Author Archives: Sharon Lin

About Sharon Lin

Hi! My name is Wai-yu Lin, but I go by the name Sharon. I love going to different places, trying different foods, and meeting new people. I like to cook and swim on my free time. I enjoy watching television shows and Asian dramas.

The Fight For a Wife

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The play, The Barber of Seville by Beaumarchais, had a very interesting plot that immediately caught my attention. I am a fan of the romance genre, so after reading the first page, I got a sense of the play being a romance genre. That being so, I could already predict that there would be an obstacle in Count Almaviva’s path to courting Rosine. While reading the play, there were certain parts I could predict and parts that I found surprising. The parts that were surprising had the same theme of fate.

Right when the play starts, the setting is described where Count Almaviva is pacing below Rosine’s lattice. This instantly reminded me of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet because of the famous balcony scene. Although the beginning had hinted to me that this play would be of the romance genre, the Count’s monologue made it uncertain for me to officially label it with that. As the play moves on, Count Almaviva sings to Rosine telling her about himself and his infatuation of her, supporting my claim on the romantic genre. “My love for you is all I have to offer…” (p52) As the love between the Count and Rosine begins to bloom, with Bartholo as the thorn sticking to their side, the sense that this was a comedic opera began to fade and lose its standing. While I read the play, I did not find any part of it humorous. Maybe the way I read it had disintegrated the humor in the play. However, I do not believe that that would hold a strong influence on the play itself.

As love began to bloom between Count Almaviva and Rosine, and obstacles suddenly appearing to keep them apart, the reoccurring theme of fate appeared alongside the obstacles. This is because the obstacles test the fat between the Count and Rosine, bringing up the question of whether or not they will get married to each other. This is shown when Count Almaviva is trying to hand Rosine a letter in response to her letter in his disguise as a drunk soldier. “But why shouldn’t you show it to me?…”(p71) This is spoken by Bartholo, as he insists to see the letter he believed he saw the Count hand to Rosine, indicating his distrust towards Rosine. By insisting to see the letter, he not only distrusts Rosine, but is also trying to determine if Rosine is contacting a lover. If Rosine was to hand over the letter, she would immediately be caught and would have probably have to marry Bartholo immediately; that would be terrible! So, from that incident, the fate of Count Almaviva and Rosine were tested.

Men Become More Like Women?

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Stephen Holden’s review on “Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway!,” is a informing review that brings insight to readers who have watched the show or plan to. He gives readers background and references within the show, allowing the audience to obtain a better understanding on things they might have missed out on. Throughout the show, the protagonist Betty Buckley had sung songs that were revised for the show, such as the centerpiece Hymn to Her (revised from Hymn to Him), and made references to other shows on Broadway and their songs. This was to bring out Ms. Buckley’s idea of how women can be like men as she takes on different male singing roles from different Broadway shows.

I believe that Holden has written a wonderful review that not only informs readers, but also persuades them to consider watching the show. His review gives readers information for a better understanding of the humorous scenes in the show that they might not have caught on. This would be a great review for me if I decided to go see this Broadway show, because I would not have understood what was funny because of the different references that were made. Also, all the information given would allow me to go look it up myself, as he gives names of the songs and composers, so I would better understand the references. This is why I believe Holden has a well written review.

Antigone and Morals

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Set in the past where values then differ from values today, Antigone sheds light upon conflicts with morality. She is faced with Creon’s decision of how her two brother’s deaths will be memorialized. Is it fair that one brother receives a proper burial and the other one does not?

One of her brothers, Eteocles, receives a lavish funeral, with “customary rites,/ to win him honor with the dead below,” (29-30) while the other brother, Polyneices, is left unburied and left as food for the birds. (35-37) These two brothers had fought against each other to death for the throne left behind by their father, Oedipus. With both successors dead, that leaves Creon, their uncle, to take the throne.

