Yesterday we started reading Lynn Nottage's Ruined. It is a play about war and its effect on women. Students were to do background research on the play and its author, as they reflect on the work so far (we didn't complete it).
What does it mean to be "ruined?" Look at the play and do a close reading of a scene or character around a certain theme. Don't forget to use citations to support or prove your claims.
Day 2, Week 3
Today we talked about Ruined and what we know about Nottage--For today's freewrite respond to the following questions:
How is theatre more immediate than fiction? How is the audience's commitment more direct?
From the reading: "Writing about Plays," summarize some of the key points and use Ruined to illustrate them.
Homework:
Continue with the background research. If you haven't visited the Berkeley Rep website to see what was written about Ruined, do so. Chose a theme related to Ruined and develop a plan for our weekly essay.
One idea is to look at Love during a time of warfare. One could also look at the many faces of survival during war as relates to women and men. Another topic is how poetry helps the character Christian survive the war.
One could also define ruined in its multiple definitions as embodied by so many in the play. What is Lynn Nottage saying about humanity in this work?
Each essay needs to have at least 2 articles related to the topic included in the bibliography. One should be scholarly.
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26 comments:
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
5 July 2011
RUINED – Act One, Scene 4
The play is set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a civil war is happening. In scene 4, we get to meet Commander Prestige de Bembe Osembenga, a government's military officer. As he starts talking to Mama Nadi, we can't help to notice how arrogant he is by asking “Do you know who I am?” when not being served by Mama. His bad manners and rudeness makes the Congolese government look terrible and merciless with its enemies. Also, the soldier asking Christian for a cigarette just shows how the actual government or the military doesn't really care about the population, asking whatever they want with nothing to give them in return. They try to use propaganda to turn the population against them, while they might themselves do atrocities. It just shows how both the government and the rebels are corrupt and power-hungry.
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 June 2011
Freewrite
A story usually tells you a story while a play shows the spectators the story happening. This is why its more direct, as you can see the story occurring, with dialogues and movements. The audience is not allowed to think through the story, it cannot imagine the scene… The play is just a way to show the story from a single point of view.
The story is told via a dialogue on a set or scene. Actors would talk, like how people talk to each or even to themselves such as in “The Cid.” In RUINED, the set is the Mama Nadi’s place, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, previously Zaire. The spectacles or what we actually see onstage, are the costumes, actors movements etc… In this play, most of them are wearing old and used clothes. Christian, for example, wears “a suit that might have been considered stylish when new…” and the set is “A small mining town, the sounds of the tropical Ituri rain forest. Democratic Republic of the Congo” (Nottage, 5).
Nottage, Lynn. RUINED. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
VG
Professor Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Reflection:
I feel that this play is a blessing to the region. These civil wars appear to be common to the region and have been happening in the dark for decades. I admire and respect Lynn Nottage for shedding light on an invisible injustice so that the world can see what is really happening. In comparison, this reminds me of the Holocaust.
The genocide and rape of a people is a reminder of what happened to the Jews before World War II. The only difference is that America is not intervening this time around. Why, I’m not sure but I do know it took an attack on American shores to convince America to “do the right thing” during WWII. Maybe this time around we take to approach of out of sight out on mind. We don’t see it in our everyday news, so we don’t lift a finger to help. It is sad but true.
As I was doing research on the Congo I found that many regimes have come to power, raped the area or natural resources, raped the women, and fallen to newer regimes. This is a vicious cycle that needs to end.
James, Deborah
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
7 July 2011
Ruined – Lynn Nottage 2010
INITIAL REFLECTIONS
The play takes place in a house of “ill repute” that was created by a woman who herself had been through some traumatic experiences and decides that since the attitude of the villagers is to shun the women after they have been raped and brutalized by soldiers, the better way to approach life is to resign oneself to a life of prostitution in a “safe” environment. The brothel affords Mama some degree of control on what happens there.
Mama: … Once you step through my door then you’re in my house. And I make the rules here.
