AGENDA:
Post an answer to the following questions:
7. The Hours is very much concerned with creativity and the nature of the creative act, and each of its protagonists is absorbed in a particular act of creation. For Virginia and Richard, the object is their writing; for Clarissa Vaughan (and Clarissa Dalloway), it is a party; for Laura Brown, it is another party, or, more generally, "This kitchen, this birthday cake, this conversation. This revived world" [p. 106]. What does the novel tell us about the creative process? How does each character revise and improve his or her creation during the course of the story?
8. How might Richard’s childhood experiences have made him the adult he eventually becomes? In what ways has he been wounded, disturbed?
9. Each of the three principal women is acutely conscious of her inner self or soul, slightly separate from the "self" seen by the world. Clarissa’s "determined, abiding fascination is what she thinks of as her soul" [p. 12]; Virginia "can feel it inside her, an all but indescribable second self, or rather a parallel, purer self. If she were religious, she would call it the soul . . . It is an inner faculty that recognizes the animating mysteries of the world because it is made of the same substance" [pp. 34-35]. Which characters keep these inner selves ruthlessly separate from their outer ones? Why?
Finish incomplete work for marking period,
View The Hours
Justice and James
ReplyDelete7. The creative process takes a toll on the person who has to go through it. Julianne Moore bakes a cake for her husband, while having a nervous breakdown. She can't be creative. Meryl Streep also has a breakdown while trying to juggle her lesbian lifestyle and throwing a party for a dying Richie. However, the toll of the creative process produces its biggest effect on Virginia Woolf, who becomes so tired with writing books that she kills herself.
8. Children are very impressionable! The sight of his mother going lesbian and cheating on his father, especially in the time period of the 50's where America shunned the gays, must have scarred Richie. HE then turned into adult Ed Harris who lives a gay lifestyle and gets AIDS.
9. Laura and Virginia Woolf hide it very well as opposed to Clarissa. Laura acts happy on the outside while hiding her inner pain and torment, which comes as a result of her happy life and loving family. Virginia Woolf has to hide her deepest pain on the inside so her family doesn't realize how depressed she is with life. They know she isn't happy, but they don't know how depressed she really is. Clarissa, however, reveals all of her emotions to everyone she encounters and AIDS stricken Richard.
Woolfe*
Delete7. The novel expresses that the creative process involves being revived in the world. Those with a messy life have more creativity and are able to make a creation out of it. During he course of the story each character improves their creation. Laura Brown tries to get out of her comfort zone and instead of staying in bed and reading the book for a longer time, she gets up and makes the cake. She tries to have a conversation with her son and husband. Clarissa tries to create a party and starts inviting people even if Richard wouldn't like their company.
ReplyDelete8. Richard's childhood probably mad him that man that he became because he was wounded by what he saw his mother do. His mother probably thought that she wasn't doing anything wrong, but Richard watched every move that she took and saw unpleasant things. When Richard saw his mother kiss an other woman, throw out the cake they made to make another one, and see his mother leave him at someone else house as he screamed for his mother, are things form his childhood hat wounded and disturbed him.
9. Laura Brown keeps her inner self ruthlessly separate from the outer view. People all around her think that she is doing well and happy. She seems like the happiest housewife and mother since she is expecting another. Yet, when she is in her room, she reads Mrs. Dalloway's book all night long. Before she wakes up, she reads another page. She becomes mad about living. She wakes up with a negative attitude thinking that she hates her husband and son. After she reads the book, she is able to calmly walk downstairs and meet with them. People can't see what she actually feels unless she shows it.
7. The novel tells us that they take a lot of time and thought to their crafts. By the way they focus and revolve their lives around their work, it shows how involved and dedicated they are. It also shows how distraught they can be from being around and revolving around their work so much. Since they focus so much on their work, they tend to distract and forget about their true selves.
ReplyDelete8.Richard has kind of a confusing childhood because of the way his mom acted. Even though his mom seemed to act natural at times, it seemed like she was just acting to make their lives more simple. As a child, Richard had always been very insightful, which has allowed him to discover his mother’s thoughts.
9.All characters seem to hide their true selves. At one point they pretty much break down or have some sort of outburst that represents the part of themselves that they’re suppressing. I feel that they separate their inner selves from the outer ones because they don’t feel safe enough to fully set their true selves out into the world. Virginia Woof had to leave her home in London and live in a small town because how much she was struggling mentally. Clarissa lives her own secret life with Richard and feels a strong connection with him. Laura's true self is completely hidden from her husband and she tries to keep it from her son as well.
