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- Reading responses are due by 10pm on the day PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
Dan Dietz “Trash Anthem” was very interesting to say the least, and intense. It had twists and turns that made it all the more riveting. For me, as I got further and further with the dialogue and conflicts, I feel as if the tension just got thicker and thicker. I read it twice and each time I found a new or alternative meaning behind some of the lingo and symbolism used.
ReplyDeleteThe ending, in my opinion made the woman look crazy… singing with boots on all fours with her hands inside the boots? The author did a good job at painting a picture with the words (for readers), since it’s a play I’m sure at this point the audience thought she was crazy also. I guess you can’t blame her though, infidelity can really damage a woman. I think the woman was even more ashamed at the fact that it was homosexual infidelity. My reason for thinking this is because when Boots was trying to tell the audience he cheated on Jenny with a guy, she was trying her hardest to shut him up. I also felt at certain parts of the play, boots was an actual person, like maybe her husband or boyfriend whatever he was to her, was nicknamed “Boots”.
I really liked this piece as odd as that may sound but it was solid. It had humor within the conflict, which I found to be comic relief given the fact that Jenny actually killed and buried Boots for what he did. As far as the format goes, it seemed to follow similar format to the file available to us through the blog however final bit did not make sense to me format-wise. Were the boots and woman singing at the same time? Did the boots say a line, then woman said a line? It just wasn’t clear-cut so I wasn’t sure how to read it. Finally, the play ends so abruptly with the blackout. Did the woman get arrested? If she did, how did the police find out it was her? Did she kill herself before they got to her? Did she go crazy and act out then do a suicide by cop? So many ways it could go since the writer left it open ended. And the reason I think any of these possibilities could be plausible is because of how crazy the actual story is itself… Most woman either divorce or leave their significant other when they find out he is cheating. They don’t usually kill and bury him in the backyard.
-Alfredo Montemayor
This story was really descriptive and entertaining. Dan Dietz really had a dialogue sort of fictionalized with a boot. An item. I think she murdered her lover of two years for cheating with a man. And she was talking it out, after she buried the man. The boots represented the lover as if she was talking to him and she was trying to put the pieces together. The story has a good story line and I understood what was happening. But it doesn't say if she witnessed the lover cheating but she could've been crazy and assumed. Either way you can tell she was loosing it singing to herself talking to the boots. It's as if she was trying to see herself innocent and had the right to kill because of the lover cheating. I am curious at what happens in the end as the sirens got closer and they were outside when she saw the siren lights.
ReplyDelete-Adelisa Fuentes
I really enjoyed Dan Dietz's play "Trash Anthem." The story itself was entertaining and even a little comical throughout all of the conflict and dialogue. However, I was confused with a lot of this story at the same time. I'm curious as to whether the man's boots, which were anthropomorphic almost, represented anything or anyone or if the woman was just crazy or getting there. Another thing that confused me was the ending when the woman shoves her hands inside of the boots, gets on all fours and sings with them. I'm wondering what that was about. Is it just to make her look crazy or was there some sort of symbolism within it? I was also confused as to how I was meant to read the duet. Were they singing in unison or taking turns with each line? Or did the boots sing their part first and then the woman?
ReplyDeleteThe way the story ends with the blackout makes me wonder whether or not the woman got arrested. I have a feeling she may have killed herself, but I'm not 100% sure. It was confusing.
The story was a fun read, but a little brain-wracking.
-Ryan Bluhm
Such an Interesting playwright was, I understood that of was a bit of dark humor. This playwright by Dan Dietz, “Trash Anthem,” was very loud in a sense; it was dramatic yet it was sincere. I thought she the woman was crazy, but the boots were very crazy as well. To me, Dietz did an splendid job with this play, I find it, with curiosity, if she killed her man? She has a shovel and she screams, talks to boots, and shares her recalled memories. I liked how there aren’t specific names towards every boots or the women. I believe that this play has a lot of action, just with the movements, with just her motives in screaming or stomping her feet and raising her hands says plenty of how she feels towards the boots. In addition to this, the diction, I have this sort of accent in my head that was being used in this playwright, but both the women and the boots demonstrated how it was done, how their moment was shared with the audience. Along with the way this is written and the vulgar language that is used towards the end is something else, but it spices everything up and makes it more dramatic and it makes the reader think more about the neighbor, the boots and why the woman is yelling, and we start to understand why the police is on the. And that idea of her leaving in her fours, just made me think of an animal, that she had to do something to her man. I believe that her man owned the boots. Along with is mind filling ideas, in the end, what actually happened to the women, what actually happened to her man and to Jeff? Because I know she kept and took the boots with her, but it makes one think. Overall this was a very interesting playwright and it was humor, dark and crazy humor. I enjoyed it and I tried looking for it and I couldn’t find a video.
