Ready for more? The next logical section is from 52 to 104
for those of you who have a diffrent copy the last line says "...waved goodbye with a grin he could not clearly read" and then theres a page break and a large number 3
Well, fellow Wicked lovers, it is safe to say that I am now enjoying the book. (I’m sure that all of you were dying to know). One thing I really enjoyed about Maguire’s writing style is the little quirks he uses. My favorite so far? Madame Morrible. Did anyone else first think ‘more horrible?’ I never noticed it in the musical, and it was sort of cute. I’m looking forward to more!
So during my reading, my metal THEME siren almost exploded. Good vs. Evil? Defiantly. Galinda and Elphaba’s first real conversation is about if evil really does exist. One thing that I found interesting was when Elphaba says “Some said the original evil was the vacuum caused by the Fairy Queen Lurline leaving us alone here. When goodness removes itself, the space it occupies corrodes and becomes evil” (80). This got me thinking: does evil really exist, or is it just a lack of goodness? This will most defiantly be a reoccurring theme in the book. (Funny, isn’t it? We get the unit outline today, and it says the theme of good vs. evil. Could we have picked a better book? I think not.)
Animal treatment, or treatment of minority groups, also seems to be a theme of the book. Dr. Dillamond is appalled at the phrase “animals should be seen and not heard.” When I hear this line I think of the old idea that women should be seen and not heard. This may be a connection that Animals in their society, like women in our own, deserve the same rights as everyone else. They have thoughts and opinions, just like the rest of us. Also, women in their society do not have the same rights as men. Galinda was not able to get in some of the best school because women were not allowed. More literally, this theme parallels the animal rights movement in actual society.
So, there was one huge difference I’ve noticed from the book to the musical. In the musical, Elphaba has magical abilities upon arriving at Shiz, and Madame Morrible notices these and makes her her student. So far in the book, there is no evidence of Elphaba’s magical powers. (Unless you count green skin and razor teeth). Maybe she discovers her powers later. ALSO! Where is Nessa? They only mentioned that Melena was pregnant, but that was it.
And the Wizard. I’m pretty sure I only read his name one or two times. Right from the beginning of the musical he was important. The second song was all about him! So far, it’s the Wizard and… no one. No choreographed singing yet. (Points for anyone who gets the reference!) Anyway, it was a good section. I’m looking forward to when Nessa and the Wizard are discussed more.
Casey, I feel compelled to tell you that the THIRD song in the musical is about the Wizard. You forgot the song “Dear Old Shiz” which I will begin my actual commentary of this section on: “RANDOM GUY FROM OZ: Glinda! Is it true you were her friend? GLINDA: Well it depends on what you mean by friend. I did know her. That is, our paths did cross…at school.”
Was Galinda (with a “GA”) actually Elphaba’s friend? The book thus far screams NO. All Galinda wants to do is NOT be Elphaba’s roomie. Galinda finds great amusement in dressing Elphie up and embarrassing her to an extent in her own dorm room. Just as I disliked Galinda in the play because she was just spoiled and ignorant for the most part, I dislike her here in the novel. The characters of Galinda in the play and the novel are almost identical at this point. The same goes with Boq, who is just as desperate and short as he was in the play, but I like him a bit more so it’s okay.
I agree with Casey that one of the major themes of this novel will be good and evil. It is even so in the play: “Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” (Yes, Casey, I stole your quote.) Elphaba and Galinda’s discussion on the subject even makes Galinda THINK! *gasp* I was reading the reading questions that Maddie posted and was thinking about this theme we have already discovered. With this, can we see the Clock of the Time Dragon as an evil figure or something else? With its predictions of the future and idolistic nature, is it causing people to overreact to situations? The Clock said to kill Elphaba and Melena, but the woman who read the future for Nanny said that both Elphaba and Melena’s next child (Nessarose) were destined for greatness.
