“Real art has the capacity to make us nervous.” This quote by writer Susan Sontag has opened many opportunities for discussion on the true discussion of dramatic purpose. (“Against Interpretation”) Why have countless playwrights chosen the series of events, word choice, and imagery that provokes feelings of fear and nervousness in the reader for centuries? It is said that the purpose of drama is “to depict a conflict that will hold the attention of the audience and provoke a progressively strong
Susan Sontag’s “A Woman’s Beauty: Put-Down or Power Source?” explores the paradox of being a woman. The American society expects women to be as attractive as possible, but as of a result of this preening, appear superficial and less professional. Sontag utilizes short, memorable sentences and comparisons between men and women to illuminate and articulate this warped ideal of beauty. Additionally, Sontag pleads with the reader to cause him or her to think about the difficulties of being a woman in
essence of reality and seals it into two parts, one as memory and the other as an object. Susan Sontag’s didactic text “On Photography” digs deep into the meaning of photography and claims that it has unlimited power within modern society. Her exclamation that “cameras are fantasy-machines” exerts the idea that photography brings the world closer together, yet seems so distant as if it were all but an illusion. Sontag starts off her text by asserting that humans are still in Plato’s cave. She argues that
Learning Through Experience: How and Why the Women’s Perception in Trifles Differed from the Men In Susan Glaspell’s famous play, Trifles, a murder mystery takes place with the investigation of recently deceased husband, John Wright, and his suspicious wife, Minnie Wright, at an abandoned farmhouse. Those who are there to investigate are a local sheriff and a county attorney with the help of a neighbor by the name of Mr. Hale for questioning. Although there is a full male presence within this
Lauren Passmore Julie Faulkner Comp 2 2 December 2014 Sexism Exists In today’s world, it is not unusual for women to commit crimes, work crime cases or even solve them. During the time period that Trifles by Susan Glaspell was written women were not thought capable of doing such things. Susan Glaspell uses Minnie Wright’s character to display the role of women in the early twentieth century. Glaspell was very aware and active when dealing with feminism issues. Glaspell was influenced by getting to
of the title Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, written in 1916. In her one-act play, characters such as Lewis Hale, a neighboring farmer, Henry Peters, the sheriff, and George Henderson, the county attorney, are all in on the hunt to find the murderer of a fellow farmer, John Wright. The wives of Lewis and Henry also play a role in finding the murderer by ways that are significant to the title of the play and to the women, but insignificant to the men. Trifles, the title of Susan Glaspell’s one-act play
Susan Glaspell’s one-act play secretly embodies the personas of the three Fates in the characters of Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Wright. Their actions represented the Fates completely. These actions include Mrs. Hale redoing the patch on the quilt, Mrs. Peters’ change in perspective on the law and Mrs. Wright hanging her husband. In this essay, I will compare the characters of the three women to those of the Sisters of Fate. Mrs. Hale embodies Clotho the Spinner. Being the sister who spins
outside the breadbox, a dish towel on the table—other signs of incompleted work (page 1)”. Trifles by Susan Glaspell is about how Mr. Wright was murdered, and the main suspect is his wife. The women are in the kitchen as the men go around looking for clues to help them figure out what truly occurred. The setting is an influential part in illustrating the scenario in literature. In Trifles, Susan Glaspell creates a mystery that holds the clues in the kitchen, creating a suspense when ironic things
Great authors have illuminated the harsh treatment of women throughout history. From the Victorian Era to the latter half of the nineteenth century, two authors in particular have penned plays worthy of comparison. In the play “Othello,” a maiden marries for love; however she becomes victim of her murderous lover. On the other hand, in the play “Trifles,” the abusive husband falls victim to downtrodden wife. Both Shakespeare’s “Othello” and Glaspell’s “Trifles” present the theme of patriarchal dominance
The Wright residence “never seemed a very cheerful place“ (1389). Susan Glaspell was successfully able to publish her suspenseful play Trifles on August 8, 1916. The play defines motive for murder immensely. Not only does the story start out with finding Mr. Wright's body, but the entire play revolves around why exactly he was killed. Things are left unsaid, and unresolved, but in the end everyone knows what really happened. Minnie Wright changed from a vibrant young woman to an individual capable