From Creon’s point of view, he sees Polyneices as the villain because he attempts to overthrow Eteocles from power and marches into Thebes with a battle intent. Creon believes that ‘anyone who threatens the state is an enemy.’ (212-214) It is understandable that Polyneices seems to play the role of the villain as he is reeking havoc on the country he grew up in and is to rule upon. However, Eteocles was at fault for breaking Oedipus’ wish that the brothers share the throne by having one rule for one year and the other rule the next year. I believe that if Eteocles followed his father’s wishes, then the whole battle between the brothers would not have happened. Creon’s decision is not fair, in my perspective, and is unethical because he puts all the blame on Polyneices who was aggressively seeking out justice for himself. “He’ll be left unburied,/ his body there for birds and dogs to eat,/ a clear reminder of his shameful fate.” (234-236) From this quote, Creon does not seem to have fully evaluated the situation, such as the underlying cause, and just automatically points an accusatory finger at Polyneices based on his actions. Also, as an uncle, I believe that Creon should give  Polyneices some respect, not just leave his corpse in the open as food for animals.

Antigone, on the other hand, believes that family is more important, as she secretly sets out to hold a proper burial for Polyneices even if it means risking her life and going against the law. “I’ll still bury him. It would be fine to die while doing that…you can show contempt to those laws the gods hold in honour.” (89-96) By giving Polyneices a proper funeral, Antigone is obeying the morals set by the gods the Greeks honor and follow; in this case is that the dead should be given proper burial. Although Polyneices may have caused harm to Thebes, as a relative of a family who cares about him, Antigone’s decision to have a proper funeral for him is the right and respectful thing to do.

In Love With a Chair? Hip Hop on Stage?

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Dance can be a complicated art to understand. Unlike theater, the stories in dance are unfolded with the body’s movement and little dialogue. Whether one understands the dance or not can shapes the opinion of a person to recommend it or not.

Brian Seibert reviews “Tool Is Loot,” starting off with a vague opinion of the plot of the dance. He first introduces the name of the dance, the main dancers, and states that the dance was “circuitous.” Choosing that word vaguely illustrates Seibert’s opinion of the dance. I believe that he is connoting the word to say that the plot of the dance got lost as it progressed. This may not be revealed at first as Seibert speaks of the history of how this dance came to be, and compliments the dance before breaking down his review of the characters in the dance, which are also displayed in a positive light. He even praises the music that was used in the dance. Then he drops the bomb. At the end of his review, Seibert states that the ending of the dance ‘lost him,’ and that it trailed off from what it was in the beginning. Then at the very end, he states “And such enchanting performers as these should be seen.” The tone, depicting disappointment in the dance, and the placement of this sentence both indicate that Seibert does not recommend this dance. At least that is what I have deducted from his review.

In Gia Kourlas’ review of “Chapa Quente,” she begins with the background of the choreographer. Then she continues on and gives information about the dance, describing parts of what she saw. Gia continues her review and brings up another dance that is being held at the same place as ‘Chapa Quente’ and compares the two dances. I think that by comparing the two dances, Gia is able to convince the audience that ‘Chapa Quentes’ is a better dance to watch. Her opinion of ‘Chapa Quente’ is shown at the ending through her tone of how the dance was successful in its portrayal of Hip Hop on stage.

Yummmm Tea~

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“What do you remember most about your childhood Jie Jie?” I asked my older sister as she sat at her desk doing her work.
“I don’t remember much from my childhood but afternoon tea with the family. It was consistent almost to the point of being a bit dull, since it was lunch or brunch for us. But I still enjoyed it for some reason.”

 

I stared at her bewildered, “You liked going yum cha(afternoon tea)?!”
“I think it was the family unity that I liked. We would order as soon as a woman pushing metal carts filled with dim sum stopped at our table: steamed buns, dumplings, rice noodle rolls, and egg tarts. The adults would talk and we would talk amongst ourselves while sharing the food. Now that we’ve grown older we don’t do it as often. I feel that despite spending so much time together we still don’t know too much about each other.”

