Harold Pinter's Birthday Party - Thinking Activity - Worksheet

Hello Readers!

Here is the worksheet of the film screening of 1968 film The Birthday Party directed by William Friedkin.

Date: 1968

Director: William Friedkin

Actors: Robert Shaw, Patrick Magee

Click here to visit teacher's blog on the worksheet questions of this film.

* Post-Viewing Tasks:

1. Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?

Ans: It can be said that perhaps the director wanted to have the audience etiquettes related with the film and in terms of artistic liberty, the director might not be willing to compromise with the target audience. Although when the film released, the time of 1950s and 60s, society might be having Victorian notions. As such it was necessary to remove or omit the two scenes from the film.

2. Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?

Ans: While reading Harold Pinter's play, I was unable to identify the feeling of menace. Whereas in the film I was able to feel the menace effect because of the sound of knocking the doors and tearing the newspaper.

3. Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Were you able to feel the same while reading the text ?

Ans: Yes the lurking danger of unknown was felt in both, while reading and while watching the film. At first, Goldberg and McCann seemed very decent and well to do people, but as the play unfolds to eyes, their hidden intentions started coming to the surface.

4. What do you read in 'newspaper' in the movie? Petey is reading newspaper to Meg, it torn into pieces by McCain, pieces are hidden by Petey in last scene.

Ans: Newspaper is used as a symbol of power. Because the one who reads newspaper holds some power position in the play. For example Petey is reading newspaper and his wife Meg is asking about the trivial things. Now Petey may give answer with facts or with wring info, in such way Petey holds the power position. But when we look at the another scene of Petey hiding the torn pieces of newspaper, we suspect that he might be knowing who Goldberg and McCann actually are.

5. Camera is positioned over the head of McCain when he is playing Blind Man's Buff and is positioned at the top with a view of room like a cage (trap) when Stanley is playing it. What interpretations can you give to these positioning of camera?

Ans:

6. "Pinter restored theater to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretense crumbles." (Pinter, Art, Truth & Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture). Does this happen in the movie?

Ans: When Petey and Meg allowed the duo of Goldberg and McCann to stay in boarding house, it seemed that these two are having something good around them. But by their behaviour we come to know that they are about to do suspicious activity in the house. Their inhuman way of interrogating Stanley describes their hidden instincts.

7. How does viewing movie help in better understanding of the play ‘The Birthday Party’ with its typical characteristics (like painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger)?

Ans:

8. With which of the following observations you agree:

- “It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party."

- “It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Friedkin”

Ans:

9. If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie?

Ans: If I would be the director of this film, I would have added few more scenes of Nat Goldberg and McCann blackmailing or threatening Petey and Meg. Because one interpretation can also be given about their silence and all-right kind of behavior that perhaps they might have been threatened by Goldberg and McCann. Perhaps they are not supposed to raise their voice against the activity Goldberg and McCann are about to conduct. Their anxiety and agony should be screened in this film. I would have included this part in the film.

10. Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?

Ans: Stanley.

11. Do you see any similarities among Kafka's Joseph K. (in 'The Trial'), Orwell's Winston Smith (in 'Nineteen Eighty-Four') and Pinter's Victor (in 'One for the Road')?

Ans :

Waiting for Godot - Thinking Activity

Hello Readers!

With reference of an online film screening conduced online on 24th Nov 2020, this blog contains the  worksheet and follow up of the play "Waiting for Godot" discussed in the class. Samuel Beckett was a modern playwright and was associated with the "Theatre of the Absurd". This play is originally written in French with the title En Attendant Godot. 

Source Worksheet blog of questions - Click Here

* What connection do you see in the setting (“A country road. A tree. Evening.”) of the play and these paintings?

Ans: These are the paintings by Casper David Friedrich, titled as "Longing." Samuel Beckett has taken the inspiration for the setting of the play "Waiting for Godot". Two persons in the paintings connects us with two main character of the play Vladimir and Estragon. The barrenness of the tree also suggests absurdity of life, emptiness and nothingness. As the two persons in the painting are waiting for something, Vladimir and Estragon are also waiting for Godot.

* The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ?

Ans: Optimistically looking at the leaves, one can say that leaves are symbol of growth, newness and hope. As such there is no hope, no newness and no tone of growth in the play, still tree as part of nature works in its own way. As natural elements like water, greenery, air, fire. . . have nothing to do with human pain, agony, anxiety, frustration and restlessness. Nature is uncaring and indifferent to human being.

* In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot?

Ans: The fall of night and rise of the moon in the play can be read as if the moon is observing the miserable humans from the heavens. In the play an interesting dialogue comes,

Vladimir: Will night never come ?

