"Things That Touch the Heart" (Part II)

This is a wonderful moment.

And while we're talking national anthem, here's my all-time favorite.

Then there's this version, by Jose Feliciano, which was very controversial at the time.

And then let's not forget Jimi!

And my son John reminds me of this one.   (Stick with it.  There's a happy ending.)

"There Are 137 Different Kinds of Love. . ."

and here are two of them.

I got an e-mail from my VW dealer the other day.  They reminded me that: "Our records indicate that your 240,000-mile service is now due."  (Now, I don't believe there is such a thing, but that's beside the point.)

Then they went on: "We love your 1998 Volkswagen Jetta TDI as much as you do and we are committed to giving you the best service possible."

Okay, do I love my Jetta?  Well, possibly.  I've been driving it for twelve years now.  I know it so well that the brake and the gas pedal are like extensions of my body (kind of like Paul Newman in The Hustler).

Now, does my VW dealer "love my Jetta as much as I do"?  I don't know what their definition of love is, but it's a new one on me.

A Different Slant on Macbeth

Sent along via a former student.

Warning: Rate this from PG-13 to R (for language).

"Things that Touch the Heart" (Part I)

Block 3, you've seen this.  Block 2, you haven't.  It was in the news a couple of weeks ago.  I didn't realize the impact it had on my until I tried to tell my wife about and I could barely get the words out (due to the lump in my throat).  It's a woman fighting off a mugger -- nothing special there, but. . .

Click on the link for the whole article: and watch the video (from our friends at Fox News).

Macbeth Post Mortem

Well, we went to see a production of Macbeth today, all thirty-six of us.  I wasn't expecting too much, (and I have to say I wasn't disappointed).

All in all, though, I'd have to say I enjoyed the production.  I almost always enjoy live theater (except when it's the Greeks.  Yeech).  And even though I'd probably be disappointed with the production if you built me a time machine and shipped me back to watch the King's Players at the great Globe itself, I always learn something from watching the Scottish Play.

Below are some production notes from the American Shakespeare Center's website. We'll use this as a springboard to our discussion tomorrow.

UNDERNEATH IT ALL…RUNNING THROUGH IT ALL…HAS TO BE…LOVE

~ If our production is not filled with big love, the story/tragedy doesn’t work.

~ If Macbeth is just an evil s.o.b., a) it doesn’t match the words and b) who cares about his thoughts/feelings/guilt/journey?

~ If Mr. and Mrs. Macbeth don’t love each other truly/madly/deeply, who cares about the ride that rips them apart?

          • I want Macbeth to be as thoughtful/introspective/intelligent as Hamlet, but also a warrior who is part Henry V, part Titus, part Richard III, part Wolverine, and part Captain America.

          • I want Mr./Mrs. Macbeth to be in an awesome/sexy marriage of equals.

          • I want Macbeth’s heart to break when he gets the news that his Soul Mate/love-of-his-life is dead.

~ If Banquo and Macbeth DON’T love each other like the war-scarred, blood-brothers they are in the text, who cares about the descent into jealousy/doubt/murder?

~ I want Duncan to be a great king that everybody loves, including/especially Macbeth.

~ But I also want a deserving Malcolm rather than a nerdy weakling that we all think would make a horrible king.

~ I want three-dimensional characters who allow us to care about them.

IN THE END

~ We need to find the rhythms, the reasons, and the ride Shakespeare has written for us; then we can invite the audience to join us.

~ We can be great at playing the darkness, creating the supernatural, and grossing out the audience; but if we’re not great at finding the love, telling the story, and giving the audience characters to care about, then nothing else matters.

Jim Warren, Artistic Director and Co-founder

"He hath killed me, mother."

This idea, I'm afraid, went way off the tracks.  It's not supposed to be a funny line (although the scene between Little Macduff and his mother just before the murderers arrive, should be played for laughs.  It functions much like the "Knocking at the Gate" scene).

Potentially, it could be devastating.  What kind of sick person would use the corpse of a mother's son -- killed right before her eyes -- as a ventriloquist's dummy!  Such is the state that Scotland has fallen into under this brutal tyrant, Macbeth.  (And I'll guarantee you, there are people doing worse than this in the world right now.)




And finally, check out these tips for writing a successful essay, from the co-founder of the American Shakespeare Center.

Something to Be Proud of

Do they still do this?  "Trick or Treat for UNICEF"?  I can remember doing this, as I went door-to-door on the Tolland Green back in the 1960's.

We can thank Mary Emma Allison, who, just before Halloween, passed away at the age of 93.

Six decades ago, on a fall afternoon, a young woman caught sight of a children’s parade. She followed the children, in bright native dress, as they wended their way through the streets of the town. They entered a store, with the woman behind them, and inside the store she encountered a cow. She followed the cow, and she came to a booth.

 On account of the children, the cow and the booth, the woman came up with a world-changing plan. ... 

The booth was in Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia, and it belonged to Unicef. The parade of costumed children (and the cow) was part of a campaign to send powdered milk to needy children overseas.

The woman was a schoolteacher named Mary Emma Allison. Moved by her chance encounter, she and her husband created Trick-or-Treat for Unicef, a Halloween ritual that celebrates its 60th anniversary on Sunday and has raised tens of millions of dollars for children worldwide.

Here's a little radio piece on Mrs. Allison from NPR.   Have a listen.

The Literary Present Tense

When you are describing the action or characters in a book or a movie, you must use the present tense.  To a lot of people this doesn't make sense, because -- let's face it -- the wicked witch is dead.  Dorothy threw the water on her, and she melted.  But then, oddly enough, the next time you cue up the Wizard of Oz, there she is, threatening Dorothy.

So, when doing your formal academic essay, or your next book or movie review -- use the "literary present tense".   (In looking for a definition for you, I stumbled upon this site.  While I don't agree with everything they say -- I still wouldn't use "I" in a formal academic essay -- there's a lot to recommend here.)