The caretaker of the brothel is “Mama.” Throughout the play, she admonishes the young women in her charge that they will be subjected to a worse life if they attempt to make their way back to their villages; e.g., being caught alone in the bush by soldiers bent on abusing them. Mama also speaks of the women’s rejection and isolation that would be inflicted on the women if they should return to the villages they came from and the lack of protection that the villages were able to offer them before or during their travails with the soldiers.
Christian brings his niece, Sophie, to Mama seeking a safe place for her to dwell after her ordeal. Christian also subscribes to the belief that once a woman has been raped, she is no longer fit for marriage and should live her life out in the carnal service of anyone who has the price. If Christian did not believe this, he had the option of delivering his niece to a convent or other religious sanctuary. Still, Christian pleads with Mama to accept his niece and even offers her as part of a “two for one” special. Christian states that
She says her husband is a farmer, and from what I understand, her village won’t have her back. Because . . . the village is no place for a girl who has been … ruined. It brings shame, dishonor to the family.
The play chronicles the underlying despair and frustration of the characters in their acceptance of their fate and decision to accept the “lesser evil” of living a capitalistic version of a life of carnal servitude to the soldiers who raped them as opposed to having the power to make any meaningful changes in their lives. Although she initially protests being “. . . refugee camp overrun with suffering,” Mama does accept Sophie and has other ruined girls in her charge as well, performing work around the brothel.
The play is a sad commentary on the tragic lives of people caught in the aftermath of the tragedy which plays itself out daily in the Congo hellhole. The soldiers are driven by tribal loyalties and lust for gold and Coltan. The survival of these people has been brutally linked to the greed of outside investors.
Ruined
In the play Ruined, written my Lynn Nottage is a story based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The setting is in a small mining time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this setting, there is a brothel house that seems seems to be old, and unkept with girls that are prostitutes. The title of the play is “ruined” which symbolizes the characters in this play. All the girls in the brothel house have been brutally raped. Even the soldiers that raped these women are also ruined. Even Mami Nadi is ruined by her pain, poverty, and greed. It seems as though every character is ruined, and so it becomes a cycle that never leaves these people, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mami Nadi is in her early forties, who is a bit arrogant. Christian in also in his early forties, who is saleman that works for Mami Nadi, and brings her new girls.
Ruined
In the play Ruined, written my Lynn Nottage is a story based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The setting is in a small mining time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this setting, there is a brothel house that seems seems to be old, and unkept with girls that are prostitutes. The title of the play is “ruined” which symbolizes the characters in this play. All the girls in the brothel house have been brutally raped. Even the soldiers that raped these women are also ruined. Even Mami Nadi is ruined by her pain, poverty, and greed. It seems as though every character is ruined, and so it becomes a cycle that never leaves these people, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mami Nadi is in her early forties, who is a bit arrogant. Christian in also in his early forties, who is saleman that works for Mami Nadi, and brings her new girls.
Jennah Makalai
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
06 July 2011
Reflection on Ruined
Lynn Nottage's play Ruined takes the audience to a brothel in the war torn Democratic Republic of Congo. The majority of the scenes we've seen so far have taken place in the bar/brothel of Mama Nadi, a shrewd businesswoman with an occasional soft side. Her true intentions at this point in the play are unclear. While she plays the part of of a no nonsense madame, she also has moments where she takes on the role inherent in her name, "Mama" and protects her girls. I am most interested in seeing how Nottage develops her character further in to the play.
Jennah Makalai
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
06 July 2011
Freewrite
Theatre is more immediate than fiction in the simple fact that you can't miss it, it's right in front of your face. The theatre, the players and their creative license bring the words off the page and in to life. Stage directions, sets and the playwright's diction bring the story and plot to a very immediate place either a reader or an active audience. The commitment is more direct because you see what's happening right before your eyes. There is no time to imagine what the characters might look like, or to ponder how they might act in particular situations.
Ricardo Antonio Chavarria
Professor Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Freewrite: Ruined
Theater is more immediate than fiction because the plot and setting are introduced rather quickly by a narrator. The thoughts of the actors are often not revealed. Theater rather relies on dialogue, gestures, and facial expressions of the actors to tell the story and get the plot of the story going. Theater is also more direct because you do not have to imagine the characters or the setting. In a play the characters perform in front of a live audience in which the dialogue is the main part of the play.
