Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Symbolism
Select an important physical object or place and discuss it as a symbol or part of a motif in the play. Be sure and discuss the subject or theme it supports. Your answer should be 75 words, and you must also respond to another post. This post is worth 75 points, and it is due by Thursday, December 11 @ 11:59 P.M.
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The Fire Escape is an important symbol in The Glass Menagerie. It represents a literal escape for Tom. Each time he leaves the fire escape he is going somewhere to get away from the stress and chaos he feels in his home. He goes to the movies to find adventure, and he sometimes goes to drink to clear his head. Tom also goes to the Fire Escape to smoke. Amanda doesn't approve of this because she thinks of all the money they could save if he didn't smoke. Tom continues, partially because he likes that it frustrates Amanda, but also because that is his time to be by his self and think about his future.
ReplyDeleteI agree you have to feel sorry for the poor guy also he wasn't put in this position. I feel for him and would probably want to get out and explore the world as well if I lived with his mom and sister.
DeleteI agree where Emily says that Tom does certain things to annoy Amanda
DeleteI agree with Emily, and the Fire Escape was going to be my other example. The Fire Escape is his literal escape from the stresses in his life.
DeleteI'm going to have to agree with Emily that is a very good example of symbolism every time he wants to go somewhere to get away from all the stress and responsibilities to his family he goes to the fire escape.
DeleteI agree with Emily too. He uses the fire escape as a mental and physical escape from his home life.... even though it is right outside the door of his home, I guess any escape is better than none.
DeleteI agree with Emily. I think the fire escape is where tom goes to "escape" from his mother for a moment.
DeleteEmily and many of the others have pointed out the fire escape, which is in fact very important and symbolic. The three of them tend to use it to "escape" the "fires" or conflicts in some of their everyday lives...
DeleteIn The Glass Menagerie, Laura's nickname, "Blue Roses", is a symbol of her uniqueness, along with the glass unicorn she holds dearly. Her crippled leg isn't just physical, she is also emotionally crippled, just like Tom. Tom's visits to the movies are his form of escape from reality. He craves adventure and is tired of watching actors have adventures for him. The movie theater represents his longing for escape, and he later complains how people watch moving pictures rather than moving themselves. Just like the movies, alcohol is his second escape, which Amanda hates. She doesn't hate the alcohol as much as the impact it had on her marriage at one time. She doesn't want Tom to end up like his father, whose portrait hangs on the wall as a symbol of Amanda's past, as well as a constant reminder of his leaving that damaged the family.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah, Tom uses many things to "escape" from his life temporarily but is planning in the future to permanently escape by leaving forever.
DeleteALEX: I agree with Sarah, the nickname "Blue Roses" shows how different and unique Laura is.
DeleteI agree with Sarah as well. "Blue roses" means something really important to Laura. She has remembered it since high school. It has stayed dear to her heart. Tom on the other hand definitley uses the movies has his get away. He wants to go see the world, but does care for Laura and his mother deeply.
DeleteIn The Glass Menagerie, The Movies are an important symbol. Tom wants to get out and explore the world and watching movies are his get away while he is still living with Laura and Amanda. He is struggling with his conscious as well, even though he wants to get out and explore the world he feels a little guilty about leaving his mother and sister behind. But who wouldn't want to get away from his psychotic mother and his awkward sister. He didn't choose this path for himself so he copes with his life right now by going to the movies and drinking even though eventually he gets tired of them and is about to leave the too freaks behind.
ReplyDeleteIn the Glass Menagerie, Tom takes up smoking and other bad habits like having a short temper, forgetting to pay the electric bill, and drinking. These show his frustration and his attempts to try and escape his miserable life. In reality he wants to leave but these are his temporary getaways. Showing how he would rather indulge in other activities that could hurt him rather than staying with his family.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly agree with Hunter, when Tom assumed the father figure role in the family, he slowly began to boil. He needs to get out on his own and not have to deal with having to support Laura and Amanda along with himself. He needs to fly on his own.
