there is a willow grows aslant a brook

My mom came in last night around 9pm and we headed to dinner at Cafe Cru straight from the airport. Cafe Cru is the vegan raw food restaurant that Ryn took me too! I really wanted my mom to experience it! Of course we had the bruschetta and the cheesecake, but we also split a toastada and raviolli made from scratch with and Arugula salad. OH…EM…G it was to die for ! My mom said it was some of the best food she had ever eaten and was very happy we went there. 🙂 Afterwards we were supposed to go see Ryn and visit, but she told us that Roberto (her beau) had already gone to bed, so we made plans to go to lunch on Monday.

The next day, today, my mom came with me to my class! I was so excited for everyone to meet her and of course they all loved her 🙂 That day was especially nerve wracking though because it wasn’t a scene day. It was a play day with all of the work focused on us. We did many excercises including having to sing a song, in front of the class, that meant something personal to us, and then speak the lyrics out to that person who we were singing it to, then re-sing the song with how it affected us.

Now I’ve sung in front of many people, but I have never sung a personal song like that. This was a new challenge for me, but I like challenges. My song was "Simple Together" by Alanis Morisette, about Antonio……I was shaking the entire time I sang it, but it was an amazing feeling to do that.

My favorite excercise however, wasn’t so much about us, but about finding the underlying subtext of the dialogue. We each brought in a copy of Queen Gertrudes speech about the death of Ophelia in Hamlet and also a noise maker that we thought would interperate it well while reading it.

I read it a few times before class and it was definitely full of imagery,  but I saw the text in a completely new light after Berg walked us through it line by line and explained the imagery and meaning behind each one.

There is a willow grows aslant a brook, – a willow growing at a slant over a river
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream; – hoar means white, which represents purity and death,
and the stream is glassy because it is a weeping willow, and that is what eyes look like when weeping.
The water is weeping because it wants her, it wants ophelia
There with fantastic garlands did she come – garlands are natural made crowns
Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples – crow flowers are poisonous water flowers with
petals that curve upwards in a cup shape. Poison=death once again
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,– people have a dark nick name for the flowers because of
their poison
But our cold maids do dead men’s fingers call them: – the image of the petals curving upwards goes
to the image of dark fingers from the water reaching towards her. Those men who have all drowned
in the river.
There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds – weeds are useless, meaning she herself feeling useless
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke;- she stood out on the branch of the tree trying to hang her
garlands up
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide;
And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up: – her clothes spread out in the water and billowed upwards
pocketing air that kept her afloat
Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes;- she chanted old childhood tunes…for example if i were
to be singing "mary had a little lamb" as she floated.
As one incapable of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and indued – as if she was so insane she was incapable of seeing the danger
she was in or to do anything about it or she acted so comfortable there as if she herself were a creature
of the water. as if she belonged there (hence it referred to her clothing being mermaid like)
Unto that element: but long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink, – her garments soaked up the water slowly
Pull’d the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death. – in a WHOOSH the water all of a sudden pulled her in a matter of seconds down into it’s depths

Ooooh I can’t even explain it to you the way my teacher did, but it was so eerie and creepy. It gave me the chills!
Then he split the class into two groups. One group laid flat down on the floor, spread out, with our eyes closed,
and the other group was the orchestra. they recited the speech once slowly, and then took turns each with one line,
reciting it however they wanted to, whether it be a whisper, or a screec. Then they all took their noise makers
and clambered around us touching us and making noises and trying to get a reaction from us haha. The point of
it was to go on an imaginary journey about that speech. I have no idea who was doing what, but someone was
snarling and making noise and brushing their face up against mine and by my ear! Another person was sliding
their fingers along my arm and down to my hand. Another time two people, one on each side, made noises and
breathed in my ears! For me, the imagery brought me to the river in the beginning, but slowly the river and the willow
faded and I was in a dark jungle all alone, trying my best not to be frightened, which I was, I was terrified!
Then the groups switched and our group got to be the orchestra. Ooooh it was payback time haha. I had so much fun
making monterous noises in peoples ears and singing like a creepy little child. I also took my water bottle and sloshed
it back and forth slowly. It was such a fun exercise holy cow! I could see how it really made you use imagery.
My mom was so happy that she came and thoroughly enjoyed talking with the other students. I can’t wait until we have another
play day and when my sister can come watch! After class my mom and I went to go visit my Aunt Micky and then I drove my mom
half way to my sisters who met us there and took my mom with her to her house. I had to go back because tomorrow I am
shooting the Holocaust scene! I am so excited! 😀 Alrighty gotta get to bed! Hanny