Tuesday, January 28, 2020
A Midsummer Nights Dream Drama Essay
A Midsummer Nights Dream Drama Essay A point to consider before bringing the individual character interpretations into play is how to contextualise the performances within the text as a whole. In other words, the characters are not mutually exclusive entities, rather, they are interactive and woven into the landscape of the play. Therefore, I would like to propose a general outline for the overall performance. There are many ways to perform A Midsummer Nights Dream, and the way I choose will affect elements of the characters. There have been many performances of Shakespearean drama, where the play is brought into the modern day. I however, would like to perform the play in its classic setting. I would like the play to retain its archaic time setting. It is a very self-reflexive play it is a play about staging a play. This highlights the idea of drama at its root the reheasrsal and work that goes into a play. I would like to leave the play in an olden day setting because it consolidates the idea of drama being detached from life through its artifice, and the play being set in a by-gone era further consolidates the idea of detaching drama from everyday life. (a) The first character I would like to look at is Lysander. He refuses to yield to Demetriuss demand for Hermias hand, and risks the wrath of Theseus by eloping with Hermia. This demonstrates not only the depth of his feeling for Hermia, but also his conviction in his own beliefs, and the courage to carry out these beliefs. The comic arc of Lysanders performance hits its climax after Puck has sprinkled the love potion into his eyes and he falls in love with Helena. I would perform the character with some hyperbole at this point, in order to convey the comic element of the text to the audience. The idea of Lysander challenging Demetrius to a duel in order to win Helenas hand is an example of the excessive behaviour and heightened action that brings much of the comedy into the play. It is a humour that comes from the reversal of the natural order Helena has gone from being desperately in love with Demetrius and being scorned by him to being the object of both mens affection, for example. This reversal in the behaviour of Lysander is something Id like to highlight in performance. I think a change in demeanor, and in vocal qualities could highlight this. At the beginning of the play, Lysander is portrayed as a romantic hero. I would convey this to the audience through his appearance; ideally, the role would be filled by a tall, handsome man. I would like him to wear a costume of light material symbolising the innocence of the true lovers (Hermias description of themselves). As I would like to keep the play true to its chromatic origins, I would like Lysander to wear a type of Athenean costume, which he could change when he enters the wood. I would like all the characters to change their costumes when they enter the forest, to represent the immense change in their environment. I would like him to don a more earthy, swarthy coloured robe, such as green, to convey the pastoral environment to the audience. I would like to focus on how the character of Lysander should be performed during the sequence in which he challenges Demetrius to a duel. The interpretation that I would like to convey to the audience is one of escalating absurdity, which contributes to humour. This would be done through the props, delivery, vocal quality, paralinguistic features and a demonstration of how Lysander relates to Demetrius in this section: Lysander Helen, I love thee. By my life I do. I swear by that which I will lose for thee To prove him false that says I love thee not. Demetrius I say I love thee more than he can do. Lysander If thou say so, withdraw, and prove it too. (Scene III, Act II, lines 251-256) There is a strong sense of rhythm in these lines, and also rhyme, which contribute to the tension and sense of heightened action. I would like the actor to highlight the rhythm in his delivery. I would like Lysander to adopt a masculine stance, and to circle Dimitrius, expanding his movement around the stage, owning the stage, as it were, using the entire stage to convey to the audience that he feels he owns the space, as he prowls around it. Demetrius A character trait that emerges from the text is the point where he tells the infatuated Helena that when he says, Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit;/For I am sick when I do look on thee. (Scene II Act I, lines 211-212). This utterance evokes a sense of his cruel nature, a pejorative view of Demetrius which is further consolidated when we examine the first first scene of the first act. When Lysander and Hermia are told that they cannot marry, Demetruis tells them they should let him have his certain right. (Scene I Act I line 92). There is subsequently a huge change in Demetruis when he falls back in love with Helena at the end of the play. This is indicative of a softening of his character a change which I feel should be represented visually in performance. In order to convey Demetruiss somewhat cruel, righteous nature to the audience, I think the actor should appropriate a certain demeanor. Body language could be used to demonstrate his confident, cocky side. For example, he could strut, use large gestures and also make use of all of the stage space exercising his self imposed right to the stage space in the same way that he wants