Estragon: (Contemplates Moon) "Pale Wariness... of climbing heaven and gazing on the like of us."

The absurdity and paleness is felt from this dialogue.

* The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?

Ans : Debris is a useless biproduct of building materials. While demolishing the buildings and houses, lot of debris is found. The director has used the debris very cleverly as the setting of the play is countryside road. In order to increase coarseness and barrenness in the play, debris is used.

* The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?

Ans :

* Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)?

Ans :

* How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?

Ans : Hat signifies mind. Boots signify body. Estragon wears boots and he is not able to remove the boots at first, just like desires and body urges. Just like boots get vanished and get rusty, Estragon also forgets many things as if his memory is also like his boots. Vladimir wears hat and he thinks a lot. He remembers many things.

* Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?

Ans:

* Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? Or . . .

Ans : Godot is an object of desire. Desire is an endless vicious chain that ultimately leads us nowhere. If we observe a toddler playing with toys, we come to know that as soon as it looks at the better toy than it carries, it will leave that toy and will crave, run and cry for the better toy. This desire perhaps comes from the binary comparison that is hardwired in our mind. For grown ups, this desire is perhaps money, material wealth, luxuries, physical fulfilment, emotional acceptance, public recognition and fame, and what not. . . Goals and success are also sprouted from desire. Passion is also nothing but desire. Desire can be compared as fire also, which never gets extinguished.

* “The subject of the play is not Godot but ‘Waiting’” (Esslin, A Search for the Self). Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?

Ans :

* Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?

Ans : For many, reading a play is more preferable than to watch it. But, plays are actually performed in the mind of the playwright. Then it gets penned on the paper. So basically its a matter of performance. Theatrical performance makes the written play more lively and meaningful. So far as Waiting for Godot is concerned, it should be read first and then to be watched also. Because, even after reading the simple and straight forward language of this play, one requires visual clarification for what one has read. Then, the torrent of dialogues and rapidness of speech becomes more clear while watching.

Yes, the audio-visual helps in better understanding of the play.

* Which of the following sequence you liked the most:

- Vladimir – Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting

- Pozzo – Lucky episode in both acts

- Conversation of Vladimir with the boy

Ans:

* Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?

Ans:

* Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism?

Ans: Suicide is a very bold statement against all the whys of living life. Albert Camus mentions about philosophical suicide in which if one denies to think or question anything one is doing a philosophical suicide. In this play, Vladimir and Estragon can be read as profound existentialists. They are ready to try everything to meet Godot. But at the same time they feel insecure whether they might fail to kill themselves.

* Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?

Ans: Germany stands for Godot. As the character of Godot is absent and silent but to consider Godot as God then, Germany best fits in terms of World War II. Adolf Hitler was a German dictator and he occupied many countries including many European countries like Russia France, Italy, England.

(Click Here to view the map. Click Here to know more about World War II). In this way one can politically connect all the characters and countries which are waiting for Germany to liberate them.

* So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?

Ans:

* The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy's question, Vladimir says:

"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?

VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?

How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situation and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?

Ans: The lines are changing with the word from 'us' to 'me'. In the Act II, Vladimir changes the tone of the thought and speaks: 'tell him you saw me'. In the Act II, This conversation happens between Vladimir and Boy, where Estragon is sleeping. If Estragon represents the body and Vladimir mind, then perhaps one can state that, mind is the ultimate master of the body and mind knows that the body is material thing and going to decay with time, but perhaps it is the consciousness that goes somewhere. This way one can see the selfishness in Vladimir's character. Even after being together throughout the play, Vladimir changes his mind and willingly forgets Estragon. A Gujarati quote that comes to mind,

"અંતે તો સગા સૌ સ્વાર્થનાં"

Vladimir's selfishness also seems forgivable because on a larger way if one thinks, all the humans are tied with one another with some kind of need and requirements. If its all about give and take, then such selfishness is also legible, and forgivable as per the human temperaments. Even after the death of any near and dear ones, people forget them and move on with life. So, this is also a considering aspect of human predicament.

Sometimes life gives many crucial choices to make. And humans mostly go for the personal benefits. For better prospects of life, children go for foreign countries and they forger their parents. Even after death of their parents they don't come to native place.

These are the slightly awkward sides of human life and various situations but if one thinks about a larger and most adverse situations, one comes to know that nothingness prevails everywhere. Still its life, that goes on. . .

Thank You!

additional reading:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/04/theater/waiting-for-godot-review-druid-theater.html

Movie Screening - Super 30

Hello Readers !