Writing about Plays covers the essential components of drama. One of the elements of plays is diction which is well illustrated in the play Ruined by Lynn Nottage. The personality and character of Mama are revealed through some of her dialogue when Sophie and Salima are talking about love “He’ll see you, love will flood into his eyes, he’ll tell you everything you want to hear, and then one morning, I know how it happens, he will begin to ask ugly questions… This is your home now. Mama takes care of you now” (Nottage 44). Mama goes on to talk about how the village would not really want Salima back because she is ruined. Mama is a tough woman and does not shy away from telling the brutal truth. At the same time you can sense a bit of bitterness and pessimism in the character of Mama. The setting and theme of the play are well defined in the play of Ruined. Taking place in a bar/brothel in the Democratic Republic of Congo the theme of Ruined can be described as the effect of the war on women. I think that by choosing the women as main characters the brutalness and cruelty of the war are further highlighted.
Nottage, Lynn. RUINED. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
Jeffrey To
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
1.Post a reflection on Ruined
Ruined by Lynn Nottage is a interesting play. This is probably the 5th play ive read during my school year. A lot of plays I read are from Shakespeare. So, readign this one is a new experience. My comments about this play is , its very good. The author uses setting and background of thecharacters to give us a understanding of who they are. By giving us their background experience, the reader as tell what they have been through and come up with an analysis of the characters of Salima and Sophie. The author did a good job introducing them with there history. The author does not tell or give us a character profile in the play but base on the things read in the play, its easy to tell who the characters are. I wanna finish the play because I wanna see how its turns out. It was sad how Fortune search for his wife and even brought her the pot she wanted but she kind of blames him for what has happen to her.
2. Freewrite: How is theatre more immediate than fictions? How is the commitment more direct? From the reading-writing about plays- summarize some of the key points. Use citations from aRUined the illustrate your point.
Theatre is more immediate than fictions because theatre shows how are things presented. It tells the storys of how things are shown and rather than read. A fiction tells the story in a series of events but plays shows events going to happen. The commitment is more direct because they give you a visual of what is happending where in a fiction, you have to visual in your mind the story being read. Theatre guilde you through the story with visuals. It helps the audience learn about characters and stories from watching the play.
In wrting about plays, it mentions the key points from how a play is different from fictions. A play is different from fiction because it shows how they are presented to the audience whereas a book it is how its read. The chapter talks about Aristotle the earliste literary critic in the wrstern tradition and the six elements in a play: Plot, characterization, theme, dictionm, melody, and spectacle. Artiotle uses these elements to help the audienece understand the pla better through visually. For example, in scene 5 the author uses a bar as the location of the play and show us the life of being a prositute through how they are treated(page 34).
To be “ruined” means to experience something life chaning. In the play, Fortune is ruined due to the fact he went to get a pot for his wife Salima but found out she was raped. He became a soldier, and was ruined when his wife left. Fortune wouldn’t leave the bar until he got his wife. He said, “ Tell Salima, I will be back for her”(scene 2, page 41). Fortune was ruined by experiencing the life without his wife.
Michelle Kith
English 1B
Wanda Sabir
July 6th 2011
Ruined
In the play Ruined, written my Lynn Nottage is a story based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The setting is in a small mining time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this setting, there is a brothel house that seems seems to be old, and unkept with girls that are prostitutes. The title of the play is “ruined” which symbolizes the characters in this play. All the girls in the brothel house have been brutally raped. Even the soldiers that raped these women are also ruined. Even Mami Nadi is ruined by her pain, poverty, and greed. It seems as though every character is ruined, and so it becomes a cycle that never leaves these people, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mami Nadi is in her early forties, who is a bit arrogant. Christian in also in his early forties, who is saleman that works for Mami Nadi, and brings her new girls.
