Friday, December 12, 2014
Theme
Imagine for a moment, you had to develop a theme for The Glass Menagerie. Which of William's social statements would you select to discuss? Find a direct example or quote which would support your discussion. Each answer should be 75 words. Then, you should respond to another's post. This is worth 100 points. Your work is due Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 11:59 P.M.
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"Sometimes, what mothers want for their children isn't most important--but what the children want for themselves." Tom just wants to visit the cities and find adventure, without the burdening weight of the dependency of his mother and sister. (Example: Amanda has Tom work long hours so he can make the family some money, but he doesn't really in particular.) Laura just wants to stay home and be with the remainder of her family, but her mother pushes her out and into the outside world, for which Laura has no desire to be a part of in particular. (Example: Amanda had her sign up and go to business classes so she can learn and make a profit, but Laura gets nervous and doesn't like to go.) But, Amanda is probably pushy and stern, because of her somewhat mistake of marrying Mr. Wingfield, and she doesn't want anything like that happening to her children...whether they are the convicted or the victim. (Example: She married Mr. Wingfield and had Tom and Laura with him. And then he left the three of them behind. She doesn't want them to get married, have children, and then up and out of their lives forever causing them the pain they had experienced for years before.)
ReplyDeletei agree with shawn I think that sometimes a difference in the time the children grow up compared to the time the parents grow up give them different ideas and opinions
DeleteI agree with Shawn. What children wants for themselves is the most important in my opinion. They need to grow up and live their own lives. To finally be dependent on themselves instead of one another. I also agree with what Shawn said about Amanda. She is also scared for her children upon what happened to her.
DeleteI agree with Shawn as well. She doesn't want her children to end up like her and to live a better life then she did. So she is a controlling mother to help further there lives. There is only so much you can do to control your children, then they have has enough. Example just like tom did
DeleteI'm catching your drift, Shawn. Parents are so used to their child hood that they don't realize their children's lives are completely different!
DeleteShawn makes a very clear point, parents try to push their childhood onto their children. Children like to live and learn their own lessons, it does not matter how hard parents push for their kids to learn from them or be like them, it wont matter in the end.
DeleteI agree with Shawn, Amanda is pushing her children. They should be able to do what they want. Without feeling like they have to do it. Like Tom feels about working all day to pay the bills. She is trying to live her children lives (like trying to make right for what had happened in her life). She is pushing her children away, and for what?
DeleteShawn makes a very good point. Amanda is just trying to keep her children safe and happy and attempting to keep them from making the same mistakes she did when she was young.
DeleteI agree with Shawn that children should be able to do what they want. Tom should be able to do whatever he wants to do and go wherever he wants.
DeleteIn The Glass Managarie, Tennessee Williams conveys that in this time period in the 40's no matter how old you where if you were a male in the family and you where the only one your entire life was based around supporting the family, even if you has dreams of your own and you are young. We see this when Amanda multiple times says to Tom "What are your sister and i going to do if you leave, who will pay the bills. A crippled girl whose to shy to go to business college or her elderly mother" i think that the theme of this story goes along with that as well. The theme i see is, " Sometimes people have to make the decision between wants and obligations and sometimes they make the wrong decision. We see at the end of the story Tom is regreting leaving his sister and cant get it out of his mind so in this instance he made the decision to go after what he wants and it may not have been the right decision.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Noah. People are all the time faced with tough decisions and sometimes they don't make the right decision. Sometimes the wrong decision could be at the expense of your family that you were supporting. As Noah said, Tom made his decision to leave and go out on his own and it was at the expense of his family that he left behind and he cant get that regret out of his mind.
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ReplyDelete"Parents will raise and take care of their children, but that doesn't mean their own children owe them anything." In my opinion I feel like this theme should apply. Tom has took care of his mom and his sister for quite sometime now. He has gone to work, done things he hasn't wanted to do, paid their bills, and stayed around. It is time for him to go live his own life. Tom sees a whole other world out there and wants to go and find adventure. He tells his mom that he goes to the movies. He really goes to the movies to find adventure, but soon enough, he gets tired of just watching and actually wants to go find adventure himself. Laura on the other hand doesn't have a clue about what is going on. She is in her own little world and could care less who takes care of her. As long as she has her glass collection. On the other hand, I feel she really does love Jim. Then, she lets him walk out her door. That was her shot at a dependent man who would take care of her.
ReplyDeleteALEX: I agree with Reagan in the point that children don't owe their parents anything. But then again if we saw a man capable of working and providing for his mother and handicapped sister just walk away and let them lose possibly everything they have, he would be looked down upon for abandoning them. There's always two sides to the story.
