Thursday, November 8, 2007

Question for "The Glass Menagerie" Due November 13 (midnight!)

Scene Two of the play introduces us to the blue roses and the glass menagerie.

Explain your own, personal, response to these two important symbols in a paragraph of about 150 words. Most of your writing should give specific details that give an opinion of, for example, the effect the symbols have on your thinking. There is no need to explain the symbolism in detail.

Please bring your answers to this question and the previous one as well, word processed and double spaced, to class on Wednesday.

Enjoy your long weekend!

11 comments:

Brad said...

The blue roses and the glass menagerie, symbolically associated with Laura, Tom’s emotionally crippled sister, bring forth strong personal reactions. She remembers vividly how Jim would “holler, “Hello, Blue Roses!” Beautiful roses, but impossible at the same time: blue, a cold colour, unreal. I feel pity for her holding on to such a small memory, something that Jim is hard pressed to remember. It hurts to see Laura invest such emotion in remembering his little joke. The glass menagerie holds a different kind of beauty. It shines, but is brittle. Laura invents a world in that glass, more beautiful than the one she inhabits. Her world, invented, is no different from any one of ours. Each of us is fragile. Laura reminds me of my own desire to be special and of the fragility of my own life. Through these symbols, I understand myself as much as I do Laura.—150 words; first draft

Victoria said...

Two main symbols of “The Glass Menagerie” play are Blue Roses and Glass Menagerie.
I like the symbol of a Blue Roses it tells everything about the main character Laura, who gets this nickname by mistake. The Rose itself personifies the delicacy, and tenderness of her soul. However the Blue colour makes this rose weird, unfamiliar and strange for people around. They might like it, but also might try to avoid it for its alien. Another symbol of a play is the glass menagerie, the hobby of Laura’s. This is a collection of different animals “coexisting” together in one little cabinet. It sounds like our society only “the smallest animals” in the world actually accept each other as they are and “live” in peace. Along with regular animals in glass menagerie lives the unicorn, symbolizing Laura’s difference from others. Fortunately for the unicorn other animals accept him. Will the Laura be ever accepted?

zara said...

The glass menagerie and the blue roses are two symbols for Laura in the
play “The Glass Menagerie,”. These two symbols are constructed at an early
age in her life and have an essential impact on her life like many others
people including me. Early on in her life Laura has a sensitive and
emotional personality because she has very little support; consequently, she can not overcome her problems and accepts her and accepts her life. For example, Jim’s comment about her was an accident, but she took it very seriously and remembered it for a long
time. Collecting the glass menagerie, also demonstrates her personality,
by collecting the glassy animals Laura tries to create a kind of world in
which everyone lives peacefully together without any conflicts. Therefore,
we, as adults, should be careful about the way we interact with children
because they are very sensitive and naive.

KERI said...

In the play “The Glass Menagerie,” “the blue rose” is a symbol of Laura’s love, which also represents Jim. Each time, when Laura speaks of Jim or “blue rose”, she is always excited and joyful. But, in fact, it isn’t a lucky omen. During our daily life, we know red rose symbolizes happy, exciting and beautiful love. But the color blue is always connected with hopeless and depression. So Tennessee Williams, through this nickname of Laura, which Jim gives her, predicts the bad end of Laura’s love. “The glass menagerie” is a beautiful animal world where the animals are always kept privately and enclosed. I can feel it is also the reflection on Laura’s life. Laura is delicate, fragile and vulnerable, and she is always escaping from the real world and insulates herself from other people, just like the little glass animal. Therefore, “the glass menagerie” is a very suitable symbol for Laura’s life.

Zhi said...

Unicorn
Two of most important symbols, the blue roses and the unicorn, are relative with Laura. Pitiful Laura gets her nickname blue roses from Jim because of her illness’ name, pleurisies. Perhaps, “the blue roses” is used for implying Laura’s peculiar love, because roses mean love and usually are red. The unicorn is Laura’s embodiment. In Laura’s glass menagerie, unicorn is her favorite. Even though it is fragile, it is shiny and charming when it is placed a candle light. Excepting its horn, the unicorn is same to a normal horse; similarly, Laura is a beautiful girl except for her crippled left leg. Laura seems understanding there are some similarities between the unicorn and her life. After the unicorn’s horn is accidentally broken off, she lets Jim hold the hornless unicorn because she wishes Jim treasures up it. Laura’s brittle love and unfortunate life are represented by two symbols.

Jane said...