D.L
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Free Write:
Theater is more immediate than fiction because it takes place visually right in front of you. The actors are on stage, delivering their lines and acting out the scenes, grabbing your attention (if they are good). There is also more commitment when watching theater. Unlike with a book or a novel, you can’t turn your attention away or place it aside for later. Theater is here and now, with any slip in attention resulting in missing plot developments or key conversations. For “Ruined” by Lynne Nottage, many elements of drama are clearly evident. The setting plays a powerful role, grounding the viewer’s mind in a context through which to understand the events that unfold in the story. In “Ruined”, the setting is especially powerful, set in a concurrent place and time: a Congo torn apart by a very real civil war. Melody, a lesser known attribute of drama, is also very apparent in “Ruined”. The lyrics of the songs that Mama and Sophie sing reveal the craziness of the situation in the Congo, lyrics such as “As bullets fly like hell’s rain,/ Wild flowers wilt, and the forest decays,/But here we’re pouring Champange,” (Nottage, 42).
Manuel Francisco Seminario
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
June 6th 2011
FREEWRITE
How is theatre more immediate than fiction? How is the audience's commitment more direct?
In theater one sees the play and feels the plot,whereas fiction is reality come undone. In each play written throught the ages from Mozarts Opera/play " Don Giobany" through todays plays,the audience has been captivated by the works.
From the reading: "Writing about Plays," summarize some of the key points and use Ruined to illustrate them.
Heres one crucial point of the play,that sorrounds it. Christian"The tidal dance , a nasty tug of war,two equally implacable partners,Day fighting...And so forth and so on." not only does this quote lie in but also in this one "These ignorant conutry boys,who wouldn't be able to tel left from right ,they put on a uniform and suddenly they're making decisions for us"This was due to the continuos fighting and disrespecting agreements ,towards what they've agreed upon.
Gerardo Guzman
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
RUINED FREE WRITE
With theatre a playwright’s words come to life as they were meant to be. It is much different reading a play and watching it performed by professional actors. You can see the characters’ costumes and hear the nuances of language that may have been overlooked during reading. A play also lasts a few hours or less which allows us to take in the whole story in one sitting rather than spending a few weeks on a novel. There is also a sense of appreciation and wonder for the abilities of the actors onstage; how they can remember their lines and deliver them with better than the author intended.
The excerpt “Writing about Plays” describes several characteristics of drama including: plot, character, theme, diction, melody, spectacle, and setting. These characteristics are found in all plays, although some are more developed or prominent than others. In the play “Ruined” by Lynn Nottage, setting and character are very important as the story revolves around male and female interactions in a bar during a civil war. The bar/brothel serves as a refuge for women as Sophie asks Salima, “If you leave, where will you go? Huh? Sleep in the bush? Scrounge for food in a stinking refugee camp” (Nottage 22). Both women are victims of violence and rape and find a certain amount of protection under the watch of Mama Nadi. She is the madame of the bar and does not back down whether hosting rebel or government soldiers. When confronting Commander Osembenga she bluntly orders him to, “Leave your bullets at the bar, otherwise you don’t come in. . . . Once you step through my door, then you’re in my house. And I make the rules here” (Nottage 29). Mama Nadi is unrelenting and all the other characters follow her lead.
Ruined. By Lynn Nottage. Dir. Kate Whoriskey. The Goodman Theatre, Chicago. 8 Nov. 2008. Performance.
D.L
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Reflection on Ruined:
I think that “Ruined” is a very powerful, emotional piece. It kinda shocks you back to reality, giving insight to a war that is very real, yet hardly mentioned in the news. The brutality towards the women, toward each other, is almost unbelievable, the amount of violence hard for me to comprehend. Even if the characters are fictional, the situations are most certainly heavily grounded in fact. Why does the allure for power and money change people so much, causing them to leave their morals and decency by the wayside? With both sides committing such atrocities, who can you really side with?
Guorong Li
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
July 6, 2011
Free write-“Ruined”
“Ruined”, by Lyn Nottage, is a Play about some pity women in a small bar during the war of Congo. As a play, “Ruined” give me more direct impacts compare to fiction. Because a play uses more conversations and direct reaction between characters and the rhythm is much faster than a fiction, it will give the audience intensive feeling and immediate reaction.
The settings of the play “Ruined” is a Bar in Congo during the war. It is a peaceful and beautiful place compare to the killing and dying war. And the characters like Mama Nadi, Salima, Josephine and Sophie are the meant characters, who are showing different faces during the war and survives.
