Group Presentations

Sadly, I have neglected this blog as of late.... I won't make excuses....too much. When everything in the world is due at once, time and commitments get reshuffled. I hope to make up for it this week if I can.

Well, we are through group presentations now. I thought I would recap some of the highlights.

On the first day of presentations, Groups 4 and 2 presented in that order. Group 4 had the theme of life as myth and dream as their focus. They performed a play involving most, if not all, of the elements discussed in class, a journey and a returning home. To recap this presentation would take ages, and I'm not sure I alone captured many vital details in my notes. Of note, however, was how this group used powerpoint and images, some moving and some still, to enhance their presentation, really embracing the hybrid nature of this class even in this, their final presentation.

Group 2 did an EXCELLENT job with their video presentation of the 2o minute lifetime. The movie was fluid, it was multidimensional, humorous and instructive. As of last week, one could find the video on Youtube under "copy of film", but I'm not sure if it is still posted. This group also incorporated other aspects of class, the dream, characters come to life, t.s. eliot, etc. in their video. Great job Group 2!!

On the subsequent class day, Groups 3 and 1 presented their creations. Group 3 presented the theme of life as fiction and language in a video about a fictional support group, "Characters Anonymous". Each of the group members embodied one character from one of the works we read, struggling to discover the nature of his reality. They have to come to terms with the fact that they are fictional. How does this concept translate into our "real" world?

Group 1 presented the myth of the eternal return. From gas we come and to gas we return. They illustrated this through methane gas and in the lowbrow sense, farts. I wrote down one line, "from goo to you by way of the zoo" in my notes. Of note was the distinguished "Al Chemist" presenting to a class of english majors. Of course this concept of return relates back to T.S. Eliot (from fire to fire).

On the last day of presentations, Groups 5 and 6 presented. (finally some order to this numeric chaos!! =) Group 5 used movie clips to illustrate quotes from each section of the Four Quartets in order to represent the theme of Dolce Domum. This group set the mood with a table spread with candles. One will remember these candles were red and white. Coincidence??

Group 6 was my group. We had the theme of the eternal return.....again. If the groups had gone in order, this may have been more profound as we truly would be returning to our starting point once again in a cycle of recurrence. Alas, this was not the case. We did a skit centered around the idea of the sun's recurrence as a means of illustrating this theme. We brought in Vico with the idea of the descent of language from the language of the gods, to heroes, to chaos. Our versions of this was the god (Aaron) and his poetic verses on the sun, to the heroes (Brianne and Sarah....complete with towel capes and heroic underpants) relating their impressions of the sun, to Sarah Burke and myself who were stoners philosophizing in our own way about the sun and its meaning. The play started over twice (the return), only the second time, each group's reflections of the sun were more meaningful or with more insight (although the stoners didn't even notice the sun's temporary disappearance). Here we illustrate the eternal return, but each cycle brings us closer and closer to true understanding. James played our sun. How can one ever forget his rising out of the dark (trashbags) light in hand? What an image. =)

Great job everyone with the group presentations! Now on to the individuals!