to exercise his right to Hermias hand. I would like his costume to be dark colours such as a rich red and flamboyant design, to contrast with Lysanders. The vocal qualities should also demonstrate these traits. He only has two lines in scene I, act one, so it is very important how these are represented, as they will be the first impression the audience have of him. Demetriuss lines are: Relent, sweet Hermia; and, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right. (Scene I, Act I, lines 91-92) The way in which this line is performed is very important. As the tormented lovers, the audience feels very strongly for Hermia and Lysander, to whom the presence of Demetrius is an invasive one. I would therefore also like to convey to the audience this sense of invasion. When Demetrius says, Relent, sweet Hermia I would like him to walk up to Hermia, and put his arm around her, caressing her with his other hand, turning them both away from Lysander. When he speaks to Lysander, Demetrius should keep his back to Lysander, but turn his head to face him, so that his line is like an aside, as if he does not respect him. The words crazed title should be accompanied by paralinguistic features, such as an outstretching arm to convey to the audience how much Demetrius does not want Lysander and Hermia to marry. Finally, the word my should be over emphasized to convey that Demetrius strongly feels that Hermia should be his, whether she loves him or not, because of the wishes of her father. His character, and especially his behaviour towards Helana changes at the end of the play. Whilst in the earlier stages of the play, he is confident, using large gestures and a lot of stage space, at the end of the play, I would like him to express a more tender side to the audience, to convey the development of his character: That we are awake? It seems to me That yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you think The duke was here, and bid us follow him? (Scene IV, Act I, lines 192-194) This line should be used to convey character development to the audience as it contrasts so strongly with his opening line the use of you in contrast to my for example. There is also a confusion in this utterance, which contrast with the confidence in the first lines. Helena At the beginning of the play, Helena is portrayed as hapless; the scorned lover who has been wooed by Demetrius and then ignored in favour of Hermia. However, like Demetrius, Helena demonstrates a massive character development and transformation. Like Lysander, the arc of her character trajectory reaches its crescendo after Puck has sprinkled the love potion in Lysander and Demetriuss eyes. When they both try to woo her, she feels they are mocking her, and gets angry. To best convey the transformation in her character between before and after the love potion has been dispensed, Id like to consider how vocal quality and demeanor can be used in two of her utterances: Call you me fair? That fair again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair. O happy fair! Sickness is catching. O, were favour so, Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go. O, teach me how you look, and with what art You sway the motion of Demetrius heart. (Scene I, Act I, lines 181-194) This except is from a long speech in which Helena proceeds to extol the virtues of Hermia, with whom Demetrius is infatuated. The key message I would like to convey to the audience from this speech is the idea that Helena is confused, upset and slightly jealous of Hermia. She is asking Hermia how she won the heart of Demetrius. In order to convey this dejection to the audience, I think the delivery of this speech should involve some rhetoric while Helena is asking Hermia how she wooed him, and saying how fair Hermia is, my interpretation of this speech is that it is a melancholy meditation on the loss of her love. She is not looking for external answers, rather internal answers, and so it is questions she is asking herself. This could be expressed to the audience by the character of Helena distancing her self physically from the group this would be a visual symbol of her isolation. Her demeanor and body language would be hunched and dejected, and her voice subdued and hushed The other speech that is a seminal moment in the performance of Helen is when she feels she is being mocked by the two men, and gets angry. Clearly her relationship with Demetrius is changed when he falls in love with her. While she may be unaware of it, the hierarchy of the relationship has been overturned, and she has now adopted a position of power. In her speech, she says: O spite! O hell! I see you are all bent To set against me for your merriment. If you were civil and knew courtesy You would not do me thus much injury. (Scene III, Act II, lines 145-148) This speech can be used to great effect to demonstrate the performance possibilities of this role. The demeanor and vocal qualities performing this speech would require differ hugely to the earlier one with a louder voice, delivery directed at the other characters and inflated body language required. Hermia Hermia is represented in the play as a strong, defiant young woman, prepared to take risks in order to fulfil her own desires. This is exemplified in her refusal to bow down to her fathers wish that she marry Demetrius. In the face of a death sentence, or life in a nunnery, she escapes with Lysander into the forest. Lysanders love for Hermia, along