Mama Nadi as a female pimp, she is very well control on the bar and the people, she says “Does it make me clear?” “I make the rule here” (page 29). Although Mama Nadi cheats, lies and is rude, she just does these in the name of survival. She has to deal with all kind of crude people such as the crude soldiers, the rough miners, cheaters and other kind of different people. If she is not well controlling, the bar has already been destroyed. Without her protection against the government soldiers and rebel soldiers, the other girls in the bar may not find a shelter, food and even safety.
Ramel George Jr.
Professor Sabir
ENGL 1B
6 July 2011
Reflection
The play “Ruined” by Lynn Nottage is the story of women in a brothel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It focuses around the survival of these women during a time of war. To be “ruined” in this play means that these women were taken from their homes and brutally raped by the rebel soldiers. When women are ruined, it is considered that they brought shame onto to their families and become outcast. In scene two of act two, one of the women, Salima, tells of how she was viewed by her husband. She states, “He called me a filthy dog and said I tempted him... He had no choice but to turn away from me, I had dishonored him.” (Nottage 45) when they are banished, Mama Nadi takes them in and they work in her brothel for her to survive.
Free write
Theatre is more immediate than fiction because of how the message is being conveyed. The most obvious sign is the visual. “A story tells you about a series of events" and a play shows you these events happening in real time.” In a story, there is usually a narrator, but in a play the dialogue between characters is the main form of communication. The audience’s commitment is more direct because unlike a story you have to be fully engaged in the storyline and to truly understand what is happening. the audience has to be aware of the setting, plot, different characters and the dialogue between them all at the same time. the visual of actually seeing the story play out also make it a little easier to comprehend what is occurring.
Nottage, Lynn. RUINED. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
Stephanie Chan
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Close-In Reading of “Ruined”
The dramatic play, “Ruined”, by Lynn Nottage, depicts the untold, poignant stories of the young women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the war. Nottage portrays the modicum of power that “ruined” or damaged girls possess. “Ruined”, or raped young women, have a lack of authority and are not respected in their villages and communities. Thus, in this story, Mama Nadi opens her bar for employment for these “damanged” women. She allows these women to earn a living for themselves; in return for their “services” Mama Nadi provides food and shelter. She comforts these “ruined” women as well as passerbys of the rebel forces as well as corrupted government troops. Mama Nadi earns respect from all walks of life. The true irony of the story is the amount of respect she earns. She is an unknown virgin who offers the accompaniment of a woman. Her self-made bar and brothel establish and symbolize her authority amongst the young women in her bar, as well as her customers that are always men. She is in control of the rules at her establishment and stands up for herself and her girls. She shows her protection towards Salima, who has run away from her husband because she feels ashamed. Her husband Fortune is also unaware of Salima’s pregnancy, for this, Mama Nadi tells Fortune to “Get Out! Get the hell our of here” after stealthy pursuit of his wife (1, 6, 120).
“Ruined” Free-Write
Lynn Nottage’s dramatic play, “Ruined”, re-enacts the true stories of young women of the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the war. The play contains dialouge, stage directions, and other important elements of drama that enlighten the play’s plot, characters, and theme. Nottage uses diction to bring her characters to life. The diction is realistic to the melody of the play, which explains the emotions of the characters. The melody drives the plot line, in this case, the enduring survival of these “damaged” or raped women during the Coltan War. From the dialouge, diction, and melody, the characters are able to express the pain and suffering of their world. These women feel unsafe and live in fear of the unknown of what is to come. Women have little authority in their society, let alone respect. The actors can interpret this pain through their body movements instructed by the play’s stage directions. There are no difficulties to imagine in this play; Lynn Nottage creates these tragic realities in order for society to gain a collective awareness of third-world order.
