QUESTIONS RELATED TO A SCENE IN THE PLAY

pages 53-63
I choose these pages because I found this conversation or scenes very confusing and couldn't tell if there is a purpose behind every word that the author used to describe the struggles of these two characters or not.
1. what is the significance of the tree in the play and why does it have leaves in act 2?
2. why is the tree green (indicating passage of time) whereas Gogo's wound is still festering? what does it mean?
3. what does estragon mean by 'no lack of void'?
4. why does the author not show Vladimir getting the carrot for estragon after he says he will? is there any specific reason for Vladimir being the one offering food to Gogo?
5. what does estragon mean by 'to give us the impression we exist'?
6. why is Vladimir curious about Lucky's hat?
7. why does Vladimir show relief when he realizes that they are in the 'right place' after seeing Lucky's hat?
8. why does Vladimir choose to play Lucky and not Pozzo? what are the connections in his and Lucky's character?
9. what was the intension of the author by putting the idea of estragon's dreaming and why does he never reveal them in the play?
10. why doesn't Vladimir want to know about the dreams?
11. what is the purpose of taking off the hat and inspecting it, signify in the play?
12. what does Vladimir mean by ' when you seek you hear...that prevents you from thinking'?
13. why does Vladimir mention seeing corpses? what does he mean by it?
14. by having all this conversation, are they trying to pass the endless time in the wait of Godot or is there any other specific message that the author wanted to convey?
15. what do estragon and Vladimir mean when they say, ' a relaxation...a recreation'?

Additional analysis of Vladimir

In the play, Vladimir seems to be smarter than Estragon. He is always thinking and wondering about things like when he is thinking about the four thieves. He also is very restless in the play. He is always standing and running to and fro from the tree in the search and wait of Godot unlike Gogo who not only sits but also dozes off. Didi seems to also have manners as compared to Gogo, for instances, when Gogo asks Pozzo to give them money, he replies that they are not beggars and he doesn’t take any interest in the bones when Estragon takes them to eat or in any food since throughout the play Gogo is the one that eats out of the pair. He is always lost in thoughts and continuously thinking like about redemption and being saved by Godot which shows that he has a burden of thoughts. He also tries Lucky’s hat and when Pozzo asks what they would like Lucky to do, he replies that he would like him to think. In act 1, Didi doesn’t remember where they were to meet Godot and if they had been there the day before. In act 2, he is the one that remembers that they were there the day before and had met some strange people but no one else remembers.  He is in search of answers and hope. He wonders about time when he sees Pozzo being blind and not knowing the time. He and Gogo really don’t know how to kill the time they have on their hands which may indicate that them waiting for Godot is actually filling up the void that they have. That void which is time, time which represents their lives without purpose other than ‘Waiting For Godot’. 

THE ANALYSIS OF VLADIMIR'S CHARACTER

In the play, Vladimir seems to be smarter than Estragon. He is always thinking and wondering about things like when he is thinking about the four thieves. He also is very restless in the play. He is always standing and running to and fro from the tree in the search and wait of Godot unlike Gogo who not only sits but also dozes off. Didi seems to also have manners as compared to Gogo, for instances, when Gogo asks Pozzo to give them money, he replies that they are not beggars and he doesn’t take any interest in the bones when Estragon takes them to eat or in any food since throughout the play Gogo is the one that eats out of the pair. He is always lost in thoughts and continuously thinking like about redemption and being saved by Godot which shows that he has a burden of thoughts. 

Waiting for Godot

1) The video ‘Power of 10’ basically shows us the human understanding and discoveries made so far in regards to the universe. If we think about it, it also shows the limit of our understanding of the universe and Godot. We can’t see him yet there is constant need for people around the world of different faiths to believe that he exists. Human beings have made so many extraordinary discoveries but the question of God might be the most controversial. Does he exist or not, if he does why is there so much hate in the world and if he doesn't, where does that leave mankind and the their existence, and why do we still sometime hope that there be a greater power out there somewhere who can listen to our prayers when we face hardships.  

2) After watching the play, I got to look more into what each character represented. And the closest that I could get to understanding Pozzo and Lucky was that Pozzo represented pleasure in materialistic things and Lucky represented sadness and insanity of life. For instance, Pozzo likes entertaining himself by making Lucky dance and making him think or speak out his thoughts. And Lucky on the hand, his absurdity can be determined by his thoughts when he was told to speak and he makes no sense.

