Unit 5, Lesson 2

The documentary called “A Whisper to a Scream” presented the rise of Irish rock in a way I have not seen before. Van Morrison, U2, Sinéad O'Connor, The Cranberries and Boyzone are some of my favorite singers and bands that I discovered when I lived in Ireland in 2003-04. All of the artists listed above, broke through to the National stage, some more well known than others. There was a small pub, near my house and on Thursday nights, a local folk singer would play by the bar.

For fun, I wanted to include an old bar song by T. D. Sullivan I that learned while in Ireland:

God save Ireland ! " said the heroes;

"God save Ireland" said they all.

Whether on the scaffold high

Or the battlefield we die,

0, what matter when for Erin dear we fall ! "

As the music would play, I remember feeling lost in the music, from the sad love ballads to the fast paced jigs. Ireland has a special connection with music.

Millions of Irish Americans live in the United States today and their cultural traditions have influenced many parts of America, from sports teams to dance. I have 3 nieces who live in Ireland and were fortunate to attend a chorus concert. The concert was sung in Irish or Gaelic but I could feel the timeless essence of the Irish tradition even though I did not understand the words.

I feel that Ireland has been true to the tradition of Irish music and has not been directly inflenced by the music of the world. Although, there are Irish artist on music scene of today like Damien Rice, Snow Patrol and the Thrills. All of theses musicians have skillful included the core components of Irish music, including love ballads, violins, harps, and flutes.

Unit 3, Lesson 2

To fully appreciate the depth of influence that Kyogen has on the Japanese culture one must grasp an understanding of the phrase. Kyogen simply put is a form of theater, and the word is defined as angry words" or "wild specious words"[1]. The actions within the plays are measured and as mentioned in one of the assigned videos, actors could follow the steps of others because the steps were marked from previous plays. Speech and purposed movement are a important theme in all of these play.

In contrast, I once visited a play and that was called "the Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller. I expected the usual stage with props, backdrops, and lights. I was surprised to see one man come out in the middle of everyone, and asked that we stand in a circle and then he came acted out the entire play using different audience members to complete the cast. The actor presented the play different from any I have ever seen before.

I do not think that freedom of expression is not a viable option in the art Kyogen. Ortolani states that “great importance is given to training and to the completion of this art." (22) Japanese actors study for years to prefect the art of Kyogen. Although American actors train for years, they are given freedom of how to portray themselves. Japanese actors, who study Kyogen, focus on the traditional and the re-training of the art and presenting that art exactly as it was decades previously.

My impression of Japan’s classical comic theatre has not changed because I have been aware of the importance of tradition and culture there. However, I did gain a greater appreciation of Japanese theatre and how it’s crossed over into Western countries.

Laugh at Life

What are your first impressions when you think of Japan or Japanese culture?
What makes you laugh?

My first impression of Japan is that it's a place rooted in culture and tradition. The Noh Plays are a great example of Japanese. When I think of Japan, I think of Geishas, beautiful tea houses, the mystical landscaping and gardens, the villbrant city of Tokyo, Samurai soldiers, Pearl Harbor and a country that leads the world in electronics. Although, our history with Japan has been shaky due to World War II, today we have a strong ally in the region.

I tend to laugh at stand-up comedy, Family Guy, the movie-Friday, Mighty Python, Saturday Night Live (especially this year), Jon Steward and the Colbert Report. I think that politics and the daily decisions that we make in life can often be funny. Having a sense of humor, I feel, is part of being healthy and balanced.

I dont know if anyone has heard of this but there is a growing type of therpy about Laughing Yoga. I took a class once and I enjoyed it. I laughed so hard, I cried and the was even funnier to watch when everyone else in the class laughing or trying to laugh. I have a video from youtube to show anyone that's interested in tying it out!
As crazy as this may sound, I highly recommend this when you're having a rough day.

Unit 3, Lesson 1

Describe and discuss with fellow students your reactions to the Kyogen play Busu. Do you see parallels between the comedy of Kyogen and your favorite sit-coms or comic films? If so, please describe these parallels.

The voices are slow and exaggerated, their movements slow and punctuated, and the storyline was short but seemed long. I feel lost in trying to figure out the intention of the story, due to watching western plays and movies for years; I could not understand the slower and exaggerated version presented in the Kyogen. Kyogen are interludes to Noh plays. Noh plays tend to be more musical and complicated. I suppose that the interludes are simple because they do not want to overshadow the Noh.

