Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Dead Man's Cell Phone I.5-6; II.1-3
1. Can you put into your own words what Jean might mean when she says, "It's like we're all disappearing the more we're there"? (scene 6; p 35)
2. From what we can tell, is Dwight nicer than his brother Gordon was?
3. In Gordon's monologue, some of our curiosity is satisfied. Do his words and actions accomplish something else? Like what?
4. Can you connect Gordon's way of making a living to what has gone on in the play so far?
5. In II.2, Jeans apparently makes Gordon more of a priority that she does Dwight. Comment.
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When Jean says, "It's like we're all disappearing the more we're there," I think she might mean that as society becomes more and more attached and in tune with our technological devices (cell phones), we become less conscious of the present moment, and what is happening right in front of us. Technology allows us to have real-time connections with people all over the world at any time, and in any place. This ability is so tempting that humans have become less and less mindful of the people they share physical company with, and they space they physically occupy. I think Jean is commenting on this phenomenon, and the way that communication is changing and becoming, in a way, less personal.
ReplyDeleteI think that Gordon's words in his monologue do accomplish something else. That monologue helped me get a better, more realistic sense of his personality, and how he reacts to certain situations. He seems very analytical and detailed when he's recalling the last day he lived. I get the impression that Gordon also has some disgust, or bitter feelings for his wife just like the wife seems to show for Gordon. It gives me justification for their strange, critical, disconnected relationship. I also found it particularly interesting when Gordon says,"Getting rid of all the unchewed bits. No respect for the discarded." Gordon seems to find miniscule details and excuses in order to judge his wife, and find a flaws in her.
ReplyDeleteThen, when Gordon discusses the idea that when "everyone's yelling into their cell phones," and when they use public transportation they tend to drift into a "limbo-land." The concept that people have out-of-body experiences when they zone out while they're waiting to get to their destinations seems very reminescent of Jean's idea that when people use their cell phones they are "supposed to be there," even though "everyone has their cell phone on, no one is there." Jean prefers to disappear into society, but when she gets Gordon's phone and he talks about external experiences, Jean puts this opinion behind her and decides to be an important figure to others and she stands out, and continues Gordon's life, even though he is not around anymore. Even though Gordon has disappeared he is still here and "alive," in a sense, because of Jean. Gordon lives through Jean.
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ReplyDeleteWhen Jean says "It's like were disappearing the more we're there" I think that she is referring to when people are on their cell phones. They are interacting and talking with someone who is not present, and basically ignoring the people that are. I know exactly what this is like because back home i had a friend and whenever we would hang out she was constantly texting at least ten other people. Her continuous attachment to her phone made it difficult to communicate with her. It was almost as if she was 20% in the room with me and 80% with the people other cell phone.
ReplyDeleteIn this day and age, new technology has made it very easy to stay in contact with other people. I think that when Jean says "It's like we're all disappearing the more we're there," she means that as long as people have their cell phones on, they are disappearing from the current situation and their mind is elsewhere too. In order to be present, and in the moment, you must not always be on your cell phone. If you are....you are essentially "disappearing" even though you are physically present.
I think the phrase that Jean says speaks to the fact that we become more and more absent minded. Unaware of the world around us as distractions (represented here by cell phones) cloud our imaginations and deeper thoughts. At first, I thought that Dwight was nicer than Gordon. After the monologue though I realize that Dwight is a bit phony. He is polite and affectionate towards Jean but we see little more than flirting. He pulls her chair from underneath her and such. However, Gordon seems to understand things in a better sense. It would be lying to say he has an absolute respect for everyone, as he cheats on his wife, but it almost seems brushed off as a petty thing.
ReplyDeleteThe play as a whole and Gordon's monologue are connected through a characteristic of harshness and brutal reality. For instance, they eat meat together as a family, which seems a harsh taste for a funeral, along with the almost gory description Mrs. Gottlieb gives. Selling organs is not a very glorified work, but he gets paid and that is what his job is for: this seems to be the reality of it. Also, Jeans connection with Dwight seems shallow; little more than a casual relationship looking to have affairs and then end. Jean constantly interrupts Dwight with the cell phone, who tells her to stop answering it. It appears that Jean is more drawn towards the personality of Gordon than Dwight.
I think Jean is making an overall assumption about society when she comments on how people behave when they have their cell phones. In my opinion, people on the phone can be very oblivious to what's going on in the room they're actually in and who may be listening to what they're saying. The example she gives about the woman in line reminded me of a time when I was in a department store and there was a woman basically telling her whole life story over the phone and as loud as can be! She went on about divorce and someone cheating and something that's going to court... She was talking about things I would never want someone in the outside world to know.
ReplyDeletePeople are becoming more and more obsessed with technology and what they can do with it, that it's sometimes all they care about. I have seen people completely interrupt a conversation they were in with someone to look at their phone and respond to a text, not even seeming to care how rude it was.
