2004-08-12
Mythical-Realism
I woke up this morning with a bubbly and sunshiny mood, which was no doubt augmented after getting to school. I can rest assured that the people whom I associate with on a regular basis and regard as friends, are mostly likely the most upbeat, interesting, and not to mention humorous people that I have met so far in my young life.
Today in first hour, Mrs. King wanted to have a class discussion, and deviating away from economics, she asked the people in the class (the majority of them in VPA theatre) how they viewed themselves in the future.
�I�d like to marry a rich actress. After all, wouldn�t it be grand to bask in the limelight of one�s own, wealthy wife?� Says Ben.
�And if she has a rich brother...� says Mrs. King, facetiously.
�Are you implying something, Mrs. King?� asks Ben jokingly, yet in a tone that sounds quite serious. Then he continues, this time speaking to all of the actresses in the class, �If any of you girls become famous, I�ll be living with my parents...come for dinner sometime.�
�There�s nothing wrong with being rich and doing nothing...look at Paris Hilton--she does absolutely nothing and gets paid. Well, I�m sure she does some things...� Ben finishes up.
Now Max decides to chime in, �Correction, Ben--Paris Hilton does one thing, but with a lot of people.�
�Like my Jewish investment-banker of a father always says: do one thing, and do it well�
Now Mrs. King looks around the room, and obviously, this conversation would not be complete without Ethan�s response. Let me introduce Ethan, whom I believe is the one guy who truly gives definition to the word �theatrical�....he even makes dramatic pauses on MSN.
He opens his mouth, slowly and dramatically, as if to say something. His brown eyes--fiery--look straight at the teacher whilst he rubs his chin. His right hand moves up, and he grips the thin air, clenching it into a fist.
�There�s so much I want to do!� He finally says after his mandatory dramatic pause. His tone of voice now becomes soothing and grave, �Well, there are a few things...acting. Obviously, you great people may have noticed my certain flare.�
We�re all now laughing, and Mrs. King is turning red in the face, trying to suppress her laughter--Ethan has a contagious personality.
�What�s that thing that Jimmy Carter does, when he goes around the world, shaking people�s hands?� He asks, sarcastically.
�Well, Jimmy Carter tries to advocate peace and democracy. I suppose you can call him an activist in some ways,� someone says,
Ethan snaps his fingers with a look of delight in his face, �That too...I want to do that�, he now becomes serious again, �but I would also like to write a book...or two.�
�Fiction?� asks Mrs. King, raising her eyebrows
�Yes, but it must have a clear message that will really make society think! They say, that my writing possesses a sort of....mythical-realism,� he says, facetiously.
Now the entire class is raging with laughter.
�Who�s they?� inquires Mrs. King
With mouth open, he looks at her for a minute, �Another career that I would like, and I say this because they are scarce, is that of a superhero!,� he responds, avoiding the subject.
Now Ben interrupts, �Ethan....I am a big fan of literature, I�m sure you�ve noticed,�
�Certainly,� he responds
�However,� continues Ben, �Libet and I have been trying to figure out--and please forgive our ignorance-- what exactly is the concept behind mythical-realism?�
I cannot contain my laughter at this point.
�That is an excellent question, Ben. Us literary types must be fully aware of each others �writing styles�.
Mythical-realism???
Example: Take the most dramatic play on Broadway, and mix it with a bit of Harlequin romance followed by a setting from A Hitchhiker�s Guide to the Galaxy; then, to add some �ethnic� variety, and not to mention point out the social issues of today, bring in some of Sandra Cisneros� House on Mango Street with just a hint of Voltaire, Thoreau, and J.D. Salinger. Once we have incorporated all of these things into an actual script, we begin to cast for thespians. And the cast should be as follows:
Two characters from Southpark and one from The Simpsons
All of the Charlie Brown characters and Harry Potter
Three unicorns and that random guy on the street claiming to be Jesus Christ.
After this is done, they can perform the plays Antigone and Oedipus Rex...in that order.
Of course, there are certain prerequisites that one must have in order to venture into the wonderful world of Mythical-realism, and they are three bottles of the strongest whiskey available, and approximately 20 grams of pot.