Conference with Wong Phui Nam

I’m grateful to have the chance to meet Mr. Wong Phui Nam in person last Monday. I’ve heard of him before, deal with his works for my courses, but don’t have any idea who he really is! The opportunity of meeting him was helpful in understanding Literature component better because he does not only come for a visit, but shared with us ways of looking at poetry. I’ve always enjoy poetry and his topic of discussion on that day was worth keeping in mind. What is a poem? Wong Phui Nam simply define it as ‘what a poet say’.
Poem are meant to read aloud is the first tips given by him. Secondly, we need to look at the sense of rhythm then, the sound shape and finally the diction. All these cannot be taught but need to be picked up by reading a lot of poems. By doing so, you will be able to get the sensation which open yourself to diction. In reading poems also we need to expect what the poet feels in order to help us to find meaning and undergo pleasure out of it. If you notice, when you really are into a poem you’ll find that as if you are being hypnotizes through the emotions created by the poet. Actually, a poet is creating a ‘spell’ (world in itself) to the readers by using imageries so that it creates the feelings and emotions the writers wanted to transmit to readers. I agree with Mr. Wong when he said poem is ‘not only an ink mark on a piece of paper’ but rather a primary structure by itself.

'A Streetcar Named Desire'

Tennessee William’s ‘A streetcar named desire’ brought in elements of animal imageries, ironies and symbolism. I’m interested in the symbolism presented by the playwright as it suggests to me the character traits of every character. I’m more interested in examine Blanche character traits rather than her sister Stella as I think Blanche’s past life had more to deal with. Look at her appearances, she still dresses as if she is in the past, trying to maintain the stereotypical image of a southern belle. At first the audience may not immediately grasp the importance of Blanche's clothes, but as the play continues Stanley is introduced and becomes a stark contrast to her. "…Roughly dressed in blue denim work clothes, Stanley carries his bowling jacket and a red stained package from a butcher." The use of bold, vibrant and lurid detail highlights the juxtaposition between these two extreme characters. Stanley represents the overpowering dominant force that finally destroys the mentally unstable Blanche. Williams uses a moth as a metaphor for Blanche to convey her vulnerability and delicate state. This imagery emphasizes her fragility and innocence against the harsh, bright and threatening atmosphere of New Orleans. "Let's leave the lights off." Blanche lives in constant fear of being seen in the light, as it would reveal the ugly reality that she tries so hard to cover up. Meanwhile, the hiding of the naked light bulb is again a symbol of her eternal longing for magic and fantasy. Blanche is "fighting to survive, a butterfly broken on the wheel of reality…adjusting the light to conceal the fact of her ageing which she fears above all." ³ This statement describes Blanche's metaphorical and mental struggle against reality. Williams himself once said, “Delicate and moth-like she is a refined, sensitive, cultured, intelligent women who is never willing to hurt anyone. She is at mercy of a brutal, realistic world." He explains that the real reason for Blanche's downfall is because of her innocence and her naive approach to life. There’s a lot more to discuss but I just can’t wait for the staging of this play!

My Homecoming........

What come in mind when I first heard of ‘The Homecoming’ is going back to where we belong. I went for the play with my group of buddies and guess what it did not turn us down. We really find it interesting! It is the first time for all of us to be in KL Pac, Sentul for the evening show. This deliciously, dark comedy tells the story of a successful philosophy professor named Teddy who returns to his hometown for the first time in six years to introduce his wife, Ruth to his family. Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming was directed by Gavin Yap. According to him, there’s a need to always looking for a different ways to approach a scene and always trying to find ways to make a scene just a little sicker or funnier or weirder or more powerful, sadder and more absurd.
Well, I noticed that each scene presented on its on way through the uses of lighting, music and set design. However, some of my friend agree with me that the elements of cultural and beliefs are not put into consideration when staging the play. In other words, to have such a play in Malaysian context may not be accepted as perhaps it against the social values or norms of any ethnics. Still, it’s up to us to felt free to explore every angle of the story and create our own understanding!

Butterfly...... that what i think of!

When I first started reading Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, what comes as sudden in mind is Educating Rita by Wily Russell. I felt very familiar reading along the lines of this play or should I call easy-kind of reading materials. I found that the main characters in Pygmalion have similar characters traits with the major characters in Educating Rita. In Pygmalion, we are introduced to Professor Higgins and Eliza. Meanwhile, we have Frank and Rita as the pivotal characters in Educating Rita. What I’m interested in these both play is the theme ‘education’. Education in both Pygmalion and Educating Rita seems to be the central idea that acts as an issue. I simply regard this play as butterfly because Pygmalion story is after Ovid's Metamorphoses. It is like the butterfly undergoes a process of metamorphoses in its life cycle.
When watching the movie, I find it interesting though it is in black and white film. Well, what you expect? The title of the play ‘Pygmalion’ does not appeal to me at the first place because I have the idea of the play as of a science fiction genre. I think it would be better to watch the film first before we deal the text in class. However, Higgins is good looking in the movie than what I have pictured him when reading the text. How I wish to watch the play on stage one day!