Oedipus complex.

Although written a long time ago, Oedipus the King turned out to be more relevant in my life than I thought. For those of you more recent with a psychology class my discovery I'm about to share might not be a discovery at all. But hopefully, some of you will find it as interesting as I did. While doing some research online I came across a psychological term "Oedipus complex" that has been inspired by the famous tragedy. First used by Freud in his theory of psychoanalysis, it represents a child's(usually a boy) unconscious desire for the exclusive love of the parent of the opposite sex. This desire includes jealousy toward the parent of the same sex and the unconscious wish for that parent's death. This complex tends to manifest itself in children between 3 and 5 and is considered to be a part of normal development. Fascinating! All of a sudden, bizarre behavior of my toddler becomes so understandable, thanks to Oedipus.

Submitted by Aksana Norman

Ladies and Gents… the King has left the building

Drama Oedipus the King is an intriguing story of a man solving a riddle to find out the solution was something he wished he never knew. I thought the story was interesting because Oedipus never knew his “real” parents, only the ones who raised him, and I don’t think he ever imagined his queen would be his mother as well. His fate had already been determined by the gods long before he knew any of this, that why he as originally sent away. Everyone has a path in life that’s already been chosen and ultimately fate determines everything. I couldn’t imagine finding all of that out and being able to deal with it. He could have just lived on searching for the killer, but no he had to be persistent and pushy and need to find out right then and right there. The Glass Menagerie can compare to this because the narrator, Tom, is not so much selfish but he thinks of himself a lot, but come on who can blame him with him having to be in charge of everything, and take care of the house and his sister and his mother. I think I might get a tad selfish to if I were the only provider working so hard and getting no appreciation from anyone. All in all I liked both plays, but Oedipus the King was much better than the glass menagerie.

Submitted by Jennifer Morgan

Baggage

We all have memories; they may be loving, painful or troublesome. Some memories are easy to recall, while others are difficult to remember. How we deal with these memories defines our life. Tom Wingfield from the play, The Glass Menagerie wants to escape his memories. He hopes to master the trick the magician performed with the coffin. He’s desperate to remove himself from his life, without harming his family. The responsibility of being the only worker and caretaker in the family is smothering him; it prevents him from expressing himself. His baggage is heavy and it contains a father who abandoned his family, a domineering mother, and a disable sister. In the end, he checks his baggage and moves forward with his life

I understood Tom’s perception of feeling trapped after reading the play, The Glass Menagerie. The play contains many references of abandonment and the family’s difficulty of accepting the truth. This play could represent any family from any culture. Unfortunately, the family dynamics and problems of the Wingfields seem all to commonplace now a days.

Submitted by Kate Misler

The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams play the Glass Menagerie was interesting to say the least. I did not dislike it,yet it was strange. I found it funny that a women abandoned by her husband,to raise 2 children alone, kept his picture above her mantle. Amanda.."the mother", could drive the patience of a saint. I found myself saying,no wonder her husband left. Tom,her son seemed to get the brunt for the father not being around. Laura,the daughter seemed more like the mother...the apple does not fall far from the tree. My favorite Character was Jim O'connor. He was a very nice man who came for dinner and to meet the family. He went with flow throughout his visit with them. His plans for the evening were not the same as Amanda's for her daughter Laura!

In the end things did not end up the way Amanda wanted,for herself,or her daughter. The Women plans and ideas differed from the men's...Obviously!!!

Submitted by Alyssa Rutherford

The way NOT to Parent

I enjoyed reading the Glass Menagerie, it was a really interesting story and I felt as though I could see a similar scenario happening in real life today. Amanda is an overbearing parent who has made her daughter such a needy young women that although she acts as if she would like to find her a husband, I suspect she likes the fact that Laura is so dependent on her and Tom, her older brother. I believe that deep down Amanda realizes that Tom stays around out of his devotion to Laura, not her, and that if she keeps Laura dependent, she keeps Tom around to support her and Laura. Amanda is really a lazy overbearing mother who does not want to have to support herself and Laura, she wants Tom to support them forever. She plays on Toms sympathies by reminding him how much of a louse his father was, she even keeps a picture of him hanging which is odd, being she constantly reminds Tom she does not want him to become like his dad. I suspect she keeps the picture there to keep Tom feeling guilty enough to stay and continue to support them. Ironically, her actions are what is actually driving Tom away and he feels so guilty about leaving Laura that he cannot even enjoy his life once he breaks free of Amanda.