Nottage, Lynn. Ruined. Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 2010.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Reflection: Ruined
Ruined by Lynn Nottage is a play based on the problems of women in brothels during the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the beginning of the play, a traveling salesman, Christian, comes to Mama Nadi, the brothel lady, to sell three girls, among those girls, one girl is said to be ruined. In the play, “ruined” is a metaphor to describe a woman who can no longer engage in sexual activities, or become a prostitute because of the damage to reproductive organs as a result of the brutal sexual assault and rape. In the play, the character, Sophie is ruined because she was raped by soldiers and has developed a serious reproductive condition, fistula, causing severe pain and discomfort. Though, at first, Mama Nadi was not interested to keep a ruined woman is her brothel, but later she allows Sophie to stay because Sophie is talented, intelligent and beautiful and she cost nothing to her. Mama Nadi uses Sophie’s talent of school to count daily income and uses her singing and beauty to entertain soldiers to benefit her business. Even though, brothel is a safer place for a ruined woman like Sophie, she plans to escape from the brother, and to do that she steals money from Mama Nadi because she thinks that Mama Nadi is not as intelligent as her.
Nottage, Lynn. Ruined. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
Trang Tran
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Freewrite:
The play Ruined written by Lynn Nottage is a very intense, but interesting play. This is the first time I have read a play, but I have seen a play called “An Ideal Husband” during one of my summer. It is quite a different experience to read about a play on such a topic that truly affects the women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Through the dialogues between characters, the theme of the play starts to come out, illustrating a terrifying imagine of women being rape or having their genital mutilate by the soldiers. The women in the play who came into Mama Nadi’s place were in need of a place to live because they could not return back to their village. Looking at the dialogue between Mama and Christian, Christian said “And as you know the village isn’t a place for a girl who has been … ruined. It brings shame, dishonor to the family” (page, 11). The word “ruined” meant damage to the female genital, or women of rape were also seen as ruined due to the repeated abuse of their genital from the rapes by many soldiers.
Ruined. By Lynn Nottage. Dir. Kate Whoriskey. The Goodman Theatre, Chicago. 8 Nov. 2008. Performance.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Free write: Ruined
Theater is more immediate because it shows the events happening in real time, whereas in fiction, series of events tell the story. In theater, the information is conveyed through dialogues, stage directions and character descriptions.
The commitment in a play is more direct because the reader must be especially attentive to nuances of language, which often means imagining what might be happening onstage during a particular passage of speech. On the other hand, in fiction, character develops slowly. Modern plays, like Ruined, often begin with elaborate descriptions of the stage, furniture, major props, and so forth, which is very useful in helping a reader to picture a production. For example, the setting of act one in Ruined is, “[a] small mining town. The sound of the tropical Ituri rain forest. . . A bar with makeshift furniture and a rundown pool table,” which gives a detailed description of the stage to help reader to imagine what might be happening on stage (Nottage 5). Similar to setting, often character description also starts in the beginning of a play, as in Ruined, the main character Mama Nadi is described as, “early forties, an attractive woman with an arrogant stride and majestic air “ (Nottage 5).
Work Cited
Nottage, Lynn. Ruined. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
BP
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
6 July 2011
Act 1, Scene 4 introduces the character Osembenga, commander of the government's army in search of Jerome Kisembe, the leader of the rebel army. The scene begins with Christian, a traveling salesman who openly reveals his love interest for Mama Nadi, a bar owner and mother of her bought twelve children. His love poems and urges is soon interrupted by Commander Osembenga, who questions Mama Nadi on the whereabouts of Jerome Kisembe. After Osembenga explains Kisembe's tyranny, Mama Nadi hopes to earn Osembenga's trust by accepting his wish – for Christian to drink despite his soberness.
The interaction between Mama Nadi and Osembenga notes the power of greed and desperation in order to obtain wealth and success. For instance, Mama Nadi greeted Osembenga with a flirtatious manner, but soon after treats him poorly when forcing him to disassemble his gun. This flirtatious side of Mama Nadi is purposely brought out to lure Osembenga into buying from her
Theatre brings a story to life, and thus making theatre more immediate than fiction; in fiction, the narrator must describe the many emotions and settings, requiring timely explanations and deep images, but in theatre, everything is explained on the spot. The audience commitment is more direct because they have the ability to interact with the characters when called for, whereas fiction only allows interaction with the book rather than the actual character. Diction is adjusted to fit the current setting of the Congo's, and so making it more better for the story development
In Lynn Nottage’s story “Ruined,” the basics of theatre are utilized very well. Dialogue plays an important part of the play as most of it is written in dialogue. Spectacle also plays a huge part in theatre because it is what allows the story to come to life; without it, the audience would lose the interactivity and visual appeals. Nottage uses some melody when Sofie and Mama Nadi sing to the customers: “A rare bird on a limb/Sings a song hear by a few/A few patient and distant listeners.” (Nottage 26) Setting creates the character by associating their characteristics with the setting, and stage directions and set are tools in doing this.
