An Awkward Encounter

Alright, so I read the passage “Araby” from Dubliners and I feel bad for the protagonist in the book. He’s obsessed with the girl next door, Mangan’s sister, and always watches her out of fascination and puppy love. He always thinks about her and frankly, he’s head over heels for the girl. After the first moment of conversation, the protagonist makes this epic journey to Araby, an Irish Bazaar, losing half of his money and the bazaar closes. I feel bad for the kid because he wanted to do so much, but is let down by his ambitions.

In someways, this moment reminds me of one scene in New York, New York, in the main character’s youth, he bought a cupcake from the local bakery for his sweetheart only to be shot down. I believe this classical image of rejection gains much appeal from the audience because many people can relate to being rejected and the theme itself is a cliche.

Grand Central Problems

So I went by myself to upstate NY to visit my older brother, something that I haven’t done before. Sure, sounds easy. I hop on the G then to the A only to realize that Grand Central doesn’t run on this line. I did several quick hops from L to the 6 and I was there. This great hall, nothing like what the movies make it out to be. So there I am, walking around aimlessly, wondering what I’m supposed to do. I make my way to the information stand, where ths cockeyed dark skinned man stares at me, boring away into my sould.

“Uh…I’m new around here, how do I get to Fleetwood?” Me
“You’re not new son, i’ve seen you around…hehehee…I know that you’ve been here last sunday” Man
“..Sir, I haven’t meet you before…(I’m feeling real uncomfortable at this point) Me
“Hey Chuck we got a dead one here, listen son, I’m only messing but there your way is, I’ll see you next Sunday” Man

Alright, that was really creepy, he had this slow voice, which seemed like Hannibal Lector’s. Boy are those Metro North trains really nice, so much better than those grease ridden, danky, grotty seats back on the G. Well, I had a feast for the eyes. The train left around 7:25 and when got to the upperdeck, the cab was divided into two. The east was dark, like a azure color, while the west saw the the setting sun. At this point I thought, its unfair how one side of the world is dark while the other is lit. A little selfish, eh?

I did make it to my older brother’s place and spent his birthday with him and his friends.

Thats my story for this weekend.

On Bridges of course with No one in Particular

Grey steel matter swinging but you can’t feel it, scary does it make everything
long arch, sweat beading down your greasy forehead, that baggage lady cruising up the walkway with a cart full fo money.

you make it to one tower, looking at what you have accomplished, a city before you, but wirefencing from Williamsburg blocks your view, for you see, others saw this and leapt off, hoping that thy wear carried on wings of grace, that fool Icarus.

Pissing on cars going udnerneath you causes a major rukus, they honk and yell, but creatures of the earth cannot harm the creatures of the air. Holding my girlfriends hand, sweat beads down between our palms and we both have this smitten look on our faces. First instance of puppy love, with the occasional I love Yous and long laborious phonecalls grants me this please to have that beautiful body stand next to me. That firey hair that is top knotted and guarded like that child in time-out. the downward slope of the bridge brings us racing towards the bottom, plunging straight into downtown Manhattan, Dad is already there.

Yet, I can remember this all, as Dad and I on standing at our usual spot, watching people go by while I am munching on two dollar dumplings from a shanty.

Why this bridge?

A Little Bri[tch]dge of Brooklyn

SAPOLLO mismatched furniture of retroseats on this Square ROot of a cafe passing nearby a record store for lovers of creative activites I ponder if vampires are real because the celestrial orbs plumet happens on such occassion a whale dressed in cheap rags probably from FAT ALBERTS gawks at me watching the plankton on my person

Sardonic

Four chicken mcnuggets walking alongside dad and son both dark and from the frying pan

FANTASTIC CLEANERS got visited by a lesser man BEETLEGUESE as SHARE THE BUBBLY wizzes by red blue ellow are obnoxious playing off children time pieces the cow goes MOOOOOOOOOOO As diesal engines and the roaring and clanking of the xlophone conine on MYRTLE

Telephone Booth next to but no outside of a glass stand wait call mom while a crushed tune worms its wa down your cotton polyester shirt

Cookies baked and creamed are proudly served in an authentic NATHaNS outside of a gas station CITGO walls hold in a church of sisters but BROOKLYN is home to brothers

turn turn turn comes out of a CROWN FRIED heaby greased oculars lare at me present the ID PASS and the last train to smallville ran off the track last night said the watchman with the yellow tie on platform 19 yet he points to one raggedy sign dangling like the stressed tendons from a limb amputee WELCOME TO CLINTON HILL

A private luncheon with Clarissa

Mrs. Dalloway, a book by the famed author Virginia Woolf, is the latest book what are reading. Whats striking similar to Quicksand, by Nella Larson, is the use of first person and stream of thought to give an intimate view on the plot and its characters. Its hard to believe that the whole book took up an entire day. Personally speaking, I didn’t like the lengthy look into each character’s lives, it seemed like Quicksand all over again, especially how Clarissa is self conscience of everything in her life and relationships she has with the other characters. I feel that the book could be shortened.

But let us continue. There is a striking scene on page 40 that gives a subtle hint as to the aging of Peter Walsh and Clarissa Dalloway:

“Exactly the same, though Clarissa; the same queer look; the same check suit; a little out of the straight his case is, a little thinner, dryer, perhaps, but he looks awfully well, and just the same”

Whats going on here, Peter Walsh shows up unannounced to Clarissa. The back story is, Peter was one of Clarissa’s suitors, about thirty years ago. However, Richard Dalloway beat him to the marriage, Peter hasn’t let go of Clarissa, even after 30 years. Peter figured that marrying a different woman and starting a family in India would change his love for Clarissa, but he was wrong. He still finds it in himself that he can never stop loving her at this point in the novel, he even compares her to other women. As for the repetition of “same”, Woolf is stating that thirty years hasn’t changed Clarissa or Peter mentally.

