Candide: Ridiculous Names.

After reading the first, second and third chapters of Candide by Voltaire, there was no mistaking that there were many very odd names. First, Candide means very pure and almost naive. I assume that Candide will be the character being influenced often by other stronger characters. Cunegonde is a funny take on the French and Latin phrases for female genitalia. It is a bit clear of how that fits into the story line considering she kissed her first cousin in the first chapter. Thunder-ten-tronckh is a version of saying “thunder around the trunk” or the “family tree”. This is shown when the seventy-one generations of nobility are shown, but a man would still not be taken as a husband by a woman who wanted to be sure his nobility went back further. In the book, Metaphysico-theologo-cosmolonigology is the philosophy that Pangloss, the great philosopher, practices. I understood this as a funny take on the philosophy that Leibinz practiced because I understand Pangloss as the Leibinz of Candide with similar ideas. When “Experimental Physics” was spoken about, it was referring to two characters having sex.

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunégonde

http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/4c/candide.h00.htm

Review of Fetch Clay, Make Man.

The New York Theater Production, “Fetch Clay, Make Man,” was a great play that showcased the professional and person life of Muhammed Ali, (which was interpreted by the play write, Will Power). The production was a really great view into 1965 and how people of different races lived and interacted with each other in comparison to how they interact with each other today. It really reflected on how two people who were viewed so differently by the public (Ali and Fetchit) could come together and show their true selves with each other behind all of the shining lights.

The actors that brought the play to life did a sensational job, as well. They put the costume on, got their mind in place and completely transformed to present who these people were and are to the audience. With minimal props and stage sets, the actors needed nothing but their bodies, stage presence and dialogue to convey every single emotion inside their character’s mind. It didn’t even look like they were thinking about it, everything they were saying came directly from the heart and mind of their character, and that’s what a great show is. In the audience, you felt like you were actually witnessing Stepin Fetchit discussing work with William Fox. Or that you were really watching Sonji Clay cursing out Muhammed Ali. It didn’t seem like a show, it felt like reality, and it was the perfect interpretation of what may have happened behind the scenes of two iconic figures.  It was funny, informative and all around enjoyable. Five stars in my book.

Review on Fetch Clay, Make Man.

The New York Theater Production, “Fetch Clay, Make Man,” was a great play that showcased the professional and person life of Muhammed Ali, (which was interpreted by the play write, Will Power). The production was a really great view into 1965 and how people of different races lived and interacted with each other in comparison to how they interact with each other today. It really reflected on how two people who were viewed so differently by the public (Ali and Fetchit) could come together and show their true selves with each other behind all of the shining lights.

 

The actors that brought the play to life did a sensational job, as well. They put the costume on, got their mind in place and completely transformed to present who these people were and are to the audience. With minimal props and stage sets, the actors needed nothing but their bodies, stage presence and dialogue to convey every single emotion inside their character’s mind. It didn’t even look like they were thinking about it, everything they were saying came directly from the heart and mind of their character, and that’s what a great show is. In the audience, you felt like you were actually witnessing Stepin Fetchit discussing work with William Fox. Or that you were really watching Sonji Clay cursing out Muhammed Ali. It didn’t seem like a show, it felt like reality, and it was the perfect interpretation of what may have happened behind the scenes of two iconic figures.  It was funny, informative and all around enjoyable. Five stars in my book.