Aida: A Tragic Theatrical Production

Preface: I know that Aida is not necessarily a classic, nor an extremely depressing tragedy. However, I decided that this was the closest thing to a tragedy that I’ve seen.

In Disney’s Aida, an Egyptian prince/commander falls in love with one of the slaves he has captured. Their star-crossed love is forbidden, so they are forced to keep it under wraps. The prince already has a pre-arranged marriage with the queen of Egypt, so when he decides to call off the planned wedding, chaos erupts. The couple is sentenced to death together, and the musical ends.

The star-crossed lovers die in one another’s arms under the reign of the Queen.

Personally, I loved the plot and fell into a deep pool of thought afterwards. Now, obviously not everyone is into romance and love stories, but that kind of literature is right up my alley. After walking out of the theatre, I felt like I was part of the story and I was leaving it behind. The suspense of the play had kept my attention and made me feel involved in the story. When I was not satisfied with a happy ending, I almost felt offended that the musical didn’t end the way I predicted. Overall, the tragic elements of the narrative induced critical thinking about what true love is and the theme of the musical.

 

 

Affirmation Time!

I decided to challenge myself to give one sentence affirmations to everybody in our Honors Western Literature class. Here you go:

Henry: I admire your deep insight on topics in class and I enjoy your sarcastic sense of humor.

Hannah: You make me laugh and I appreciate your total honesty in all situations.

Rae: Although you just joined our class this semester, I treasure your artistic and creative mindset.

Claire: I cherish your willingness to always pitch your opinion into group discussions.

Rachel: I look up to your level of critical thinking and I take delight in having a couple classes with you.

Paige: Your confidence in class is inspiring and I am grateful for the questions that you ask (especially the ones we all have).

Justin: I commend your boldness to stand up for what you believe in every circumstance.

Chloe: I value your optimism, your overall friendliness towards everyone, and singing with you in choir.

Juno: Your bitterly hilarious jokes always brighten up my day and sitting next to you is always a joy.

Riley: I respect the amount of hard work you put into everything you do, from schoolwork to CrossFit.

Kayla: I have loved getting to know you over the course of this year; your wisecracks are so funny and are one of the reasons I look forward to classes.

Christian: I love having you in both my P.E. and Western Literature classes because you are super witty and kind.

Faith: Your organizational skills never cease to amaze me and your imaginative typography is beautiful.

Adie: I am always impressed by the diversity of your skills and I want to affirm the passion you have for everything you do.

Theresa: The growth mindset that you have is awesome and the standard you hold yourself to is something I look up to.

Trystam: No matter how many times you make sarcastic comments, you really are a considerate person with a wonderful sense of humor.

Ashley: Your blatant honesty and sociable personality add positivity to my life on a daily basis.

🙂

Estella’s Poem: Trapped

Trapped.

Like a beautiful snow leopard in a cage surrounded by steel bars.

Only meant to be looked at.

When released into the wild, the leopard is lost.

No matter how much training it has received, its instincts guide it through the maze.

It makes its decisions on its own, even if its path has already been planned.

Trapped.

Like me.

 

(Also, just a side note: I am not much of a poet, but I tried. 🙂 )

Rehab or Reprimand?

In Great Expectations, the readers watch the development of Magwitch, the convict in the beginning of the book. Although Pip’s first impression of him is one made of pure fear, Pip learns that Magwitch worked out to change and even funded Pip’s gentleman expenses. The novel goes to show that criminals do have the potential to change. This leads to the debate of how fugitives should be treated when they are incarcerated. One side says that they should be punished for the wrong doings, but another group says they should be counseled and directed in the right direction by slow restoration. While most felons in our government are penalized, should they be encouraged to re-become an active member of society?

Personally, I believe that our federal government should use a mix of both. While I think that prisoners deserve a fighting chance to recover, I do not think that they should be treated like royalty. For example,  the convicts do not need gourmet meals, but they do need nutritional food. They should not be treated as less than people. I think that during their sentences, the offenders should receive counseling and occupational training so that they are prepared for when they are released. However, jails shouldn’t be luxury because the people in them do need to learn from their mistakes. To wrap it all up, capital punishment might be too harsh in some ways, but still works in other ways.