with Demetriuss desire, demonstrate that she is an attractive and desirable young woman. These are two important points Id like to consider when constructing the performance of Hermia. I would like to convey to the audience her inner strength and determination, alongside her physical attractiveness. The notion of physical attractiveness could be conveyed primarily through costume and appearance. As Hermia is clearly a woman of considerable charm (illustrated when Helena asks her what charm she used to capture Demetruiss heart), her costume should reflect this. As it is believed that she unwittingly won over Demetrius (this is an ambiguity in the text it is possible that Demetrius loves her because her father is so impressed by him) I would also like to impress upon the audience a sense of naivete and innocence. The obvious symbolic colour of this is white. White would also look striking under the stage lights. I would use floaty fabrics for the costumes, such as organza, to communicate the ethereal quality of not only Hermia herself, but also the forest, and the magic contained within it. When Hermia leaves Athens and escapes to the forest, I would like her to adopt a robe over her dress, of green, to convey to the audience, through her change in costume, that a change is impending in the play. While the charm and beauty of the character of Hermia will be communicated visually, the inner strength and courage that I interpret as being key elements of her character, will be communicated through her demeanor. It is commonly understood in the study of body language that confident people stand up straight, unlike shy people, who hunch up, in a subconscious decision to take up less space. In this way, stage space becomes an important indicator of personality. I have mentioned before that I would, at certain points in the text like characters to use the whole space of the stage to convey a sense of confidence. I would like the performance of Hermia to adopt a comfortable use of the entire stage space. More specifically, I would like to refer to one speech that I feel is very important in the text, in Scene I, Act I, when Hermia is talking to Theseus with regards to her desire to marry Lysander: So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, Ere I will yield my virgin patent up Unto his lordship whose unwished yoke My soul consents not to give soveregnity. (Scene I, Act I, lines 79-82) This speech is an important point at the text because Hermia makes clear her intentions to avoid marriage to Demetrius. It is a very dramatic, sensitive piece. This speech should be delivered with intensity, to convey to the audience the depth of Hermias feelings for Lysander. The performance should include some paralinguistic features such as moving around the stage, facial expressions and hand movements to express her feelings visually. Theseus My understanding of Theseus is that he is a very complex character there is conflicting evidence in the text as to his true nature. There is one utterance in the text that brings up questions regarding his true nature, when he is talking to Hippolyta and he says that: Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword, And won thy love doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key: (Scene I, Act I, lines 16-18) My interpretation of this line is that Theseus raped Hippolyta. The implications of this in terms of how the character should be performed are vast. In much of the text, Theseus is represented as a pensive, thoughtful man. He kindly advises Hermia to Take time to pause (Scene I, Act I, line 83) when discussing the situation with her father Egeus. This scene presents him as rational and kindly. The suggestion of rape in line 16 makes the line highly important, the suggestion I would like to convey to the audience is the idea that Theseus is warning Hippolyta. In bringing the issue of the rape to the forefront, he is reminding her of the power balance in their relationship. There is also possibly some penitence in this admission. This could be communicated to the audience through the use of certain vocal qualities, demeanor and stage space. Back to: Example Essays I would like Theseuss sense of power to be conveyed to the audience in a visual way, so he would deliver this speech standing, and walking around, whilst the character of Hippolyta would be sitting down. The discrepancy in their heights would be a visual representation of the hierarchy, which would further consolidate what Theseus was saying. This is such a patriarchal power play that props could be used to represent a sense of phallocentricity such as a sceptre a regal and phallic symbol. The use of this prop could convey to the audience my interpretation of Theseus as being the patriarchal and dominant force in the opening of the play. His kingdom is run on a set of rigid rules for example, Egeus invoking the ancient law of Athens as Hermia wants to marry Lysander. This is in stark contrast to the forest the mysterious, feminine arena which is the binary opposite of Athens. In terms of demeanor, Theseus should be calm, and considered in his movements. I would like his costume to be of dark colours, and of neat, clean lines. This operates in contrast to Hermias costume the white of her costume is a symbol of innocence while the dark of Theseuss costume is aligned with the dark side he hints at in this speech.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Color Essays -- essays research papers