DeleteI'm catching your drift, Hunter Lance Sanford, Tom is just preparing for the final move which is leaving his family. He could've at least payed the electric bill. #loser
DeleteIn The Glass Minagarie there are a lot of symbolic areas and objects. But the most obvious is that of the Glass menagerie, the glass figures almost I think represent laura in a sense that they are fragile and small; just like Laura being timid and extremely shy and self conscience about her leg. It also reminds me of Laura when at the end of the story a few of the figures break and jim announces he has a fiancée that's not Laura also breaking her heart because she had admired him for a long time. Another couple symbols are the fire escape and the movie theater , this seems to symbolize Toms restlessness and yearning to get away from the house. Every time tom gets frustrated those are his escape either going on the fire escape to smoke or to the movies to watch adventures.
ReplyDeletei agree with noah on how he compares the glass to Laura. She, being so shy and fragile, is a great comparison. I don't necessarily agree with the fire escape being a "getaway." Reason being because i feel like he is disgusted with it. When he wanted an escape he went to the movies not the fire escape.
DeleteI also agree with Noah in the sense that the glass figures represent her being small and fragile. She believes that her leg is holding her back and so she is constanty self-conscious about it.
DeleteIn The Glass Menagerie, Laura has a vast collection of various glass figurines, known to Amanda as her "Glass Menagerie" (obviously.) With her crippled leg, she has become a very shy individual because she is insanely insecure about her mild deformity. Laura doesn't really know what to do with this, so she just keeps to herself obsessing over little things, like her glass figurine collection. The way that she obsesses over these shows how she truly cares about life. A lot of people might just assume she is just a boring no-good person because she can't really socialize. But, with how she takes care of her collection, it shows how she truly is an extremely caring individual with a great deal of compassion.
ReplyDeleteBy taking good care of her collection, Laura shows innocence and compassion, so I agree with you. When the unicorn breaks, she is still gentle and forgiving, making the horse represent the longing to be like everyone else.
DeleteALEX: In The Glass Menagerie, there are many symbolic things. But the one that stands out to me most is the stories that Amanda tells over and over again. They're mostly about her life as a young girl. I think that by telling them she wants to relive and force that life onto Tom and Laura. Which is why Tom gets so frustrated and takes up habits his father had. Amanda may have the right heart in mind, but shouldn't force the life she wants onto her children.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree with Alex. The stories do seem like she is trying to make/want her children's decision as her's were in the past
DeleteThe "Movies" is and important symbolic place. It represents the place Tom goes when he needs/wants to get away from Amanda and Laura. It shows that Tom's home life is bad enough that he likes to get away and be around people he doesn't know and consume alcohol just to get himself out of his mind and out of his house. Laura seems to understand how Tom wants to get away when she personally won't go out herself unless it is absolutely necessary. Amanda doesn't understand why Tom wants to get away from the house when obviously she drives him crazy, which she somehow doesn't see. But she is being a mother and being protective of him and worrying like a mother should.
ReplyDeleteI too believe with Brandi the movies being a symbol. They represent a world away from the real world. Though tom may really not be going to the movie, he goes to a place away from home.
DeleteIn the glass menagerie the symbol that I clearly saw was the transformation from the unicorn figurine to the horse. Laura says "now its like all the other horses." I believe this symbolizes that Laura wants to be like everyone else. She feels different from everyone and wishes she could just break off her differences to be the same. People who are unique tend to wish they were the same as everyone else, but being unique is what makes them who they are.
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ReplyDeleteToms story is a sad story. He is a son, a brother, and a foundation. Tom is relied on to do everything while Amanda sits home and tries to sell her books and while Laura looks at the glass and plays music. I do and don't feel sorry for Tom because his mother is crazy and he has alot of pressure on him but if he wanted out of the house so bad he should have taken more authority over the house and helped Laura get out of her comfort zone like she did at the end with Jim. I see Jim as a symbole of the story because without Jim, Laura would still be that self conscience little girl her family allowed her to be.