ReplyDeleteMaria J. Salinas
I really like this play because it made me feel that this story is extremely related able in the real world. I’m sure at some point we all feel like we’ve gone a little overboard on reacting and wish to take back our actions. Like she didn’t mean to really kill him, she was just hurt. So it’s a very dramatic scene to begin with. People can’t just bring back the dead and have a conversation with them about killing them. But in this scene it shows possible, and this what happens and this is what everyone wants to do. Find an amends between a mistake. It’s also kind of weird that she seems to be in love with the boots more than the guy. Like did she really love him, or just the way he dances? I don’t understand all the screaming that’s being done between them both, it could also represent their frustrations. I also like that you can feel the stubbornness and frustration just from the dialogue. Overall I liked the story and the comedic, but strange vibe from beginning to end.
ReplyDelete-Christopher Capello
I really enjoyed this reading for the fact that it kept me on my feet wanting to know the answer even thought I already knew the answer, The language that was used being vaguer and all made this piece come together. The way the author made these pair of boots come to life, as a haunting memory to the women. As a little voice that will never die in her mind for what she did, and the way the boots kept speaking to her telling her she should turn herself in as well as prepare herself because “they” were on there way made you get a sense regret in the back of her mind. This story made me think as if the main character was a little insane, but that just made the piece a whole lot better in the sense that it made the piece come to life down to the core. And the core was what made the readers want to continue reading to want to get to that ending and receive the answer to it all. This author as well brought in some very deep backgrounds by saying that this man slept with another man wanting to make the readers understand that times have changed, like it mentions the twenty first century making giving the reader the sense of what time zone this reading is taking place. This reading helps me understand what I can do with my piece that is required for class. I am able to see that characters do not always have to be a person, but instead can be something that is a haunting memory, a constant reminder, a small voice from the main character that keeps them from overcoming there problem as well as this author tied in longing for something they can not have or that they miss. This women mention how she wanted that love that the other man was receiving and part of the dialogue spoke about that, she question the boots wanting to know if there was ever love in the relationship or what exactly was going on. Over all I enjoyed this reading.
ReplyDelete-Alicia Lucio
While reading "Trash Anthem" by Dan Dietz, I had sort of this country accent going on, it was pretty entertaining and fun to read. Although the main character, being the women, seems a bit crazy. I felt as if she was talking within herself but also within her husband through the boots. My favorite part was the ending where shes asking the boots to tell her what they meant when they said they loved her, I thought that part was really good, it was clear and descriptive "Like you were gonna leave your prints on my bones." I also liked how the authors beginning and ending matched up, beginning the story with the song and then ending the story with the song helps bring a visual representation to what the central theme was about...In this case.. being bat shit crazy. Oh, I also liked how vulgarity was used in this piece bringing it more to life and making it feel as if it was a real play. Happy Easter everybody! :)
ReplyDelete-Natasha Villarreal
Trash Anthem started off confusing, I didn’t know where the author was taking the play. It was to the point where it was frustrating to read. As the story progressed everything started to be more clear and the confusion at the start actually helped the play out in the overall plot. I enjoyed how it juxtaposed two very contrasting ideals, a cowboy, who represents a figure on manliness and a homosexual. By doing this the author brings to light some of the underlying ideas associated within the play by breaking stereotypes. The fact that an individual has a different preference to who they are romantically attracted to doesn’t mean that they have to fall into all of the characteristics associated with it. It is the norm for people to think that because of what stereotype a person fits in then they have to act how society expects them to. This play touches on the fact that it isn’t always the case. These big issues that break molds of thinking are something that I would emulate in my personal work. I would like my audience to come out with a new perspective on whatever subject that I would decide to write about and do it in a way like this play, with the strong characters and plot. That brings me to the other area I enjoyed about this play, the story. It had multiple genres, humor, mystery, and drama. By making the boots, something very unexpected, we gain a better sense of the character they represent. Making the character a supernatural force allows the audience to witness a much more rounded character who moves the plot forward. The way that the situation, which is serious, is treated lightly helps to make this situation easier to understand and sit through. Where a serious play would perhaps deter some people off then humor becomes the bridge to make the point come across in a much easier way. The play was crafted well and executed its theme across through its smart use of humor and drama. Mixing multiple devices is the biggest take away from this play for me.