3) Didi seems to be the more sensible (being the intellect and mind) out of the bunch whereas Gogo (being the body) is a bit slower and dumb in figuring things out and it most likely that Gogo could not make it on his own without Didi. It kind of represented the how a body would be without a mind or conscious.

4) The two keep talking about waiting for god because they seem to think that he might be able to save them. In the meantime, they also talk about their lives and how the two have been friends for a long, and sometimes think that maybe they should try living without each other. They also talk about hanging themselves when they would, at times, become hopeless in the wait for God.

5) Didi and Gogo represent how life of a human being is. All humans at some or all phases of life have an inner struggle or search of who they are. We struggle in regards to things we believe, search and understand. There is always a part of us that at times contradicts how we act and what we should do. So that is why I believe that a lot of our lives are like that of Gogo and Didi.

6) The play is about friendship. Even though Didi and Gogo at times think that they should live without one another because sometimes they can’t stand each other they care and stay together. It is also about hope, since they have never seen Godot and yet they believe, hope and wait for him because they hope he will save them. And it is also about life itself, basically the play I pointing at the question that no one seems to have a right answer to. What is life and how different people find their own way of living it. As we can take Pozzo as an example as he finds his pleasures in having Lucky to entertain him and serve him so that he won’t be lonely.

7) I think that the play itself was not cynical. However there are parts where it does show how there may be parts of a human beings life where they may act cynical. For example when Gogo and Didi meet Pozzo and when Pozzo needs help, Gogo decides that they will help him if he pays them money. There are a lot of things that make us insecure. It maybe the way we look, who we are, what we represent, about our futures, about our careers, overall about life. Then flipside to this however, is security which I think is good but also may come with some other features. Like, arrogance, ego, and pride. I’m not necessarily saying that everyone would be like that but there is a probability that one could behave like that. 

PRESENTATION: TV AS A DRUG

What is TV addiction?

·      when you are spending an unusually large amount of time watching it

·      using it more often than intended

·      cannot go more than one day without watching it

·      thinking about reducing the use, and still unsuccessful

·        giving up social activities

What are the effects?

·       obesity (weight gain)

·       risk for disease (heart attacks, arteriosclerosis)

·       lack of social skills, cannot communicate easily with family, friends

·       poor academic results (no time for studying, or just simply reading)

·       some psychologist believe that too much TV time can have a major effect in the psychology of the child

·       lost productivity at the workplace

·       "People no longer know information that's vital to sustain life” (126) (how to...)

·       "Because of this "information deficit," we are out of touch with reality and are also standing on a dangerous shelf of oil-dependent, corporate-induced information starvation." (126)

·       "TV is the most powerfully addictive drug ever developed"(129)

·       TV is taking one of the most precious things we have: time

Things you can do:

·       Don't turn on your TV as soon as you get home

·       Choose what shows you will watch

·       Don't turn on the TV when eating

·       Go out

·       Find a hobby

·       There are TV addiction rehab treatments

http://silverq.hubpages.com/hub/TV-Addiction-What-is-it-and-How-You-Can-Overcome-It

http://www.toptensocialmedia.com/social-media-social-buzz/10-pros-and-cons-of-social-media/

(Anna)

How TV plays a vital role in changing our views?

·       “People set aside large portions of their lives to watch a flickering box- hours every day. They rely on the box for the majority of their information…even though the contents of the box are controlled by a handful of corporations…” (130) Thom Hartmann The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight

·       According to the article, “These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America” written by Ashley Lutz; in 1983, 90 % of the media in the U.S was owned or controlled by 50 companies whereas by 2011 90 % of the media was controlled by 6 corporations, namely, CBS, Time Warner, Disney, Viacom, News Corp. and GE.

·       “One of the nation’s largest and most conservative news organizations successfully argued in court that it had the right to force its reporters to lie in the evening news…”(220) Thom Hartmann The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight

·       "Each year it is more likely that the American citizen who turns to any medium... will receive information, ideas, or entertainment controlled by the same handful of corporations, whether it is daily news, a cable entertainment program, or a textbook." The media monopoly by Ben H. Bagdikian.