Work Cited:
Nottage, Lynn. RUINED. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
S D
Professor Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Ruined Reflection:
In the play Ruined by Lynn Nottage, the protagonist is a Madam of a brothel. The Madam known as Mama Nadi runs a house of women who prostitute themselves for money. These women that live with Mama are victims of horrible crimes committed on them by soldiers and renegades that are fighting each other during a governmental unrest period in the Congo. Selling themselves is much more safe than trying to survive in the villages with family because at anytime a woman could be vulnerable to rape and other abuses with no protection. The play seemed very violent and sad; being raped or having to prostitute is terrible however, I guess prostitution would be the lesser of two evils.
In the play Ruined, Scene 2, Salimas tragic story of being brutally raped while her husband had gone off to buy a pot was disturbing; to be helpless and unable to protect yourself or your child is even worse (46).
Nottage, Lynn. Ruined. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010
S D
Professor Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
How is theater more immediate than fiction?
Theater is more immediate, in that everything that happens on stage is live, there are no retakes, outtakes, or much room for error; the characters are right there with the audience.
The dialogue of the actors builds the charter before the audiences’ eyes. The setting of the stage, furniture, props, backdrops etc. help to set the theme of the production, and last there is music to create drama. Theater allows the audience to experience the performance.
Reading the play “Ruined” aloud in class is a perfect example of audience participation. Although I didn’t have a part to read, listening to the student read character parts helped to bring the play to life. Fiction on the other hand does not leave much for the imagination. Everything is created artificially for the viewer. Fiction doesn’t provide a participation experience.
Joanna Louie
Professor Wanda Sabir
6 July 2011
Close Reading of “Ruined”
The play ruined by Lynn Nottage is a powerful drama, and I’m curious what the ending brings. Nottage writes about the outbreak of sexual violence in the Congo and the war and its effect towards women especially.
Under Sophie’s conditions, the men no longer want her as a wife. Sophie, has been “ruined”, she was raped by a soldier, and stabbed with a gun in her vagina. She has a fistula, a bad infection that leaves a very bad smell. However, Sophie is not rejected by Mama Nadi, even though she is “ruined”, this is because Mama Nadi has been “ruined” as well. Mama Nadi can see that Sophie’s “pretty” looks “caused [her] problems” and can smell her infection and describes the smell like “the rot of meat” (Nottage 12). Mama Nadi let’s Sophie stay and she helps out with the accounting and sings at the bar.
“Ruined” Free-Write
Theater, especially live theater, is more direct than fiction because in theater, we are given a more direct opportunity to relate to individual characters. When reading fiction, readers make up tones and attitudes towards characters, where as in theater, there are trained actors and actress to portray a certain role. Even in written plays, there are often stage directions and key words to describe how the character reacts or says certain things.
The audience’s commitment is more direct with theater, because as you watch a play or musical, you there, you are surrounded with their work and often feel as if you are on stage with the actors and actress, like you are a part of their work. How well the actors and actress commit to their role, reflects how well the audience feels connected with the work.
The entire play takes place in a bar in Congo that caters to travelers, like: military men, salesmen and also miners. Mama Nadi, an attractive and seductive woman in her forties, owns the bar and has many young women working for her. These women serve as prostitutes, as they feel this is the only way for survival. Through the diction and melody Nottage chooses, characters are developed and we can connect with their pain and suffering.
