"A Dolls House" Act I's Video's Analysis

In the video of “A Dolls House” Act I the director has an interpretation of the characters is accurate to that made by the author of the story. The two characters shown in this act are Nora and Helmer. The both of these are perfect representations of how the characters are made out to be in the actually play.

Nora is made out to be a gold-digger. This is an accurate representation of her up to the point that the video of Act I goes to. Even in the book as soon as Nora gets home in the first conversation that her and Helmer, Helmer said to her “Has my little spendthrift been wasting my money again?” (p.4), this shows that she has a knack for spending her husband’s money. Even later when Helmer asks her what it is that she wants for Christmas, she responds by saying, after beating around the bush a bit that “[Helmer] you might give me money Torvald. Only just as much as you can afford” (p.5). This in addition to the earlier quote shows that Nora is obsessed with money. Up to the point that the video of Act I goes up to.

The picture painted of Nora from when the video ends and the actually end of Act I differs greatly from that portrayed up to the point that the video ends at. After the point where Act I ends it is revealed that Nora had a legitimate reason for needing money. It is revealed that she had taken a loan out with Krogstad, “you brought me the bond with your father’s signature. And then I gave you the money.” (p.23). She had taken this loan without her husband’s knowledge. The lone was taken in order for Nora and Helmer to go on a trip for Helmers health. He however was too proud to let his wife take a loan for his sake. This shows a different side of Nora not shown in the video of Act I. She is not just a gold-digger she is also a very caring wife that would do anything for her husband.

Nora could also be considered somewhat deceptive. One of the first things that she dose is eat cashews that she shouldn’t be eating because of her diet. Her husband asks her about it but she denies it even though she knows that he knows and he knows that she knows that he knows. The fact that she is a deceptive person is also revealed in a part of Act 1 that occurs after the point that the video ends. This is the fact that she took out a loan which she knew her husband hadn’t wanted her to take so she took it without his knowledge and had her farther cosign it for her. In this are a women wouldn’t be able to get a loan without have a male also sign the loan. She however forged her father’s signature on this loan and had deceived Krogstad, the person that she took the loan out with, that the signature was legitimate. Despite the fact that she is a deceptive person most of the things that she lied about she had lied about to help her family.

Helmer is also represented in the video of Act I. He is portrayed as a loving husband. It is clear that he loves Nora in the video because of the tone that he uses when he talks to his wife. This is also confirmed in the play he calls her “my little squirrel” (p.4) he also refers to her as “my little skylark” (p.4). This shows how much that he cares about his wife.

In addition to be a loving husband Helmer is also very appeasing of his wife’s requests. When they talk after she gets home she suggests that she could use some more money to get some things that she would like to get for the Christmas season. He is somewhat reluctant of the suggestion at first saying that “we [Helmer and Nora] can’t spend money recklessly” (p.4). However a short time after the topic is dropped Helmer caves in and “(gives her some money)” (p.4) sensing that she was disappointed with his response.

Some of the director’s interpolations of the characters in the video of Act I were accurate up to the point that the video goes to. However later in Act I things that happen after the video ends contradict how the director represents the characters. These differences may make it more difficult for the director to accurately portray the characters at later parts of the play.

Poem Explication of "Red Shift" by Berrigan

In the poem Red Shift, Berrigan suggest that people become increasingly bitter and angry as they age. He dose so by his tone while reading the poem and the words that he uses in the poem.

The begging of the poem which represents a person’s childhood is hopeful and looking toward the future. When read by Berrigan seems to have a somewhat hopeful. Also in the actually wording of the poem he talks about “looking at the smilingly attentive women”. Both of these things suggest that Berrigan believes that a person’s childhood is the most optimistic and hopeful time of his/her life.

Next is the middle of the poem which represents the middle ages of a person’s life. The poem when read by Berrigan has an uncertain and confused tone. This suggests that during a person midlife they become uncertain about what they are support to be doing in life. This suggestion is further reinforced by the text of the poem in which Berrigan talks about “Love, children, hundreds of them, money, marriage-/ethics, a politics of grace,/ up in the air”. By talking about how all of these things are up in the air suggests that a person will face uncertainty in this period in their lives.

Last of all is the end of Berrigan’s poem, which is representative of when people are old and nearing the end of their lives. At this point when Berrigan reads the poem his voice becomes louder and his tone becomes angry. Also in the text of the poem Berrigan speaks about how “you will never escape from me…Who lives only to nag”. These two things suggest that Berrigan believes that people when they become old become angry and cling to the things in their lives not wanting to let go and clinging to life.

Berrigan believes that as people age they all go through certain phases of their lives. When they are young they are hopefully, when they are in their middle ages they are uncertain, and when they are old they are angry and bitter.