ReplyDelete-Alvaro Pulido
The way Dan Dietz sets up his play “Trash Anthem” is very peculiar. The first thing that I noticed is that he doesn’t give his characters official names to be read by, instead they are referred to as woman and boot. Even though the boot clearly calls her penny that is the only mention of her name. This kind of gives me the notion that he intended this to be read from the point of view of a bystander that has no prior knowledge of penny or her partner. Which is not the typical point of view a play would have. I really like the tone and the humor of the play the line “Jesus, you can be so stone age. Twenty-first century, jenny. Wake up and smell the tolerance.” Had me giggling a bit. Because the idea of a boot being that self-aware is hilarious. Another thing that struck me as very out of the ordinary is that Dan Dietz’s characters are breaking the fourth wall and actually start talking to the audience and giving those demands and penny is saying how unoriginal and cliché she is for killing her cheating husband. I really admire Dan Dietz play because of the language, specifically the cussing, this makes it sound so much more realistic and something that someone who just murdered their husband would definitely say.
ReplyDelete-Lowen Sauceda
After reading, “Trash Anthem” I really wished it would have been a longer piece. It just left you with so many open ended questions that I wish I knew the answer to. I really liked how instead of two actual people onstage they used one woman and an inanimate object. Obviously the boots represented her now deceased partner, but of course we don’t learn that till later in the play. We, as the readers, automatically think that she is crazy, but after we find out who the boots represent it kind of starts making sense - she doesn’t seem all that crazy just screaming at a pair of shoes. Because she killed her husband, I would have assumed that it would have taken place decades ago. Shockingly, the boots say this takes place in the 21st century, which doesn’t really make sense because we are much more open to homosexuality now than we were years and years ago. In a way, the boots were a comic relief from the shock that she killed her partner. I found myself laughing at certain parts in the skit. The ending is what brought it back to reality though. In the end we found out just how crazy she really was all along. The boots probably weren’t even talking the entire time, she was just some crazy lady who was put into shock over the fact that she had been living and loving a man who was an in closet homosexual. And that really would be enough to put anyone into some kind of shock, but not enough to kill them! I believe the blue lights had to have resembled something else besides the police lights. I know blue represents sadness and mystery, but it doesn’t seem like she killed herself by what it says in the stage directions. It almost seems like she’s un-burying the body as the cops come closer and closer, like she’s owning up to what she did. Or maybe she’s just crazy and doesn’t know what she is doing anymore.
ReplyDelete-Alyssa Ramos
It wasn’t until the second time that I read Trash Anthem did I really start to appreciate the piece. I feel as if Dan Dietz purposely keeps the audience guessing as he continues to unfold the somewhat comical and unusual story. With the only characters being a woman and a pair of boots, Dietz still uses enough language and imagery to pull off an entertaining and intriguing short play. One thing that helped with that was the way he balanced the darkness in this piece with appropriate dark humor, something I really enjoyed. As I reached the ending of the play I start to assume the woman has completely lost her mind in rage or guilt, or both, and is suffering some type of manic episode. From the beginning as he is setting the scene, he has us picturing a dirty woman who is stomping her shovel around in a specific rhythm. Throughout the play he then has her talking to boots, screaming at them, and by the end, singing on all fours with both hands inside the boots. As the play goes on, we learn about an affair that tragically ends in murder. From there It seemed to me that the affair and brutal murder created an intense combination that lead to the woman imagining the talking boots which was probably her desperate attempt at seeking closure. Then as the play is coming to an end, Dan is describing the characters surrounded by an ocean and crashing waves, that to me, symbolizes the woman drowning in her own sorrow, rage, and insanity.
ReplyDelete- Brittany Garcia
Dan Dietz’s Trash Anthem is featured as a Ten-Minute play but only takes up five pages in our book. I take it, this means the actions and lines must be done with long dramatic pauses and drawn out language. I am still getting the hang of what a Ten-Minute play means and I supposed the play wouldn’t actually have to run exactly ten minutes. When Genevieve is arguing with the boots (ex-boyfriend or ex-husband), I felt that the tempo must have picked up significantly. When she is singing I take it as a long slow drawn out sad tune. I imagine her with a twang southern accent. Dietz does a good job at describing the setting and giving the visuals needed for casting, props, and timing. His use of dialogue both silent and spoken help with characterization and build the serious moment that takes place. I felt the boots as a character took away from the anxiety enough so that the audience can grasp the relationship aspect that fell apart. We are introduced to our characters after the dramatic fall out of murder and slowly learn why. I felt as though Dietz tried to confront the issue of homosexuality in a strange way. While he gives dialogue to Genevieve that suggests she did it because of the sole purposes of cheating, Diets brings up the underlying accusation suggesting that she did it because of his homosexuality. In the end, Dietz intertwines these two elements to produce the complications that go along with the chaos of the moment. The fact that this woman is talking to shoes becomes completely normal and understandable for someone who has just murdered in a fit of jealous rage. I enjoyed the reading and would like to see it acted out.
