Ordinary People, Extraordinary Play

"Feelings are scary. And sometimes they're painful. And if you can't feel pain... you won't feel anything else either. You know what I'm saying?"

-Dr. Berger-

I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had a long day and lots of reasons to not go back to school on a Saturday night, but from the opening scene, I was hooked into this play.  I always enjoy seeing my students (even if they're not in my classes, they're part of the WeGo family) doing what they love.  Love for acting and being a part of the theater program was inspiring and evident throughout the play.

Ordinary People is a play that lives up to it's title. It is a play about an average American family dealing with issues ranging from the death of a younger brother, to alcoholism, to love.  I admired the honesty of the play:  it reminded me of how ordinary my life is too, but ordinary in a good way, in a way that makes me related to my friends, family, and others around me.  We can all get so hung up on how difficult our situations or life problems are and oftentimes neglect the fact that we're not the only ones dealing with issues.

The play also reminds us to feel.  Con and his mother suffer from "sweep it under the rug" syndrome.  They don't deal with their issues.  They're bottlers.  I can relate to that!  In fact, much of the play was easy to relate to, which in my eyes, made it a success on the high school stage.

Did anyone else see the play?  What did you think?  Let's hear your thoughts!

The End of a Dictatorships' Regime

It's official, Mubarak has stepped down!  What a moment for the history of the world.  Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does."  One person's actions, one group of people's solidarity:  that's what it took to bring down two dictatorial governments in the past month (Tunisia & Egypt).  Currently, revolutions have been sparked in Yemen, Bahrain, and Iran.  


When Shakespeare writes about Julius Caesar, he makes it very clear to the audience that Caesar's greatest flaw is his inability to set aside his own personal ambitions for the betterment of his people.  This kind of selfish rule is ultimately what convinces Brutus to join the conspiracy and do what he dreads - kill Caesar.  Caesar's rule can be foreseen by the conspirators:  they see a group of people ruled by a man whose priorities center on himself.  That, the conspirators know, will lead to a lot of problems for the Roman empire and they fear those problems enough to plan Caesar's assassination.

Keep an eye on world politics, everyone.  The lessons Shakespeare intends to bring our attention to are issues that are pertaining to our world right now!


Read more!  http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/
02/11/egypt.protests/index.html?hpt=T1 


Reflect:
1.  Do you support the protestors?  Are they doing the right thing? Do they have any other options?


2.  What freedom or liberty would you miss the most living in a society run by a dictator?  Can you imagine living in that situation?

Happy Snow Day!!! TWO DAYS!!

I don't know about you guys, but we had about 20 inches of snow out here in Naperville!  Yikes!  I'd love to hear how your snow days are going...don't forget to post/send me your pictures of Julius Caesar snowmen or other creative JC artwork! :-)

I must recommend that you all purchase the new Civil Wars album.  It was released yesterday and you can buy it on iTunes for just $7.99.  I'm loving it and listening now!  If you'd like me to burn you a copy, just let me know.  Here's a little song to give you a taste (they also sing "Poison & Wine" the song that we had for FriTunes last week).



See you all on Friday!! :) Check out Katie K's video that she sent!