GLENGARRY+GLEN+ROSS

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** Glengarry Glen Ross ** ** by David Mamet ** ** Context ** ** As with many works of art, a knowledge and understanding of context is vital to the overall appreciation of the work. This is no less the case in //Glengarry Glen Ross// where a grasp of the political climate of the 1980s is fundamental to your study. ** Reaganism and Thatcherism (individual prospering/materialism/rich getting richer etc) are concepts that you must know about, as on one level the whole play is an allegory against these systems. Go to this link to find out more. Once you have finished reading this analysis of the Political Position of Glengarry, write a 3 paragraph summary of the document. [] ** Analysis ** Study guide from the good people at Book Rags... please devour and enjoy. Focus particularly on the analysis of the scenes. Always Be sCanning...  Glengarry Essay on Characters, Speech and Social Status...   ** Language  ** How is language used to reflect character, relationships, subtext, tension and conflict in each of the dialogues? Devices to look out for: - Elision: parts of words missed out - Repetition - False starts - Pausing || - Stichomythia - Interruptions - Overlapping - Dominance - Turn-taking - Two-part exchanges: Q&A - Statement/agreement - In medias res || - Emphasis <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Repetition <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Colloquialism <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Vitriolic diction <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Figurative language <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Jargon || ** Mamet Biography ** ** Study Questions ** 1. To what extent is //Glengarry Glen Ross// a tragedy? 2. To what extent can //Glengarry Glen Ross// be referred to as a comedy? 3. Discuss the tragic arc of Levine's character. 4. How is the structure of the play carefully composed and to what effect? 5. Discuss the important juxtapositioning of language and dominance in //Glengarry Glen Ross.// 6. How are non-fluency features of speech (repetitions, ellipses, false starts) important in the speech of the characters? 7. How is subtext crucial to an understanding of the play? 8. Compare and contrast Levine's opening speech with Roma's opening speech. 9. How are Reaganism and Thatcherism important in terms of the context of the play? 10. "//Glengarry Glen Ross// is filled with empty words". Discuss. 11. Is it important or significant that there are no female characters in the play? ** 12. What is the key theme of the play? Justify your response. ** ** The Script ** Lauded as an all time great script, full of witty - yet devastating - dialogue, it is essential to read and re-read Mamet's words. This link will take you to the complete Mamet script. [] <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #7f7f7f; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 40px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="border: 0px initial initial; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Gil Gunderson
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Non-fluency features ** || **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dialogue Features ** || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Rhetorical Features** ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Ellipsis: words, phrases missing



<span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px;">//Aw, c'mon, do it for ol' Gil!// Essentially a parody of Jack Lemmon's desperate, beleaguered real-estate agent from //Glengarry Glen Ross//, poor old Gil is the ultimate sad sack: A salesman whose only asset is his expired charm. The poor guy's an inch away from losing his job, wife, house (that is, his shitty job, cheating wife, and whatever roof he currently calls home). All he needs is one more sale--just one sale, please, pretty please?--but he is completely unable to seal the deal. He practically sweats desperation.



<span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px;">Gil is great because he makes you feel good about yourself. No matter how miserable your life, at least you're not //that// guy. Like many of //The Simpsons//' finest characters, Gil fills a niche you didn't even know was empty till he appeared. He's like a grownup version of the Squeaky-Voiced Teen in that he pops up any and everywhere, never holding the same crappy job twice. He sells shoes, used cars, doorbells, even Coleco computers ("Now, let's talk rust-proofing. These Colecos'll rust up on ya' like //that//, er ... shut up, Gil. Close the deal ... close the deal!").



<span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px;">Gil is best when used sparingly; the perfect one-joke cameo. Pop up, make us laugh, disappear. Of course they gave him a starring episode--even Crazy Old Cat Lady is due her leading role--where he moved in with the Simpsons (and who hasn't yet stayed at that house?), but we like Gil best when he's tried to sell us something obsolete, failed, and limped away, dejected but eternally optimistic he'll nab the next one. <span style="border: 0px initial initial; margin: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Read more: <span style="border: 0px initial initial; color: #003399; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">[|http://www.cracked.com/article_16566_5-most-underrated-simpsons-characters.html#ixzz1GdrMDi5F]

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