivian asks Jason as to why he pursued his career of becoming a doctor and studying cancer. When he talks about it, he goes into it with much depth, whether it was medical terminology Vivian was able to understand or not, and surprises Vivian with his knowledge of it. But there’s also another common theme that Vivian and Jason share, whether they realize it or not: their difficulty in interacting with other people. Even though both of them are well educated in their field, both of which have a lot to do with studying humanity, they aren't as sociable as what their field teaches them to be. It’s kind of funny that it’s ironic in that way, considering they have completely different personalities and achievements in life. But because of how ironic this situation is, maybe their encounter might have also been fate to say the least because even though both individuals are going through different stages in their lives, now they have to deal with each other in an unexpected situation in an interesting patient to doctor dynamic.
ReplyDeleteWonderful response! Thank you, Becca. This play is like a Donne sonnet. It is simple, yet complex. Intellectual, yet compassionate. I am always blown away by the nuances. Jason and Vivian, as you state, they can appear so different and totally the same. Jason is at the crossroads that we say Vivian at in her flashback. Will he choose humanity or just research. You can have both, and find balance. E.M. Ashford shows us that it is possible (as we will see in the final scenes).
DeleteOver the course of the play we see Vivian struggle with life in the hospital and the humiliation of the examinations that she has to endure. Her struggle has little to do with her actual illness though. As her treatment progresses readers are able to see that she is suffering a great deal, not due to the cancer itself, but primarily due to her aggressive chemotherapy course. Vivian becomes incredibly ill, feeling feverish and shivering through chills, all because of treatment rather than her illness. This reality is the paradox of Vivian’s cancer treatment, as her medecin is making her more sick. Even her smaller pains and humiliations are due to the tests that doctors are running on her and examinations necessary to monitor her treatment process. As Vivian said in the beginning of the play, the treatment has pernicious side effects, and while enduring a full course of chemo may be important for medical research, it will ultimately make her miserable for what remains of her life.
ReplyDelete- Amu
DeleteThe young Vivian is very similar to Jason. They both have excellent work ethic in their respective studies. He is an incredibly hard worker, but is mainly dedicated to use Vivian as research for the full 8 doses of chemotherapy. However, he sacrifices a lot of his time and life towards the work he produces. Similar to the scene at the beginning Vivian showed us where she was talking to her professor in graduate school, E.M. Ashford, there were clear showings of the time spent by each in their prospective studies: Jason with the chemotherapy research, and Vivian with her essay analysis. Jason also doesn’t seem to have many connections either, similar to Vivian. The both of them are mainly focused on their jobs/studies with a disregard for worldly connections, a point Margaret Edson emphasized throughout the book. In a way, Jason allows Vivian to view her own life, when she was young, from an older standpoint. This starts to fill Vivan with some regrets as she realizes her wrongs in life.
ReplyDeleteVivian and Jason are very similar in their personalities. They love their jobs and were very good in their academics and in their work ethic. Jason as a chemotherapy researcher, and Vivian as a professor in her 20-30s. Jason does not seem to have many social connections in his life just like Vivian. She has been given the opportunity to reconnect with Jason and maybe give him advice as to go out and make friends and interact with the world just like professor Ashford gave to Vivian. In a way, Jason shows what Vivian was like in her youth.
ReplyDelete