Amanda is the epitome of what a parent should strive NOT to be, she is self centered and does not put her children above herself. She releys on guilt and trickery to get her children to behave as she wants, and she does not move them toward independence, she actually stifles their independence and keeps them dependent on each other and her. The story was really very sad and interesting but not something you would strive to emulate.

Submitted by Margaret Russo

Movies Are Bad Influences?

At first it was hard for me to get into The Glass Menagerie, and I thought I was not going to like it. But during scene three I did become interested in it, and from then on enjoyed it. The play didn’t really have a special meaning to me, I just liked reading it. I also liked the characters, Tom being my favorite. I feel badly for Laura, being stuck with her Amanda and her crazy ambitions to marry her off. Amanda was off in her own world in the visions she had for her daughter, and she also didn’t seem to have any censor in what she said to Laura. (“This is the prettiest you’ll ever be!” when getting ready for Jim to come over for dinner. [1637]) It seemed strange of Jim to mention Betty so late, not to mention kiss Laura prior to doing so. I know he said ‘somebody ought to kiss you’, but he had just said all the things about Laura having no self confidence, so I’m not sure how he thought kissing her when he has a girlfriend would help her self esteem. I do think that it was a bit wrong of Tom to use the bill money to pay for the Union, but on the other hand I understand his intent and his desire/need to get away. Overall I don’t think he’s a selfish character, he just doesn’t know how to get where he wants to be.

Submitted by Jessica Rais

Oedipus the King!

I'm not sure if anyone is with me on this but I could not stand the play Oedipus the King. I found it extremely difficult to read which made it really hard to understand what was even going on in the play. Every time I started to read it I had to keep putting it down. It was a good story base but the language that was used was making it hard for me. I would love to hear what someone else thought of the play.

Submitted by Lauren Pike

Books Are Always Better!

Before reading “The Glass Menagerie” we were instructed to read a few pages at the beginning of the book dealing with reading plays. In the reading it says that plays are meant to be acted out, obviously, but that it can also be beneficial to read them. This got me thinking about how reading is often more entertaining. Sure, a play is always entertaining to go see but when you read something you can picture it in your own imagination. I personally love to read to books and always find the books to better than movies based on them. I think this is because, as I mentioned, when you read something you are able to picture in your own mind how it plays out. The descriptions the author gives leads you to imagine what they scenery looks like, how the characters look and what their personality is like. When you go see a play or a movie what you are viewing is the directors depiction of the book or play. Sometimes scenes are cut out of the original work to allot for time and that can change the whole dynamic of the story. When you read something you can do it at your own pace and truly understand and experience the story. Great authors have a way of writing and bringing the words to life without having to visually see what is happening. I often feel let down after seeing a movie when I have read the book first because I have this image of how everything should go. However, the director and I have very different imaginations and that is why it can very different. I think “Oedipus the King” and “The Glass Menagerie” were both great reads and I wouldn’t mind seeing them acted out but it sure doesn’t beat reading it for myself.

Submitted by Christina Carbone

LOST

I liked this play because everyone can relate to family dynamics. Everyone has a different story of how they grew up and who took care of them. Many people are faced with pressure from their elders to live up to expectations because when someone cares about you they want you to have the best. However, it is better to just let them discover who they are and make their own choices even if it is not the level of success you envisioned for them. In this play the drunken father was out of the picture, the mother was an overbearing woman who worried too much about what she wanted for her children rather than just accepting them, the daughter is physically crippled and shy which caused her family to try to push her into social and work situations rather than embracing her reserved mannerisms, and despite the son’s hardworking career path he still has selfish issues that need to be addressed. Each member of the Wingfields family had a different focus in life and it seemed to me that they all had a hard time facing reality. Laura’s introvert personality and physical state held her back from exploring and this was hard for her mother to understand since she and her son are both very extroverted. It is the human condition to work towards familiarity which is why I think the mother worked so hard to find Laura a man and career because that is what she felt was important and doesn’t understand living in solitude. Black Irish was a movie that reminds me of this short story. It was a movie with a son who hated his dad for coming home drunk all the time.

Submitted by Ryan Bent

A Mother's Misinterpreted Love

When I was reading The Glass Menagerie, I had a recurring thought of how nagging Amanda, the mother was. How silly she was with her preaching of chewing food, brushing out cowlicks and her lack of imagination. She was constantly confused on why her children were dreamers. Tom seemed caged in by her, resented her for having to "take care" of them. But I tool the time to dive deeper into my thoughts of Amanda and I decided she is misunderstood. I reread and part of the play that created a light of her that was not shown in other parts.

