Questions in Class Blog

1. The ending of the book, "My Love, My Love of the Peasant Girl," was tragic and disappointing. It was tragic, because the little girl died all alone and sad. All she ever wanted was for her wishes to come true. Her wish was to be free like a butterfly. This freedom was represented through Daniel, because he was rich and different. He was everything that she ever dreamed of. However, in the end Daniel betrayed her. He forgot about her and let her rot in a little room. This shows that his love for Desiree was a lie, because he was willing to drop her in a second for the rich and "perfect," Andrea Galimor. His blindness of what he was doing ran so deep, he didn't even recognize Desiree anymore as she sat outside the gate waiting for him to come save her. He was so blinded by riches and fame, that people or things that were lesser to him didn't matter anymore. Desiree had nothing to live for anymore, she was dying from lack of food and the gods would no longer help her. She died in the middle of the street and was trampled by the stampeding peasant. Her corpse was "dumped [to] the side of the road to await the garbage collectors." This is very depressing and tragic ending. She was forgotten by someone who she confided in. Not only that, but everyone else failed her. The peasant's let her rot there, and she was treated as if her life had no value. She was worth just as much as anyone else's life was and the peasents should have known what it is like. The fact that she was thrown away like garbage angered me. Daniel become so conceided and self-absorbed that he threw away Desirees life. It was his fault she died, because he pretended to love her, and gave her a sense of false hope. She held the belief that they would be together in the end, yet she died with this unsatisfied wish, and the conscience that Daniel doesn't love her anymore. She clung to hope, but this hope had failed her. To me, the idea that she clung so much to hope is extremly tragic. Hope is what keeps people going, but this hope was given by Daniel,  who was filled with horrible and unforgivable lies. This ending is very disappointing, not only because Daniel didnt love her anymore, but becasue she died in sadness. She didn't have any friends or family to comfort her or to help her make decsions. She is only a 16 year old girl, she needed somebody to be there for her. I wish that either her and Daniel ended up toghther, or she went back to her loved ones and realized they will always protect her. However this wasn't the case.
2. I think a lesson from the book was to be thankful for what you have. In the book, Desiree was never happy with where she was. She had a loving mother mama and father, Julian. She was never satisfied with just that. Meaning, she's never thankful and always wanted to reach for something higher that was almost impossible. However in the end of the book,  the Man she fell inlove with left her. Eventually, leading to her death. If she was thankful from the start of the book for her parents this wouldn't have happened. Even though they didn't have enough money, they still took her in and cared for her. She wouldn't be in the predicament she was in if she was thankful. This comes to show that you shouldn't keep wanting more and more. Because then by doing that you are forgetting what you originally had. Like a family in this case. I think the book was trying to show you that sometimes wanting more can get you in trouble. Also sometimes all you need is right in front of your nose.  Desiree threw away her loving family just to become rich. Family is worth more than money, and she ended up dying. So be satisfied for what you have and thankful for you have a family.

Questions

1.  Desiree meets a little girl in chapter nine, and explains to her that all orphans get a wishing cage. Why do you think that only the orphans are granted this cage and what is the purpose of the cage?

2. In chapter 10, Desiree goes into the "new world", explain how this is different then the poor's world? How does Desiree match their lifestyle, yet also match the poor people's lifestyle? (Different lifestyles, personality, etc.) include details that are not obvious.

3. In chapter 7,  Agwe states his plan, that he wants to get rid of all the land and turn it into sea. Why does he want to do this? What may have happened between him and another God?  Don't just think about the obvious, use examples to expand on your answer.

4.  How are Romeo and Juliet's relationship similar to Desiree and Daniels? Are any of the scenes similar?

Papa Ge

     My favorite character in, “My Love, My Love of the Peasant Girl,” is Papa Ge. He is dark and mysterious. Although, he is perceived as the bad guy in the book, that’s what make him more intriguing than the other characters. He is a lot different than all the other characters, who seem to have a lightness to them, but because he is death a dark aura surrounds him. This stands out to me, which is why he is my favorite.

     In the book, he is described as, “his mouth gleamed red, blood red. He grinned around a cigar clenched between his brown teeth that were dripping with blood.” This description, is extremely spooky, and almost makes me take back a step. But, at the same time I can’t stop reading about him. The idea of blood dripping down his teeth makes me curious. He is almost hard to wrap my head around him, which makes him my favorite. I can’t exactly understand him, besides the darkness he holds inside of him. He is called, “the demon of death,” which suits him very well. He is creepy and scary which gives me a jump.

      Also, the idea that he lives in the shadows make me intrigued by him. The fact that he shows up anywhere he wants at any time. It’s almost as if he really does live in the shadows. That concept makes me wonder about him, and what he wants. I think that the author did this on purpose, so that the reader might feel a pull to him, even though he is so awful.

     Another reason that he is my favorite, is because he doesn’t let the Agwe intimidate him. Pape Ge will do whatever he wants whenever he wants, no matter what the other gods say. When he wasn’t invited by Agwe to the church, Papa Ge said, “There must be room for me in all you plans.” I know this was meant dark, because Agwe has bad plans for people. However, Papa Ge still didn’t care and will show up anywhere, and is careless about what others think.  It just comes to show that Papa Ge is everywhere.

    Papa Ge shows up at the times that you least expect it or most expect. I think that’s what makes him some mysterious. You never know when he is somewhere. He just pops up uninvited or unwanted. Death is a scary thing, and I think that’s why most people don’t like Papa Ge. However, he is very intriguing. Everything about him is different, and interesting. He hold this mysterious oar which is why I like him so much .Everyone else you can figure out, but not him.  One minute you think you figure him out and the next nothing. Although we don’t know a lot about him, and he doesn’t appear much in the book, he is definitely my favorite character from the scenes he has been in and the descriptions of him so far.