Color is sensed when white light bounces off an object and is reflected into the eye. Objects appear different colors depending on what colors were absorbed and which were reflected. Color is "seen" by the rods and cones in the eye. Cones detect color and rods detect black, white, and shades of gray. People who cannot see colors properly are colorblind. There are many different kinds of colors and they are classified in many different ways (The World Book Encyclopedia p 818, 819). The eye consists of many parts. The part of the eye you can see when you look at someone consists of four parts. The colored part of the eye where the light enters is called the iris. The white part around the iris is the conjunctiva and episclera. This part also contains blood vessels. The cornea is the clear covering of the iris and pupil. The cornea contains no blood vessels. The lens is located behind the iris. The lens is used to focus, as in the cornea, but the lens can move. The retina is responsible for telling the brain what a person is seeing. They determine all the different parts of what is being seen. It then codes them to electrical signals for the brain (Cassel p 4-10). Rods and cones are in the retina. There are three kinds of cones. Each cone can sense a different color. Rods are used when a person is in dim light (Hubel p 162). The optic nerve is what sends all these messages to the brain (Cassel p 261). Sometimes people have difficulty telling colors apart. This is called colorblindness (Webster's Dictionary, p 281). Sometimes colorblindness is hereditary. Other times there is a problem with the message reception from the optic nerve. Another problem can lie in the retina. People can have trouble recognizing colors because of certain drugs. People are diagnosed as being colorblind by taking tests. They look at different colored numbers that are in order by their color. This way they can be diagnosed as being colorblind in certain areas (Cassel p 52). A person can have different extents of colorblindness depending on what the problem is. A person can be colorblind because t... ...ht or white the colors will appear reversed. Red becomes green, and yellow becomes blue (The World Book Encyclopedia p 820, 819). A quote about afterimages was given by Johannes Ilten: "It has been psychologically proven that the afterimage as well as the simultaneous effect show the strange and so far inexplicable fact that our eye demands for a given color it's complementary completing and produces it on it's own if it is not provided" (Tritten p C43). Color is a product of many different things. We physically see color by the light hitting the retina and being absorbed by the rods and cones. Colors are distinguished by sorting them into categories. These could include tint, shade, tone, chroma, value, or hue. It could also be determined by whether a color is primary, secondary, intermediate, or complementary. The illusion of different colors can be created by the colors around a color or placing bits of color very close together as in a television. Afterimages create the opposite of colors. All color is a product of light. Without light, we would only be able to see in black and white (The World Book Encyclopedia p 818, 819, 822, 823).
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Keeping the Family Tradition Alive Essay
I started keeping my family tradition of canning alive last summer. My family has canned for years and there is nothing better than opening up something I have canned on my own and thinking of the people who shared this tradition with me. Traditions are very important to keep going in families around the world. Traditions are very broad anything from what people do on holidays to cooking. My family tradition is very important to me. I knew last year that if I didnââ¬â¢t learn some of my familyââ¬â¢s secret recipes while my grandmother and mom are still with us than there would be a chance that my family would never be able to taste the wonderful flavors my family has put together over the years and my family has looked so forward to the taste that we have grown to love. Before I begin canning, I must gather all the materials that I need to get started. The first step is the selection of the tomatoes. I pick all of my tomatoes from my own garden they are so much better than anything from the grocery store. Last year I used better boy tomatoes and roma tomatoes. The roma tomatoes are great to use because they have fewer seeds, thicker, meatier walls and less water. And that means thicker sauce in less cooking time! Also, I donââ¬â¢t want mushy, bruised or rotten tomatoes. Next I remove the tomato skins this is very important. Nothing worse than eating spaghetti and having to chew on a piece of skin left behind. Hereââ¬â¢s a trick my grandma taught me: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute. Then I plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water. This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes. If the skins are left on then they become tough and chewy in the sauce, not very pleasant. Now I must remove the seeds and water. After peeling the skins off the tomatoes, I cut the tomatoes in half. I remove the seeds and excess water. I call it the squeeze of the seeds. It is just like it sounds: wash hands then squeeze each tomato and I use my thumb or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds. I do leave some of the seeds because that is