"Try and you will succeed...why, you are just full of natural endowments! Both of my children-they're unusual children..dont you think I know? I'm so...Proud..Happy and - feel I've so much to be thankful for....."

As a mother, this particular quote gave me the feeling that she just loves them. She knows that they are individuals with self containing souls,, but she wants to do them right. The problem with being a parent is you want your children to make all the right decisions. You want them to never feel pain, or loss or disappointment. To you, it is your job, your duty to guide them to make all the right choices and what you believe to be the right choices. Amanda has a full heart and she just wanted to guide her children to make the right choices that would create happiness. Where Amanda went wrong is the fact that she remains open to the idea that what is or was right for her may not be right for Tom or Laura. Tom looks at his mother as an obstacle but she really just grew up in a different time in a different way and cannot understand Tom's reasoning. Through the play you wonder if history will repeat and Tom will leave, but as he walks away his Laura is there, and he doesnt stray far. Amanda's character was betrayed as forceful reins that were holding Tom back, but really I think she was who raised her children(alone) gave them the spirit and wings to fly but in the end fell short out of misunderstanding. She just wanted to hold together a broken family tree... how can you ask for anything more or less?

Submitted by Monica Baker

Oedipus' Oblivious Origin Lead to Overwhelming and Outrageous Outcome

To be honest when I first heard that we were going to be working on drama and reading plays, I was quite intimidated. I stepped out of my comfort zone and overcame my fear (not by choice - lol), and now have become a big fan and love Drama! I really enjoyed reading the play Oedipus. I think the best part was the dramatic irony in the play. It was really cool how the audience already knew the truth and to see how it all unfolded at the end. In a way, you almost felt like you were part of the story. I truly was sympathetic for Oedipus because while he swore to revenge his father's killer, he had no idea that when the truth finally became known, he would have to punish himself. I would definitely recommend others to read this play.

Submitted by CindyLou Lyons

Broken Unicorn, Broken Dreams

I absolutely loved “The Glass Menagerie.” It made me realize how a young person with a disability can feel so different, having an inferiority complex. I also felt the pain Laura endured being so painfully shy. I loved Laura, even though she was a young woman, she had a real innocence about her. Her mother was a bit overbearing for me. She clearly loved her children, but she put down Tom a bit too much, and overprotected Laura. Initially I felt bad for Tom, but when he used the money to pay his union dues rather than paying the light bill, it angered me.

The symbolism of the broken unicorn touched me. I thought Laura identified with the unicorn, and looked at its broken horn in an optimistic way which was touching. The unicorn was now like the other horses and didn’t feel different anymore. I felt sad for Laura and wished there was some way she could “break her own horn,” and feel good about herself. I felt so bad after Jim kissed her and then told her he was engaged. She seemed brokenhearted, but then gave Jim the broken Unicorn as a present. I listened to the audio recording with Helen Haze, and watched some video clips of the 1973 movie with Katherine Hepburn. Both of these were outstanding performances, which added to the experience for me.

Click here to view a video of Laura and Jim

Submitted by Kesley Hynes

Tom, Mr. Selfish?

Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie represents many individuals through the world dealing with an absent father. Tom was forced to step up into his father’s role in order to keep his family together. Tom was forced to continue working at the Continental Shoemaker to provide for his family. In high school, Tom had hopes of pursuing a career in poetry. He had to post-pone his dreams for his family. I feel that there are many men and women who are stuck in this situation. Many people have to put aside their own dreams, goals, in order to help out. They may feel obligated to do so since it’s their family, their blood. Tom felt obligated to help his mother and his sister, Laura. His mother seems disillusioned and stuck in her own past. His sister seems too shy, and so far off from society. Tom feels that he should do what he can help them both. I think it’s great that Tom finally decides to move. He’s finally taking charge and doing something for himself. I feel that it’s important for people in the same situation to do things for themselves. It doesn’t necessarily have to be as drastic as Tom. It can be easy to get sucked into trying to please and help other and neglect ourselves. It’s hard to be entirely self-less. As human beings, we are all selfish to a certain degree. Some more than others and it’s important not to lose ourselves when trying to help others.

