Caliban and where all my research is starting...

Blog #5 – Research Project Source

            My research paper is on how the character of Caliban from The Tempest has been portrayed in different cultures over the years.  I chose this topic because while reading Takaki’s text for this class, there have been several moments that have jumped out at me that reference Caliban and how he was first introduced into the audiences.  I want to take a deeper look at this character by starting with the text and working out from there.

            The biggest source I am using for my research paper is the text for The Tempest by William Shakespeare.  I decided to use the Arden Shakespeare version because through the years of studying Shakespeare, this has been the best edition to use and learn from.  On every page there is a half a page of text and a half a page describing what is being said in the text.  It is very helpful when you are looking at the text and trying to figure out what Shakespeare was saying. 

            The Arden Shakespeare defines words, sentences, and phrases for you, and it also gives you references to what some of those things meant during that time period.  That is another big reason as to why this edition is helpful.  If there is a section of the text that isn’t completely described in the Arden edition, I have been using other versions of the text to see if it is better defined there.  I am also using the Lexicon Dictionaries which define every word Shakespeare ever used in his works.  They have been more than helpful for this research project.  I can only hope that I am on the right track with this paper and that it will be as interesting to others as it is to me.

Why do Americans have a problem with change?

The Indian Question – Blog #4

            When reading the chapter “The Indian Question,” the one thing that really stuck out to me was Commissioner Walker was talking about how “the ultimate goal was the eventual assimilation of Indians” (Takaki 233).  Walker later went on to talk about how the government would subject the Indians to a “‘rigid reformatory discipline.’ Not allowed to ‘escape work,’ they would be ‘required’ to acquire industrial skills until at least one generation had been placed on a course of ‘self-improvement’” (Takaki 233).  This absolutely blows my mind.  The fact that most people, government included, expected the Indians – those native to the land – to give up their ways and give up everything they had known for generations.  The whites wanted the Indians to bow down to their ways. 

            All of this really makes me wonder, why do Americans have such an issue with change?  And by Americans, I don’t just mean Caucasians – I mean all people who live in American.  In this case, I am specifically speaking about the Caucasians who reacted to settling into America.  The Americans had an issue with the Indians because they didn’t know what their culture was.  Their unknowing of how the Indians acted or behaved made the Americans scared.

            One thing that helps answer my question about change is an essay I read online called Color Adjustment by Holly Thompson.  She talks about how different television shows that show colored people in everyday life have influenced the population throughout the years.  The essay talks about many aspects of how people have taken to the “uprising” (not sure if that is the right word) of African Americans and other races. 

            Americans just have a problem with change because they are unsure of the unknown.  What is so hard about being open to other peoples’ cultures? Why must people be so closed minded?

"Calling in sick"

“Resenting the unfair appropriation of their labor, many slaves feigned illness and lied in order to avoid work” (Takaki  pg.117).  Basically, the slaves were finding ways around working; they were out smarting their owners.  One thing that really stuck out when I looked a little deeper into this subject is that many of the slaves were actually smarter than their owners.  Many of the slaves could find ways to avoid going to upcoming slave auctions just because their owners were ignorant or blind to the fact that their slave knew English or knew how to communicate with one another.  Some of the things that the slaves would do to avoid an auction were ruining the equipment, ruining the supplies for the equipment, and slowing down or stopping their own production/work (http://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/movements-and-campaigns/movements-and-campaigns-summaries?sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=22).  I also found in my research a story about a woman who actually hid her entire family in the woods when it came time for an auction so that the slave owner couldn’t separate her family.  How did that slave owner not realize where those slaves went?  I understand that there were many slaves on a plantation, but how did that slave owner not realize that the same family would go missing every time a slave auction would come up?  That brings up another question, how could someone that oblivious to what he had, even own slaves?  That shocks me. 

            If you think about it today, people call in sick to work all the time whether it be to just plainly get out of it or to not go because they have made other plans.  They don’t have any real merit to call in or not show up to work.  The slaves were actually finding ways to get out of work in order to keep their families together and to save their lives or the lives of their families.  How easy was it to fake an illness back in that time period.  Think about that.  

Not quite ethnic studies, but something I needed to talk about.