ReplyDeleteIn the Glass Menagerie one object that has symbolism is the moon. The moon symbolizes hope and wishes of the future. In one scene all three of the main characters make a wish on the moon for what they think will help them in the near future. It is obvious that Amanda wishes for at least one gentlemen caller for Laura, which symbolizes her unhappiness for the state they are in now and how they are not ahead economically. It also symbolizes how she isn't content with the life they live and how she tries to live through and control her children's lives.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Cade they all at one point in time in the movie look at the moon and wish for a better life
DeleteIn the Glass Menagerie, Laura’s collection of glass animal figurines represents a number of features of her personality. Like the figurines, Laura is delicate, fanciful, and somehow old-fashioned. Glass is transparent, but, when light is shined upon it correctly, it refracts an entire rainbow of colors. Similarly, Laura, though quiet and bland around strangers, is a source of strange delight to those who choose to look at her in the right light.
ReplyDeleteThe fire escape is a symbolism of Tom escaping his regret, fears and responsibilities as the man of the house hold. He goes out on to the fire escape and smokes to have just a little bit of alone time away from his crazy nut case mother and lonesome sister. The sister trys to go out on to the fire escape displaying that she also wants to get away from her disability and her mother. But she slips on the fire escape and almost falls that also shows that she can't get away from her responsibilities and that she has to stay and take care of the mother and she can't get away from her disability either.
ReplyDeleteI think the movies is an important symbol as it represents Tom's place he goes to get away and forget about his responsibilities and sadness for a little while. Whenever his mother upsets him, he wants to go to the movies. He sees people that are having adventure in the the movies he sees, and wants their adventure.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kortney, The Fire escape was a safe haven for both Tom and Laura. It seems if they were angry, frustrated, or nervous they were on the fire escape. Trying to escape the real world in their own way.
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ReplyDelete*My assignment is a post of its own...(excluding the response to someone else's)*
ReplyDeleteLaura's glass collection is a defiance of symbolism. Her collection defines her as a person. She is very breakable, delicate, and pure. Instead of going to college, Laura would rather sit at home staring into her glass collection all day. Even when Jim breaks the glass, Laura says even blessings come out of breakings. She is very pure at heart. You see a side of Laura that gets broken when Jim tells her he is engaged to be married. Laura just listens, and doesn't speak, and wishes Jim happiness and good fortune.Jim also had to be delicate with Laura when he picked her up and told her how pretty she was and how he kissed her.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Raegan that the figurines represent Laura as a person. You can definitely see that Laura is heartbroken when Jim kisses her and then tells her he is engaged. Just like the unicorn that broke her spirit was a little bit broken. Even when the figurine breaks Jim explains that it makes it just like the other horses with no differences just like Laura is woken up and becomes like any other normal person and forgets she is even crippled when she is around Jim.
DeleteI know it says place or object but an important symbol would have to be Jim. Jim is going to school and bettering himself; all what Tom wants to do. Jim is bold, carries himself, and isn't shy unlike Laura. Jim has a fiancée and plans to start a family, a career, and a better life; all what Amanda wants for her children. Jim is all these things that the others are seeking. He isn't trapped unlike Tom, Laura, and Amanda.
ReplyDeleteAnother symbol would have to be the moon. They depend upon the moon for their wishes to become true. They see it as an answer to their wishes, problems, and thoughts.
The fire escape is a symbol of Tom's longing to leave his home and go live his own life. He goes out there often to smoke and try to get away from his responsibilities. All he wants to do is to leave his home and go make a living somewhere else, but he feels that he still has to support his family. In a way I feel like it is selfish of him to do this, but then again, his family just seems to hold him back from living his life how he wants to live it.
ReplyDeleteThere are many symbols in the play. The one that stuck out to me was the glass unicorn. Like Mr. O'Conner said the unicorn is very peculiar and odd. With this being Laura's favorite figurine it fits her personality. This unicorn represents the oddness of Laura and how she isn't like everybody else which makes her all the more interesting just like the unicorn it is not like all the other horses which makes it interesting. When Jim and Laura are dancing and kiss it broke Laura free of her uncomfortableness with him just like when the unicorns horn broke off it made it just like all of the other horses. Making it normal with nothing different about it.
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