The Maxson Family

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In August Wilson's play, Fences, sports is a very reoccurring topic that seems to be quite important to the Maxson family. Troy Maxson was a former baseball player and his son Corey is quite the football star. Troy holds a grudge throughout the play because he was unable to make it to the major leagues. Although he argues that it was because he is black, it was because he was too old. When Corey is offered a college football scholarship Troy refuses to let him play. He claims it is because he doesn't want his son to get hurt like he did, so he insists that Corey does chores and goes to work instead of supporting his football dream.

For Troy I feel like sports represented a sense of loss. Baseball was something Troy was clearly passionate about and couldn't seem to let go of. He let it effect the relationship he had with his family. He thought that not allowing Corey to take the scholarship would be better for him in the long run. But for Corey the scholarship was a way he could advance in his life and make something out of himself. Going to college would be great for his future. Rose, Corey's mother, knew that the football scholarship was something that couldn't be passed up. She was very supportive of Corey's football career and wanted the best for her son and she got angry with Troy for being the opposite.

Both Troy and Corey were good at sports and thats why it frustrated me that Troy wouldn't allow Corey to live out his dream. I believe that Troy just didn't want to see his son succeed and do better than him. But truly he should have been happy for Corey and let him live his own life. It's a shame he never got to see that scholarship.

An Excellent Play: The Miracle Worker

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The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson, is a true, emotional, and inspirational story about Helen Keller. I was able to attend the play Thursday night in the Jenkins theater at UWSP. The play started at 7:30 p.m. and lasted about 2 hours, with only one 10 minute intermission. Before going to the play I had no clue what to expect because I was unfamiliar with the story of Helen Keller, but I did know that she was blind and deaf. When I got to the theater and saw the set design I felt comfortable because of how realistic it looked. It was set in and around the Keller homestead in Tuscumbia, Alabama, around the 1880's. The stage was a very good size in my opinion and although I found the setting area to be quite small, it was very comfortable.

As soon as the play starts we learn about Helen's condition from the doctor. Her parents find out she is deaf and blind when she was very young. This had an emotional effect on me because it was sad to see Kate, Helen's mother, find out about her daughters condition. I held this emotional feeling in me throughout the play almost the entire time. As Helen grows up she becomes frustrated and violent because she cannot communicate, which also upsets her family. I found a few of these instances to be very funny, especially when Helen's brother and her father constantly bicker. It was also funny to see Helen eat her food with her hands and try to grab everyone else's food at the dinner table. When the Keller's hire Anne Sullivan to teach Helen to learn language the play becomes more intense and dramatic. Anne and Helen don't hit it off right away and a lot of the time I found myself laughing out loud at a few things Helen did to her, such as hitting her and locking her in her room. Although Helen could not communicate during almost all of the play, she was very smart and clever. Eventually the play becomes less funny and more serious when Anne feels she can't get through to Helen, which displeases Keller, Helen's father. Anne insists that she must be alone with Helen and that nobody can see her. When Anne and Helen move out I start to feel bad for Anne because even after 2 weeks she still felt hopeless. After dealing with a lot of violence and patience Anne finally gets through to Helen and at the very end of the play Helen learns the word water and eventually catches on to language, thanks to Anne. I was excited for Anne and Helen when this happened and very impressed with Anne.

Overall the play was very inspirational and all the actors and actresses fit their parts very well. I was left feeling inspired and happy because the play had a very exciting and happy ending. The Miracle Worker exceeded my expectations and I would definitely recommend this play to anyone and everyone.

We All Rebel

http://www.peterubel.com/uncategorized/something-i-have-in-common-with-beethoven/

Rebel Music, written by Daniel Felsenfeld, tells the story of how he became attracted to a “different kind of music” in his teenage years, which lead him to be the composer he is today. When Daniel was 17 years old he lived in what he called "the ideal suburban community", Orange County, California. He states that living there made him feel as if he was experiencing a personal drought and lack of culture, especially music. Some afternoons Daniel would go over to his friend Mike's house to listen to tapes, and one-day Mike introduced him to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Daniel felt that it was the first time he thought he was actually listening to real music, and it turned out to have a drug-like effect on him. He took a few other classical music tapes Mike had and liked them so much he started listening to them in secret on his way to school. He felt a bit odd being the only one he knew that listened to this “different kind of music”, but if he hadn’t rebelled he wouldn’t have found his passion and he wouldn’t have become the composer he is today, in New York.

Now, when Daniel composes, he thinks back to when he was inexperienced, listening to Beethoven for the first time because it helps him do his best work. Rebelling even the smartest kids, who listened to goth, metal, and punk at the time, is the reason Daniel is where he is at now. It turns out that rebelling from the "normal" can result in something amazing and I like how the author expresses that in the essay. We shouldn't feel weird for enjoying something that someone else doesn't. I believe that if you have a passion for something, no matter what it is, you should put it to use and make something great out of it. Some people go their entire life not knowing what they are truly passionate about. I for one, am happy that the author chose to further his interest in classical music by becoming a composer. He inspired me to rebel from what everyone else does once and awhile because who knows, you might actually find your true self.

My Playlist, My Self

Welcome to my blog! My name is Carly Kovatch and I am studying Communication Studies with an emphasis in Public Relations here at UWSP.

My playlist:

Happy, by Pharrell Williams
Humble And Kind, by Tim McGraw
Thank God For Hometowns, by Carrie Underwood
Who You Are, by Jessie J
Bounce Back, by Big Sean

I chose to put the song Happy, by Pharrell Williams on my playlist to represent my outgoing and bubbly personality. I am a really friendly person and I love meeting new people.

Humble And Kind, by Tim McGraw is a song I chose to represent the caring side of me. I focus a lot of my efforts on caring for the people I am close to. Along with that I am also a very understanding person and I will easily forgive someone if I feel they deserve it. I also always make sure to own up to my faults and that is why I see myself as a humble person.

Another important part of me is my family. I have always been a family oriented person, which is the reason I chose to transfer from St. Cloud State University last year. I am originally from Stevens Point so I transferred to UWSP to be close to my family again. I love the environment at home because my family is so supportive. I will always appreciate Stevens Point because it is a big part of who I am, so that is why I put the song Thank God For Hometowns, by Carrie Underwood on my playlist.

I think the song Who You Are, by Jessie J is a great reminder to always be yourself. The message of the song is to be true to who you are. I chose to put this song on my playlist because I think loving who you are and embracing your true self is so important.

Last but not least, I chose to conclude my playlist with the rap song Bounce Back, by Big Sean. Rap music is my favorite type of music to listen to. This song represents my personality because I never give up. No matter what I always bounce back from anything that brings me down. Out of all the music on my playlist rap music is my favorite because it gives me good vibes, which I can never get enough of!

Thank you for reading my first blog post and for taking the time to get to know me better!

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