I realized that what my sister said is true-afternoon tea brought family unity. After moving away from the neighborhood we grew up in most, Flushing, our family is not as interactive with one another as we were during our childhood. Now I can see why my sister always suggests going yum cha with the family at any given opportunity.

Business on Broadway?

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To all you future businessmen and women, the hit musical on Broadway How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is something to consider watching. The protagonist, J. Pierrepont Finch (Daniel Radcliffe), starts out at the bottom of the World-Wide Wicket Company as a window cleaner. Aiming high, Finch follows the book “How to Succeed in Business” in hopes to reach the top of the company. Upon reaching the top as Vice President of advertising, Finch’s business practices become questionable in morality, possibly threatening his career.

This musical tells the tale many men/women in business, or even in life in general, aim for – becoming successful. Along this journey to success, people come across obstacles that confront their morals and conscious. “Do you go against your ideals to reach a higher point in life?” is something I ask myself as a reminder that one stray decision could change my life for the worse in a flash. So, if you’re aiming high in business, or just in life, I recommend this musical to you.

When: This musical is on through next year, July 1, 2012. Specific days (in case of no performance or even additional performances) can be found here.

Where: Al Hirschfeld Theater
302 West 45 st. (between 8th ave. and 9th ave.)

Tickets: For a wallet friendly price of $30, buy tickets on the day of the performance at the Box Office (on sale when they open).

Theater

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Neil Genzlinger and Ben Brantley have different ways of reviewing plays. In Neil Genzlinger’s review of Temporal Powers, he starts off with a question that introduces the problem within the play. By introducing this problem, he creates an opening to provide an example of where this problem can be seen, giving him an opportunity to introduce the play Temporal Powers and the company that created it. Genzlinger then takes a step into the past and brings up another play with the same writer, director, and company. This gives readers a sense of credibility as a play reviewer because it shows that this is not the first play he has seen, so he knows what he is talking about. Genzlinger then gives a summary of the play, including bits of dialogue directly from the play and the characters (along with the actors and actresses that play them) in Temporal Powers. To conclude his review, Genzlinger tells the audience that the true nature of the main cast is shown, that they overcome their obstacle, and that the play was “a rewarding one.”

Ben Brantley reviews the play Cymbeline, he starts out by vaguely describing the play. He then continues on with themes of used repeatedly by the writer (Shakespeare), but tells readers what the Cymbeline is most known for. Then he begins to describe the stage, the acting, the cast, and gives information about the people working with the play. In his review, Brantley discreetly provides his opinion of the play, telling readers that the play is one that has not been modernized and that it is exactly as it should be in the way it was written by Shakespeare. Doing so, he subtly hints to readers that he approves of the play.

Both writers give reviews that I believe are credible, but in some way I find them both to be not creditable at the same time. Genzlinger’s review is mostly a summary of the play which makes me doubt his review because he could have just read a summary of the play and not have seen it. However, I liked how he immediately caught my attention with starting his review with a question. Brantley’s review contains descriptions of the play and much comparison with other plays by the writer, but does not tell readers what the play is about. By using too much comparison of other plays by the writer, I began to doubt his review because as a reader I did not understand how the plays were similar besides the writer reusing themes in his plays.

Both writers had aspects I enjoyed about their review; however, I thought Genzlinger’s review was stronger than Brantley’s. By providing a summary of the play, my curiosity of what happens in the end of the it made me want to watch it. With no description of the play, I had no interest to watch the play, which is why I find Brantley’s review weak. I believe that a review should peak a reader’s interest so that they would be interested in watching the play.

Perspective

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Throughout one’s life, memories are created and stored within the your brain. As life goes on, these memories stay within you and occasionally are brought back out in the open. Certain tastes, sounds, sights, touches, and smells trigger the brain and invoke remembrance. Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close both give light to the hardships people face in reality by using perspective to illustrate different scenes in the protagonist’s life.

