Analyzing Social Class and Humanity in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Seinfeld
Typically, the relationships between theatre and film are encountered--both pedagogically and theoretically--in terms of authorial influence or aesthetic comparisons. In the first method, an instructor builds a syllabus for a "Theatre and Film" course by illustrating, for example, how Bergman was influenced by Strindberg. In the second method, the aesthetic norms of the theatre (fixed spectatorial distance and stage-bound locations) are compared to those of the cinema (editing and location shooting) to determine which art form is better suited (or "superior") to which material.
My work proposes a broader view of the theatre-film interface, one that relies on intertextuality as its interpretive method. I believe it is valuable-both pedagogically and theoretically-to ask broad questions about the aesthetic, narrative, and ideological exchanges between the history of theatre and contemporary film and television. For example, this paper will study how the "Chinese Restaurant" episode of the sitcom, Seinfeld, intertextually reworks Samuel Beckett's modernist play, Waiting for Godot. In each text, characters encounter an existential plight as they are forced to wait interminably, and thus confront their powerlessness at the hands of larger social forces. As a pedagogical matter, this connection encourages the students to see academic culture in the guise of having to read Beckett's play for my course, not as foreign and alienating, but instead as continuous with their understanding of leisure activities like watching sitcoms. As a theoretical matter, this intertextual connection allows important ideological matters to come into bold relie...
... middle of paper ...
...ng it in light of Godot, we can appreciate something much more fundamental, that Seinfeld is every bit as humanitarian as Godot because it shows how our human frailties militate against our desire to end all human contact with others. Any critic who out-of-hand dismisses the sit-com as trash should for this reason alone be thoroughly distrusted, because the desperate communitarian cultural function of the sitcom has been completed ignored. I suggest that there are reasons we watch sitcoms that are not all reducible to the notion that we are stupid, cultural dupes. Seinfeld, as well as Waiting for Godot, offers us insights into what makes us human. At some basic level, this is a compelling explanation for why we care to watch television as much as it is for why we go to live theatre.
Works Cited
Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove P, 1954.
Younger generations and the more vulnerable in society can be influenced in avoiding peer pressure, but for the individuals filled with wisdom, the shows can reflect based on American modern society. Everybody Loves Raymond and Full House are great shows who faces similar life obstacles a typical person living in the US has today. As a result, most modern family comedy sit-coms are reflecting our society’s generations and the more vulnerable. Based on the success of early family sit coms, American’s adapted to a fast pace lifestyle with the help of modern
Seinfeld was a sitcom from NBC that was very popular during the ’90s, and is often referred as “a show about nothing.” It consisted of the life of a fictitious Jerry Seinfeld and his friends in New York City (IMDb). Seinfeld reached a Nielsen rating of 21.7 percent and number one in the United States ranking during its ninth and final season (“Appendix 3: Top-Rated Programs by Season”). It was unique in the way that it portrayed social life during the ‘90s, and this inspired shows such as Friends, Ellen, and Mad About You (Pierson 49). In Seinfeld episodes, the viewer can observe social customs, fads, social standards, and family portrayals of ‘90s semi-young adults.
Beaumont's failed comedy, 'The Knight of the Burning Pestle', is a unique play that seeks to satirise and burlesque the theatrical and social domain. Crucial to this satire is the collision of two concurrent plots that vie for the audience’s attention. These collisions allow the audience to see opposing ideologies in contrast through the dramatic effect of the breakdown in the boundaries of theatre. It is arguable that this play encourages one to question hierarchy and tradition through exploration of ideology, disputed genres, and Rafe's potential rebellion.
Nelson, R. (2009). Modernism and Postmodernism in Television Drama. In: Creeber, G Televisions: An Introduction to Studying Televsion. 2nd ed. London: British Film Institute . p.90.
A more ritual analysis of the genre is provided by the author of publications such as Television: The Critical View and TV: The Most Popular Art: Horace Newcomb. Newcomb suggests that the genre is basic in nature; it is limited in its capability of ambivalence, development and challenge to the spectator’s values. Like Grote, he is concerned with the genre’s apparent inability to diverge from or expand its “rigid structure” – consisting in the transparent, reassuring problem-and-solution formula – where the “only movement is toward the alleviation of the complication and the reduction of confusion” (Newcomb, 1974). Newcomb then turns his attention to the subgenre of “domestic comedy”, where the program focuses on a person rather than a situation.
During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that, examining post classical at which time the relationship between them will become evident. It is my intention to reference films from both movements and also published texts relative to the subject matter. In order to illustrate the structures involved I will be writing about the subjects of genre and genre transformation, the representation of gender, postmodernism and the relationship between style, form and content.