·         "The mainstream news media postponed for more than fifty years full public awareness of the hidden dangers of the medically known threat to public health from tobacco... They did [this] to protect a major advertiser." The media monopoly by Ben H. Bagdikian.

Why watch TV when we know its damaging our minds?

·       “We use TV as we use tranquilizers- to even things out, to blot out unpleasantness, to dilute confusion, distress, unhappiness, loneliness.” ― Bill McKibben, The Age of Missing Information

·       “TV makes it so easy to postpone living for another half hour.” ― Bill McKibben, The Age of Missing Information

·       “We have developed a series of emotional thermostats as well, by far the most potent of which is television itself. Instead of really experiencing the highs and lows, pains and joys, that make up a life, many of us use TV just as we use central heating- to flatten our variations, to maintain a constant "optimal" temperature.” 
― Bill McKibben, The Age of Missing Information

1.    https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2965299-the-age-of-missing-information

2.    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/giants/

3.    http://filmtv.eserver.org/media-monopoly.txt

4.    http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6

(Zainab)

Media Censorship

·       Even with the First Amendment in use, there have also been some questionable cases of media censorship in the United States.

·       As stated by James Turnage of Guardian Liberty Voice, there are two reasons why news agencies fail to report the truth in their news reports throughout the country. 

Ø One is that major news agencies depend upon government sources for exclusivity in reporting. There is an agreement between the two sides that information not approved by the government will be publicized, so nothing happens until an actual scandal breaks.

Ø The other and most obvious reason is money. Sensational stories sell more advertising than mundane everyday occurrences.

·       Turnage goes on to say that the news should go back to providing the facts on issues instead of relying on false information and letting the public speak up about what they believe.

http://guardianlv.com/2013/09/censorship-in-the-major-media/

(Kevin)

·       Syndicators sell programming to media outlets; TV and Radio Stations

·        Concept Selling - attempting to reach a different audience by selling a product with a specific content

·        Inventory Sales - Sales reps contact LOCAL businesses

·        Spot buying - advertiser buy specific air time slots

·        network buying - adds are shown wherever the network goes

·        Local Buying - commercials that relate to the geographical location

·        Product Placement

·        Pay per click - companies pay Google every time someone clicks on their link

·        Host Selling -  one entity is linked to two products

·        Toy Based Programming - sesame street making the toy the star leads to kids wanting the product

·        Different prices for different times of day

·        Parents formed the ACT (Action for children's television) and they separate program content and commercial message 

http://truthstreammedia.com/tv-your-mind-controlled/

http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/mind-control-theories-and-techniques-used-by-mass-media/

http://rense.com/general69/mass.htm

(Alvin)

Naomi Klein's interview

In the interview, Naomi Klein talks about the drastic changes that are taking places in the environment. She states that whenever there is news related to global warming, the media tries to stay away from broadcasting or looking more into such incidents like the melting of the tarmac that occurred in Washington in the summer of 2012. This point relates back to topic that since the media is in the control of the few, they can basically divert and manipulate our thoughts from this important issue.  They have found a device that they can use to make us support their views and ideas that will benefit them. Even though some of us know the truth, we still find ourselves following their ways and ideas of living our LIVES.

MEDIA CONTROL IN THE U.S (poster bullet points)

How TV plays a vital role in changing our views?

·       “People set aside large portions of their lives to watch a flickering box- hours every day. They rely on the box for the majority of their information…even though the contents of the box are controlled by a handful of corporations…” (130) Thom Hartmann The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight

·       According to the article, “These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America” written by Ashley Lutz; in 1983, 90 % of the media in the U.S was owned or controlled by 50 companies whereas by 2011 90 % of the media was controlled by 6 corporations, namely, CBS, Time Warner, Disney, Viacom, News Corp. and GE.

http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6

·       “One of the nation’s largest and most conservative news organizations successfully argued in court that it had the right to force its reporters to lie in the evening news…”(220) Thom Hartmann The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight

·       "Each year it is more likely that the American citizen who turns to any medium... will receive information, ideas, or entertainment controlled by the same handful of corporations, whether it is daily news, a cable entertainment program, or a textbook." The media monopoly by Ben H. Bagdikian.