In the play "The Glass Menagerie", the blue roses and the glass menagerie are two important symbols which are related to Laura. As we know that the main color is red, white and yellow in the rose's kind, and red roses represent happy and beautiful love. However, blue roses are very rare in the nature, and the blue color is cold and illusory, which implies hopeless and depression. Though blue roses come from "pleurosis" because of the similar pronounciation, Laura deals with it very seriously and invests her strong emotion to remember this kind of joke. This is because this nickname is offered by Jim. When Jim says "Hello, Blue Roses!", she is always excited, so I really feel pity for Laura because she doesn't get love from Jim. Apparently, the blue roses symbolize sad and hopeless love. The glass menagerie represents Laura's private world which she builds up, where she can hide and feel safe. We know the glass menagerie is shiny but fragile, and it is put in the enclosed place, so the glass menagerie especially unicorn symbolizes Laura's trait and life, which is brittle and intraverted. In fact, her life is unreal.

Margaret said...

"The Glass Menagerie", or collection of animals, represents Laura’s imaginative world which she devoted herself. World that is colourful and charming, but based on fragile illusion. Like the figurines, Laura is delicate, bizarre, and out of this world. Glass is transparent, but, when light go through it, it reflects the rainbow of colors. Similarly, Laura mild and shy around strangers looks a little weird, but extraordinarily, when someone chooses to look at her from different angle. For me, the menagerie has a special meaning. It represents human’s feelings and imagination that can be easy broken or cultivate, if getting love and care. Another symbol - Blue Roses, they symbolise Laura’s unusualness and allure. Blue-colour roses are unusual in nature, so does Laura around the normal people. I believe, the colour blue represents innocence and again, imagination. The blue roses shows Laura’s childish nature – pure and sometimes naive. I associate both symbols with
Laura’s delicacy and uniqueness.
(156 words)

andrew said...

In my opinion two symbolic items, the blue rose and the glass menagerie repectively imply Laura's first love and her personality.As a common sense rose represents love but there is barely a blue color.The blue color is not weird to Laura bacause Jim,the guy she has a crush on gave her the nickname which embedded in her deep heart even though it was caused by a mistake.It's memorable,sweet for Laura the moment she opened her past memories.The glass menagerie tells us exactly what kind person Laura is: unique and fragile. She is living in her unreal self-contained glass world and enjoys it until one day Jim accidently breaks the horn of her favorite unicorn and her love-longing dream as well.
People are vulnerable particularly while facing love.But what Laura does is just poised to give Jim the glass menagerie as a souvenir. That is what Mr.Williams tried to tell us the way Laura is: just like the glass menagerie.

vic''ky said...

Blue roses, Jim made this name by mistake. Every girl likes rose including Laura. The nickname which contains rose is a nice name. The rose does not have blue color by nature, but he blue rose is pretty expensive and unique. Therefore, blue rose does not only describe the color of the rose. Blue means gloomy. It is just like Laura. As a crippled, she is extremely shy. So, blue suits her well.
The glass menagerie is Laura’s favorite. She mentioned she costs much time on her collection of the glass menagerie. Menagerie is like the whole society which is lived by different people. Laura’s heart is as fragile as glass. She keeps herself in her world, so she will not be hurt by others. In the end of the story, the unicorn lost its horn. It implies everyone is ordinary and everyone cannot avoid being hurt.
147words

Claudia said...

“The Glass Menagerie”, a group of brittle animals, which reflect the sensitivity of Laura, who feels unconfident and unsecure for her authority mother. It portraits a delicate woman who has aspirations, and dreams to marry one day. Therefore, it is made of crystal that gleams, and sparks like a sunshine emerging from the ocean. A thorough piece of brightness that makes you enhance a new day. A pity compassion for an unprotected cripple female who does not deserve to be betrayed. In addition, “Blue Roses”, a synonym for Laura to compare her charisma and talent. A petal which never expects to fall down because of its delicate blue color. Moreover, an aroma that perceives the freshness of a new flower. Blue sky that does not care the threat of a thunderstorm. No destiny can be found in Laura’s life to symbolize her love for her high school friend, or fascination she has towards to her unicorn.
(156 words)

Lola said...

“Blue Rose” isn’t an actual flower in the real world, but if it was, it would be an extremely attractive and unique one. Jim gives this nickname to Laura, expressing the way he likes her as a friend and brings his kind and pleasant emotion to her. In addition, the similar part of blue rose and Laura is unusualness. Both live in an imaginative world and refuse realty.
The same as the “Blue Rose,” the glass menagerie also represents Laura’s personality through some common points. Glass is fragile and transparent. Similarly, Laura is delicate and pure as a clear and slender glass belonging one of her collection of glass animals. On the other hand, unicorn has its special horns which are different with other normal horses, just as Laura, who identifies herself as a “cripple.” Lastly, the glass menageries are beautiful for people who know how to see them. Laura stays at home, waits someone who knows how to admire her and can change her life’s color from transparent to colorful. (171 words)
I didn't post it beacouse you asked for bringing it to class, so I printed it.