Icebound -- by Owen Davis (1923)

Description
I probably should give this play a second read through. It was perhaps the shortest read of the project, and I sped through it in between events. However, I genuinely found it boring.

A (grand)mother dies. Her mostly greedy family focuses on the will. To their surprise, she has given all the money to a caregiver; the money eventually goes to her son with a troubled history.

The show is part family comedy, part romance, part drama. In its totality, it is nothing remarkable. I truly do not believe there is anything else notable outside of the two reactions I listed below. 

Candid Reactions

  • Orin is funny. 
  • The callback to the title feels unusually dramatic in this play. 

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
1. Anti-Materialism (?)
The main message chides materialism. America can be associated with vanity, so this play scrutinizes this impulse. 

2. Redemption (?)
Seeing Ben's story arc is uplifting, I guess. The fact that the play is bound on hope is notable.

Classroom Implications
Nope.

Personal Takeaway
I won't enjoy every play I read.


Ranking

Dialogue
Characters
Plot/Conflict
Symbol/Literary Devices
Overall Enjoyment
TOTAL SCORE






5.0






0
Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character
Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity (.75)
Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping
Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story
Reader has no interest in re-reading play (.75)
1
Not consistently realistic (1)
Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity
Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points (1.5)
Devices somewhat enhance story   (1)
Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work
2
Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters
Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity  
Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!
Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation
Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Idiot's Delight -- by Robert E. Sherwood (1936)

Image
Description Idiot's Delight is Robert Sherwood's first of three Pulitzer Prize-winning plays. The play starred Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne -- a pairing who has a Broadway theater named after them. The play is set at the Hotel Monte Gabriele in the Italian Alps near Switzerland and Austria. Keep in mind that the play is written in between WWI and WWII. The play takes place "in any imminent year" . . . Disturbing? I think so. The play centers on an assortment of international travelers who find themselves stuck in a hotel due to travel restrictions from a looming war. The individuals talk with each other and get to know each other. The play contains classic comedic hallmarks such as mistaken identities and a unification of a couple at the end. However, the play also contains a grim warning to the world: humans are capable of thoughtless evil.  Candid Reactions The Captain confesses, "I too, am a pawn" (16). This line is layered. It is both funny an...
Read more

Alison's House -- by Susan Glaspell (1931)

Image
Description I've reached a point in this project I both dreaded and anticipated with much joy. I am happy to say that I've been able to access these plays either through my own collection or from my local libraries. However, there are some plays that are simply not accessible in these libraries. It frustrates me that my timeline is now less in my control, but it excites me that interlibrary loan exists and can do the hard word for me! Susan Glaspell's Alison's House  is the first play I have had to receive via ILL. The 1931 play is based on Emily Dickinson's life. The play is set on New Year's Eve of 1899 at the Stanhope house . . . or Alison Stanhope's house . . . even though it wasn't her house . . . She did live there on the second floor in her private room. The family is preparing to leave the house and must determine what to do with the remains of her room. Several members of the family have differing opinions on what should be done. Do they pre...
Read more

Rankings

9.75 -- Fences by August Wilson ( 1987 ) 9.5 -- The Subject Was Roses by Frank D. Gilroy (1965) 9.25 -- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (1955) 9.25 -- The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn (1978) 9.25  --   Long Day's Journey into Night  by Eugene O'Neill  (1957) 9.25 -- Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire (2007) 9.25 -- Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks ( 2002 ) 9.0 -- Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner (1993)   9.0  --  Anna Christie  by Eugene O'Neill  (1922) 9.0 -- Cost of Living by Martyna Majok ( 2018 ) 9.0 -- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1949) 9.0 -- Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (2005) 9.0 --  The Flick by Annie Baker (2014) 9.0 -- 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman (1983) 9.0 -- Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes ( 2012 ) 8 .75 --  Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill (1920) 8.75 -- How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel ( 1998 ) 8.75 -- ...
Read more