One of the reading questions that Maddie posted earlier said that Turtle Heart was killed by the Clock. How exactly was he killed by the Clock? He mentions the Clock just before he dies (it is his seventh to last word) but how exactly does it kill him? I was wondering if the scene he described that Elphaba was seeing was the Wizard. Here is the passage, it’s on my page 62 before the second section titled Gillikin begins: “‘She sees him coming,’ he said thickly, ‘she sees him to come; he is to come from the air; is arriving. A balloon from the sky, the color of a bubble of blood: a huge crimson globe, a ruby glove: he falls from the sky. The Regent is fallen. The House of Ozma is fallen. The Clock was right. A minute to judgment’” (62). Somewhere I learned that the Wizard arrived to Oz in a hot air balloon. Could this be the arrival of the Wizard? The House of Ozma was sort of a ruling family from my understanding of the brief discussion of them, and if they fall who would take their place? The Wizard rules Oz as far as we know.
One last thing I promise. I’m on the same page and am thinking about one of the reading questions that Maddie posted relating to the fact that Elphaba is sitting on some sort of throne on the same page when they find her under the dock: “There was a beast, a felltop tiger, or some strange hybrid of tiger and dragon, with glowing orangey eyes. Elphaba was sitting in its folded forearms as if on a throne” (62). Could this beast be the Clock of the Time Dragon? Or the beast that Nanny described as running around? What does this symbolize (which is the second half of the same question)? If it is the Dragon, could it symbolize Elphaba’s great future? Or the threat that the Clock has already predicted?
Is it just me or am I asking a TON of questions? :P I swear Kindel is teaching me to over analyze things…oh well.
Okay so I had this all typed up and the page refreshed itself all by itself and completely erased my comments... :/ so retyping it now...
One thing I was confused on right away is the difference between Animal and animal. It came up a few times in this section of reading..could someone clarify it for me, please? Thanks.
The importance of social status seems to be important as well. For example on page 129 Galinda says, "Apart from the matter of my feelings, there are too many social impediments for us to proceed." She says this when talking to Boq about them having a friendship/relationship. Because they are from two different backgrounds, two different social classes, Galinda believes they can not be friends.
Another quote I found on pertaining to Casey's comment on minority groups is on page 84. It says, "It wasn't one of the better colleges-those were still closed to female students." This shows that women are considered a minority in the book because not all the schools enroll female students.
Another thing I noticed is that Elphaba's first word is "horror." She hears the word from someone else in the room, and I think this is significant because "horror" is not a positive word. It is associated with evil. Elphaba did not think of this word on her own b/c she heard it from another person meaning that the evil word was thrown upon her.
Casey's quote on whether people are born wicked or if they have wickedness thrust upon them is important to think about throughout the book. I think that, based off the reading and in real life, that no one is truly born evil. I think that people have the evil thrust upon them because other people's words, actions, thoughts, ideas can influence their own whether they be positive or negative, good or evil. It's similar to the aspect of whether people are born to be killers or not. No one is born to become a murderer. Other people's actions in their life compel them to acquire the traits of being a murderer much like the choice of being evil or not.
Basically I really liked this section of reading. I thought it was more interesting than the first section although I did like the first section. Nessarose needs to be mentioned more as Casey commented on though. I totally agree with that:) Can't wait for the next section of reading:)
If my understanding is correct, Cheyenne, an Animal is an animal with the ability to speak, like Dilamond. When Dillamond says "No, I am speaking of Animals. Those with a spirit" on my page 66 leads me to believe that Animals are implied to have souls. Oppositely, animals (without the capital letter) are animals without the ability to speak and, based on my inference earlier, do not have souls. Apparently people are able to tell whether one is discussing an Animal or an animal through prounciation: "She [Galinda] would have to get used to enunciating the capital letter or else she would show off her country origins" (67).
I think that these Animals will play an important role as they did in the show. Through Dillamond and Galinda's conversation already, we know that the Wizard will soon be placing a ban on Animal travel and that Dillamond is a strong advocate for Animal rights. He storms out when the line "Animals should be seen and not heard" is read from the peom by Madame Morrible, while the other Animals on the staff are annoyed with it. I agree with Casey in saying that these Animals are definitely a minoraty group with parallels to womens' sufferage in the middle of the twentith century. There may even be more of a parallel to African Americans since the Animals are seen lower than even the women, although women are given many rights in this novel, like to go to some schools and study what they wish.
