Jon
12/15/2015 01:05:30 pm
Cardullo’s representation of Laura Wingfield is wrong because he fails to mention any part about the glass menagerie showing Laura’s new found confidence.
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Kadence Lanier
12/15/2015 01:06:58 pm
Contrary to Cardullo’s statement, Laura blowing out the candles seems more like a beginning to her story rather than an end, in the sense that by physically blowing out the candles in her home after Jim leaves, she is symbolically putting an end to her self-doubt and instead beginning to create a new outlook and hope for herself. Cardullo’s analysis of Laura makes her seem as if she is weak and needs a man to appreciate her beauty, when in reality, by the end of the play she learns that she does not need to be loved to accept herself; she needs to accept herself to be loved.
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Lucas Lysne
12/15/2015 01:10:27 pm
Cardullo’s depiction of Laura is fundamentally flawed, due largely to the fact that the unicorn’s de-horning allows Laura to come out of her small secluded world, and is reinforced by her acceptance of this fact. She allows her favorite creature to be broken and taken away from her, without resistance, because she has let go of her handicap. Her handicap was not found in her literal handicap, but in her seclusion and self created isolation from the outside world and reality, and in her interaction with Jim, she loses this handicap, as the unicorn loses its “handicap”. Jim was the catalyst for her great change and transmogrification of soul and nature, which leads her to a realization and acceptance of her change that Cardullo fails to properly acknowledge.
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Jarred Kasper
12/15/2015 02:06:38 pm
According to Cardullo’s depiction, Laura is coming out into the world. As people, we are all shy in our own way, but we have to overcome it by broadening our horizons. When Laura saw the horn break off the unicorn, she realized that it would now fit in with the other horses. In doing so, she realized that it is okay for the unicorn to be the same, but it is also okay for it to be different and have changes within.
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Holli Heinen
12/15/2015 02:19:08 pm
The Glass Menagerie uses subtle symbolism to define the emotional and physical aspects of the characters. “Williams’s The Glass Menagerie”, an analysis of the play, was written by Bert Cardullo and he takes these symbols into a world of his own. The glass unicorn and it’s broken horn symbolizes Laura Wingfield and how she is also lost, just like the horn. The last scene of the play where Laura blows out the candles shows the ending of the current segment of her life. Cardullo’s implication of the candles states that “no gentleman caller will ever enter her life again, will ever be gentle enough in a society so crassly materialistic to perceive her inner beauty…” (Cardullo, 163). This simply tells us that she is in fact not free and her whole life has ended, not just a segment. Although Cardullo introduces the core of these ideas in his assessment, he fails to credit the relation of symbolism between Laura and the unicorn which indefinitely alters the connotation of Laura blowing out the candles at the end of the play.
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Dallas Evernden
12/15/2015 02:24:58 pm
Some may consider Cardullo’s representation of Laura Wingfield as inaccurate. He fails to mention any part about the glass menagerie showing Laura’s new found confidence. He could have elaborated on the fact that her blowing out the candle signified her breaking out of her fantasy world. She is bursting out of her fantasy bubble therefore finding a new confidence that she had never experienced before. Laura symbolizes the insecurity that all young women feel, and she breaks away from that when she acquires her new found confidence with the help of her gentleman caller.
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Samantha Schroeder
12/15/2015 03:34:21 pm
The Romantic Era is made up of many ideals, including physical and emotional passion, as well as connecting to nature. The play "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams contains many of the characteristics of the Romantic Era. Although Cardullo depicts Laura as a character of the Romantic Era based on her love of nature and art, he leaves out examples tying her to one of the largest ideals of this Era: individualism. Laura's individualism is shown multiple times throughout the play. For example, she does not go along with her mother's act of Southern hospitality but instead falls sick and retreats to another room during dinner. These small but significant shows of individualism tie Laura's character to the Romantic Era more closely than other displays of Romantic ideals in the play.
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Emily Groseclose
12/15/2015 04:00:44 pm
Although Cardullo’s idea in reference to Laura’s “fantasy land” are convincing, it seems to sell Laura short and write her off, when in reality, Jim’s short encounter with Laura serves to positively influence her state of mind, effectively boosting her confidence. Cardullo depicts Laura as a soft, fragile being that could easily be broken. What Cardullo fails to realize is that Laura may be fragile like her glass menagerie, but being broken does not completely shatter her. When the unicorn's horn is broken off, it supposedly represents how Laura is becoming "normal" through having been courted and broken by a man. What many fail to realize is that the breaking of the unicorn horn also represents how Laura is able to break, but still stay intact and not shatter. This fact is later cemented by Laura's blowing out the candle, which shows how Laura has freed herself from her own love for Jim.
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Ashley Wegner
12/16/2015 08:59:06 am
Although Cardullo depicts Laura as a character of the Romantic Era based on her love of nature and art, he leaves out examples tying her to one of the largest ideals of the Romantic Era: individualism. Throughout “The Glass Menagerie,” Laura is portrayed as a frail and gentle being whose beauty is simply unable to be seen. To look further, it’s painfully clear that Laura has little worth as a person. Because of her crippling fear, she is unable to push herself into the real world and attempt to make something of herself. This is exemplified by the event of Laura dropping out of the keyboarding class. As she is unable to go back after her embarrassing moment, she does not pursue the career… or any for that matter. While it can be argued that Laura has potential, self doubt blocks the way. It holds her back, and as such we see that Laura has no drive to branch out. She remains stagnant in such respect. To be individualistic, a character must have worth and potential within themselves. Without it, they fall short of being individualistic, and thus short of being a Romantic character.
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Connor
12/16/2015 10:35:42 am
Although “The Glass Menagerie” is a depiction of a girl with no hope, the play has much more to it. Although Laura thought, because of her disability she had no chance.she did in fact it just her seeing the horn of her unicorn broken off to realize flaws are ok. When the unicorn's horn broke she realized just because something is broken does not mean you lost your uniqueness and nothing like a disability should hold you back. You can become something better than you ever thought was possible.
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Kylee Sneve
12/17/2015 10:04:42 am
Contrary to Cardullo’s statement, Laura blowing out the candles seems like more of a beginning to her story, rather than an ending to it. Laura blows out the candles to symbolize that she is willing to escape her lonesome world and begin to love herself for who she is. Cardullo’s analysis of Laura makes it seem that she must reply on having man in her life to make her love herself. When in reality, she learns in the end, that she must learn to love herself before she can love somebody else. She is ready to leap into a new life and start new, and that is possible when she finally blows the candles out.
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Layne Harris
12/17/2015 12:07:51 pm
Original:
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