The Taming of the Shrew

            Last week there was an option to attend 3 plays. I decided to search what plays were being performed and was pleasantly surprised when I saw that Loyola students would be performing two Shakespeare’s plays, "Taming of the Shrew”, and “Macbeth”. I have heard the story of Macbeth countless times so I thought that this was a great time to experience something different. In the play "Taming of the Shrew", characters seemed to struggle with the social classes that were assigned to them. They did not have much control over their social position because it was mostly based on their wealth, age, gender, and education, which are 4 categories that we are still classified in today. Most of these characters in the play, especially Katherine is very uncomfortable with her social status and desires to change but the disapproval from society is too much for her to bear. In this week’s readings of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”, and “Cincinnati” by Mitsuye Yamada the authors use imagery and literary devices to try to connect with readers on an emotional level. I believe that in all three of these readings a character is looking for freedom and to be relieved of their hardships.

            In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” there is a father with his young son and they seem to be dancing around in the kitchen. While pots and pans fall from the shelves, every mistake the boy made the father would follow up by hitting him on the head or scrapping him with his belt buckle. I feel that the son is more of a prisoner than a member of the family. I think that he is scared to challenge his father and his ultimate goal of life is freedom from him. For the time being as long as he is child he is stuck in that position because he has no power just like Katherine in “Taming of the Shrew”. Although there is a sense of hostility between the father and son at the end of the poem the son is still “clinging” to his father’s shirt. This shows that even though the father is violent and drunk, his son still acts very obedient and loving towards him no matter what because that is the role he has to play.

            In “Cincinnati”, Mitsuye Yamada reflects on a memory of when she first experienced freedom. She had been released from a camp and started to walk on the streets and was excited for her “first day in a real city where no one knew me”. Although, her feeling of happiness does not last for long because a stranger called her a “dirty jap”. This is an example of the social status hardships that she has to face due to her ethnicity. She is very careful with how she uses her words because it is almost like she is looking for sympathy from the reader. Due to the disapproval from society she starts to cry and feels noticed by everyone. Sadly, people in our world have a tendency to be racist and feel superior than others. Society can influence people negatively and classify people in a social class that they do not want to be associated with. Everyone should have the freedom to determine their own social class and be accepted in the world for who they are.

            In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado” we encounter two of the strongest human emotions, love and hate. This short story is based on revenge, because the main character Montresor wants to honor his family’s motto. Montresor seems to be so infatuated with himself that he declares himself the judge, jury, and executioner in this short story. Poe wants his readers to judge Montresor for the monster that he is, not to sympathize or respect him. Montresor tricks his drunken enemy, Fortunato to follow him into the catacombs, where he wants to seek his revenge. Throughout this story Poe uses imagery, metaphors, and irony so the reader can develop an imagination. I think this whole story is very ironic because in order for Montresor to be free he has to take the life of someone else. For a life to be reborn, another one has to be taken away. The catacombs are a place where one feels trapped and I believe that it represents the darkness in our world today. With the imagery that Poe uses the reader can picture the cold, dark, smelly quarters of the catacombs and makes us value the open free world we are a part of today.

            I think that the goal of all three these readings is to find out what makes you feel restricted and what makes you feel free. With hard work and happiness anyone can change their social status in society. Just because people like to judge and classify others does not mean that we have to accept ourselves for the people they see. Everyone is their own person and everyone has their own freedom.