Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Arts and Humanities

Acting Terminology: Core Concepts

• Acting – The art of bringing a script to life through performance.

• Playwright – The author who writes the script for a play.

• Representational Style – A style of acting that aims to create the illusion of reality, where actors do not acknowledge the audience (e.g., no direct eye contact).

• Presentational Style – A style of acting where actors directly address or acknowledge the audience, breaking the fourth wall.

• Fourth Wall – The imaginary, invisible wall that separates the actors and the stage from the audience.

• Character – The specific role or persona portrayed by an actor in a performance.

• Audition – A competitive process where actors perform for a role to demonstrate their suitability.

• Characterization

1. Stories

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway

• Genre: Short story, modernist fiction
• Theme: Loneliness and the search for meaning
• Message: Everyone needs a calm, clean place to escape the darkness (loneliness/despair)
• Main characters:
  • Old man: Lonely customer
  • Young waiter: Rude and impatient
  • Old waiter: Understanding and reflective
• Plot: An old man drinks alone at a café. The young waiter wants him to leave, but the old waiter empathizes with his need for a peaceful place.
• Context: Written in 1933, during the Great Depression
• Conflict: Existential—coping with loneliness and emptiness
• Themes: Despair, human connection, purpose in life

The Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf

• Genre: Stream-of-consciousness fiction
• Theme: Perception and reality
• Message:

Personal Brand Funnel: Build & Monetize Your Influence

The 4-Step Personal Brand Funnel

1. Awareness: Be Discovered

   To have a personal brand, your audience needs to know you exist; otherwise, your efforts are in vain. To achieve this, post content and be present on platforms where your audience is active.

   Best Exposure Platforms:

   • TikTok
   • Instagram (IG)
   • Twitter
   • YouTube

   Best Ways to Be Known:

   • Appropriate content on the appropriate platform.
   • Collaborate with other personal brands that already have an audience.

2. Gain Confidence: Convert Followers to Contacts

   Transition from "I think I know this person" to "I am interested in what they have to say." You need people to have confidence in you, not just follow you on social media, but also give you their contact

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot

1. Sections and Summaries

This poem comprises five sections:

• The Burial of the Dead

  Part I conveys a sense of apprehension and incomprehension among various characters in different situations. Madame Sosostris, a fortune-teller, adds to the confusion with enigmatic pronouncements that only gain clarity later in the poem. The city, particularly London, is depicted as a grim place inhabited by people unable to live fully or escape their deadness.

• A Game of Chess

  Part II presents two scenes showcasing the desolation of people's lives. The first depicts a richly decorated room where a wealthy lady's constant questions reveal her anxiety and lack of control. The second scene unfolds in a London pub, where two women discuss

The Anglo-Saxon period, spanning from approximately 410 to 1066 AD, was a time of significant social, cultural, artistic, and economic development in England. As a society built on tribal loyalties, warrior honor, and emerging Christian influences, the Anglo-Saxons left a lasting impact on literature, most notably through the epic poem *Beowulf*. This literary masterpiece serves as both a reflection and a preservation of the values and traditions of its time, offering deep insight into Anglo-Saxon life.

Anglo-Saxon Society and Warrior Ethos

Anglo-Saxon society was primarily warrior-based, structured around the concept of the *comitatus*, a mutually beneficial relationship between a king and his warriors. This system emphasized loyalty and protection,... Continue reading "Beowulf: A Mirror of Anglo-Saxon Civilization" »

Essential English Vocabulary

• Arranged marriage: Matrimonio concertado
• Be in tears / Be close to tears / Burst into tears: Estar llorando / A punto de llorar / Romper a llorar
• Bare: Vacío
• Beat: Latir
• Bland: Soso
• Boom: En auge
• Cattle: Ganado
• Council: Ayuntamiento
• Cheer: Aplaudir / Vitorear
• Cope: Afrontar
• Costume: Vestuario
• Crop: Cultivo / Cosecha
• Deserted: Vacío
• Deserve: Merecer
• Filling: Saciante
• Fool: Engañar, tomar el pelo
• Grate: Rallar
• Halfway (through/up/down): A la mitad de
• Harvest: Cultivar
• Head (for/towards): Dirigirse a/hacia
• Host: Anfitrión
• Inherit: Heredar
• Juicy: Jugoso
• Lighting: Iluminación
• Moving: Conmovedor
• Outstanding: Excepcional
• Out of place: Fuera de lugar
• Overdressed: Demasiado elegante
• Overrated: Sobrevalorado
• Posh: Elegante / De moda
• Raise: Criar animales
• Regret

American Symbols: Contrasting Views

The Statue of Liberty: A Unifying Symbol?

Most American citizens seem to share a common opinion of the Statue of Liberty. They think that it is a symbol of hope, faith, democracy, freedom, and equality, although the reality is sometimes different.

The American Flag: A Divisive Symbol?

On the other hand, Americans hold two distinct points of view regarding the American flag. Some believe that the stars and stripes represent unity and equality; these individuals may feel content with their lives in America. Others feel that the American flag does not live up to their expectations and are ashamed of it. These people might feel compelled to disrespect the flag, wanting to burn it or drag it through the mud. As a... Continue reading "American Symbols, the Dream, and Narrative Perspectives" »

Vocabulary

1. AMBIGUITY: Doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation.
2. NEPOTISM: Giving jobs to relatives.
3. ETHNOCENTRIC: The belief in the inherent superiority of one's own culture.
4. INVEST: To put money, time, or feelings into something.
5. ENLIGHTENMENT: Clear thinking that is free from delusion.
6. COURTSHIP: Time when one person pursues the other for marriage.
7. DECLINE: To reduce or to say no.
8. UNPREDICTABLE: Something that behaves in unexpected ways.
9. BRANCH OUT: To expand or extend, as in business activities.
10. SECULARISM: The view that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without religious elements.
11. BIAS: Inclination, prejudice, viewpoint.
12. CONTROVERSY: A prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention.
13. STEREOTYPE: Opinion

The Narrative Verbal Icon /2

A Brief Overview of the History of Narration

• Phase 1: Mythic narration = "histories" of the world. Very ancient stories, which are signs of the thinking man. They are a kind of documentation about how people think. This was the narrative of fictitious cultures. The heroes were divine beings, outstanding humans who were able to do things which others are unable to.
• Phase 2: High Mimetic narration = imitating a culture which is superior to another, connecting the stories with historical facts. The producers of heroic epics found a tradition and storytellers followed them. (primary=oral, secondary=written). The journeys of Odysseus and Aeneas belong here. The focus is on the journey made by the characters (mostly without)

Literary devices Jane Austen uses in her novel Pride and Prejudice.

Dramatic Irony

Definition: In literature, a plot device in which the audience’s or reader’s knowledge of events or individuals surpasses that of the characters. The words and actions of the characters therefore take on a different meaning for the audience or reader than they have for the characters. This may happen when, for example, a character reacts in an inappropriate or foolish way or when a character lacks self-awareness and thus acts under false assumptions.

Alliteration

Definition: Alliteration is a literary device where words are used in quick succession and begin with letters belonging to the same sound group. Whether it is the consonant sound or a specific vowel... Continue reading "Literary Devices in Pride and Prejudice" »