Okay so I'm going to be smart this time and type as I read :). In agreement with the above I have noticed the blaring theme alarms. Good vs Evil seems to be a bit broad for the theme though. I would narrow it down to if there actually is a good or and evil. Personally I think that this book shows how it's all about perspective. I mean, Animals are very comprable to slaves (urgh must we also connect to history class too?!?!) in the south. As we know from the play, Elphie is similar to an extreme of the anti-slave, or in this case discrimination camp. Galinda can be representative of the more indiffrent Northerners. The book states "She had scarcely ever come across even the odd chicken squacking philosophy in Frottica" she here clearly shows that she disrespected Dillamond because he was low class, not because he was an Animal. Continuing on my Galinda focus, I did notice that she was painted as smarter here than in the play. I got the impression from the play that she had gotton into Shiz based purely on money. Here she apparently wrote an astounding essay to get in and came from a small town. Also when she meets the other girls going to her school, she is the least extravagent, where in the play she literally stole the spotlight. Personally I like her better here, because she at least has some depth. I loved her line "I have not struck you yet, Madame Morrible" HA! She wasn't even close to that witty in the play. Does anyone else she the forshadowed trauma of the big Ama Clutch lie? I mean trauma related amnesia? And this whole Ama thing is really weird. Does anyone else understand their purpose? I mean she kinda just sits and watches them. It makes sense for the society I guess, but they seem kinda useless. Anywho, I also noticed a less prominant theme of power coming from beauty. Galinda "reasoned that because she was beautiful she was significant, though what she signified and to whom was not clear yet." This I think will come to be more important as Galinda uses her beauty to manipulate people around her. Onto the poetry night. Could Madame M have been any more mean? "Animals should be seen and not heard" and right in front of her Animal collegues too!! There is definetly a more deep seeded hatred of Animals in this book than the play. And how could we not mention Boq. I love that we get more of a male perspective in this book. He's so puppy like it's almost cute. And did anyone else think BEN! when he was studying for exams? Anyway, I hate how mean Galinda was to him. I mean the boy climbed out of a tree for crying out loud! And I hate Elphie just a bit for putting him up to that. I mean she lived with Galinda, how could she not see that coming? Then again, she does have that evil streak. This makes me think about the bullied kids in our society. If a kid is bullied, like Elphie is by Galinda, and then finds someone lower on the food chain, ie Boq, then they try to direct the bully to said botom of the chain person. If anyone has a bit more insight into Turtle Heart's death that would be helpful. I do agree though that the ruby globe would be the wizard's balloon. That's it for now :)
Ok so far I am really loving the book despite its obvious differences to the play, but the basic themes and commentary on prejudices have stayed the same. Like Casey and Katie have pointed out a main focus will definitely be the time old question of Does evil really exist?, considering the title of the book. But in my opinion there is no good without evil for example in the first part we read, Elphaba was looked at as a monster she still had endearing qualities about her. We cannot perceive what is evil if there is nothing to compare it to and vice versa. Katie about the hot air balloon, if you remember in the movie the Wizard of Oz that is how the Wizard tries to take Dorothy home, on a hot air balloon and he also says that is how he got to Oz. And remember the song how he talks about being wonderful in the play. Is he a crusader or a ruthless invader, it is all in how events are perceived and which side of the spectrum people view it with. I thought that because he arrived from the sky they thought he was a hero, similarly like they thought Dorothy was a witch and a hero because she fell from the sky killing a wicked witch. They expected him to be wonderful so he was. He took over from the Ozma probably because the regent was weak or corrupt “Besides isn’t Pastorius a simpleton?” said Melena… “What will he do until Ozma is of age but ride the hunt, and eat Munchkinlander pastries…?” He took over and became their hero, which is probably why they do not question him. I also agree with the parallels between Animal rights and other human rights issues in our own society with one discerning difference. It appears that the conditions for the Animals are progressively getting worse for example the new Banns on traveling that had previously not been heard of. In our society I like to think that these social issues are getting better if very slowly. Animals were regarded with respect before the wizard arrived because Dillamond was allowed to become an accomplished professor “…the goat himself would be required by law to give up the privileges he had earned through the years of study, training, and saving” (73). I personally think that the issue of Animal rights has only gotten worse and will continue to like in the musical considering the emphasis that it has received.
Okay, so no one will probably see this but I didn't get a chance to post last night with the orchestra concert and all.