Citations: 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=papa+ge+god&view=detailv2&&id=493A0528E0E75041085FC31301D9E0C8EE935BBF&selectedIndex=8&ccid=RrcSowgd&simid=608000708027682623&thid=OIP.M46b712a3081dde52beafcb41e4bc0abco0&ajaxhist=0

Ti Moune Quiz Question

I would costume Ti Moune, similar yet fairly different then the rest of the peasants. I would definitely want her to look somewhat like them, because she is very poor and doesn’t have money like the rich do. However, the book also makes her out to be different, and a “day dreamer.” Which is why I would want certain aspects of her costumes to be different than the others.

     To make her similar to the peasants, I would put her in a burlap bag type of cloth. The one that scratches at your arms, and that is sort of dirty, old looking. It wouldn’t have long sleeves, and would be fraying at the sides, where it looks like it was cut poorly. I would want it to look hand made, and literally taken from a burlap sack, and then thrown together. Her parents couldn’t afford much, and it was hard enough taking her in. However, that would only be her shirt. For her pants, I picture a thin brown cloth. I would be cut just before it gets to her knees. Like a pair of shorts that don’t give much room for protection. One side of the short will be cut shorter than the other, again to show that is hand made. As for her shoes, it would be just a pair of loafers. Some holes in certain spots from walking in the open fields. The bottoms of the shoe would be really thin, so they would hardly offer any protection for.

      However, I would also want her to look like the gods and the rich people, because she is different. I would make sure all the peasants eyes were a brown color and I would make Ti Moune’s eyes green. This way it looks more like the rich, and she would stand out from the rest of the peasants. The rich in this area typically have lighter eyes and hair. I know this is changing the book slightly, but I think it would show a more whimsical separation that is different.  She would look off in the distance with her bright green eyes. Also, I would want to represent her as looking somewhat like a god’s The gods that I made all had large headdresses that were filled with many different things depending on where they were from. I would want most of the peasants to wear, bandana like things on their head to block the sun. However, Ti Moune, would be wearing a flower headband. It would be woven out of vines and filled with flowers and moss. It would look very earthy and whimsical looking. Although, it wouldn’t be as big as the gods, it would defiantly show some resemblance to the god’s headdresses. Lastly, I would want Ti Moune to have a marking, this marking would be different then everybody else’s. It would be in the shape of a little crown right on her neck. The grown would represent a queen, as if she was meant to do something great. No one else, not even the rich would have a marking like this, which makes her even more closely related to the gods.  

      Ti Moune has many similarities and differences from the normal peasants. She is a part of them, but not at the same time, which makes her so different. I wasn’t positive on the green eyes, but I think it might be an interesting idea to do, so it separates her from the rest. All in all, she is a very interesting character to try and imagine.

The Characters of My Love, My Love

      If I were to stage, “My Love, My Love,” I would make the Gods stand out from all the other people. In order to do this, I would make the costumes more whimsical and different. They would be out of the ordinary, and you would be able to tell a clear difference between the peasents and the rich from the Gods.

     Asaka, the God of Earth, would have all earthy tones in her costuming. I would put a green silk dress on her. The dress will be the color of grass green, so it would have a more earthy tone to it. She would be barefoot, because she is one with the earth. Her feet would be a little dirty to show this “one with the earth” concept. To make her look like a God, I would put a giant headdress on her with her hair up in a bun. The headdress would be made out of moss. It would be one the reachs highs, and flowers would be woven into it. I would take a wire and paint it green and stick them from the headdress. At the end of the wires would be butterflies. This would create the affect the butterflies are flying around her head. Lastly, I would make her look pale in the face with extremely rosy cheeks, her eyes would be bright green (Not human looking) and her lips would be painted a soft pink. This would create a soft feature that reflects nature.

      Agwe, the God of Water, would wear mostly blues. I would put him in an all blue suit. The suit would have waves painted on it. In order to look like waves there would be different shades of blues painted on it. I want it to look like the waves are absorbing him. A blue cap that would constantly being moving up and down would help create this effect. Also, he would be painted all blue and so would his hair, like a light sea blue. I would want tiny fish painted on his blue arms. This would look like he is really in the ocean, and would separate him from the other people in the play.

     Erzulie, the God of Love, will be wearing all pinks and reds to represent love. She would wear a long red dress that flows. This red would be a soft red, to show a peaceful love. On top of her head would also be a headdress. The headdress would have hearts all over it springing from the top of her head. Her hair would be left down in long curls, in her hair would be little red hearts to represent love. I would want her to carry a bow in arrows, like cupid. At the end of an arrow would be heart, like if she shot someone with it they would fall in love. This would be her accessory that separates her from everyone else.

      Papa Ge, the God of Death, would wear all blacks. He would also be wearing a suit like Agwe, but his suit would be all black and pin straight. His face would be able to be seen. He would be wearing a black mask that has little devil-like horns sticking out from it. The only thing you would be able to see from his face would be his eyes. They would be bright red. This is what would make his costume stand out from the others. He would look, classy but in a mysterious way. He would definitely have a dark essence to him.

     All these characters were assigned certain colors to separate them from one another. Also, they would look different then the other characters, because there costumes would be bigger. 

Citations: 

https://www.google.com/search?q=The+god+of+water,+death,+war,+and+love&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=534&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjb0OXqi8HJAhUI7B4KHd6VC_MQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=gods+in+the+sky&imgrc=EpCEs06FvUlk7M%3A

God of Earth: 

http://www.serpentfeathers.com/wingwands/

My Love, My Love Setting