Work Cited
Nottage, Lynn. Ruined. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
Rebecca Ramos
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Reflection on Ruined
The play Ruined, written by Lynn Nottage, has both an unexpected sense of humor and underlining tragedy. This play describes the life of the women of the Republic of Congo after their civil war erupted. Many of the characters have been raped and are considered “ruined” by their family and are then forced to flee from their homes. Many of the girls end up at businesses like Mama Nadi’s bar where miners and soldiers go to seek a good drink and a woman’s comfort. The character of Mama Nadi protects the girls from any harm although she is profiting off their talents. The play centers on the instability of the Congo and the characters thirst for survival and overcoming their labels.
The play so far is very intriguing due to the fact that although the basis of this play is dark the diction of each character allows for humor to flow through the play in times of tension. I enjoy the humor that Mama Nadi brings to the story and how although she profits off the girls she protects them against anything. The character of Sophie seems reserved yet she is bold enough to steal from Mama Nadi. Although Mama Nadi catches Sophie, she has a soft spot for Sophie and finds things in common with her. Throughout the play the theme of being ruined is everywhere, every character is ruined by the war in their own way. Also the theme of safety and security is very prominent as each character tries to find safety in their lives again. This play so far is very thought provoking and each character has their own way of engaging the reader.
Plays depend much more on the reader’s imagination than fiction. First of all plays force readers to imagine each character more vividly, not to mention the setting is much more essential. Plays make everything more immediate and everything in the setting is considered to be a character and plays a role in the scene. Within plays the dialog flows without much effort and is not as dependent on narration from the main character.
Nottage, Lynn. RUINED. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
Daniela Myovich
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
5 July 2011
Reflection:
Lynn Nottage writes a brutally realistic and genuine play about African women in Democratic Republic of Congo during the civil war. Most of these women have been brutally raped and can no longer go back to their homes. The women find refuge at Mama Nadi's, a popular brothel where men on both sides of the war are welcome. Sophie, a woman who is brought to Mama Nadi's, has been raped with bayonet and is considered "ruined" (Nottage 10)
Each character is "ruined" in one sense or another, whether is be emotionally ruined or physically ruined. Sophie is ruined because she can't perform sexually. Mama Nadi is ruined because she forgot how to trust people. Salima, another woman who works at the brothel, is emotionally ruined because everyone that she thought loved her turned their backs on her once she was raped.
It will be interesting to see what happens next.
Nottage, Lynn. RUINED. Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2010.
Daniela Myovich
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Free write:
The main difference between fiction and theater is that fiction is meant to be read and theater is meant to be performed. When you see a theater performance acted out you have a better chance of relating to the performers.You get to see their raw emotion of the performers. You get to be involved the story; you get to live in the experience.
Raymond Ye
Professor Sabir
English 1B
6 July 2011
Freewrite 6
I decided to look into act one scene two of Ruined by Lynn Nottage, which starts giving a more vivid idea of how ruined the society is. Scene one introduces the characters, whereas scene two introduces the setting. Scene one introduces the story in a shop and a man brings females to work and live there, which could be portrayed as a bar with full time employees. Scene two discretely introduces that the shop is actually a brothel that also serves alcoholic beverages, entertainment, and company. Also, the stage is set as a town during war time and there are many poor people as well as soldiers trying to make a living through harsh times. The theme of being ruined is reflects upon the society because the so-called government is not doing a good job of helping the community. Lives are ruined by the government and the rebels because the war gives the militia more power and the ability to act as they please: raiding villages, raping women, stealing from the poor, and kill the innocent without any penalty. Lastly, the women of the brothel are all ruined in one way or another, whether it being raped, robbed, or having their family destroyed, and they must work as a whore with no income except for a home and food.
Theatre is more immediate, because the words are not used to slowly and vividly describe each setting and every movement. The scenes are set on the stage and the actions are portrayed by each of the actors depending on the information given by the context. The audience is by the stage as the play is acted out, so the audience can applaud, laugh, sob, weep, or react in any other way to the actions on the stage; therefore, the audience may alter the acting by giving inspiration for the actors to be more dramatic or letting them know that they are doing a good job. Ruined sets a good example of a great play because it has a tragic story through dialogue and the setting and actions that the actors should provide within the parenthesis. The dialogue tend to help illustrate a general setting that the stage should provide or help the audience imagine the time period and area setting.
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