I can tell that I'm not the only one who thinks Galinda is annoying. I almost want to punch her. If you all hate Melenda, how can you like Galinda? She's a total spoiled pain! Melenda at least has some explanation behind her actions, Galinda just uses money and a high social status. I mean, the was she treated Boq? What a snob! He's such a cute little character, and yes Maddie, he did remind me of Ben a little. I really don't like her. She's annoying. I'm sorry if I offend you all with that, but I haven't seen the play before so I'm taking this all in for the first time. She bothers me. Sorry about that little rant there.
It's interesting how Madame Morrible uses the poems to share her feelings. All of her students are so suseptable to believe whatever they hear, that only the teachers get what's actaully going on. She places propaganda in her poems. Since she's a teacher none of the students ask her anything until later when Elpheba asks her about it in a lecture. That was one of my favorite parts of the reading. I liked how Elpheba stood up to what was going on and didn't just sit there and take it all in like the other girls were doing.
Again, SORRY for my late post. :( OMG I totally agree with you Emily!!!!! I didnt like Galinda in the play and I absolutely dont like Galinda in the book so far. She would be apart of the snobby crew that judges Elphaba based on her looks before getting to know her. Elphaba deserves friends! She is smart and just plain misunderstood. I would want to be friends with a person who had green skin if they were a nice person. I would definitely give them a chance and try to get to know them before finding something about them to laugh at. Also, it was pretty strange how on the train, Galinda was talking about her beauty and how she thought about the purpose of her prettiness. It contrasts with Elphaba's personality because Elphaba does not really care about looks as much as Galinda does. While Galinda loves wearing expensive jewelery and fancy outfits with lace, Elphaba wears plain Jane outfits. Okayy, so enough about how dumb Galinda is haha. I really liked the part where the Goat talked to Galinda on the train. It made me think about discrimination and racism in history. In Oz, animals and Animals seem to be looked down upon by the human peolpe like Galinda. I don't really know what the difference between an animal and an Animal is but I just assumed that Animals were the intelligent humanlike animals and the regular animals were the ones that could not talk and were treated like, again, regular animals. I think the Goat will play an important role in the story because when he called for Galinda's carriage, he told her that they would see each other again. It kind of foreshadows some possible important events occuring in the near future maybe.
Well, fellow Wicked lovers, it is safe to say that I am now enjoying the book. (I’m sure that all of you were dying to know). One thing I really enjoyed about Maguire’s writing style is the little quirks he uses. My favorite so far? Madame Morrible. Did anyone else first think ‘more horrible?’ I never noticed it in the musical, and it was sort of cute. I’m looking forward to more!
ReplyDeleteSo during my reading, my metal THEME siren almost exploded. Good vs. Evil? Defiantly. Galinda and Elphaba’s first real conversation is about if evil really does exist. One thing that I found interesting was when Elphaba says “Some said the original evil was the vacuum caused by the Fairy Queen Lurline leaving us alone here. When goodness removes itself, the space it occupies corrodes and becomes evil” (80). This got me thinking: does evil really exist, or is it just a lack of goodness? This will most defiantly be a reoccurring theme in the book. (Funny, isn’t it? We get the unit outline today, and it says the theme of good vs. evil. Could we have picked a better book? I think not.)
Animal treatment, or treatment of minority groups, also seems to be a theme of the book. Dr. Dillamond is appalled at the phrase “animals should be seen and not heard.” When I hear this line I think of the old idea that women should be seen and not heard. This may be a connection that Animals in their society, like women in our own, deserve the same rights as everyone else. They have thoughts and opinions, just like the rest of us. Also, women in their society do not have the same rights as men. Galinda was not able to get in some of the best school because women were not allowed. More literally, this theme parallels the animal rights movement in actual society.
So, there was one huge difference I’ve noticed from the book to the musical. In the musical, Elphaba has magical abilities upon arriving at Shiz, and Madame Morrible notices these and makes her her student. So far in the book, there is no evidence of Elphaba’s magical powers. (Unless you count green skin and razor teeth). Maybe she discovers her powers later. ALSO! Where is Nessa? They only mentioned that Melena was pregnant, but that was it.
And the Wizard. I’m pretty sure I only read his name one or two times. Right from the beginning of the musical he was important. The second song was all about him! So far, it’s the Wizard and… no one. No choreographed singing yet. (Points for anyone who gets the reference!) Anyway, it was a good section. I’m looking forward to when Nessa and the Wizard are discussed more.
