LONDON



Our trip began with a train ride to North Hampton, a city about 90 minutes outside of London. We went to see an authentic rugby match there and got to see some hardcore games. It was me, Cassie, Gawon, and Clara.

Each player had giant thighs...and short-shorts.

Blasted by Sarah Kane

Blasted by Sarah Kane

Blasted is a play about an explosion in a hotel room and how a woman, a man, and a soldier cope with the destruction.

Blasted begins as a mundane play. We are introduced to Cate and Ian, an on again- off again couple staying in a nice hotel. As the play begins, and well into the middle, the audience’s only real point of interest is the relationship the characters have with one another. As the play got going I was simply analyzing Cate and her naiveté and Ian’s miserable phoniness. Cate is a simple girl, defined by her childhood and her uncomplicated demeanor. Cate is young but you can tell that she has grown up quite a bit since knowing Ian. I got the impression that she was swept off her feet by Ian and has since been returned to solid ground. She is no longer charmed by Ian’s self-righteousness and false nonchalant manner. Cate reminds me of a woman who has crossed that line of innocence and isn’t really surprised by much anymore, but still maintains her virtue despite the things she has witnessed in her life.

Personal Blog #2

So personal blog post #2; this trip is more than halfway over and this is only my second post about my adventures, personal growth, etc. but you must understand that after Skyping your mother and informing her on every detail of your life almost daily, blogging feels redundant.

I got my tourist on and went to visit Christchurch College last week, so very stunning.

 {The dining hall at Christchurch is the one they used in HP!!!}

{Christchurch cathedral}

And despite having caught the flu whilst in Paris I am recovering! We have moved to our final lodging venue for this trip and we are now in Jesus College Graduate Flats. We each have our own giant single and for every four singles there is a living room and a kitchen so we can cook! Although this area is not in downtown Oxford it is a short bus ride away and really comfortable. Anyway, this is what I’ve been up to the last couple weeks:

Reading Response: Shopping and Fucking

Shopping and Fucking by Mark Ravenhill

Shopping and Fucking is a play about a confused former drug addict trying to make his life meaningful and stable once again.

The play Shopping and Fucking is shocking at first glance even without reading its content. Shopping and what now? Yes, fucking. I understand why this genre of theatre is called “In-Yer-Face” because the wording, actions, and characters themselves are all up in “yer-face” and there are multiple points throughout the play that I had to comment aloud, “WTF?” The title is an important indicator of what this play is about because while it is a shocker of a name to some, it’s true meaning is more than that. Shopping and fucking are both shallow and superficial things that may have a place in every lifestyle but certainly cannot make up one entirely… or can they? A life that thrives purely on the temporary thrill of a new sale item and a one night stand is a life void of any meaning at all, and Ravenhill concocts an entire web of people merely existing in a life that may not be worth living in the first place.