·       "The mainstream news media postponed for more than fifty years full public awareness of the hidden dangers of the medically known threat to public health from tobacco... They did [this] to protect a major advertiser." The media monopoly by Ben H. Bagdikian.

• http://filmtv.eserver.org/media-monopoly.txt

 Why watch TV when we know its damaging our minds?

• “We use TV as we use tranquilizers- to even things out, to blot out unpleasantness, to dilute confusion, distress, unhappiness, loneliness.” ― Bill McKibben, The Age of Missing Information

·       “TV makes it so easy to postpone living for another half hour.” ― Bill McKibben, The Age of Missing Information

·       “We have developed a series of emotional thermostats as well, by far the most potent of which is television itself. Instead of really experiencing the highs and lows, pains and joys, that make up a life, many of us use TV just as we use central heating- to flatten our variations, to maintain a constant "optimal" temperature.” 

― Bill McKibben, The Age of Missing Information


https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2965299-the-age-of-missing-information


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/giants/

A POTENT DRUG IN OUR CULTURE

            Over the years, we have come to know different kinds of addictive drugs and their disastrous effects on the human health. But there is one drug which is silently taking the entire world under its spell. This drug is so wide spread and so addictive that everyone in almost every part of the world has it in their house. Almost every child and adult in the world is under the influence of this drug every day, every hour, every second, to the point where it actually controls their mind. This is the younger generation’s drug, this drug is ‘Television’. In the book, “The last hours of ancient sunlight”, written by Thom Hartmann; the author talks about that global warming and climate change issues that we face today. One of the many issues that he points out that is affecting our thoughts about global warming is the influence of television on our everyday thoughts and decisions. More importantly, he also shows his concern about how the information presented on television is controlled by a few. He states, “People set aside large portions of their lives to watch a flickering box- hours every day. They rely on the box for the majority of their information…even though the contents of the box are controlled by a handful of corporations…” (130). The author explains how everyone depends so much on ‘The box’ for information about their world, despite the fact that the information or knowledge is in the hands of very few people. According to the article, “These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America” written by Ashley Lutz;

http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6

 in 1983, 90 % of the media in the U.S was owned or controlled by 50 companies whereas by 2011, 90 % of the media was controlled by 6 corporations, namely, CBS, Time Warner, Disney, Viacom, News Corp. and GE. In other words, the information acquired by 277 million Americans every day is being provided by only 232 media executives. This number is alarming. This is a critical problem because that means that what people are led to believe about the entire world is a point of view of a few, even though if it is not accurate. The dangers of this is also discussed in the article, “Merger Mania in the Media: Can We Still Get All the News We Need?” by John H. McManus,

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v7n1/mediacon.html

 where he mentions that “Diverse media ownership can create the robust and unconstrained debate that allows the best ideas to prevail. Consolidation, in contrast, constricts the number of information providers and can cut down on the debate that is essential to a democracy.” He is stating the fact that when the media is more diverse the more information the public can acquire, leaving room for democratic debates but if the information from almost every outlet is provided by one source, the public will only get one perspective hence unbalancing the scale of free thoughts.  

3 TOPICS OF "THE LAST HOURS OF ANCIENT SUNLIGHT"

1. The 'Information Age' is a misleading term used for the current era. (124)
2. Though the scientific research indicates a rise of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius has occurred,  a majority of the people don't seem to understand the severity of this change. (68)
3. 'The robots' are controlling our thoughts and lives by passing themselves as humans and taking advantage of human rights that were meant for us. (220)

http://www.ted.com/talks/james_hansen_why_i_must_speak_out_about_climate_change#t-861833

Global warming or climate change is the most talked about issue in the world today. Yet after decades of debate, we still find ourselves caught in denial and expect scientists and experts to come up with ways to stop the upcoming doomsday for our planet earth. In this video of James Hansen, he talks about the enormous amount of energy that is being absorbed by the earth’s surface and what that will mean for the generations ahead. He also touches on the misconceptions that “the global warming is due to natural changes and not caused by human beings”. He ends his talk by stating that the longer we wait to deal with this problem, the harder and more expensive it will become to handle this situation effectively. By looking at the science and facts over the years, it is hard and also improbable to stay unaware of the fact that there is indeed something happening with our planet and environment and we can no longer stay asleep and hope that everything will be fine the next day.