The part in this section of the play that sticks out to me the most is when Dwight and Jean are leaving the house to go to the stationary store and they hear Mrs. Gottlieb crying, but it does not sound like crying to Jean. When she remarks about this, Dwight says simply, "She does it different." This stood out to me because for one thing, it shows how far removed Mrs.Gottlieb is that she doesn't even cry like everyone else. The entire play up to this point, Mrs.Gottlieb has ridden her high horse with pride. She chooses to stand over the people in her life. She puts herself on a pedestal that most people can't even reach up to. Mrs.Gottlieb is haughty, and arrogant. She clearly thinks of herself first and foremost. Crying is one of the most raw and personal things that a human being can do. When we cry, we release any inhibitions and are taken over by pure emotion. Mrs.Gottlieb is probably not used to sharing emotions, or even feeling them if she can help it. Because of the amount of restraint she puts into feeling too strongly, and because of the way that she has removed herself from other humans, her way of expressing emotion is different.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, who is to say that there is a right way to cry? How can one person's tears be different from another's? Perhaps Mrs.Gottlieb makes different noises when she cries, or she cries without actually shedding tears, but either way, when one human sees another human expressing grief in such a powerful way, it's pretty identifiable.
1. Can you put into your own words what Jean might mean when she says, "It's like we're all disappearing the more we're there"? (scene 6; p 35)
ReplyDeleteWhat Jean means by the phrase "we're there" is that they are there to answer their phone. In a way, it is selfless to always be there, because you care not about yourself or the beauty of the world, but only of socializing and materialism/ availability. The more we become selfless, the more we begin to become blind of the real world. We disappear into the mess that is society and business and are blind to nature and beauty and talking face to face with people. You have to respect yourself to talk face to face with a person and think about what you are saying. This is also true to writing a letter verses writing an email- which we discussed in class. We become selfless beings that are deaf due to the noise of society and disappear into all the traffic of our everyday lives.
Dwight takes a lot of time to be nice to Jean. He shows her his stationary store, and lets her see and touch all of the embossed papers in the back of the store. Jean definitely makes Dwight's brother more of a priority because of Gordon's cell phone. Jean is haunted by the cell phone in some ways. She may think that any call she misses she needs to feel guilty for. She promises that she will keep Gordon's phone forever, and that she will keep recharging it and keep answering it for as long as she lives. So far, I think this is a really bad choice for Jean because that means she will be haunted by the dead man forever, and she will never get over her experience. Also, I believe that Dwight is much nicer than Gordon. When Jean asks if Dwight has any nice memories of his brother, he responds as if that is a funny question to ask. It also seems as though Gordon was showered with affection by their mother ever since they were young. Even so, Dwight doesn't seem to feel any resentment towards his brother. He is mostly frustrated with his mother, and for many good reasons.
ReplyDelete"It's like we're all disappearing the more we're there"? (scene 6; p 35)
ReplyDeleteIn my own words:
Modern people spend much of their time distracting themselves with technology. We check our cell phones to avoid awkward eye contact in the hallways, we listen to ipods when passing people on the street, we chat with our friends to acceptably ignore our fellow elevator riders. So in this sense, our accessibility to everything, and everyone around us (through using our smart phones, etc.) has given us the ability to disconnect from the world that we are physically inhabiting, and connect with one that's floating in the air around us.
I think its weird that Jean would commit herself to Gordon rather than Dwight. I understand that, yes, the whole cell phone of a dead man is really interesting and all that, but Dwight is a real person. He's a real person showing Jean kindness and affection. I think it says something about Jean that she would prioritize Gordon over Dwight. It reminds me of the concept of when someone shows someone that they are interested in them, they are no longer interested, and turn to a new, aloof subject. In this case, the someone showing interest is Dwight, and the aloof subject. This gives me a little bit of an idea of how jean's mind works.
ReplyDeleteOn page 35, when Jean says "It's like we're all disappearing the more we're there"? , she could be referring to many aspects of technology's power over us. One interpretation could include that Jean met Gordon's mother through a cell phone, and their relationship stems from that of technology, and they already have no need for face to face contact if they have established a relationship on the phone. The word disappearing reminds me of how technology consumes us, and is stronger and more powerful then we are because they live on as we pass. Such as, Gordon, Gordon passed away but his cell phone lived on as if he was still alive. Since Gordon has physically disappeared, and his cell phone represented him and even continued to make relationships, there is no need for humans with tech. representing us.
ReplyDeleteI think Dwight is a lot nicer than his brother Gordon. He is obviously caring and a kind person while Jean doesn't really know what Gordon is like. Its an odd concept that Jean would make such a commitment to helping a man she has never met rather than a man she actually knows. I think Jean may like the mystery of it all. But the Dwight addresses people you can tell what kind of person he is and what his moral values are. Dwight may be very ordinary and Gordon may be extraordinary, but at the end of the day Dwight is a kinder person.
ReplyDelete