Movies give a remarkable message with a new horizons of thoughts. Movies enable us to think our contemporary issues like corruption, poverty, starvation, unemployment, brain-drain, political malpractices, frauds with common men, etc. We're talking about a Bollywood movie, Super 30. Here are some details of the movie.

Production House : Phantom Films
Co-producer : Sajid Nadiadwala
Director : Vikas Bahl
Release Date : July 12th, 2019

On 1st August, 2019 a movie screening of Super 30 was jointly organised by the department of English and Hindi, MK Bavnagar University, at the Top-3 Cinema, Bhavnagar.

A Patna based mathematician, Anand Kumar starts free coaching for unprivileged students, who want to take admission in IIT. Fighting with different threats and dangers, he succeeds in the mission, all 30 students pass the IIT exam.

This movie rightly shows how the education in India has become a business. Poor and needy people are easily neglected. The right to education doesn't support any kind of cultural, religious, and class biases.

Anand, right from the childhood, develops interest in mathematics and becomes a scholar student in higher studies. He earns gold medal for good performance. He is interested in solving more and more complicated equations, he solves one from an international journal, Librarian pulls him out of the reading hall, peon suggests Anand that if he publishes an article in the journal he can get free issues of it. He works very hard and at last, his article is published in Cambridge University Journal. Anand gets admission in Cambridge University. He starts preparing for going to Cambridge, but, being poor he doesn't get financial help from anywhere. Lower middle class family tries much hard for collecting money. Anand's father dies due to tension of money. Anand doesn't give up the plan of going foreign. One day, Lallan, finds Anand on the street and convinces him to leave this hardships and start working as a teacher his coaching institute. At first, Anand finds this work very beneficial because financial condition becomes good. But at certain point he realizes that he is being used as a puppet in this big coaching business. He decides not to work with anybody, but to start his own classes. He makes IIT coaching free for needy and poor students. 30 students join his class and gradually after facing many hurdles and downfalls they all successfully crack the IIT entrance.

Interesting Points to Notice

Very inspiring dialogue of Anand's father, अब राजा का बेटा राजा नहीं बनेगा, जो राजा बनने का असली हक़दार होगा वही बनेगा।

Idea of capitalism is reflected in the movie

Anand explains students the art of questioning. Each question must generate one more question.

The art of visualizing the question and then finding the answer of equation. In the movie this scene is best shown with good graphics.

Case study of failure. What are the causes that failure occurred ? Student describe their problem that how classicism became barrier to face the exam. Speaking English is a big problem for students. Anand challenges students to speak English without mistake. He tells students to organize a play, and it must last 20 minutes. Students give very good performance with great confidence, Occasion of Holi, fills the color and joy to the scene.

Problem of food, the unbeatable question. By cleverness and wit he manages to get food from a restaurant. With the proper use of mathematical calculations, he convinces restaurant manager.

To bring the grass-root change in society is the courageous task. Students apply all the rules and theorems of science and mathematics to fight with goons, Anand gets injured by a gunshot, but survives the attack.

Endless motivation helps student to pass the exam. Happy ending.

Movie Screening - The Modern Times

Welcome Readers !

On 25th June 2019, there was a film screening of "The Modern Times" organized by the Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.


The film is directed and acted by a polymath, Charles Chaplin in the year of 1936.
The word polymath is used for a multi-talented person who does all task single-handed, even though they are from different field.

The very title suggests that in the year of 1936, the time was changing and many new things were being introduced. After the industrial revolution, machines took place of human workers and silently, the people started becoming slave of machinery.

There is no doubt that Charles Chaplin make us laugh even without saying a single word but he also conveys a great message by his humorous and eye-catching acting.

As a director, Chaplin utilized every single frame of the film.
The film is set on the time during the great depression when thousands of people became jobless.

The tone of this film is comedy and laughter, but still it tells a tragic story about how people suffered from joblessness and craving for job, how people were used to work monotonously in giant factories, and working as a small part of machines. The film satires the overuse of machinery, and how the humans have become slave of them.

The significance of the first screen shows the time of 6 o'clock.

Joblessness had increased so much that one had to steal food from restaurants and thus, once a person having good job had become a thief. 

After becoming free from jail a sheriff writes a recommendation letter, and on the basis of that letter he get a job at departmental store as a timekeeper. but again the chain of going jail and being free continues, at the end of the movie he conveys a message that one should keep on trying and never stop. the significance of last morning scene is indicating hope.

By the screening of this film students became familiar with the time of The Great Depression and what were the zeitgeist of Chaplin's days, and students also came to know that how the movie is critically appreciated and reviewed.

If you want to watch the full movie, here is the link. Charles Chaplin in Modern Times

Thank You!