Last night, I met a person who completely fills the description of uneducated about the subject of gay marriage.  He was throwing around the terms "fag" and "faggot" like they were nothing and meant nothing and weren't hurtful.  He also said that, "Gay people want to get married so they can get the money that their partner has when they die."  He said many things but that really got under my skin.  BUT, I was unable to defend myself because I didn't want to get into a fight or start any trouble.  So, I sat back and let this man talk about something he knew VERY little about and I have never in my life felt so little, low, or defenseless.  I was so afraid that something might happen that I didn't voice my own opinion to this guy and stand up for myself and what I believe in.  I feel extremely low and little right now.  

          If I ever see this man again, I will be ready with a full response to his "arguments".  1) Gay people aren't fighting for the right to get married just so they can have their partners' money when he/she dies, we are fighting for the right to marry the one we love and want to spend the rest of our lives with.  Why should ANYONE be denied that right? 2) Gay and lesbian couples make MORE money in a year on a salary based income than heterosexual couples.  Who says that allowing gays and lesbians to get married will hurt the economy? It has been PROVEN that we are just as successful when it comes to partnerships and supporting families.  3) Do you have ANY idea how you made me feel? I have NEVER in my entire life felt so speechless and defenseless about myself.  Your ignorance made me feel diminished, but I won't allow that to happen any more.  4) Go educate yourself on a topic before you start talking untruths about it.

          Regardless of the situation, if something like this happens to me again, I WILL NOT BACK DOWN OR LET MYSELF DOWN! 

Caliban, the Controversial Character

Caliban

            One thing that I would like to talk about that hasn’t been talked about a whole lot during class is the character of Caliban.  Throughout the book, Takaki has referenced the character of Caliban a lot and how the English easily saw him and grouped him as one of the Africans because of his skin or his color or his overall looks.  I guess I just find it extremely interesting that when this character from The Tempest was first introduced to the public, they immediately grouped him together with the Africans because he was different than they were.  That just shows, I guess, just how ridiculous ignorance is and how it can be hurtful to someone or a whole people. 

            In order to go a little further in depth about this I decided just to look at a few different production photos of The Tempest to see how the character of Caliban has been portrayed throughout the years in different productions.

            This is one of the first pictures I came across and I found it to be almost disturbing.  Imagine if you were one of the English citizens and this is something that came out on stage.  What would your first reaction be?  Obviously, scared and unsure.  You haven’t seen anything like this anywhere else except for the Africans whose ONLY similarity was a darker skin complexion. 

            I guess, I just have to ask, what do you think of when you see this photo?  Is this a picture of someone you would expect to see everyday?  If you saw someone who looked like this walking the streets, would you talk to them if they came up to you?  Do people really not see color like they say they do?

What am I made up of?

Looking back to on my life from birth until now – there have been so many events that have happened.  But, to begin, I will start with my background and where I come from.  From my father’s side of the family, I am German and Russian, and from my mother’s side of the family I am Scottish and Polish.  If I had to pick one of those backgrounds that was more apparent than any other it would have to be the German background, seeing as my last name is Herr.  Herr means “Mister” in German, in other words, I’d be Mister Mister in German.

            I am born and raised here in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  I have spent all 22 years of my life in the same place, so I pretty much just fit right in.  I don’t know if that is because I am a non-“minority” or if it just because I have been here for so long. And I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a non-minority because I am a gay man.  So, I pretty much fall into a minority category.  And me, being a gay male in Kenosha, is a whole separate story. I’ll save that for another blog at another time. Why don’t I dive into how I got to where I am today?

            As a young kid I always had an interest in theatre.  I participated in concerts and plays and anything that really had anything to do with performing for others.  Ever since then I have wanted to do theatre.  I participated in plays ever since then and now it is what I am doing with my life.  I will be graduating from Parkside in May with a Theatre Arts degree with a concentration in acting.  (Scary, I know).  The main reason I got into acting is that I get the opportunity to be someone else for a short period of time.  I get to put myself in someone else’s shoes and try it out for a while.  Also, I love reading and performing Shakespeare.  I have performed in a Shakespeare play every year since my freshman year of high school.  I have grown very fond of his works and I consider myself a HUGE SHAKESPEARE NERD! J

            Although acting is what I want to do with my life, I am currently going to work for American Players Theatre in Spring Green, WI for my third season as their Assistant Company Manager.  I have learned a lot from this job and I am so glad that I get to be a part of such a wonderful company AND do what I love.

            The reason I am taking this course is so I can learn more about others and about their ethnicities.  I want to open my mind even more and I think this class is the way to do it.