There are several characteristics within the Kyogen play that I noticed:

• The stage is very sparse and few props are used.
• The cast is very small.
• The humor is very simple and slapstick.

The Japanese Kyogen play Busu reminds me of Charlie Chaplin movie. The way Charlie would walk penguin style across the stage, the actors of play Busu walked much smoother but did not walk realistically. The humor was 100% slapstick and not very funny in my opinion. I tend to lend more toward Mighty Python and Family Guy so comedic relief. An interesting connection between Chinese Opera and Japanese Kyogen plays are similar. Both are very theatric and exaggerated and both use very “exasperating” vocal tones. Despite, all of my reservations, I am very interested in knowing more about the cultural influences on Noh and the Kyogen interludes.

Hotel of Hope

Describe your response to Hotel Rwanda. How has this film affected your view of Africa and its people?

Hotel Rwanda, in my opinion, is not the best movie in showing the diversity of African culture. I am aware that the genocide between the origins of Tutsi and Hutu is based in the varying of culture, politics, traditions and beliefs. However, the horrifying violence that plays throughout the movie made me feel empty and ashamed. The lack of response and support from the UN and the U.S. was appalling to me and to see it live in a movie, made it resonate more.

However, the sense that some people may approach this movie as unbelievable only due to the fact that everyone was mostly dressed in western clothing. I, personally, think this movie is very believable because Africans, who have assimilated into the cities, do not dress in traditional dress like before. I believe that this movie shows that Africans are courageous and strong people. Despite the chaos, some people in any conflict that are willing to open up their arms to those in need. The Underground Railroad is an example that comes to mind, wherein there were several whites who did not support slavery and were instrumental in helping the freedom of slaves.

I have watched several African movies that show their people in a much more positive and educational light. Princess Trya is a great African movie that brings light to growing conflict of the clash of old traditions of Africa vs. the new more western African youth. I think that Americans often only see one view of Africa because usually only bad news reaches the mainstream media and the only movies that have had any clout at the box office are those telling some terrible conflict or war in Africa. I do think that it’s important to inform the rest of the world the inaction of the international community during the genocide in Rwanda but it would be nice to see a mixture of portrayals of African people in movies. Sarafina! is another great movie, filmed in South Africa about the apartheid, although the subject matter is rather bleak (and true), the use of song and dance would make it a great addition to this class material.

If anyone has a couple of minutes, I recommend watching a clip from "Show Me Heaven." It is a great African movie that once again challenges the traditions of old cultural norms vs western ideals. It's about 8:00min long but well worth it, if you have never seen an African movie before!

Unit 2, Lesson 2

Hotel Rwanda is a wonderful historical movie that tells of the account between the Hutu and the Tutsi conflict and the ultimate killing of thousands. Actor, Don Cheadle, portrays the part of Paul Rusesabagina brilliantly. Paul runs a western upscale hotel in Rwanda. He allows over 1000 people to take refuge in his hotel during the conflict and saves many lives. He is very street smart, although being noticeably wealthy; he knows now to bargain to achieve the safety he needs to keep everyone alive. Paul is Hutu and his wife a Tutsi but they are very much in love, despite the turmoil that happens between the two groups. The Hutu’s consider anyone married to a Tutsi, a traitor. Paul risks his life for his multicultural family, as well as the residents taking shelter at his hotel and others. Love melts the lines of separation of culture, tradition and politics.

The children who dance and sing around the pool are aware of the bloodshed around but them but unwilling to give in the joys of life, the simple things that unite all of them together like dance. I believe that the director wanted to show how innocent children are, despite the extreme actions of their elders or the adults; children do not start country conflicts

In America, we are an endless melting pot of dialects. I was raised in North Carolina in the deep country. Most people in my high school spoke with a southern accent; however, social class did affect how one would speak. The students who lived in poor communities did not speak like those who were born into wealth. Often discrimination can be shown to those who speak a certain dialect, one being poor, black, or any person of color. My grandfather lived in Massachusetts for most of his life but he was born in Richmond, Virginia. He was a smart man who was a brilliant auto mechanic but up north, his southern accent caused others to think he wasn’t smart. Being southern and not being smart is a long held stereotype with the northern states and others. I visited Philadelphia for an extended amount of time and met people who would ask me to pronounce words and then say “wow, she’s so southern.” Many people I met would try and “correct” my pronunciation of certain words. I felt that this was pretty demeaning but became sensitive to such topics nevertheless. I know that dialect can be used as tool in discriminating against others all over America in addition to race, sex, religion and social class.