Casey, I feel compelled to tell you that the THIRD song in the musical is about the Wizard. You forgot the song “Dear Old Shiz” which I will begin my actual commentary of this section on:
ReplyDelete“RANDOM GUY FROM OZ: Glinda! Is it true you were her friend?
GLINDA: Well it depends on what you mean by friend. I did know her. That is, our paths did cross…at school.”
Was Galinda (with a “GA”) actually Elphaba’s friend? The book thus far screams NO. All Galinda wants to do is NOT be Elphaba’s roomie. Galinda finds great amusement in dressing Elphie up and embarrassing her to an extent in her own dorm room. Just as I disliked Galinda in the play because she was just spoiled and ignorant for the most part, I dislike her here in the novel. The characters of Galinda in the play and the novel are almost identical at this point. The same goes with Boq, who is just as desperate and short as he was in the play, but I like him a bit more so it’s okay.
I agree with Casey that one of the major themes of this novel will be good and evil. It is even so in the play: “Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” (Yes, Casey, I stole your quote.) Elphaba and Galinda’s discussion on the subject even makes Galinda THINK! *gasp* I was reading the reading questions that Maddie posted and was thinking about this theme we have already discovered. With this, can we see the Clock of the Time Dragon as an evil figure or something else? With its predictions of the future and idolistic nature, is it causing people to overreact to situations? The Clock said to kill Elphaba and Melena, but the woman who read the future for Nanny said that both Elphaba and Melena’s next child (Nessarose) were destined for greatness.
One of the reading questions that Maddie posted earlier said that Turtle Heart was killed by the Clock. How exactly was he killed by the Clock? He mentions the Clock just before he dies (it is his seventh to last word) but how exactly does it kill him? I was wondering if the scene he described that Elphaba was seeing was the Wizard. Here is the passage, it’s on my page 62 before the second section titled Gillikin begins:
“‘She sees him coming,’ he said thickly, ‘she sees him to come; he is to come from the air; is arriving. A balloon from the sky, the color of a bubble of blood: a huge crimson globe, a ruby glove: he falls from the sky. The Regent is fallen. The House of Ozma is fallen. The Clock was right. A minute to judgment’” (62).
Somewhere I learned that the Wizard arrived to Oz in a hot air balloon. Could this be the arrival of the Wizard? The House of Ozma was sort of a ruling family from my understanding of the brief discussion of them, and if they fall who would take their place? The Wizard rules Oz as far as we know.
One last thing I promise. I’m on the same page and am thinking about one of the reading questions that Maddie posted relating to the fact that Elphaba is sitting on some sort of throne on the same page when they find her under the dock: “There was a beast, a felltop tiger, or some strange hybrid of tiger and dragon, with glowing orangey eyes. Elphaba was sitting in its folded forearms as if on a throne” (62). Could this beast be the Clock of the Time Dragon? Or the beast that Nanny described as running around? What does this symbolize (which is the second half of the same question)? If it is the Dragon, could it symbolize Elphaba’s great future? Or the threat that the Clock has already predicted?
Is it just me or am I asking a TON of questions? :P I swear Kindel is teaching me to over analyze things…oh well.
Okay so I had this all typed up and the page refreshed itself all by itself and completely erased my comments... :/ so retyping it now...
ReplyDeleteOne thing I was confused on right away is the difference between Animal and animal. It came up a few times in this section of reading..could someone clarify it for me, please? Thanks.
The importance of social status seems to be important as well. For example on page 129 Galinda says, "Apart from the matter of my feelings, there are too many social impediments for us to proceed." She says this when talking to Boq about them having a friendship/relationship. Because they are from two different backgrounds, two different social classes, Galinda believes they can not be friends.
Another quote I found on pertaining to Casey's comment on minority groups is on page 84. It says, "It wasn't one of the better colleges-those were still closed to female students." This shows that women are considered a minority in the book because not all the schools enroll female students.
Another thing I noticed is that Elphaba's first word is "horror." She hears the word from someone else in the room, and I think this is significant because "horror" is not a positive word. It is associated with evil. Elphaba did not think of this word on her own b/c she heard it from another person meaning that the evil word was thrown upon her.
