Other Desert Cities follows the story of the wealthy Wyeth family, spending Christmas at their home near Palm Springs, California in 2004. Brooke, the only daughter of the family, has not seen her family in six years and constantly feels out of place amongst her wealthy, Republican family. Her parents were close friends with the Reagans, with her father, Lyman, serving as an ambassador during Ronald Reagan’s administration. Brooke, however, moved from California and adopted more liberal beliefs. As such, Brooke nervously reveals to her parents that she has written a memoir about her older brother Henry’s suicide, which he committed after his family rejected him over draft-dodging Vietnam and joining a radical political group which bombed a …show more content…
The central conflict of the scene is that Brooke tries to get Trip to back her up with their parents, but Trip refuses to take Brooke’s side. It is important to know that Trip is high during a portion of this scene. He is also her younger brother and a TV producer, which both play heavily into the power dynamic of the scene. Additionally, Brooke has tried to kill herself and ended up in a mental hospital in Massachusetts, which Trip references in the scene. Her parents have locked themselves in their bedroom, reading the book and Silda, who we discover helped Brooke write the book, is asleep on the couch, present but passed out, during this scene. Trip also references Henry being a member of a terrorist organization during the …show more content…
However, Trip’s objective is not necessarily to persuade her not to publish the book, but to force her to think about their parents and not just herself before actually going through with it. This scene functions to demonstrate Brooke failing to gain the support of Trip, who she believes at this point would actually be beneficial in convincing her parents it is okay. It forces Brooke to directly confront her parents and get consent from them instead of being able to talk through Trip. I think it is important to talk about my relationship to this play. Other Desert Cities was the first play I ever truly and fully read for a drama class. We had to do a “book report” on a play the first semester of freshman year of high school in my Theatre III class. I loved it; the story captured me and I thought it was the best play ever written. Things have changed now. However, I am still real captured by the relationships between the characters in this play, specifically the relationship between Brooke and
One of the goals in the play is to raise awareness about domestic violence. This is done effectively through the events that are played out in the
The play consisted of five characters: Marty, James, Schultz, Theresa, and Lauren. Marty and James are a couple; they knew each other through a wedding, Theresa is a former actress who ran away from the competitive New York, Schultz is an awkward carpenter who just got divorced, and Lauren is a sixteen year old girl who dreamed of becoming an actress. Marty who is the teacher started the class, but the students participated in the class’s activities
reach into the ideas and themes of the play so we will have a good
On one side, there is Kathy Nicolo and Sheriff Lester Burdon who want the house from which Kathy was evicted. It previously belonged to Kathy’s father and she is reluctant to relinquish possession of it. Then there is the Behranis, a Persian family who was forced to flee to America in fear of their lives. They want the house because it symbolizes their rise from poverty (they had to leave everything behind and were quite poor when they arrived in the United States) back to affluence which, to this family, will help to restore their family’s dignity, lost when thrust into poverty. The story centers on gaining possession of the house. Unknowingly, all of these characters are doomed to tragedy by their inability to understand each other, hurtling down an explosive collision course.
Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most famous story about love in literature. This is in part because of the tension caused by the look the different characters have towards what love means and its role in life. These views were very important for the progression of the story. Their different views collided and caused much grief and sorrow for the characters throughout play. Many important events that propelled the story forward would not have happened without the various feelings towards love the characters have and how they felt of and reacted to the other characters’ view on love.
I think I agree with how the play was written. I believe it was written to relay a message to its readers on relationships and how they can explode in a fast manner. For example, the relationship that Jim and Dave had was ruined because on girl named Daisy. And because of her talking to both men it caused Jim to be considered guilty
The play deals with the issues faced by young people growing up through the eyes of two children, Tilly and Ben. About to begin year eight and head off to boarding school, these two twins are full of anxieties, hopes, and fears about the future. They have built their own imaginary world, where they spend most of the time imagining what will happen. The play is very relatable to anyone who has been concerned about transition, and who has an imagination. But it fails to keep its audience engaged. Though it is aimed at teenagers, and manages to deal very weel with the issues it discusses, it does not do enough to hold its audience. It is not a slapstick comedy, like most productions aimed at young people. Neither does it seek to hold its audience emotionally. So it’s not a tragedy. Or a comedy. Or a tragicomedy. So what is it? It’s a literary
WORKS CITED Meyer, Michael, ed., pp. 113 Thinking and Writing About Literature. Second Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin, John J., 2001. o Joan Murray, "Play-By-Play".
Woolway, Joanne. Drama for Students. Eds. David Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 292-94. Print.
The Portrayal of Romeo and Juliet's Relationship in the Play. In my opinion, the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is portrayed. in lots of different ways. It is portrayed as tragic, united, shows.
We are given the feeling of being in an idyllic, rural world. She enhances this feeling with little vignettes that are almost cliched in their banality: the little boys guarding their pile of stones in the town square; the towns-people gathering and interacting with each other as if they were at a country fair; Mrs. Hutchinson arriving late because she hadn't finished the dishes; even the good-natured complaining of Old Man Warner. All of these scenes and vignettes are used effectively to put us at our ease and to distract us from the horror that is to come.
... She attempts to show that there are links and similarities between the characters that are transcending their cultural differences. There are no winners or losers; this conflict has negative consequences for all the participants in these dramatic events.
Every time the family comes to a confrontation someone retreats to the past and reflects on life as it was back then, not dealing with life as it is for them today. Tom, assuming the macho role of the man of the house, babies and shelters Laura from the outside world. His mother reminds him that he is to feel a responsibility for his sister. He carries this burden throughout the play. His mother knows if it were not for his sisters needs he would have been long gone. Laura must pickup on some of this, she is so sensitive she must sense Toms feeling of being trapped. Tom dreams of going away to learn of the world, Laura is aware of this and she is frightened of what may become of them if he were to leave.
are two main plots in the play, both based upon the theme of love. The
Parent and children relationships are the main point of a play in many literary works. Through their relationship the reader can understand the conflicts of the play, since the characters play different roles in each other’s lives. These people are usually connected in physical and emotional ways. They can be brother and sister, mother and daughter, or father and son. In “Death of A Salesman,” by Arthur Miller the interaction between Willy Loman and his sons, Biff and Happy, allow Miller to comment on the father-son relationship and conflicts that arise from them. In “ The Glass Menagerie,” by Tennessee Williams shows this in the interaction between Amanda and her children, Laura and Tim.