Fight the Power!!!

I have to say, I was not prepared for Spike Lee’s, “Do the Right Thing”. Up until that point, I have not seen a Spike Lee film or  even heard about any of his works or notoriety in the film business. The film itself is purely based on racism and miscommunication. Symbolism is played heavily through out the movie; stereotypical portrayals of neighborhood characters, ethnicities, the stoop and street vending.

What captivated my attention in the film was each person’s understanding of doing the right thing. The Mayor, the neighborhood drunk, tells the main character, Mooki, to do the right thing; of course, the definition is left to one’s personal interpretation which shifts towards racial values or the easy solution. Key scenes such as the attitude problem presented by the characters Doctor and Pino show the racial tensions and lack of communication in both parties when put into situations. Doctor simply wants african-american people on Sal’s hall of fame because all the patrons are of color, yet Sal states no, which causes Doctor to become zealous and eventually gain followers under the racial card. Likewise, Pino, who wishes to not tolerate the black community, decides to vent his anger and racism toward Smiley, a mentally challenged vendor of Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X pictures. As noted, the racism card shifts between gain for one person or for a community, despite pondering the repurcussions. The one scene, which many have qouted is the climax of the movie, the conflagration at Sal’s Pizzeria. The black community are Sal’s only patrons, he feeds the community, yet, because the community holds Sal responsible for the death of Radio Rahim, they justify his death, and the deaths of other colored folk from the neighborhood by raiding Sal’s Pizzeria, and burning it down. Yet, Sal is the provider, the so-called hand that feeds the populace, is not in any way, responsible, for Rahim’s resistance and death. The point is, the people became excited and ignorant to the group’s true actions.

Another striking point of this movie is the evolution of Mooki. The introduction of Mooki is him waking with his sister Jane in the heat of the morning. Mooki represents the working person who seeks a better way in life, despite his lack of care towards his job at Sal’s. His probable future in the film’s plot is high, he might be going to greater things, especially when the Mayor gives him the advice to “Do the Right Thing”, yet later on, Mooki doesn’t do the right thing. He was the first person to damage the pizzeria, the only job that’s supporting him right now; he isn’t with his family: wife and son, and doesn’t heed his own advice when telling Pino’s younger brother to defend himself. Mookie is the immature man who may have knowledge about life, but not any true wisdom.

As stated earlier, essential ism did play a role in the film’s characters, as how Spike Lee had each racial group act towards what they’re known for respectively, despite the dynamic characters of Mother-Sister, Mooki, and Mayor. Every person was ready to burn and destroy Sal’s Pizzeria even though, Sal was the only non-colored person present.

I know I’m making a long piece here, but I figured that I can get this all out. Including all that was written earlier in this review, I do have one favourite scene inwhich I can tie to. I believe somewhere in the middle of the movie, a hispanic man is pulling a “piyagua”  cart and sells the dessert to kids. I like this image alot because I can remember being in Williamsburg or downtown Manhattan with my dad or grandpa and eating shaved ice. The ice is symbolic is because you’re presented with a huge block of ice; your first thought is, all that ice is for me, but thats where you’re wrong. After several passes of a small blade, you have a cup full of ice and sugar water. This represents the community at whole. There’s alot for everybody and plenty to share, but some individuals want it to be one color or flavor such as cherry, but there’s plenty more…orange, black raspberry, lemon, coconut and so forth. The fact that only the kids take part in the shaved ice demonstrates how the children at an early age are presented with this dilemma of racism, but don’t act upon it because they realize that no one person can belong solely to one group only when it fits him. There are days when we want cherry, or even lime. Anyways, that was really long, sorry there.

Other than that, the movie was excellent and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Apocalyptic Future in Fictional Films

Ever notice that the common portrayal of cities that survive a catastrophic event such as a nuclear holocaust or alien invasion is that inhabitants are ruthless, dirty and on the edge? I guess the people would find it boring if the survivors were the same average joes before the bad event. Lets take a look at a common image, the wasteland survivor scene from Mad Max. We’re introduced to Australia, a desert island with lots of sand and tough people as it is. Mad Max (Mike Gibson) is this tough biker cop out to get revenge for the death of his wife and a deal from a group of  rebels in out in the desert. In the next movie, Beyond the Thunderdome, Mad Max is still around and some nuclear event caused every survivor to band together in “Barter Town” a  mish mosh of addicts and savages who strive for petrol. They got nothing going for them. Meanwhile, a group of orphans want to goto this city because they beleive its the paradise they’re promised. And Mad Max is thrown in between. I’m not going to spoil anything because the movies aren’t bad. 

Quicksand Reading Response

“Yet she had continued to try not only to teach, but to befriend those happy singing children, whose charm and distinctiveness the school was so surely ready to destroy” (Larsen 5)

The above excerpt describes the side of the school system that Helga Crane sees in Naxos. It is noted that Helga can never like a place forever, she finds faults with the system, the people or the atmosphere, when in reality, its her own fault. She relates the school system to being mechanic and evil as it imprisons the minds of the youngest members, the children. Helga migrates from place to place and complains that the society doesn’t like her or that she doesn’t belong. Helga even regrets her decision of leaving the Naxos school system after the interview with Dr.Anderson, which leads only to confusion about whether or not her reasons for leaving are satisfactory.