Popular culture is the artistic and creative expression in entertainment and style that appeals to society as whole. It includes music, film, sports, painting, sculpture, and even photography. It can be diffused in many ways, but one of the most powerful and effective ways to address society is through film and television. Broadcasting, radio and television are the primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in virtually every nation around the world, and they have become a crucial instrument of modern social and political organization. Most of today’s television programming genres are derived from earlier media such as stage, cinema and radio. In the area of comedy, sitcoms have proven the most durable and popular of American broadcasting genres. The sitcom’s success depends on the audience’s familiarity with the habitual characters and the situations
Statistics show that cell phones have been the cause for some accidents. Each year an estimated 2,600 people are killed and 330,000 people are injured by drivers who use their cell phones (12). However out of all the wrecks that were caused by distraction, cell phones accounted for 1.5 percent. The leading factor was "things outside the car" (13). Since these statistics were released many people think that we shouldn't rush to ban cell phone use while driving. These people think that since it is only 1.5 percent of distractions there are other things that can be improved. There are still others that think that it is a big deal and because of this many studies have been conducted on the effect of cell phone use while driving.
According to many, are laws are not as strict as they should be. “Our current laws are woefully inadequate.” (Winsten, 2015, pg. 1) No one will get even a day or two behind bars for getting caught on the highway with a phone in their hands, looking at the screen for hundreds of yards without looking up, endangering everyone around them. This is how nasty accidents happen, and it is hard to tell whether or not an accident will kill someone, so why even take the risk? The death toll is scarier than people may think. “Each day in the United States, on average, eight families bury a loved one killed by a distracted driver.” (Altschiller, 2017, pg. 1) Additionally, while teenagers, seemingly harmless, have contributed the most towards this horrid statistic. The deaths caused by teens are mostly due to poor driving skills and a lack of attentiveness on the road. “Ten percent of all drivers aged 15-19 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.” (Altschiller, 2017, pg. 2) Fortunately, there are people that know of the consequences to come. “Without a seismic change in driver attitudes, the situation will only worsen, says James: ‘Every generation is going to be more aggressive, more competitive and more
Criminals are often released for good behavior or time severed in order to make room for more criminals. In fact, within three years after release, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year (“National”). At this point, imagine it that your daughter, son, sister, brother, parent, any one you’re close to, was viciously murdered. Imagine the perpetrators was sentenced to life but got out after three years for their ‘good behavior’, when they could have gotten the death penalty. Now they could be back on the streets about to commit the same crime to another family, who will suffer from their actions. With the death penalty being used for severe crimes such as murder, rape, child abuse, manslaughter, arson, terrorism, domestic violence, gang violence, kidnapping, assault and battery it could lessen the criminals in the prisons. No doubt, using the death penalty will also help cut down costs on keeping the corrupt criminals in
Crime is a part of our lives, it is everywhere! Controlling or eliminating crime and criminals is no easy task but it can not be ignored. Making sure those that are rightly accused to a just punishment is very important. There are many reasons why people commit crimes; some do it for the shear of enjoyment others do it to be able to survive. The death penalty should not be used for every crime, although I strongly believe it should be used for those who commit very violent crimes, such as murder.
In today's society, technology revolves around our everyday lives. Cell phones, and handheld devices have taken over our fast paced world. Although there are some positive aspects to the growing opportunities in technology, there are still many negatives involved. One of the leading causes of death in the United States today, are car wrecks (Driving While Distracted: Statistics to know). Even though accidents appear to be out of our control, in reality, most car wrecks are caused by lack of attention to the road. To prevent anymore fatalities caused by distracted driving in the United States, cell phone usage while behind the wheel should be completely banned.
The invention of the cell phone has changed the lifestyle and the way people communicate. Despite their effective way of communication, the use of cell phones while driving results in negative effects to driving performance. Driving while talking is a problem because it is the cause of many accidents. The solution is to make cell phone use while driving illegal, and creating phone applications that will make it more difficult to text while in a vehicle. Furthermore, operating a cell phone on the wheel is on the verge of being banned by law in every state, and some have accomplished this as a solution to the problem.
Imagine you are driving down the road and you begin to notice the car in front of you is swerving. You start to wonder if the driver may be under the influence; you keep a close watch on the car, but keep your distance for safety precautions. All of a sudden the driver slams on their brakes to avoid hitting a pedestrian and you end up rear-ending them. Later you discover that the driver was texting on their phone and almost hit the pedestrian because their attention was elsewhere. How would that make you feel? Now, you have to pay to repair the damages on not only your car, but the other driver’s car as well. I believe that cell phone use while driving should be banned in all states due to the fact that it is already against the law in some states, it is a distraction to drivers, and it endangers self and others.
Nevertheless, the question at hand is whether theatre will have a role in the society of the future, where cinema, digital television, and computers will continue to expand and grow. The answer to this question is yes. Heading into the 21st century, theatre will only be a fraction in a solid media industry. However, despite all the excitement technology brings with it, they will never replace theatre because it has something that can not be recreated or offered anywhere else. The cinema and its larger than life world appeals as an affordable alternative. Digital television provides digital interaction between the viewer and the producer. Theatre on the other hand, and its contents may take on a larger dimension, but we receive it directly in flesh and blood – one to one. The magical atmosphere between an actor and spectator who are constantly aware of each other and the theatre’s level of engagement is fundamentally more human and far more intimate.