7. All forms of creation come out of a sense of their "heightened sense of awareness" or just pain as a person. Their creations are scrapped aggressively and loosely laced together until the end where everything becomes well packed.
ReplyDelete8. Because of his childhood with his mother presumably being depressed and trying her hardest to be their for her son when she can but still showing signs of her depression.
9. The main 3 female leads are great examples of people who hide who they are but at points let themselves slip. In terms of sexuality and passionate emotions for others other than their partners were themes showed within the novel. They keep themselves hidden because it would suit best to what they believe to be "normal" instead of the estrange that would have them persecuted
7. The characters are all doing something creative. Laura Brown struggles to make a cake and talks about how she feels as if she's a failure as a housewife. Clarissa is planning a party and during the process realizes how her life is and how she feels like its just going the same every day. Virginia is writing Ms Dalloway and is not only struggling with the writing of the book but also with her life and feeling lonely out in the country.
ReplyDelete8. Richards mother was distant and it showed in the way she acted around him. It seemed motherly but at the same time, it was obvious that she wasn't there in the moment.
9. Clarissa openly talks about the way she feels about her life with those around her. They all question her about it and instead of just keeping it in, she outwardly expresses it and lets the people around her know. Virginia and Laura do manage to keep it in but those around them can sometimes tell. Richard is very observant of his mom and its obvious that to him something is up with his mom. Virginia had previous issues with her depression and mental issues so those around her are cautious in the way they approach her. She acts normal and tries to pretend shes fine when its obvious that she is not.
7. The characters all do something that contains something creative. Clarissa plans a party for Richard, but it doesn't work out. Laura made a cake with her son for her husband's birthday. Virginia writes to try to get her mind right. They are all struggling with something but do things that make them forget what they are dealing with at the moment.
ReplyDelete8. Richard's mother was not there for him like she should've been. She said she loved him, but never really showed it. She became distant from her family and left Richard behind.
9. Clarissa speaks on the topic of her life and where she is in life at the moment. She is going through a lot, but contain her character. She somehow doesn't really lose herself by the end. Even when she saw Richard commit suicide; I'm pretty sure that made her feel uncomfortable and very sad. She would've never thought she would see someone, especially someone she knew, see that with her own eyes and not being able to do anything about it.
ReplyDelete7. The novel shows us that all the characters are creative. Laura is a great example of the creative process. She makes a cake for her husband's birthday with the help of her son Richie; the cake doesn’t come out as it should and looks horrible. She seems distracted which affects her baking skills. After she bakes the first cake she realizes that the cake looks unacceptable and that she can do better.
8. I think every child is very sensitive and alert with what is going on. When he saw his mother kiss Kitty, he was probably very confused to see his mother kiss another person who isn’t his father, especially a woman. This experience might have led him to think that homosexuality is ok.(Which is perfectly fine, I don’t mean for this to sound negative. I'm just saying in general.)
9. I think Virginia really manages to keep her “inner self” separate from everybody else. She seems to hide her depression and frustrations from the world. She is unhappy with her life and seems stuck. It seems as if life doesn’t excite her any longer, which eventually leads to her commiting suicide.
7. Each of the characters partake in some sort of creative endeavor at one point. Clarissa's party for Richard does not come to fruition. Virginia has her writing and Laura made a cake one time I guess.
ReplyDelete8. Richard's mom was away a lot. Laura did not show her affection for her child like he wished she did, which was likely a source of trauma for him at a young age.
9. Clarissa keeps her hardships inside while maintaining a happy persona, except of course for when Richard kills himself. Virginia wears her emotions on her sleeve, though.
Emani & Raina
ReplyDelete7. Richard, Clarissa, Virginia and Laura use the creative process as a distraction for all the other things going on in their life. Then when the creative thing they're doing doesn't work out they're lost because now they are forced to come face to face with the problems in their life they are trying to ignore.
8. Children pick up on a lot more than adults sometimes realize. He could sense how unstable his parents relationship was. He knew his mother was unhappy and didn't love his father. Then when she abandoned him he probably felt that she didn't love him either.
9. Laura totally separates her true inner self from her outer self. She tries to act happy and live a normal home life when in reality she is struggling to hold herself together. This eventually leads to her breaking and not being able to hold it all inside and she leaves abandoning her son and husband. She held everything in because she feared what it would mean for her but in the end not allowing her inner self to be one with her outer self is what pulls her apart.