my preference. I toss the squeezed tomatoes into a colander or drainer while I work on the others. By draining the water off now, I end up with a thicker spaghetti sauce in less cooking time. The next step I must do is to get the lids and jars sanitized. The dishwasher is fine for the jars, especially if it has a ââ¬Å"sanitizeâ⬠cycle. I get that going while Iââ¬â¢m preparing everything else, so itââ¬â¢s done by the time Iââ¬â¢m ready to fill the jars. While the jars and lids are being sanitized I begin getting that spaghetti sauce going. I take my onions, garlic, basil, oregano, bay leaves, green peppers, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and my burgundy and place them all in the pot first. After I get the onions and pepper a little tender I add all the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook down the tomatoes until the sauce is my desired thickness. I usually let my sauce cook for about two hours. The last step I call canning time. While my sauce is simmering I get my water bath canner ready. I go ahead and feel the water up and get it boiling. I start a small pot of water boiling to put the lids in so that the lids can sanitize and helps the lids seal. When the sauce is ready I place the jar funnel on the jar and I fill them to within ? inch of the top and set the lid and hand ââ¬â¢tighten the ring on. I place the jars in the water bath and cook for about 20mins. I then use the jar grabber and pull the jars out one at a time and let them cool draft-free place. Once the jars are cool, I check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. I press down in the center gently with my finger. If it pops up and down then it is not sealed. If it donââ¬â¢t seal than I just replace the lid and do the canning time again. Now that all the steps are complete, I listen to all the little pings going on telling me that my hard work has paid off. I am so glad that I have learned the family tradition of canning. My grandmother has gotten older and doesnââ¬â¢t can anymore. Out of all my family it is just my mom, Aunt Susan, and myself left doing the canning. It was a nice reward to my sole a few weeks ago when I had my grandmother over for dinner. I had canned some beets and decided that was the day to open them. When my grandmother tried them she said, ââ¬Å"These taste just like mine. â⬠To hear her say that meant so much to me. I couldnââ¬â¢t image not having the taste of what I grew up with because they donââ¬â¢t sell it in the grocery store. This is why I am keeping my family tradition going and teaching my girls. We never know when our love ones are not going to be here anymore. If I canââ¬â¢t have my family with me I at least want to be able to remember them by creating what they have thought me. If people have something in their family that is done by others and would not want to miss it after that person is gone than learn how that special someone does it. I did thatââ¬â¢s why I will always have that special connection with canning and my family.
Friday, January 3, 2020
What Is Compounding in the English Language
In English grammar, compounding is the process of combining two words (free morphemes) to create a new word (commonly a noun, verb, or adjective). Also called composition, it is from the Latin forà put together. Compounds are written sometimes as one word (sunglasses), sometimes as two hyphenated words (life-threatening), and sometimes as two separate words (football stadium). Compounding is the most common type of word-formation in English. Types of Compounds Compounding exists in several different forms and parts of speech, including the following: Compound AdjectiveCompound AdverbCompound NounCompound TenseCompound VerbExocentric CompoundRhyming CompoundRoot Compound and Synthetic CompoundSuspended Compound Examples and Observations Compounds are not limited to two words, as shown by examples such as bathroom towel-rack and community center finance committee. Indeed, the process of compounding seems unlimited in English: starting with a word like sailboat, we can easily construct the compound sailboat rigging, from which we can, in turn, create sailboat rigging design, sailboat rigging design training, sailboat rigging design training institute, and so on.(Adrian Akmajian et al., Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication. MIT Press, 2001)Trammell was, Hollenbeck said, justà a loud-mouthedà backslapping small-town handshaker whos got a job much too big for him.â⬠(Loren Ghiglione,à CBSs Don Hollenbeck. Columbia University Press, 2008)Buffy: No actual witches in your witch group?Willow: No. Bunch of wannablessedbes. You know, nowadays every girl with a henna tattoo and a spice rack thinks shes a sister to the dark ones.(Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan in Hush. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1999) Stress Test Typically a compound begins as a kind of clichà ©, two words that are frequently found together, as are air cargo or light colored. If the association persists, the two words often turn into a compound, sometimes with a meaning that is simply the sum of the parts (light switch), sometimes with some sort of figurative new sense (moonshine). The semantic relationships of the parts can be of all kinds: a window cleaner cleans windows, but a vacuum cleaner does not clean vacuums. We can be sure we have a compound when the primary stress moves forward; normally a modifier will be less heavily stressed than the word it modifies, but in compounds, the first element is always more heavily stressed. (Kenneth G. Wilson, The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Columbia University Press, 1993) Distinguishing Features of Compounds [In most compounds] the rightmost morpheme determines the category of the entire word. Thus, greenhouse is a noun because its rightmost component is a noun, spoonfeed is a verb because feed also belongs to this category, and nationwide is an adjective just as wide is... English orthography is not consistent in representing compounds, which are sometimes written as single words, sometimes with an intervening hyphen, and sometimes as separate words. In terms of pronunciation, however, there is an important generalization to be made. In particular, adjective-noun compounds are characterized by a more prominent stress on their first component... A second distinguishing feature of compounds in English is that tense and plural markers cannot typically be attached to the first element, although they can be added to the compound as a whole. (There are some exceptions, however, such as passers-by and parks supervisor.) (William OGrady, J. Archibald, M. Aronoff, and J. Rees-Miller, Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction. Bedford/St. Martins, 2001) Plurals of Compounds Compounds generally follow the regular rule by adding the regular -s inflection to their last element. . . . The following two compounds are exceptional in taking the inflection on the first element: passer-by/passers-bylistener-in/listeners-in A few compounds ending in -ful usually take the plural inflection on the last element, but have a less common plural with the inflection on the first element: mouthful/mouthfuls or mouthsfulspoonful/spoonfuls or spoonsful Compounds ending in -in-law allow the plural either on the first element or (informally) on the last element: sister-in-law/sisters-in-law or sister-in-laws (Sidney Greenbaum, Oxford English Grammar. Oxford University Press, 1996) Compounds in the Dictionary Evidently, the definition of what counts as a single dictionary entry is fluid and allows for very wide margins; any attempt at further precision is impossible because of the unlimited potential for compounding and derivation. The OED [Oxford English Dictionary] policy on compounds and derivatives is indicative of how blurred the line between a headword and a compound or a derivative can be: Compounds are frequently collected together in a section or group of sections at or near the end of an entry. They are followed by a quotation paragraph in which examples of each compound are presented in alphabetical order of the compound. Some major compounds are entered as headwords in their own right. . . . Clearly, the size of the dictionary records exceeds by far the vocabulary of an individual speaker. (Donka Minkova and Robert Stockwell, English Words. The Handbook of English Linguistics, ed. by Bas Aarts and April McMahon. Blackwell, 2006) Compounding in Shakespeares King Lear Shakespeare seized upon the inherent creative energies of English compounding and transformed them into art. Examples abound throughout his oeuvre, butà King Learà shines an especially bright spotlight on his combinatorial craft. . . . First, we behold Learââ¬â¢s compounding rage. He agonizes over one daughterââ¬â¢s sharp-toothed unkindnessà and wills the fen-sucked fogsà to foul her. After another daughter also repudiates him, Lear offers his submission to hot-blooded Franceà and invokes the Thunder-bearer, high-judging Jove. . . . Next, we learn of natureââ¬â¢s compounding wildness. A gentleman reports that a raving Lear is out roving a desolate, storm-struck heath, where he strives in his little world of man to out-scorn/The to-and-fro-conflicting wind and rainà from which even the cub-drawn bear and belly-pinched wolfà seek shelter. Lear is only accompanied by his loyal fool, who labors to out-jest/ His heart-struck injuries. . . . Amid the forceful modifiers of oak-cleaving and all-shaking are the thought-executing vaunt-couriers: lightning bolts. (John Kelly, Forget His Coinages, Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Real Genius Lies in His Noggin-Busting Compounds. Slate, May 16, 2016) The Lighter Side of Compounding My dad didnt read things like Playboy or National Enquirer. He was a science nerd with a crew cut, plastic pocket protectors, and a bow tie, and the only magazines at our house were Scientific American and National Geographic.à I felt more connected to Karens loud, messy, National Enquirer-reading, Twinkie-eating, Coca-Cola-drinking, station wagon-driving, bust-enhancing household than to my polite, organized, National Geographicââ¬âreading, bean sprout, and tofu-serving, mind-improving, VW bus-driving household. (Wendy Merrill,à Falling Into Manholes: The Memoir of a Bad/Good Girl. Penguin, 2008)Hey! If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. Id like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people, and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye, and I want to tell him what a chea p, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, . . . hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey...he is! Hallelujah!... Wheres the Tylenol? (Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold inà National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, 1989)
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