Submitted by Shelley Hun

Men are what their mothers made them." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, at the beginning of this unit, I had no idea what to expect from the “Glass Menagerie.” I have never heard of Tennessee Williams prior to this assignment, so I was completely in the dark as to his writing style. I was kind of bummed at first at unit six, simply because I did not want to read another Shakespearean style type of play, which I thought “Glass Menagerie” was. Luckily for me “Glass Menagerie” was nothing like “Oedipus the King.”

I absolutely loved, loved, loved, loved, this play! I thought this play had everything a great play (well a great play in my opinion) is supposed to have, tragedy, comedy and a crazy mother! I loved the characters and the plot of this play. My favorite character was probably Amanda. That woman was completely oblivious to her behavior, I loved it. She is completely nuts and loving at the same time. I think the different personalities of all three main characters went very well together.

Laura was the vulnerable, weak character. She was petrified of life and believed that her “disability” was more conspicuous than it actually was. She also was scared of disapproving her mother. This was clear when she quit school and had failed to tell her mother. Amanda on the other hand likes to make it a point to tell Laura how different Laura is from her. Amanda would go on and on about her male callers, knowing very well Laura has none. Laura depended greatly on Tom for survival, which added great pressure on Tom. Tom disapproved very much of his mother and thought she was a few threads short of a sweater…

Tom was the “rebel” of the family, who completely ignored his mother’s concerns completely. He had the weight of caring for the whole family on his shoulders, but that did not seem to bother him as much as working in a warehouse. Some say Tom was selfish, which can be an accurate statement. However, Tom has given up his dreams to care for his mother and sister. Is he selfish or just desperate to follow his dreams? Tom and Amanda certainly bump heads. Amanda has a way of yelling at Tom for everything he does. He is like a fifteen year old girl arguing with his mommy. Amanda doesn’t realize the anger and resentment Tom has for her and she keeps pushing, and pushing, constantly finding something bad in everything he does. No matter how ashamed, angry, or disapproving Amanda is, she needs to realize that “men are what their mothers made them.”…

"No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement." -Florida Scott-Maxwell

Submitted by Samantha Graziano

Drama

After reading different plays in the drama unit I most liked the story of Oedipus for a story that was written 2500 years ago it was pretty well written and thought out. At first glance of the story I looked at it like I have to read this story and answer questions but after a few pages I subconsciously kept reading until my neck hurt and realized I was only a handful of pages away from finishing the story. As far as this play having a special meaning to me it most closely reminded me of playing Zelda once you started playing that game day could turn to night, this story was the same way for me once I started reading it I really couldn't put it down it has sparked an interest in reading for me recently I read Treasure Island I know it's no Othello but it's going in the right direction as far as reading more. This story did have a lot of human condition it had deceit, cheating,lying, murder, the story evolved and changed with the turn of every page, it really was able to get the reader involved to a point where you legitimately couldn't put it down.

Submitted by Robert Fisk

It Can Be Done

I enjoyed reading the Glass Menagerie and have read it before in high school and have seen the play in Boston a few years ago. I like that the main female character of the play is different from typical characters because many times they have characters who are outgoing and strong willed, but Laura is the opposite because she is very shy and reclusive. It is nice to see that a story can be written about a handicapped character like Laura because I am sure many people could relate to her in the fact the fact that I think that there are many people in the world with small handicaps like Laura and this story shows these people that they should not let their handicaps take over their lives. Many people who are handicapped have learned to cope and have done some amazing things. President Theodore Roosevelt is a strong example of this because he had a severe case of polio and he was unable to walk and doctors told him he was going to be bed ridden for the rest of his life. He decided that he would overcome this handicap and he accomplished many great things in his life time. The moral of his story and Laura's story is that it can be done as long as you try and put yourself out there.

Submitted by Laura Farley

Not a Drama Queen

I am somebody who has never been a big fan of drama. Not in a book and not in real life. Although I do have to admit that I did enjoy reading The Glass Menagerie I would still prefer to read something else.

For a drama The Glass Menagerie was an easy read there are some drama's that are difficult for me to understand. I liked the different nicknames Jim had for Tom and Laura, I thought they were cute. I also liked the idea that the glass unicorn represented how Laura was different from other people. What I took from the animal being a unicorn was that unicorn's are not real and so therefore her difference are not "real." When the unicorn is broken that symbolized "breaking out of her shell."

I think that even today people are labeled as different and not popular but in reality we are all sort of the same. These people who label others by what they wear or what they look like are just starting drama.

Submitted by Stepahnie Corbett