DeleteALEX: Sometimes parents try to live through their children by pushing their wants onto them. While Amanda has understandable concerns about her children's futures, I feel that she often tries to force her past life onto them. No matter how happy her young days may have been, neither Tom nor Laura want that life. Tom often says he wants to leave and travel the world. That's understandable as a young boy should want to learn new things. Amanda worries that Tom will be just like his father because of this. Laura, well, she just wants to live in her head. She doesn't want much out of life except for her glass figurines. Amanda may have good intentions but is going about it the wrong way.
ReplyDelete"The longer parents try to hold on and keep their children from leaving, the more it could make them want to leave." This is evident in the way Tom reacts to the way Amanda tries to keep him home. She is constantly hounding him about paying the bills, and making sure he got the money to support them. Amanda is very reliant on Tom and wants to keep him around to support them with whatever they might need. This is why Tom goes to the movie almost every night to escape the world of jobs and family and just have a night to himself. Amanda's strict rules have pushed Tom further and further away from her. He just wants to go out on his own and live his own life without having anybody to worry about but himself.
ReplyDeleteI believe this to be true in the sense that Tom is being pushed away to the brink that he leaves his own blood behind. I think it is justified but not very noble.
DeleteI also agree with ryanne. Tom was at his breaking point with Amanda and had no other choice but to leave after no paying the bill.
DeleteI agree, Tom did what he felt that he had to do to survive. Even though it was portrayed as cowardly, he did not mean for it to be like that.
DeleteThe Glass Menagerie shows the life of a lower to middle class family that sometimes struggles to get by with one income providing for three people. This conflict is somewhat resembaling today as some people rely on others to provide. The theme for this would be one of how hard it is to be humble and content with what you have when you view someone's life as better. Tom just wants to get the heck out of dodge so he can go on with his life, but can't due to the fact he has his family holding him back. Soon he makes up his mind as he forgets to pay the electric bill and eventually leaves forever. Amanda and Laura now have no provider and are to fend for themselves which is a sad truth throughout society.
ReplyDeleteBut Tom should have not been so selfish and more humble and thankful because you aren't supposed to leave family behind
DeleteI agree with Hunter. This shows how hard Tom found it to be content in his life. He dreamed about doing something more with his life and soon it became too much to just dream about. Therefore, he acted on his dreams.
DeleteI agree with you hunter. You need to take care of your family, but you can understand why he is unhappy.
DeleteThe Glass Menagerie is an ironic story. It shows you the struggle through the depression and how the lazy relied on only a certain person to make a living. The theme would be that a lot of things in life is important but what makes a person happy is the most important. Tom feels like leaving his home will be the best thing for him and he can't wait to leave, when he does though, he misses Laura and feels guilty for leaving her behind.
ReplyDeleteIn the last scene of The Glass Menagerie, Tom, talking to himself, said, "I did not go to the moon, I went much further-- for time is the longest distance between two places." When he said this, he was talking about how he had to leave Laura and Amanda and be out on his own, following the steps of his father. He believed that no matter how far away he is physically, he is so much farther emotionally. He left them to be out on his own, and have his own experiences. I think he genuinely felt bad about it, but he did what he thought he had to do for himself, and I respect him for that.
ReplyDeleteThe quote, "Time is the longest distance between two places," greatly characterizes Tom's feelings about his family at the end of the play. This reflects the idea that when a person becomes separate from one who is close to them, they can be stuck in memories of the past. Tom is saying that he and Laura may not be physically very far apart, (even if they are in different cities) the time that has passed put a wedge between them. If Tom were to go back now, their relationship would not be the same. Time has made there separation more intense and more finite.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emily. Tom leaving would make the relationship the he and Laura had an even more awkward one because of all the time passed and the abandonment or resentment that either one may feel.
DeleteSometimes parents try to vicariously live through there children. Parents sometimes try to decide what would be best for their children instead of letting them go off and live their own lives. Through out the "Glass Menagerie" Amanda forces herself into her children's life's and tries to direct them and tell them what would be best even though it is evident that neither Tom nor Laura want a life like their mother had. Amanda just doesn't seem to understand that she is hindering her children's life's by trying to live it for them, but by doing this she is really pushing them away and creating the problems they have. For example Laura and her shyness, and Tom wanting to get away from the family. In most cases, it is better to let children make their own experiences and live their own lives so they will be a stronger and more independent individual.
ReplyDelete"Go, then! Go to the moon-you selfish dreamer!" Amanda says this to tom after they get in a arguement. This fits because tom is tired of having to support his mother and sister and wants to leave. Amanda thinks he is selfish because he she can tell he doesn't care about finding his sister a gentlemen caller. She thinks he is obligated to help them no matter what.
ReplyDeleteThere are many simple things in life that can easily be broken in everyday activities. Laura makes this clear when she states “How beautiful it is and how easily it can be broken.” Laura shows how easy it is to break the beautiful things by simply comparing it to the fragile glass menagerie. She sees things from a different, simple point of view. Not everyone can see how fragile things truly are. Simple things should be cherished.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kylie this is my favorite quote in the play .
