The theater is a remarkable place where people leave their everyday lives and take a break. They take an opportunity to go and see the works of art that are referred to as plays. Visit to a Small Planet was written by the playwright Gore Vidal in 1956. One must review a theater piece thoroughly before fully understanding what message the author tried to get across. Gore Vidal’s life must be explored to understand why he wrote his plays. Criticisms play a very significant in part in considering these masterpieces. After considering Gore Vidal’s past, understanding his plays, and reviewing the criticisms, we can understand Visit to a Small Planet to the fullest.
Gore Vidal, originally known as Eugene Luther Gore Vidal, was born at West Point in New York (Vidal 1). He was born at the U. S. military base on October 3, 1925. Young Gore Vidal spent his childhood in Washington D. C. with his maternal grandfather (Kunitz 1031). His father was Eugene Luther Vidal (Vidal 1). His father served in the U. S. Army as an aeronautics instructor. He was the star of the Army football team. He also participated in the decathlon at the 1920 Olympic Games in Belgium. His mother was Nina Vidal, and she was the daughter of an Oklahoma Senator (1).
Gore Vidal’s grandfather was known as Senator Thomas Pryor Gore (Kunitz 1031). He was blinded in a juvenile accident. Gore Vidal acquired some experience with literature when he read to his grandfather, who owned a vast library. Gore Vidal shared a deep relationship with his grandfather, as he used to lead him onto the floor of the Senate at the age of seven.
Gore Vidal went to St Alban’s Boarding School in Washington D. C. (Vidal 2). Then he attended Los Alamos Ranch School. He finally...
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... only a story, but a subtle message having to do with behavior towards other countries and the military.
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After attending the public grade schools, Colin went to Morris High School in Harlem, New York. His parents urged him to get a good education and good grades. After graduating from there with a C average, Powell sold toys at a baby store near his neighborhood and he had been working part time, until his boss gave him more hours and a pay increase. While he had been atten...
In his short story, O’Brien unravels step by step the irony in the double meaning of truth, implied in this first statement, “This is true”, to the reader which is then woven through the entire story. By trying to characterize what constitutes a true war story, but never really achieving this goal, the true irony of his short story is revealed. Even though in some instances giving away his opinion explicitly, the sheer contradiction of honesty and reality becomes even more visible in an implicit way by following O’Brien’s explanations throughout the story while he deconstructs his first statement. The incongruity between his first statement and what is actually shown in his examples does not need any explicit statements to drive home his message.
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Eight Men Speak by Oscar Ryan et al presents a variety of epic devices employed throughout its composition. We see “the essential truth in every word of these six acts”(Foreword 5) come to life in this thought provoking presentation of didactic literature. Through the use of Epic Drama we see the effects of our corrupt government as it is brought into perspective using the epic devices of using the audience as active participants, using narration rather than action , and political engagement. These epic devices play a key role in portraying the didactic message of the play. The play causes the reader not only to be a present member of the audience, but to have presence of mind as well; to not only hear what the characters are saying, but to take initiative if they wish to see change.
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