In The Namesake, Gogol Ganguli has trouble finding his identity. Gogol is the nickname that his parents had given him, which becomes his first name. For eighteen years of his life, he believed that his name was too strange and grew up disliking it.  Traditions his parents upheld became an embarrassment as he tried to fit in the American society. Readers watch Gogol’s life unfold from the third perspective, getting a sense of his feelings as the story unravels. By viewing his life from the third perspective, readers are able to compare their own lives to the events that occur in Gogol’s life without being too drawn to his emotions. For example, when Gogol finds out how he got his name, I remembered a story one of my elementary school teachers told me of how she was named after her mother’s favorite character in a book. Different moments in Gogol’s life, with the emotions and words Lahiri uses, triggers a memory within a person, be it small or big.

Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, illustrates the life of a child who had lost his father on 9/11. Oskar Schell sets out on a journey to find the owner of a key that was hidden in a vase, believing that the owner of the key would be able to tell him something about his father. In a way, this adventure that Oskar goes on is a him trying to find closure on the death of his father. Like Lahiri, Foer illustrates Oskar’s story from the third perspective. Readers watch Oskar travel on his journey to find the owner of the key, having their own emotions brought to the surface as Oskar struggles to find closure. Foer creates different scenes of Oskar talking with different people, which can trigger a reader’s memory of past conversations they had before. This may be due to the similarities in the conversation, or the words that were being used in the conversation.

Jhumpa Lahiri and Jonathan Safran Foer both use third perspective to illustrate their novel’s protagonist’s life. The different events they created are different from reality, yet similar. There are different people who are able to sympathize with these characters, making them similar; however, the path their story takes differs from those of Gogol and aOskar. Even so, the stories of Gogol and Oskar triggers, in some way, a memory.

I remember…bridges

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Being a New Yorker, public transportation is a large part of my life, especially since I cannot drive nor do I own a vehicle of any sort. Dependency on public transportation can prove to be a problem at times, not only because trains and buses are usually never on time, but also because of my wild imagination; I would occasionally fear riding the public bus or taking the train because of atrocious events that occur in reality, such as the Upper East side groping incidents, and because of scenes in movies, such as the Final Destination series. After the 9/11 attacks, that anxiety did grow to a certain extent, but not to the extent that I would stop using public transportation. My apprehension was slightly similar to that of Oskar’s in Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, who never takes a bus or train on his journey to find the owner of the key hidden in a vase. In the beginning of his adventure, Oskar travels to Queens for the first time; however, his extreme fear of buses and trains forces him to journey there by foot from Manhattan. He walks towards the bridge that leads to Queens, walks over it, and continues to his destination.
Similar to Oskar’s journey, there is a memory of mine that I thought was quite an experience. I remember a sweltering, sunny Saturday, and the feeling of the sun’s rays shining down on me as I squinted against the brightness of the sun. It was the last race of the day and I was ready to head home. With my pen and clipboard at hand, I prepared myself for the sound of the gun. In a flash the race was over and I had successfully jotted down everyone’s times.
It was finally time to go home. I remember standing at the bus stop with the team, shielding myself from the sun’s rays with a piece of paper, as we all chatted amongst ourselves. After a long period of time, the team had decided we would walk to the train station. And thus began our journey, walking to Manhattan from Randall’s Island.
I never thought I would ever walk over a bridge in my life. In the moment, all I remember thinking about was how blazing hot it was and how exhausted I was. I remember walking alongside speeding cars. I remember the shadows of the bridge covering the pathway and shielding the sun from our eyes. I remember observing the architecture of the bridge with all its bolts and hinges. And finally, I remember the cheers of the team for making the right decision of walking as we made it across the bridge before the bus.

Thinking back to this memory, it was exciting and memorable. The bonding and laughter shared with the team that day, and the fact that it was the first time walking over a bridge, and most likely my last time walking over a bridge, made a deep impression in my life.