ReplyDelete~Brenda Gomez
“Trash Anthem” by Dan Dietz was a really odd and confusing play in my opinion. I thought the characters name was actually boots and not an actual pair off boots until I started reading more so that really threw me off. However, I really enjoyed how Dietz made the woman look so psychotic as the dialogue between her and the boots were in an argumentative manner. Also how she “thrusts” her hands into the boots and starts singing while the police are on the way to arrest her for murdering her lover. That really spooked me out! I liked the language Dietz incorporated with the southern accents and slang makes the setting feel really authentic and reels in the reader/audience.
ReplyDelete-Brandon Garcia
This play is VERY creative! Dan Dietz was able to create a play that uses personification at its finest and give the boots a voice and he did it in the most genius way. Through out reading this play I got the feeling (because the author does not directly say it from the beginning but rather he hints it ) that the woman killed her husband with the shovel and went a little crazy and started hallucinating, thus her speaking to the boots. It kind of also reminds me of the stereotypical girlfriend/ husband in a sense, like those memes seen on facebook about the crazy girlfriends. NONE THE LESS… and as I said before, I really enjoyed this play, after reading it a couple times… yes… a couple.. it was that good, I can only imagine what it would be like to see it in action, so that I can also see the emotions on her face, her reactions and gestures, because that is also a big part of a play, I feel like.
ReplyDelete-priscilla pena
Reading this play was so enjoyable. I loved the idea of the boots being like a conduit of some sort of emotional nonsense she is carrying and now that the deed was done it took it's toll. It seems that she killed her husband and after doing such thing she is now going into a state of shock of what she just did and now the emotional roller coaster beings. The language was also very entertaining, it wasn't just a girl saying these things but the southern twist to it gave it a whole new meaning a depth to the actual ideas she had in her head and what the boot was telling her back. And the entire time she is just there waiting for the cops to show as the sirens get near, just the entire play was entertaining. Great language and great scene to probably see. Also on another note, the humor was even better because it's almost like the dry humor most people don't understand or want to laugh at because it shouldn't be funny but it really is.
ReplyDelete-Victoria Benavidez
This was one of the most interesting plays too me, it had like a thriller/murderous scenarios. Even though that’s not what was talking about but while reading that’s the vibe I got while reading. I enjoyed how the author chose a legit person and an object as one of the characters – it made it so much more interesting rather than just another person sharing dialogue. I enjoy this from the author. As I read the first couple of lines the woman says when she’s screaming next to the boots and standing above the soggy soil just made it seem like she had killed someone or something because the description of the soil makes it seem so real like something connects to the author and the soil and the death. I like how the character chose a pair of boots to be another character because it makes the woman appear to be physco because shes talking to a pair of boots. If anyone normal were to pass by and see im sure they would freak out just because it’s like she’s talking to herself. Another thing I liked was when the sirens would be coming closer and closer – it was like the woman was freaking out because of it and maybe she became physco because of talking to the boots as if they were real. Like maybe she became so crazy that she started talking to objects and everything. In my opinion I’m sure she was the killer because if sirens were coming and she’s talking crazy it only makes sense. And then asking the boots how many times did you cheat on me, I felt while reading that – maybe since boots are shoes and they have been worn by others so maybe that’s where the cheating part came through. I feel she killed because he cheated and it was just a natural reaction to her – I don’t think she really meant to kill him. I really enjoyed this play, very interesting.
ReplyDelete=arianna taabares
I don't read a lot of plays, but I love watching musicals. I think the only play I have read in its entirety is "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry and that just happened this semester. But I took theater appreciation and we WATCHED The Taming of Shrew, original play by William Shakespeare. "Trash Anthem" by Dan Dietz is a shorter piece of a play with intensifying turns and twists in one setting and an exchange of conversation, which is vividly painted to fit more of a contemporary feel. Dietz initially makes the play interesting because the boots are a personification of the woman's (Genevieve) ex-boyfriend that cheated on her, which is what I got from it at least. I tried reading the piece slower in my head the second time around, and the theme felt more vivid and came alive. The piece is a little confusing, comical, and entertaining to read. Of course, the reader catches quickly on the impression that this woman might have been extremely needy in a relationship and the man was unable to keep up with her requirements. Any woman that behaves in radical ways in a relationship is seen as "crazy." Finding out that her boyfriend is essentially a gay cowboy drove her to the point of murder because betrayal is worse than being lied to. The dude (Boots) could've been honest from the get-go; if she was not accepting of his bisexual tendencies then he could've hit the high road, but there is an underlying reason he never "came out." His vengeance will be her incarceration. Maybe he manipulated her into thinking she won at the end because he's gone, but maybe he would rather be dead than ever come out of the closet and some people really feel that way. That is how I viewed the ending. We see the reasoning behind the woman's actions, but Boots never speaks of his intentions other than what happened to advice the audience of why he is dead.
ReplyDelete- Cecilia Ramirez