Thursday, November 25, 2004
Bingo!
As Yumi likes to say, "Biiiingoooooooo!"
It's my day for bingoes (that the right spelling?) from my professors. And I only had two professors today. How about that?
First, Philosophy.
Ah...Philosophy. When was the last time I wrote about my Philo class? Not in so many weeks, I think. Anyway, got called today (Bingo!). The second time this semester that Mr. de Jesus came across that pink 4x6 index card with my name on it. And the second time I bumbled my answers this semester. Well, I was able to...sort of...answer the question (sort of) the first time, but I stuttered my way through it.
This morning's recitation was about Sarte's play No Exit. I read it. I actually liked it. It was about hell, except a different concept of hell. You have these 3 characters all sent to hell, and hell is this lounge-type room with 3 sofas, a mantelpiece, and what Sarte called Second Empire furnitures. No windows, no mirrors. The door can't be opened, and there's a bell that doesn't work. No exit. Anyway, as the story progressed, you realize that this hell isn't exactly better than the hell we've been told about all our lives. The three characters will have to spend eternity driving each other crazy and torturing each other by making themselves face...um...themselves? There are no mirrors, but they are each others' mirrors.
Anyway, Mr. de Jesus asked me to pick out one pair and describe their relationship, and how they torture each other. I tried, but I kept dragging the third character into the explanation. So, I sat through the first pair. Then, I was called again for the next pair. Again, I bumbled my way through my so-called explanation, so I sat again and let someone else explain it. Finally, it was my turn again for the third pair. And since I had a feeling that I would again say something wrong, I said, "Sir, pwedeng pass na lang?"
Drat, he said no. Said I had to finish it. At least I got through this one okay. But that was embarrassing.
Second, Sir Bernal. Ah, Bernal. He's the type who will really yell at you as you try to recite. Well, we'd just finished watching Vatel, a story about a conde's steward, Vatel, who spends the entire film creating miracles in order to make the king's stay at the conde's place the best one he'd ever had.
Well, Sir Bernal was asking how the theme of perfection was shown in connection to the theme of freedom and slavery. So, I made this explanation about how, in the last scene, after Vatel commits suicide, it was said that no one could tell the king the real reason why he killed himself (which was that Vatel realized he wasn't free, especially since he had just been made the pawn in a card game between the conde and the king). They tried to make it sound as if Vatel had killed himself because he'd thought the fish didn't arrive and the final banquet for the king would no longer be perfect, which would be more flattering to the king.
Apparently, he hadn't gotten it, though, coz, in the middle of my explanation, Bernal started raising his voice and protesting that someone had knocked on the door to tell him that the fish had arrived, and Vatel couldn't have killed himself because of that. Had to steamroll my way through his loud protests to make my point. So we were both raising our voices there, trying to be heard over each other's voices. But I have to admit, I wanted to cover my head and crawl underneath the chairs. Sir Bernal has that effect on people.
Lesson of the day: Do not recite in class.
# Lyn found a missing piece @ 7:09 PM 
Comments:
hahaha.. that day was a big bingo for all of us. buti nalang walang philo today. i wasn't able to read the look. hehe
Post a Comment
# posted by 
: 2:05 PM
: 2:05 PM
