The Bell Jar: Chapter 7-8

Esther's relationship with Constantine is pretty solid. They hit it off pretty fast and have a great time together. This is when Esther starts to realize she wants to have sex with Constantine. She has spent the book getting frustrated with people because they've had sex before marriage. She doesn't want to come off as too strong, though...so she decides she wants Constantine to seduce her. They go back to his apartment and they're drinking wine, and listening to music on the balcony. Then she goes into the bedroom and lays on the bed. Expecting him to come in and make a move she waits. Eventually Constantine goes into the room with her but he simply lays next to her and says goodnight. I was kind of confused at first...I figured they would've had sex for sure and then I thought about it and I realized he was treating her with respect. He didn't want to freak her out by making a move or anything. It's understandable from his point but I can understand Esther's frustration.

The Bell Jar: Chapter 5-6

At first Esther really liked Buddy. She had a good relationship with his mother and with him. Then when she finds out about Gladys, Esther loses respect for him. She finds him more irritating, is kind of ashamed, and wants to break up with him. After he finds out he has TB, Esther is thankful because she doesn't really have to deal with him anymore. She still likes him as a person but she is ashamed in a way...this makes it very difficult for her when he is admitted into the hospital. After he is moved into the hospital, his mother sets Esther up on a date with Constantine. I found this interesting because Buddy's mother knows how crazy he is about Esther and she still goes ahead and sets Esther up.

The Bell Jar: Chapter 1-4

When Esther is in New York, she is constantly trying to find herself. At first she wants to be like Doreen and she ends up going out and drinking a lot. Then she starts to feel depressed about what she's become and decides to try and change herself. So far her time in New York has been kind of sad and it's unclear whether she likes it or not. At the moment she doesn't like herself because she can't find the 'right personality.' Although, I could see her finding her own system and getting better.

Pleasantville

In the movie the two main characters are polar opposites at the beginning. When they show Pleasantville on TV it is seen as really appealing because of Toby Mcguire's character. You see his own life and it's pretty pathetic. He can't find the courage to talk to the girl he likes, his parents are always fighting, and his sister is for lack of better words a slut. He doesn't have to deal with all that when he's watching Pleasantville, though. He is enthralled by it and he knows everything about it. It's seen as the perfect life. Once him and Reese Witherspoon's character get sucked into the TV, you start to see the downside to the show. Everything is so repetitive it eventually becomes boring and just plain weird. Even though everything is seen as perfect, none of the people know anything and they are afraid of anything that's different. The scene in the bowling ally is a perfect example of this. It can be seen as the grey people vs the colored people.

1950s TV

The values and morals of television back in the 1950s were completely different to today's. There didn't have the references, jokes, and scenes we have today. Instead of the focus being on sex, violence, controversy, etc...the shows were much more innocent and could be watched by a whole family. You asked us to research a show from this time period. I looked up the most popular one, 'I love Lucy.' This show was simple and funny being centered around a woman and her friend who are constantly getting into sticky situations all the while trying to hide it from her husband Ricky...who in the end always finds out. It was a much simpler time for TV.

Japanese Internment Camps

During WW2 the Japanese-Americans were taken and put into camps to "ensure safety." The mind-set was that they attacked once...the citizens have the potential and ties to attack as well. It is the same with the Muslim-Americans since 9/11. I think America was justified in fearing the potential of a Japanese person but I think they took it way too far as to put them in camps. I think what they needed to realize is there are extremists in every religion and culture and just because some want to attack doesn't mean everyone does. I think it was taken way too far to drag these people out of their homes and place them in remote camps. I also think it's really ironic that America was fighting against the Germans who would round up people and throw them in death camps, but we felt the need to go ahead and throw these people in our camps.