Casey's quote on whether people are born wicked or if they have wickedness thrust upon them is important to think about throughout the book. I think that, based off the reading and in real life, that no one is truly born evil. I think that people have the evil thrust upon them because other people's words, actions, thoughts, ideas can influence their own whether they be positive or negative, good or evil. It's similar to the aspect of whether people are born to be killers or not. No one is born to become a murderer. Other people's actions in their life compel them to acquire the traits of being a murderer much like the choice of being evil or not.
Basically I really liked this section of reading. I thought it was more interesting than the first section although I did like the first section. Nessarose needs to be mentioned more as Casey commented on though. I totally agree with that:) Can't wait for the next section of reading:)
If my understanding is correct, Cheyenne, an Animal is an animal with the ability to speak, like Dilamond. When Dillamond says "No, I am speaking of Animals. Those with a spirit" on my page 66 leads me to believe that Animals are implied to have souls. Oppositely, animals (without the capital letter) are animals without the ability to speak and, based on my inference earlier, do not have souls. Apparently people are able to tell whether one is discussing an Animal or an animal through prounciation: "She [Galinda] would have to get used to enunciating the capital letter or else she would show off her country origins" (67).
ReplyDeleteI think that these Animals will play an important role as they did in the show. Through Dillamond and Galinda's conversation already, we know that the Wizard will soon be placing a ban on Animal travel and that Dillamond is a strong advocate for Animal rights. He storms out when the line "Animals should be seen and not heard" is read from the peom by Madame Morrible, while the other Animals on the staff are annoyed with it. I agree with Casey in saying that these Animals are definitely a minoraty group with parallels to womens' sufferage in the middle of the twentith century. There may even be more of a parallel to African Americans since the Animals are seen lower than even the women, although women are given many rights in this novel, like to go to some schools and study what they wish.
Anyway, hoped that helped Cheyenne. :)
Yes, it did. Thank you. I sort of understood it before, but that definitely clarified it a lot more:)
ReplyDeleteOkay so I'm going to be smart this time and type as I read :). In agreement with the above I have noticed the blaring theme alarms. Good vs Evil seems to be a bit broad for the theme though. I would narrow it down to if there actually is a good or and evil. Personally I think that this book shows how it's all about perspective. I mean, Animals are very comprable to slaves (urgh must we also connect to history class too?!?!) in the south. As we know from the play, Elphie is similar to an extreme of the anti-slave, or in this case discrimination camp. Galinda can be representative of the more indiffrent Northerners. The book states "She had scarcely ever come across even the odd chicken squacking philosophy in Frottica" she here clearly shows that she disrespected Dillamond because he was low class, not because he was an Animal.
ReplyDeleteContinuing on my Galinda focus, I did notice that she was painted as smarter here than in the play. I got the impression from the play that she had gotton into Shiz based purely on money. Here she apparently wrote an astounding essay to get in and came from a small town. Also when she meets the other girls going to her school, she is the least extravagent, where in the play she literally stole the spotlight. Personally I like her better here, because she at least has some depth. I loved her line "I have not struck you yet, Madame Morrible" HA! She wasn't even close to that witty in the play.
Does anyone else she the forshadowed trauma of the big Ama Clutch lie? I mean trauma related amnesia? And this whole Ama thing is really weird. Does anyone else understand their purpose? I mean she kinda just sits and watches them. It makes sense for the society I guess, but they seem kinda useless. Anywho, I also noticed a less prominant theme of power coming from beauty. Galinda "reasoned that because she was beautiful she was significant, though what she signified and to whom was not clear yet." This I think will come to be more important as Galinda uses her beauty to manipulate people around her.
Onto the poetry night. Could Madame M have been any more mean? "Animals should be seen and not heard" and right in front of her Animal collegues too!! There is definetly a more deep seeded hatred of Animals in this book than the play.
And how could we not mention Boq. I love that we get more of a male perspective in this book. He's so puppy like it's almost cute. And did anyone else think BEN! when he was studying for exams? Anyway, I hate how mean Galinda was to him. I mean the boy climbed out of a tree for crying out loud! And I hate Elphie just a bit for putting him up to that. I mean she lived with Galinda, how could she not see that coming? Then again, she does have that evil streak. This makes me think about the bullied kids in our society. If a kid is bullied, like Elphie is by Galinda, and then finds someone lower on the food chain, ie Boq, then they try to direct the bully to said botom of the chain person.
If anyone has a bit more insight into Turtle Heart's death that would be helpful. I do agree though that the ruby globe would be the wizard's balloon.
