I Know This Means Something

    There are definitely a couple things in my life that I consider to have meaning. For the time being, I'm going to focus on being part of the Young Company. "A Funny Thing Happens on the Way to the Forum" opens on December 1, which is less than a week away. The musical is funny, the music is great, the actors are wonderful, and all the technical aspects of the musical are pulling together nicely. However, putting together a musical like this one in 6 weeks is not an easy task to accomplish. It can be very stressful, and it is definitely very time-consuming. I put a lot of effort into my work for the Young Company, so it is one of the more meaningful things in my life.
     I don't act for Company, I work on the technical aspects. There are a lot of people on tech, and the work is divided up into crews. I am a member of the Set Crew, which designs and builds the settings for the plays. As the Set Crew Chief, I lead the crew in the designing and building process. I'm the one who mainly talks to the director about everything in regards to my crew so that we are all on the same page. I mentioned earlier that being in Company is extremely time-consuming, which means I'm there at least 6 times a week. Saturdays are when we all come in for set construction. For this particular musical, we built 3 houses. That is easier said than done, but the houses look awesome. During the week, especially this week leading up to opening, rehearsal goes to about 7:00 or 7:30 each night. A lot of hard work and group effort goes into putting on this musical.
     As stressful as it is to put on a musical, the end result is totally worth it. Seeing the musical being performed will give me the biggest sense of accomplishment, and it'll make all the effort I put into it worth it. It doesn't matter that I lost sleep, drilled into my finger, or the fact that I haven't had a free Saturday since the end of September. That'll have greater meaning once the musical is being performed. I may get stressed out from being in Company, but I still come back for the next show. I'm a senior, and this will be my last musical. It is sad, but I'm already dreading the end of it just like I'm dreading the end of the spring show. Company is the thing I spend most of my time doing, and I am greatly attached to it. It has a lot of meaning for me, and I am so happy to be a part of it.

Frankl-ly Speaking

     Frankl does find meaning in being an inmate in a concentration camp. He knows that being an inmate comes with an immense amount of suffering and very possible death, so he decides to make his suffering and possible death meaningful. I think it takes a very strong will power to do what Frankl does, especially in a situation where it is so easy to just give up. Not only does Frankl make some meaning from his suffering, he thinks of something meaningful to keep him going. It is his wife, and I think it is also the manuscript that he had confiscated upon entry to the camp. Frankl talks about other inmates who are able to be talked out of suicide because they have someone or something outside the camp waiting for them.
     I was thinking about giving suffering meaning as we were watching Life is Beautiful. That movie starts out very happy and jovial, but it gets sadder as it progresses. Guido and his family are sent to a concentration camp. They get separated, leaving Guido with his son. Guido tries to protect his son by making the concentration camp a game. He turns the camp rules into game rules. If they follow the rules, they'll get a tank as a prize. This "game" is what essentially keeps Guido's son alive. Guido found meaning in sacrificing and protecting his son. Guido gave his ration of bread to his son on the first day of being in the camp, but Guido ultimately sacrifices his life to protect his son. Guido is shot, but he walked to his death in a joking manner so not to alarm his son. I think keeping up the charade of a game took a lot of determination from Guido. This determination to keep his son alive gave his life meaning, just like Frankl's determination to finish his manuscript helped him stay alive and give meaning to his suffering. 

A Direction the Class Needs

     I really enjoy this class. The people all have very different viewpoints and mindsets, which leads to great discussions and debates. I like how a variety of students participate, not just the same couple of kids. We do get off topic sometimes, but the discussion always comes back to the main point. I like how this class is mostly focused on discussion. Past English courses were all about literature analysis, grammar/vocabulary, and my absolute least favorite, research papers. We analyze books in this class, but it is always connected to some issue or idea in today's society. This class is so much more laid-back, but not too much. It does not make me feel stressed like past English classes.
     I really enjoyed the books we have read thus far. Candide was something I've wanted to read for a while. I really liked The Stranger, and a lot of other people do to. I was reading it on the train one time, and a woman sitting by me started talking to me about Camus and his other works. I like how the books make me think about the philosophy the author is discussing through the book. I just generally like how this class makes me think more. I don't think it needs any direction. It's fine the way it is. We have great discussions that provoke thought.

Voltaire and Camus are voting for....

     The presidential election is right around the corner, and the race is between the Democratic and Republican parties. There are other parties, but it is pretty much impossible in our government for a third party candidate to get electoral votes, let alone win the election. I am personally tired of all the political hype, and I think Voltaire and Camus would have their own opinions on this election if they were alive and living in America right now.
     Voltaire was a philosopher that poked fun at the government. Candide made jabs at the government in Voltaire's time, and I think he would do the same if he lived in the present-day. If Voltaire were to vote in this election, I have a feeling he would vote for a third party, or he might write in a candidate. Voltaire would probably not be a fan of either major political party candidate, but he would still vote. Voltaire believed that if one did not like the current situation, then one should "revolt" and try to change it.
     Camus was a philosopher who brought up the idea of absurdity. What if life has no meaning? If Camus truly lived by that philosophy, he would be completely indifferent to the election. I think he would vote if he felt like it, but he wouldn't if it got in the way of something else. I don't think voting would be such a big thing for Camus because what does it matter? We are all going to die anyway, and the election of the president does not really change anything. If Camus were to vote, I think he would probably vote for one of the major political party candidates because that's what everybody else is doing. I'm not sure which one. It depends on how he is feeling that day. I can actually see Camus voting for someone because he/she has a cool name because Camus is so indifferent to the election.