DeleteThis quote indeed does leave an impact about cherishing the simple things in life. There are many different things this quote holds meanig to.
DeleteAbandonment had played one of the main roles in this family. As Amanda had said "We have to do all the we can to build ourselves up. In these trying times we live in, all the we have to cling to is-each other...". Family is an important factor a persons life, but they all seem to take advantage of it. Such as when Tom leaves his family just like his father had. He is abandoning his sister, mother, responsibility(to each member of our families). Amanda has pushed her children so they wont end up like her or their father (to be abandoned or to be the abandoner), but she doesn't realize her pushing is leading to the destruction of what is left of the family(because the lack of a real fatherly role). This play shows how important a parents actions impact on their children's' life whether they are a part or not.
ReplyDeleteThe need for escape has played a big role in the Glass Menagerie. Tom's need to escape his life with Amanda and Laura almost over powers his sense of what is right and what is wrong. Instead of doing what he should, example paying the electric bill, he uses the money for his own wishes to get away from his family. Tom keeps his feeling of abandonment from his father deep down inside of him, and feels that doing what his father has done to them is the only way to get his happiness back. “I didn't go to the moon, I went much further—for time is the longest distance between two places” The distance between himself and his family is measured in his mind mainly by the time he's been away from them, not by his physical distance.
ReplyDeleteI agree with almost all of what Brandi is said, except for the abandonment part. I don't think that Tom thinks the abandonment of his family will grant him happiness. Tom uses the excuse of what their father did to them to try to justify his actions and have a moral excuse.
Delete"Go, go to the moon then you selfish dreamer"! This quote really gets to me because even after all that Tom has done for his mother and his sister they both still think he is worthless and only cares about his self. I know he wants to go out and explore the world but if he wasn't the person he was he would of left them along time ago. Quite hypocritical of his mother actually, she is blaming him for being selfish but she is the one really thinking about herself and how she wont make it if Tom leaves because he is the only source of income in the family. My feelings go out to Tom and I don't blame him for wanting to leave.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with gunnar. This is a very good solid quote he has chosen and u can do so much with.
Delete“Being disappointed is one thing and being discouraged is something else. I am disappointed but I am not discouraged." Throughout the story amanda has been disappointed but keeps on trying to find an answer to their problems. although Jim said this quote it relates to how both Tom and Amanda personally feel. Tom is dissatisfied with how his life has become and is not discouraged to leave and seek adventure.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how bad a person wants to escape, sometimes, it's genuinely unattainable.
ReplyDeleteTom- 'Look!-- I've got nothing, no single thing-- in my life here that I can call my own,' (Williams pg. 1716). Tom is speaking to Amanda in this statement and it implies that Tom desires something for himself and wants escape for his suffocating family. However, Tom only quenches his thirst for escape because he comes back. He basically claims it's inevitable to come back to one's family because of the bonds made.
" I didn't go to moon, I went much further- for time is the longest distance between two places." I thought this quote was a phenomenal quote, because it shows that Tom really just wants to get away and he tried many things but they didn't work. The time he spent trying to please his mother and sister during his period of trying to get away from stress was the distances between his happy place and his home home. Which was the furthers ever traveled to get away from... they have wished to leave. The mother, the sister and of course the brother have all had the desire. They all of wished to go somewhere further then the moon but time is everything and everything is time.
ReplyDelete"Parents raise and take care of their children, but that doesn't mean their own children owe them anything." I think that this is a good theme for the story. Tom has taken care of his family for his whole life and now he is going out on his own. Just because his mom cares for him, doesn't mean he has to care for her. In a way it is selfish, but in another way, he should be able to do what he wants to do
ReplyDeleteI agree, the mother asks too much from them, causing them more stress.
Delete"Parents can often give their children harder times when all they want is for them to succeed" Amanda does not want her children making the same mistakes as she did, and she continues to be strict as advice to help Laura and Tom make the best decisions and live easy lives, unlike her marriage with their father. She strives for Laura to meet someone to marry, and for Tom's happiness and stability.
ReplyDeleteM: Aw, aw, aw. Is it broken?
ReplyDeleteLAURA: Now it is just like all the other horses.
JIM: It’s lost its-
LAURA: Horn! It doesn’t matter... I’ll just imagine he had an operation. The horn was removed to make him feel less...freakish!
Just as Jim’s clumsy advances make Laura seem and feel like an ordinary girl, his clumsy dancing turns her beloved unicorn into an ordinary horse. For the time being, Laura is optimistic about the change, claiming that the unicorn should be happy to feel like less of a misfit, just as she herself is temporarily happy because Jim’s interest in her makes her feel like less of an outcast. Laura and the glass unicorn have similar fragility, however, and Laura, perhaps knowingly, predicts her own fate when she implies that no matter how careful Jim might be, her hopes will end up shattered.