That's it for now :)
PS CASEY- Nessa comes in a bit later I promise ;)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOk so far I am really loving the book despite its obvious differences to the play, but the basic themes and commentary on prejudices have stayed the same. Like Casey and Katie have pointed out a main focus will definitely be the time old question of Does evil really exist?, considering the title of the book. But in my opinion there is no good without evil for example in the first part we read, Elphaba was looked at as a monster she still had endearing qualities about her. We cannot perceive what is evil if there is nothing to compare it to and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteKatie about the hot air balloon, if you remember in the movie the Wizard of Oz that is how the Wizard tries to take Dorothy home, on a hot air balloon and he also says that is how he got to Oz. And remember the song how he talks about being wonderful in the play. Is he a crusader or a ruthless invader, it is all in how events are perceived and which side of the spectrum people view it with. I thought that because he arrived from the sky they thought he was a hero, similarly like they thought Dorothy was a witch and a hero because she fell from the sky killing a wicked witch. They expected him to be wonderful so he was. He took over from the Ozma probably because the regent was weak or corrupt “Besides isn’t Pastorius a simpleton?” said Melena… “What will he do until Ozma is of age but ride the hunt, and eat Munchkinlander pastries…?” He took over and became their hero, which is probably why they do not question him.
I also agree with the parallels between Animal rights and other human rights issues in our own society with one discerning difference. It appears that the conditions for the Animals are progressively getting worse for example the new Banns on traveling that had previously not been heard of. In our society I like to think that these social issues are getting better if very slowly. Animals were regarded with respect before the wizard arrived because Dillamond was allowed to become an accomplished professor “…the goat himself would be required by law to give up the privileges he had earned through the years of study, training, and saving” (73). I personally think that the issue of Animal rights has only gotten worse and will continue to like in the musical considering the emphasis that it has received.
Okay, so no one will probably see this but I didn't get a chance to post last night with the orchestra concert and all.
ReplyDeleteI can tell that I'm not the only one who thinks Galinda is annoying. I almost want to punch her. If you all hate Melenda, how can you like Galinda? She's a total spoiled pain! Melenda at least has some explanation behind her actions, Galinda just uses money and a high social status. I mean, the was she treated Boq? What a snob! He's such a cute little character, and yes Maddie, he did remind me of Ben a little. I really don't like her. She's annoying. I'm sorry if I offend you all with that, but I haven't seen the play before so I'm taking this all in for the first time. She bothers me. Sorry about that little rant there.
It's interesting how Madame Morrible uses the poems to share her feelings. All of her students are so suseptable to believe whatever they hear, that only the teachers get what's actaully going on. She places propaganda in her poems. Since she's a teacher none of the students ask her anything until later when Elpheba asks her about it in a lecture. That was one of my favorite parts of the reading. I liked how Elpheba stood up to what was going on and didn't just sit there and take it all in like the other girls were doing.
-Emily
Again, SORRY for my late post. :(
ReplyDeleteOMG I totally agree with you Emily!!!!! I didnt like Galinda in the play and I absolutely dont like Galinda in the book so far. She would be apart of the snobby crew that judges Elphaba based on her looks before getting to know her. Elphaba deserves friends! She is smart and just plain misunderstood. I would want to be friends with a person who had green skin if they were a nice person. I would definitely give them a chance and try to get to know them before finding something about them to laugh at. Also, it was pretty strange how on the train, Galinda was talking about her beauty and how she thought about the purpose of her prettiness. It contrasts with Elphaba's personality because Elphaba does not really care about looks as much as Galinda does. While Galinda loves wearing expensive jewelery and fancy outfits with lace, Elphaba wears plain Jane outfits.
Okayy, so enough about how dumb Galinda is haha. I really liked the part where the Goat talked to Galinda on the train. It made me think about discrimination and racism in history. In Oz, animals and Animals seem to be looked down upon by the human peolpe like Galinda. I don't really know what the difference between an animal and an Animal is but I just assumed that Animals were the intelligent humanlike animals and the regular animals were the ones that could not talk and were treated like, again, regular animals. I think the Goat will play an important role in the story because when he called for Galinda's carriage, he told her that they would see each other again. It kind of foreshadows some possible important events occuring in the near future maybe.