Below is the quote I responded to. Below that is my response. Let me know what you think, I struggled a bit with this one, all the quotes were very wordy and confusing.
2.
"Literature is the best way to overcome death. My father, as I said, is an actor. He's the happiest man on earth when he's performing, but when the show is over, he's sad and troubled. I wish he could live in the eternal present, because in the theater everything remains in memories and photographs. Literature, on the other hand, allows you to live in the present and to remain in the pantheon of the future.
Literature is a way to say, I was here, this is what I thought, this is what I perceived. This is my signature, this is my name."
Ilan Stavans, Professor of Spanish, Amherst College
From "The Writer in Exile: an interview with Ilan Stavans" by Saideh Pakravan for the fall 1993 issue of The Literary Review
Amherst Supplemental Essay (Quote #2)
Mr. McGee, our technical director, rose from his chair, tears flowing down his face. He began his speech to the cast and crew, discussing the messages the show offered. He confessed that every evening during the performance, he would sit in the back of the theater and cry. Twelve years earlier, his brother committed suicide after discovering he had AIDS, and as Mr. McGee watched our production of "Rent," he was able to mourn for the first time since the incident.
Stavans argues that literature is superior to theater because it allows you to remain in the pantheon of the future. I wholeheartedly disagree with his assertion. He fails to see that theater, too, can be a signature. While the performance itself is fleeting, the effect on the lives of the actors and audience endures.
The theater community constantly speaks of the "power of the theater." I never fully understood this until the moment Mr. McGee spoke. Looking back on "Rent," I realize how special the experience was. The show tackles so many issues, from homosexuality and AIDS, to the danger of corporate America. It had a profound impact on my life. It is one thing to read about these struggles; it is quite another to immerse yourself into the character on stage and live through them.
Written words on a page may be powerful, but often it is the stage that brings them to life. I believe Stavans presents an unsophisticated view of theater to say that it carries less weight than literature. The fact that the combined voices of me and my fellow actors possessed the intensity to bring a hardened ex-marine to tears is incredibly moving. Our performance may have changed only one man's life, but it helped him transcend his sadness and troubles.
2.
"Literature is the best way to overcome death. My father, as I said, is an actor. He's the happiest man on earth when he's performing, but when the show is over, he's sad and troubled. I wish he could live in the eternal present, because in the theater everything remains in memories and photographs. Literature, on the other hand, allows you to live in the present and to remain in the pantheon of the future.
Literature is a way to say, I was here, this is what I thought, this is what I perceived. This is my signature, this is my name."
Ilan Stavans, Professor of Spanish, Amherst College
From "The Writer in Exile: an interview with Ilan Stavans" by Saideh Pakravan for the fall 1993 issue of The Literary Review
Amherst Supplemental Essay (Quote #2)
Mr. McGee, our technical director, rose from his chair, tears flowing down his face. He began his speech to the cast and crew, discussing the messages the show offered. He confessed that every evening during the performance, he would sit in the back of the theater and cry. Twelve years earlier, his brother committed suicide after discovering he had AIDS, and as Mr. McGee watched our production of "Rent," he was able to mourn for the first time since the incident.
Stavans argues that literature is superior to theater because it allows you to remain in the pantheon of the future. I wholeheartedly disagree with his assertion. He fails to see that theater, too, can be a signature. While the performance itself is fleeting, the effect on the lives of the actors and audience endures.
The theater community constantly speaks of the "power of the theater." I never fully understood this until the moment Mr. McGee spoke. Looking back on "Rent," I realize how special the experience was. The show tackles so many issues, from homosexuality and AIDS, to the danger of corporate America. It had a profound impact on my life. It is one thing to read about these struggles; it is quite another to immerse yourself into the character on stage and live through them.
Written words on a page may be powerful, but often it is the stage that brings them to life. I believe Stavans presents an unsophisticated view of theater to say that it carries less weight than literature. The fact that the combined voices of me and my fellow actors possessed the intensity to bring a hardened ex-marine to tears is incredibly moving. Our performance may have changed only one man's life, but it helped him transcend his sadness and troubles.
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